A/N: Weird, little idea that came into my head. Just some thoughts about Murtagh's names and what he thinks of them. Hope you like it. Please leave a review!
Power of a Name
Murtagh had a lot of names. Some he was born with and others simply accumulated.
He'd started as Murtagh Morzansson, but even that name led people to brand him a traitor. That was one of his names too. The elves called him a traitor, an oath-breaker.
The dwarves on the other hand, well to them he was a kingkiller. That was Galbatorix's cruel nickname too. Murtagh abhorred the name. It was something the false king had often teased and mocked him over. It provided Galbatorix with great lengths of amusement whilst Murtagh simply had to bear it, just like he had borne the name Morzansson.
At some point in time, he had come to be known not only as Murtagh Morzansson, but also as 'the Red Rider.' Nothing about this name irked Murtagh particularly. It was true – he was a red rider. His dragon, Thorn, had red scales and breathed red fire from his maw. Murtagh's blade Zar'roc was red too. His magic usually appeared with a red nimbus. Sometimes, Murtagh could have sworn his eyes had flashed red as well. It was a colour well associated with him.
Only a handful of people truly knew Murtagh by his first name. And he could list them all on his fingers: Thorn, Eragon and Nasuada. Despite fighting on opposite sides of the battlefield, she continued to see the good in him and perhaps, hoped Murtagh, love him. To her, he was simply her love, not the son of Galbatorix's first member of the Forsworn.
Murtagh Morzansson was no longer who he was anyway. Over time, he had come to understand who he was and where he came from. Being the son of Morzan, did not make him into a duplicate of his father. And then there was his true name. No-one knew that – save for Murtagh himself, and his wonderful dragon Thorn. Of course Thorn knew; there was no way to hide it from him. The Dragon and Rider were so intertwined in their minds that they had no secrets.
All of Murtagh's names held great power. His true name was perhaps the most powerful of all for it allowed others to control him if they knew it. With it too Murtagh knew himself inside out. However, his other names were not to be ruled out. Being named a traitor, kingkiller and the son of Morzan had thrown most of Alagaësia into fearing him. His names had the power to scare people to death, to change the fate of a war or to bring hate. All in all, Murtagh was in awe of the power of a name.