Brisingr

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2008

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Chapters 43-45

Chapter 43 Summary: “Among the Clouds”

Eragon and Saphira begin their progress toward Ellesméra inside Du Weldenvarden, leaving Tronjheim behind as they fly through the valley between the mountains of Farthen Dûr, which are too high to pass over. They rest and sleep on the first night in an attempt to bring Saphira’s energy up, but the next day is windy and tiring, and Saphira insists they continue on. It takes longer than expected, but they reach Du Weldenvarden’s outer edges by evening and scry with Oromis. They ask if they can be taught through the mirror, but Oromis says they cannot pass on their knowledge without being face-to-face. This means Saphira must fly even further to gain what they need. As Eragon saddles up again, they make plans to visit the Menoa tree while they’re in the area because Solembum the werecat told them they’d find a weapon there that would need to be activated by saying its name at the Rock of Kuthian to open the Vault of Souls. They are unsure how much of this is metaphorical, as neither Eragon nor Saphira have heard of the Rock or the Vault.

Chapter 44 Summary: “Butting Heads”

Roran’s raid goes well, with the humans hitting Galbatorix’s party from one direction and the Urgals circling from the other. Galbatorix’s men are disoriented and fall swiftly without any loss of life for the Varden. While cleaning up, Roran hears the Urgals torturing one of the defeated soldiers, and he kills the soldier, scolding the Urgals. Yarbog, the biggest Urgal, questions Roran’s authority and strength, and challenges Roran to a duel in the style of the Urgals—meaning a bare-chested and bare-handed fight to the death—for power. This is an unfair fight, as Urgals have horns, tough grey hide, and stand well over six feet tall. Roran and the Urgal square off and begin to fight; it is not an easy match for Roran, as his back is cut up from being whipped, and he does not plan to kill the Urgal. After pinning Yarbog and getting him to admit defeat while keeping him alive, Roran feels certain they will get back to the Varden without more infighting. He and Carn laugh because he is the only human to ever fight an Urgal in this manner—and is definitely the only one to have won.

Chapter 45 Summary: “Genealogy”

Four days after leaving Tronjheim, Saphira and Eragon reach Ellesmere. Before entering the city, they contact Gilderian the Wise, a millennia-old consciousness who protects Ellesméra. After one more flight into the city, they find an open clearing where Glaedr, the massive golden dragon, and Oromis, a silver haired elf, are there to greet them; Saphira needs food and drink fast. They wait for her to finish, then ask Eragon if he has questions. Eragon chooses to focus on lineage, expressing outrage that they did not tell him about his brother Murtagh or his father Morzan. They acknowledge they knew the truth the last time he was there. Eragon becomes enraged, berating the old man and dragon. They tell him Murtagh was actually his half-brother; Morzan isn’t his father. His father was Brom.

Chapters 43-45 Analysis

Roran proves himself an apt leader on his first raid party. First, he does a commendable job during the mission itself in not losing a single member of the Varden (human or Urgal). Then, when he realizes the Urgals are engaging in behavior that violates his code—torturing an injured captive—he behaves with as much compassion as he can give the man, ending his life swiftly. Then, he listens to the Urgals, whose own system of beliefs commend torture; to them, it would be rude not to torture a captive Urgal to death, as they would want to prove their strength. However, he remains steadfast that while the Urgals are operating as part of the Varden and under his leadership, they will not be engaging in torture. Finally, when one Urgal defies him, he goes head to head with him under his opponent’s fighting style of choice and effectively beats him at his own game. His actions show his strength and his instincts for positive and effective leadership. Unlike after his experience serving under Edric, this time Nasuada should have no reason to punish Roran on his return.

In Chapter 45, Eragon is finally allowed to express his emotions regarding his father and brother, and his feelings toward his mentors who kept him in the dark. Eragon is told on the battlefield by Murtagh himself that they are brothers, and in this chapter it shows he was harboring some resentment regarding his mentors’ decision not to tell him. They admit to having known the truth when they saw him last, but they believe the delay was necessary. They also correct a fallacy in Eragon’s assumptions about his lineage; he is not the son of Morzan, as he expected, but the son of Brom, his deceased mentor. The reader expects this revelation will be unpacked in a later