Not One of Us - Murtagh's Story
Chapter 1: The Castle in the Spine
"I've missed you so much."
The woman smiled and gently stroked his cheek, a light brown lock of hair falling on her padded leather clothes. The two year old shied away from her touch and inched backwards. A pained look briefly crossed the woman's face as she slowly took her hand away. She averted her eyes for a second, gathering her thoughts, before looking at the child once more.
"Your eyes are a beautiful shade grey. I'm glad they're the same color."
The boy looked at the woman quizzically, unsure how to respond to the compliment. Did she mean she was glad his eyes weren't different, like those of the man he knew as his father? After a moment of hesitation, he flashed her a crooked smile. The woman smiled again. This time, her smile reached her eyes.
"You're a very handsome little man. Do you remember me?" she asked, almost hopefully. "I come see you whenever I can, but the last time I came, you were much smaller."
The boy, taking his knees to his chin, hugged his legs and thought hard. Something about the woman's face was familiar, but he could not remember her name. The only person he really knew was Miss Mariane, the servant who had been in charge of him ever since he could remember. Miss Mariane was not very nice. He spent most of his days wandering around the castle alone, relieving his boredom with games fueled by his imagination. Unable to remember the woman's name and afraid of her reaction, the boy guiltily shook his head.
"I thought as much." He was surprised to see that the woman did not look angry. "It's okay that you don't remember." She smiled reassuringly and gently took the boy's hand. The boy trembled slightly, but did not pull his hand away.
"My name is Selena, and I am your mother. If it was up to me, you would be with me all the time. Sadly, I'm not often allowed to see you."
The boy frowned and searched the woman's face. Her hair was much lighter than his, and her eyes were brown.
"But… I don't look like you," he replied, disappointed.
The woman smiled warily. "I know. You look like Morzan, but you are not like him. I hope that when you grow older, you remember that."
The boy looked down to the floor and bit his lower lip at the sound of his father's name. He did not see his father often, but the man inspired fear wherever he went. The boy often hid when Morzan was around: the man liked to kick him or yell at him whenever he was in the vicinity. Even the servants made themselves scarce when their master was around. The boy looked at the woman again with a small pang of recognition.
"You sang me lullabies!"
This time, the woman beamed. She hugged the boy tightly. Suddenly, the door burst open. The boy stood up hastily. The woman stood as well, frowning.
"Time's up. The King is waiting to finalize the details of your next mission." The voice came from a tall, broad-shouldered man suited in shiny armor, his face partially hidden by the hallway's darkness. Although his deep voice was even and controlled, the boy cringed and backed towards the wall. Morzan. The man noticed the young boy looking at him and stared back. Morzan's mismatched eyes pierced into his and the boy let out a small moan as a sharp pain entered his skull.
"Please stop," the woman said sternly, looking at Morzan. A hurt expression crossed her face, but it was gone almost as soon as it had appeared. The boy steadied his breath as the sharp pain in his head receded. The woman walked towards the man confidently. Before following him out of the door, she turned back, her eyes now glistening with tears.
"I love you, Murtagh. I will come back soon," she whispered. "Be strong."