Too Little Much Too Late

Disclaimer: I do NOT own the Inheritance cycle.

It was a dark night, the only natural light in the sky being the pale, seemingly round moon. But it wasn't round. It only appeared round. Its surface was actually covered in craters, imperfections, scars.

The piercing sound of ferocious waves crashing into rock filled his ears. The smell of potent salt filled his nostrils. The cold prickly sand blew into his eyes, forcing him to blink the tears away. It found its way into the crevices of his toes, making them itch. The tide rose slowly up to meet his feet, briefly covering them with water before retreating back into the sea. Thunder rumbled darkly with its threatening monotone, and small drops of freezing water started to sprinkle gently onto his skin. He shivered, goose bumps forming on his exposed limbs.

But still, Eragon gazed across the sea, his wise eyes full to the brim with raging emotions hidden beneath his calm stance. Her emerald eyes were vivid in his mind, those enigmatic emerald pools shining with frostiness. The sixty year-old half man, half elf blinked, feeling more tears slip down his pronounced cheekbones. The elf queen had visited the new land earlier, known as simply, Mor'ranr. Peace. After what seemed like a millennia for Eragon, Arya had not seemed to have missed him like he had missed her. Her greeting had been so formal, so heartless. Eragon remained motionless, his heart throbbing painfully in his chest, his body stiff.

Eragon frowned, suddenly appearing a great deal older. It was his eyes. The anger shone in them, the hurt, the terrible feeling of regret in those wise eyes of his. His heart throbbed painfully in his chest, making him want to just give up his tiresome life. But he couldn't. Her relentless stare held him, her mysterious eyes captivated him. He was furious. How could she? After all these years of solitude, how could she not care? He hadn't expected anything too great of her. He had only wanted a genuine greeting, a small smile. The strong wind blew Eragon's dark hair, swirling the strands around, intertwining them into one another.

He sighed deeply, leaning his head back slowly to stare at the stars. They shone with such intensity, such beauty. Just like Arya did. His eyes fell upon the moon. He studied it for a long time, studied the slightly darker spots on the bright white surface. He appeared in much the same way as the moon did. He seemed content, but if you studied him hard enough, you would see the scars, the pain in his eyes. He could feel impatience boiling in him, anger he never knew he had in him clawing at his heart, stealing is virtue.

He heard quiet footsteps behind him, the loud crashing of the waves nearly masking it completely from his sensitive ears. He remained neutral. He felt Arya's gaze on his back. He didn't need to turn around to face her, neither did he want to.

"Arya Svit-Kona," he said suddenly, his voice emotionless.

"Eragon, please, no formalities," he heard her murmur, closer to him than he had originally thought.

He chuckled without humour, his eyes shining with renewed pain.

"What more do you want from me?" Eragon muttered, trying to focus on the sound of the waves, the strong whisperings of the wind, the faint specks of water on his skin, everything but the woman he loved so deeply.

"What do you mean?" he heard her ask, her voice even closer. He saw her in his peripheral vision, lingering by his side. He wanted to be invisible. So many emotions tugged at his heart, threatening to burst from him. He was furious, yet he felt so hollow, so depressed.

"Why must you confuse me like this?" he blurted, refusing to meet her gaze. He stared at stars, his eyes almost glowing with them. There was a long silence. He heard a quiet whimper from beside him.

"Eragon, are you upset?" Her voice sounded oddly emotional, pained almost.

Eragon blinked slowly, his expression unreadable. "I know not what I feel," he whispered, Arya's sensitive ears barely picking it up. "I feel too much."

"Eragon… I apologise about earlier."

Eragon stayed silent. His face contorted up in pain. His lips trembled, his eyes glassing over.

"I… I did it because… Eragon…"

Eragon felt a gentle hand rest on his shoulder. He shivered as she whispered his name, his true name.

"Arya, you hurt me," he whispered weakly, tears slipping relentlessly down his cheeks. "You tore my heart to pieces," he cried quietly, slowly looking towards her. Her emerald eyes shone with guilt. He couldn't look away from them. He hadn't stared into those familiar eyes for a long time.

"… I love you," Arya murmured hesitantly, her eyes searching his face for some kind of reaction.

Eragon blinked once, his expression becoming neutral. He reached reaching forward, stroking her cheek softly with the back of his fingers. He smiled sadly, his eyes shining in the darkness.

"I love you, but I cannot be your mate, for I have found that I do not wish for one anymore."

Arya's expression faltered. A tear slipped down her right cheek. "Why?" she whispered hoarsely.

Eragon's expression became torn, his eyebrows pulling together. He stared into her eyes intensely. His hand retreated back to his side. Arya couldn't look away. His eyes gazed right down to her soul. "I cannot describe the pain you made me feel. For years I taught the new riders. I taught them all I could. I taught them how to be ferocious in battle, but also to wise. They achieved great things, but I could not truly appreciate it. Aye, you were always lingering in the back off my mind. I was ecstatic when I heard that you were visiting. And what did I get? A formal greeting, a nod, as if I were a stranger! Did time tear our friendship apart? Did you realise that you didn't actually care for me?"

Tears streamed down Arya's face. She couldn't stop herself. The betrayal in Eragon's eyes burned her. "I am a coward, Eragon. I… I always loved you."

"Goodbye, my love," Eragon whispered. Arya looked horrified. She grasped his slightly wet wrist, her eyes wide. She shook her head. Eragon kept smiling gently, leaning in to kiss her forehead. Arya's eyes drifted closed for a brief moment as she savoured the feel of his soft, cold lips. But they vanished, all too soon.

"Eragon," Arya pleaded in panic, holding onto his wrist with both of her hands tightly. He gently used his other hand to pry hers off, gazing into her eyes the whole time. Arya watched in horror as he turned around, slowly walking down the misty beach, away from her, out of her life again.

"Please, don't go!" Arya yelled after him. He didn't turn around or stop. His pace remained the same slow, calm stride. Arya crumbled to the sand, breaking into uncontrollable tears. The rain started to become stronger, and the sound of the thunder was louder than it had been mere minutes ago.

"Eragon," she whispered wretchedly as his form disappeared into the mist.

Thank you for reading! :) Thoughts, comments, tips, they're all welcome. Thank you, once again.