Rya: Daughter of the King

Disclaimer: I do not own any Eragon or Eldest characters. No amount of the ancient language can change that.

Author's Note: This chapter is a little shorter, but the amount of chapters are going to be more than I had imagined when I had started. But, I guess that could be a good thing for some, right?

Chapter Eleven: Outnumbered

Eragon leapt to his feet and to the tent entrance; Rya was right behind him. She looked over his shoulder at the horrific scene that was taking place not to far from the tent.

Murtagh sat on Thorn in the middle of the camp, surrounded by a circle of dead soldiers that had been brave enough to challenge him. Eragon spun and pushed Rya back onto the cot.

"Stay here," he said, rushing out of the tent before she could protest.

Allaster, said Rya; rising to her feet.

Yes?

Thorn and Murtagh have arrived.

I can't get to you without them noticing.

Well, meet me out there then.

Allaster broke the connection as Rya stepped to the entrance again and poked her head out. Saphira had arrived and was battling Thorn in the air while Eragon fought Murtagh on the ground. From the way it looked, Eragon was loosing and he wouldn't last much longer.

Murtagh! Rya screamed as he ran at Eragon again. There was no reply from Murtagh's hard mind and no falter in his sword or his step. Something had to be seriously wrong.

She looked at Murtagh again; he had a look on his face that she had never seen before, even in battle. Rya barely heard Murtagh's reply to her scream as she tried to contact him over and over. Help me, Rya, came the weak plea.

Murtagh?

Help me!

What are you doing?

Help me! Your father--Murtagh was suddenly cut off when the cold wall of silence returned that had prevented her from reaching him before.

Murtagh! She shouted, trying her hardest to find a way through his barriers. There was a roar that signaled the arrival of Allaster, who took a place beside Saphira in the air. With both of them fighting, Thorn would have no chance; but Rya knew that Allaster wouldn't kill him.

Then she remembered what Murtagh had whispered to her one day when they were training with her father. "I don't know why he bothers to train me when he can control me like he does." Rya had simply nodded, but now she knew what he meant. Her father knew Murtagh's true name!

Rya ducked back into the tent and grabbed her sword and dagger and put them on. When she ran back out, Murtagh was forcing Eragon back into a group of trees that were too dense to get through. But you have to remember, it's not really Murtagh in there.

Yeah, but it's still his body. She argued with herself.

He has no control.

Don't hurt him. Was the last thought before she charged at Murtagh and Eragon. Rya got there just before Murtagh had gotten the chance to slice Eragon's throat and slid her sword between them; blocking the final attack that was coming from Murtagh.

Murtagh shot an angry glare back at Rya; except it wasn't Murtagh's eyes that she saw, it was her father's.

"Rya," he said; but his voice was her father's also. "Come back," the voice was harsh and didn't fit Murtagh's young body. Murtagh pulled his sword away from her own and backed away a little. Eragon slid off the tree that his back had been against, grabbed his sword and got ready to attack.

Rya raised her sword in front of her and moved swiftly into her fighting stance. She took one step and swung the weapon at him with all her might. Murtagh was caught unaware but brought his sword up to meet hers with a loud crash of metal on metal.

Took this time to swing his sword at his brother's back, but Murtagh blocked that too after he had pushed Rya off. The fight was cut short by two simultaneous roars of triumph and two dragons flying by at a breakneck speed; one green and one blue.

Murtagh faltered as Thorn crashed to the ground; then Murtagh gasped for air. Rya didn't know what to do. It was her father and her best friend all in one, but her father didn't feel the pain that Murtagh did.

Rya... help me, Murtagh gasped; the mental block dissolving into blackness.

Rya stared as Murtagh fell to his knees. His eyes faded back to their normal color as Galbatorix left his body. She finally felt compelled to catch him before he hit the ground.

"Eragon!" She shouted. "If you're not going to help, go get someone who will!"

Eragon seemed to snap out of a trance and run over to where Rya was holding a limp Murtagh; to only think that it was a day or two ago it was the other way around.

"What do we do?" Asked Eragon.

Rya glanced around. "It's not Murtagh, it's his dragon... so we have to heal his dragon. Use Saphira's help, and Allaster if he's willing."

Eragon ran over to the giant, red dragon and called Saphira with his mind. Rya did the same thing with Allaster. She checked Murtagh's pulse and found that it was steady, but a little slow.

"Rya, can you feed us a little power? Thorn's not waking up."

Rya looked up, then back down at Murtagh's calm face. She set him down gently and jogged over to Allaster and placed one hand on him and the other on Thorn. She simply closed her eyes and thought about the healing and felt the energy flow out of her fingers into the giant dragon. Thorn's side rose and fell with his breathing.

"Nothing's happening," said Eragon.

Rya opened her eyes and breathed deeply. Reaching for the emerald around her neck, she drew out what little power it had and sent half of it into Thorn before drawing away. "I'll check Murtagh,"

She ran back to Murtagh, who was still on the ground lying motionless. Sinking to her knees, she slid her hand under his head and checked his pulse once more. It had risen to its normal amount of thumping and his breathing was deep and regular, as if he were sleeping.

"Eragon, I believe they're going to be okay. Murtagh's just sleeping now." She called to the other rider, who now was walking over toward her.

"Let's get him in a tent. Saphira and Allaster can take care of Thorn."

"How?"

"Um, however they want," Eragon grunted, picking up Murtagh's upper half by the arms. Rya sighed and picked up Murtagh's feet. They carried him into the tent where Rya had been taken care of and put him on the cot.

The elf Arya stuck her head in the tent as they finished. "The Lady Nasuada would like to see you both as soon as possible."

Eragon looked at Rya, who shrugged. "We'll be there," he said as Arya left the tent.

"What do you think she wants?" Asked Rya, placing a cool towel on Murtagh's forehead just like Angela had done to her.

"I don't know," replied Eragon. He looked up; his brown eyes met her gray ones and for a short moment, he saw a glimpse of hatred in the depths of them.

That was chapter eleven. This story might be a little longer than I thought, like I said before. Well, unless I rush, which I don't want to. Thank you to my reviewers felicitousmomento, Adriannrod, and oromis444. I'm being a bit lazy today--forgive me. XD