Brisingr Part Forty One

==Orders pt. 2==
So, Nasuada has given Eragon some of the most ridiculous orders ever and Eragon and Saphira talk it over. She thinks that he must go and that Nasuada's arguments are well reasoned. Then they have a mind meld.
His emotions and hers washed between their minds, tidal surges in a shared pool of anger, anticipation, reluctance, and tenderness. From him flowed the anger and reluctance; from her other, gentler sentiments—as rich in scope as his own—that moderated his choleric passion and lent him perspectives he would not otherwise have. Nevertheless, he clung with stubborn insistence to his opposition to Nasuada’s scheme.If you flew me to Farthen Dûr, I would not be gone for as long, meaning Galbatorix would have less of an opportunity to mount a new assault.
I read choleric and think sick. And yes, Eragon's passions are quite sick if we look at previous behavior, however I do not believe that was the word Paolini was looking for. I think perhaps emotional, or emo, passions. Maybe even melancholy, but not choleric. Also, why wouldn't Saphira's emotions be as rich as his own? Why does he feel the need to point this out? If she's supposed to be a fully realized intelligent character (HAH!) then it should be taken for granted that she has a complete emotional range. Hell, even my cat has a full emotional spectrum. Of course my cat could also write a better story than this by tromping all over my keyboard whining for food.
OH GAWD IT'S THE END OF THE WORLD! I'M STARVING THERE'S NO FOOD IN MY DISH HOW AM I EVER GOING TO SURVIVE YOU HUMAN ARE THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE ME PLEASE CAN'T YOU SAVE A POOR STARVING CAT? AREN'T I WORTH JUST A FEW MOMENTS OF YOUR TIME NEVER MIND THE FACT THAT I JUST ACCIDENTALLY DELETED THE PAGE YOU WERE WORKING ON, WHEN I STEPPED ON YOUR KEYBOARD TO SHOVE MY POOR STARVING FACE INTO YOURS TO SHOW YOU HOW UTTERLY HUNGRY I AM. pwease?
See, much better story. And less frustrating. Well, except for the whole trying to type when the cat is there.
Eragon asks her if she would mind Arya riding her and she says no. Her I would mind least of all. We have fought together before, and it was she who ferried me across Alagaësia for nigh on twenty years when I was in my egg. You know that, little one. Why pose this question? Are you jealous?
If she didn't mind so much, why didn't she hatch for Arya? I'm just saying.
Eragon is jealous (GASP A LOGICAL REACTION) but Saphira is merely amused, treating him like a child who doesn't want to share his favorite toy. So she doesn't mind being passed around like a whore in a brothel then.
Saphira also says that it's okay that they work apart, for Yoda Oromis said they need to learn how to work independently from each other. I don't actually remember that. I remember a lot of exercises where they had to learn how to share everything that they learned with each other so that each knew what the other did so that they could work better as a team. This is likely just an excuse for it to be okay that the two of them separate.
Eventually, of course, Eragon agrees with Nasuada's plans. He does make a condition though. Once he's finished with the whole picking of the new ruler, Saphira needs to come to the dwarves. She's going to repair the Star Sapphire that she broke in book one. See, good diplomatic relations would be to have Saphria go and repair the Sapphire first so that way the dwarves would be more inclined to do what the Varden wanted.
Nasuada is surprised that she could do such a thing. Where upon Saphira admits that she's one big walking Dues Ex Machina.
I am, but I do not know if I will be able to summon the magic I will need when I am standing before Isidar Mithrim. My ability to cast spells is not subject to my own desires. At times, it is as if I have gained a new sense and I can feel the pulse of energy within my own flesh, and by directing it with my will, I can reshape the world as I wish. The rest of my life, however, I can no more cast a spell than a fish can fly. If I could mend Isidar Mithrim, though, it would go a long way toward earning us the goodwill of all the dwarves, not just a select few who have the breadth of knowledge to appreciate the importance of their cooperation with us.
Bolding mine.
She can do things when something needs to be done and reshape the world as she wishes. Let me repeat that RESHAPE THE WORLD AS SHE DESIRES. Why doesn't she just resurrect Brom then? But really. She's the automatic fix it all when Paolini runs into a corner now. Because she'll Suddenly Feel a Pulse of Energy and Direct It With Her Will and poink problem fixed as she has RESHAPED THE WORLD AS SHE DESIRES. Unless of course, he needs it not to be done for Drahma's sake. There's a name for that: Lazy writing.
From Nasuada we learn that the dwarves are shallow people. Every dwarf has a love of gemstones, but Isidar Mithrim they love and cherish above all others, because of its beauty, and most of all because of its immense size. So, the dwarves only love this sapphire not because it has any special religious or historical significance. They love it because it's a great big shiny rock. The biggest shiny rock ever. Shiner and bigger than any other big shiny rock. And since dwarves love big shiny rocks (and nothing else apparently) the biggest and shiniest is the most important.
This vaguely reminds me of Casanunda from the Discworld series, the world's second greatest lover (he tries harder). As dwarven romance appeared to be checking to see what the other's gender is, Casanunda got shoved into him all the romantic potential of the dwarven race. All the rest of them being obsessed with gold, but the love iron more. Why? Because it's more practical.
That's a random tangent.
Eragon says that he wants Saphira to come to the crowning even if she can't fix the shiny rock. He says that they could conceal her absence for a few days by letting it be known among the Varden that she and I have left on a brief trip to Aberon, or some such.. Um, like they wouldn't notice him being gone earlier? And wasn't that the entire point of having Saphira stay? Wouldn't the Vardne notice their lord and god is missing before hand, since they're always following him around and asking him to heal them and fix their problems and bless them? Which would get to Galby's spies a lot faster, I think. Which would defeat the purpose of Nasuada's "brilliant" plan.
Right then.
She thinks it's a brilliant plan.
Eragon then requests that he and Saphira can go to Elf Hippie land to talk to Yoda some more. Nasuada wants to know who the teacher is that Eragon is always talking about but Eragon swore and oath not to reveal it, so he can't say. This annoys Nasuada and she wants to know why they're always swearing oaths left and right. Saphira says it's the only way they can get people to join their side so that they can topple Galby. The thing is, the oaths they're swearing aren't really "useful" oaths. It's not return aid for aid, or treaties. They're I'll fix this or I'll promise not to tell that. But apparently since they're sworn by Eragon and Saphira they've got tons of weight. It's not like Rohan and Gondor's treaties.
Why he wants to go? To get more information from Yoda. Yoda who didn't tell them everything they needed to know because they weren't powerful enough yet. Sorry, "advanced enough in their training". I'm not sure how knowing how Galby is getting more powerful has to do with how trained they are. It seems rather like not telling how the airplane developed to someone because they haven't begun learning how to fly a plane. If anything such information could be useful and hopefully prevent Eragon to do anything stupid. (Hah!) Anyway, it takes Eragon a long and mighty paragraph to say this.
“I don’t know!” growled Eragon. He struck the pommel of the falchion with his fist. “And that’s the heart of the problem: we don’t know enough. It might accomplish nothing, but on the other hand, we might learn something that could help us vanquish Murtagh and Galbatorix once and for all. We barely won yesterday, Nasuada. Barely! And I fear that when we again face Thorn and Murtagh, Murtagh will be even stronger than before, and frost coats my bones when I consider the fact that Galbatorix’s abilities far exceed Murtagh’s, despite the vast amount of power he has already bestowed upon my brother . The elf who taught me, he . . .” Eragon hesitated, considering the wisdom of what he was about to say, then forged onward: “He hinted that he knows how it is Galbatorix’s strength has been increasing every year, but he refused to reveal more at the time because we were not advanced enough in our training. Now, after our encounters with Thorn and Murtagh, I think he will share his knowledge with us. Moreover, there are entire branches of magic we have yet to explore, and any one of them might provide the means to defeat Galbatorix. If we are going to gamble upon this trip, Nasuada, then let us not gamble to maintain our current position; let us gamble to increase our standing and so win this game of chance.”
"Frost coats my bones" ... he gets really cold? I'm sorry, that doesn't make any sense.
Frost coats his bones. I'm imagining Wolverine in a tank getting filled with adamantium, but instead of adamantium it's frost and when the claws pop out they're icicles. And they called him FROSTY!!
Meandering. Meandering.
Discussion on the various dwarf clans is done for the next two hours by Nasuada. I would think that maybe a ... I don't know... dwarf? Might be better versed on this subject than say a human? But PFFFT! Since when should you listen to someone who was born a dwarf and lived as a dwarf and knows all about dwarves when you want to learn about dwarf politics? Clearly someone who's never had to deal with it and likely doesn't know all the ins and outs of the subtleties to teach you.
Maybe she wants him to fail so that they'll kill him after being terribly insulted.
Hrmmm.....
Sorry, I think that's a bit of wistful thinking on your part. You know he's going to be great.
Oh Shut up and let me fantaize.
Is that why you use Orlando Bloom as pictures for my journal?
Shut up.
I'm just asking.
Of course they would like to have Dwarf becoming king.
Finally (and I mean FINALLY) they finish and Eragon talks to Wimp Wiener who has no objections to Eragon running off by himself, because there's minimal danger to either of them.
Uh-huh.
Saphira and Eragon wish they could be together and that they could speak to each other over long distances. The chapter ends with Eragon giving Saphira scritches.
Category:Brisingr
Category:Inheritance Cycle
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