Brisingr Part Three

== Around the Campfire pt.2 ==
After discussing the evils of the Empire, they hear something. All three of them react, as if they were going to be attacked. But there is nothing. Eragon can't sense anything magically. So, they decided to go and look around. It is just some random shale that's fallen, but it's the segue to the next part of their conversation: the fact that they've killed a lot of people.
Roran sees them in his dreams, which reminds me of Rand al'Thor but unless he's going to start counting them, I'm not going to call copy. After all it is a reasonable thing to have happen. \~/
He angsts about an incident from Eldest where when going into town to, I think it was to buy supplies, and he killed the two guards at the gate: a young man and an older man. Though the young man is called twenty-five-ish, which really isn't that young. \~/ I mean Roran isn't that old and he's getting married. He's just angsting. Also, why would you put on your town guard a old man like that. Surely there should be younger and more capable men. But it causes nice angst. \~/
Eragon's response to this is beautiful:
wrists. “Aye,” he said. “At first it was just Urgals, then it was men and Urgals, and now this last battle. . . . I know what we do is right, but right doesn’t mean easy . Because of who we are, the Varden expect Saphira and me to stand at the front of their army and to slaughter entire battalions of soldiers. We do. We have.” His voice caught, and he fell silent.
Urgals don't count. \~/ It's "at first". They aren't important enough to warrant the same sort of attention. They're just at first. But it gets worse when you combine the two. See now men are involved. Men are worrisome. But it's only when you get to massive people at one time that he really starts to get bothered. But not really. He never says that it bothers him really. He just grips his staff tightly with his hands. \~/ Instead he glosses right into "We have to do it". Unlike Roran he doesn't have a single event that made him realize what he was doing. It's just, "Oh, first Orcs, then Orcs and Men and then Men."
It reads like how he got into kink. Of course knowing how much he likes meat and strong shafts... >.>
Saphira has her own opinions on the subject.
Turmoil accompanies every great change,said Saphira to both of them.And we have experienced more than our share, for we are agents of that very change. I am a dragon, and I do not regret the deaths of those who endanger us. Killing the guards in Narda may not be a deed worthy of celebration, but neither is it one to feel guilty about. You had to do it. When you must fight, Roran,does not the fierce joy of combat lend wings to your feet? Do you not know the pleasure of pitting yourself against a worthy opponent and the satisfaction of seeing the bodies of your enemies piled before you? Eragon, you have experienced this. Help me explain it to your cousin .
Oh Hay! You Killed people but that's okay! Not only that but you should ENJOY it. Don't feel guilty, enjoy it! You're doing fantastic and wonderful things! Sure it's not a reason to celebrate! But then again neither is eating the red vines I have. I enjoy them, but I'm not going to celebrate it. And that's what it sounds like Saphira is getting at to me. \~/ \~/
Eragon agrees with this, as he doesn't have anything to say to negate it. \~/
She had stated a truth that he was reluctant to acknowledge, lest by agreeing that one could enjoy violence, he would become a man he would despise.
You are allowed to voice a different opinion!! You are allowed to say, "No that's not true!" By not saying anything you ARE admitting that you enjoy it! And you too Roran! You are allowed to say no! You are now the man you despise because you aren't taking an action. Just because Saphira says it, doesn't make it true. Even if she does say it's true. \~/\~/ \~/\~/
What does he do? He goes and gets some mead takes a bit of it and then admits he has an issue. See he doesn't think he can use magic against the Ra'zac.
I do,said Saphira to both of them. She had immediately grasped the implications.It means that, over the past century, Galbatorix —
“—may have placed wards around the Ra’zac—”
—that will protect them against—
“—a whole range of spells. I probably won’t—”
—be able to kill them with any—
“—of the words of death I was taught, nor any—”
—attacks that we can invent now or then. We may—
“—have to rely—”
“Stop!” exclaimed Roran. He gave a pained smile. “Stop, please. My head hurts when you do that.”
Eragon paused with his mouth open; until that moment, he had been unaware that he and Saphira were speaking in turn. The knowledge pleased him: it signified that they had achieved new heights of cooperation and were acting together as a single entity—which made them far more powerful than either would be on their own. It also troubled him when he contemplated how such a partnership must, by its very nature, reduce the individuality of those involved.
First of all... why can't he make up new words of DEATH? I mean if there's seventy five different ways to make a fire, if I want to light a fire, I could light it with heat gathered from the air or the ground; I could create a flame out of pure energy; I could summon a bolt of lightning; I could concentrate a raft of sunbeams into a single point; I could use
friction; and so forth. then there must be seventy five ways of causing a person to die. He would just have to be creative. I don't think Galby would be able to create a ward for every single possible death. And then, couldn't Eragon just say in the ancient language, "Break the wards that Galby put on them"? Or something to that effect? I mean the entire anything you say in the ancient language has to become true or whatnot is utterly insane. Personally, I would use a death spell like making the tongue swell so that they couldn't breathe or have a frog appear inside them...something like that. \~/\~/\~/
The second part is, talking his and Saphira's relationship rings rather false to me. They've never had this sort of "single entity" relationship. Eragon has always been on top. Um Eragon has always been the master... um... in charge... \~/\~/\~/\~/
I don't think there's a way to say this without it sounding wrong. Eragon's always been the boss in the relationship. Sure, now Saphira appears to be growing some sort of personality, if rather sociopathic, but they're not of one mind. If they were then Saphira would have never suggested going without Eragon to rescue Katrina. \~/
SO! Remember how Eragon took the stick instead of the sword? <blink>BEGIN OBVIOUS FORESHADOWING HERE</blink> He admits to Saphira that if he had a sword he could be confident that he could kill both of the Ra'zac. But now since he has the stick, he doesn't know if he can. <blink>END OBVIOUS FORESHADOWING. </blink>
\~/\~/\~/\~/
Roran wants to learn how to do magic and wants Eragon to teach him. Eragon is all, well you can't learn it in one day. He teaches Roran the Magic Pebble trick. Which is trying to raise up a pebble with the words, "Stenr rïsa.’" Eragon, by the way, does it on his second try. Because he's Just That Special. \~/\~/\~/ (Page 149, Eragon btw)
As Roran isn't "just that special" they move on to Roran needing to learn how to shield his mind. Here Roran uses the power of his True Love for Katrina to use as a barrier against Eragon's attack. And it's a great barrier, Eragon can't penetrate it at all.... \~/ but then Roran gets distracted and Eragon penetrates. While the word penetrate isn't used, "mental ray" is. \~/
Eragon then wants to know about how Roran realized that Katrina was the one.
The skin around Roran’s eyes pulled and wrinkled as he rubbed his temples. “There’s not much to tell. I’ve always been partial to her. It meant little before I was a man, but after my rites of passage, I began to wonder whom I would marry and whom I wanted to become the mother of my children. During one of our visits to Carvahall, I saw Katrina stop by the side of Loring’s house to pick a moss rose growing in the shade of the eaves. She smiled as she looked at the flower. . . . It was such a tender smile, and so happy, I decided right then that I wanted to make her smile like that again and again and that I wanted to look at that smile until the day I died.” Tears gleamed in Roran’s eyes, but they did not fall, and a second
later, he blinked and they vanished. “I fear I have failed in that regard.”
Rites of passage. Generally they have religious sort of thingy, but not always. Still, I can't help but wonder what exactly is a rite of passage like for people in Carvahall. They don't have a religion so they don't have to please any gods or what not or ... is it just like a Bar Mitzvah of sorts, where even if you don't have the ceremony you're automatically a man. I'm not even sure their society would really be the sort that would have a rite of passage. Marriage yes, birth and death yes, but how would you mark such a transition in a society where it's fairly work based and they need to spend their time growing food and stuff. It's not like the go to school or things so there's no "graduation". But, I'm quite certain I could be wrong. It just feels off for the society Paolini has created. \~/\~/
Eragon is doing his probing questions because he wants to know how to court Arya. He bemoans how he can't marry any human because he'll out live them. The dialog between the two of them is painful to read. \~/
“Aye,” said Eragon, and stared at the length of polished hawthorn. “I spoke with her.”
“To what end?” When Eragon did not immediately reply, Roran uttered a frustrated exclamation.
“Getting answers out of you is harder than dragging Birka through the mud.” Eragon chuckled at the mention of Birka, one of their draft horses. “Saphira, will you solve this puzzle for me? Otherwise, I fear I’ll never get a full explanation.”
“To no end. No end at all. She’ll not have me.” Eragon spoke dispassionately, as if commenting on a stranger’s misfortune, but within him raged a torrent of hurt so deep and wild, he felt Saphira withdraw somewhat from him.
It feels like they're in some sort of Shakespeare play and I can hear William Shatner speaking the lines. Which is very disconcerting.
Also, note that Eragon's looking at the length of his staff while he says this. \~/ \~/ There is nothing sexual about this piece of wood at all. Nothing.
There's more yammering about how yes Eragon does know that there are other fish out in the sea but he seems to only count the human women in Orrin's court, as opposed to any elves. Because... um... well... that'd be less angsty if he didn't? \~/ \~/ \~/
“Who elsecan I marry but an elf? Especially considering how I look now.” Eragon quelled the desire to reach up and finger the curved tips of his ears, a habit he had fallen into. “When I lived in Ellesméra, it was easy for me to accept how the dragons had changed my appearance. After all, they gave me many gifts besides. Also, the elves were friendlier toward me after the Agaetí Blödhren. It was only when I rejoined the Varden that I realized how different I’ve become. . . . It bothers me too. I’m no longer just human, and I’m not quite an elf. I’m something else in between: a mix, a halfbreed.”
No dear. Half breed requires one of your parents to be an elf and the other human. You've just had magical plastic surgery, with steroids. It was done so you could have wangtst and a chance at Arya.\~/
Drinks: 38
Category:Brisingr
Category:Inheritance Cycle