A/N: …Hey people! Heh, my favorite review so far is…

DO NOT MAKE HIM GAY IF YOU DO I WILL KILL YOU AND SEND YOU JUNK MAIL!

LoL! I really do have to thank whoever wrote that. At first, I was planning on making the main paring Murtagh x Arisa. But I still had doubts. Now I know what I'll do, though! I'll make him gay! Thank you, anonymous reviewer, for helping me make up my mind!

Oh yeah! I also have to thank you for reminding me to disable my e-mail address from my profile! I usually don't let people see my address so stalkers like you, anonymous, won't send me things. It's really annoying, actually…Anyway, here's another chappy! (Here's some advice: IF YOU DON'T LIKE SOMETHING, DON'T READ IT, ASSHOLE!)

Chapter 3

Insecurities

"I want to know about you! Your past and…how you got to Uru'baen."

There was more silence…then—

"…O-okay…"

Tornac was lying back on the bed, while Murtagh was sitting cross-legged next to him.

"How…far do you want me to go back…?" Tornac asked meekly. He wasn't ready to tell about his past and everything that happened to him yet, but he wanted to trust Murtagh…and he wanted Murtagh to trust him back.

"First, how old are you?" Murtagh tilted his head.

"D-does that…matter?"

"Yup yup! Now spill!"

Tornac blinked and tilted his head. "Spill…what? I don't really…understand…"

Murtagh laughed, which made Tornac even more confused. "You're…you're so adorable, ya know…?"

Tornac's eyes widened in surprise. He had never been called adorable in his life. A monster—yeah, an abomination—sure, all the time. But cute? Never… It took Tornac by surprise to be called such things, and he didn't know how to respond. Murtagh noticed and quickly changed the subject back to Tornac's age.

"Just tell me how old you are, you dope!" Murtagh laughed, shaking his head to hide both his and Tornac's embarrassment. Again, Tornac tilted his head at the name 'dope', but ignored it. Looking up at Murtagh, Tornac's cobalt eyes flashed.

"I'm only 14."

Murtagh's jaw dropped. If Tornac was only 14, then that meant that Murtagh was only a year older. It was kind of disappointing to hope for someone to be the new 'baby of the family', only to find out that he is the same age as you. Murtagh's head drooped. Ever since he was born, he'd grown up with the servants since his mother wasn't around. To the servants, Murtagh the 'baby of the family'. Even now, he was the youngest person in his entire wing. And still, the servants treated him as the 'baby of the family'.

"Is…is there a problem….Murtagh…?" Panic was starting to overtake Tornac and his eyes were etched with worry. Murtagh look up again and grinned his lighthearted smile.

"Nope!"

Tornac sighed in relief. A petite smile danced across his lips. "Is that all you wanted to know?"

"Cheh! No way! I'm just getting started!"

Tornac's meek, pathetic excuse for a smile grew wider. "Well…I suppose I'm ready…"

"I've heard that when you were still small, you killed your entire village. That can't be true, right? Because I won't believe it. Not unless you tell me yourself…" Murtagh said across from Tornac. The younger boy adverted his gaze away from Murtagh and looked down, eyes full of remorse, and nodded. Murtagh looked taken aback and for a moment, forgot how to breathe.

"It was…an accident. I had no control, I never wanted to hurt them…When I was born…m-my parents knew what I was…and my father along with my whole village…they wanted me d-dead immediately." Tornac's voice was shaky as he declaimed his story. His hands were trembling.

"But…but my mother wouldn't allow it," he continued. "To an elf, bearing a child is one of the greatest of gifts that could ever befall an Elvin woman. Children are precious to elves. And my mother held fast to her Elvin beliefs, and refused to leave me to die. My father moved away, but my mother and I stayed in the village of Tanioka." It was weird. The more Tornac talked, the more confident he seemed to become.

"The people in Tanioka didn't like that, and tried to chase us away, but we never left. Soon, they plotted against us, and planned our death. Eventually, they came after us." Tornac took a deep breath.

"My mother was killed in an attempt to get me to safety when I was only ten, and then the villagers came after me. But something happened. I remember being afraid…afraid of dying. I remember yelling just as they raised their weapons, and suddenly a great light blinded me…But that's all…After the light died out, I found every single one of the villagers dead. Stalagmites had formed out of the ground during the light, and had pierced through every single villager's body." The young half-elf shivered.

As Tornac finished his story, he looked up at Murtagh with pleading eyes. "D-do you…Do you hate me…?"

Murtagh looked shaken, but shook his head. "Nah…It was an accident, wasn't it? Besides, you said the villagers were trying to kill you, right? If you did have anything to do with their deaths, it was out of self-defense. I couldn't hate you for that."

Tornac sighed in relief. "After I fled Tanioka, I wander through the forest of Du Weldenvarden, searching for sanctuary. I was so scared, but eventually I found a village of elves on the edge of the massive forest. They greeted me welcomingly at first, but their hospitality did not last. The elves realized what I was, and chased me out of their village. They even went to the extremes to chase me out of the forest Du Weldenvarden."

He took a gulp of air and a deep breath before continuing. "My luck only got worse when I left Du Weldenvarden. Soldiers were waiting outside the border to capture any beings trying to leave the forest. When they saw me, they immediately restrained and gagged me. It was awful. The next thing I knew, I was being shipped to Uru'baen to be lock away in solitary confinement. I was locked in there for almost four years. I had to suffer much abuse from everyone—the king especially, and the soldiers, too. Anyone who saw me just had to hit me. I already had scars from the villagers of Tanioka, so I had gotten used to the hurt. I was only able to escape a few days ago."

Murtagh laced his fingers together and pressed his thumbs against his temple. Placing his elbows on his knees, he looked down at Tornac with a strange look on his face.

"When I carried you here, you nearly bled to death, ya know? It took some of my best spell casters to fix you up. One of them is stopping by later, so you'll thank him, right?" Murtagh ask.

"…I suppose that…I'll have to, won't I?"

"If I had any say in it, you wouldn't have to. But Saikoro, the guy who healed you, is just the kind of person who won't leave you alone until he's acknowledged. He's as annoying as hell, but he's a really good and loyal friend…that is if you can become friends with him. I'm probably his only friend, seeing as how he totally hates people. He prefers to steal than to socialize. Saikoro's really lecherous and quite the ladies man, but he never attaches himself to one person. He won't listen to anyone, either. Basically, watch out for him and if you do ever run into him, be sure to stay on his better side—otherwise, you'll end up with a lot less coins."

Tornac had a startled look on his face. Murtagh laughed at him.

"Don't worry," he reassured. "He's really a good guy at heart. You'll like him. I know he'll like you. He wanted to stay so he could meet you as soon as you woke up, but he had a meeting with Galbatorix. He'll be back soon. Heh, he said that you were prettier than any woman he's ever seen."

Tornac looked away, but not before Murtagh caught a glimpse of a blush spreading across his face. The younger boy still looked anxious.

""It's alright to talk to him, really. What are you scared of?"

"I…I just…don't like people very much. They do bad things to me…"

Suddenly Murtagh turned serious. "I know. Saikoro and I, when he was healing you, we saw all of the scars. You were covered in them. Saikoro said it looked like you had survived going through a shredder." (Wait a minute, in their era they didn't have electricity, so WTF? …Whatever…)

Tornac's eyes widened as he looked up at Murtagh. "Y-you…you…you saw them?"

"How could we miss them? But what I wanna know is how you got them!"

"T-they're not…they're not important…" Tornac said as he adverted his eyes away from Murtagh. Murtagh punched the mattress, his eyes flashing.

"Of course they're important! Now how did you get them? Wait…Humans…humans couldn't have done all of that damage to you…right…? Tornac, tell me! Please tell me that humans didn't do this to you!"

Tornac shifted uncomfortably in the bed. "It…It's not…important…" Murtagh had to lean closer to hear him because he was so hushed.

"Tell me!"

"Humans…and elves…everyone…Everyone hurts me…not just humans…"

"Dammit…! I'm so sorry, Tornac…"

"No! M-Murtagh…please don't be…! You…you've been so nice to me. You gave me a bed and healed me. I can't…I can't thank you enough…!"

"You really should thank Saikoro, too. He was the one who healed you, after all. I guess I could thank him for you, but then it would seem like—"

"No…" Tornac interrupted. "I wish to thank him…myself…face to face…If that's alright, I mean…"

"Of course…He should be back within the hour. Who knows what Galbatorix is doing to him…"

"Can you…maybe…tell me more about him…?" Tornac asked hesitantly.

"Uh…? Eh? …Sure, if you really want me to…Let's see…Saikoro is very sly and cunning. But he loves to have a good time. In fact, he's always the life at a party…Anyway, he doesn't like being around people and he doesn't trust anyone. His motto is, 'Trust no one but yourself, seeing as how no one else will trust you…' Yeah, he's all deep like that."

"…He doesn't trust anyone…? But what about his parents?"

"His parents abandoned him when he was born. A gardener found Saikoro in a gutter next to the castle and brought baby Saikoro to the king. Luckily for him, the king allowed him to stay. He was raised by an old scullery maid who died when he was only eight. For some reason, Saikoro has always been Galbatorix's favorite play-toy." Murtagh shrugged. "Better him than me, I suppose."

Tornac opened his mouth to say something, but then a sudden yawn stopped him. The half-elf tried to hide it, but Murtagh caught it.

"I should leave…" he declared.

"No! …Please don't…" Tornac begged.

Murtagh laughed. "You sure are needy, ya know…?"

Tornac blinked and looked down apologetically. "I'm…sorry…I'll stop…"

Murtagh laughed again, harder this time. "Don't. I meant that you were in need of more sleep. It'll do you good. And I'll be right here for when you wake up. Saikoro should be here by then, too. But who knows? He's never been one to just sit and wait for something. So I might have to fetch him once you've awoken again. Now sleep. Please?"

Tornac smiled. "If…you think I should…"

Murtagh smiled at him and nodded. As Tornac turned to his side in search of a more comfortable position, Murtagh got up and silently headed for the door leading into his chambers. Taking one last look at the half-elf resting quietly on the bed in the corner, Murtagh smiled at himself.

He was glad after all that he had been gutsy enough to allow a half-elf in his home.

A/N: Argh! This chapter is so short! Anyway, sorry for the delay. Nothing too important happened in this chapter. Next chapter will be the chapter when Saikoro (Koro for short) will enter! Yay! And as a heads up, I'm telling you now that he's not gay! He'll hit on Tornac sometimes, but that's just because Koro is wild and horney and likes to mess with people's minds. He has corrupted many so far and does not plan to stop the demented-ness until he's 6-feet-under and pushing up daisies. Got it? But really, he's a fun character and he belongs to no one…not even me…DAMN YOU!