Hello everyone,
Don't have a lot to say before this chapter except thanks for all the love! As always, there is an authors note at the bottom.
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
I woke to the sound of the door of my prison opening.
I sat up instinctively, the aches and pains from the torture reminded me how bad of an idea it was. I barely held the groan in.
"How is your arm?" Galbatorix's silky smooth voice asked me as he sat down in his customary chair.
He was referring to the arm that he broke yesterday, my right forearm.
"Fantastic." I replied cheekily.
He chuckled at the reply. "You are a tough one, I'll give you that."
"Thank you, it's easy compared to looking at your ugly mug every day." I told him trying to get under his skin. It was a sorry attempt.
"Oh don't be like that, I have left your face completely untouched. Wouldn't want the princess to leave you because of it." Galbatorix commented.
So he knows about Arya and I. I deduced. Not surprising, considering that she spent the last few days I had with the Varden in my tent and not her own.
"She has enough looks for the both of us, I'm sure she wouldn't mind you giving me a handsome scar." I continue with the joking.
"Hm, let me ask you a question Roran." He began. "What about after all of this? Assuming you don't die by my hand."
I thought about that. I thought about what I wanted to do, what I wanted the races to do, there was so much potential.
"I will undoubtedly be made King." I answered before thinking about telling him my true plans. "But that won't last very long."
"Oh? Tell me more." Galbatorix said while leaning forward.
"No man should have absolute power." I answered. "'Absolute power corrupts absolutely'."
"Someone has to be in charge, someone has to make decisions." Galbatorix countered.
"The people." I answered. "The people will be in charge. In my mind, I call it Democracy."
Galbatorix's head tilted in curiosity. "Democracy." He tried the word on his tongue, it sounded odd to his normal perfect speech. "Tell me about it."
"The people will elect representatives to make decisions for their region, I haven't decided the regions yet, it will take some testing of course." I told him, not seeing the harm in telling him.
Either he won't be alive, or I won't be. Him knowing won't matter. I concluded.
"Everyone will have a vote." I told him, trying to dumb down a system that had grown extrememly complex in my past life.
"You'll give it up?" Galbatorix asked, his eyes lighting up. "Oh you truly are a magnificent creature." The words dripped out and he got a manic look on his face, like he was seeing something he couldn't wait to break.
"I haven't decided actually. I might keep it, in case the system gets too corrupt and I need to step in and guide the people." I told him, thinking about other democratic systems around my past life.
Galbatorix's eyes dimmed at that. "Ah so you will trick the people into thinking they have power? At any minute you could step in and change the 'peoples' decision. That's not as exciting."
I didn't refute him. He's not wrong, he just doesn't understand how powerful the illusion of power is. Plus I won't abuse it.
"And then what will you do? Fade out of notoriety? Go back to the farm?" Galbatorix asked.
"No." I answered quickly. "To truly catapult our society, everyone who wants to, will be taught how to use magic."
Galbatorix's face completely changed then. It went from being very interested, to very disgusted. I smiled at the reaction.
"That's the problem with Dragon Riders and elves. You think you are entitled to magic because you were 'chosen' by dragons. You have no more right to magic than my father did, and he was a hell of a lot better man than you and most of the order of old." I spat the words out at him.
Galbatorix stood up and approached me, staring into my eyes. "And you call me a maniac."
My head snapped to the left, courtesy of the back of Galbatorix's hand. I barely felt the blow. He turned back around and returned to his seat, smoothing out non-existent creases on his clothes.
"We really are on opposite ends of the spectrum, and yet we are so alike, aren't we." I asked him. "You crave absolute power, so much so that you want control over magic itself, because you think yourself the only person capable of governing it. I want everyone to have control over their own magic, but I think I am the only person capable of teaching them to use it correctly. It's possible we are both wrong."
There was silence for a moment, I wasn't sure if he was shocked that I knew about his search for the Name of Names or pondering what I told him.
"You thought we didn't know about your search?" I asked, wondering what he was thinking.
"I never considered the possibility that the war beginning and the egg hatching was only a coincidence." Galbatorix wondered.
It's not, the Eldunari have been manipulating things for the past one hundred years. I thought to myself about my misdirection of him. Wait ...THE ELDUNARI, I can remember. Eragon has found them.
I started laughing, I couldn't help it, the relief at knowing that we had a chance at beating him was too good. We actually have a shot.
"Is that funny?" Galbatorix asked, confused as to what I was laughing about.
I stopped laughing but a smile was painted on to my face, my happiness at being right all this time was too much.
"It's too late, Galbatorix. You have already lost." I told him confidently.
Galbatorix's all encompassing mind surrounded mine and I instinctively defended myself. He crashed into my mind and slipped inside quickly. And then, all of a sudden I couldn't remember why I was so happy, but whatever it was, was pissing Galbatorix off and I loved that.
The information kept sliding away from his mind, everywhere he searched, the information would slip away, moving around in my mind, always in the shadow of his own.
It took hours for him to get tired of looking for what made me so happy and confident, and once his mind left my own, the information of the Eldunari returned to me. The door to my cell slammed, notifying me of him leaving me alone.
My left hand found my abdomen instinctively and I smiled, knowing my plan was working.
When is the last time Murtagh came to see me?
It was a good question, one that I didn't know the answer to. It was nearly impossible to tell the passage of time deep in the bowels of Uru'Baen.
I've slept eleven times, but that doesn't mean eleven days. I thought to myself, trying to time when the Varden would attack.
I steeled myself for finally trying to break the mind of the guard at my door, and find the answer for myself.
I never got the chance, because a rumble ran through the castle, littering my room with dust from the ceiling. I acted immediately, my mind reached inside and I brought my magic to the surface, casting my diagnostic spell. The damage was extensive, fingernails gone, burn marks all along my arms and torso, and numerous broken bones.
I decided that the healing would take more energy than I had without my reserve of power.
Luckily that is not a problem. I thought to myself as my mind connected with the stone of my necklace. The power washed over me as I cast the spell to heal all of my injuries.
I felt the bones set themselves and meld together, my fingernails grow back, and the burns across my torso disappear to reveal smooth skin. I have enough mental scars from Galby, no need for physical also. I told myself breaking my normal rule of leaving scars for a reminder.
After I felt the magic stop, I hopped off of the stone table that served as my torture bed to my feet. I threw a couple punches and kicks to get myself ready.
No atrophy. The changes really are amazing. I thought as I felt my body adapt immediately.
I walked to the door and extended my mind to find two guards waiting when there was normally only one. They weren't paying attention, nor were they magicians. I broke the mind of the biggest one easily, and searched his mind trying to find the route to the throne room. It didn't take me long to find the information, too bad he didn't know where the treasure room was. I slid into his eyes, taking over motor control of his body.
It was the most disorienting thing I had ever experienced, his limbs were too short and too weak to by my own. I acted regardless.
I drew the sword on his hip and wasted no time driving it into the chest of the other guard before anyone could react. I knew that if I had aimed for the head then I probably would have missed, and even aiming for center mass, I barely succeeded.
The guard fell to the ground dead and I bent down in my new body to grab the keys. As soon as I touched them, the skin on my hand burned and blistered immediately. I broke the connection due to the shock of pain.
Enchanted.
The guard yelled out in pain and confusion at being back in control of his body. I steeled myself and entered his mind again, sending his consciousness to the back of his mind and taking control of his body. I grabbed the keys again and grit my teeth.
I moved quickly, shoving the only key into the keyhole and turning before breaking the connection with our minds. I opened my own eyes again and I was back in the body I had grown so accustomed to. My hand reached out and yanked the door open before the guard could react.
He yelled again, looking down to his hand, then back up to me in shock. I kicked him, full power, in his sternum against the wall of the hallway, he hit and a crunch sounded out. His body went limp.
At least it was quick. I comforted myself.
I reached down to the ground where I?, the guard, dropped his sword and picked it up. I inspected the clothes on they were wearing, wondering if I could get some protection on the way to the throne room. I wore pants only, no shirt, no shoes.
No luck. I realized as I noticed all of their clothes were much too small. Intentional from Galby, no doubt.
"What are you idiots doing down here?" A voice sounded out from down the hallway.
They must have heard the guards shout of pain. I realized.
I turned in the direction of the voice and calmly walked forward, noticing the body in the dimly lit hallway. I put the sword behind my back so they wouldn't notice I wasn't a guard until too late.
"Oi, who are you?!" The average sized man asked as his hand moved to his waist.
I moved immediately, crossing the twenty feet between us quickly. He got his sword out of its sheath just as mine pierced his heart. My mind grasped the energy fading from his body and stored into the gem that once sat inside my necklace.
These will do. I thought looking down at the boots he was wearing. I took them off of his body quickly and threw them onto my feet. They were a little small but would get the job done. I took off, moving at a quick pace.
Right turn, take the steps up.
Go down the hallway to this door. I had to duck as soon as I entered a doorway. The sword went over my head and I moved forward further into the room where I had to parry the second soldier and grab his neck, move his body into the third soldier's thrust. I moved past the now corpse of the second man and decapitated the third soldier's head. The first was back and stabbed towards me, wasting no time. I turned my body and grabbed his wrist before hip tossing him and stabbing his skull when he hit the ground.
I stood up and looked around the room, seeing that it was a storage area, and not at all the hallway that the man guarding my cell thought it was.
Galbatorix wants me to join him. And he's left me traps...well this might take a while. I realized as I took in all the facts.
I walked back into the hallway and turned the direction that wouldn't lead me back down to the Hall of the Soothsayer. Every door I passed, I checked. No more soldiers on this floor. I realized as I reached another set of stairs that led upwards.
Couldn't make it easy on me eh?
I climbed the stairs cautiously, sword at the ready. It already had a chip in it from one parry. I'm used to much better steel. I thought noticing the damage.
I poked my head around a corner, to see five men with a bow drawn aiming my direction. I whipped my head back just as five arrows impacted the stone wall opposite of me where they broke and fell away.
I turned the corner and summoned my magic. "Jierda." I spoke and the world obeyed. Their bows snapped in their hands and I started running towards them. All of them had their swords out as I approached. I slowed down, thinking of a better plan than just charging at them.
Three men approached, as that was all that could attack in the narrow hallway at once comfortably. The other two followed close behind.
Sideways or forward, never back. I reminded myself as one swung his sword trying to cut me from shoulder to him. Terrible plan.
I deflected his sword and the thrust from his comrade in the same swing while also putting their bodies in front of the third man. I moved past them towards the two in the back and cut one down before they could react.
I quickly moved sideways to avoid two more stabs. One man overextended and got his throat slit as a reward. That left just three more. I rolled under one swing and grabbed another sword on the ground on the way up. I stopped two blades with two of my own and kicked one guard in the knee, breaking it. I disengaged from the locked blades and cut the one with the broken knee in the back of the neck. I kept my momentum and dodged another swing before stabbing him in the heart and abandoning the sword to deflect and decapitate the last man. Five bodies laid at my feet, two still bleeding out. I reached out and sucked the energy from them to rejuvenate my own tired body.
I walked past the bodies calmly to another set of stairs just as another rumble shook through the castle.
This time the stairs continued up and up and up, I must have climbed another ten floors before I was deposited on what I assumed to be the ground floor of the castle.
The Hall of the Soothsayer is either really far down, or Galbatorix fucked with the stairs just to trick me. I thought as I looked through the door.
What I saw made me pause. The castle was abandoned. I opened the door and stepped through to what had to be the main chamber to the castle. There was a huge door, that was no door, just a massive opening that led to the outside. I walked up to it to see my army attacking the city, but it didn't look like they had gotten very far yet.
Still have time but I have to hurry, Eragon and the others will be here soon. I thought to myself as I turned around and started running. I passed through the main chamber, and continued to run straight, knowing that I would reach the throne room soon.
A part of me panicked, knowing that everything rode on Murtagh, and his ability to change. I calmed myself down with the thought that I had done everything I could. Now is not the time for worry, but action.
It didn't take me long to enter the throne room. I entered through the front door, where I imagine people of the court also entered daily. The marble floor was split by a gorgeous red carpet that led all the way to the throne. Pillars lined the sides of the room, all the way to the back. The chamber itself was absolutely massive, which makes sense considering the mountain of black that laid on the ground behind the throne.
Shruikan. I realized looking at the massive creature. And he is laying down.
Murtagh and Thorn were nowhere to be found.
"Nice of you to join us Roran." Galbatorix spoke from his throne. For the first time, he had a weapon on his hip, and it sent a chill down my spine.
"I think I am a little early to the party." I greeted him as I walked forward with my stolen sword in my hand. "Thank you for the presents you left me by the way."
"Of course, I couldn't make it easy on you after all. Our guests will join us shortly. Did you choose the bigger or smaller guard?" He asked me.
"Bigger." I answered truthfully.
"Ah, that was the boring route. No death traps at all." He spoke genuinely curious. "Not that they would have stopped you either."
"So is the Hall really that deep beneath the city or was that just an illusion?" I asked curious.
"It is fairly deep, but I did some reconstruction recently just for you." Galbatorix answered with a grin. "Now, how were you avoiding me when I was in your mind? It was the oddest experience."
"I was forgetting the information completely, and it was stored ...somewhere else, when you left my mind it was returned. A result of an enchantment I made, that I still don't fully understand." I answered him, misleading him a tiny amount.
"Ahhh that would make sense. But what enchantment? I changed all your clothes, even your hair tie…" He paused for a moment before his grin blossomed into a full blown smile. "Inside you?"
I just patted the left side of my abdomen, where the stone of my necklace rested against my ribs. Magic kept it from infecting or causing discomfort.
"Now I understand, you planned on being here, right now, the moment you let Murtagh take you. I didn't truly know if you would even try when the battle started, but I couldn't let the opportunity to toy with you pass." Galbatorix spoke. "You continue to impress."
"As do you." I flattered him. "But today is the end, one way or another."
"Aye, although we both know that your cousin doesn't have the power to defeat me. Where has he been this whole time?" Galbatorix asked.
I just looked at him, unwilling to answer. "Oh come on, you didn't expect that illusion to fool me did you?"
I tilted my head, genuinely impressed again. "You'll find out why he isn't here shortly. I can't ruin the big reveal."
"Very well. I have come to enjoy theatrics in my old age." Galbatorix offered. He paused for a second, looking behind me to the city before shaking his head.
"Murtagh just now figured it out." He told me before laughing. "He has a lot to learn, wouldn't you agree?" The last part he said with a knowing look.
"Aye, your manipulation of him runs deep." I agreed nodding my head.
Galbatorix smiled again. "So you know that your attempts at changing his true name were foolish surely."
My heart dropped, and I couldn't find the words for a rebuttal. Obviously it was painted all over my face because Galbatorix's laugh boomed in the throne room.
"Oh no!" He said in between breaths. "Was your whole plan riding on that? Were you counting on his knowledge of …"
The world stopped when he uttered his next syllables. Normally when one casted magic with the ancient language, the air would vibrate slightly. But when he finished making these sounds come out of his mouth, I realized the breath had been knocked out of my chest. I focused on my breathing, and not letting my shock show.
I had never experienced a true name before, avoiding them for a reason. I wouldn't want that much power over someone, nor would I like my whole life and being confined to a bunch of syllables. Because with the words, comes the knowledge of them. When he said the Word, the Name of Names, the realization of what it meant hit my mind with the force of a train. The understanding of the system that bound magic to a language. Then it disappeared.
"How could you bet your whole campaign on such a small detail, it is mind-boggling." He spoke.
My abdomen felt hot to the touch, it felt like my insides were burning, and I knew the cause.
The stone. I realized.
"Don't respond, our guests have arrived!" Galbatorix exclaimed as he turned to the door.
"Hello everyone, come join us!"
A/N: And the end approaches!
Will everyone die?! What the fuck Murtagh why couldn't you just do your job? Your only job! Or maybe Galby was on to Roran from the very beginning. Which makes sense because he could have had Roran's cell warded to high heaven without him being able to get out. He's just so confident that he will win, he doesn't care.
I'll leave it at this. Let me know what you think in the reviews.