Chapter 21: Nightmare at Uru'baen

"Where is the King?"

"I know not."

"She should have been in Gil'ead yesterday."

Galbatorix swooped to Murtagh's side and brushed a while finger along his cheek. "Why is she taking so long?"

"Because she knows-"

Galbatorix gripped Murtagh's throat with his bony hand. Murtagh writhed and tried to break free, but his hands were bound to the chair he was sitting in.

"How does she know?"

Murtagh shook, but the king refused to release.

"She, she, she can see. She's too smart to fall for, the tr, tr-"

Galbatorix removed his hand as Murtagh struggled to regain consciousness.

"TRAP!" Murtagh spat at the king.

"Hmm," said Galbatorix as he paced around the dark room. "Smart, huh? I doubt it. Love dulls the senses now, doesn't it?"

Murtagh looked straight ahead, not meeting the lord's gaze.

"She would do ANYTHING for you, would she not?

And if she, really, loved you at all, young Murtagh, don't you think she would have rescued you from Gil'ead?"

"No," whispered Murtagh. "Because she knows you're lying."

"Maybe," said Galbatorix. "Or maybe she's forgotten about you. It's been a month since your capture, Murtagh. Don't you think that your smart little whore would have come up with a plan to rescue you by now?"

Murtagh looked at the floor, trying to ignore the evil words.

"She is the king," Galbatorix said slowly. "She could have had an army here by now...but she didn't."

Murtagh sighed, half in annoyance, half in disbelief.

"She doesn't love you, boy. She's a king, why would she need a little mortal kid around? To send into battle to get killed along with the rest of the Knights?"

At that, Murtagh actually started to think that Galbatorix was right.

"The Knights are a dying breed," said the king slyly.

"And soon, she will die, too."

All thoughts of Ardice not loving him flew from Murtagh's head.

"You will not kill her!"

"Oh, and what can you do about it? Warn her? I think not, you've not the ability to scry, little boy."

Murtagh thought to himself, 'If I could scry her once, I can do it again.'

"Or at least," whispered Galbatorix.

"You can't scry...yet."

Murtagh was roughly tossed into his new room at the fortress in Uru'baen. It was nicer than the cell he was forced to live in by a long shot. The walls were white and everything else was a forest green colour. It had a window, and a wide sill so he could sit and look out to the surrounding woods, where he could often see Shruikan frolicking most unferociously with Galbatorix's servants and aids. He would think about Ardice and how much she loved being in the forest, her love of trees and all things that grow.

Murtagh sat on his large-but-thin bed. 'Hmm, I bet the only reason he gave me this room is so he can bribe me to spill about Eragon.' he thought. 'He should be giving me a new one in a few days, I bet.' He smiled. He liked taking advantage of Galbatorix's 'generosity.' He rubbed his temples and thought about trying to scry Ardice. Only problem, he couldn't remember how he did it the first time. He reached out with his mind as far as he could, envisioning her, repeating his desire to speak with her in his mind, but it wasn't working. He tried many a time, it was no use. He just didn't have the power that his friends did. Murtagh decided to give up and blew out the candles on the walls. 'I'll try again tomorrow.'

Ardice was stirring in her sleep. She'd been tossing all night, dreaming not of Murtagh, but Eragon. He was in Du Weldenvarden with an old elf with a limp that Ardice had never seen before. He was dressed in golden robes that matched the enormous dragon that stood before him. 'Dragon Rider'. Eragon approached her.

"How have things been with you?"

"Fine."

"Still no sign of Murtagh?"

"Nothing. We know not of where we are going."

Their voices sounded dreamy and whimsical, like there was no problem in the world.

"Ardice?"

"Yes?"

"Why are you not heard of here? Nobody knows your name and not of who you are. And why are you not a vegetarian like everyone else?"

Ardice frowned. "The Knights are not well-liked, nor well-respected by the elven community. They think that we look for trouble instead of preventing it."

"And even though you could scry an animal," said Eragon. "You could still kill and eat one? How? Do all Knights do it?"

"Yes, we all do it. It's common nature. We believe that if we didn't keep the circle of life going, ours would end. Complicated process, but in all, meat keeps us fuller than the veggies."

Eragon smiled.

"Another reason why the Knights are not well-liked." she said.

The dream/vision went black. Ardice thought she was waking, but she wasn't conscious. She waited, but still, she didn't wake up. 'Am I dead?'

She might have well been. Pain hit her with such force that she felt as if she were flying. So much pain, more in her head than other wheres. 'Kill me! Kill me now!' But still she held on. Bits and pieces of her past vision with Eragon flew past her at the speed of sound. And then it stopped.

"Ardice?"

A voice cried out to her in the darkness as the pain dulled away. "Ardice?"

'Murtagh.' "Ardice, is that you?"

"Murtagh? It is me, Ardice. What's going on?"

"I don't know, I fell asleep after trying to scry you-"

"You mean that we're both asleep and yet, we speak by...scrying?"

"I suppose so."

"That must be why I cannot see you. Can you see me?"

"I wish I could. I miss you so."

"I miss you."

Ardice felt her heart start to break. She couldn't see her love, but at least she could hear him.

"Listen to me, love, I'm not at Gil'ead. I've been imprisoned at Uru'baen."

"I know. Well, I know of you not being at Gil'ead."

"Good. Where are you now?"

"Just outside of the Spine. We journey to Kuasta at dawn."

There was a pause. Ardice thought the connection had been broken. "Murtagh?"

"Be careful."

"I will, I promise. I'll have some of my men meet me there, and then, I'll come to save you."

"No, you can't. I will not have your life on my hands if you are discovered."

"I must! I've seen you, in dreams, being...tortured by Galbatorix and his men."

"I'll endure thousands of torturing to see that you stay alive."

Ardice thought that her subconscious was crying, if that was possible. "Murtagh?"

"Ardice."

"I love you."

"I love-"

"ARDICE!!"