137

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298 AC

Summer Isles - Ebonhead

Eragon Targaryen

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"Is it bad that I am only nervous now that I know mom is waiting for me to get back in touch with her?" I mutter as we watch prince Yula approach in full 'war feathers'.

"I also feel a bit nervous after that, I don't think she likes me very much." Nata answers quietly and I resist turning to look at her.

"Why would you think that?" Mom never has shown disliking anyone, she knows of Nata and everything that was possible to happen when we 'united' to take the Summer Isles with her help.

"Just a feeling." I can't respond as Yula closes in, I will confront her on this later as she needs to be at peace with my mother.

"Prince Yula, it is kind of you to make the trip over to bend the knee in person. I now do not have to waste time sailing over to your tiny village to have you take the knee." I smirk in the most infuriating way I can possibly manage, practiced it in the mirror just for this.

Yula glares and the man behind him spits on the ground with his nostrils flaring.

"Foreigner with his foreign whores stinking up our lands! Leave now and we will let you go with your lives, refuse and we will put our spears through you!" Yula has a very aged and hoarse voice that sounds sour in the ears.

"I will not be leaving, these lands are to be united as one under the red dragon and I will see it so. Bend the knee and your son can be raised as the Lord of the golden head." The man behind him who I suspect is his son crosses his arms and narrows his eyes.

"My son will be made a lesser of the lands he is already to inherit as a prince from me? Why would he be the lord and not me?" I snort and put on a disdainful look as I stare into his eyes.

"You called my wives whores, you are already a dead man." His son's arms are thrown out to his sides as he makes like a bull to charge past his father who stops him with one arm.

"We will see, the challenge is formally presented." A priest that accompanied him walks forward and nods towards us.

"Prince Yula has challenged 'invader' Eragon Targaryen and the traitor Nata Targaryen." I mouth the word traitor and hear Nata scoff.

"Traitor for wanting more for the lands I love and not wanting them to stay behind the rest of the world. Your narrow-minded view is the problem that I seek to crush by becoming the Queen of these Islands." Yula's brows raise and he seems genuinely surprised before standing up straighter and letting his hand drop from his son's chest.

"You speak as if you want to help the Summer Islands while working with foreigners who will use these lands only to reclaim their lands. Lands they lost as they grew weak after they conquered and destroyed, they are a poison to the world." He looks straight at Nata and doesn't break eye contact.

"It was always my dream to see the betterment of the islands I was born on, the tales of the ones who united them to face great trials inspired me. Marrying Eragon was a choice I made for many reasons but ensuring the islands remain as one and never look back as they grow stronger is one of the most important." Yula shakes his head and curls his lips.

"You fancy yourself Xanda Qo reborn but you need someone else's help to achieve your goals, she was but a slave and did what you seek to do. I think you have other motives and I will put an end to them and spare the islands your greed." The moment he insulted my wives he was a dead man but talks have broken to the point of no return.

Now it is down to them or us and we do not plan on losing as we are only beginning now.

"I need no one else's help, I need not prove it but I will so why not join me in the yard and we settle this? No one else needs to die only me or you and that will be the end of this, I lose, and the rest of the Targaryen's leave, and if I win Golden head is ours." A moment of surprise flashes across his face before he looks at each of us and then slowly nods.

"Alright I will ag-." His son steps forward.

"I will not stand for this, I trained my entire life to be the prince of Golden head and I will not see it fought for while I sit on the side. I will fight you or we will have a traditional war as we came here ready for!" Yula's face sours seeing his son step forward once more and also undermining him.

"Boy!" He shouts but his son does not turn around as he glares at all of us with hate.

"I will fight him, even if Nata beats you I don't see this big guy peacefully going into Exile." Yula looks between his son and me after hearing me speak up and sighs before nodding.

"I am the prince of Golden head but it seems I raised a poor heir who does not even listen when he needs to. He has already spoken up and the words can not be taken back, I will battle Nata Targaryen and you will fight my son." I nod and keep myself from smiling, dealing with both of them will ensure no one seeks out help to come to 'reclaim' their lands in the future.

This came together perfectly, I couldn't have asked for it to go better and we only both need to win and this will all be over. Jhala will be united with Ebonhead and Golden head coming together, Red flower vale will bend the knee publicly shortly after this victory.

I expected the hot-headed attitude from the son, I believe his name is Nelo. He is known all across Jhala for being short to anger, killing him will solve a lot of problems seeing his defiant attitude. He would never settle to be beneath us with the hatred he holds toward us without ever actually speaking with us.

I am excited I get to fight the younger one, not that I doubt the fighting ability of the father but the son looks to be the better fight.

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Nelo is in spotted panther furs with no feathers and a giant wooden club that looks ready to bash a head open. I twirl my spear and wonder if he even thought this through, I have the range advantage with a spear and he goes for a blunt weapon.

His lips curled into a snarl as he looks across the 'circle' that was drawn out in the yard for the fight. We are going first and then Nata will fight Yula, poor Yula will have to fight after watching his son get slain. Unless he is heartless or very good at controlling his emotions it will affect his fight against Nata. The advantage will see her win in short order, I just need to make a good show of this.

"The fight will begin when the feather touches the ground, this is a fight to the death by both side's request so only one will leave alive. Should one of you run out of the circle that person will be put to death by both sides of this conflict." The silence after the priest's words settles in as I take steady breaths.

I crack my neck side to side and shift my weight back and forth on my feet as I wait for the feather to drop.

The wind catches the feather as soon as it leaves his gnarled fingers and drifts toward the center of the circle. I watch the feather out of the corner of my eyes as I keep my focus on my opponent, his eyes on me as well. The feather only tickles the ground before we both are moving toward one another.

Whether out of practice or concentration I, have no idea but all my other thoughts have long flown away and left only one. Killing the man Infront of me and emerging the winner, as he charges straight at me with his club slowly raising up to his side

I think him a fool for a moment as I lower my body and aim for his chest to run him through, his club swings out long before he is in range surprising me for a moment. The tip of the club almost catches my spearhead as I narrowly move it to the side and avoid it being knocked away. His charge remains unaffected even with his body turned to the side after swinging hard and he lowers his shoulder.

I realize he plans to ram into me at his full speed using his shoulder, I was already pulling the spearhead back to reposition out of instinct. I manage to have the tip catch the side of his thigh but his leg was already moving forward into close range. Seeing him bring the club back around in a backward swing in response I pull my spear close to my body to not drop it and roll with his swing to the side.

I felt the wind come off his swing and hear gasps from the onlookers as I narrowly avoid getting brained. Standing up after completing the roll I spin around toward him and find him recovered and he is heading straight toward me once more.

A mad bull recklessly charging without caution is his strategy.

My spear is back at my side in position and I wait for him to get close once more keeping in mind he will aim to knock my spear to the side. He will want to kill me with the backswing like he just tried, I will finish this before that.

At the same distance h,e swung the last time I see his arms start pulling the club around and I once again move the tip of my spear out of the way. This time not to the side but down toward the ground, easy to recover and push into his chest.

His eyes widen and his heels dig into the ground immediately but I push forward with both feet and bury the stone tip below his ribs.

Shouts all around as it pierces through his back and I hold it tight as he looks down in disbelief. The big guy likely knocks everyone down or kills them while they are caught on the back foot by his ceaseless attacks. I am quite used to fast attacks so something this 'lumbering' almost felt like he was making fun of me when he expected it to work.

Blood runs out his nose and he slowly looks up into my eyes and I pull the spear out, he falls to his knees where he should have been when he arrived. I step forward and catch him with a hand on the chest before he falls forward. I gently lower him to his back and he looks past me and into the sky and chokes on bloody words I can't make out.

He could have been a mighty warrior at my side as I push forward with my plans toward a better future for my House and family. He could have been the first Lord of a House that stood for a thousand years and had pride in joining my cause.

He will be nothing now as the life leaves his eyes and the last breath escapes his bloody mouth.

I close his eyes for the last time and take a good look at him before I stand up and walk out of the circle toward a bucket of water that was prepared before the fight. I want to get his blood washed off of me as fast as I can so I can put this behind me, once Nata finishes her fight I can look forward once more.

I blink away the look of disbelief he had on his face as it swims around in my mind.

That could have been me, that could have been my wives and family. A look showing misplaced confidence as the future is shattered by the cruel reality of death. I won't let it end like that and leave behind those I love, I need to be better than him.

I need to be better than anyone I face in combat, whether that combat is with weapons or words or even knives in dark.