"Remove your tunic." The teen whirled around in shock. His hands were clutching the fabric close to his chest. It was one thing to remove his clothes in front of Ajihad - the man wasn't a mass murderer and wouldn't dare try to do something while Saphira and Eragon were there. However for this man, he could do no such thing willingly. Galbatorix glared. "You have leggings, I'm not asking you to take those off, but if you insist on standing there like a gaping fish then I'll remove it for you!" He made a move to do so, but the teen was already unhooking the clasps around his neck and slowly becgan removing it (like the king knew he would.) For as much as the boy didn't want to take it off, he wanted far less for it to be forced off of him. When it was removed, the teen was commanded to set it aside, as he would not need it.
Standing there topless Murtagh shivered under the gaze. He heard from behind him the shuffling of objects from a desk beside the wall, and he forced himself not to turn. He did not want to know what was occuring behind him. Footsteps made their way towards him, and he shuddered visably as Galbatorix ran his nails lightly over the hideous scar on the boy's back.
"It's sad...what a father will do to their son." Galbatorix whispered quietly, his breath on his neck causing another shudder to rack the boy's body. The man raised his arm, and as the boy closed his eyes hugging his chest quietly, he dropped it. Pain shot through the teen's back, and he stumbled forward, hissing as he toppled onto the stairs to the throne. "Up." Barked the command, and Murtagh forced himself to his feat. Another lash soon appeared on his skin, and once more he fell to the floor. Once more, he was commanded back to his feat. His yells ceased, and now the teen was biting back the screams. He did not want any to take any pleasure from his pain.
The lashes kept falling, and finally after the eleventh blow, the child broke under the beating. As he was commanded to his feat, Murtagh looked up with wild eyes. His legs shot out first, kicking at the King's in one swift blow - forcing him to the ground. Then he bolted, going to the main door - locked. Turning quickly, and noting that Galbatorix was getting up, he charged towards the back door - locked. Only one door left and as he forced his body towards it, and was caught off gaurd when it opened.
Running through the doors and slamming them shut behind him, he locked it and leaned against it. Harsh breaths was the only thing left that he had, and he coughed harshly trying to regulate his short sharp gasps. Finally he managed to calm down enough to look around the room. It was then that his eyes came face to face with the largest creature he had ever seen. It's nose inches from his face, and smoke pouring from it's nostrils, the beast opened it's jaws and let out an ear peircing scream. Breath flying so fast out of it's mouth that Murtagh felt himself be lifted slightly from the ground and thrown back into the door, and as it stepped closer it's eyes flashed angrily and it growled furiously once more. Murtagh looked up at it, noting the distant but distict similarities between Saphira and Shruikan.
"Well...right..." He judged his chances. He was fairly certain that should he leave and go to Galbatorix once more he would be in a terrible amount of pain for the rest of his short life. However, if he stayed he would most certainly be killed. Then again, Shruikan could hear Galbatorix's thoughts, and so the dragon wouldn't kill him...would it? It took a step forward, eyes blazing with hatred. He moved to the side. "You...you can hear his thoughts cant you?" He asked, watching as the dragon paused. He continued to move farther from the door, walking backwards - eyes on the beast. "Will you kill me then? Is he telling you not to...or am I to die?" At this the great beast shook it's head, smoke pouring from it's nostrils. Murtagh took one more step back - heel hitting a stair. The door rattled. He looked at it, as did the dragon. Then their eyes met once more. "Or are you just going to keep me here...until he comes to kill me himself?" The dragon took a gigantic step forward, and he started to acend the stairs backwards - not knowing really where he was going. Suddenly the stairs stopped, and he looked around him, noticing he was in the center of the room. The dragon snorted, smoke flying from his nose - moving forward once more. "I'm sorry...could you tell him that? To the Rider...if you ever see him. The Rider on the blue dragon - Saphira. If you ever see them...could you tell them I'm sorry?" The dragon looked bemused for a momment, but then a loud and clear voice echoed in his head.
"Why do you not tell them yourself? Young one..." before Murtagh could say anything the beast let out a loud yell - just as the doors flew open and a curse was thrown. Hit by both curse and force, Murtagh flew backwards - slamming into a table of sorts and crashing to the floor. Suddenly a scream that could only have been a mixture of his own and the King's s voices in one echoed out into the room as a large stone case came crashing off the table and onto the teen. the Stone met his right arm - shattering it on impact. As the teen began to loose consciousness - he vaguly felt something warm rolling to his cest. His left arm, as if acting on it's own - covering it. Darkness took him.
Galbatorix stared at the teen before him. Blood smearing everything around him, stone planted firmly on his arm. One of the eggs had fallen from it's case, while the other was still inside of it - face down and sitting firmly on his now shattered arm. He sighed as he looked at the bloody and broken mess before him. Murtagh would surely die if he didn't get healed now. With a wave of his hand the stone case was lifted back onto the table. Moving to the boy he pulled the red egg from underneath him and placed it back inside of it. Then sinking back down he raised a hand and murmered the healing words.
As the wounds dissapeared, Galbatorix looked up at Shruikan and frowned.
"Why do you say such things to children who have no hope?" The dragon simply smirked at him, leaning closely and giveing the teen a soft nudge with his muzzle.
"Why do you continue to bring him back if all he does is run away?" With that Shruikan spread his giant wings and flew to the other end of the room, tucking his tail in and settling down to sleep.
Murtagh did not wake up for nearly two weeks, and in that time Galbatorix had suffered through roughly one heartattack, five migranes, and ten sleepless nights. He was actually begining the debate of why he even brought the kid back in the first place if all he ever caused was such chaos.
Three nights ago the King could not sleep no matter what he tried. He was pacing in the throne room when Shruikan started calling to him frantically. Telling him something was wrong with the eggs. Instantly he charged into the room and up the stairs expecting to see the eggs gone - but was granted with another site all together. The red egg was shaking in it's seat in the case. Soon lines started forming and all of a sudden a head popped out. Then a body. The baby looked up, expecting to see his chosen, only to stare into the face of the king. Frowning the baby hiccuped some smoke and ended up knocking himself off the table all together.
Shruikan leaned down and looked the baby in the face. Red eyes looking into his black, the baby boy seemed to smile and he hopped onto the elderly dragon's nose - wings draping over it's muzzel. Galbatorix sent a command for the dragon to fly to Murtagh's chambers with the baby, and he would meet him there.
Quickly the two set off, and when the baby dragon was safely inside the unconscious teen's chambers it hiccuped once more - this time with glee - and once more knocked itself off of the surface it was sitting on (only this time it was Murtagh's bed). Galbatorix watched, facinated at the appearence of the first baby dragon he had seen in hundreds of years. The red creature popped itself back on the bed and pushed his head into the boy's hand. Instantly light filled the room, and when it dissapated, the Gedway ignasia glowed strong on the teen's hand.
Baby dragon snuggled beside the teen, hiccuping smoke again, and this time falling right into the boy's tired arms. Finally feeling contentment, the baby fell asleep happy.
It was only after the fact, when the baby continued to hiccup amazing amounts of smoke for such a young one, that eventually Murtagh's shirt caught on fire nearly burning half the skin on his shoulder away. From there the baby continued to knock over priceless glass objects and reek havok on the maids who attempted to clean up the room.
When the boy finally did awake, and see the dragon for the first time, the baby leapt into his arms and ended up knocking him not only off the bed - but caused his head to smash into a bedside table effectivly knocking him out once more. Finally Galbatorix had had enough, and demanded that Shruikan manage to keep the baby not only away from Murtagh until he finally woke up (again), but to keep him from destroying anything else.
That ended badly to, as the rambunctious baby knocked over the final egg at least three times, and continued to bite the old war dragon in places where he shouldn't have. That on it's own earned the tiny red creature a good shake from his tail - which ended up creating a slight curve to it that was more so then the average dragon.
The King finally remembered why he hated babies so much...and it was the simple fact that they just manage to cause destruction every where they went.
Windstar: Disclaimer will always be the same for I have no reason to change it.