As Ryan and Eragon walked up to the group, they saw that Grizzly was pacing.
Eena was sitting down with a hard look on her face.
Ryan was surprised by the old man's anxiety.
"What is wrong?"
Grizzly looked at him.
"Good, you two are here. I have some news."
He took a deep breath and lit a cigarette.
"We have a situation; we were called for a trial."
Bell spoke up, "What trial? We didn't do anything."
Ryan walked next to her.
He wanted to place his hand on her shoulder.
A memory of the previous night made him stop.
He did decide to speak to her.
"No matter what happens, we will get through it."
She gave him a smile and a hug.
His arms dangled at his sides.
He got a smile from both Grizzly and Eena.
His cheeks flushed.
Grizzly cleared his throat, and Bell let go of him.
He felt the warmth drain from his skin.
Ryan didn't like that.
Grizzly started speaking, "The trial is in Iceland."
This caused Eragon to let out a big sigh.
"Why there? Those guys are the worst."
Ryan looked at him.
"Who is in Iceland?"
"The Vikings, they think it is still the eleven-hundreds."
Grizzly walked closer.
"It is not just that, they handle things differently than we do."
Ryan frowned, "From my research, they are a hunter guild. How is that so different?"
Grizzly and Eena shared a look, then the old man took a step forward.
Grizzly put his hand on his shoulder, "I think you should go with Eena back to the Blood Rose."
Looking the old man in the eye, he said, "I should go with you as a witness. Whatever the charge is, I can help."
Eena decided to step in.
"Ryan, you already did a lot by being here. Come with me and-"
Ryan slapped Grizzly's hand off his shoulder.
"I am not a child, I already said I will go!"
His eyes were wild as he looked at Eena and Grizzly.
"Why won't you listen to me!"
They looked at each other for a moment, and they were speechless.
Bell grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him around.
He wanted to lash out, but he saw her face and the words were stuck in his throat.
She saw the worried looks on their faces.
She took Ryan's hand and led him to a quiet corner of the great hall.
"Why are you so anxious, Ryan?"
He looked down.
"I don't know."
She squatted down to meet his eyes.
"I think you do."
He clenched his jaw and looked to the side.
He wanted to stay quiet.
"I do not want to be left behind."
He received another hug from her.
"You are with us until the end."
He took a deep breath before he spoke.
"Is that a promise?"
"Yes."
He raised his arms and hugged her back.
He felt a similar pang in his heart, but this one felt good.
She spoke into his ear.
"Ryan, you know that you have to apologise, right?"
He clenched his jaw for a second.
"I understand."
He walked next to her to the older couple.
He looked down for a moment before he met their eyes.
"I am sorry for the way I acted. I am afraid."
Eena almost dove at the young man and gave him a big hug.
"Why are you scared? We are all here for you."
"I am afraid that you would leave me behind."
At the last word, it felt like a knife stabbed him in the chest.
She let go and held his face so that she could look into his eyes.
"As long as I have breath in my body, you will never be left behind."
"Thank you, I will do my best to remember that."
He looked around at the people around him.
He couldn't understand them, but he understood one thing.
He would protect them with his life.
He then looked back at Grizzly.
"When do we leave?"
Grizzly took a drag.
"We leave in the morning. You guys get some sleep."
Grizzly then called Eragon closer.
"Keep what you saw to yourself until we talk with Aleksandar."
"Sure thing."
After Grizzly gave Eragon a hard slap on the shoulder, the group separated.
Eena and Grizzly went to their room.
Bell went with some female Dwarves.
Ryan and Eragon went back to the camp for the night.
As they walked, Ryan looked at Eragon.
"I need to apologise to you, too. You tried to help me, but I didn't listen."
Eragon slapped him on the back.
"Don't worry, as long as you are ok."
They kept walking, and Ryan became curious about the Viking guild.
"Eragon, I don't know a lot about the Vikings. What are they like?"
The Draconian took a deep breath.
"They are assholes; there is a reason why Eena isn't going."
Ryan stayed quiet as he waited for Eragon to continue.
"They keep Orcs as slaves there, and to them, a half-Orc like Eena is an abomination."
Ryan felt rage build, but he understood where that thinking came from.
"How do they treat you there?"
Eragon chuckled.
"They know better than to mess with me."
Ryan thought for a moment.
"Did Grizzly tell me not to go because of my half-Elven heritage?"
Eragon just nodded.
The rest of their walk was in silence.
As they all separated, Grizzly gave one more look back at Ryan as they went back to their room.
"How are you holding up, old man?"
He shrugged.
"Barely, but that is thanks to you."
He took her hand and linked his fingers with hers.
"I hate it that you can't come with us."
She gave his hand a squeeze.
"Me too, but you know how it is."
They walked to their room.
As soon as the door was closed, Eena decided to speak with a smile.
"What did you think of Bell and Ryan?"
He chuckled while lighting a cigarette.
"I am just glad she found a guy her age to focus on."
Eena sat on the bed.
"Come on, that was cute."
"Maybe when she was ten, but she is in her twenties."
He finished his cigarette and lay down on the bed.
Eena took her place next to him.
"Grizzly, I am really nervous about tomorrow. Will you be ok?"
He pulled her head to his chest.
"Don't worry about us. I'll get the kids out in one piece no matter what."
She looked up and gave him a kiss.
"Don't, I have to get up early."
She gave him a mischievous look.
"You don't have to get up early if you don't go to sleep."
He gave her a smile and another kiss.
"That is why you are the smart one."