Let Me Be Your Wings

Chapter 8

Gwen could hear the distant sounds of battle. She was in a very crowded room where a majority of the women and children had fled to. Her guardian, a servant of Nasuada, was kind to her and made sure she was comfortable enough. She even tried to reassure her that everything would be all right, despite the worry in the woman's eyes.

"Karen, do you have any loved one's fighting?" Gwen asked the servant.

"I do. My brother, Jarrod." Gwen nodded her head in response. "I really hope he will survive. He is not much of a warrior and I am so scared for him."

Gwen really felt bad for all the women and children in the room who had loved ones fighting. Eragon had training. He had a dragon and can use magic. He was very well off, unlike most of the men who were engaged in the raging battle. "All we can do it hope and pray," she sighed.

As the hours dragged on, Gwen began to become very tired. She tried to force herself to stay awake but eventually, she fell asleep upon her guardian's lap. Karen dozed off as well, the clanging of metal on metal hindering her from completely falling asleep.

Relief spread across Karen's face as soon as her brother appeared. He was badly bruised and covered in wounds, but he was alive. Nasuada was walking not too far behind Jarrod. Gwen watched the siblings hug, standing on Nasuada's hand. After, she turned to face Nasuada. The woman was not as badly beat up as Jarrod, but she looked just as exhausted as him. She allowed her servant time off from her duties to tend to her brother. Karen displayed her thanks and then walked away with her brother. When they were gone, Gwen began to express her concerns.

"Do you know if Eragon is all right?" The battle was long, but in the end, victory belonged to the Varden once news spread that the Dragon Rider had killed Durza. Gwen nearly panicked when she learned that the shade had shown up, fearing for Eragon. If the shade had succeeded in killing him, the war would have been lost before it even begun and all their lives would be taken mercilessly. The epic defeat of Durza was like sweet music to her ears, until she remembered that killing a shade was no easy task. Eragon had made the final blow and that meant Eragon would be in pain, severe pain to be exact.

Nasuada looked down upon the tiny girl. "Gwen, Eragon is alive, but he is badly wounded."

Gwen sucked in her breath, trying to hold her composure, and nodded. "When will I be able to see him?"

"I can take you to him now." Nasuada started to walk out of the room heading to the Dragon hold.

Dead bodies were strewn everywhere throughout the Varden, making Gwen a little nauseous. The blood, smell, and the sight of so many dead made her stomach churn in disgust. "So many lives lost." Gwen whispered under her breath. With so many dead, it hardly seemed like they had a victory. The very word was almost like bile. This was no victory. Sure, they had barely managed to turn the battle, but victory was not the correct term to use. It would have been a victory if they were better equipped and had more trained men who could fight off the evil the King threw at them without losing so many. Gwen closed her eyes, unwilling to see more dead people.

They jerked open when she heard a man yelling at Nasuada. "You have to come quick!" He said, before waving his hand for her to follow him. Nasuada asked the man what was going on. "It's your father, he…he's dead."

Gwen held on tight as Nasuada began to run, the man leading the way. It took them nearly ten minutes before they reached their destination. Along line of people stood between Nasuada and her father. They parted once they noticed her presence. Ajihad was lying on the ground, Eragon perched over him. Blood oozed from his wounds, but he was already dead.

Eragon looked up and saw Nasuada approach, his eyes red from crying. "He was ambushed and I was too late to save him." Jormundur placed a hand on the Rider's shoulder in an attempt to calm him. Eragon stood up to allow Nasuada to see her father. She handed him Gwen before kneeling to pay her respects, her eyes filming over as tears began to fall down her cheeks.

Eragon paced over to Saphira. Neither of them said a word as they waited for Nasuada. They had to wait several minutes before she managed to wipe her tears and stand back up. Jormundur then nodded to some of his men who gently lifted Ajihad off the ground and began to carry him away. Nasuada followed behind, telling the others to stay behind. "I will plan the funeral where we can all watch his burial, but right now, I want to be with him as he is being readied." Eragon nodded.

Gwen watched as the small procession faded into the distance before talking. "I assume I will be with you until Nasuada gets back?"

He gazed down upon her for the first time since she was handed to him and said, "Yeah, you will be with me." He placed her on his shoulder so that he could mount Saphira, and after, they took off. When they were all inside the Dragon hold, Eragon placed Gwen upon his bed saying that he needed to change. It took him longer than usual making Gwen nervous. She paced the bed knowing that it had to be his wound holding him up.

Eragon returned, shirtless. In his hand he held a white long sleeved shirt, but he did not put it on just yet. "Gwen."

At the sound of his voice, she spun around to face him. When she saw that he wore no shirt, she had a sinking feeling that he was going to expose his wound to her. She was right as he said, "While I was fighting Durza, he sliced open my back." Eragon turned around to reveal a wound that went from his shoulder to his hip. Gwen gasped at the sight.

"I knew you were hurt badly, but…" she never finished her sentence.

"At least I am still alive," he chuckled, weakly.

"How did you kill him?" Eragon put on his shirt, wincing as pain seared his entire body. He then sat down on the bed and held out his hand for Gwen to walk onto. He lied against the soft pillows and placed Gwen on his chest before he relayed his tale.

Saphira was lying down in her bed, her eyes on the couple as her Rider began to speak. "I do not remember how long the battle had lingered before Durza showed up. When he did, I honestly thought we were all doomed. Saphira and I toiled away at him for a while before Arya came to help me. She cut down Isidar Mithrim and as it crashed against the floor, it distracted Durza long enough to plunge my sword into his heart.

"After, I become unconscious and I thought I was going to die. A voice inside my head helped me through the darkness. He gave me strength and said that I was to meet him when I go to Ellesmera. He called himself The Cripple Who Is Whole. He saved my life, Gwen. I know he did. I have yet to tell Arya, but I will when she comes back.

"She left to hunt down the urgals who killed Ajihad," he said when Gwen gave him a confused look. "I should also tell you that Murtagh is missing."

Gwen's eyes grew big. "How is that possible? I thought he was still locked up."

"I convinced Ajihad to let Murtagh fight. He agreed saying that it would be a great way to have him prove himself. He fought bravely, but now he is gone. No one has been able to find him anywhere."

The news unsettled Gwen even more than she already was. "Everything seems to have been turned upside down," she finally said.

"Aye, that is a good way of putting it." The two of them remained silent for a while. Not even Saphira said anything as she had closed her eyes to rest.

Gwen lied down resting her head on her arms. "You know, I have been thinking about what you had said to me before the battle, you know, about us," she said after a few minutes had passed.

Eragon lifted his head to see her better. "I think we can make it work out between us. When you were away, I was so worried about you. If anything had happened to you, I don't know what I'd do. I think I am in love with you" She said, snuggling into his chest.