Disclaimer: Don't own Eragon.
Finally you get a small, very small, microscopically small taste of the romance, but do not fret, for it will increase as the story continues.
THANK YOU FOR HELPING ME BREAK MY REVIEW RECORD! Standing now at 68 it is the most I have ever received in the shortest time with the least amount of chapters. I love you all!
Thank you to The Masquerade Moth for one of the riddles!
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'Garrick...Garrick...Garrick...Garrick...Garrick...'
Alycie nearly screamed the name as she was shaken awake, but a hand covered her mouth, preventing the noise. She looked up at the owner of the appendage and felt a wave of relief wash over her when she saw it was Murtagh. He held a finger to his lips, removing his hand slowly.
'What is it?' mouthed Alycie. She noticed the sword in his hand.
"Horses," whispered Murtagh.
Alycie stood slowly, pulling her small dagger out of her boot. Murtagh shook his head, pointing first at her, then to Saphira, who stood ready beside Eragon, and then to the sky. Alycie tried to protest without words, but her companion was already walking to the dragon and Rider, holding his sword ready. Alycie followed cautiously, listening.
A loud snarl suddenly broke the silence and the group turned sharply, coming face to face with an Urgal. Eragon shouted a word in the ancient language and the Urgal exploded suddenly. Alycie turned as Saphira roared loudly in time to see a score or so more of Urgals rush in on them from the side. Murtagh ran out to meet them, clashing swords with a cry. Eragon found himself suddenly occupied with a group of four at one time. Alycie stayed close to Saphira, brandishing her dagger whenever an Urgal came close. Before she could attack a single one, Saphira had dismembered it before her eyes.
"Fly, Saphira!" came a shout and Alycie turned in time to see Eragon fall to the ground unconscious at an Urgal's feet. She began to run towards him, but heard someone call her name. Steely claws closed around her middle and she watched in surprise as her feet left the ground.
From high above, Alycie saw the remaining Urgals lift Eragon onto their shoulders and carry him off towards Gil'ead. Dizziness swept over her and she closed her eyes with a groan. After a moment, she chanced a glance up at Saphira. She was flying determinedly away from Gil'ead and the Urgals, her great blue wings flapping. As she turned back to the ground, she spotted Murtagh riding Tornac, leading the other two horses the same way Saphira was flying. Alycie shouted at him, but he paid her no attention, pointing at a cluster of trees across a short plain and calling something to Saphira that Alycie couldn't hear over the roar of the wind.
They landed in the midst of the pines and firs with a loud thud as Saphira's clawed feet hit the ground. Her curved talons released Alycie suddenly, leaving her standing unsteadily on her own before her imbalance overwhelmed her and she fell over. Murtagh arrived with the horses a minute later, dismounting gracefully, sheathing his blade, and walking to a nearby stream. He knelt down and began splashing water on his face. Alycie scrambled to her feet, marching over to him.
"We have to go back! We have to rescue him!" she cried. "I'll not leave him to rot in a cold, stone prison!" Murtagh looked at her in disbelief, standing.
"Do you really think we would leave Alagaësia's only hope and savior to rot in a cold, stone prison!?" he exclaimed incredulously. "Did you think I would abandon him just like that and run away with his dragon? Do you really think I planned to do that?" Alycie closed her mouth, her face relaxing and growing red as her eyes dropped to the stream.
"No...I...I just thought--" Her eyes flicked back to his apologetically.
"No, you didn't think," said Murtagh, staring at her. "You really don't trust me, do you?"
"How can I when you keep yourself shrouded in secrecy?" asked Alycie.
"Have I done you wrong so far? Have I given you reason not to trust me?" asked Murtagh.
"...No..." said Alycie after a moment. Murtagh raised an eyebrow.
"Then what more evidence do you need?" he asked. Alycie sighed.
"Well I'd trust you more if you told me about yourself," she muttered.
"I can't," said Murtagh. "For reasons you cannot control."
"What do you mean?" asked Alycie.
"Even if you would keep my secrets, they can be extracted from you without your consent. You are aware of how Eragon reads your thoughts. There are others with that same power who use it regularly to get the information they want. Anyone who wanted to know my secrets would have only to go to you and read your mind and they would know."
"And they wouldn't just read yours?" asked Alycie. Murtagh paused.
"I have worked my entire life blocking my mind from invaders," he said. "My mind is the last sanctuary I have, and I intend to protect it by any means possible." Alycie nodded. Murtagh sighed, crossing his arms and looking up at the sky. "Now it will be nearly impossible to get into Gil'ead because of the little mishap." Alycie blushed. "I'll have to disguise myself well...Saphira, I will need your help." The dragon roared in approval. "But we cannot go now. The security is always tightest when the capture is fresh." He walked to Tornac, withdrew his bow, and began walking out of the clearing.
"Where are you going?" asked Alycie.
"To hunt. I can't think without a hot meal in my stomach," he called back. Alycie watched him leave, and then looked at Saphira.
"He thinks I'm useless," she said. Saphira gave a low growl, almost like a purr. Alycie looked glumly at her for a moment, then walked to Snowfire, retrieving some flint and tinder.
She made a small pile of dry sticks and leaves and began striking the rocks together to create a fire. After a minute or two, the spark caught. Alycie busied herself finding small stones to enclose the pile so as not to burn the entire clearing to a crisp. After a while, she began finding bigger and bigger sticks to add onto the pile. By the time Murtagh returned, the flame was at a good steady blaze.
Once the food had begun to cook, Murtagh started describing a plan to Saphira. Alycie listened in, feeling slightly reproachful. She had made a few mistakes and now he thought her completely useless. She would not take this.
"I could help you," she said, staring at him.
"How?" asked Murtagh. "You can't fight. You can't read. You can't use magic. What can you do? What is your special skill?" Alycie thought. When one lives her whole life in slavery their skills aren't particularly notable.
"I...I...I riddle," she said finally, remembering the bard, who had turned out to be Brom.
"You riddle. Oh, I see how pretty poems can get us into an armed fortress," said Murtagh sarcastically. Alycie frowned, her mind thinking quickly.
"I am also a woman," she said hesitantly. Murtagh threw another stick onto the blaze, glancing up at her.
"Girl more like," he said tauntingly. "What are you suggesting?"
"Well how else do you plan to keep the guards distracted?" asked Alycie quickly. Murtagh stopped, and then looked up at her in honest shock. He hesitated, his mouth open. He closed it, and then opened once more. He sighed, smiling.
"I am at a loss for words," he said. His smile disappeared as his face became serious. "Are you willing?"
"I suggested it; I should say I am," said Alycie. She was willing, yes, but terrified all the same, though at the moment her fear was quelled by her strong desire to prove herself to this taunting mystery of a man. "Am I not capable of that either in your eyes?"
"Capability isn't the question," said Murtagh, looking her up and down. "I'm positive you are quite capable of distracting the guards. But are you absolutely willing to put yourself in that much danger?" His answer surprised Alycie, and she was surprised to find a concealed compliment in his words. She recovered herself quickly.
"Yes. It is to save the savior of Alagaësia, and a friend," she said. Murtagh laughed, shaking his head in disbelief.
"You must have a death wish," he said. "First you continue to travel with two strangers running from the Empire, then you attempt to venture into Gil'ead alone to find information, and finally you are suggesting to walk right up to a prison guard and put your modesty in danger." He looked at her, puzzlement clear on his face. "Why?"
"It's burning," said Alycie, pointing at the roasting rabbits. Murtagh's attention quickly was diverted to the meal and he took them off the makeshift spit, busying himself with bowls for broth.
While he worked Alycie thought about his question. Did she really have a death wish? It seemed the only reasonable explanation for her actions. Indeed, why was she putting everything she had in danger for these two boys she had only known for a few weeks? Murtagh handed her a bowl of food and they ate in silence, Alycie still dwelling on her motives.
"So after this you'll be staying in Gil'ead?" asked Murtagh after a while.
"What?" asked Alycie.
"Your destination was Gil'ead, you told us back at the inn in that town."
"Yes, it was then, but now I wish to continue on with you and Eragon," said Alycie.
"So you will go to the Varden as well?" asked Murtagh. Alycie nodded.
"Why do you not wish to go with us?" she asked. "To the Varden?" Murtagh looked at her darkly.
"Because the Varden are as dangerous to me as the Empire," he said. Alycie knew he would not answer anything further.
The rest of the day went by slowly. Murtagh refined his plan, informing Saphira of her part. Alycie made few suggestions, thinking more of what she was to do. After a while, the plan was fully constructed and understood. Alycie stood.
"Could we spar some? I feel restless just sitting here," she said, withdrawing her dagger. Murtagh shook his head.
"We cannot dull the blades without Eragon," he said. Alycie nodded, returning the dagger to her boot. "But find some sturdy sticks and we could spar with them well enough."
"Alright," said Alycie. She turned, walking into the thicker cluster of trees, searching. A fallen branch caught her eye and she picked it up, drawing her dagger and cutting off the thin appendages of it, leaving it solid and smooth. She found another and repeated the gesture, walking back into camp and tossing a stick to Murtagh.
They walked away from the fire, holding their staves at the ready. Then, without warning, Alycie shot out her arm at his leg. He parried, quickly moving to strike her shoulder. She ducked, turning her stick to the side in alarm, managing to barely block it. She stabbed for his chest, but he deflected the blow. As her stick was thrown off to the side, Alycie swung it in a quick arc, moving to hit his right shoulder. His stick met hers in the air.
Alycie smiled and moved her hand, her stick still against his. The end of her makeshift sword slid down the rough surface of her opponent's 'weapon' and hit his unguarded hands. Hard. He relinquished a hand, hissing in pain, and Alycie moved her arms in a loop, twisting her stick around his and, pushing down, levered it out of his hands. It fell to the ground and she pointed her stave at his unguarded chest.
"Dead," she said. Murtagh snorted, bending to picking up his stick once more.
"There are hand guards on real blades," he said. "In a real battle, that trick would not have worked." Alycie ignored him, swinging her stick to the side to hit his ribs as he straightened.
"Dead," she said again, a smile crossing her delighted face. "Dead, dead, dead." She poked his chest. Murtagh grabbed her stick and yanked it out of her hands, putting his own at her shoulder.
"Dead," he said. Alycie reached for her stick, but he tapped her other shoulder. "Dead."
She pounced, knocking the stick out of his hands and plummeting with him to the ground. Early memories of her childhood with Garrick flashed through her mind as this scenario became familiar. He had always won fights like this. Murtagh put his arms on her shoulders, lifting her off of him and rolling over so that he was on top of her. She smacked at his chest, but he caught her arms and pinned them down one at a time.
"Do you give up yet?" he asked. Alycie struggled in vain against his grip. She stopped, relaxing, looking up into his face. Her head lifted off of the ground suddenly and her lips met his, pressing against them in a kiss. Murtagh immediately pulled away, getting to his feet. She sat up, looking at him.
"Would you look at that? I'm free," she said, smiling. Murtagh didn't return the smile. He turned away, walking back to the fireside. Alycie's smile disappeared and she got to her feet, following him. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean..."
He picked up his bow, muttering something about hunting and stalking off into the woods. He did not return for hours. Alycie stared into the fire for a while, brooding on her actions. Then she had walked to Snowfire and retrieved the map of Alagaësia, looking over it. She furrowed her brow, looking at the small scribbled names. She tried to read, tried to understand the runes' meanings.
If she looked at Dras-Leona, then she could take the first rune and match it to the last of Gil'ead. She sounded the words out, matching the sounds with the identical runes in each name. The sound of the 'ee' in Dras-Leona also sounded like the 'ee' in Gil'ead. That was two runes down. She matched them with the other names on the map, sounding them out. The 'ah' in Dras-Leona matched with that in Gil'ead. That was three. Four with the 'l'. There was an 'n' in Urû'baen as well, making five runes recognizable. Alycie squealed with excitement, leaning closer to the parchment. 'U' was twice in the capital's name, meaning it sounded as 'oo' when it was said, since that occurred twice.
She worked on deciphering until dark when she was forced to quickly find more sticks to sustain the dying flame. Finally, Murtagh returned, another catch slung over his shoulder. He looked up darkly, spotting her grin as she threw a large stick onto the fire.
"What are you so happy about?" he asked, sitting and beginning to skin the animals.
"Taught myself to read while you were gone," replied Alycie proudly. Murtagh looked back at her, interested.
"Do tell," he said. Alycie took the map, walking over and sitting next to him, pointing at the names.
"I knew these three places on the map," she said. "And I matched the runes with other names and deciphered them." Murtagh pointed at a small town next to the long string of mountains that represented the Spine.
"What does that say then?" he asked. Alycie looked at it, thinking. After a long while she responded.
"Daret," she said. Murtagh nodded, his gaze returning to his catch.
"Where's Melian then?" he asked. Alycie frowned.
"I don't have all of the letters worked out yet," she said. Murtagh looked at the map.
"You see that small group of trees there?" he asked, nodding at a point on the map above Surda. Alycie nodded. "That says Melian. M-E-L-I-A-N."
"But I thought the...E...makes the 'ee' sound," said Alycie.
"In some words it does," said Murtagh. "In other's it's 'eh'." Alycie thought, then looked at him.
"I'm sorry for kissing you earlier," she said. "I didn't mean anything by it. I just knew it would get you off of me and...well...it was rash...and...I..." She trailed off. Murtagh didn't look up, but Alycie got the feeling that he wasn't holding it against her. She stood and walked to the other side of the fire once more, looking at Saphira.
'No doubt you'll be telling Eragon everything we do...' she thought. Saphira snorted and Alycie could have sworn she saw her head nod twice. She hoped she hadn't seen that.
They sat in silence for another hour, avoiding each other's eyes and chewing on the rabbits Murtagh had caught. Finally, out of the blue, he spoke.
"You say you riddle?"
"Aye," said Alycie, looking up.
"Go on then, let's hear one," he said. Alycie frowned.
"Why?"
"I bet I can answer it," he said. Alycie gave him a sarcastic look.
"You're smart, but you're not that smart," she said. Murtagh brushed his hair back from his forehead, smiling.
"Now I'm interested. Go on, tell this riddle I can't solve," he said.
"What is greater than God, more evil than the Devil, the poor have it, the rich need it, and if you eat it you die?" asked Alycie. Murtagh thought. Minutes passed.
"I haven't a clue," he said. "Poison?"
"Nothing," said Alycie. Dawning comprehension crossed Murtagh's face.
"Of course. Tell another one. I wish to try once more."
"What always runs but never walks, often murmurs, never talks, has a bed but never sleeps, has a mouth but never eats?"
"I know this one. A river," said Murtagh. Alycie nodded. "Come, another."
"When young, I am sweet in the sun, when middle-aged, I make you gay, when old, I am valued more than ever."
"Wine," said Murtagh.
They riddled late into the night, both silently apprehensive of what would take place the next night. But this night was for reparations against faults unto each other. Their friendship was restored once more.
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