Disclamier: See the first chapter
Chapter 13
Eve lay limply on the flour of her dungeon cell. It was 6 by 6 of gray stone walls with a heavy wood door with a window too tall for her to see through. In the corner there was a bucket to her business, and in the other corner a burlap sack she used as a bed. She'd been brought her some time ago, she had no way to tell time, but by how often Galbatorix came to torture her.
Now she lay weakly dreading the next session with evil king. They hadn't tried to block her link to Storm which she soon found was because they were starving the dragon and she could feel his hunger acutely. It was driving her crazy, especially when they regularly fed her. Storm was otherwise treated well and fed just enough to keep him form dying. He spent his days laying weakly hungry and unable to rest due to a potion they put in his found every time he ate. It made him experience immense pain when he tried to sleep. Eve was exhausted because of it.
This was only the beginning though. Galbatorix had given her a potion to reveal her true name to herself. Then he went about trying to torture the information out of her. So far he was unsuccessful. She knew her true name and Storms but she wasn't telling. She knew she was close though. Finally now after the last session she'd decided to give in. She had spent her time making up a fake identity for herself.
She was the daughter of a butcher Yourvan and his wife Melinda. She was sixteen, she had an orange tabby cat named pumpkin, and the family dog Sparks. They owned a milk cow Betty, a flock of chickens, and a mean barn cat Spitz. She had a friend named Mandy. They lived in a small village called Yazuac. She'd been in Daret apprenticing with the towns seamstress Karen when Yazuac was run down by Urgals.
Unable to afford her apprenticeship and wanting to get revenge on the empire she fled to the Varden. She never made it though for she met an old wander who she stopped to help. After helping the man he taught her some spells in the ancient language and gave her a dragon egg. She stayed with the man for a while. Then the egg hatched for her and thus she bonded with the dragonet. He taught her the basics of caring for a dragon and how do very basic spells. How she'd gone to elves in hopes of being trained, and only being sent on her way.
(Storm I think I have a solid alibi now, can you take my memories?) Eve asked the dragon
(Of course, and I agreed the alibi is solid.) Storm answered weakly, (What if they lore you over to their side?)
Eve sighed, (Then I shall be his slave till we are far enough from here that you could free us.)
(Of course.) Storm sighed in a resigned way
(If Galbatorix tries to teach me magic and stuff let him, don't bring me back till we've have learned all we can.) Eve demanded
(And if we are ordered to hurt the other riders?) Storm asked he didn't sound happy with the situation at all
(Then it's up to you to decide how much we do before you bring me back, I trust you, beloved.) Eve smiled slightly and winced as if opened the scab on her cracked lip.
Storm agreed and reached into her mind and took the memories. The pain it caused drove Eve to black out and descend into darkness.
From now on I'll be calling Eve Ella because of the
mind gaurd that she and Storm did. If you don't
like it... well tough. I hope you continue to
enjoy my fic despite the sudden change
in the main character.
Ella roused slowly and looked weakly up at the face of her captor and shivered. She whimpered internally and reached with her mind to her dragon Crivony for comfort and was hearted when she received it.
(Stay strong love.) the gray dragon crooned
Ella resolved herself to more torture and let Murtagh drag her form the dungeon cell and down the hall to the torture room. As they neared it she struggled weakly and made little sounds of protest. Inside the room the walls were covered in instruments of torture and fairths of people enduring torture. She whimpered and struggled wildly as Murtagh strapped her into a leather harness that hung form the ceiling so that her feet barely touched the floor, and she had to stand on the ball of her feet.
Murtagh looked her in the in before he moved away, "Stay strong, you don't want to be a slave to him, it's not pretty, believe me."
Galbatorix came into the room then and grinned at her evilly, "I have a special treat for you today my pretty."
Ella shuddered and whimpered in horror as he pulled a branding iron from a fire across the room.
"This is the personal brand of the empire, we us it on all cattle brought to me in taxes. Now if you don't tell me your name I'll brand you with it." Galbatorix held it up, "Well what's your name."
Ella shook her head wildly and sobbed pathetically as approached.
"Come now my dear no ones come to save you so they mustn't care for you enough, if you join me you'll be always loved and cared for?" Galbatorix offered. Ella just sobbed and shook her head.
"Well, then I regretfully have to hurt you," and the man pressed the branding iron onto the side of her exposed hip. She threw head back and screamed loudly. He removed the brand form her hip and soothed her saying all sorts of nonsense about how he only wanted her name, her pretty little name.
Ella looked up into his eyes and glared angrily, "It'll take a hell of a lot more than that to break me."
Galbatorix nodded and reached for a cat of nine tails on the wall. He circled her talking to her. Ella tried tune him out but she found her self listening anyway.
"You wouldn't have to go through all this if you'd just give me your name." He grabbed her by the shoulder and sliced her shirt down the back so that fell open exposing her already scabbed flesh to his whip.
"Am I so bad that you don't want to serve me?" The King growled, "Do you hate me?"
Ella grimaced as the whip lashed across her back reopening her wounds.
"Do you hate my vision for the future that much?" Galbatorix asked, the whip lash at her back again, wrenching a cry of pain from her.
"Maybe you don't know what I am trying to mold this dirty world into."
The whip lashed out leaving a her back burning as if he were using a rope of fire.
"You see I'm trying to create a world where all beings are equal, weather you be human, darwf, or elf."
Ella sobbed openly as the whip struck again.
"I will build large city of white stone, build large ships to transport goods, farm so that we have bigger and better harvest. In the end all shall live like kings."
The whip struck her in the lower bak drawing a scream from her lips.
"We will have better healers so that people don't die of useless disease, more guards so that Urgal raids fail more often, and more teachers so that all may read and figure their numbers."
This time when the whip struck Ella didn't make a sound she was so over come with pain.
"Then when our own lands flourish and are beautiful beyond compare, we shall strike out and see what there is to be found beyond the sea."
The whip crashed down on her back again, and Ella hung limply silent tears streaming down her face.
"I shall rebuild the riders into a strong proud order, they shall lead us into these new lands, and keep our peace." Galbatorix didn't bring the whip down on her back this time.
This time he walked around her and stood in front of her, "Does all that sound really as awful?"
Ella looked up into his eyes tears streaming down her face, "I will not be a slave."
Galbatorix tutted softly, "No Lovely, you will never be anyone's slave, ever."
Ella glared at him, "You would make me yours."
The King dropped to his knee so he could look her full in the face. "Lovely I only want to know your true name to insure that you don't betray me. I'd never make you my slave."
Ella shook her head, "The elves said-"
"The elves don't like my ideal future. They don't want to be equals, they fancy themselves better then us humans." Galbatorix said a sickly sweat tone of voice.
Ella looked at him and let lose a coking sob, "I don't trust you."
Galbatorix sighed heavily, "So torture won't do it then will it."
Ella shook her head with looking at him.
"Well, then I'll just have to prove I'm trust worthy won't I." The King stood and released her bindings.
Ella's legs were so cramped that as soon as the support vanished she crumpled to the ground in a heap.
"Just bare in mind, lovely, that I will bring you back here and torture you if you ever try to wrong me."
Ella nodded brokenly and remained hunched over on the ground.
"Murtagh, take her to the rooms on the fifth floor. She'll stay there from now on. Leave her on the bed, her wounds are not to be treated till I say. It is up to her to come join us when she feels ready."
Murtagh must have agreed because the next thing Ella knew she was being hefted off the ground and into Murtagh's arms. She was so immersed in her own pain that she wasn't sure where they went. Where ever they went was dimly lit and cool. He laid her on her stomach on a soft surface, and went to leave.
"How long have I been here?"
Murtagh hesitated, "A month day after Tomorrow."
Ella sighed and winced at the pain it cause her back, "Is what he says true?"
"As far as I can tell." Murtagh answered, "He seems bent on trying to mold the world to fit his dreams."
Ella nodded, "How does he treat you?"
"Generally very well. I have more authority then any of the nobles in Ur'baen."
"How about his treatment of your dragon?" Eve asked
"Thorn gets feed regularly, his only complaint is how antisocial Shruikan is."
"What will happen if I give into him?" Ella asked
"He will teach you all sorts of wondrous things, in exchange for your services." Murtagh explained, "He'll send us to go check rumors about dragon rider sightings, support villages, protect the people, and deliver missives to his Generals. You'd spend a lot of time flying to all sorts of exotic places."
Ella nodded, "Doesn't sound half bad."
"It isn't." Murtagh said and then left the room with out anything else said
AN: Sorry this took so long but I ran out of insperation. This sudden bought of it might stick around, then again it might not. All depends on reviews and how my life in the reall world likes to play out.
Dont' forget to review!