The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

Of Love and War

"Tabatha!" he cried out, pushing through the people milling about to get to me. When he finally reached me where I'd stopped, he wrapped me in a crushing bear hug, cracking the bones in my back. I'd almost forgotten how strong he was.

"Uncle Horst!" I returned, laughing wildly. "You're going to break me!" He set me down on the ground, as the others around us laughed.

"I could never break you, Tabby. You're a Rider now, after all," he said, laughing and clapping me on the shoulder like I was one of the boys. After a moment of just looking at each other, he said, "You look so much like your mother, may she rest in peace."

"Uncle..." I began, yearning to tell him what I knew now. But he cut me off with a wave of his hand.

"Come, let's find your aunt. There's someone she'll want you to meet," he said, leading me through the crowd. I couldn't imagine who would be here that I hadn't already met—as it seemed all of Carvahall had been uprooted and brought here—but I let him lead the way nonetheless. Eventually, we came upon my aunt sitting at one of the many wooden tables, cradling a small bundle in her arms. Realization suddenly dawned on me and I rushed to her side.

"Aunt Elain!" I exclaimed. "You've had a baby? When did this happen?" She hadn't been pregnant when I'd left, and I couldn't imagine the struggle she'd been through trying to leave our home while pregnant with new life. I leaned down and pulled back the cloth the baby was swaddled in, inspecting the infant's face. "Oh, Aunt Elain..."

"Her name is Hope," she said, smiling fondly down at her daughter, my new cousin.

"She's beautiful; absolutely gorgeous," I said, cooing over the baby in a very girlish fashion.

"Well, we have Eragon to thank for that," my aunt mused quietly.

"What do you mean?"

"She was born with a cat lip," she replied. I sucked in my breath, knowing full well what a curse like that would have meant had it gone untreated. "He healed her, and we can never thank him enough for it." I turned and searched the crowd for him, finally finding him locked in conversation with Arya. Once I caught his attention, I tried to convey the depths of my gratitude through my gaze. He must have understood, for he smiled and nodded obligingly.

"Oh, Tabatha, it is good to see you again," Aunt Elain said wistfully, giving me a sort of half-hug with her one free arm. "After you and Eragon disappeared from Carvahall, your uncle and I were so worried. We didn't know what to think. But rumors finally came to us of a Rider that traveled with a young man and a girl with violet eyes. We knew it must be you and Eragon, but we never imagined that Eragon was the Rider. And now so are you! How our lives have changed in such a short amount of time!"

"I can hardly believe it myself sometimes," I said quietly. After a few more moments of conversation with my aunt—in which I swiftly avoided the topic of the other young man of our group—I rejoined the party, jumping into another bout of drinking. Roran seemed to be locked in competition with my cousins. Albriech was about to fall over any moment, but Baldor was giving him a good fight. Finally, Roran slammed his tankard down on the wooden table and raised his arms above his head triumphantly. The villagers gathered around all cheered wildly and the men clapped him on the back. Baldor looked exhausted, and I saw Albriech running to the edge of the party to wretch in the grass. Boys never learn, do they?

'Saphira was right about this mead,' Amera said, her thoughts slightly slurring together.

'I seem to be influencing you with my bad habits,' I laughed.

'Oh no, it's fine. I like it!' she exclaimed. And then I saw her stumble through a crowd of people with Saphira by her side, sending them all running in terror. I had to laugh at the sight of two drunken dragons.