Powerful Gifts

As promised in my authors note, I have two chapters today. I hope you enjoy what I am doing with this story, I am starting to get more and more reviews on each chapter, which makes my happy. BTW warning, this has a rather sappy brother brother moment. R/R

Eragon, the next morning.

Eragon awoke to the sounds of his sleeping dragon, and to birds singing outside of his window. Sun had just spilled over the horizon and into his room, but his first thoughts were on Murtagh.

"I wonder how he is feeling this morning." stated Eragon

"I don't know little one, but we shouldn't go and check now, normal people are asleep."replied Saphira

"I know, but I could hardly sleep last night. I feel bad about what I told Murtagh when he arrived here. He didn't mean to hurt anyone, and I guess that he is my brother."

"Those who are family are very special to you. Murtagh is no less your brother than Roran."

"I know that Saphira, but do you think he will remember what I am talking about if I tell his I am sorry."

"I bet he will remember, but if he doesn't, at least you will have it off of your chest."

"I guess you are right. What can be wrong with apologizing, nothing can go wrong with it."

Murtagh in his room

"I feel much better today Thorn." said Murtagh from the desk. He was sitting in front of a bowl of water

"I am glad to hear it Murtagh, but what are you doing?"replied Thorn

"I am trying to scry Violet, but I can't see her."

"What?!? No, you should not do magic yet, yesterday you could barely walk, now you are using magic!"

"Yes Thorn, and I plan to save Violet, but it would be nice if you helped me, you know, since I shouldn't overexert myself." replied Murtagh in an I told you so tone.

"Fine, but then thats it for the day."

"Okay, just get over here."

As thorn pushed his magic alongside Murtagh's, a picture appeared in the bowl of water. A brown eyed red haired girl stared back at him, but Murtagh could see the girl was Violet, and she had blood smeard on her face. She also had dark rings around her eyes, and bruises on her chest and back. Murtagh forced all of his power onto the picture, but saw nothing more before he fell to the ground utterly spent. That amount of magic would on a regular basis cause no weakness at all, but with Murtagh's weakened state Murtagh nearly blacked out.

After a couple of minutes of lying with his head on the table, Murtagh spoke.

"Thorn, we have to get to her."

"What makes you think that, she could have looked that way at anything."

"No Thorn, Galbatorix must have be have fond out I loved her, I can feel it, I can see it in her eyes. I have seen that look before on Galbatorix's victims. It all means the same thing."

"Murtagh, calm down. You can hardly scry without my help, there is no way at all that you could fly to the castle and sneak her out without that wretched king knowing."

"I know, but her face Thorn. Her face."

Murtagh laid his head down and let a tear fall from his eye. Murtagh had hardly ever let anyone, including Thorn himself, see him cry. Through all the tortures that Galbatorix put him through, Murtagh had never cried, but now, here he was loving someone beyond all measure in life, but was unable to stop the flow of tears.

As Murtagh calmed down, there was a soft thumping outside of the tree house. It was Eragon and Saphira flying towards them, as if on cue to come and comfort his brother.

"Murtagh, I need to talk to you." told Eragon a little restlessly

"Yes."

Murtagh had now turned towards the rider with a sparkle in his swollen eyes.

"I would like to...er-"

Saphira nudged him n the should, trying to get her rider to continue. Eragon breathed in deeply then started again.

"I would like to apologize for... what I said before you entered Ellesmera."

Murtagh looked dazed at the younger rider then smiled as Eragon continued.

"I was wrong for what I said, and should have thought before I spoke, and..."

Eragon hesitated in an awkward silence before he continued.

"And I am glad to call you may brother."

Murtagh stood in awe at Eragon's words before he spoke his reply.

"Eragon, I have never been happier to here anything more for a long time."

Eragon and Murtagh stared at each other for a long time before Eragon changed the subject.

"Have you been crying brother?"

Struck off guard by the randomness of the question before he nodded his head.

"Yes."

"Why were you crying...brother?"

"I don't really want to talk about it."

Eragon stared at Murtagh for a long time before asking again

"Murtagh, please tell me."

Murtagh looked up at his younger brother, then spoke.

"While at the castle, I fell in love with this girl..." tears were welling back into Murtagh's eyes, but he quickly shoved them away and continued. "Her name was Violet, and she was one of the most amazing people I have ever met. She was beautiful and kind and one of the few people I could trust in the castle.

She and I fell for each other, and were hardly separable, but when I came here..." Murtagh's voice faltered again, and he let new tears fall from his eyes and down his cheeks. "When I came here... Galbatorix got his chance... He knows...that I love her...and now... at this moment...is torurturing her, for any information she has about me."

"Oh." Eragon's face took on a concerned look for his brother, the Murtagh continued.

"I...have...to go...back." said Murtagh between sobs, "I...have to save her...from the prison that I built for her."

Murtagh broke into more sobs, and Eragon stayed with him until his older brother cried himself to sleep.

I know, super sappy, but the story has to go somewhere, and as much as I can't see Murtagh crying, I wanted to get the message across that he has fallen deeply in love and feels that it is his fault for Violet's torture. I hope you all like it, it took me forever to write.