Alternative Confrontation

[torylltales]

I thought this deserved a post of its own. An alternative throne room confrontation that fixes the rest of the series.


"You won't get away with this! The people are on our side!" Eragon yelled, brandishing Brisingr above his head.

Galbatorix shifted in his throne, leaning on an elbow. His soft, cruel chuckle echoed around the bare room. "You stupid boy, Eragon. The people fear you, they call you a terrorist. A monster."

"Liar!" Eragon stepped forwards, pointing Brisingr at the king.

Galbatorix sighed. "You were never meant to be a real threat to me. The Varden exists by my command, as a show of power to keep the people dependent on the protection and safety of my soldiers." A muted shuffle of cloth was the only sound as he stood gracefully.

"I... what?" Eragon hesitated, stepping back. He bumped in to one of the Varden soldiers who had followed him in. He whirled around and stared, wide-eyed, as Blodgharm glared icily down at him. Eragon felt the room begin to tilt as his vision began to blur at the edges. "No, but- Brom said-"

"Brom?" Galbatorix laughed, twisting his face into a malicious mockery of a grin. "Brom led you straight to the Varden, and taught you little more than how to smash your sword around like a club. And Oromis taught you to meditate and watch ants."

Eragon braced himself against a pillar as his knees threatened to buckle, but still Galbatorix continued. "You didn't seriously think a mortal thief with no magic could manage to steal a dragon egg from the most well-protected fortress in the Empire? Or that Brom could possibly hide from my soldiers by living in his hometown and using his real name?"

At that, the room erupted into laughter. Eragon glared around at his so-called allies as Murtagh, Nasuada, Blodgharm, and even Arya - Arya! - laughed at him. A flood of indignant rage surged through him, and he stood straight again. "LIAR!" He swung Brisingr over his head again, settling into a defensive stance. The laughter abruptly stopped.

"Stupid boy, think!" Galbatorix admonished, "Why do you think I let the urgals live and continue their raiding and pillaging? Nothing unites a people behind their leader more than a clear threat from which only the King's army can protect them."

"And then just as whispers of discontent were beginning to spread about me, just as the people began to grow restless and think treasonous thoughts, here you come with your dragon and your ready-made rebel army, burning homes, razing farms, pillaging villages, and killing untold hundreds of fathers and brothers and sons. Men and boys just like you, fighting to protect their families and homes... from you."

The blood rushed from Eragon's face as the realisation hit him like a knife in his gut.

"You are no hero of the people, Eragon." Galbatorix turned away contemptuously, and walked back to his throne. "You are a war criminal." He nodded sharply at the Varden soldiers behind Eragon. With quiet efficiency they took Brisingr from him and put his wrists and ankles in chains.

The last thing Eragon heard before he was dragged away was Galbatorix's stern voice: "Tomorrow once the Varden's "uprising" is dealt with, you shall be tried for your crimes".

Comments

[snarkbotanya]

I like it! However, I will quibble a bit with the use of the nickname "Galby" in that second-to-last paragraph. It really doesn't fit the tone of the scene.

[torylltales]

Edited! I honestly didn't notice I'd done that, I was trying to be serious.

[ultimate_cheetah]

Great! It was very well written, and I really liked it.

This changes so many things about the cycle, too. Arya and Saphira distracted Durza because Durza was a rogue agent, and it would be convenient for them to be offed. Durza tortured Arya for the same reason. Oromis keeps things from Queen Izzy because she is a puppet ruler, and he wants to take over the elves for himself.

Izzy and Arya don't get along because Izzy suspects that Arya supports Galby. The deaths of Oromis and Glaedr were a production put on by Murtagh and Thorn. The eldunadi was fake, Glaedr would never give his to an idiotic teenager. The reason the Razzies went down so easily was because they were fakes. Galby wouldn't allow some of his best fighters to be killed, so he faked their deaths to rile up Dras-Leona.

Can you follow this up with Eragon being tried? Can he be eaten by a Lethrblaka in a top hat?

[torylltales]

Yes, the whole series makes more sense if we assume Eragon is being set up to be a bad guy. Not that he takes much pushing.

I probably won't follow up with further scenes, at least not in the immediate future, I just have too much else going on. I'm partway through a new spork mini-series I'll be starting to post soon, and then as soon as the Eragon group spork is finished I'll start reposting the previously-abandoned "what will happen in Eragon 4" spork that I started posting back on Livejournal a few years ago. For example.

[ultimate_cheetah]

Oh, that's all right. I wish you luck. Can I write a scene where Eragon is eaten?

[torylltales]

Go right ahead, you don't need my blessing for it. I just hope he's juicy and scrumptious.

[ultimate_cheetah]

He will be.

[epistler]

*claps like a performing seal*

[torylltales]

*throws you a herring*

[epistler]

All right, free food!
Seriously though - well done!

[littlecaity]

Yes. YES. I love it and I want all of it.

Cunning Galbatorix, people not actually stupid but just stupid enough to trick Eragoon, just punishments for his BS... Mmm yes I love everything. *chef's kiss*

[torylltales]

Thanks! It started as a momentary amusing thought, but I decided to put a bit of effort into it. There probably won't be a follow-up, sadly, I'm already over my head in projects both creative and professional.

[rhyson]

That explains so much.

[torylltales]

I know, right? I don't even need to change anything prior to this scene.