10. Disagree
Murtagh had never been more grateful to be home, and he knew Tomath felt the same. For the past three weeks they had been away from their wives and families, searching for the mysterious magician Tenga.
Murtagh had reluctantly agreed to go this last time, at his wife's insistence, but he resolved this would be his final attempt, no matter how upset it might make Nasuada.
The evidence that Tenga had put up residence near the north-western coast of Alagaёsia was more compelling than any previous rumors had suggested. Tomath and Murtagh had flown to the area and combed the land with their eyes, their minds, and magic. They had questioned the residents of the nearest cities—Narda, Therinsford, and Carvahall—but they were miles away, and in the latter two cases, over the Spine mountain range from the purported area. They had visited the smaller villages and settlements as well, but no one had any reliable information to share. No matter how he and Tomath had searched and investigated, they still came up empty-handed. Tenga wasn't there. Or if he was, he did an amazing job of hiding himself. And the fact that none of the inhabitants of this part of the land reported any problems or concern about the old magician was the reason Murtagh was so hesitant to keep searching.
He sighed as he unsaddled Thorn and put the equipment away in the stables. Murtagh shooed away the stable hands who approached to help, wanting to attend to the task alone before returning to his family. Tomath had just finished the same routine and murmured a quiet farewell before leaving the stables to return to the palace and his wife Elva. Murtagh raised a hand to wave, watching Tomath depart.
Tomath's dragon, the lovely white Snowfire, patiently waited in front of her handsome red mate until he was likewise free of his flying gear. Murtagh knew from Thorn's mind that the dragons were also relieved the trip was over and were looking forward to returning to their dwelling on the outcropping above Ilirea.
Then his mind reluctantly returned to his dilemma. Before he and Nasuada had married, she had begun to lose steam in her initial plans to create a society for magical enforcement. Her hope that Eragon would head it up had been dashed when he informed her that he was leaving Alagaёsia. And Murtagh had already gone at that point.
Nasuada's idea had been bold and ambitious, and she thought with the help of magicians in Du Vrangr Gata that she might be able to implement her desires. But without a really powerful magician to help her, Nasuada had been able to do very little along the lines of establishing an authoritative governance over magicians.
Then she had begun attempting to control the efforts of more gifted spellcasters like Tenga. And whenever she did, she lost magicians. The first four had been killed. Since then, they repeatedly disappeared.
By the time Nasuada and Murtagh married, Nasuada had all but given up hope that she would ever be able to regulate magical usage in Alagaёsia. But her initial fervor was reborn when she realized Murtagh might be willing to be the strong leader she needed to head up her society. As a Dragon Rider, he was a powerful magician. And he also knew the name of the ancient language, which Nasuada knew was a key element of magical usage for the majority of lesser magicians.
Murtagh had only cautiously agreed to his wife's wishes, warning her that he would never coerce a magician into obeying him in the way Galbatorix had forced him, especially if that magician seemed harmless. They had arrived at an acceptable compromise, and Murtagh's efforts had been largely successful at first. Most of the magicians he had to confront for magical abuse were terrified of him and immediately submitted to whatever guidelines he suggested.
But Nasuada was determined and thorough, and her desire as high queen of Alagaёsia to protect her non-magical subjects who were at the mercy of magicians around them had driven her onward in the implementation of her plan. She urged Murtagh to begin seeking out Tenga, and that had been the beginning of one of their most long-standing disagreements.
As far as Murtagh could tell, the old magician had never harmed anyone besides the four spellcasters he had killed the first time Nasuada sent someone after him, and Murtagh considered that self-defense. It seemed like Tenga was an old man with a desire to live in peace and solitude, and Murtagh perfectly understood such sentiments. So he was loath to disturb the hermit unless something in his behavior warranted the compulsory measures Nasuada had in mind.
Murtagh's biggest objection to Nasuada's goal was how similar it felt to what Galbatorix had done. Murtagh understood where Nasuada was coming from, but he also understood the other side of the equation more intimately than anyone else. He agreed that unscrupulous magicians should have a regulatory body they felt responsible to so as to provide them with some degree of accountability and restraint. But he felt that the Dragon Riders naturally fulfilled that role as they always had anciently and that there was no need for further meddling beyond that. Murtagh also agreed that magic gave those who could use it unfair advantages over those who couldn't.
But he drew the line in forcing someone who wasn't doing any harm. If a magician clearly intended to hurt or kill a defenseless being with their magical abilities, Murtagh had no problem stepping in and intervening, for such people could not be stopped in any other way and felt they answered to no one. But rare was the case where Murtagh had needed to resort to such measures. Most magicians were reasonable enough if he spoke to them in a calm, non-threatening way.
As he made his way into the palace, Murtagh resolved to discuss the matter with Nasuada. Again. He would no longer search for Tenga unless the man did something deserving of punishment.
Murtagh wasn't even through the main corridor before his children began swarming him, which effectively put the matter from his mind for a time. Lena and Ajh made it first, since they were the oldest. The younger ones pushed their way through with childlike determination, and after returning Lena's fervent hug and Ajh's tight squeeze, Murtagh knelt down to embrace the littler children.
"Hello, children," he greeted with a joyful smile. Small mouths kissed his cheek, and small arms squeezed his neck. "I missed you all so much!"
Many sweet voices answered him with delighted cries of "Dada!" and "Dada's home!" or "I love you, Dada!" Murtagh laughed and scooped up the youngest there to greet him, though he had a baby girl as well.
"How are you, Ness?"
"Happy to see you, Dada!" Ness exclaimed in her sweet, high voice.
"I'm so glad to see you too," Murtagh replied, hugging her tight and kissing her hair. He had often wondered why any man would choose to be a father like his father Morzan had been when the alternative resulted in this. Being a gentle, loving father had won Murtagh the love of his children, and it was the most amazing thing he had ever experienced to have five little people adore him so completely.
Murtagh turned to look at Lena, who was nearly sixteen and as beautiful as Nasuada. Lena had his blue eyes, though they had some of Nasuada's almond shape to them; her mother's long, thick black hair—which contained a gentler curl than Nasuada's tight coils; and a mesmerizing combination of his fair skin and Nasuada's ebony. "How is Mother?"
"Well enough," Lena answered. "She'll be glad you're home. It's tiring for her with the little baby and her other responsibilities. We were all awaiting the first news of your return, but she has been busy in a meeting all morning."
"Shall I go relieve her from her duties?" Murtagh asked with a twinkle in his eyes. "Then we can have lunch together as a family."
"I'm sure she would appreciate that," Lena said with a smile. "You know how long-winded some of the advisors are."
"Indeed I do. Come along, everyone." He put his arm around Lena's shoulders, and they continued on down the corridor.
-:-:-
That evening, after they had eaten dinner and the children were asleep, Murtagh and Nasuada snuggled together on their bed. They had already enjoyed an intimate reunion after the three weeks apart, which had begun after the baby finished nursing.
The baby was now sleeping contentedly on Murtagh's chest, while Nasuada also rested against him. He gazed down at the two beloved faces below him. "I missed you, my dear," Murtagh murmured.
"Me? Or the baby."
"You, Your Majesty," Murtagh teased.
Nasuada turned her face toward his, and Murtagh kissed her. "I missed you too, Your Highness."
"Lena told me how tired you've been," Murtagh said. "Do you now need to sleep?"
"Or what?" Nasuada asked.
"Or can we talk?"
"We can talk. What about?"
"Tenga," Murtagh said, knowing he shouldn't waste time on frivolous small talk. But he also knew this time of day would be best for this discussion. Over fifteen years of marriage had taught Murtagh that his wife was most agreeable when she was content, sleepy, and relaxed.
"Did you find him?" Nasuada asked, a spark of excitement invigorating her tired voice.
"No, my dear. And I'm not going looking again. I don't mean to upset you, but I simply see no reason for it. He hasn't done anything to deserve this relentless searching, and I fear he might grow weary of it and end up becoming exactly what we're hoping to avoid. Namely, a formidable enemy with bad intentions and the ability to carry them out."
"Wouldn't it be better to find him and ensure that such an outcome won't befall us?" Nasuada wondered with one of her usual arguments.
"No. If we even could find him, it would require me to use the name of the ancient language and all manner of coercive measures that I don't feel comfortable with. But there is a very good chance that Tenga can control magic without verbal command of the ancient language, in which case he might be a more powerful magician than even I am when relying on Thorn to strengthen me. I want to leave him alone. Can we agree to disagree on this?"
Nasuada regarded him carefully for a moment then finally answered, "Very well. We shall agree to disagree. And I won't ask you to search for him again."
"Thank you, Nasuada. It means a lot to me."
"I'm grateful for all the times you have carried out my wishes though you might not have fully agreed."
"It's nice we can still get along though we don't necessarily see eye to eye on every fine detail," Murtagh said.
"Yes. Where would it leave me if I always insisted on putting you out in the doghouse, as they say? Though perhaps 'dragon house' might be more appropriate in this instance."
Murtagh chuckled. "Where indeed? It would feel a lot like these last three weeks did, and tonight was infinitely better than any of those. Thorn is my closest friend, but his company doesn't come anywhere near rivaling yours. My arms feel empty without you in them."
"And I feel lonely without them around me. Have you already checked on the children?"
"Not yet." She referred to his habitual practice of using his mind to briefly check on each of their children before they retired. "But I will now so we can get some sleep."
Murtagh ascertained that his other five children were safe and sound before dimming the Erisdar in their room so they would be able to drift off together.
-:-:-:-