Spring Cleaning (orik)

[Quetzal]

Throkk wandered through the streets of Uru'baen. There was still so much rubble everywhere. Buildings were missing great chunks, things were warped here and there from magic and fire, and there were cracks in the pavement where it was still visible. Bits of weaponry and armour were everywhere. Neither side in the battle had permitted their Riders, dragons, and spellcasters to do anything to damage the city where possible, since neither the Varden nor the Empire wanted to win the city only to find themselves having earned a large pile of rubble and nothing more. Nonetheless, the destruction had been massive. After the battle, first a check had been made to ensure it was safe to begin clearing up, any remaining traps dismantled, any hiding Empire soldiers captured. Next the bodies had been collected. The Empire had been looted and burned. The Varden had been buried outside the city, with as many individual graves as possible. Some were too broken to identify, others no one could place. The majority of headstones identified them as Varden soldiers who gave their lives for what they believed in, nothing more. There would still be more bodies found when the rubble was cleared.

He headed back to the area the dwarves had taken up residence. There things had been cleared a good deal more. Everything was dirty, but the streets were clear and all the houses which housed new residents had been made safe. They were more for sleeping in than anything else; with their strength and skill with rock, the dwarves had been stretched thin repairing houses across the city. It was only a temporary lodging anyway. The evacuated citizens would likely wish to return to their homes once it was safe to do so, and the dwarves had their own homes to return to now the fighting was done. Throkk didn't think he wanted to return to the mountains - he had been making a life for himself smithing for the Varden in Belatona before being called into the actual fighting here. After this war, he hoped and thought that perhaps it would become a more common sight to see a dwarf walking down a human street. Humans he doubted would wish to live in dwarven tunnels, but they would be welcome to after this. The races had all fought together, and despite the bloodshed that had at least made them one rather than like opposing nations.

Up ahead he spied a familiar face. Drawing closer, he bowed. "King Orik!" He beamed, hardly believing he had just found him on some street. "It is an honour. You fought valiantly in the battle, it made me proud to follow you." He glanced around at the battered buildings. "It's taking longer and harder work to clean up than I thought," he commented.

[David Lightningsword]

The battle had been tough. The war itself had been tough. Orik and the dwarves in many ways had been lucky. For they had only been present for the beginning of the war.. and then the last stretch. Many had thought their venture hopeless, for Galbatorix had been the most powerful Magician in existence, and few knew the reason why. Only a handful of the Varden knew.. mostly those Eragon had decided to reveal the secret to. Orik had to admit himself that he had had little hope. He had had no doubts in Eragon's will or resolve, nor Saphira's. They were of his own family after all. Yet he had doubted his power... Eragon Bromsson had been very powerful, yet he had little hope of actually defeating Galbatorix on his own.. even with the help of all the elves.. for Galbatorix had the might of the dragons behind him.

Yet Eragon had found his own dragons, and they had won. The time since the battle had been spent organizing his Knurlan. Getting those who died the rightful burrials, and those who lives sorted out amongst the buildings, and guards and patrols.. for the city was far from safe for a lone being to walk around alone.. unless you counted a dragon itself, for few could best a dragon. Orik had once considered Saphira large, yet that was changed when he had marveled at Gleadr's immense bulk.. Yet even the smallest of adult dragons were still fierce.. and even some of the hatchlings were as well.

Orik now sat on a curb as he marveled his finshed stone which he had started to craft when they had been at Dras Leona. He had to make sure to see Eragon and show him the finish product.. for the Rider had not been convinced that dirt could be formed into stone. He looked up when he saw one from his own clan.. Thorin was it.. Thror.. no.. Throkk. yes it was Throkk. Orik felt bad for forgetting the dwarves name.. yet being King meant he worked with many of his kind, and sometimes names slipped through his fingers before he could grasp them. "Ah Throkk! The pleasure is mine. Your words hearten me, for I find it hard to rule after mine foster father, may his soul live on in Harzvog's halls forever." He placed his stone down and stood, using Volund to rise to full hieght. he then said "It will be months, if not years, before the stains left by the battle have been lifted from this place. However it will be many years before the black stain of Galbatoix is lifted from this land." he had been pondering withdrawing his Knurlan from the city for a long time now.. yet he had refrained for doing it, for he knew the Varden's hold over the Empire was still weak.. and much work was left to be done.. Not to mention he loathed to be parted from Eragon so soon. He was the only family Orik had left, save for his wife, and he did not know how long it would be before the Rider would return to Farthen Dur. So for now.. the Dwarves remained in Uru'baen.

[Quetzal]

Throkk was surprised to hear Orik knew his name. That pleased him. It was always good when a king made an effort to know his subjects, and learning their names was a sure sign of real dedication. Most were doing well to understand their people's needs, knowing the names of what had to be a large number of people was an achievement. Throkk had a lot of respect for Orik, and that respect grew. Presently they needed a great leader to guide them through a dangerously narrow balance of power, and the dwarf in front of him was just that great leader.

He nodded. "True. We can make it safe to live in, but the city will always remember the war. Galbatorix sat the throne for so long I fear his fingerprints will always be on the land. His ideals will lurk in the shadows. We just have to work to make sure those shadows are small and rejected by most," he agreed. He had always thought that after the war things would not be all sudden easy lives and daily feasts, but it was proving tougher than he had suspected. Everyone had been affected in some way, they all had to now adjust to a life of freedom. People were still mourning what and who they had lost. Many had seen things they never wished to see, or didn't know where they stood now they had choice in the way they were governed. Even the Varden were struggling to establish firm control. It was hard to accept new leaders when their posts had never been held by anyone before, as a council rather than sole ruler.

"As much as we need to make life good for the newly freed people, the scars of battle are there for a reason. The war should leave some stain, so that for hundreds of years to come it's remembered. People living long after we die need to clearly seen to never repeat Galbatorix's mistakes," he said. With dragons, elves and Riders living so long, it would take a long time for the war to leave living memory, but some day it would happen just as none alive remembered the first Riders. Though there were still some occasional messages from the afterlife, such as the ghosts he had heard appearing near the Spine some months ago, which proved they lived on after death in this world and retained those memories.

[David Lightningsword]

Orik knew it would be a long time before they had discovered all of Galbatorix's dark secrets and those who knew and followed them, and even longer before people no longer feared those who rode on Dragons would become as powerful and cruel as Galbatorix. Yet he had hoped that one day people would forever be free of the Black Kings tyranny and be able to live in peace. At the same time, he hoped this war would never be forgotten, for many died to achieve what they had finally achieved.. on both sides. Maybe Wives and children no longer had husbands and fathers to take care of them, and many no longer had homes to live in. There was more than a Black Stain left on Alagaesia left by this war.. there was a red stain left as well. a big one. Everyone had lost at least one loved one in this war... everyone.

So he said to the other dwarf "One day people will only know of the deeds done in the past century because of songs sung by the bards. The Urgals shall soon forget their pact and one day the war between our people shall once again quarrel. Humans memories are short and they will soon forget it all. While we live longer, we too shall forget. Only the elves and the Riders shall remember. Tis the way of things. One Day Galbatorix will be forgotten and everything will go back to the way it was before he was born. While we may want to forget him, and want him forgotten, we also do not want all the bloodshed of this war forgotten either, for it is cruel to the dead. However this is how the world works, and their is little we can do to change it. It is like trying to move a mountain with your bare hands. You may try for hundreds of years, but at some point you will realize it is impossible and move on." It was a long statement, but a truthful one. Hrothgar had taught him a lot in the time they had spent together. This was one lesson. One of the ones he had taught orik in preperation for him becoming the next king.

As what he said responded to both Throkk's statements, Orik said no more. He did not Galbatorix to be forgotten, but he did want the fear and dark deeds he had done to this land whiped away, for as long as people remained fearful of him, or followed his ideals, he had never really left the land, and now lived in those who still followed him. It was only a matter of time before the children of the Black king rose up to try and win back their throne, and Orik only hoped Eragon and the rest of the Riders were ready. They already had two new riders to their ranks that they knew of, and more would appear in time. Hopes were they would be ready for the coming storm.

[Quetzal]

Throkk was saddened by Orik's thoughts. Surely so much could not be forgotten. Their war had not been for nothing, since otherwise Galbatorix would still sit the throne, but it felt like it meant a lot less if none of the ideals of the Varden held. "Surely not. We remember still the significant events of thousands of years ago. The experiences of individuals will be lost and the exact facts will be warped, yes, but this'll be recorded by scholars and etched into the land's history." He was certain that in some way or form events of this magnitude had to be remembered. It seemed impossible to him that the knowledge would not be passed down in stories when everyone was affected. Storytellers and bards would share and make up heroes, parents would tell their children what they did in the war, and books would be copied and preserved.

At the very least, urgals were too integrated to turn back now. They were friends with humans, though prejudice lingered on both sides. "I hope urgals don't go back to how they were before. Everyone's perspective on them is different now, before we thought they were cruel and barbaric. That was one of the main problems. Now we've started working together, and they're included in the running of things, I reckon they'll be a permanent part of life. They'll still be a lot of prejudice and a few rogue groups that still fight, course, but it'll be more like feuding human villages or dwarf clans," he was hopeful and confident in this. His own view on urgals had been changed greatly in the war. Before they had turned to the Varden they had appeared to be mindless warriors, primitive, essentially what would happen if bears or pumas learned to use tools. He still didn't think them very intelligent, but they had heart and a conscience just like anyone else.

There was one thing he agreed on. The war would be forgotten enough for another one to happen. Right now he wanted no more fighting at all costs, but in the future the price of battles would be underestimated in favour of the reward someone might gain. "I suppose at least this will be forgotten enough for people in future to forget how terrible war is. This isn't the last, if there ever even is a last," he said glumly.

[David Lightningsword]

Orik saw truth in the dwarf's words, yet he was getting at what the king had meant in the first place. "Indeed, yet it will be glorified, few songs that consist of blood and pain and brutality of war are sung. It makes lads of young ages want to be warriors, and thus is the product of more wars. It is the sad truth. Sometimes war is necessary, like this one, but most necessary ones are products of wars created by hot blooded fools who thrist for war." He knew as a young lad he was dumb and hard headed.. perhaps he was still pretty hard headed.. but he thirsted for war.. now that he had his war, he did not wish for another one. Would that wish be granted though, the dwarf king did not know.

Orik let out a low chuckle at Throkk's words about the urgals and said "I have faith in mine foster brother. Eragon has brought us the victory we hoped for, though we never thought it would actually happen. He will find a way to make sure all of us never fight again. Urgals, Knurlan, Elves, Humans, Werecats and Dragons can co-exist with effort, and I am sure Eragon and Saphira will be the ones to make sure that effort is put in by all races. I for one, hope Volund has seen it's last war." Like with slaying Galbatorix, Orik was not actually sure if Eragon could do it, yet he had faith in the Rider. Eragon and Saphira had overcome all the odds. Finding Eldunari and eggs that all thought did not exsist. It was them who slayed the shade durza, them who helped them defend their home, them who lead them to victory against the empire. They would find a way to make sure war between the races would not erupt again. Orik HAD to hope that. He was looking at a long rule, and did not want to spend it all running around Alagaesia fighting wars.

The cost of war was too high, and it should be avoided at all cost. Yet Orik was not stupid. He knew war would start up once again, yet he could always hope it would be centuries before said thing happened again.. they would need that long to rebuild from all the carnage and destruction of this war. All the races needed it, not just one or two.

[Quetzal]

There was more truth in Orik's words now Throkk understood better what he meant by them. However, he was more sceptical about more wars breaking out. "You're right, all the songs glorify the heroes. Makes kids and cocky men want to be them. All the blood, pain, and grief is just background to make the heroes look even better. A song wouldn't catch on if it made honoured events sound terrible as they were," he hadn't seen it before but it was a very good point. Surrounded by stories of revered warriors, it was no wonder so many went out eager to prove themselves in battle without realising how miserable a time they were in for.

"We can co-exist, I'm sure. But I doubt we'll see the dwarves' last war until our race dies out," he sighed. Having seen terrible things in the nature of some people, it didn't seem likely they would remember this lesson for long. As Orik had said too, there were lots of ignorant or arrogant people desperate to fight and earn themselves a place in history. "The Riders will remember war and try avoiding it, but there'll always be a few who think the only way to earn respect and recognition in the history books is to fight. Or worse, some in power who think's war's their easiest solution. Maybe the most certain to get their way without compromise, but I'd pick negotiating deals over battles any day." There was only so much the Riders could do. There was a point where individual actions took over, the leaders acting against the Riders' counsel. All races had to work together to give themselves the best chance of avoiding that or stopping anyone who tried.