The Return of the Guardian

Chapter 7

The king had already left with Morgan for Uru'baen. The King did not want her to be out and about in attempt to keep her ignorant. Eragon and Lena took the day to browse the numerous shops and pavilions that Dras Leona had to offer. As instructed by Brom in the letter, Eragon had his bow with him. Despite the storm during the night, the day was warm and sunny. After a meal consisting of fresh bread, cheese, and beef jerky and a cherry pie for dessert, they strolled close to the cathedral. Within close proximity, they could see the details carved into the marble and iron. The spires stretched into the sky as if they wanted to touch the heavens.

The church was not like any church Lena had ever seen. It was very gothic giving off a sense of foreboding. "I wonder what it looks like on the inside?" Eragon asked as he started to make his way towards the stairs.

"Eragon," she whispered, "Are you crazy? That church represents a horrible religion, and you want to check it out? Just look at it; it is so ominous and even sinister!"

Eragon halted and turned towards Lena. "You have got to stop doing that."

Lena cocked her head, confused. "Doing what?"

"Using such big and descriptive words. If people were to hear you, they might wonder about your background. No common woman would say such words, but a noblewoman might. People here are not as educated as you."

Lena could not believe what he was asking of her. "You want me to act dumb? I am sorry, but omitting such words from my vocabulary will be extremely difficult, and…"

"There you are doing it again! Just the way you structure your sentences suggest that you had a proper education."

Lena scowled. "You might as well suggest that I remain utterly silent while I am here." She crossed her arms.

"That would not be a bad idea." Eragon suddenly became defensive when Lena uncrossed her arms and balled up her fists. "Lena, please; I am just trying to help. I did not mean to offend you. I only ask that you try your best to refrain from such proper language while we are in the city. When we leave, you can go back to your normal way of speaking."

Lena relaxed when she understood where he was coming from. "I hate this. There is nothing wrong with being an educated woman."

While Eragon was thinking of ways to help Lena fit in, he noticed a shop selling ribbons and lace. Upon the sight, he had an idea. "Come with me, I want to give you something." He walked passed her heading towards the shop. With no time to respond to him, Lena simply followed behind. When she saw the shop selling ribbons, she stopped in her tracks, rolling her eyes. "I don't believe this." She mumbled under her breath. Eragon came back with a long green and white paisley ribbon. Reluctantly, she turned around so that he could tie it in her hair. She had a ponytail, so all he had to do was wrap it around and tie a bow.

Finished, he dragged her over to a mirror. "Honestly, you look beautiful." Lena looked in the mirror and saw the green bow sticking out of her hair. As much as she hated to admit, the bow did compliment her. In the background, she saw Eragon smiling. Her cheeks started to heat up as she felt a blush coming on. Glancing away from the mirror, she spotted a bright pink ribbon.

"Oh look! This one can be yours." She joked.

Eragon narrowed his eyes. "Very funny." Satisfied that she was able to embarrass him enough, she asked him what he wanted to do next. "I still want to see that cathedral."

Lena groaned. "What are you, scared?" he mocked.

"I am not scared; I just do not think that going inside the church is a very good idea."

"Why? It's just a building." Eragon started walking back towards the church.

"Well, I do not want to see it."