AN: I don't think that Rhet's past is even that important to the story line. I just find it interesting. Don't worry, the next chapter will actually move the plot along. Unless I decide to be evil...

Disclaimer: Don't own anything, even though I wish I did.

Chapter Six
Rhet

"My family and I used to live in Narda. It's on the western coast of Alagaësia, to the north. Ironically enough, we were heading for Surda to be free of the king's rule when we were captured. Going through a part of the Hadarac was the quickest route.

"The slavers came out of nowhere. They saw my father reach for his sword— They shot him. The arrow hit him right in the heart, so at least he didn't suffer.

"My mother— She said she'd rather die than be a slave, and she grabbed my father's sword. She killed two of them before they even knew what was happening." Rhet smiled proudly, then became serious again. "They killed her, too. But she fought them," he said defiantly. "You should have seen the scratches they had the next day." He smiled bitterly.

"And then I was brought to Urû'baen. From there, you pretty much know my story," he concluded.

There was nothing left to do after that but to catch an hour or two of sleep. Rhet had a bottom bunk, so it had only made sense for them to switch beds until Taize's leg healed.

At first when Rhet lay down next to her, she thought that he had forgotten their arrangement. She was about to hiss at him the fact that he was a blubberheaded idiot when he put his arms around her. Even though it was dark, she could see his sad smile, and she hugged him back.

That was how she fell asleep, clinging to Rhet as though he was a living teddy bear. It was such a pleasant feeling, a protected feeling, as though nothing could ever hurt them as long as they were together, and despite herself, Taize fell asleep feeling hopeful.

When she awoke the next morning, he was gone, and she was sure that it was for good. Dras-Leona…She felt tears welling at the edges of her vision.

Taize wondered what was wrong with her. She never cried. She hadn't since she was five. She hadn't cried when her mother died, nor when she had been captured, not even when Rhia had died. Even previously when she had been feeling particularly hopeless, she had just felt numb.

But now she couldn't stop crying. Losing Rhet had unlocked something within her that had been sealed eleven years ago when she'd come across her mother dying in the street.

And so she cried for what felt like days, for Lia, for the fact that she would die a slave, for Rhia, for hopelessness. Mostly, though, she cried for Rhet, knowing that soon he would be in a place even worse than where she was now.

She had considered suicide many times before, but then there had always been a spark of hope that had stopped her from killing herself. Now, though, what was the point? There was nothing left to look forward to. Maybe some people would have been happy to be able to remove the splint she was still stuck in, but for her it would just mean a return to the usual drudgery of a slave's life.

"Do you have anything sharp?" she asked a slave near her who was on his way to be assigned his day's work. "I'd like to slit my wrists now." There was only a hint of black humor in her voice.

The rest of her was deadly serious.

The great room gradually emptied, and Taize was left alone for the rest of the day, as usual. As she was beginning her search for something pointy, a man came through the door. By the design on his tunic, she recognized him as being a part of the king's imperial guard.

"You are the disobedient slave…girl?" he asked, eyeing her hair and clothes.

"It figures no one bothers to find out my name. But yeah, that's me." She was so pleased at being called disobedient that she nearly missed his next words.

"King Galbatorix wishes to see you."