A/N: I hope you guys haven't gotten tired of reading the thank-yous, but THANK YOU to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I got this one out especially for you – otherwise it would have taken longer. But your awesomeness inspired me. The song's chapter comes from Taylor Swift's Starlight – the song itself has little/nothing to do with it, but it's a good song, and stars are involved here. You'll see what I mean when you read :D

So thank you for reading!

Chapter 4: Starlight

"Let's get out of here," Murtagh said, and Ariana's blurred eyes saw his head tilt back as he called to his dragon. Envy rose up in her like a bird taking flight, its dark wings obscuring the rest of the world. Why was that it even Morzan's son had a partner, someone who knew his light and darkness and loved him for both? Why was only she alone?

Ariana growled low in her throat, angry with herself. She had accepted her loneliness years ago, knowing that no one else would be able to cope with the nightmares that woke her every night, the memories of pain – causing and feeling it – that caused her skin to itch every few moments. She was better off alone. Even Orrin, who had loved her – or lusted after her, she wasn't sure – had known little of her past besides that she had been forced into serving the Empire against her will. She had shied away from even real kisses, except for one or two he had taken from her when she hadn't realized what he was looking for. A bitter smile twisted her mouth as she remembered lashing out at him, furious. The bruises he'd left with. Pinpricks compared to the pain she had been forced to endure for years. But now it made her feel better, to know she had given him at least some pain to compensate for what he had done to her now.

"Hey," Murtagh said softly, and Ariana blinked, looking up. He looked concerned, but refrained from mentioning her obvious distress. "So, we have a bit of a problem."

Ariana raised her eyebrows. Was that a smile on his face? Yup. A tiny little smile was playing around his lips.

"Thorn is too big to fit in here," Murtagh explained, waving a hand at the trees around them, his voice shaking with amusement, "And you look too tired to run to open ground. So I was thinking we could, um…"

"We could what?" Ariana asked warily, but feeling herself involuntarily warm to him. His eyes were sparkling with excitement, and he smiled suddenly – and Ariana fought herself to keep from squealing. He had dimples! One on each cheek, carved perfectly into his skin. And when he smiled his entire face opened up and his eyes shone beautifully, twinkling like diamonds captured between dark lashes.

Shut up, she told herself sternly. But his enthusiasm was a little infectious. What was wrong with him? Just a few minutes ago he had been angry with her – why had he walked away from her like that? – and now he was behaving as if she was his best friend, if not more…

Taking a step forward, Murtagh whispered conspiratorially, "We can't ride on his back, so we have to…be creative."

Confused, Ariana looked up at him, noticing as she did so that he had suddenly come a lot closer to her, and that he was much, much taller than she. Her heart thudded in her breast as he came even closer, standing angled to her so that his chest brushed against her shoulder, his angular face tilted upwards, looking at the dark sky. For what?

And then so many things happened at once.

A muscular red dragon tail swung down from the sky above them, accompanied by the thud of Thorn's wings against the air. Without warning, Ariana felt a strong arm wrap around her waist, and her body crashed against Thorn's tail and bounced off to collide with Murtagh's hard muscles. And she fought down a scream as she felt herself rising into the air, her loose hair blowing back from her face as a cold wind blew against her, their surroundings running together with their speed.

Panicking, Ariana tried to hold on to Thorn's tail as he pumped his wings above them, creating a vast membranous canopy silhouetted against the moon. But his scales were smooth, and Murtagh was holding on to the largest spine, his body between her and the others within her reach. His arm was still twined tightly around her waist, but Thorn changed direction and his tail swung out like a rudder, and Ariana found herself tilted backwards at such an angle that she was positive she was about to fall away from the dragon and his crazy Rider and die.

Blood rushed into her head as Thorn swung his tail again, but Murtagh threw his head back and whooped, his slightly overgrown hair flying, a genuine smile on his face. And then the sky rushed by as the tail moved again, and Ariana's last shreds of pride melted away. Reaching out, she clung to Murtagh's chest, feeling the throb of his heart against her cheek.

"You okay?" Murtagh yelled over the rush of the wind, pulling her farther into him with the arm around her waist, but Thorn banked sharply to one side and Ariana shrieked with terror, her heart thudding so fast she was scared it would burst. Her breath came in short pants, and as the tail they were hanging on to swerved again she moaned with fear into his soft tunic.

Against her, his body curved slightly, shifting to accommodate her better. "Here," Murtagh said in her ear, his breath tickling her lightly, "Try to – hey, look at me."

Surprised by his gentle, coaxing tone, Ariana lifted her head, a soft gasp slipping between her parted lips as two platinum eyes met hers, his face dangerously close to hers. So close that she could count every eyelash decorating his gorgeous eyes.

Unable to maintain eye contact for fear of blushing, her heart hammering frantically against her ribs with the combination of fear, panic, and the sudden rush of heat his proximity had induced, Ariana lowered her eyes. The pressure of his hand on her waist increased suddenly.

"Trust me," Murtagh breathed, his low voice causing goosebumps to erupt all over her skin. Damn him.

But every thought flew out of her head as Murtagh's arm shoved her forward, and Ariana fell forward, too scared to even make a sound, terrified by the void opening up as Murtagh shifted back, opening a space for her to fall into the sky. But at the last minute, he caught her again.

With a gasp, her eyes flying wide open, Ariana crashed hard into a huge spine jutting out of Thorn's tail. It was against her head, and even though she put each hand on either side of his thick tail, she felt woefully unsupported – until Murtagh's slender yet sturdy form pushed up against her, his hand holding on lightly to the spine for support, his other arm holding her to him. There was nothing beneath her feet except for his body, and Ariana felt vertigo threatening to overcome her at the terrifying feeling of weightlessness, of nonexistence.

But how was Murtagh standing? Steeling herself, Ariana looked down, and saw that his left foot was resting on a small spine, the other leg held against his dragon's tail. Scared of seeing how high up they were, she tore her eyes away from the scene below her and looked up. He was effectively holding her up – without his arms where they were, held securely around her waist – she would have fallen a long time ago.

Gingerly, Ariana lay her hands on his arms, one on his forearm, the other on his bicep, suddenly aware of how he had positioned them, their chests pressing up against each other. She couldn't take a deep breath without her breast pushing into his, and it took every ounce of willpower she had to keep her breathing shallow when she was still scared, despite his hold, that she was going to slip off and fall to her death.

"Does he always move his tail this much?" Ariana shouted as the muscle they were clinging to swung through the air again at breakneck speed, blowing her hair over her eyes. Trying to clear her vision, Ariana shook her head from side to side, but the wind refused to let up, and her hair refused to move, the straight red strands stubbornly obscuring her sight.

A deep chuckle made her shiver, and then she froze. Warm fingers were stealing over her face, and the thick curtain of hair before her eyes was pulled aside, revealing Murtagh's laughing face. He really did have a beautiful smile, Ariana thought, taking languid breaths in an effort not to blush. But she could feel the heat suffusing her neck and cheeks anyway.

Slowly, he tucked her hair behind her ear, his fingers moving slowly through the red strands, brushing her cheek and stroking her ear gently. His fingers were calloused and rough, she noticed, but scarcely had the thought flitted through her mind before Thorn, who had been climbing in altitude, decided to level out.

With another powerful rush of air, his wings snapped out into an open, soaring position, no longer beating, just riding the updraft. But as he did so, his tail stopped hanging beneath him – he brought it up to be nearly level with his body. Startled and unprepared for the sudden movement, Ariana fell backwards, collapsing onto Thorn's raised tail on her back. Moments later Murtagh crashed on top of her, grunting with the impact, his chest muffling her face.

Her head banged against the scales behind her, and Ariana screwed up her eyes in pain, willing herself not to cry out. Murtagh's weight lifted off her suddenly, although she could still feel his body flush against hers, and Ariana heard him mumbling something that sounded suspiciously like "stupid dragon."

"This was your idea," Ariana hissed, opening her eyes to glare at the only part of him she could see – a sliver of his chest exposed by the neck of his shirt, which had flopped forward slightly. The material was soft – obviously expensive. Cashmere, maybe? Or soft cotton. She liked the feel of it against her skin. Wait…what? A glance down at herself showed her that her own tunic – yes, she adopted tunics and leggings and boots when she wanted to, because dresses were so impractical – which had a loose fit on her slight frame to begin with, had slipped partway down her chest. And she couldn't tug it up, because Murtagh's arms were resting over hers, pinioning her against the idiotic dragon's tail. Besides, she didn't want to relinquish her grip on a small spine by her left hand, for fear of sliding off the smooth red scales.

She felt his body vibrate as he laughed, before lifting himself off her a little more. Ariana seized the opportunity to slide her right hand out from under his and to move her tunic upwards to better cover her chest. Not that she had much to hide anyway.

"I've done this before," Murtagh said, his voice nearly a whisper, reminiscence honeying his tone. Tilting back her head against Thorn, Ariana saw the smile on his face. It was so disarmingly sweet that she smiled softly in spite of herself, her fingers itching to trace the curve of his lips. She put her hand back under his. And her heart nearly stopped beating for a moment when she felt his hand pressure hers, his fingers curving just slightly to cup her own.

"It was soon after we escaped, after the old king died," he said, dropping his head over her so that his hair tickled her forehead. But the movement put her in shadow; she couldn't even see his face, just his silhouette. Yet she could feel his warm breath wafting ever so lightly across her brows. Could he feel the pulse in her wrist skyrocketing? Could he hear her heart trying to free itself from her ribs to join his?

Ariana bit down hard on her lower lip, relishing the sharp pain. Pain she could handle, and she could count on it to distract her. Men were bad news, hadn't she learned that by now?

"I don't really remember why, but I thought it would be a good idea to try riding from his tail. I nearly fell off a few times, but once I got the hang of it I never wanted to stop. I've gotten a lot better since then – I can hang on while he's doing loops and even diving." His voice died away, and Ariana took a few moments to snap out of the dreamlike daze its low, wistful murmur had dragged her into.

"Sounds like an adrenaline addiction," she offered, not sure what to say.

Laughing, Murtagh threw his head back, and the moon drifted out from behind a cloud, its pale fingers of light illuminating his smile, glistening like droplets of water in his hair. He looked like an angel. A happy, strong young man with his future before him, flying through the skies. He really did have such a sweet smile. Those dimples were the perfect finishing touch.

And before she could contradict that thought, he spoke again.

"I'm sorry." A pause. "I shouldn't have just walked away like that, I just…memories. I couldn't – I just, it was –"

"It's okay," Ariana whispered, a warm little bubble of hope expanding in her chest. "I understand." And she did. How many nights had the feel of Orrin's hand in hers tortured her? The way the embrace must have reminded Murtagh of one with the woman he loved? At the thought of Nasuada, Ariana scowled. She had stolen Orrin from her, and was distancing Murtagh from her too – although whether what she felt for Murtagh was as strong as her love for Orrin, Ariana wasn't sure. But she did know that she needed to forget about Orrin. And his infidelity.

"Thank you." Murtagh's voice brought her back to the present, just as Thorn banked to one side – but gently, this time. His fingers brushed her cheek as he pulled her hair back, exposing her face to him, and Ariana instinctively backed up slightly, since she had limited space to work with. Warm fingers paused against her jawline. Ariana was barely breathing, wondering if the rush she felt in her very blood was caused by acute tension, enjoyment, anticipation, or discomfort. Maybe all of them.

Suddenly Murtagh's weight vanished from her body, and Ariana looked up to see him smoothly shifting his position, lifting himself off her and settling near a large spine, hooking his arm lazily around it, his legs bent in the typical male attitude, the other elbow resting on his knee, the material of his black pants rubbing against his arm. "Thorn says he'll warn me before he makes any major movements with his tail," he told her. "I thought you might want me to get off you."

Something suspiciously close to disappointment trilled inside her for a moment, but resolutely ignoring it, Ariana raised herself up on her elbows, looking for a spine she could hold on to.

"That one," Murtagh suggested, pointing. Hesitating, Ariana lunged suddenly for the spine, terrified that Thorn would move while she was. But nothing happened, and she put her arms around it as she pulled her knees in, resting one boot-clad ankle over the other. Then she looked up.

Murtagh was laughing at her. Well, silently, but a large grin was spread over his face, showing off those beautiful dimples he had.

"What?" Ariana snapped.

He shook his head, still laughing, saying nothing.

Letting her eyes drift away from him, Ariana watched the stars go by, twinkling at her like diamonds strewn over dark blue velvet, illuminating by warm candlelight. Sitting on a dragon's tail, in the middle of the night, with a young man she barely knew, Ariana felt safer than she could remember.

Strange, really.

The silence stretched on with the stars, Thorn's wings barely moving as they glided silently over the vast carpet of the Beor Mountains below them. It didn't feel stressed, just comfortable.

Her tunic began to feel frigid and damp, and Ariana shook herself from her tired daze. A thick mist surrounded her; she could only barely see a dark outline that was Murtagh. With a jolt, she realized they were flying through clouds. Stretching out her arm, Ariana held her hand up high, wonder filling her to the brim. Floating in clouds. It sounded like such a dream.

She sneezed suddenly, violently, and the mists parted around her as Murtagh slid over to her. Silently, he pulled off his cloak – a different one, she noticed, than the green one he'd given her earlier. This one was black, and it fell heavily to surround her as he draped it over her shoulders.

"No, you need it," Ariana protested, lifting it off her body, secretly missing the warmth it had given her as her tunic, while comfortable, had sleeves that only reached her elbows and hung loosely around her frame in general, the sleeves wide as well. It was not difficult for the cold air to reach her. But she wasn't comfortable taking his cloak – wasn't that something a man did for a girl he loved? Not for just anyone. And she didn't want to take that place in his life – or convince herself that she could.

Murtagh frowned as she pulled his cloak off herself and tried to hand it back to him. If he was honest with himself, she was beginning to worry him. When he had returned to the cave and found her dress in a heap on the ground, her bags opened, and some of her weapons missing, Thorn had immediately panicked. So he had hurriedly packed the saddlebags, fastened them onto the dragon, who had landed in a nearby clearing, and they had both taken off, one in the skies and one on foot.

The image of her in her flowing light green tunic flashed into his mind, and he had a feeling it was burned onto his retinas. She had beautiful, shapely legs, exposed by the tunic that reached only the middle of her thighs – the boots did hide her calves, though. But her body was extremely slender, and a memory of Nasuada's soft curves came to him. Yet Murtagh couldn't deny that the girl with him was beautiful – in an odd way. Her hair was a strange color – a deep red, so dark that if he hadn't known that she was an elf, he wouldn't have believed it was real. But elves were known for...interesting coloring. And she had freckles, something no classically beautiful woman ever had. But Ariana's eyes were really what captivated him, dark blue and trapped in long dark lashes – he bit his lip, suddenly angry.

He knew that he was thinking so much of Ariana only because she was an attractive girl, and he was a warm-blooded young man. Besides, he hadn't been this close to a woman in years. And there had never been a romance in his past – except for the short-lived relationship with Nasuada, who was now attempting to marry Orrin – or at least seduce him. It crossed his mind that it was simply a political ploy, but the strong, courageous, intelligent Nasuada he knew would never sell her body to attain her goals. She would find other ways to overcome whatever obstacles came in her way.

But what annoyed him about Ariana – and irritated him – was not the fact that his body was starting to betray his love for Nasuada, although he was a master of self-control and knew he could handle himself. Murtagh hated the way Ariana kept closing herself off, as if she had suffered something horrible and traumatizing. Well, maybe she had, but she behaved as if he was about to throw her off Thorn because of it. But he had lived through so much worse than she had – how could he believe that he would judge her? And no one else knew of her past, of the blood staining her small white hands. But everyone knew who he was and what he had done, and no one would ever forget or forgive him.

But damn, was this girl beautiful.

Maybe – just maybe – that was why he got her to ride on Thorn's tail instead of telling her about the clearing a short run away where Thorn could land. But she really did need to learn to have some fun. He rolled his eyes at himself. Like he knew anything about fun.

A strange feeling seeped through Murtagh, and he realized with a jolt of embarrassment that Thorn had been listening to his entire internal rant. Including the parts about the girl being gorgeous.

If it makes you feel better, the dragon said, still laughing, I think she likes you too.

What? I don't like her.

Thorn scoffed. Of course not, Murtagh. You spend half your time thinking she's beautiful and most of the rest staring at her, but you don't like her.

Shut up.

I know you do. That's why you're being so much nicer than before – and you're smiling around her because you know women like dimples. Which is worrying her, I think. It would worry me if I was her. She probably thinks you want to eat her.

Murtagh chuckled. I don't want to eat her…unless you mean eating her in a more figurative kind of way – which I still don't, I'm just –

Thorn was amused, but he pretended not to be. You know what I mean. You could just tell her how you feel, you know.

No! I don't like her. And besides…

What?

The memory of Nasuada supporting him after he had helped kill Galbatorix and was leaving the palace severely wounded flooded Murtagh's mind, and Thorn sighed.

Little one, she –

I know! But I loved her, Thorn! I loved her! And she loved me too. I know it.

You can't be too sure…you never really talked about it, did you? You just told her you would be back soon, and she said she would wait for you. I know you assumed that meant she would wait for you in a romantic sense, but –

You don't know anything about romance, Murtagh snapped, So don't tell me anything.

Thorn was silent, but after a moment Murtagh detected hurt in his partner's mind.

I'm sorry, he said. I'm just…frustrated.

Well, if you ever decide to move on from Nasuada, you have a very beautiful girl who is obviously infatuated with you despite her better instincts sitting about a foot away from you.

How do you know, anyway?

I was inside her mind while she healed you – to provide her with my energy if she needed it. And while she tried to suppress it, she had some very…interesting…thoughts about you.

Like what? Despite himself, Murtagh was interested.

Thorn chuckled. I won't tell you. She wouldn't appreciate it. But maybe one day she'll tell you.

Come on.

Murtagh's cloak suddenly sailed through the air and landed in his lap, and he blinked, startled. Evidently she had grown tired of waiting for him to notice that she was trying to give it back, and had simply thrown it at him.

Thorn laughed again. Remember what I said. Before Murtagh could think of a witty response, the dragon withdrew from his mind, and he sighed, still able to feel amusement seeping through their link.

He balled up the cloak and tossed it back at her, grinning as she snagged it from the air looking grumpy.

"It's yours," Ariana said. "It's freezing – you need it."

"No, I don't," Murtagh lied smoothly. He was cold, true, but he could handle it.

Ariana eyed his sleeves disbelievingly. He had rolled them up to his elbows, which revealed his strong, corded forearms, but there was no way he wasn't cold. She opened her mouth to protest again, and he silenced her with a look.

Suddenly he smirked. "Or do you want to share?"

Ariana could only gape. Damn him and his dimples. He looked so good in that moment, lounging back lazily against the spine, his hair flopping over his forehead and blowing slightly in the wind, and those beautiful dimples appearing around his surprisingly attractive smirk, that she couldn't do anything but stare.

"Thank you," he grinned. Before she knew what was happening, Murtagh had leaned over and grasped her arm, pulling her over to sit beside him. In seconds, he had the cloak around them both, his arm going around her shoulders to fasten it. And then, of course, the arm didn't move.

Ariana was frozen. The weight of his arm around her shoulders felt comfortable, intimate. She couldn't deny that she liked sitting next to him like this, and the warmth of his body and the cloak made the moment even more delicious. But she couldn't shake the memory of how he had just walked away from him in the woods. Why was he being so much nicer now?

As if he had read her mind, Murtagh's whisper eased itself into her ear. "I am sorry. For how I was earlier."

For a moment she wondered if what she wanted to do was a good idea, and then sighed. To hell with it all. She moved an inch closer to him, dropping her head onto his strong shoulder. His hand tightened around hers.

"It's alright," she said, her heart hammering frantically. Shark-infested waters, she knew that. Maybe the starlight had addled her mind. But she had decided to swim.

A/N: So there you are. PLEASE REVIEW! And all my silent readers, just drop me a smiley face if you don't want to say anything. I like smileys. And I even take anonymous reviews! I made it easy for you guys! And as you know, the more reviews I get the faster I update, so please review! Especially because the coming two weeks are super busy and my writing time will be much less. Reviews motivate me. Otherwise you might have to wait a while for the next chapter. Thanks for reading, have a good life! I will "see" you all soon :D