Eragon Redux
Apr. 2nd, 2007 12:41 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
kippurbirdGarrow banked the fire in the hearth. The night was getting old and he should have been in bed a long time ago, but he waited up in hope that his nephew would return home. The boy had been gone for almost a week now, off in the Spine. Garrow never knew what Eragon did in the mountains, but every so often he'd just up and vanish. Sometimes the farmer wondered if Eragon had gone off to try and find his mother or father, but the boy always returned eventually.
He stood and crossed the main room of the farmhouse, preparing to give up his watch for the night and go to bed when he heard the gate creak outside- he'd been at Roran to grease the hinges, but he hadn't yet. someone was coming, most likely his wayward nephew.
He paused at the foot of the stairs, relieved that Eragon had returned safely. The door opened and the boy came in, grinning with triumph and excitement.
"Hello, uncle," Eragon said as he swung his loaded pack onto the worn table they used. "I got the supplies you wanted.
"Supplies?" Garrow asked, confused. How had Eragon known what they needed? Of course, the list that he'd been making for the next time he went into the village had gone missing. Eragon must have taken it. "How did you pay for them?" He was a little worried that the boy might have stolen them. Eragon meant well, but he didn't always understand certain things, and paying for things was one of them.
Eragon's grin hadn't faded. "I traded for them. Hurst gave me money for the egg shard that I had."
"Egg shards?" Garrow wasn't sure what sort of egg shards Hurst would pay money for- the smith wasn't foolish by any stretch of the imagination.
"Yes. From this." Eragon removed a small lizard-like creature that had been clinging to his hair. He set it on the table, where it looked around curiously, the candlelight reflecting off of its deep blue scales.
Garrow gasped in shock- it was hard to mistake the animal for anything else, even if you'd only heard the tales. But it couldn't possibly be something different- it had to be- "Eragon! That's a dragon!"
The boy glanced between him and the dragon, which peered sleepily at the both of them before making an unhappy squeak. "Is it really?" Eragon's smile grew even wider, his eyes shining with excitement. "A real dragon, like in the stories?"
Garrow nodded, remembering how much Eragon enjoyed hearing stories about the dragon riders from Brom. When he was a child, he would sit, listening intently, to every story, and then play at being a dragon rider in the woods, making Roran play as the evil king, or a wicked dragon rider, or an urgal. "Yes. Like the stories."
Eragon bent down to look more closely at the little dragon, stroking its back lightly. "I'm going to be a rider," he murmured in wonder. "A real dragon rider. Just like in the stories."
His uncle frowned as the dragon let out another squeak. "Only if you take care of your dragon. When did you feed him last?"
Eragon blinked, looking back up at Garrow. "I don't remember. This morning?"
"Go get some meat from the larder and feed him. You have to feed babies, or else they don't grow," the farmer said, watching Eragon. "Go on, get it."
Eragon leapt up and ran to the larder, returning with a bowl of meat and scraps for the dragon. Garrow nodded approvingly as his nephew fed the dragon, making sure that the little animal got all the food it wanted. As Eragon put the empty bowl down, wiping his fingers on his tunic, Garrow ruffled his hair. "You'd best get some sleep. We start bringing in the rye in the morning."
Eragon nodded and scooped up the dragon, giving his uncle a smile. "Good night, Uncle."
"Good night, Eragon." Garrow started to go back up the stairs, but then turned again. "Don't tell anyone but Roran about your dragon, you hear? It could get us all killed."
Eragon nodded, closing the door to the room he shared with Roran. Garrow continued on up the stairs, frowning to himself. Anyone who listened to Brom's tales, even those who just dismissed them as the ravings of a drunken lunatic, knew what the king had done to all the other dragon riders. If word got out that a dragon was here, things would get very bad, not only for Eragon, but for the whole village.
Garrow truly hoped it wouldn't come to that.
He stood and crossed the main room of the farmhouse, preparing to give up his watch for the night and go to bed when he heard the gate creak outside- he'd been at Roran to grease the hinges, but he hadn't yet. someone was coming, most likely his wayward nephew.
He paused at the foot of the stairs, relieved that Eragon had returned safely. The door opened and the boy came in, grinning with triumph and excitement.
"Hello, uncle," Eragon said as he swung his loaded pack onto the worn table they used. "I got the supplies you wanted.
"Supplies?" Garrow asked, confused. How had Eragon known what they needed? Of course, the list that he'd been making for the next time he went into the village had gone missing. Eragon must have taken it. "How did you pay for them?" He was a little worried that the boy might have stolen them. Eragon meant well, but he didn't always understand certain things, and paying for things was one of them.
Eragon's grin hadn't faded. "I traded for them. Hurst gave me money for the egg shard that I had."
"Egg shards?" Garrow wasn't sure what sort of egg shards Hurst would pay money for- the smith wasn't foolish by any stretch of the imagination.
"Yes. From this." Eragon removed a small lizard-like creature that had been clinging to his hair. He set it on the table, where it looked around curiously, the candlelight reflecting off of its deep blue scales.
Garrow gasped in shock- it was hard to mistake the animal for anything else, even if you'd only heard the tales. But it couldn't possibly be something different- it had to be- "Eragon! That's a dragon!"
The boy glanced between him and the dragon, which peered sleepily at the both of them before making an unhappy squeak. "Is it really?" Eragon's smile grew even wider, his eyes shining with excitement. "A real dragon, like in the stories?"
Garrow nodded, remembering how much Eragon enjoyed hearing stories about the dragon riders from Brom. When he was a child, he would sit, listening intently, to every story, and then play at being a dragon rider in the woods, making Roran play as the evil king, or a wicked dragon rider, or an urgal. "Yes. Like the stories."
Eragon bent down to look more closely at the little dragon, stroking its back lightly. "I'm going to be a rider," he murmured in wonder. "A real dragon rider. Just like in the stories."
His uncle frowned as the dragon let out another squeak. "Only if you take care of your dragon. When did you feed him last?"
Eragon blinked, looking back up at Garrow. "I don't remember. This morning?"
"Go get some meat from the larder and feed him. You have to feed babies, or else they don't grow," the farmer said, watching Eragon. "Go on, get it."
Eragon leapt up and ran to the larder, returning with a bowl of meat and scraps for the dragon. Garrow nodded approvingly as his nephew fed the dragon, making sure that the little animal got all the food it wanted. As Eragon put the empty bowl down, wiping his fingers on his tunic, Garrow ruffled his hair. "You'd best get some sleep. We start bringing in the rye in the morning."
Eragon nodded and scooped up the dragon, giving his uncle a smile. "Good night, Uncle."
"Good night, Eragon." Garrow started to go back up the stairs, but then turned again. "Don't tell anyone but Roran about your dragon, you hear? It could get us all killed."
Eragon nodded, closing the door to the room he shared with Roran. Garrow continued on up the stairs, frowning to himself. Anyone who listened to Brom's tales, even those who just dismissed them as the ravings of a drunken lunatic, knew what the king had done to all the other dragon riders. If word got out that a dragon was here, things would get very bad, not only for Eragon, but for the whole village.
Garrow truly hoped it wouldn't come to that.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2007-04-02 08:02 pm (UTC)Also, since I won't be online close enough to sundown to say it at the proper time - Happy Passover.
no subject
Date: 2007-04-03 11:57 am (UTC)Though; one query. Wouldn't Garrow be a bit more critical of Eragon having brought back a dragon?
no subject
Date: 2007-04-03 12:19 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-03 12:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-04-03 12:37 pm (UTC)Glad you like it. ^_^