The Pinewood City

The Pinewood City is the 26^th chapter of Eldest. It takes the point of view of Eragon.

Summary

Eragon starts noticing the trees getting much larger, some seventy feet wide, and Arya says this means they are near Ellesméra. She tells Eragon that he's going to enter her world and too tread carefully. After a while they see an elf. Arya tells Eragon to show his ring and the gedwey ignasia. The elf smiles and spreads his arms in a gesture of welcome. They move past him and he disappears. Arya tells them that he is a prince, Gilderien the Wise, and the guardian of Ellesméra since the days of war with the dragons.

They get to an empty glade, where it looks like deer might rest, and Eragon sees flowers and a stream where a pair of squirrels chase each other. It initially appears beautiful, but fairly normal. The more he looks, Eragon finds paths between trees and brush and soft light where shadows would normally lie. Eragon blinks and sees the paths clearly and finds buildings in the twisted trees. The elves dance as they walk, laugh, and praise Saphira with names like "Strong One" and "Longclaws". Eragon really likes Ellesméra, more so than any Dwarf city, and he asks Arya how the buildings are made. She says that they sing to them and they grow how the elves desire.

They enter into a hall of trees with branches meeting to form a honeycombed ceiling. There are twelve chairs running along each wall, each seating an elf. They looked with wonder and hope at the group. Queen Islanzadi is seated on a throne of knotted roots at the head. She is beautiful, proud, imperious, and majestically adorned. Despite all of this she seems slightly fragile as if she's hiding a great pain. In her left hand is a rod with a raven perched atop it. It surveys Eragon and screeches wyrda, to which Eragon shivers. The six of them bow to Islanzadi, Saphira included despite having not bowed to Ajihad or Hrothgar, and Islanzadi rises. She moves to Arya and commands her to rise. Islanzadi scrutinizes her face and finally embraces her and says "O my daughter, I have wronged you."

Character debuts

• Gilderien the Wise
• Queen Islanzadí
• Blagden