Tell me what to do

Nasuada flopped down into her chair. She was exhausted. The clean up was finally finished and the Varden were making final preparations to leave Feinster. After a hectic day overseeing packing, checking supplies and numerous meetings Nasuada was relieved to finally get a chance to rest. However she was conscious of her surrounding guard. It was impossible to rest properly while they were so alert and tense.

"It's been a long day, I'm going to rest now, you should all do the same after all we are leaving tomorrow, I'm sure it is going to be a long day," Nasuada said kindly but with enough conviction to leave no doubt in any of her guard's minds that it was in fact an order.

"As you wish Lady Nightstalker," Garven, leader of the Nighthawks, said.

One by one the six guards left the tent. Nasuada was sure they would not go rest as she had told them but would remain outside until they were relieved by the next shift of guards. However she had to admit to herself that it was reassuring to have them protecting her and while they were no longer in the tent she felt much more relaxed.

She grabbed one of the many reports on her desk and flipped through it without seeing any of the words. No point trying to read that now, she thought, I'm so tired it barley makes any sense. I'm sure I can find time tomorrow when I'm well rested.
With that she stood up from her desk. She was about to change into her night clothes when a shockingly familiar voice came from one of her scrying mirrors.

"Nasuada?" it asked timidly.

Nasuada span around so fast she almost fell over her chair then she froze, unsure of what to do. Part of her wanted to call for her guards, while another part wanted to hear what he had to say alone, after all he couldn't hurt her through a mirror, another part all together wanted to pick up her chair and throw it at the mirror to spare herself the pain of seeing his face ever again.

In the end her sense won out, if he had scryed her it had been for a good reason, it was her responsibility to hear what he had to say. Her guards would more than likely panic and destroy the mirror without thinking; she had to do this alone.

Adopting her strong leaders voice, but at the same time speaking softly enough that the guards didn't hear, Nasuada said, "Murtagh, this is certainly a surprise, what do you want?" She spoke coolly but otherwise tried to keep any emotion from her voice.

"I..." Murtagh seemed unsure of what to say, he was looking around as if looking for someone to tell him. His frightened look scared Nasuada, she had seen him take on hundreds of opponents in battle and he had never looked as intimidated as he did now.

Before she knew what she was doing Nasuada was standing right before the mirror and was reaching out as if to comfort him, comfort the Varden's most deadly enemy. "Are you ok? Why have you scryed me? What's going on?"

Murtagh's eyes focused fully upon her for the fight time. "I'm... everythings... I'm fine, I scryed you because I was ordered to kill you".

Nasuada was speechless. "And have you scryed me to warn me?" she snapped, forgetting to be quite for the guards outside, luckily they didn't seem to hear her.

"No," Murtagh said, his usual calm manner returning, as if Nasuada's anger had calmed him, "I scryed you to inform you that I didn't want to hurt you, I'm not a bad person you know," he paused, seeming to have lost his train of thought again. Slowly he started again "I didn't want to hurt anyone anymore, so I took Eragon's advice and changed my true name, Thorn and I are no longer a threat to you or the Varden".

Different emotions collided inside Nasuada; most of all she was relieved, she couldn't stand the thought of either Murtagh or Eragon hurting one another, at least now she didn't have to worry about that anymore. Her face broke into a smile, the first true smile she could remember for quite some time.

Quickly checking over her shoulder to make sure her guards hadn't heard anything, Nasuada picked up the toppled chair and sat down in front the mirror.

She looked into Murtagh's grey eyes and whispered quietly "so what will you do now?"

Murtagh broke their eye contact, looking at the ground he whispered so quietly Nasuada barely heard him he said, "I don't know".

For a reason she didn't know herself Nasuada felt her heart break. She wanted so badly for him to say that he would join the Varden. She wanted to convince him, as hard as that would be for everyone, but she knew him well enough to know she couldn't push him into anything. She spoke softly, "Eragon explained everything to us;

I know you weren't to blame for your actions", she stopped to watch his reaction; he looked up at her but didn't say anything. "I know you don't agree with everything the Varden stands for, and it would be difficult for a time, but you are welcome to return here".

Murtagh laughed, but it wasn't the laugh of the Murtagh she had met in Tronjheim, it was a cold laugh, the laugh of Galbatorix's Murtagh.
"Yeah, I'm sure I'd be welcomed back with open arms," he said sarcastically.

Nasuada was a little taken a-back by Murtagh's sudden attitude change; she felt the anger that she had harboured towards him since learning of his betrayal rising to the surface. "We are at war Murtagh. Like it or not you are a dragon rider, you have to take a side. If you want to return to Galbatorix I can not stop you, however now that we know you are acting of your own free will you will not be shown any mercy. I am offering you another option; so what's it going to be, Galbatorix or the Varden?" she said with as much authority as she could muster.

"I did not say I was not going to take sides," Murtagh replied with just as much authority, Nasuada remembered he had grown up in the capital and understood politics quite well. "I was merely questioning the Varden's eagerness to welcome me back".

"Well no one is saying it would be easy but..."

Murtagh cut across her all signs of insecurity gone, "I want to help you but I don't want to return to the Varden's camp. Is there any other way I can be of assistance, perhaps I can help Eragon in Gil'ead?"

"Eragon is finished in Gil'ead, he is on his way back...wait how did you know where he was, where are you?"

Murtagh smiled, it was the old smile of the boy she had met in Tronjheim. "I didn't really know, not until now anyway. We're somewhere between Belatona and Dras-Leona".

Nasuada caused her carelessness at letting Eragon's location slip to someone she still wasn't sure she could trust. She stood up, drawing herself to her full height. "If you wish to assist the Varden then you will meet with Varden officials and myself just outside Feinster this time tomorrow night. I may not have any direct authority over you but if you return I'll expect you to follow my orders as obediently as you have Galbatorix's, is that understood?"

Murtagh opened his mouth as if to argue but then seemed to think better of it, "yes my lady".

"Good, I hope to see you very soon Murtagh."

"And I you, goodnight Nasuada," and with that Murtagh ended the spell leaving Nasuada alone with her racing thoughts.