Hey guys I am back for chapter 20!
Thank you to everyone who enjoyed and reviewed!
Guest: yes, your timeline is correct! It was about a year and a half between Kayla being injured and her leaving the forest. Add in time for travel and it has been about 1 and ¾ years or so since Kayla was injured when she meets Murtagh.
Enjoy the chapter!
Kayla POV
Kayla stared at the dragon and its rider for a second. Murtagh had been gone from Alaegisia for nearly a decade with only rare sightings from travelers up north.
"How did he sneak up on me?"
She wondered as she met his eyes
"Let him go" Murtagh said again as he dismounted
"Why should I? He attacked me unprovoked! He is one of the last slavers in Alaegisia! I would be doing the world a favor!" Kayla said angrily
" Probably" Murtagh admitted "But if Eragon Shadeslayer had held that belief… A belief I once shared with you….. Thorn and I would have joined the black king in the void"
Kayla stared at him
"Why do you wish to let him free? What could the world possibly gain?" Kayla asked incredulously
"I don't know, and that is precisely why you should let him go. People change elf, I am living proof of that. I once stood in the identical position as you do now, and I struck the fatal blow. I felt no regrets at the time but now….. I wish I had acted differently." Murtagh said calmly
Kayla looked at Murtagh oddly
He had always been described to her as aggressive and angry but clearly his time in the north had changed him. He seemed calm and collected and overall experienced, as though he routinely chatted over the fate of a mans life.
"And If I decide to kill him?" She asked boldly
Murtagh looked at her with mild annoyance
"This is your choice. If you decide to kill him, I will not interfere."
Kayla stared at the man in front of her. He was looking at the ground with fear stricken all over his face. The man looked up and tears were streaming from his eyes.
Kayla looked into his eyes before coming to a decision
She pulled her sword back and held it at her side.
"What do you propose we do with him?" Kayla asked
"We give him some water and we send him on his way"
"WHAT! We might as well just kill him then! That is a death sentence for nearly anyone."
Murtagh raised his eyebrows
"You seem to be doing just fine" he said coolly
Kayla had no response to this
Murtagh pulled the man to his feet. The man thanked him profusely for sparing his life. Murtagh only nodded and spoke
"I have let you live with the hopes that you may change your life. You will never again take another slave. Should you survive the way home you will free every slave you have. If I find out you have not done either of these things I will personally find you and feed you to Thorn. Am I clear?"
The man nodded quickly as Murtagh handed him some food and water.
"Now get out of here" He said coldly
They watched as the man hurried back in the direction he had come. After several moments Kayla spoke
"It's getting dark, shouldn't you have waited to send him away?"
Murtagh looked at her and replied sarcastically
"Oh nowwwww you care about him"
"No! I just feel that if your going to give him a chance to live why not give him the best chance?"
"I did" He reasoned "He has limited water and it is cooler at night. Starting at night ensures he will use less water and have a better chance of getting home."
Kayla nodded
"Thorn and I will make camp here, do you wish to join us?"
"It would be an honor" Kayla replied thankful
They got to work and within an hour they were sitting next to a roaring fire. Thorn had found some small game for Murtagh while Kayla ate some of the berries in her bag.
They sat in silence for some time before Murtagh spoke
"Tell me, what is an elf doing alone so far from Du Weldenvarden?" Murtagh asked curiously
Kayla hesitated, she had no wish to tell Murtagh who she truly was but at the same time she had a curious feeling that she could trust him.
"Revenge" She said simply
Kayla saw his eyes widen slightly at her response
"Why don't you tell me why a rider no one has seen in nearly a decade is wondering the desert?
Murtagh laughed softly
"I am going to see Eragon Shadeslayer. Some troubling rumors have reached my ears and I feel it is important he hears them from me face to face. Besides as you noted I have been gone far too long. I am looking forward to see all that Eragon has accomplished"
"What sort of rumors have you heard?" Kayla asked curiously
Murtagh seemed to hesitate before speaking
"I have heard of several rumors. A shade stalks the land, there is a plot against the elven queen and perhaps worst of all rumors that Surda is unhappy with the new queen and wishes to secede once again."
Kayla stared at him shocked, Completely ignoring the other two pieces of information.,Someone wanted Arya Drottning dead?
Kayla asked quickly
"A plot against the queen? Do you know anything about it?"
Murtagh regarded her warily
"No, only that someone wants her dead badly. It is unclear who or why though"
Kayla nodded still thinking
"Now, I have told my reasons for being here now… why are you here? Whom do you wish revenge on?"
Kayla paused; she knew she had to speak carefully to ensure that Murtagh could not guess who she was speaking about.
Kayla sighed "It is quite a long story but to summarize the man whom I fell in love with does not love me back. He fell for another. One night he was very drunk and we….. shared the night… She was quite unhappy with that as you can imagine, and We fought. He attempted to aid her and we both injured each other severely. He probably hates me know for what I have done." She finished bitterly
Murtagh listened to her short story and then spoke
"I am sorry for that; I know all about failed romances" He stated sadly
"I do not feel revenge is the best way to go about this situation, however. Let me ask you something and you have to promise to answer truthfully."
Kayla nodded she would answer with the truth.
"Do you truly love him?"
"Kayla nodded confidently
"Do they truly love each other"
She slowly nodded her head
"they do"
Murtagh smiled a sad smile
"Then you must move on my friend. Any action you take will further drive you apart. I think you know that, don't you?"
Kayla said nothing as she stared into the flames
"You make it sound like its easy" Kayla grumbled "I don't know if I can forgive so easily"
"I never said it was" He said knowingly
"You speak as though you know what I am going through"
He gave her a pained smile
"I also loved another who could never love me back even if she wanted too due to our differences in political standing. I, like you, unintentionally hurt her badly. That along with my social standing as the "fallen rider" made it impossible for us to be together. That realization was a large reason why I needed to get away for so long."
Kayla had a good guess as to who the mystery women is but declined to comment.
"I now understand that to truly love someone means letting them be happy at expense of your own. Only when you accept that and allow yourself to truly let go will you begin to heal"
He smiled at her and said
"You need to ask yourself if you are willing to forgive everything that has happened to allow them peace and prosperity. I will not tell you what to do, It is your decision"
Murtagh lay down near Thorn and after a few minutes began to snore. Leaving Kayla to stare at the slowly dying fire.
The fire had become hot coals by the time she reached a decision.
She withdrew a small piece of paper and wrote six words upon it.
She folded it and with a short sentence in the ancient language it disappeared.
She lay down wondering if she had made the correct decision.
Hey guys I hope you enjoyed!
Murtagh has grown wise hasn't he!
I feel this chapter isn't my very best, but I have spent ages over it and am still not quite happy with it. One of these that worked better in my head I suppose. Next chapter will be interesting though!
I hope you guys enjoyed
Stay safe