Under the Menoa Tree

The following is an abridged excerpt from ELDEST by Christopher Paolini

“Of course she’s awake,” said Arya. Her voice was low and mellow in the night air. “Shall I tell you the story of the Menoa tree?”

“I’d like that.”

A flash of white streaked across the sky, like a banished specter, and resolved itself beside Saphira in the form of Blagden. The raven’s narrow shoulders and crooked neck gave him the appearance of a miser basking in the radiance of a pile of gold. The raven lifted his pallid head and uttered his ominous cry, “Wyrda!”

“This is what happened. Once there lived a woman, Linnëa, in the years of spice and wine before our war with the dragons and before we became as immortal as any beings still composed of vulnerable flesh can be. Linnëa had grown old without the comfort of a mate or children, nor did she feel the need to seek them out, preferring to occupy herself with the art of singing to plants, of which she was a master. That is, she did until a young man came to her door and beguiled her with words of love. His affections woke a part of Linnëa that she had never suspected existed, a craving to experience the things that she had unknowingly sacrificed. The offer of a second chance was too great an opportunity for her to ignore. She deserted her work and devoted herself to the young man and, for a time, they were happy.

“But the young man was young, and he began to long for a mate closer to his own age. His eye fell upon a young woman, and he wooed and won her. And for a time, they too were happy.

“When Linnëa discovered that she had been spurned, scorned, and abandoned, she went mad with grief. The young man had done the worst possible thing; he had given her a taste of the fullness of life, then torn it away with no more thought than a rooster flitting from one hen to the next. She found him with the woman and, in her fury, she stabbed him to death.

“Linnëa knew that what she had done was evil. She also knew that even if she was exonerated of the murder, she could not return to her previous existence. Life had lost all joy for her. So she went to the oldest tree in Du Weldenvarden, pressed herself against it, and sang herself into the tree, abandoning all allegiance to her own race. For three days and three nights she sang, and when she finished, she had become one with her beloved plants. And through all the millennia since has she kept watch over the forest . . . . Thus was the Menoa tree created.”

At the conclusion of her tale, Arya and Eragon sat side by side on the crest of a huge root, twelve feet off the ground. Eragon bounced his heels against the tree and wondered if Arya had intended the story as a warning to him or if it was merely an innocent piece of history. His doubt hardened into certainty when she asked, “Do you think that the young man was to blame for the tragedy?”

“I think,” he said, knowing that a clumsy reply could turn her against him, “that what he did was cruel . . . and that Linnëa overreacted. They were both at fault.”

Arya stared at him until he was forced to avert his gaze. “They weren’t suited for each other.”

Eragon began to deny it but then stopped himself. She was right. And she had maneuvered him so that he had to say it out loud, so that he had to say it to her. “Perhaps,” he admitted.

Bflygal's comments:
Reading Eragon is what keeping me occupied lately.. and coincidentally the third book was out just last Saturday which made me more resolved to finish the first 2 books... and neglect all my other tasks which includes blogging.

While copying this story, I did ponder if I should rectify the spelling error I saw. But I left them alone in the end because it is extracted from ELDEST and I should respect the author as he might have meant the spelling as it is… I’m not him so I would never know.

This story is by far the only story that I felt thought-provoking enough to repeat a summarised version to QR. The only reason is because I liked Eragon’s analysis: “They were both at fault”. It was something I was indirectly telling QR.

Those who know me know I will not comment too much about their heart affairs unless I see something amiss. Thus you can be blinded by love and pursuing love foolishly, it is your own accord and I will not dissuade you otherwise so long you know the full implications your actions caused.

While many would feel injustice for the pursuer should his/her love be unrequited especially when he/she might have been led on, I can only say … both were at fault. And yes, it hurts… badly… but we can only lived and get accustomed to it because, as long as the pursuer still cherish a spark of hope, there are little choices to avoid the heart throbbing pain.