Murtagh heard something violent as the footsteps approached. He was not listening too closely, on account of his parched throat, and ravenous hunger, but he was sure he heard someone getting choked.
Thorn… this household is violent… giggled Murtagh, softly. Murtagh listened closely as he heard a female. The door opened, revealing a young girl with short, brown, chin length hair. She looked at him for a moment, and closed the door.
Murtagh heard Thorn's deep rumbling laugh through his Eldunari hanging around Murtagh's neck. This is going to be entertaining, I hope.
Murtagh laughed back. Did I just hear something about a dog?
The door suddenly opened and two young children stepped out, staring at the hunched over and kneeling Murtagh.
Murtagh smiled at them and said, "Woof."
Suzan looked disappointed. She turned to her brother, pouting. Sebastian was disappointed too, but he wasn't going to let it show.
"At least it barks," he shrugged, walking back inside. Suzan peered at the stranger more closely.
"Can we keep it anyway?" she asked, as her mother came back from behind the stairs.
"Who is it?" she asked. Akai quickly pulled the girl away from the beggar.
"No one," she said, as she stepped outside and kicked the poor dragon rider in the chest. The force knocked him down the steps to the road.
Akai quickly locked the doors and ushered the children from the foyer. She claimed to be fetching the Lady's clothes, and ran out of the side door.
She kicked me! coughed Murtagh, as he recovered from his fall. It really hurt too. That child is very strong.
A dragon rider is hurt by a child? Maybe there is some truth to the rumor Galbatorix heard, pondered Thorn. The calm breathing Murtagh received from him signaled that Thorn had been taking a nap. Murtagh felt bad about waking him.
Well, he wouldn't send me so far from the castle if there was a possibility that it wasn't true. I wonder why he didn't just order the girl to be brought to him instead of sending me all the way out here. There must be a reason…
Maybe the king finally lost his mind. I knew he was crazy, but now I think he's lost all his sanity.
So what do I do now? asked Murtagh, confused about what to do next. He then spotted the girl who opened the door coming around the house. She beckoned to him violently, as if her life depended on it. Murtagh dusted himself a little as he approached her. When he was close enough, she suddenly grabbed him and ran to the back of the house.
The sun had just set, so no one in the house could see them from the window. Murtagh was dragged into a small cabin close to a vegetable garden. She sat him on the floor.
"I'm sorry I kicked you," she said, grinning. She was clearly not sorry. "It's just, I guess you're a newbie at this, but begging at someone's front door is begging for trouble." Murtagh simple glared at the maid who looked even younger up close.
"How… old are you?" he asked, tentatively. The girl reacted with a mildly surprised look.
"You won't even ask my name first? You start with age? Well, that's fine. I'm fifteen years old and my name is Akai. Nice to meet you. What's your name, and why are you begging at my Lady's door after sunset? Do you want to die? Or… Maybe you're not a beggar?" she asked, pleasantly, eyeing his concealed sword.
"You have sharp eyes, for a normal kid. You shouldn't have brought me here. My name is Murtagh… I apologize for the inconvenience, but you have to come with me."
"You're not very bright if you think I'm scared of your sword. Because I know you are hungry and you can't cook. Therefore, you won't hurt me for fear of my poisoning your food," said Akai, feeling accomplished.
Murtagh simply said an amused, "oh?" but felt a sharp pang of remorse within himself.
"Anyway, I must prepare dinner… Oh, and the Lady's clothes…" she said, running around the cabin gathering supplies. Murtagh watched her as he conversed with Thorn.
This is a lot harder than I thought… he said, mournfully.
Is she so strong that you can't capture her?
What? No, of course not! It's just… she's completely innocent… If she were mean, at least then it'd be easier…
Well, she kicked you, offered Thorn. Judging by Thorn's lack of interest, Murtagh sensed that something had happened.
Did something come up? Murtagh asked, as Akai ran past him. It seemed her preparations for dinner were already done. They must have been made earlier. She loaded them on a trolley-like cart and carted them swiftly out of her cramped house.
"Don't you dare steal anything from my cabin," she said, menacingly. "I know where everything is. If one thing is missing, I'll shave your head. I'll talk to you when I get back. If your story entertains me, maybe I'll feed you. Oh, and don't try to leave, the door locks from both outside and in." With that she quickly wheeled the food out of the cabin and carried a bucket of clothes on her back. She closed the door with her foot. Murtagh heard a lock click from the outside.
What's the point of locking it from outside? That makes no sense… He turned his attention to Thorn. So what is it? asked Murtagh, again.
Gremlin visited me again. Since you are gone right now, Gremlin will be training me instead of you.
That's interesting, but what can he possibly teach you?
Well, he said that I will start practicing swimming. Apparently the resistance of the water will help tone my muscles and make be faster in flight. But that's not the problem.
No it's not… So what is the problem? Murtagh's curiosity was thoroughly peaked, but he was still concerned by tone of Thorn's voice. It sounded somewhat worried.
If Shruikan isn't teaching me, maybe Galbatorix had taken him somewhere… Shruikan was being especially rebellious lately… I shudder at the thought of what Galbatorix might do to him.
Murtagh could not think of anything comforting to tell his distraught dragon. Shruikan was as precious to Thorn as Gremlin was to Murtagh. Other than Thorn, Gremlin was the only companion Murtagh had in Galbatorix's castle full of spies.
I suppose we can just hope that he will be fine, said Murtagh, lamely.
Murtagh got up and headed for the door.
It's not that I have any doubts or anything, but she is the right girl, right? Maybe we're looking for her older (and maybe prettier) sister?
You would not ask if there wasn't any doubt, would you? asked an all too familiar voice. It seemed Galbatorix had already returned.
Yes, you found the right girl, continued the black king. And if you're looking for a woman, any woman from my court is fine. There's no need for you to fall for a mere maid.
Murtagh blushed, both from embarrassment and anger. Is there really any reason for me to be doing this? he demanded, his temper flaring. There are so many other ways for you to kidnap a little girl, why do I have to do it?
Are you yelling at me? asked the king in mock disbelief. Has this petty distance made you forget my wrath? Or should I remind you through Thorn?
Murtagh's anger immediately dissipated, leaving him painfully sobered. N-no… I understand… My... Lord…
Your next orders are to take the girl and return as soon as possible. And I will be the judge for what 'as soon as possible' means. And with that, the king's presence disappeared from Murtagh's mind link. Murtagh clenched his fist and launched a blow towards the door, trying giving his frustration and despair a nonliving target.
It was at that moment that Akai decided to return. When she opened the door, the first thing she saw was an enraged beggar trying to punch her for no apparent reason. However, she was quite prepared.
Murtagh saw the girl open the door and was about to pull back his fist when he felt his legs somehow pulled out from under him. In a flash, Akai jumped on his chest and held a machete to his throat.
"Trying to do away with your gracious hostess, is it? I admit, I did treat you with contempt, but that doesn't mean you can punch me!" she said, threatening him with the knife.
Murtagh was genuinely surprised that such a young girl could get him on his back. He was going easy on her anyway, but it just wasn't normal. He held her by her shoulders and easily lifted her off of him like a cat.
"Th-that's not what I meant to do… I was just… Why would you be so trusting to let me in your house anyway?" asked Murtagh, suspiciously.
"Well… there is a storm coming. Very soon, too! And it's the worst storm in years. It might flood. I would feel guilty, I guess, if you were drowned in the storm."
Oh, is that so? thought Murtagh, morbidly. He kept his thoughts away from Thorn. Maybe it would have been better to let me die. Better for you, me, and the rest of the world…
"And you're really young and you have a nice sword, so I thought maybe you were a prince. But if you're the son of the evil King, then I would regret serving you for the rest of my life."
"I'm not his son!" stated Murtagh, flatly. Although I'm probably just as bad…
"Okay, well… good! I guess I'll feed you now," said Akai, as she prepared some plain bread and cheese. She gave Murtagh almost twice as much food as she gave herself.
"I don't know when this storm will start, but when it ends, I want you to leave. I'm not going with you anywhere; I have too much work here to leave," she continued. And as if by magic, a flash of lightening lit up the small cabin, and a roaring, deafening thunder filled their ears. A cacophony of violent rain soon accompanied it.
Murtagh ate his meal in silence. Although he was starving earlier, a terrible queasiness took over his appetite. He ate all of his food anyway, to be polite.
The storm raged on outside and the thunder shook the small cabin.
Murtagh… came Thorn's voice. Galbatorix wishes to speak with you.
Well he doesn't need to ask, does he? He never has before.
Well, I heard him coming down the hall, so I thought I'd give you a heads up…
A few seconds later, Galbatorix's maniacal tones reverberated in Murtagh's skull.
There is a lovely storm ravaging the land where you are, is there not? What a perfect chance for you to complete your mission, he said, once again demanding the impossible.
Do you understand how bad this storm is? I'm surprised the cabin hasn't flown away yet. There's bound to be a flood soon; there's no way I can grab this girl and make it back to the castle without one of us getting hurt, if not dying, argued Murtagh. He knew it was futile, but there was always that one chance.
Is that so? Have I overestimated you, or have you forgotten what large resources you have through me? You will leave tonight, and you will be back by tomorrow afternoon. I don't care if you're tired, comfort is not a part of being a dragon rider, said Galbatorix, calmly. He left abruptly before Murtagh could ask for advice.
Murtagh looked over at Akai. She was at a basin washing the dishes. She sighed heavily.
"I can't get back to the house to collect the dishes because of this stupid storm," she complained, as another bolt of lightning raced across the sky, momentarily illuminating the night. "I hope they don't make the house to dirty by the time I can get back."
Murtagh slowly got up. Frustration bubbled inside of him. He wanted nothing more than to tear out his hair. Although he hated every fiber of his being for doing so, a mission is a mission.
"You won't need to worry about that anymore," he said, approaching her from behind. I suppose she'll never agree to leave, so there's only one choice.
Quick as a cat, Akai grabbed a nearby knife and flung it towards the King's slave. Even though she was fast, however, Murtagh was faster. Incomparably faster. In the blink of an eye, he had Akai unconscious and slung across his shoulder. He wrapped his waterproof cloak around his captive and braced himself for the storm.
A/N: I made this chapter more dense than it should have been. It sounds somewhat rushed, so I apologize. I'm rereading the series for now so I can make Murtagh more IC. I noticed, though, that Eragon and Murtagh have distinctly different personalities, yet their dialogue is very similar. Maybe Murtagh keeps his mouth shut a little more... Any suggestions about what should happen next? I already know where I'm going with this (probably the same direction all the other Murtagh POV fanfics are going...), but I'm pretty most people wouldn't like it... R&R please?