Dun dun dun!!!!! DADANNN! Sorry, random. Anywase, just a little reminder, this story is NOT a romance, got it? Just making sure everyone knows. ;)

Disclaimer: is this truly necessary? I am a girl, not a guy. So obviously I am not the man who owns all this. Though I own Kamara, Mandy, and Nathaniel.

Murtagh lay on one of the stone benches in the sparing grounds. Nathaniel was late. Murtagh had been waiting for that kid for at least 15 minutes. Perhaps he forgot. Murtagh thought dully. He was not a patient person, something he had no doubt inherited from his father. Finally Murtagh spotted the back of Nathaniel's head, covered in messy brown hair, walking backward into the quart yard. Murtagh got to his feet and gaped open mouth at Nathaniel who, when he realized he had arrived, turned around and grinned with triumph.

"What on earth where you doing?" Murtagh demanded. Nathaniel continued to grin.

"I made it all the way here walking backwards!" Murtagh resisted the urge to go bang his head against a wall and instead crossed his arms.

"So that is why I was forced to wait for you?" he said in a flat voice. Nathaniel's grin instantly disappeared and he looked at the ground.

"I'm sorry." He muttered. Murtagh rolled his eyes.

"Ya, sure." He said, "So kid,"

"I told you! My name is Nathaniel!" he said angrily. The speed at which this kid could recover from shame was incredulous to Murtagh.

"That takes too long to say." Murtagh muttered. "How about I call you Nathan?"

"Alright." Nathan said.

"As I was saying," Murtagh looked down at Nathan. "Today, I guess, I'll teach you the basic moves of swordplay." He grabbed the two wooden swords he had gotten out earlier and handed the smaller one to Nathan.

Parry, thrust, block, stab! Parry, thrust, block, stab. Murtagh repeated the same moves over, and over, and over. His mind was screaming at him to just disarm Nathan and move on with his life, but he had promised. Murtagh let out an exastperated sigh as, once again, Nathan somehow missed Murtagh's attacks.

"Look, Nathan," Murtagh growled. "I'm not even really attacking you, I shouldn't be getting through your defenses!"

"I'm trying! But it's just so hard!" Nathan was sweating profusely, and his face was beat red. Maybe Murtagh had been pushing too hard.

"Look. We'll stop for today." He said. "Same time tomorrow?" Nathan nodded weakly. Murtagh chucked the sword were the storage room was and strode out of the sparring grounds. Well that was fun. He thought sarcastically.

The next week was possible the most boring and routine of Murtagh's life. He would wake up, take a bath, grab some breakfast from the kitchens and go see if Tornac was free that day. The answer was always no, so Murtagh would spend some time working in the stables then go to the sparring grounds to teach Nathan who, instead of getting better, was getting worse. The boy's frustration was growing and was causing temper tantrums, which annoyed Murtagh immensely.

Stab, parry, parry, lunge, stab. This was the new rhythm Murtagh was trying on Nathan, but it produced little results.

"You're hardly trying!" growled Murtagh as Nathan once again failed to block him. Nathan glared furiously at him.

"I am trying!" he snarled and took his stance. Murtagh sighed and proceeded again. He might as well just left, for in a matter of minutes, Nathan had failed again.

"You're useless!" Murtagh cried furiously. He threw his wooden sword away and started to turn.

"There is no way I can teach someone as pathetic as you." He sneered before fully turning to walk away.

"I am not PATHETIC!" Nathan screamed. He ran at Murtagh's turned figure and brought his sword up to hit Murtagh's back. Murtagh's reaction was so quick Nathan didn't have time to react. Murtagh spun around and grabbed the wooden sword. He wrenched it from Nathan's grip. Nathan let out a scream as Murtagh's first smashes into his nose. The boy fell backwards and hit the ground. Murtagh's eyes seemed on fire. He towered over the cowering Nathan.

"Don't…you…ever!" he breathed. "Try that again!" Nathan started to cry as blood rushed out of his nose.

"You broke it!" he sobbed. Murtagh laughed harshly.

"Good, maybe it will have taught you a lesson. The only lesson I can get through your thick scull." Murtagh's evil mirth turned quickly it annoyance as Nathan continued to cry.

"Stop crying! It shows weakness. Weakness is not aloud." Murtagh said coldly. He had no idea, at the time, who he had just sounded like…

"I'm not weak! Just because I wasn't raised by some high and mighty lord who took care of me and gave me whatever I wanted, including a expert swordsman to train me, doesn't mean your better then me!" Nathan said, tears streaming down his cheek. Nathan realized too late he had struck a nerve. Murtagh's face contorted into such a look of rage he looked inhuman.

"How DARE you! You know nothing about me! I have had to work for everything and anything I have ever gotten in my life! You think my life was easy? At least your mother is still alive! At least your father never abused you. Do you think I wanted to learn how to fight when I was a toddler? Because that is when I was forced to pick up the sword. Yes, FORCED! Don't you ever assume anything about me again, or I will teach you a lesson you will never forget!" and with that he turned on his heels and stormed out of the quart yard, leaving a thoroughly injured and confused Nathan behind.

Murtagh practically ran back into the castle. He finally stopped in a lonely hallway. He was angrier then he had ever been in his life. He wanted to make Nathan pay for what he had said. He had no right! That ungrateful little bastard. Murtagh stopped and took a breath. He had never felt this way before. His anger was a storm inside him, feeding into his will, making him want to destroy. He felt powerful, and it scared him. Murtagh shook his head and slid down the wall into a sitting position. He should not feel this way, he knew that. This feeling must have been the greatest source of power for those who were evil. Like my father. Murtagh thought bitterly. He would NOT become his father.

"Are you alright?" Murtagh started and looked up. A teenage girl stood there, looking down on him with concern.

"Yes, I'm fine." He said. He stood up and examined her.

"You a noble aren't you?" he said, peering at her. She blushed and looked at the floor.

"Ye-s I am." She stammered.

"What are you doing at this end of the palace?" he asked. Her color deepened.

"I got lost." She muttered. Murtagh sighed. He really needed to get rid of his helpful nature; it was going to get him in trouble one day.

"I can take you back." He said. She looked back up at him.

"Would you? Oh thank you!" she smiled broadly. Murtagh started to walk but froze when the girl's arm snaked its way around his. He looked down at her.

"Is that necessary?" he asked. She looked up at him, but said nothing. Murtagh sighed with annoyance, but kept walking. Thoughts swirled through Murtagh's head as he tried his best to ignore the girl latched to his arm. His anger had subsided greatly, but it was still there. Nathan was an incompetent fool, it's not Murtagh's fault the boy didn't learn anything.

"Do you always look like that?" the girl asked suddenly. Murtagh snapped out of his revere and looked down at her.

"Look like what?"

"You look so angry." She said. Murtagh frowned at her.

"Maybe." He said coldly. She quickly looked at her feet. They walked in silence till they reached the part of the palace were some of the nobles lived.

"Well thank you for helping me." She said silkily. Murtagh nodded and turned to leave but she grabbed his shoulder.

"I said," she said leaning closer to him, "Thank you." She stood on her tippy-toes and kissed his cheek. Murtagh was stunned for a moment.

"Uuhh…" he said stupidly. Suddenly a group of boys emerged from the shadows.

"Marcia! What are you doing?!" one said furiously. Marcia turned to face them with her hands on her hips.

"I got lost. Thanks for noticing." She said icily. "He was just helping me find my way back." She motioned to Murtagh who had replaced his shocked expression with one of cold indifference. The teen who appeared to be the leader stepped foreword towards Murtagh.

"Who do you think you are?" he demanded. "Picking up my girl like that." Murtagh raised his eyebrow.

"I didn't know showing manners was now referred to as getting a girl." He said in a flat tone. The teen, Marcia's boyfriend apparently, sneered at Murtagh.

"You think you're a tough guy don't you?" all the other boys slowly surrounded Murtagh. Oh crap. Murtagh thought. His hand slipped instinctively to his hip, were his sword should have been. He mentally cursed when he realized he had left it at the sparring grounds.

"I think this commoner needs be taught his place." The teen said haughtily. Marcia backed away slowly, her eyes wide. Murtagh clenched his fists and glared at noble brat in front of him.

"I am not afraid of you." He snarled. The noble let out a laugh. Suddenly one of the boys lunged foreword and grabbed Murtagh around the neck. Murtagh thrust his head backwards. The back of his head collided with the boy's nose. The boy released him, howling in pain. Murtagh spun around and kicked him in the stomach. He had no time to catch his breath for two of the other had jumped to the rescue of their friend. One shoved Murtagh to the ground and the other leapt on top of him. He grabbed the front of Murtagh's shirt and started to punch him in the face. With every hit Murtagh's brain grew fuzzier. With the last hit blood spurted from Murtagh's mouth. This seemed to snap him out of his revere and he reached up and grabbed the teen's hair. He wrenched the boy to the side and jumped to his feet. He swiftly drove his foot into the teen's head before spinning around in time to dodge a punch aimed at his face. All of them had ganged up on him now. He fought viciously, trying to escape. The battle was 5 to 1. There was no way he could win. Or could he? These nobles had no training, and Murtagh had. Why could he not beat them? What he needed was power. Murtagh found himself on the floor again, punches and kicks raining down on him. He curled into a ball and tried to think. He needed just a little boost to beat these nobles, he just needed to get angry. He let out a scream as one of the noble's foots collided with his ribs. A loud crack was heard.

"Back off!" the leader called. The attack ended immediately. Murtagh lay there, blood trickling from his mouth and nose. There were bruises forming all over his body and his ribs were screaming in pain. The leader sneered again and pulled a knife out from his boot.

"Here the real lesson comes into play." Murtagh gasped out in pain and glared up at the noble. He thought of every injustice done upon him. Memories of his father beating him as a child come to his mind. His mother abandoning him for no reason only to come home and die. Tornac for abandoning him for his new job. Nathan screaming at him. That stupid girl for not doing anything to stop her idiot boyfriend. These noble brats for ganging up on him. With each thought Murtagh could feel the anger growing stronger inside of him. S couple of the boors grabbed his shirt and dragged him to his feet. The leader approached, holding the knife out in front of him. Murtagh grinned as the feeling of power reached is maximum. He could win now. He wrenched himself away from the two boys holding him and punched one in the face. Murtagh spun around and elbowed the other boy in the groin. All the boys stood there, shocked. They had not expected any fight to be left in him. Then Murtagh did something so stupid in the eyes of the boys, they backed away in fear me might be insane. He lunged at leader holding the knife. He side-stepped the knife and drove the noble to the ground. Murtagh pinned him and grabbed the boy's hand holding the knife. With his free hand he grabbed the boy's throat.

"Let it go." He snarled. The boy gasped for air but did not release the knife.

"Let it go!" Murtagh screamed. The boy finally dropped it. Murtagh snatched it up and scrambled to his feet. One of the boys let out a scream of rage and ran at Murtagh. Just as the noble reached him, Murtagh drove the knife into the boy's side; right between the ribs. The boy gasped and slowly looked down at his ribs. Murtagh's face was mere inches away from the boy's. Murtagh stared in astonishment as the boy realized his fate. Murtagh backed up as he released the knife. The boy staggered for a few moments, then feel to the ground, dead. There was silence. No one dared to move.

"You-you killed him." One of them whispered. Murtagh was breathing hard. He could not believe what he had just done. Suddenly all of the boys took off, followed closely by Marcia. Murtagh looked down at his shaking hands and realized they were covered in the boy's blood. He had to get out of there; guards would soon be here to investigate. He started to limp away, his hand clutching his ribs.

Tornac paced outside Murtagh's room worriedly.

"Were could he be?" he cried. Mandy placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sure he's fine. How much trouble could that boy get into?" she said soothingly. Tornac didn't want to think about how much trouble Murtagh could get into. Suddenly there was a moaning sound and he saw Murtagh stumble around the hallway corner. Tornac ran over to him and grasped the boy's shoulders.

"What happened Murtagh? What is wrong?" Mandy walked over and gasped.

"Your covered in blood!" she cried. Murtagh looked up at her then quickly passed out. Tornac picked Murtagh up and carried him into his room.

"Gentle Tornac! We don't know if he is injured!" Mandy said as she followed him into the room. Tornac carefully placed Murtagh on his bed and began to take off the boy's shirt. He let out a groan when the tunic was fully removed. Murtagh's body was completely covered in scratches and bruises, but the most notable was a massive bruise running down his side, indicating broken ribs.

"Murtagh, what have you gotten yourself into?" Tornac whispered.

I mean to go further, but that will take into tomorrow, and I think you all have waited long enough. Though 10 reviews last chapter! Yes! Anywase. Yes, Murtagh becomes a killer at 13. Sad I know. BONUS QUESTION! Who can answer me what that fight was inspired from? It is kinda similar to a fight in a famous book. If someone can answer me correctly, you get a bonus chapter! hehehehe

LoNnI- Shes not as bad as she appears. If there is a sequel, she will be a major character. Sorry bout that. Anywase, I hope you liked this chapter!

Ms. Aznangel- thank you

Tiger Priestess- I kinda beat up Nathaniel in this chapter. (woops) don't worry, he will be back! Murtagh does not like women/girls that much, and this opinion will only grow in later chapters with the help of a certain princess……… 'hint' 'hint'

Embry- poor Murtagh indeed! Things have gotten even worse for him in this chapter. Next chapter things are going to explode!

Alsdssg- Something did happened to Kamara, however, since she isn't that important in this story ( not yet at least) you wont find out till the possible sequel! Yes im evil, I know.

Jeeves1729- YES! If Murtagh dies, I will join you and hunt down chris!!! Poor Nathan wasn't that cute in this chapter…oh well. Oh in case any of you wondered, I changed to calling Nathaniel 'Nathan" because I got too lazy to type his full name ;)

Mayarider- hehe, updating quickly is not something im good at……

-Bista- Ah yes, the king. Well next chapter he will extend his hand into events, but I am pretty sure he wont make an appearance.

Twilight Kumorichu- ugh, sorry. I know Kamara sounds like a MS, but she isn't!!! I PROMISE! Murtagh defiantly kicked ass in this chapter, though he got wooped too.

LeiaSedia and EragonEldest- Nope, no romance, though I do love to write it. For all of you who don't like Kamara, shes gona get beat up a bit, so don't worry. And she will not miraculously recover in the arms of Murtagh gag

Wulfeh- you inspired me! He broke some ribs, happy? Haha. When I read your review I started to write like mad just so I could break some of the poor guy's ribs ;)