Brisingr Part Two

== Chapter two: Around the campfire. pt.1 ==
Around the campfire... hrmm... does this mean that most of this chapter will take place around a campfire? How utterly exciting.
Not only that! But I get to start off the chapter with a drink. Two, actually.
The low mound of coals throbbed like the heart of some giant beast
Ehehee... Throbbing! \~/ \~/ Throbbing coals! *sniggers* Throbbity throb. Oh this is not a correct metaphor at all. Coals do not throb under any circumstances. They glow. They burn. They crackle. They do not throb. It does sound pretty though.
Eragon and Roran are sitting around their throbbing campfire and Eragon is having one of his sudden sensory issues as every time Roran moves on the tree he's sitting on it hurts his ears. Mind you when he and Roran were walking down the rocky scree to go back to the camp, this didn't bother him. Paolini is being dramatic here. It sounds good, Every time he moved, the trunk produced a bitter shriek that made Eragon want to claw at his ears. It's dramatic but it's also convenient. \~/ Why aren't the coals throbbing (*giggles*) hurting his ears or Saphira's breathing bothering him, as he's leaning up against her. Can't he hear her digesting? I imagine that's got to be even more annoying than the tree. Oh speaking of Saphira he's resting against her "thick nobby scales". And that can't be comfortable at all.
He's filled Saphira in because he had to keep his mind closed from her just in case... well, I don't know what. \~/ It was just important that his mind was shielded. As far as I can recall, people couldn't get in between a dragon and his rider's mental bond. But it's just a minor point in the long run.
Saphira suddenly gets shark's jaws, gaining many rows of teeth. She gives a fun bit of conversation which I rather like.
After a considerable gap in the conversation, Saphira yawned, exposing her rows of many fearsome teeth. Cruel and evil they may be, but I am impressed that the Ra’zac can bewitch their prey into wanting to be eaten. They are great hunters to do that. . . . Perhaps I shall attempt it someday.
But not,Eragon felt compelled to add, with people. Try it with sheep instead .
People, sheep: what difference is there to a dragon? Then she laughed deep in her long throat—a rolling rumble that reminded him of thunder.
Isn't it nice to know that your life bond person sees your friends and family just like she sees sheep? Now, on one hand it's kinda neat seeing her different view on people and dinner. Though dragons, I thought, were supposed to be good kind and noble creatures, above eating people for dinner. Because they're part of the dragon riders who are good kind and wonderful people. On the second hand Eragon only reproves her on eating people, not trying to mind trick them. He's not even disturbed at the fact that she's A) comfortable with the idea of trying to mind trick people into wanting to be eaten and B) interested in eating people at all. \~/ Especially, if you recall, just a little while ago he was being horrified at that sort of thing. But hey, it's okay if you eat people, as long as you don't trick them into wanting to be eaten. \~/\~/\~/\~/
Instead, Eragon's attention drifts to his cousin's wooden shaft staff, which he fondles. Eragon picked up the hawthorn staff that lay by his side. He rolled it between his palms, admiring the play of light over the polished tangle of roots at the top and the much-scratched metal ferrule and spike at the base. Roran had thrust it at him. Yes, Paolini actually uses the word thrust \~/ because Eragon had lost his other sword when Murtagh claimed it as his own. Roran's reasoning for giving him the stick was because, there are very few fights you can't win with a stick.
Riiiiight.
Evil Magician: I HAZ MAGIC!
Eragon: I HAZ STICK!
Evil Magician: ZOMIGAWD!! I ZAP YOU WIT MAGIC!!
Eragon: *burns*
Oh, wait sorry, that's logic land.
Evil Magician: I HAZ MAGIC
Eragon: I HAZ STICK
Evil Magician: OWMGAWDWTFBBQ!! *flees*
Eragon: FEER MI MIGHTY SHAFT!!
He magically fortified the staff and Roran's hammer so that they won't break except under the most extreme stress. So now Roran's hammer and Eragon's staff will be hard at all times.
He gave them Viagra.
He gave their mighty weapons Viagra.
\~/\~/\~/\~/\~/
Thinking about the sword that Murtagh stole from him, brings up memories of Murtagh himself. We go through an interesting processes here as Eragon moves from thinking about Murtagh sympathetically to Murtagh = Evil.
It starts with Eragon musing about how it wasn't Murtagh's fault that he had to serve Galby, being commanded to do so and what not, what with his true name and the whole ancient language what not. But then it moves onto how Murtagh seems to be enjoying the whole magic and taking over things and killing people and stuff. Which means that he's obviously bad.
Eragon isn't even going to try and help him:
Yet no matter what good might still flicker in Murtagh’s breast, he and Eragon were doomed to be mortal enemies, for Murtagh’s promises in the ancient language bound him to Galbatorix with unbreakable fetters and would forevermore.
It's the ancient language and I'm sure they could figure out a way around it. Or at least he could try as opposed to just give up before he even starts. \~/ That's real heroic of Eragon it is. Leaving his half brother in the clutches of the Big Bad without even trying to free him. \~/ He's my hero.
It turns out that when Eragon asked to go and rescue Katrina both Arya and Nasuada said no. Saphira buts in on this one.
The details of Saphira’s remarks were complex, but the underlying structure of her presentation was straightforward. Saphira supported Eragon because she understood how much the proposed mission meant to him, while Eragon supported Roran because of love and family, and because he knew Roran would pursue Katrina with or without him, and his cousin would never be able to defeat the Ra’zac by himself. Also, so long as the Empire held Katrina captive, Roran—and through him, Eragon—was vulnerable to manipulation by Galbatorix. If the usurper threatened to kill Katrina, Roran would have no choice but to submit to his demands.
Wow does that ever sound like a trap to me. I mean really. Especially with the following: \~/
As for the timing, it was perfect. Neither Galbatorix nor the Ra’zac would expect a raid in the center of the Empire when the Varden were busy fighting Galbatorix’s troops near the border of Surda. Murtagh and Thorn had been seen flying toward Urû’baen—no doubt to be chastised in person
I'm fairly certain that if the empire's troops were intelligent they would notice the missing dragon and rider and let the Big Job bosses know, who would go up to the chain of command and let Galby know. Really. But I'm forgetting that the empire is evil and incompetent and won't be able to notice a giant blue dragon flying over their territory. \~/\~/
Of course the kicker is when Saphira says, "But, said Saphira,the choice is yours. </i> Keep Eragon here if you want. However, his commitments are not mine, and I, for one,have decided to accompany Roran. It seems like a fine adventure .</i>
Our soul-mate is leaving Eragon to go off by herself. Also, why isn't his commitments her commitments. They're a team aren't they? Do everything together. Same cause, same purpose. It's nice that Saphira is showing some sort of personality beyond doing whatever Eragon tells her to do, but this hardly looks like she's being a good and noble sort. She's disobeying her commanding officer and saying that she doesn't have the same commitments as her rider who has pledged both of them to the Varden's cause. A cause she'd agreed to. \~/\~/
Reluctantly Arya and Nasuada let the three of them go because of Saphira's cunning arguments. IE her threat of mutiny. And they fly away to the EVEIL mountain. As they fly, they see signs of the "war at foot". \~/
afoot: camps of soldiers, wagons full of supplies gathered into a bunch for the night, and lines of men with iron collars being led from their homes to fight on Galbatorix’s behalf. The amount of resources deployed against them was daunting indeed.
Let's see, the Empire was fine and peaceful until the Varden started attacking it. The Varden were attacking it because he was Evil. It was doing fine on its own. And why does he need such a large army... wait, sorry logic. My bad. Still, a lot of this is the Varden's doing as he hasn't done anything evil! \~/
I'm stopping here for now.
Drinks: 24
Category:Brisingr
Category:Inheritance Cycle