Here is chapter eleven for you all to enjoy…I hope.

Road to Surda Part 3 (Aftermath)

"This is taking too long" I said to myself as I watch what appeared to be the last fourth of the Varden exiting the tunnel. I was currently standing somewhat off to the side so that I was out of the way. I would have wanted to help but I was unsure as to how the Varden actually felt about Spyro and I and I rather keep a low profile. Besides, Eragon was going to become the rallying symbol for them; I was just going to take care of any kind of obstacles that may impede the way.

It was all part of the big plan I had in terms of dealing with this world. The main objective was of course to prevent the darkness from swallowing this land but past experiences have shown me that there this world, like the ones before it, worked a lot different then past worlds and that plan had to be changed to meet with these new conditions. Normally, I would have been more than happy to take care of the mad king by myself, maybe with the help of Spyro; but now I had to act with a bit more restraint and care. In fact, were I still following the standard guidelines, I wouldn't have even let the Varden know about Spyro or about my other abilities and I would have adopted a more passive stance. However, since the incident at the cathedral, the Meddling Clause was in effect. The Clause basically states that I'm allowed to affect how the flow of events happens in this world as long as these events have relevance with the Heartless. Every action I have taken was based around that Clause…but there is still some red tape that I have to go through in order for me to be fully active in this world or even to call in back-up.

I gave a small twitch as I felt a shot of pain from my shoulder, breaking my train of thought. The wound had been properly mended at this point and I was confident that it would be able to fully heal by the time we got to our destination. Spyro, who was at this point, was lying down behind me watching the Varden leaders organizing them for the march as well, asked me "Are you okay?" I nodded to him and replied through our mental connection "I'll manage…it's not the worst thing I've had to deal with."

It was then that I notice Jörmundur was approaching me on his horse. I could sense the slight but growing fear coming from the horse as it was nearing Spyro; a fear born from the dragons of the past. When it got to the point that the horse would refuse to come any closer, I decided to take the initiative and I started to approach him with Spyro staying where he was at. Once I got within an easy speaking distance, I asked "Hello their Commander; is there something I can do for you?" He looked at me with a stern expression but I could see a slight hint of respect in his eyes which improved my mood a bit.

He gestured to the rest of the Varden and said "We should be leaving in a few minutes. Lady Nasuada is hoping to get a few miles in before night falls." I thought about it for a moment before asking "Why not continues on through the night?" Jörmundur shook his head after I had finished asking and replied "These woods can become very hard to navigate at night and Lady Nasuada doesn't want to lose anyone in the forest." I nodded my head in understanding and added "It would also make a good hiding spot for a large party like us to be able to hide in." He nodded his head in agreement and I continue "So was there something that she needed me to do?"

Jörmundur shook his head and replied "Not at the moment although if you wanted to, I would feel much better if you and Spyro would go on ahead and scout out the area for us. Try to find a clearing nearby that we could use." I nodded my head in understanding and made my way back to Spyro. He looked up at me when I approached and said "This is the first time in a while that I've seen you taking orders from someone else." I gave a minor shrug and replied "I trust him…and besides it might improve our standing with the Varden if they see us being more cooperative."

I then got onto Spyro's back and we flew off in search of the clearing. While looking around, my thoughts trailed back onto Eragon and I started to wonder what he was doing at this moment and if he had reached the elves capitol yet.

Really sorry for the long hiatus with this chapter but I've been dealing with a lack of motivation and some writer's block.

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Richer1992