Bell got a call from Eena.
She was quiet for a moment and answered her phone.
"Hi Eena, what's up?"
She tried her best to sound friendly, but Eena never let her know if she failed.
"Hi, Bell, can I ask you a favour?"
"What do you need, Boss?"
"Grizzly and the boys need one more person to help on a mission."
"What is the mission?"
"I'm not sure yet, but it does have something to do with the Dwarves."
Bell took a deep breath; she tried her best to keep the emotions from her voice.
"I'm in, when do we meet?"
"In two hours, Grizzly will give the briefing at the bar."
"Goodbye, thanks for the heads up."
"Bye, and how is your gear? Do you need anything?"
"My gear is good, thanks."
Bell put the phone down and started bawling again.
Why was Eena always so thoughtful?
It was impossible to hate her.
After a few minutes, she pulled herself together.
She got dressed and made her way to the Broken Tusk.
She entered from the kitchen and looked at the almost empty tavern.
Bell saw Ryan sitting at the bar; he was staring ahead.
He refused to acknowledge anyone who tried to speak to him.
She felt a cold hand grab her heart as she remembered her mistake.
She needed to make things right.
She had practised her apology multiple times in the mirror.
She thought she was ready.
Just then, Eragon entered and sat next to Ryan.
She watched as he began speaking to the unresponsive Ryan.
At the sight of her blue friend, she gathered her courage, "Hello, Eragon."
Eragon held out his fist for Bell to bump.
After a brief pause, "Hello, Ryan."
Ryan didn't acknowledge her.
She took a deep breath, moved, and spoke to his back.
She looked down at her feet.
"I am really sorry about earlier, I am so used to being around Eragon, and I forget how fragile-"
Ryan flew out of his chair so quickly and quietly that even Eragon couldn't react in time.
He was in her face, looking through her, and the way he spoke without emotion was the most frightening part.
"I am not fragile."
The girl felt a lump form in her throat from this almost violent display, she looked down and saw his clenched fists.
Just as her knees buckled, Eragon stepped in.
"Do you know what Bell is best known for?"
He slowly stepped in between the two humans.
"Putting her foot in her mouth and trying to walk home."
Ryan looked up at Eragon and said, "Fine."
His attention moved to an anxious Bell.
"Don't ever hit me that hard again."
Bell felt a great weight lifted from her as the young man sat back down.
"I am really sorry, I'll make it up to you, I promise."
Ryan stayed quiet, and Eragon quipped, "Now that we have kissed and made up, what do you think the mission will be?"
Eragon noticed the blush creep up Ryan's neck; he started chuckling.
"What are you laughing at?" Bell asked.
"You wouldn't get it."
After a few minutes of silence, Grizzly and Eena entered.
The old man looked over to Ryan.
"I know this is short notice, and you have every right to sit this out."
At Ryan's silence, he continued.
"In the Dwarven city of Goldhaven, they have reports of Cursed Dwarves."
This seemed to pique Ryan's interest as Grizzly continued.
"They are cursed to be irrational and blood thirsty, and if a Dwarf kills them, that curse is then transferred."
As Grizzly spoke, he accidentally crushed his cigarette.
"This is important to me, and you don't have to join us, Ryan."
"How many are there?"
The old man seemed surprised by Ryan's question.
"From the reports I received, there are two, but it is always a good idea to expect more."
"I'm in."
Eena chose this moment to speak.
"Are you sure you can always sit this one out and get some rest first?"
She received a small smile from Ryan.
"You gave me a choice, that is why I am going."
The other two agreed to Grizzly's request.
Grizzly and Eena then shared a look and shifted their attention to Eragon.
"The King also asked for you by name, Eragon. Do you know why?"
He lit another cigarette and raised an eyebrow at the Draconian.
"I have no idea what you are talking about."
His cracking voice undercut his expressionless face.
Eena then took out a big jar with a seal of a crossed hammer and axe.
"You took that from the King, and they never forget grudges."
Eragon squirmed in his seat.
It was as if this massive creature was shrinking before Ryan.
"Anyone could have taken that mead."
Eena turned it around, and on the back was etched, "To Eena: Happy Birthday, love Eragon."
Grizzly then placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry, Eena is a Priestess of Thalara, and she is going to negotiate a lesser punishment for you."
Eragon gulped.
"Do I have to go?"
Ryan felt anger rise in his chest.
Just as he wanted to defend his friend, Eena motioned for him to sit down.
She gave him a smile and a wink.
He understood the hint and sat down as he listened.
Eena then stood at her full height and put her hand on Eragon's shoulder.
"You have to, don't worry, if they get angry, I will get angry."
To Ryan's surprise, this line calmed Eragon down.
"Good, everyone get packed and we meet on the ship in thirty."
Grizzly left, and Eena left with one piece of advice.
"Pack warm, kids, we are going south."
The flight was mostly uneventful, except for the fact that the Airship was too small for the emotions.
Ryan regretted his choice to come.
Bell sat to the side, and Eragon tried to cheer her up.
Grizzly and Eena were being very romantic, they thought no one else could see.
These people made Ryan roll his eyes.
He then decided to go above deck and held tight to his heavy jacket.
He could finally relax, even though the frigid winds were beating down on him.
He heard a familiar clanking.
"Sir, why are you out here?"
Ryan didn't look back.
"I just need to be alone."
"Why, Sir?"
Ryan kept quiet for a few minutes.
"I don't know."
"Sir, when you feel you know, please go below deck and warm up."
Femur clanked away.
Ryan looked back at the skeleton and didn't know if that was dumb or profound.
Ryan went below deck and saw the scene differently.
Grizzly and Eena were dating, and they wanted alone time, but decided to help the Dwarves and Eragon.
Bell was sad and hurt him, but she was still here.
Eragon was in potentially a lot of trouble, and he was here.
Maybe they weren't so bad.
As the ship landed, there was a small party of Dwarves to meet them.
They were short and broad with very thick, braided beards and hair.
Grizzly broke off to speak to them.
He and the Dwarves spoke in a guttural language for a minute.
They were then escorted to a mountain close by.
There was a gate that had many carvings of Dwarves in a line that led to the mountain.
As they entered, they were met by the Dwarven King.
The Dwarven King had four guards with him.
He was dressed similarly to his men with his braided beard and full armour.
The only difference was a simple crown with a big ruby on his head.
The Draconian had no facial expressions, but Ryan saw him wringing his massive hands behind his back.
The King finally spoke.
He had a very thick accent, and Ryan had to focus on his words.
"Welcome to the kingdom of Goldhaven."
He bowed to them.
"I know you are here for the mission, but first we must go to the great hall."
The king's head only reached Eragon's waist.
He looked at the group.
"You four go to the main entrance."
He then looked up at Eragon.
"I need you to come with me."
Ryan looked around and saw a smile on Grizzly and Eena's faces.
Bell finally spoke, "What is going on?"
The old man led them to the entrance hall.
Grizzly lit another cigarette and started laughing.
"Don't worry, it is a good thing, and it would be better if I don't spoil it."
Calling it a great hall was an understatement.
The walls were not only adorned by jewels of all colours there were also murals of Dwarves mining and fighting against great beasts.
Ryan also saw a mural where a taller figure with a black jacket fought with what looked like a gun.
He looked forward and saw thousands of Dwarves.
Many were standing around a massive stage where a female Dwarf sat, and the rest were on pavilions cut into the side of the stone.
Another fixture on the stage was a massive forge and an anvil.
After about an hour, the king walked in with Eragon behind him.
The Draconian was still bare-chested as always, but he wore armour pants and steel boots.
The crowd started cheering.
Grizzly had made sure that the crew was close to the stage.
The King took his hammer and hit a piece of iron a few times so hard that the edge started to glow.
He threw the piece of metal into the forge, and it roared to life.
After a while, when the heat satisfied the King, he held up his hammer.
The crowd went silent.
Grizzly translated for Ryan and Bell.
"Do you remember when the Queen was wounded?"
The crowd roared as the King started hammering a piece of metal that he placed in the forge.
"My sworn Brother, Grizzly, dug her out with his bare hands!"
The King pointed his hammer at the old man and gave him a nod as the crowd roared again.
"My wife's injuries were too extensive for our healers to cure!"
The crowd roared again as he hammered the metal.
"The noble Draconian then offered his magic to save her!"
The roars continued, and the King kept beating the metal.
"Little did I know what value his gift had!"
He kept hammering, and the crowd just kept roaring.
"We had feared him, but he came with humility to my wife and healed her without any parley!"
He kept hammering.
"After they had left, I had heard news, my wife was with child!"
More hammering.
"He whom we had treated as a beast saved my family and, by extension, myself!"
He then picked up a massive golden bracer.
With his bare hands, he placed a ruby on the molten metal and placed his creation on the bracer.
"With this gift, I call Eragon my brother!"
The crowd kept roaring.
"Where he mines, I mine!"
The crowd kept going.
"Where he fights, I fight!"
The crowd somehow roared louder.
"Where he dies, I die!"
With his last words, he raised his hammer again, and the hall went quiet.
"Are there any among you who wish to test my fury?"
The hall remained quiet.
He walked over to Eragon and said, "Kneel."
Eragon did and was still taller than the King, "I can never repay you, but I shall dedicate my life to come as close as I can."
He placed the bracer on his left arm and raised it.
The crowd started chanting.
"Brother! Brother! Brother!"
The queen stood up, and the crowd went silent again.
She walked up to him and she took his right hand and placed a ring with a beautiful emerald on his finger.
She kissed him on the cheek and yelled, "He is my Brother too."
The crowd cheered again.
She then turned and brought her baby and said, "He is named Eragon after his saviour, will you hold him?"
The Draconian hesitated and held out his hands.
The baby didn't scream at seeing him, he was laughing and cooing as babies do.
He held out a clawed hand for the baby, and he grabbed onto Eragon's blue, scaled finger.
He gave the baby back to the Queen.
She then asked loudly, "Would you do us the honour of being his godfather?"
They looked at him expectantly.
All he could do was nod.
The King and Queen cheered, and this caused a roar to go through the crowd once again.
Eragon was led off the stage and met with the crew.
Eragon walked straight to Grizzly and said, "You said I was in trouble for the mead!"
"You always mess with me, I had to pay back the favour."
Eragon looked at Eena, "So, why did you really come?"
"The King asked me to bless young Eragon."
Eragon was flung back as Bell hugged him, "Why didn't you tell me?"
"It must've slipped my mind."
Ryan then decided to speak up, "It seems like something too important to slip your mind."
Bell looked at Ryan.
"He always does this; he helps people and just goes on his way."
Ryan nodded as he stared at Eragon.
Eena walked to the stage.