The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

"You can't leave me now," I said softly, my voice firm but pleading. Eragon bowed his head and stared at the dirt floor of my tent, kicking a small twig about nervously. When he'd first come to my tent this morning, I had known instantly that something was amiss. After all this time, I still knew how to read Eragon better than almost anyone.

But I never, in my wildest dreams, imagined that he had this in mind. "Tabatha..." he began slowly, "there are things that I must do to prepare for this battle with Galbatorix. Saphira and I need to fly to Doru Araeba—"

"By all rights, I am a Rider as well. Why can I not go with you?"

"I need you stay here," he said calmly, as though speaking to a child throwing a tantrum. "Someone must lead the Varden in my absence."

"And you really think they will follow me? That they will trust me?" My voice had risen to a crescendo, sounding shrill to my own ears. But I could feel myself starting to panic, and there was not much I could do to stop it.

"Nasuada and I both have given you our blessings; they don't have a choice." Eragon smiled at me slightly, but already my palms were beginning to sweat and my heart beating faster. I could feel Amera's consciousness niggling at the back of my mind, but I pushed her away. I didn't need another mind trying to convince me that this would be alright. "And besides, I can't think of anyone better suited to the job. You are smart, Tabby, and you have a way of bringing people from opposing sides to agreement. Think of it this way: do you really want Orrin leading the Varden to Urû'baen?" That made me clamp my mouth shut quickly and the blood rush to my head. And that's when I knew Eragon was right, though it pained me greatly to admit it.

"I don't know if I can do this," I whispered, my voice quavering and hands shaking. All of the things I'd been through in the last two years, I had never been more afraid than I was now. It seemed silly, when I really thought about it; I had stared death in the face more times than I can count, yet here I was, afraid of being rejected. Eragon knelt in front of me where I sat on the edge of my cot, clasping my hands inside his own.

"And I can't think of anyone better suited to do this," he said firmly and squeezing my hands, trying his best to reassure me. "We won't be gone long; this trip is necessary if we want to defeat your father. I'm sorry, but I can't tell you any more than that." There was a deep sadness locked within his brown eyes, but I knew better than to question him further; it wouldn't get me anywhere. With a great sigh, I resigned myself to Eragon's will and wished him luck. We agreed to meet again before he departed, along with the other leaders to inform them of Eragon's decision. After he left, the sinking feeling was still prevalent in my gut, tightening and twisting until I couldn't stand the pain anymore. I sat upon my cot once more, staring at the hard ground, wondering how Amera and I could do this on our own.

***

Three days later, Amera and I stood watching as Saphira flew into the Western sky, disappearing into the setting sun with a sparkling flash of blue scales. A hollow sadness filled my chest as I realized I could no longer see them, and Amera softly nudged against my shoulder.

They are not gone forever, Tabby, she said reassuringly. We are all doing the best we can, and Eragon obviously feels this is what he has to do.

I know, Amera. I just feel like we're so alone now. With Nasuada gone, we have no allies amongst us. Finally, I turned away from the sunset and we headed back into the encampment, taking our time.

It is not so bad as all that. We've got Arya. I snorted in derision at that.

She may have stood by us in the tent, but that does not make her a friend. There's bad blood there, Amera, you know that.