"let me go!" screamed murtagh as two guards with golden flames on their tunics, dragged him towards a cell beneath the castle of uru'baen.
"my young rider if go to the varden and capture their leader and the bait for your brother, then they will" said the silky voice that murtagh
"Never! I won't betray my brother like that."
"Hmmm- how...interesting. Well, you might like to know that if you don't go, then I will."
Murtagh gritted his teeth and stared into the black eyes of the king.
"You wouldn't dare leave the safety of this castle, YOU FILTHY COWARD"
Galbatorix's blade flicked up to murtaghs throat faster than the eye could see.
"I would be careful with my words if I were you, else you shall be the one that dies." He said in his silkiest, most dangerous voice.
He sheathed his blade and turned and walked away, his sable robes rustling against the cold stone floor.
Murtagh turned and slammed his fist against the wall before turning and flopping on to the hard wooden bed, nursing his throbbing hand.
"Curse my brother, why can't he kill Galbatorix already, I will not be the one to send my love to her death, he knows how it feels to be in love, he would never do that to Arya." He murmured, followed by a string of profanities
I have to tell her I love her, he thought.
He had made his decision.
"Fine, I'll do it" he said, directly into the black kings' mind.
"Excellent" he said, voice triumphant.
The barred doors swung open of their own accord and murtagh ran out of them, his connection with thorn becoming clearer with every step he took.
"Thorn!" he screamed, with mind and voice
"Little one" growled horn in greeting
"How long would it take to get from here to belatona?"
"A few hours at most, why?"
Murtagh began his story, telling thorn of the mission he had been so reluctant to do, his voice growing louder and higher until he was screaming pointlessly into the air.
Murtagh kicked a rock in his frustration.
"I can't believe he would do this, con them all in to a false sense of security by letting them take belatona, this is low, even for him."
"Little one," thorn purred sympathetically "all may not be lost, you will get to see Nasuada again."
"But then she will die" muttered murtagh gloomily
"Stop complaining, you're making my scales itch, now get on my back and be cheerful, I've been longing o fly somewhere else apart from over this miserable dump."
Murtagh clambered on to thorns muscled back and he pushed off of the ground and launched himself into the sky.
* * * *
The light was beginning to fade by the time they reached belatona, which
provided him with the perfect cover.
Quiet as a mouse, murtagh slid off of thorns back and performed a spell
that made him invisible to even his own eyes. Slowly he crept towards the
red pavilion that could only be Nasuada's.
There were six men guarding the tent, two human, two dwarf and two
Urgal. He killed each one painlessly with a word of death.
He felt inside with his mind and felt only the presence of Nasuada. She
Was so engrossed in her work that she didn't notice the flap open as he
Slipped through it.
When he was directly behind her, he became visible once more and
whispered her name.
She jumped and all of her papers went flying in the air.
" Murtagh?" she breathed
" Yes" he answered, somewhat amused by her reaction.
"w-what are you doing here?" murtaghs face fell, he hoped she wouldn't
Ask.
He explained his mission to her, surprised at ho calm she seemed.
"Then I shall go with you"
"What?" murtagh asked in surprise
"It will be better for the varden if I come now, we can do without Galbatorix turning up"
"Then go wait by thorn, he's just outside the camp. And...Nasuada?"
"Yes?"
Murtagh took a deep breath
"I love you"
The corners of Nasuada's lips curved up in a smile. Then she turned and kissed him softly.
"And I you" she said, before turning and walking out of the tent.
Murtagh stood in shock for several seconds before following her out and heading a different way, through the camp and to where he could see giant claw marks on the ground. That was Eragons tent. He turned to the one adjacent to it; this must be the elf's.
He made himself invisible once more and pushed open the tent flap.
His foot fell upon a twig and a loud 'CRACK' echoed through the air.
The elf sat bolt upright and the air was filled with the sound of her drawing her sword.
