I own nothing of the Inheritance Cycle!
Thoughts over bond
The first two weeks as a servant was frustrating for David. The twisting hallways of the palace were easy to get lost in. Even with him using his mind to analyze the hallways ahead of time he still got lost frequently. Murtagh always laughed whenever David told him about how he would get lost. Thankfully he is now able to navigate the halls without a problem.
The past few weeks have also been rather annoying for David as well. Everybody around him treats him as though he needs help with everything. Heck, he was just sweeping up in one of the guest rooms of the palace and another server rushed in and decided she would finish cleaning up for him! It's enough to make him want to rip off the blindfold and let everyone know he can see! If this was how the first few weeks were gonna be like than he can wonder how he's going to survive the next few months.
David was cleaning in the servants quarters when one of the other servants came into the room. He looked around before he spotted David, "Hey, Neil?" His voice was soft, as if trying not to spook a horse.
Resisting the urge to take an irritated breath he turned towards the voice, "Yes?"
"The King wishes to see you."
David was confused and worried, "Why? Did I do something?"
"I don't know." The servants voice was still soft, "He wants to see you in the throne room. Do you need any help getting there?"
David almost growled out the answer, "No, thank you." The servant didn't seem to notice his tone and slipped out of the room.
David put away his cleaning supplies before leaving the servants quarters and heading towards the throne room. He wasn't sure why Galbatorix wanted to see him. It was either for testing his mind limits or he figured out who he and Murtagh really were. It was most likely the former, but you never know.
Entering the throne room David knelt before Galbatorix, "you called for me, your majesty?" This bowing stuff is a blow to my pride. Especially considering this is Galbatorix.
"Three weeks ago, you and your brother came to me asking for work as a servant."
"Yes, your majesty."
"When you were before me you showed a skill that very few possess. A fairly powerful skill."
"I–I suppose, your majesty." David didn't know where this conversation was going.
"Neil," Galbatorix stepped down from his throne and circled around David's kneeling form. "I wish to test the limits of your skill today. Rise."
He stood facing Galbatorix, waiting to see how the King would test his skills. David wasn't sure if he should be worried about what these tests will be.
"Use your ability and tell me…what do you see in this room?"
Simple enough "In the center of the room is your throne. Behind your throne is Shruikan, and hanging along the walls are torches and…that's it." I thought there was another door in here when Arya went to get the Eldunarí in the last book.
"Wrong." David crumpled to the ground in pain. It felt as if a spike was being hammered into his temples. It vanished as soon as it came. "There is more in here, and it disappoints me greatly that you did not see it."
David shakily got to his feet and looked through the room again, but he could find nothing, "There is nothing—" he was unable to finish the sentence before the pain returned.
"Pathetic," Hissed Galbatorix. "I expected more from you. Your lack of skill is laughable."
"This was not something I was taught! I only learned enough so I could see, I never explored it further!"
The silence was thick with tension. David could feel the anger coming off of Galbatorix in waves Oh. My. God. I just yelled at him. He's gonna kill me.
David carefully observed Galbatorix with his mind when suddenly his head was knocked aside with an invisible force. David stumbled and fell onto his back, staring at the ceiling of the throne room with a throbbing jaw. He went to stand again but a heavy pressure grew on David's chest and he couldn't move, accompanied by an agonizing pain in his head. He's attacking my shields.
"You insolent little boy." Galbatorix's voice was filled with venom. "You dare speak to me in such a way?"
David wheezed out, "N–No your majesty."
The pressure left his chest and he rolled onto his knees with a cough. "Your presence is no longer required. Go back to your quarters." Galbatorix's voice was calmer, but David could hear the anger simmering behind his every word.
He bowed with a quick "Yes your majesty" before calmly walking out of the room. Once in the hallway with the doors securely closed behind him David broke ran towards the servants quarters as fast as possible.
When he was a safe distance from the throne room David stopped running and slid down the wall. He put his head between his knees and took a deep breath. I wasn't even in there for thirty minutes and I made him angry. He put his hand against his jaw and winced That's gonna bruise.
It's your own fault. You yelled at him. There was no way he wouldn't have done anything about it.
We should never have come. I should have just gone to the elves.
And Murtagh?
I would have dragged him with us. I'm sure the elves would warm up to him eventually.
Aquila snorted Eventually. Now quit sitting in the hallway and get back to your quarters.
Yes Ma'am. David began walking towards the servants quarters. He mentally sighed I need to talk to Murtagh.
He entered the quarters and found nobody there. He searched and found that most of the servers were in the rooms where they all slept.
He opened the door to his and Murtagh's room and dropped onto his bed with a groan. Murtagh looked up from his spot on his bed, "I heard you were with the king."
David groaned louder. He could feel Murtagh smirk, "I see it didn't go well."
David sat up and turned his head towards Murtagh, "No it didn't."
Murtagh took in a sharp breath and lightly touched the forming bruise on David's jaw. David hissed from the pain and brought his face out of Murtagh's reach.
"What happened?"
David laid on the bed once again. "I yelled at the King."
It was silent until Murtagh gave a small chuckle, "You yelled at the King?"
"Yes. I yelled at the king and he hit me with some kind of magic. Giving me this wonderful bruise."
Murtagh shook his head, "Why did he want to see you anyway?"
"He wanted to see about my mind skill. When I wasn't able to identify everything in the throne room he called my skills pathetic and laughable, so I yelled at him. He hit my face with some magic and I fell to the floor, and when I was on the floor he pinned me down and an agonizing pain ripped through my mind against my shields."
"Did he break into your mind?" Murtagh's voice was urgent.
"No. No he didn't. But I'm pretty sure if he wanted to he could have."
They fell into a worried silence. "Ian what if he had broken into my mind? He would have found out the truth." They decided to use each other's fake names while they were in Urû'baen in case someone ended up overhearing them talk.
"Could you have shown him fake memories?"
"I could have, but if he ended up going through your mind as well we wouldn't have the same memories and he would find out that we are lying."
"Then why don't we think of some?"
"Because even if we do think of a story line our thoughts of it would be different, and that would make the memories different. Similar? Yes, but not the same."
Murtagh sighed, "What are we gonna do about it?"
"If one of us made up the memories then the other can enter their mind and see the memories for themselves and just use the same memories but from a different point of view. Aquila can help us with our other memories if we ever need to hide our real memories, or the fake ones."
"I'll think of the memories tonight, and in the morning you can go through them and change them to your perspective."
David closed his eyes, "Tell me when you're done then."
AN: Sorry, that was kind of a bad ending for the chapter