A/N: Okay, Murtagh stealing the last egg is a bit over done, I know. But there's supposed to be a third rider, and I didn't know what to do. So, I had him steal it. Didn't know what else to do, or how get dragon #3 into the picture, but I promise, no OC's. It's over done and way too typical.

Two:

Hope

"This is a mess," Arya muttered to herself, sitting beside the bed where Murtagh lay in a deep sleep. His counter spell had put a great strain on his body. He was lucky to have survived. Arya wondered if that was such a good thing after all. Even if he was no longer loyal to Galbatorix, there was still the politics to deal with. After the death of Hrothgar, the dwarves were sure to be furious he wouldn't be executed. Nasauda would never allow it, and it could very well put her leadership of the Varden in risk and possibly even the alliances as well.

Arya's own kin would be just as skeptical. If he could escape his vows to serve Galbatrox's cruel will, then technically there was no way to could secure his loyalty to Varden. Those who understood the nature of the ancient language would recognize this a great deal, and it would put many people in doubt of the Varden. Plus, Murtagh knew dark, terrible secrets, and thus unto him they relinquished a dangerous amount of power. That power, even if it were to be used to help Alagaësia today could very well turn against them tomorrow in the aftermath of the war. Once Galbatorix was gone, who was to say that Murtagh would not desire to take over?

Arya grimly gazed down upon the fallen rider. Nasauda was risking a great deal on saving this man's life. She could loose the elves, the dwarves, and even the Surda government as her allies by taking him into her custody. If the Varden doubted Murtagh's loyalty enough, Nasauda might even loose her leadership.

Still, Arya thought. If she can convince everyone otherwise, and if Murtagh cooperates, we could use this to our advantage. He knows a great deal of Galbatrox's secrets, and we can use all the help we can get.

She debated for a moment against all the possibilities, and, despite all her doubtful 'what if's' she decided that to take the chance. They might not have another opportunity like this. Holding her hands above Murtagh's chest, Arya said, "Waíse heill!"

When she was finished, she took her hands away and stopped, noticing the lump under his woolen cloak. There was a rounded package of linen tucked away safely inside. Curious, she took it out and unwrapped the strips of linen. Her eyes widened at the sight of the sparkling emerald green stone hiding beneath the linen. It wasn't a stone though. It was a dragon egg. Its deep green hue shimmered in the flickering torchlight with tiny specks of gold and ochre. All at once, the 'what if's' dissipated. Her hopes lifted instantly.

The promise of victory thickened.

"It was meant for Nasauda," Murtagh said hoarsely.

Arya met his half open, weary gaze. "You have a lot of explaining to do," she said coldly, despite her inner euphoria. "Where did you get this?"

Murtagh gave a choked laugh. "I stole it."

"How? You were loyal to Galbatorix. And you almost murdered Nasauda on his commands—"

"He told me to kill Nasauda," Murtagh interrupted. "He never said anything about not stealing his last egg. It was rather easy, actually."

"You said it was for Nasauda," Arya said. "But you tried to kill her."

"I was hoping to fail." He said this in the ancient language.

"So you suspected to succeed in liberation? Then why didn't you try to free yourself at the Burning Planes?"

Murtagh smiled slightly. "Because I had just thought of using our true names in that manner. I really didn't think it would this well. I was hoping Nasauda would kill me first."

Arya was still skeptical. "You said it was for Nasauda? Upon what basis?"

"I met a woman," Murtagh explained. "Apparently she was a seer. She was the one who had divined the eggs gender. Then she told us that the rider who belonged to that egg would be a woman. Her description of this woman fit Nasauda perfectly, but whether or not this is true is beyond me. I'm no seer."

That must be why he sent Murtagh to kill her, Arya thought. Not just because she was the Varden's leader. She watched him closely for a moment, remembering how defensive Nasauda had been earlier at the suggestion of killing Murtagh. Or was it for…personal reasons?

"Where's your dragon?"

"Waiting a few miles south of Aberon for me to return."

"Why didn't he come with you?"

Murtagh's expression darkened. He said rather bitterly, "Because Galbatorix ordered me to kill Nasauda, not Thorn. He wanted to make sure that I killed her. So he gave us separate oaths. He made them so specific that there was no way around them. I wasn't going to commit to it. I was going to refuse…but then the words, they just came out as if someone else was talking for me."

Arya stood up suddenly. There were some things she had to talk to Nasauda about; things that had to be dealt with immediately, and not just the egg. "You better get some rest then. I don't know what exactly they'll do with you, but if you wish survive, you had better cooperate with Nasauda."

"Of course."

A/N: Wow. What wonderful reviewers I have! And so many too! I think that's my record for a first chapter.

Okay, so Murtagh stealing the last egg is a bit over done, I know. But there's supposed to be a third rider, and I didn't know what to do. So, I had him steal it. Didn't know what else to do, or how get dragon #3 into the picture, so I had him steal it against all odds. But I promise, no OC's. It's over done and way too typical for this story.

#3 will however, give me more controversy to work with.

And I like controversy.

Thanks for the reviews!