The King's Court

Julius awoke, aware of rope binding her arms. Opening her eyes, she spotted Evan a few feet away, although there was little else she could see in the dark dwelling.

"Evan," she whispered. Her head went swirling and she clamped her eyes shut in dizziness. Julius was aware of a faint throbbing on her head. Her hand reached up and felt a bandage wrapped around it. She looked toward Evan and saw a similar bandage on her head too.

"Evan," she whispered again, and crawled towards her despite the fact that she felt faint. Evan lifted her head slightly and said, "Where are we?"

"I don't know! Where are Eragon and Murtagh?" Julius spoke her thoughts.

"I don't know either." They huddled together for warmth, for it was very cold in the dank cell they resided in.

"Evan, we're imprisoned, aren't we?" said Julius.

"Well, no kidding," Evan said.

"I was just asking. I don't need your sarcasm" Julius shot back. Then, their talking ceded.

They sat for hours, huddled together, sleeping little, just staring, only aware of the throbbing in their heads and that their empty stomachs panged with hunger. They did not speak much for it made them dizzy. Soon, a day crept by without their realizing it, and they found themselves slightly stronger. They were able to untie their hands. Back to back, they fiddled with the others until Evan's came untied. She quickly released Julius.

"Julius," Evan said standing, "I don't remember how I hurt my head, but can you heal it for me? I'll heal your head also."

"Aye." Julius said. She stood also. She began to concentrate and summon the spirit she needed to heal her friend's wound. She found it. An orange glow emanated from her palms as she said, "I summon the spirit of health." And she placed her hands on Evan's head. Evan felt her wound close and felt great; she unraveled the bandage from her head and ran a hand through her hair. It was caked with blood and she quickly cleaned it with magic. "Your turn." She said to Julius.

She removed Julius's bandage. She placed her hands on Julius's gashed head.

"Waïse heïl." She muttered, "There, now we're as good as new." They sat back down and began to ponder their predicament and how to get out of it. Escape seemed their only way. They ran to the door of their cell and Evan placed her hands on the lock and chanted in the ancient language the spell to unlock doors. The lock clicked, but did not open.

"Let me try," Julius said. She concentrated her mind to find that certain spirit. Her hands glowed yellow and she said, " I summon the spirit of freedom." And she aimed the lights at the lock. Once again, it clicked but nothing happened.

"Oh shit." Julius said. They tried force to open it and every kind of magic and every spell they could think of, but the door would not budge. Eventually, they gave up and sat back down. Feeling drained from the use of energy with no food, they fell asleep.

The next day, however, someone came.

"Get up, vermin!"

Startled by the light of the open door and the cruelty of the voice, they jumped to their feet. They were blinded by the light and could not see who was speaking to them, but thinking quickly, Evan stood up straight, held her head high, and stuck her chin out and said in a mighty voice, "Do you know who we are?"

Her eyes adjusted and she saw that the man was burly and muscular with a thick mustache handing above his upper lip. He was handsome and had raven colored hair. He had a slightly pointed nose. He also had a pleasant look with laughing eyes. Julius wondered why he was here. She sensed evil everywhere, but this man seemed kind, and not to mention familiar. He seemed like a lost friend.

"I frankly don't give a damn! The king wishes to speak with you both, immediately!" He grabbed them by their forearms and wrenched them out of the cell and down a hall dotted with similar looking cells.

They walked for what seemed like hours, but in reality was only a matter of minutes. Julius pondered the man bruising her arm. He was so familiar, but she couldn't figure out who it could be. Finally, she came to a conclusion.

"Father!" she cried, surprise blanketing her voice, "Father! It's me, Julius!"

Evan gave her a horrid stare and the man stared at her. "Father? I'm not your father girl, so hold you tongue."

"Yes!" she cried, her cheeks glistened with tears, "Pel! Pel Meril! Don't you remember me? Don't you remember your own daughter? Where is mother? And Gabe and Jessie? What happened? How are you-"

"Shut up girl!" he grunted and squeezed her arm.

Julius sunk into despair. That was her father all right, but he looked different some how, that is why she could not remember him when she first saw him. But here he was, after she had seen him so brutally beaten to death by urgals. She was sure of it, yet he denied her. The man continued to drag the girls down the hall.

Finally, they reached a grand hall. There were earls and troubadours; men and ladies walked about, talking gaily to one another and munching on delicious looking foods. Seated above all of this happiness reined a cloud. An evil, horrid looking man stared down at the happy people. They knew who it was immediately, King Galbatorix. He had fierce brown eyes with a hint of red that Evan could see glowing, even from her distance. He was very thin with gray, long, curly hair.

When he spotted the girls and the man, he made a gesture at the man and to move them towards the wall. Then he clapped his hands.

"Ladies, gentleman," he said, his voice was soothing and smooth, "I have business here and I will have to ask you to leave. I will also, call you back when my business is done. Go now, go! The faster you leave, the faster you may return to your feast."

His speech made Evan realize just how mad he was. Kicking out at least three hundred people, just to call them back again seemed like a sign of a mad man. His speech also made her slightly sick.

The people slowed filed out. Once the last one had left, the king said, "Guards, make sure that no person gets in… or out." He had a piercing stare.

"Pel," he said to the man, "Now, be gracious, let go of our guests." He said softly. The man released them and Evan took a step forward and rubbed her forearm to get the blood flowing once again. Then, she took on her elfly stance.

"Welcome, my ladies, to the court of King Galbatorix," the king said sweeping his arms across the expanse of the room.

They remained silent, but it took all of Julius's will power not to spit on the ground.

"Ah, silent I see. You ladies don't talk much do you? Sit, eat, be merry!" he laughed.

Evan mumbled something.

"Kindly elf," the king smiled, "May I ask was you have uttered?"

"Where's Eragon?" she asked softly, eyes averted to the floor.

Fire flared in the king's eyes for a moment and then he calmed himself, "What?" he asked kindly.

Evan lifted her eyes, "Where is Eragon?" She screamed.

"How dare you?" Galbatorix cried. "Would you really like to see the rider and the dragon? Do you really want to know how they are?"

"Yes!" Julius and Evan shouted in unison.

"Here!" he screamed, "See this! Guards, bring them!"

The guards left for a time and quickly returned dragging a figure. The one that was obviously Saphira stared down and walked solemnly.

Saphira? Evan called with her mind. She did not get a voiced response, but a feeling of heavy pain and sadness.

Saphira was muzzled and Eragon was bound in chains, lying on the ground being dragged by the soldiers. Murtagh didn't seem to be with them.

The guards led them to the king and dropped them. Evan ran forward, but was blocked by an invisible force. It was like running into a brick wall and the wind was knocked out of her. She was able to see that Eragon was in a state. Silent tears rolled down her cheeks with the realization that Eragon had gone through so much already, and now he would have this. Evan glanced at Julius; she was in a similar state.

"How could you? You vile, wicked man! Why would you hurt him like that? He's done nothing to you!" Evan shouted through her tears.

"Oh yes he has! He has threatened the Empire. Until he agrees to fight for me, we will neither kill him nor set him free, but he will wish we'd killed him by the time we're done with him." The king smiled.

Julius seemed in a state of shock. Her father was here but he didn't recognize her. Her best friend dying inside and her other friend was dying outside. But where was Murtagh? Julius voiced this thought to Evan through her mind although when she connected, she had no clue if Evan had even heard her. Evan's beautiful mind, usually filled with music, was clouded with sorrow.

"Where is he?" Julius whispered thoughtfully to herself, looking towards the ground.

"What?" the king shouted.

Julius trembled. The king had cornered her and she cowered in his rage.

"What did you say?" the king repeated, yelling even louder.

Julius bucked up her courage. "Eragon is here." Julius said, "B-But where is Murtagh?" she said softly.

Galbatorix scoffed, "Oh the traitor? He was a threat, a nuisance really. He's gone. He got away once, he wasn't going to do it again."

"'Scuse me, but what did you say?" Julius squeaked.

"He's gone! Dead, he's dead. I killed him." And he laughed, leaning back in his throne and biting into an apple from a bowl off of a table.

Julius's knees went weak. Her head swirled. That evil man! Her heart throbbed a million times faster than it should have. She fell to her knees, put her wrists to her face and sobbed. A gesture from Galbatorix told Pel to kick Julius. She rose shakily to her feet and looked at Evan. Evan had a similar expression.

Anger raged through Julius and he hands started to glow green. Evan understood immediately.

"Julius, no!" she cried, but it was too late.

"I summon the spirit of death!" Julius bellowed.

Green lights shot from her hand with power, mighty power. The light headed towards Galbatorix. He let out a shout and four guards jumped in front of him, all four dying instantly.

Julius, who was breathing heavily, fainted. Evan rushed to her side. Agony whipped through her, she couldn't stand it. So much pain filled her; she thought she'd die. She was also surprised that Julius hadn't died from the intensity of that spell. Evan lay Julius's head softly down on the marble court floor. Then she stood.

"You are a wicked man!" she started, tears streaming down her cheeks. "You killed me close friend. I will avenge him. In what way, I don't know. But I will. As for Eragon, you might as well kill him because he will never join you. And if you kill him too, then kill me. Just kill us all. Saphira included. We are all eternally bound by friendship and love and nothing, nothing you can do will ever break that bond."

True, Saphira said.

Galbatorix laughed, "Pretty speech elf." Then fire flared in his eyes. "How dare you speak to a king like that… your king!"

Wow, he seems to be bipolar, Saphira told Evan.

"I have no king. Only a queen, Queen Islandzadi." Evan said rage surging through her. Who was he to tell her who to follow?

"I am king to everyone." He hissed.

Evan summoned magic to cast a spell at the king.

The king tutted, "I don't think so." He shouted and shot bright pink lights that flung Evan towards the wall, sticking her wrists and ankles to it.

Evan yelped in pain and shock.

He jumped from his thrown and walked towards her. His face inches from hers he said, "I always win elf, always."

Evan noticed something unnatural. Eragon began to stir. He stood with help from Saphira and began to limp towards Galbatorix. Evan's eyes grew wide and the king turned around and laughed. He gestured to a guard. The guard promptly came carrying a whip, which he handed to Galbatorix. The king walked towards Eragon.

Evan could see that Eragon's left eye was swollen shut. Blood dripped from above his eyes. He stumbled with every step. The king cam at him with the whip; he thrashed Eragon across the chest. He fell backward and onto the ground.

"No!" Evan sobbed, struggling to break free from her bindings, "Stop it!"

The king began to beat him with the whip, one hit after another. Each time Eragon cried out a bit louder and with each hit Evan felt it too. She seemed to feel Eragon's pain and the thrashings on her stomach made her scream in agony.

Eragon rolled over on his stomach. Galbatorix began whipping his back. Eragon writhed on the floor, ready to vomit from the pain.

"Stop it! Stop it, you bastard! Leave him alone!" Evan shouted, her voice broken and shaking, her body almost uncontrollable from sobbing.

Galbatorix screamed and turned around and smacked Evan across the cheek. Then held her face in his hand, the other stretched out behind him gripping the whip.

"So beautiful." He whispered, "Why? Why do you love such an inferior farm boy-" he was interrupted by a growl from Saphira. He continued, "Join me and you'll have everything. You'll be a princess, no, a queen!" Evan spat in his face. He wheeled back and smacked her again. Then, he lifted her head in a similar manner and laid a small kiss upon her lips. She fainted.

In a fury, Galbatorix unsheathed his sward and threw it at Eragon, slicing open his back. Eragon screamed the screech of a dying man, and then passed out in agony. Saphira was in a frenzy. The floor was speckled with Eragon's blood.