Eragon: Chapter Fifteen: Saddlemaking

[pangolin20]

Chapter Fourteen (Part IV) | Chapter Sixteen (Part I)

Kerlois: Welcome back to Eragon, everyone! Last time, we sat through Brom and Eragon talking, and Brom refusing to share his history. Now for the reader post:

On part I of Chapter 6:

Chessy notes that the fireplace in Brom’s house would not given off enough light to see the room by.

This Cannot Be: 41

She notes that Brom might have boarded up the house to keep people from noticing the stolen furniture, which does fit with what we know of him, so…

Manual Patch Job: 67

Finally, she rightly points out that Brom referring to “the creation of Alagaësia” does not make much sense, unless he would think that Alagaësia equals the world. Well, it seems I can pull out that count now!

Alagaësia Is Not the World: 1

And, of course, see Umbrares discover rain.

Also, while talking to Tris, I realised that we never hear about Brom sharing one of his books with Gertrude, because it is not like there might be some useful healing methods in there she could use.

Look Away: 383

For myself… I would like to give this, because of how slow the previous parts were:

Get to the Point Already: 22 (+2)

Well, let us now begin with the chapter! Hopefully it will be a bit of a palette cleanser; mine is quite muddled at the moment.

Chapter Fifteen / Sixteen: Saddlemaking

That is what we are going to do in this chapter, at least in part: making Saphira a saddle.

We open on the 23^rd of December, with Eragon waking up. The self-published edition notes that he “[feels] excited about the new day” (so do I about finally being free of the Carvahall section!). In both editions, “the memory of Garrow’s death crashe[s] down on him”. He pulls the blankets over his head and “crie[s] quietly” under “their warm darkness”. He says that it feels good to just lie there, and “hide from the world outside”.

I like this! It is really nice to see him have a reaction to Garrow’s death that is not a stilted pantomime of grief or edgelordism. And it is (unintentionally) nuanced, too. Yes, Garrow was very awful to Eragon… but of course Eragon could still love him and grieve for him, too. It is just a pity that his grief over Garrow’s death, and indeed Garrow himself, will fade out of existence quite soon after this.

Well, eventually he stops crying and he curses Brom (rightly so, I would say). Then he wipes his cheeks and gets up. Brom is making breakfast, and he says “Good morning”. Eragon just grunts in reply. Should I… Yes, I think I will give a bit of analysis here.

So, about Eragon going along with Brom. Many people, and I myself, have asked why he does this when Brom is so obviously untrustworthy. I think I have a quite adequate answer to that:

1: Brom knows much about the Ra’zac, and he is their best chance at defeating them, so if he wants to kill the Ra’zac, he must stick with Brom.

2: Garrow has just died, and Eragon probably wants someone to guide him. Brom can slot right in, since he posits himself as an authority figure and is quite like Garrow in many ways.

3: As Tris points out, “[a]fter Garrow’s constant bitterness, [Brom’s way] probably does seem like kindness.” Indeed, Brom feels more… sincere to me than Garrow. At least he is sometimes sincerely nice to Eragon, and I can certainly see why Eragon would value that.

4: And as for why he goes along with Brom’s constant concealment… well, what else has he had in his life? He is probably used to the idea that he just has to put up with it, because he cannot change it either way.

As for why Saphira goes along with him… Well, he is not awful to her, and I get the idea she is treating it like a fun adventure, so she does not mind whatever Brom decides to do next.

Well, back to the happenings in the chapter, then.

Eragon puts his cold fingers “in his armpits” and waits by the fire until the food is ready. Cut to them eating, trying to be done as quick as possible before the food gets cold. When he is done, Eragon cleans “his bowl” with snow, and spreads out the “stolen leather on the ground”. I guess he got the bowl from their house? It is not that I need it spelled out what they got from the house, just that I get the feeling these things materialise the moment they are needed.

Brom asks what he is going to do with the leather, since they cannot carry it with them. I suppose this is reasonable enough, but I still want to snipe at Brom for implying that Eragon thinks he will just carry it along. Like, what do you think Eragon took those hides for?

Well, in the self-published edition, Eragon “glance[s] at him sullenly”, which does strengthen my opinion of what Brom just said. In both editions, he says he is going to make a saddle for Saphira. Who has not yet appeared in this chapter at all. Yes, that does rankle me.

Brom moves forward, and goes to explain. He says that dragons used to have “two kinds of saddles”. The first one was “hard and molded like a horse’s saddle”. But it takes “time and tools” to make those, and they do not have either. Tools I can give, but time? Given how slow the chase for the Ra’zac will be, I find that quite hilarious.

Brom exposits further that the other kinds was “thin and lightly padded”, and was mostly a layer between the Rider and the dragon. Those were used “whenever speed and flexibility” were important, though they were not quite as comfortable as the other kind. That seems like something to keep in mind for later…

Eragon asks if Brom knows what they looked like, and Brom says that he can make one. In the self-published edition, Eragon thinks And where did he learn that? A very good question, Eragon! It is only a pity that you will not be allowed to ever voice that.

But Thou Must: 42

That is another reason why I am not very frustrated with Eragon for not leaving Brom: Eragon clearly notes that something is off, but he is not allowed to act on it, because Paolini wants to further the “mystery” of who Brom is.

Back to both editions, Eragon tells him to please do so, and stands aside. Brom agrees, and tells Eragon to pay attention, as he may someday have to do it himself. “With Saphira’s permission”, he measures her neck and chest. Well, good to see that Saphira is here! Not that we can get anything outside of her permission from her, but still. Also, with what does Brom measure her? With his hands? With one of the supplies? I truly cannot visualise this.

PPP: 514

Brom then cuts into the leather (with his own knife? with Eragon’s?), and he cuts out “five bands”, then “outline[s] a dozen or so shapes on the hides”. Once those are cut out, he cuts the remaining bits of the hides into “long cords”.

The self-published edition now notes that assembling the saddle takes much longer. In both editions, we go to the process. Brom uses the cords to “sew everything together”, but for every stitch, “a hole [has] to be bored through the leather”. The Knopf edition amends this to “two holes”, which I indeed think would be safer. Eragon helps with the boring. Brom puts “[i]ntricate knots” in place of buckles, and makes every strap “extra long” so the saddle will fit Saphira even through a few months of growth. Well, that is thoughtful.

The main part of the saddle is made of “three identical pieces” that are sewn together, and have “padding” between them. On the front, there is a “thick loop” that fits around one of Saphira’s neck spikes. The saddle also has “a wide band” sewn to each side. I genuinely read the sentence as meaning that there were bands on the side of the loop first, so I think this is in order:

PPP: 515

These band wrap around Saphira’s belly and tie together there. In place of stirrup, there are “a series of loops” on both bands, which can also function as leg straps. There is also a “long strap” that passes between Saphira’s front legs, “split[s] in two, and then come[s] up behind her front legs to rejoin with the saddle”. I think this is meant to secure the saddle better, but it is written so vaguely that I have to guess.

PPP: 516

While Brom is doing this, Eragon repairs his pack and organises their supplies. The self-published edition notes that he merely watches Brom after that. By the time the saddle is completed, the day is over. What was that again about not having time? Brom puts the saddle on Saphira and checks “to see if the straps fit”. He makes some adjustments, and when he is satisfied, he takes it off.

Eragon “acknowledge[s] grudgingly” that Brom did well. I do quite like that Eragon is quite unhappy with Brom here. Yes, he needs to travel with Brom to get at the Ra’zac, but he is not willing to overlook Brom’s behaviour, and it is clearly on Brom to fix this.

Brom inclines his head and says that “[o]ne tries his best”. Hmmm, there is nothing wrong with that, but it feels very clunky, like he is using “his” to specifically refer to himself, which goes together badly with “one”… He says it should serve Eragon well, as they leather is quite sturdy.

Saphira (about time she showed up!) asks if he will not try it out. Eragon stores the saddle with his blankets, and says he might do it tomorrow, as it is too late now. He then tells us that “[i]n truth” he is not “eager to fly again” after his disastrous first flight. That is entirely relatable, and I very much like that we actually get this bit. I also think it would be wise to wait until his wounds have healed further before trying again.

The one problem is that he does not tell this to Saphira, and that there is no reason given for this. And yes, this will be relevant later on. Paolini, if you want to set up conflict between them, do not just have Eragon randomly decide not to tell Saphira!

PPP: 517

Let me try my hand at this:

He did not want Saphira to find out. After all, as she had reminded him just yesterday, being a Rider meant doing great things, regardless of fear. He could only imagine her reaction at finding out too well, and he could already hear the mocking stories about the Rider who was afraid to ride a dragon. No, better that he not say anything and try to work out his fears himself.

There we go!

Also, this was the single line of dialogue Saphira has in this chapter. Good going, Paolini!

Best Partners Ever: 213 (for not telling information, which does not correspond with what we are supposed to get from this)

What Dragons?: 291

Is it too much to ask that Saphira plays a role in this story? Well, at least this problem will improve later in this book…

They make dinner quickly, which tastes good, though it is simple. While they are eating, Brom asks Eragon if they will leave tomorrow. Eragon says there is no reason to stay. Brom says he supposes there is not. He shifts a bit, and then goes to apologise. Let us see it:

“Eragon, I must apologize about how events have turned out. I never wished for this to happen. Your family did not deserve such a tragedy. If there were anything I could do to reverse it, I would. This is a terrible situation for all of us.”

It is not too bad, and I am positively surprised that Brom actually apologises here. That said, I do have some things about it I do not like:

1) No apology for disappearing for several days? No, of course not, because Paolini does not remember that happens.

2) I would like something to the effect of “I will not endanger either of you like this again”. That is something that is quite necessary to know before they leave, after all. But no, Brom just assumes they will trust him without further demands.

Ill Logic: 230

3) Finally, the last sentence… How is this exactly a “terrible situation” for you, Brom? It feels to me as if he is… denying Eragon and Saphira their hurts? As if he tries to muddle that he is the one who messed up in the first place.

ASWLT: 13

Some Father You Are: 73

In the self-published edition, Eragon stares at Brom and tells him to forget it. Brom says he is afraid that is impossible, and there follows a long silence. The Knopf edition does this more succinct, as Eragon simply sits silently and avoids Brom’s look.

Then Brom says they will be needing horses. Eragon says that maybe Brom does, but he has Saphira. Ah yes, more “Saphira as my steed” stuff. Nice. In the self-published edition, Brom shakes his head, and says he would never be able to keep up with Eragon “on horseback”, as no horse can outrun a flying dragon. And even if they could, it would not be viable for longer stretches.

He says that he either rides Saphira with Eragon or they both travel on the ground. It will be safer if they stay together, though they will be “a bit more conspicuous” if they are on horses. All true enough, though I am a bit disappointed we could not see the two of them riding on Saphira…

The Knopf edition has something different here. He explains about horses not being able to keep up, and “Saphira is too young to carry us both”. Good point; I did wonder why he thought Saphira could carry them both. I do want to note, in the light of another character we see later, that the problem lies with Saphira’s size rather than her youth. Brom further explains that staying together is safer, and “riding is faster than walking”. Well, this was rather nicely rewritten!

Eragon protests that going on horses will make it harder to catch the Ra’zac. With Saphira, he could find them “within a day or two”. On horses, it will take much longer, if it is even possible to catch up with them at all.

Then Brom says: “That’s a chance you’ll have to take if I’m to accompany you”.

I think this illustrates the problem with the next part of the book quite well. If Brom were to stay behind now, Eragon could ride Saphira, and they could catch up with the Ra’zac soon. There would be a fight scene, which would probably not end well, and which might end with them getting captured! And then Brom might be able to bail them out by doing something clever! That would be nice!

But instead, we get Brom going along with them, which keeps the confrontation with the Ra’zac far away, and keeps any excitement far away, too. Because of course we need to have the old mentor along. This is truly the single worst decision of this book.

PPP: 617 (+100)

At least this book will improve when Brom goes the way the Old Mentor goes…

Eragon thinks it over, and then grumbles that, alright, they will get horses. He says Brom does have to buy them. He does not have any money himself, and he does not want to steal again, as it is wrong. Except when it is from Sloan, of course.

Brom responds like this:

“That depends on your point of view,” corrected Brom with a slight smile.

This right here is why he gets on my nerves so much. Just… his smugness here. It gets under my feathers. And as for what he says… Well, to quote Sloan, “Now there’s a weaselly elf-answer, if ever I heard one.”

More seriously, I think that is why I hate this line. What is Brom actually saying here? Eragon says “stealing is wrong”, and he says “Well, some people do not think that stealing is wrong”. Which… Eragon only talked about his point of view, so this has nothing do with it. And what business does Brom have “correcting” Eragon’s statement by saying others see it differently? Eragon’s statement is already “correct”, you dunce! You just look nasty by smugly telling him others see it differently!

ASWLT: 14

Some Father You Are: 74

The self-published edition notes Eragon is not sure how to respond. In both editions, Brom goes into a speech here.

He tells Eragon, “[b]efore he set[s] out on this venture”, to remember that the Ra’zac are Galbatorix’s servants. They will be “protected wherever they go”, laws will not stop them, and, in cities, they will “have access to abundant resources and willing servants”.

Too bad that that does not entirely align with what is happening… True, laws do not stop them, but their resources and servants are mostly concentrated in a single city, and outside of that city, they do not seem to have a particular abundance of both.

I also note that Brom does not mention something quite important: if Saphira and Eragon do succeed in killing the Ra’zac, they would probably get the forces of Galbatorix after them.

Ill Logic: 231

Some Father You Are: 75

He tells Eragon to also keep in mind that, while Eragon is alive, “nothing is more important to Galbatorix than recruiting or killing [him]”. He immediately says that word of Eragon has probably not reached Galbatorix yet.

Well, this is far from true. Galbatorix will do almost nothing about Eragon once he knows of him for at least a year. And Brom should know this! He knows how passive Galbatorix is, and that he probably would not bother to seek out Eragon at once!

Forgot Your Own Canon Again?: 93

He says that “[t]he longer [Eragon] evade[s] the Ra’zac, the more desperate he’ll become.”

One, Galbatorix will never become “desperate” about this at all.

Forgot Your Own Canon Again?: 94

Two, why does he use “evade” here? I think that might be how Galbatorix sees it… but at this point I would rather say that their mission has failed, and that Galbatorix needs to mount a new one.

Brom continues, saying that Galbatorix knows Eragon will “be growing stronger” with every day and “each passing moment” will give Eragon “another chance to join [Galbatorix’s enemies]”. Ah yes, because Eragon is “growing stronger” right now. Also, how can Galbatorix know for sure that Eragon will join his enemies? For all he knows, Eragon and Saphira will simply leave Alagaësia to find another life outside.

I think this is the problem I have with this bit: it is speculation. Quite grounded speculation (Galbatorix would do good to assume the worst about Eragon), but still speculation. Brom cannot know what Galbatorix exactly thinks, after all, and yet he acts as if this is truth.

Going to the wider speech… It seems Brom is inflating Eragon’s importance to Galbatorix a bit, which is probably how important he thinks Eragon is. And saying the Ra’zac will have many resources, while they have little themselves is probably also the framing Brom likes to think in. It does fit.

The problem is that we are clearly supposed to see this as fact, when it is not exactly. So for that:

PPP: 618

He finally tells Eragon to be “very careful”, as he might easily “turn from the hunter into the hunted”. Sound advice, and something that Brom himself could certainly stand to take, too (sneaking around the Ra’zac’s camp after dark!).

We are then told that “Eragon [is] subdued by the strong words”. “Subdued”? He seemed quite calm before this, so I think the word you are looking for is “impressed”.

PPP: 619

As for “strong words”… I do not think this speech is all that much, though it still does have some important things in it, so I think I will let this slide.

“Pensive”, Eragon rolls a twig between his fingers. Brom says this is enough talking, as it is late and his bones hurt. They can say more the next day. Eragon nods and banks the fire. End chapter.

What does this ending count as…? I think it counts for Protagonist Unconsciousness.

Protagonist Unconsciousness: 8

This is also the fifth chapter in a row that ends like this, and the next two will also end like this. It is not wrong per se, but it does begin to rankle to me.

I would also say it counts as this:

Single-Purpose Chapter: 6

It is considerably shorter than both chapters around it, and its main purpose seems to be the saddlemaking.

Now for my thoughts on this chapter… Well, there is nothing much in it. The making of the saddle is not bad, and Brom was relatively tolerable. I would have liked to see more of Saphira, though. Mostly, I am glad we are finally out of the Carvahall section of this book, and can go on to more interesting stuff.

Speaking of the Carvahall part, let me share an outline of how I would have liked the story to go:

Keep the first five chapter roughly the same, while cutting out the Sloan scene and the visit to Merlock. Then, when Eragon has talked with Brom, he meets the Ra’zac. In this case, Horst bails him out, and Eragon flees to home. He soon notes the Ra’zac are coming after him.

He finds Roran at home, and when he tries to get Saphira to convince Roran of the danger, she has the same panic attack as in canon and flees into the forest. Eragon chases her, and Roran, seeing the Ra’zac, flees too. After a night of hiding, Eragon and Saphira find the farm destroyed, and manage to pull Garrow out. Since Eragon is not wounded, he manages to pull Garrow all the way to Carvahall, but passes out from exhaustion there.

When he wakes up, Garrow is in a bad condition, despite Gertrude’s care. Roran has just managed to find his way back to the village, and is very angry at Eragon and Saphira. In an attempt to correct his mistake in not asking further, Brom heals Garrow with magic, which causes the townfolk to turn on Brom, as they are afraid with magic.

Faced with all of this, Saphira, Brom, and Eragon flee Carvahall and decide to chase after the Ra’zac. We can see Saphira grow during this time, and see all three of them learn from their experiences.

And that is how I would have done the story until this point.

Well, you will be seeing Fumurti next chapter. Until chapter twenty!

Content
A Better Commando Name		12
All the Isms		8
Bullyay		33
	Murdered by the Convocation	8
	Perfection is Pure	3
Best Partners Ever		213
Ill Logic		231
Just Drink the Poison		0
Look Away		383
Manual Patch Job		67
No Touchy		6
No-Wave Feminism		59
Petty Ain’t the Word For You		62
Resistance Is Futile		3
FYRP		46
Some Father You Are		75
Some Teacher You Are		0
Sparkly Damsel		22
This is Fine		82
IYES		27
What Dragons?		291
Papier-Mâché Villains		8
With Leaders Like These…		15
ASWLT		14
Alagaësia Is Not the World		1
Edgy Equals Mature, Right?		3
Writing
Read the Discussion Boards		9
Dead Herrings		60
Drop It Like It’s Hot		33
Forgot Your Own Canon Again?		93
Forgot the Narrator		29
Get to the Point Already		20
Give Me a Piece of Your Mind		2
Missing Puzzle Pieces		57
Paoclichés		21
PPP		618
Reaction, Please		73
Shine Bright Like a Diamond		6
Thanks for Explaining		3
But Thou Must		86
This Cannot Be		42
History-Rewriting Narrator		53
Knock Yourself Out, It's Fine		2
Cliffhanger Chop		2
Mid-Scene Break		0
Other Ending		6
Protagonist Unconsciousness		7
Single-Purpose Chapter		5