Disappointed about Eragon and Arya?

[Barely Breathing Banana]

...care to elaborate?

[Leah~BringMeTheHorizon~]

**BANANA** wrote: "...care to elaborate?"

the ending sukked so much Eragon and Arya are sopposed to be with each other and it ended so suddenly

[Barely Breathing Banana]

That's true. After thousands of pages and numerous hours of dedicated reading: NOTHING! -_-

[Leah~BringMeTheHorizon~]

UGH!!!!! exactly!!!!!!!! it sukked -_-

[Weston Glory]

**BANANA** wrote: "but arya's still technically is more powerful. She's got the Elves to back her up as well as a dragon and maybe Glaedrbb (cuz he might favour elves) Glaedr can also potentially turn some of the oth..."

That's what I'm explaining to you Banana as is Arya in a way, Eragon is the one in greater power both magically and politically. Arya could potentially rally most of the elves support but it is her authority that was in doubt as long as Eragon remained in Alagaesia, not the other way around. After Eragon defeated Galabatorix even the elves in general treated him with a sense of awe. Arya has a dragon, so does Eragon and a larger one at that. Arya might be a hundred years old but Firnen is not. Eragon has the support of the eldunarya in Vroengard and Glaedr left Alagaesia with Eragon. Eragon also not only has the humans, but the dwarves and the Urgals on his side. Separately the elves can take all three races, but combined, the sheer numbers along with Eragon and the eldunarya would overwhelm them. The only eldunari that remained behind (three) were the ones Eragon saw fit to leave behind, to help guide Arya, Firnen and the Riders to come. She's not in command of the eldunarya, Eragon is.

[Barely Breathing Banana]

Ah, see it makes more sense when you explain it in that much depth (sorry, i'm not usually this slow to grasp an idea or concept, but i've been having an off-day, so to speak, when my brain no longer wishes to make sense of the world around me for a while...sort of like a protest -_-)

One on one though, Arya is more powerful than Eragon, and possibly even with the support of their dragons (only the dragons, not the eldunari) Arya still has a heck of a chance against him. I guess though when you factor in the alliances, Eragon obviously has many more than Arya (and that could possibly be due to her rude behaviour when encountering something foriegn, and deciding to treat is rudely on purpose as opposed to choosing to learn about it and become more open-minded. The way of the Elves confuses me.)

[Weston Glory]

Actually one on one, Eragon is stronger. It's close but he's still stronger according to Paolini. If Eragon had remained human then yes Arya would be far more powerful, but the blood oath celebration made Eragon as strong and as fast as any elf. He looks, thinks and even smells more like an elf than a human. Where Arya has Eragon easily beat is in experience and education. At least for now anyway. A hundred years from the end of Inheritance, I imagine that gap to be much smaller.

[Weston Glory]

**BANANA** wrote: "That's true. After thousands of pages and numerous hours of dedicated reading: NOTHING! -_-"

No. Not nothing. Though I think it seems that way because Paolini doesn't have that particular skill as a writer. What he wanted to show, but failed to was that in the end, Eragon and Arya's relationship is going to be more important than their duty and responsibility, but it can’t and won't always be a higher priority because of who they are. And besides, if you haven't noticed, everything Eragon does, Arya follows suit.

[Barely Breathing Banana]

Wg wrote: "**BANANA** wrote: "That's true. After thousands of pages and numerous hours of dedicated reading: NOTHING! -_-"

No. Not nothing. Though I think it seems that way because Paolini doesn't have that ..."

That's true, but i saw so much potential for them...And all we got was Roran and Katrina (frankly, i hated them, they were so awkward to read about)

Hmm...Okay so:
Eragon became a rider--Arya became a rider.
Eragon killed a shade--Arya killed a shade.
Eragon became a leader (of riders)--Arya became a leader (of elves)

What else is there?

[Justine]

Yummy

[Barely Breathing Banana]

Wg wrote: "Actually one on one, Eragon is stronger. It's close but he's still stronger according to Paolini. If Eragon had remained human then yes Arya would be far more powerful, but the blood oath celebrati..."

Tha's true, but no matter how elven he looks/acts/is, he'll never be pure elf, he'll always have a bit of human in him (even if it's just by 10%) Arya will always have that one over him cuz she's full elf, while eragon's only part elf. Also, as you mentioned, her education and experience far surpasses Eragon. One on one, i'm convinced, Arya will always be more powerful, which is where Saphira and Eragons other allies come into play.

[Weston Glory]

I'm not saying Eragon is pure elf, just establishing how much of him isn't human. However he doesn't have part of an elf's strength, he has all of it which is why he is somewhat stronger than she is even without their dragons. Yes, Arya's education and experience far surpasses Eragon's. Will it always? No. Education and experience come to all who study and live long enough.

[Barely Breathing Banana]

Arya as good as him (if not better) in sword fighting. She'll always be better in magic (or atleast, just until he catches up on his studies) cuz she knows the ancient language better (since it's her mother tongue) and magic pretty much evolves around that) [speaking of which, i found this other thread that focuses on the magic of the inheritance cycle and makes some pretty good points, i'd like to hear your thoughts on it: Critism of Magic in the Inheritance Cycle.

No matter how long Eragon lives and how much experience he gains, Arya would have lived longer and gained more experience. Example:if he is to gain enough experience to beat Arya in a duel, he has to contribute a good sum of years to the non-stop studying of only sword-fighting, and even then, since Arya has been in many more fights than Eragon, she knows how to act and respond to each scenario.

[Weston Glory]

Eragon doesn't need to be more experienced than Arya, just experienced enough. For instance, a magician's duel. Even a century from the end of Inheritance, while Arya will still have lived longer and have had more experience, it would be much more difficult for her to fight Eragon at 117 than at 17. Not because she is less formidable, if anything she is more formidable but now so is Eragon. While he's less fluent in the ancient language, by that point the difference would be far more subtle because he will have long since moved past simply learning how to speak it. It's the same reason why Glaedr despite being far older than Arya (even a larger age and experience gap than her and Eragon), couldn't break her concentration when they were dueling mentally. Not because he wasn't good at it but at that point so was she.

[Barely Breathing Banana]

...you make some good points (I'll admit) so i'll withdraw my argument (mainly cuz i ran out of them)

I'm still convinced that Arya is way more powerful than she should be...Even if she is weaker/evenly matched when compared to Eragon, she is still a elven dragon riding queen! If Eragon was ever to die/be killed/retire, Arya is the only other person who could rule the riders because anyone besides Eragon would be much too weak in comparison to Arya, and she could be seen as a possible threat

So even if Arya and Eragon are evenly matched (one-on-one) Arya is still way too powerful, and she shouldn't have been made a rider (or she could have stayed a rider, but found someone else to rule the elves)

[Weston Glory]

If Arya had to take over the leadership of the Riders, I'm certain she would abdicate the throne. But in your comments, you can now understand why Eragon was too powerful to remain in Alagaesia. Even without the throne, his defeat of Galbatorix made him so politically powerful than no authority including Arya's could override his own. Arya one on one against Eragon, I more than like her chances. Arya and Firnen against Eragon, Saphira and hundreds upon hundreds of eldunarya, she and Firnen would be as outmatched by them as Eragon and Saphira were by the Menoa Tree.

[Sumaya]

I thought that they were going to end up together! It was a big disappointment for me when that didn't happen.........

[Weston Glory]

Sumaya wrote: "I thought that they were going to end up together! It was a big disappointment for me when that didn't happen........."

They would have jumped the gun if they did by the end of Inheritance in my opinion.. Eragon and Arya have only known each other for so long. And I get that even in that short time, they've gone further with each other than anyone they ever known, but they need more time before they get into such a relationship. Keep in mind, they're supposed to have a relationship that is strong enough to outlast empires. Nothing that powerful starts off that easily.

[Barely Breathing Banana]

That's true, if they had gotten together by the end of inheritance, it would have seemed rushed (especially in comparison to the rest of the series' snail-pace)

Speaking of the Menoa Tree...what the heck happens now? I mean, it gave Eragon that star-stone thing (sorry, haven't read the book in ages) and was about to ask Eragon a favour, but didn't...Now what? do we just forget about it? like how we forgot about the fact that Eragon's uncle (rorans dad...starts with a G i think...) can read, but never taught either boys. or how we forgot about Angela's seemingly endless knowledge. Or how we forgot about Nasuada's jailors nails (okay, that sounded odd, but i though there was going to be a major plot twist and story behind his shiny nails! and what did we get? nothing!)

-_- Why have there been SO MANY questions left unanswered? I understand Paolini not wanting to tie tham all off, but there is a tremendous amount, enough to write a whole other series just explaining them (imagine that. A series titled: "The truth behind the Shiny Nails" or "The Jailor and his Nails" or something =P)

[Weston Glory]

Paolini isn't very good at tying up loose ends. Not just Eragon and Arya, but Murtagh and Nasuada, the seven words Brom told Eragon, the Menoa Tree and so on. I think he didn't give them the thought and consideration he should have. Took it for granted that those stories can't just be introduced, they have to be followed through on occasion.

Roran and Katrina was easy for Paolini to write because he based them off his parents. But I think Eragon and Arya was more difficult because of his lack of thought, consideration and experience in that area. He tried having them openly flirt with each other but it didn't work. I'd almost laughed. Just because two people like each other doesn't mean they flirt. Some couples do, but others do not. Granted, he changed that, and in a way that fitted their characters, but I was surprised that was his initial approach. It was so generic. I never saw that in either Arya or Eragon's characters. What I saw, was what they were doing with each other in Inheritance. Being more open and relaxed around each other than everyone else. Spending more time together, more smiling, much longer conversations particularly small talk, more holding hands, more moving around as a pair than as individuals. That would be their idea of "flirting" as it were, particularly when Arya was teasing Eragon and when they were talking and laughing the night away as they were getting drunk. With others even inside of each of their small circle of friends, they were more introverted, more serious, less willing to share, etc.

[Barely Breathing Banana]

Off of his parent? is that a fact? hmm, if that's the case then no wonder their characters seemed to flow much better as opposed to Murtaugh and Nasuada or Eragon and Arya. they were much less fickle.

Flirting? Arya and Eragon? LOL! As if. It was nice though, in Inheritance, how their relationship became much more meaningful. It was a subtle change, mind you, but it was a huge stepping stope towards them one day finally actually becoming a couple.

One more thing...Those loose endings, d'you think he'll ever tie them up? D'you think he even knows about them? cuz now that you mention it, i don't actually think Paolini knows about ALL the loose endings he's left unanswered...there are simply too many!

[Weston Glory]

I think he will in time. Once he's had a break and all. He definitely knows about them. Even if he didn't , I'm sure the fans had reminded him during all his touring.

[Anj]

I think they are both adorable <3

[Will]

I really want paolini to make a follow up book about how things turned out with eragon and safira. and i also think arya and eragon should have kissed or arya at least go with eragon

[Ara]

The whole 'romance' between Arya and Eragon felt incredibly forced to me. I could see them becoming close friends, sure. But them even holding hands felt VERY wrong. Same with Murtagh and Nasuada. I could see Murtagh having a crush on Nasuada, but Nasuada never even slightly hinted that she liked him before the last book. Unless she developed Stockholm while captured, I can't see why she cared about him so much.

[Cinderela]

sigh.... YEAH! I MEAN AFTER A MILLION PAGES.. NOT EVEN A KISS. ONE SOLITARY KISS! FREAKING LAME. LAME. LAME. I REMEMBERING BEING SO DISAPPOINTED WITH THAT ENDING THAT THE SERIES KIND OF FADED OUT OF MY MIND. WHICH IS HORRIBLE BECAUSE I REALLY DID LOVE THIS SERIES AT ONE POINT. "HOW COULD HE" IS CORRECT.
ERAGON LOVED ARYA, EVERYTHING HE DID WAS FOR HER AND FINALLY SHE LOVES HIM... WE ALL KNOW IT. YET NOTHING. NOT ONE SINGLE REPRESENTATION OF THAT LOVE. DUTY AND CRAP. I'M GONNA LIFT MY ARM AND LET MY DRAGON CARRY ME AWAY. AHAHAHAHAHAHAA

[Barely Breathing Banana]

There should be a limit as to how many words in a sentance are permitted to be Capitalized.

Anywho, it was not a million pages but just over three thousand-couting the first three books

I doubt what he felt for her was love, but rather infatuation. You do recall in the prologue of the first book how the Shade regarded Arya as a pretty little thing whose beauty would steal the heart of any mortal man? And later how when Eragon ever speaks of Arya, all he talks of is her physical appearance and not her actual personality?

Infact, I found Arya to be quite a fickle character with no set, unique personality as while with the humans she was reserved and quiet, but on the other hand, with the elves although she claimed to be just as distant, she was still able to laugh easier around her own kind.

Not to mention the 'dramatic' backstory behind her reserved personality, or the rude approach she has towards all unfamiliar things, quite similiar to that of a highclass snobby lady.

If anything, all Arya is is a pretty face, as for her personality, she is nothing more than a cardboard cut out of your average 'damsel in distress' all dressed up in leather turning up her nose this way and that, able to punch men thirty feet off the ground, yet still needing rescuing when cornered by a Shade, or the author is in need of a 'heroic' scene to help show off Eragons manliness.

[Weston Glory]

It was love. Eragon's feelings for Arya in the beginning were infatuation but they matured into true love by Inheritance. This was symbolized in the difference between Eragon's first and second fairths of Arya. The first fairth put Arya on a pedestal. A person with no flaws, superficially perfect, you get the idea. No association with who she really is. The second fairth captured Arya's character more than her looks. He saw an imperfect person perfectly, in other words, who Arya really is and loved her all the more for it. Arya's reactions to both fairths are very telling as well. The first one, Arya was clearly very upset with it, as Orik said more upset than he had ever seen her. She smashed that one to pieces. The second fairth however, she keeps (and she still has it beyond the end of Inheritance) and tells Eragon her true name. That's saying something because Arya never told anyone before. Not her friends, family or even Faolin.

Same thing with Arya. In the beginning, she wasn't interested in Eragon. But the way she was embarrassed when she healed Eragon's hand when he could have done it himself. Hesitating when she was expressing her concern about Eragon fighting Murtagh. How she started teasing him and making small talk, going much more out of her way than usual to be around him. The way she was "testing" Eragon when they were dueling. And yes, much more hand holding. In Eldest, Eragon practically had to beg to be in her company. In Inheritance, Arya was making it to his tent before he was.

Then sharing true names, even among elves, it is considered the most important gesture of trust and acceptance. And it is clear that it also signifies a willingness for intimacy hence Paolini's comments about how in a way their sharing of true names was a deeper sharing than any physical intimacy. Though they're not together by the end of Inheritance, it's of little wonder why their relationship will remain strong despite the separation.

[Barely Breathing Banana]

To be honest, i never understood the fairth scenes. What Paolini tried to make out as a deep and symbolic moment in which Eragon has a wake-up call ended up as an awkwardly written scene which arya throws a tantrum over something of very little importance (I know that it was important to her how Eragon and others viewed her, but the way the scene was written made it seem as though she was upset that Eragon was pursuing her at all, and if that was the case, then she over reacted. I know Aryas main reason was about how Eragon viewed her, but it didn't come out that way at all, and it was only a couple days later when i finished with the series, and was reflecting, did i question Aryas actions then, and only then did i actually make that connection. Conclusion? that scene was badly written and i didn't find much meaning in it so i cant relate to how that scene shows how Eragon transforms from a worshipper to a friend. (Although he does make that change, that scene isn't the best example to show that)

Arya sharing her true name with Eragon (and Eragon sharing his with her) was beyond question a deep moment and it definatley showed the importance of their friendship and how they hold eachother in the highest regard. I wont argue with that point but i will bring to attention that I don't think tha fairth was her main reason for wanting to tell Eragon her true name, i think she wanted to tell him since <.insert scene which arya first shows that she values her relationship with Eragon here> and the fairth just pushed her that last step of the way to actually telling him.

I dont think the question is if they share a deep and meaningful relationship or not, but if it is as strong as fans expected. I for one was actually quite happy with the end product of their friendship but others don't share my thoughts.

[FreshKicks]

I was okay with it actually....but i really would like if Paolini wrote another story continuing it...I want to know what happens to all of them.

[Kassidy]

I hate how we don't get to know their true names.. but really its a writing ploy. No matter WHAT the author picked, somebody would be disappointed... the mystery keeps the name whole.
And as for the ending.. I found it heartwrenching..... but sadly it fit perfectly. I liked how the story didn't have a "happily ever after" and I honestly thought that the book itself was a masterpiece. But I also like to think that Eragon and Arya are meant to be together, and that they will end up together. :)

[Weston Glory]

**BANANA** wrote: "To be honest, i never understood the fairth scenes. What Paolini tried to make out as a deep and symbolic moment in which Eragon has a wake-up call ended up as an awkwardly written scene which arya..."

I think the fans wished that Arya and Eragon could have shown their feelings for each other more physically as they did figuratively. Otherwise, I think it was very strong myself. It wasn't shown as a relationship for them both but the relationship. I also account for the fact that they do get their "happily ever after", just not yet.

[Barely Breathing Banana]

Thats true (about the happily ever after,) it's not like they turned out to be siblings, or one of them ended up dying or something of the like. And they did confess their feelings to each other so it's really just a matter of time for their "happily ever after" to come marching in.

Physically vs. Figurativley. Physically would have been easier to relate to, but Figurativley would have been much more emotional. Figurativley is harder to write though as you have nothing as a base to start you up or lead you along your way, and you're writing in unchartered waters. If Paolini had managed to tie up that part (which I actually think he did quite well,) then it may have been easier for fans to say "Look, there's that happy ending" but because his writing is confusing at times, I guess it came off differently for others (perhaps they never saw, to the full extent, the importance of sharing ones true name.)

In any case, their ending wasn't half bad, though there are many others who you can't really say the same about.

[Weston Glory]

Figurative is much more emotional and frankly in my opinion better than physical but I felt that because of Paolini's skills or lack thereof as a writer, it didn't come across to others as well as it should have. There is a reason it's like uncharted waters but nevertheless, I've seen it before in other mediums like Doctor Who (The Doctor and River Song), Mass Effect (Tali and Shepard) and more. Particularly the Doctor and River Song, given that Paolini is a big fan of the series. If I was a gambling person, I would say that was where he got inspired by the idea at least in some measure. River Song knows the Doctor's real name and that's important for the same reason that Eragon knows Arya's true name.

[Ryan]

Mariana wrote: "i hate christopher paolini so much right now . -.-'' how could he ? :'c"

I see that I'm a little late to this party. But I would like to just voice my opinion real quick. I think Christopher Paolini better start back up on this series soon or I'm going to be really pissed. I was already pissed at how he ended it.

[Weston Glory]

I think Paolini should have ended it with Arya and Eragon leaving Alagaesia together though not necessarily being in a relationship. Rather than have the discussion of the future of their relationship in Alagaesia, they could had it on the ship with Arya saying that perhaps in time and so forth. Eragon instead saying they don't have time, now saying that they do. And then use the prophecy to explain the rest of their relationship from there.

[Nahaylem]

Hey can anyone explain in detail everything that is in the deluxe edition of inheritance? I really don't want to buy the deluxe edition.

[Weston Glory]

I didn't buy it but I read it. There's nothing in the Deluxe edition worth detailing.

[Ara]

Wg wrote: "I didn't buy it but I read it. There's nothing in the Deluxe edition worth detailing."

Thanks for that, seriously. It was bugging me. But I don't like wasting money on things I already have unless there's some HUGE difference.

[Jessie]

I feel like Christopher Paolini set up the whole romance between arya and eragon and didnt finish it, i mean it wouldnt have made much sense for arya to kiss eragon but there was definitely something between saphira and firnen so there should be a follow-up to that it would make sense

[Madelén]

I loved it :) I'm probably weird because of it... But I loved it. I love sad endings, and... It really hit me... I'm not someone that loves romance or things like that, so... Yeah... I loved it :)

[Weston Glory]

I'm indifferent to good or sad endings as long as they make sense to the story that is told. This one made sense for me at least as long as it's not permanent because then that wouldn't make sense at all.

[Madelén]

Wg wrote: "I'm indifferent to good or sad endings as long as they make sense to the story that is told. This one made sense for me at least as long as it's not permanent because then that wouldn't make sense ..."

You have a good point there.

[Romaine]

Twila wrote: "Alexia wrote: "She could have at least kissed him on the cheek!"

Well, she kissed him on the forehead once."

i did hope that something romantic would've happened between them, but elves are so boring. all they did was exchange true names which i found indomitably disappointing. saphira and firnen rocked it!

[Weston Glory]

Thanks Madelén.

Saphira and Firnen had less emotional hangups than Eragon and Arya did. You noticed when Eragon and Arya were talking about getting involved as more than friends, Arya was worried that Eragon would see her as a fling and treat her as such. Eragon having been the first and only person Arya ever told her true name to was still uncertain about even bringing up the subject. In other words, they're both not very good at it and if they didn't care about each other so much, they would be much less awkward about it. It's cliche but it's true. Furthermore, they're the types that put duty and responsibility before all else. In my opinion, it's part of what they see in each other and why they're so compatible. They both decided to devote their lives to taking down Galbatorix because they wanted to help their people. It's how they see their sense of worth, in how they can serve others.

[Marshall]

What I think is incredible is the fact that Christopher Paolini seemed to have planned this ending way before he started Inheritance. He had a dream, I think when he was a captive of Durza, about him, leaving on a raft, with someone yelling after him. And there were two dragons overhead. This was put in Eragon I think. I don't really remember. But he is a great author. Just because he was a jerk and left us hanging with suspense, and he didn't end it with something more romantic between an awesome couple, doesn't mean you should hate him. But there should be another book

[Kerianne]

I was disappointed at first. This was supposed to be an epic romance but all that ever happened was Eragon saying "I love you" and Ayra saying "No, we can't" over and over. But Chirstopher Paolini isn't done with Alagaesia yet. I've heard he's going to write some other novels and come back to it. My guess is that this epic romance has only just begun.

[Weston Glory]

It made sense because it could not be expected that Arya and Eragon would choose each other over their obligations when they weren't even sure where their relationship was heading. I remember Paolini years back saying that something like Roran and Katrina already knew what their relationship was while Eragon and Arya really did not. It was the elephant in the room neither of them wanted to talk about and even when they did, it was like walking on egg shells. What if she tears my head off? What if he thinks of me as a one night stand? They have to get past all that nonsense before they get into a relationship.

[Dhk]

I don't know if others have said this but I think that the Menoa Tree's price might have been that they can't have their ideal romance. They might be able to spend time together for short periods, but it wouldn't be enough for either of them.

[Weston Glory]

It's possible but I doubt it. Paolini already said Eragon and Arya's relationship is far from over which heavily implies that in the future, they'll be in relationship. On top of that, it's prophecy. She has long since been confirmed as the woman Eragon will eventually be romantically involved with. I think it's more likely the Menoa Tree took something else, something to do with that pain Eragon felt in his side.