Chapter Twenty-Four: Of Leaving Friends Behind

The days after the funeral were spent in a whirl of black lace, tears and much, much more chocolate than any being should have to endure. The sweet-tasting dessert was a nice relief from the bitter feeling of losing a loved-one, but after days of eating nothing but chocolate, Ané could safely say she was not pleased by it all. Worse still than the endless amount of chocolate were the endless amount of tears that seemed to don every woman, child and man's face. Ané sympathized with the people of the Varden, she really did – after all, they did just lose their leader – but still, after days and days of seeing women sobbing in the street corners and wearing nothing but black, head to toe, Ané thought it was getting out of hand.

Maybe it was because Ajihad wasn't her leader, or maybe it was the fact that she hadn't known him for long. Another 'maybe' was maybe it was the fact that in the little time span she'd known him, Ajihad had had her imprisoned and forced to teach Eragon – which turned out fine in the end. Whatever the reason for it, Ané found herself one of the very, very few people in Tronjheim that had yet to cry for the fallen leader. She didn't know why, but she just could not bring herself to shed a tear for the man. Sure, she felt remorse and sadness that he'd died, but still had yet to weep for him. Of course she didn't tell Nasuada this; for how does one tell their best friend that they hadn't properly mourned the loss of their father? But whenever someone mentioned Ajihad and his death, Ané tried valiantly to artfully steer the topic away from such dangerous waters – many people, gratefully, put it down to her friendship with Nasuada; she was trying to keep her friend from thinking about the whole sordid affair, and that was part of the reason.

But only part of it.

"Are you coming, Ané?" Eragon whispered in her ear, grabbing onto her elbow as he tried to lead her down the path that led to Nasuada's study. The pair had been sparring down in the fields not an hour previously, but a messenger arrived telling them they were needed in her presence and Ané had insisted upon washing herself, much to Eragon's exasperation. 'I don't want to smell like you now, do I?' had been her only response to that, to which he had no answer.

"Yes, yes, be patient!" She replied hastily, tugging her elbow out of his grip so she could smooth out her tunic with her hands, "I doubt it's anything that'll require our immediate presence."

Eragon glared darkly at her, "I'd think twice about that – why else would she have said 'come immediately'?" He grabbed her wrist again and dragged her down the hall, effectively stopping her frantic smoothing. "Why are you doing that anyway?" He gestured towards her tunic with a curt nod of his head – ever since he lost Murtagh and Ajihad, he'd been a little tenser, "Who're you trying to impress? Nasuada?" Eragon raised an eyebrow, "Why, Ané, I didn't know your interests lay in that direction!"

She smacked him on the back of his head, pulling her arm out of his grip and stepping out his reach in one swift movement. "They don't!" She snapped, "And I'm not trying to impress anyone!" That would notice me… she added silently in her head, "What? Can't I at least try and look presentable?"

The pair fell into step, slightly farther apart than a normal pairing would walk, and continued down the hall. "No, you can try it's just… not like you." He finished, shaking his head.

Ané snorted, "Like you even know me, Eragon Shadeslayer." She put emphasis on his new title, as though she were mocking him, "A few magic lessons and here you are thinking you know me, my what a big head you have." She smirked, eyeing him from the corner of her eye.

The Rider snorted, but said nothing. Everyone had been in a rather sour mood these past few weeks, and he was not about to give in to his temper. Instead he chose to grab her wrists, ignoring her many loud and occasionally vulgar, protests and dragged her down the halls. It was only ten minutes later that Ané had managed to wiggle out of his grasp, and, cursing, fell into step beside him like an equal, rather than a disobedient child.

Ané knew she'd been in the wrong, that she was acting childishly, but could not bring herself to apologize. Nasuada probably did need them to be there as soon as they could, but this wasn't just a friendly meeting they were going to. Nasuada had just been elected the next Varden leader (as Ané had suspected) and this meant that everyone would be there – Arya, Winix; she didn't even want to bring herself to think about her, Orik, Jörmunder – everyone. This put her mood at a new low, and, much to Eragon's dismay, she'd fallen into a surly temper and tried to argue every detail in an attempt to forestall her attendance.

By the time they'd reached the office, Ané had stopped speaking altogether and merely scowled at everything and everyone. Eragon shook his head slowly, grateful to finally get this over with. A messenger waited outside the door and announced them and within minutes they were in.

The small group of those who were trusted enough to be in attendance turned as one to look at them, and while Eragon had the grace to bow his head shamefully, Ané took one look at Winix and Arya's disapproving glare and scowled fiercely at them all. Rolling his eyes, Eragon grabbed her forearm once more and dragged her to site next to Angela as he knew they got along, and nodded to Nasuada to continue.

The Varden leader bowed her head in acknowledgment, smiling at the pair of them lightly, and continued what she'd been saying. "Arya is right," she nodded at the elf, "There was nothing wrong with my father's plan of letting Eragon go to learn with the Elves. It honours the deal that was made before my time, and we may need Eragon's new knowledge in the battle with Galbatorix that has yet to come."

"And what if we are to need Eragon's presence while he's away? With the Twins gone, he is our greatest source of magical protection; without him, we are weak." Trianna spoke up from the back, "Du Vrangr Gata cannot take up against the Empire's magicians alone. Are we willing to take the risk that the Empire might strike while he's away?"

"I understand your point, Trianna, but it is not your risk to take. It is mine, and I am willing to lose Eragon for awhile, only to gain him back in strength." Nasuada clasped her hands in front, and turned to face them all. "I know what losing Eragon means to us," She began, and Ané felt Eragon blush next to her, "But if we were in dire need of Eragon, Arya has assured me that should Saphira fly quickly, they would arrive within a few days of leaving."

And what if a few days is too late? Saphira asked, and Eragon related the question aloud.

"Then we fight as best we can, and take down as many of them as we can before we die." She said bluntly, "Should it even come to that." Nasuada added hastily, noting the other's discomfort, "But I doubt it will. We will be all the stronger should Eragon come back with knowledge only the Elves can provide; he has learned all he can and will from us now." She raised an eyebrow at Ané who snorted and looked away; yes, they had studied together, but they had far from covered everything.

"Any more questions?" Nasuada looked around the room at the people who, despite looking and grumbling otherwise, made no move to try and persuade her otherwise. "Good! Then it is settled, Eragon, Saphira, Ané and Winix: you will leave for Ellsemera within the week accompanied by Arya and the guards I and King Hrothgar will assign you."

Arya arched a perfectly manicured eyebrow and raised her hand, "What good will it do for Winix and her Rider to come along as well? The Elves aren't willing to teach them their values as well, and I'm sure our hospitality can only stretch so far."

"My father wished for Ané to accompany Eragon to Ellsemera and teach him what the Elves may not know, or have forgotten. I agree with that, for what else can we do with Ané? To leave her here would be a waste to the knowledge she has, and we can't simply set her free. I'm sure your Queen would understand, Arya, that old prejudices can only last so long before they become weary." Nasuada addressed the elf with polite coolness, and raised an eyebrow of her own, and Ané tried to ignore the fact that it sounded like neither of them really wanted her, especially as they were both speaking as though she wasn't in the room.

"I'm sure you'll agree that the Elven memory outlasts the human one by far. To us, it does not seem weary."

Nasuada grimaced, as though she was thoroughly annoyed by the way things were turning. "Then it seems that you should take a leaf out of the book of us humans and simply forget, for I have decided. Eragon needs a guard of mine to accompany him, anyway, and I trust Ané will do the job well." She spoke her last sentence a little louder and said this to the whole room so there would be no challenges to the statement.

Arya glared but bowed her head, and inside Ané quailed. It was like sending a chicken into a fox's den, and she didn't blame Arya for her behaviour – she would have done the same had their positions been reversed. An elf inside the royal city of Reavstone? Such blasphemy hadn't occurred in memory, and she shuddered inside at how Arya must feel. This would be an interesting trip, one could say.

---

Ané walked down the hall that led to Angela's rooms, biting her lip. The witch wasn't accompanying her on the trip, and it would be weird not to be able to come and have a midnight chat with her, or eat lunch with Solembum. She'd grown used to the eccentric talks and conversations, and now there would be no one to advise her on the upcoming months. She sighed and picked up her pace; there was no use dilly-dallying; it would only make things seem more difficult.

And anyway, she'd see them again, right?

Upon entering the room, she noticed that it was nearly empty, save for a few rolled up skins and a table and chair; on which the witch was sitting on, stitching up a tunic. "What's all this?" She asked, looking around the room, "Where are you going?" Maybe Nasuada had changed her mind; maybe she was allowing for Angela to come along too…

"Me? I'm going back home, dove." Angela turned to Ané, noticing that she was standing in the doorway. "Back to Teirm."

Ané nodded, "Oh, right. For a moment I'd hoped you were to come with us." She sighed, "Still, someone has to run the shop, eh?" She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet for a few moments before deciding to come in and sat down on one of the skins.

The Witch smiled sadly and went back to her work, scribbling down a few more words before finishing up and turned back to Ané. "I shall miss you; do come and visit sooner, will you? I won't be very pleased if the soonest I see you again is in a few years."

"It'll be sooner because who knows what I might miss? What you might accomplish? You might even disprove the existence of toads!" Ané teased, smirking up at Angela who rolled her eyes in response. The pair knew that Ané had never given the topic much interest, not caring really whether or not toads existed.

"Of course I won't miss your sense of humour, the Gods do know that you are rather poor at it."

Ané pretended to be hurt, pouting and batting her eyelashes at her old friend. "Oh I see how it is, Angela. See how soon I visit you, you old witch!" She put a hand over her heart and pretended to swoon dramatically.

Her friend rolled her eyes at the over-played dramatics, but said nothing and continued to thread the needle through the brown fabric. Ané's grin faltered at the lack of response and sat down on the skins that were near to the table. "I am going to miss you, you know." She half-whispered, almost afraid to admit such a thing, "Usually I'm used to not seeing you – more often than not we were apart, but now it feels like a life time since I've had your company every day. I don't even remember what life was like on my own, or with Winix. It will be weird being with the Elves." She confessed, only bordering on her even greater fear of the journey to come.

"I shall miss you too, dove. But you will learn things on this trip that no one can teach you – humility, being in a position of controversy and, most importantly, I think, to always stay on your toes. I doubt you'll ever relax when within the city limits; this will teach you to trust no one; the hardened soldier of Reavstone." Angela said sternly, never looking up from her work. She briefly glanced up, into Ané's large, worried eyes, and she sighed, setting down her stitching.

"I am afraid, Angela." Ané said, leaning forward, her arms wrapped around her belly. "I am afraid of what they might do to me once they know. Elves have longer memories, and therefore, longer grudges. It is the same with our people."

Angela stretched her leg forward, nudging Ané's foot with her own. "You have nothing to fear from one who makes a lot of noise; shouting and carrying on and such. Rather, fear the one who sits there quietly, for it will be he that causes the most trouble."

Blinking, Ané rubbed her eye with her fist, "Angela, I don't understand."

"You will." Angela nodded abruptly, her voice carrying slightly in the empty room. "Now go; I never really liked long good-byes anyway. I shall see you soon, I daresay, so we won't be apart for long. We've not seen each other for longer, anyways, and you still have yet to part with Nasuada. Good-bye, Ané, may you and Eragon bring peace to the races."

Ané smiled softly, shaking her head at the witch's air of mystery and formality. "Good-bye, dear heart. I will see you soon, I will make sure of it."

---

Saying good bye had never been one of Ané's strong points, and here she was, saying good bye to another dear friend for the second time that day. After leaving Angela, making her promise to give her regards to Solembum, she found herself subconsciously trailing her way to Nasuada's rooms.

Somehow, the route to her chambers didn't seem as long as they'd always had (though she'd made sure to take the longer route… just in case), and was it just her or did everything seem a tad darker today? She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, knocking once on the doors, fervently hoping that Nasuada wouldn't be there, or at least wouldn't answer.

Ané nearly cried out in dismay as she saw the door open slightly and Nasuada's chocolatey-black eye peek out through the crack. "Ané?"

She nodded and, upon realizing that she probably couldn't see that, cleared her throat. "Yes." Forced to step back a bit as the doors slid open, Ané stifled a shriek as Nasuada's hand shot through the wider opening and dragged her in violently, closing the door with a sharp snap! behind them. "Nasuada? What's going on?"

"I'm hiding," She stage-whispered, looking at the door in apprehension, "From Arya and Trianna."

Ané rolled her eyes, "Why?" She drawled out, hands on her hips.

"Because they're everywhere!" She said, her voice dripping with drama. At Ané's pointed look she elaborated, "They keep trying to get me to reverse my decision; Trianna with Eragon, obviously, and Arya with you. I'm not going to change my decision, so I had to go into hiding until you guys leave."

Snickering inside, Ané moved to sit on the bed. "Of course, you know, the last place they'll ever look is your room! Gods forbid they actually look for you where you're meant to be!" She cried sarcastically, "Nasuada, love, they'll find you eventually. You are terrible at hiding."

"I just won't answer the door." Nasuada said, not a little smugly.

Raising an eyebrow, Ané asked. "Like you did so well with me?"

Ané watched in amusement as Nasuada shifted her weight from one foot to the other, "That was different," She muttered, "I knew it was you."

Nasuada shrieked as a pillow hit her squarely on the forehead. "You little liar! You had no idea!" Ané cried, "How are you supposed to rule supreme if you lie all the time? Leaders don't lie."

Narrowing her eyes at Ané, Nasuada sat down on the bed next to her and took her hands in her own. "Poor Ané. Poor sweet, naïve Ané. Leaders lie all the time! How do you think we get things done? You can't make everyone happy with just the truth!"

"You're evil." It was said so simply and so suddenly that Nasuada had to laugh, making Ané glare. "What? It's true!"

Nasuada pulled Ané into a hug, her arms going completely around the other girl. "I'm going to miss you, Ané." She mumbled into her hair.

"Me too."

"Do you hate me?" Nasuada asked, her voice small, face still pressed against Ané's red hair.

Ané tried to break the hug, to see her friend's face, but Nasuada simply held on tighter. "No, Nasuada, I don't hate you! Why would you think that?" She heard Nasuada mumble something incoherent into her hair, but didn't quite catch it. "I'm sorry, what?"

"Because I'm making you leave." She clarified, her voice sounding all sticky.

The Varden leader sounded so desolate and lost, not quite the confident young woman she'd presented herself to be at the meeting; and Ané found another lie that leaders must often present: they lie about themselves. Hugging her friend close, Ané murmured softly into her ear that she didn't hate her, that she never could, and that leaving wasn't going to be so bad (a lie of her own, but what did it matter now?). "I'll miss you, Nasuada. Just don't forget me while I'm away, ok?"

"Never," She whispered.

---

Wow, so that got really icky towards the end, but hey, it's done, so don't complain. :) Ok, issues addressed in this very long, very time consuming author's note:

1)Nasuada and Ané's friendship: Is it just me, or did this just spring out of nowhere? I don't know how I wrote it, and people haven't complained about it yet. There's no background for it, it just… is. One chapter Nasuada is suspicious, the next they're buddies. I don't get it.

2)The fight between Winix and Ané: Does anyone even know what it's about? Seriously, people. I think I randomly just mentioned that Ané and Winix were arguing and everyone just accepted it. I'm not so concerned about this issue, as others because I have a reason for their fight – I'll need it for the next chapter/sequel.

3) The fact that this story has so many plot holes it makes Swiss Cheese look good: There are so many problems with this fic it's not even funny. The first 3/4 of it are written poorly, and have so many plot holes my cheese stock is quite jealous.

So this is what I think my options are:

Take down this story and re-type it all up completely

Just stop writing.

Continue on as though nothing's wrong and hope it all works out for the best in the next two parts of this saga.

So far, I think I'm going to stick with Option 3. I only have one more chapter of this story left to go, and I don't think I have the willpower to re-write it all. My attention span is the size of a gnat, PLUS I just started IB 1… college level courses! And I'm only 16. And you know how slowly I work. I think this story is just going to have to suck and I'll concentrate on making the sequel better. I mean, I like to think my writing style has improved from when I started out, anyway.

Is everyone good with this plan? If not, review and tell me your ideas.

Anyway, love you all for sticking with me thus far!

xox Caramel