Brisingr

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008

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Chapters 37-39

Chapter 37 Summary: “Message in a Mirror”

Saphira is trying to sleep when she’s disturbed by runners in the night and a flurry of noise that gets her quite angry. Nasuada visits her and asks to communicate with her through their thoughts. She asks Saphira first for advice regarding a matter between three Urgals and one of the men of the Varden. The man, Othmund, slit the throats of the Urgals while they were asleep around their campfire, and now she must see Othmund hanged as punishment. She is afraid of an uprising from either side, but Saphira assures her she is doing the right thing in treating the Urgals like any others in her court. Nasuada then tells her that Eragon is ready for her to travel to Farthen Dûr; she is so overjoyed that she shoots a batch of flames into the sky. She is eager to get going and feels impatient having to wait for Blödhgarm to attach Eragon’s saddle and bags, especially after hearing about the attempt on Eragon’s life, but soon she’s off toward Eragon.

Chapter 38 Summary: “Four Strokes upon the Drum”

Eragon’s day begins with the gathering of the clan chiefs to determine who will become the next king of Farthen Dûr. After some ceremony, the chiefs cast their votes in one by one. While the vote seems to be split between a usurper Nando and Orik, the final two votes are surprisingly cast in Orik’s favor by Iorunn and Hreidamar; Orik wins the majority vote and becomes the new king. Nando is devastated, but he does well hiding it while Orik is sworn in. After a few gleeful moments with his foster brother and allies, Eragon asks permission to leave to meet Saphira at the gates to Tronjheim.

Chapter 39 Summary: “Reunion”

Eragon races toward the edge of the city to meet Saphira; in the final tunnel, they become mentally connected and Saphira meets him partway in, where they embrace joyfully. Saphira reveals she has made the journey with only one break for water. She is feeling faint and in need of rest and sustenance. The star sapphire will likely be ready for her to mend tomorrow, so she can get prepared overnight. Saphira learns that Orik has become king, and she is pleased. Eragon makes Saphira laugh, and for the first time Eragon hears her hiccup and can’t contain his joy. They turn back for Tronjheim together.

Chapters 37-39 Analysis

In Chapter 37, Nasuada delays giving Saphira her important news in order to glean her advice on the matter of the men who killed the Urgal. As readers, we know Roran is being sent to her as a prisoner in expectation of punishment, but Nasuada is unaware of this upcoming decision she will need to make. In the moment, her preoccupation lies with upsetting the men or the Urgals in her camp. If she does not punish the men, there will most likely be more murder cases in the future. If she upholds the laws and punishes the men, they will all see that her laws are unyielding—but the men would likely rebel. Saphira assures her she must not let fear rule her decisions in court, and she has made the right choice in treating Urgals like any other men in her court. As both a moral dilemma and an element of foreshadowing, this exchange is successful.

The bond between Saphira and Eragon is more tangible than ever before after the exchange between them in Chapter 38 and 39. First, the reader witnesses Saphira’s perspective as Nasuada wakes her to inform her that it’s time for their reunion in Farthen Dûr; Saphira is unable to contain her excitement, breathing fire into the sky and setting off at such an incredible pace that she arrives in Tronjheim in need of sustenance after only having stopped once in several days. From Eragon’s perspective in Chapter 39, the clanmeet has been all consuming; however, he hasn’t forgotten what’s been promised to him. As soon as he is able to peel away from the festivities, toward Saphira. Their mutual expressions of love are tangible and provide a necessary relief from much heavier content.