Disclaimer: I only own the plot and the new characters.

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Special thanks to: c.a.s.1404, Hollyleaf9, Canadian-Girl14, Mayra, MurtaghLoverWhieoeh, PoPCoRn, EvilBunny101, Zelgiguy12, High Queen Crystal and Lady Gwynevere. Thanks again for your encouraging words, and sorry for taking so long to update!

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Chapter 20 – So I won't forget…

She knocked but no one answered. She vacillated for a second and then pushed the door open, sighing. "Murtagh?" The large bed was occupied by a lump beneath the blankets that groaned as Kaila slammed the door behind her. She leaned against the door, hesitantly, and waited.

The lump stirred and Murtagh called out. "Kaila?"

The young woman approached the bed, but kept a considerable distance. "Are you alright?" His voice had sounded much too weak.

"I… will you come closer or what?" His head peeked from beneath the blankets. "I won't bite."

'Hard…' Thorn added, much for Murtagh's annoyance.

'You know, Thorn, this is one of those moments you really don't want to witness', the Rider warned him, and the dragon withdrew from his mind at once. Meanwhile, Kaila had sat at the edge of the bed, her eyes fixing everything but Murtagh. "Will you look at me?" he asked, half-amused, half-exasperated.

"Are you decent?"

"Depends of what you consider decent-"

"Murtagh!"

"Oh alright, I'm naked beneath the blankets…"

Kaila looked up, alarmed. "I beg your pardon?" Her voice came out rather feebly.

"Hey, you asked, I told you." He was definitely amused now. Kaila looked away, blushing. It was so easy to tease her… and worth it, just to see those pale cheeks flushing. Murtagh sat up, but the blankets still covered him from the waist down. "Come here", he said, holding out his arms.

"Don't even think about it!" Kaila replied at once, crossing her arms stubbornly. "Why do you have to be such a show-of?" she accused, not daring to look at him.

Murtagh chose to ignore this remark and swiftly leaned forward to circle her waist. Kaila deftly disentangled herself from arms that sought to entangle her. "Don't push it, Rider", she warned, glaring at him. He only chuckled. "Seriously now, I have something important to tell you."

Murtagh rubbed his eyes wearily and remembered that he too had something to tell her. "Yes, we do need to talk." He stared into those serious green eyes and sighed. "Not even a kiss?" She raised an eyebrow. "A tiny one? I promise I'll behave…" He pouted, but his eyes were playful.

Kaila felt her lips curling up into a wide smile; he was unbelievably persuasive. Not that she needed much persuasion. "Hum… I guess that a kiss is alright." He grinned. "A tiny one!" Murtagh rolled his eyes but leaned over. Kaila rested both hands on his cheeks and pecked him once on the lips, pulling away quickly.

"That's it?!" Murtagh whined, throwing her an incredulous look.

Kaila shook her head and muttered "Men…" before walking away from the bed and stopping, with her back turned to him, close to the desk. "Now get up and get dressed!"

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Lord Art kept his eyes on the window as he spoke: "It is time for you to go back and check on our-" he grinned wickedly "- guest. He won't be much use for us if he is dead."

Tristan nodded obediently, avoiding the other man's gaze, reflected in the window. "Yes, my Lord."

"Oh and do make sure to dispose of that body", Lord Art continued calmly. Tristan shuddered. "And find a way to get rid of that ghastly stench. I want to find that place impeccable when I return."

"Y-you will return soon, m-my L-lord?" Tristan stammered, unable to disguise the alarm on his voice.

"But of course", Art replied, finally turning to look at the shorter man, his eyes mocking. "You thought you would get free of me so easily, did you, little worm? So you can ruin everything again? Tsk, tsk, I don't think so."

"I didn't – I never-"

"Save your breath – and your excuses – for another time. I will meet with you as soon as I can. First I have a few details to take care of… and then, hopefully, I will be free to carry on with my plans." Art stared dreamily into space, and Tristan understood he was being dismissed.

"I will have everything ready for you, my Lord." The plump man bowed and exited the room, glancing one last time over his shoulder. Lord Art still stood with his back turned to the window, a thoughtful frown creasing his features.

"Just a few details…" Art whispered to himself. "Better enjoy your freedom while you can, little Kaila…"

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When he was finished dressing he stood before her and put his arms around her waist. Kaila closed her eyes and rested the back of her head against his now covered chest. "That feels good…" she whispered. "When I'm with you, I just feel so protected…"

He smiled and kissed the top of her head. "And so you should… I will always do my best to keep you safe."

Kaila sighed. "But you won't always be around, will you?"

Something in her tone made Murtagh raise an eyebrow. Gently, he made Kaila turn around to face him. "What is it?"

She dropped her gaze to the floor before speaking: "You have your duties as a Rider, and you will have to go on missions frequently and-"

"Kaila, don't stall, please."

Her voice was barely audible. "Lord Art returned to the castle." Nothing was said for a while, and Kaila looked up. Murtagh was staring ahead, above her head, a murderous gleam on his eyes. "He didn't do anything to me, though", Kaila added hastily, but she knew it was no use.

Murtagh stared on, apparently oblivious to her words. "I'm going to kill him", he hissed, his jaw clenching.

"No, you're not", Kaila replied at once, shaking him until he focused his gaze on her. "He is not worth it, Murtagh."

"No one would miss him if he was gone", he said coldly.

"Probably, but you would be no more than a murderer", Kaila replied darkly.

Murtagh let out a bitter laugh before stating: "I have murdered before, Kaila…"

"Yes, in war and when your life was threatened. But if you walk up to him with the single purpose of taking his life, out of pure rage and-"

"You do realize we are talking about Lord Art here, don't you?" Murtagh asked, staring incredulously at her. "The man who was responsible for your – and Morcant's – kidnap."

"Yes, I do realize", Kaila sighed. Her eyes were pleading.

Murtagh fought his urge to rip Art into pieces – for the time being – and took a deep breath before continuing. "Morcant… he is the reason why I wanted to talk to you."

"Morcant?" Kaila's heart picked up. "What about him?" She didn't want to get her hopes too high, and if it was what she wanted to hear, he would have said it already, wouldn't he?

"I wanted to have told you this on the very moment Thorn and I landed, but I wanted to make sure no one could overhear us." He made a pause, and she waited expectantly. "I found him. I found Morcant."

"Is he-? Did you-? How-?" Kaila tried to speak, but the words came out incoherently. She only noticed her hands were shaking when Murtagh seized them and pressed them against his chest.

"He is fine. A bit shaken, but I took him to a safe place."

Hot tears prickled Kaila's eyes, but she did not let them fall. "Oh grandpa…" Relief swept through her, mingled with an immense gratitude for the Rider. "I can never thank you enough for this, Murtagh. I… if there is ever anything I can do for you-"

"Don't be ridiculous. As long as you are happy, I don't need anything else", Murtagh replied awkwardly, scratching his head. Kaila smiled at his behaviour. Then Murtagh had Kaila's arms about his neck as she bestowed a kiss and a hug on him. He winced slightly.

She drew back at once, looking puzzled. "What did I do?"

"It wasn't you", he answered, a grim look on his face. "Our beloved King", these last two words had been said with heavy sarcasm, "believes that physical punishment will be enough to dissuade me from disobeying his orders."

Kaila gaped, but quickly recovered. "You know what? Why don't you lie on your bed and I'll give you a massage?" Murtagh's sombre look vanished at once. "Meanwhile, you can tell me all the details about my grandpa's rescuing and where he is now."

"Darn it", Murtagh said disappointment clear in his voice. "Here I was thinking we were-"

"Say one more word Rider, and you can say goodbye to the massage!"

Murtagh groaned but did not dare to speak.

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She slammed her hand hard on the banister. "How many times do I have to tell you not to get up from bed, old man?"

Morcant looked down at the young woman, sighing. "Right about as many times I told you my name is not old man."

Katherine glared up at him before speaking: "Don't you dare to move until I get there!" She started climbing the stairs with furious steps. "Murtagh would kill me if I let something happen to you", she hissed.

Morcant waited until she was level with him, not wanting to enrage her even further. "I assure you I did not intend to upset you, but I could not stay on that bed for a minute longer. I needed to stretch my legs, you see?"

"Yeah, yeah, but you are too weak to walk around on your own." Katherine placed one hand on the man's waist and the other on his arm. "You'd kill yourself if you climbed down these stairs."

"And that would be most inconvenient for you."

"Absolutely, ol- Morcant", she replied, unabashed. "Now, let's get you back to your room. I'll let you walk all you want there." When they finally reached the room, Katherine released her hold on Morcant and watched as he headed for the small window. "You won't see much from there, you know?" The window faced the wall of the building ahead.

Morcant smiled. "I don't mind. Just being able to see the sky is comfort enough."

Katherine watched him with a thoughtful expression. "Who is she?"

"I beg your pardon?" Morcant half-turned, raising an eyebrow.

"I am sure you are a good man and all, but knowing Murtagh as well as I do, I'm guessing he is protecting you to please someone. Am I right?"

Morcant debated quickly over telling her the truth or not – or part of it, at least. "Yes, you are quite right, young lady. The person whom Murtagh seeks to please is my granddaughter, Kaila."

Katherine's expression was smug. "Ha, I knew it!" She stared at Morcant's back for a few seconds, thinking hard. "Murtagh said someone might be out there looking for you, but not the King's soldiers… so I'm guessing you aren't exactly important on the castle, are you?"

Morcant turned around slowly, crossing his hands behind his back. "Well, it depends on what you consider to be important." Katherine rolled her eyes and he added: "I am- was, I suppose – a steward in the castle. Kaila is but one of the many servants who works there."

This seemed to take Katherine by surprise. "A servant?" Morcant nodded. "Really?! Hum…"

"Why is that so surprising?"

"I don't know… I just didn't see Murtagh falling head over heels for a servant girl – with all due respect", she added, looking at Morcant apologetically. "I guess she must be pretty special then."

The old man laughed as he walked back to bed and sat. "She is the most precious thing in my life, but I don't think you would find her special if you met her. Kaila is a simple girl, but she has a good heart."

"You miss her."

"Very much, indeed. All I hope for is that Murtagh keeps her safe and that he gets her out of there before someone finds-" He trailed off, breaking eye contact.

Katherine raised a suspicious eyebrow and opened her mouth to question the old man, but his posture clearly stated he was not going to pursue the matter further. Later, she thought, intrigued by his words. "Well, I will leave you to rest now. I will come back later with a tray of food."

"Thank you, Katherine."

Without adding another word, the young woman exited the room into the landing. Her expression remained quite blank, but she wondered… she wondered very much.

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Kaila swallowed hard, watching as the young man removed his black undershirt and lay down in bed. Breath, Kaila, just breath, she told herself repeatedly, approaching the bed with almost reluctant steps.

Once again, her eyes were drawn irresistibly to the scar that disfigured his back; this time, she did not fight the urge to touch it. Fingers stretched, Kaila perched herself beside him and proceeded to trace the outlines of the huge scar, shoulder to waist. Murtagh shivered but did not protest, so Kaila repeated the motion again and again.

"That feels really nice", he said airily, sighing. Kaila smiled but did not reply. "I don't think anyone has ever been that interested in my scar, you know?"

"Sorry", Kaila whispered apologetically, starting to rub his tense shoulders instead.

Murtagh waited patiently, for he knew a question was coming. Soon enough, Kaila spoke.

"If you don't want to answer my question, I totally understand, but I'm curious…" She was clearly choosing her words with care, so as not to upset him. "Your scar… why haven't you- I mean, you could have healed, couldn't you? If you wanted, that is, with your powers…"

Murtagh pondered her words for a minute, glancing thoughtfully over his shoulder. Kaila was beginning to regret her hasty words when he slowly turned around to stare into her curious green eyes. He cupped her chin with one hand and smiled faintly. "Well, I never tried it, but even if I knew it would work, I wouldn't do it."

Kaila threw him an inquisitive glance. "Why?"

Murtagh sighed and crossed his hands behind his head. "So I won't forget…" He fell into a brooding silence, and Kaila had the feeling he had momentarily forgotten he was not alone in that room. At last, he looked up, his eyes reflecting nothing but the deep pain that consumed him.

"I am sorry I brought this up, Murtagh-"

He raised one hand to stop her. "No, I want to finish." She nodded and waited patiently. "I don't want to forget the man who did this to me. I want to remember, so I don't turn out like he wanted me to; wretched, violent and a drunken fool." He spoke those words with indescribable contempt. "Oh, and let us not forget: the King's puppet."

The young woman's eyes narrowed as she stared into space, as if seeking to catch a glimpse of his miserable past. An abusing father, a mother who abandoned him, a King who brainwashed him since his childhood into believing the future resided in the Empire, under his cruel rule… considering all these things, Murtagh had turned out quite differently than expected; quite better than expected.

And she wanted to tell him all those things, but his eyes were far off, probably travelling through the murky paths of his infanthood.

After long, almost unbearable minutes, Murtagh looked up, his expression changing into one of tranquillity at the sight of her. He sighed wearily. "So you see, when you look at this scar, Kaila, you only see a physical mark. But for me, it goes far deeper than that."

No words could provide him comfort, so she simply leaned and rested her head against his bare chest, listening to the erratic beats of his heart. Gradually, its pace slowed. It was only then that Murtagh spoke again. "Sometimes, when I am really, really angry, I see him in me… Morzan… always lurking in the shadows, waiting for the tiniest breach to reveal himself; to climb from the depths of my soul till he reaches the exterior."

"Then I think you have but one choice, Murtagh: be more like you, and less like him."

To be continued…