"You summoned me?" Murtagh asked bowing before the King. Galbatorix looked down at him from his throne his expression cold.

His eyes flicked over Murtagh's form before he answered.

"Yes," he replied his voice echoing in the empty hall, "I wanted to talk to you about your slave."

Murtagh kept his eyes on the ground knowing that to look into the King's eyes would be a very bad idea. He traced patterns with his eyes in the floor.

"Yes, your Highness?"

Galbatorix slammed his fist down on the edge of his throne causing Murtagh to look up. The King was now standing and walked over to where Murtagh stood. His eyes searched out Murtagh's.

"There is something strange about her," he mused.

Something like recognition flickered behind Murtagh's eyes. "I've noticed that. She has a different aura about her. Like she's suppressing some sort of power."

Galbatorix nodded. "Ah, so you have noticed it. You're not the simpleton I took you for." He sneered at Murtagh. "I want you to harness that power and use it."

Murtagh's eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not sure what you mean your Highness, I don't know how—"

"SILENCE!" Galbatorix roared. He smacked Murtagh across the face and Murtagh stumbled backwards his hands cupping his face that was bleeding. He murmured the healing words under his breath and his bleeding stopped. While the pain from Galbatorix's hand disappeared the pain of his situation did not.

Galbatorix glared icily at Murtagh who straightened back up to look at his King.

"You will seduce her. Woo her. Learn what her powers are. I want you to make her fall in love with you."

Murtagh would have liked to object but he knew what his King would do if he did.

"Yes, my King," he said resigned to his task. If he didn't do as Galbatorix told him then he would be forced to perform the task by saying the ancient words.

Galbatorix grinned; it was vicious and cold without any hint of an actual smile in it. Murtagh suppressed a shudder.

"You are dismissed," the King said and walked back to his throne leaving Murtagh to exit the hall and find the slave that he was supposed to seduce.

…………………………………

Virika was slumped up against the wall where Murtagh had left her a slur of confusing feelings jumbled in her head. She put her hands in her face and cried.

Her tears came fast and hard spilling over like rain in a drought. The tears splashed on the stone floor making delicate tinkling noises.

"But, why do you have to go? Why you? Why not someone else?" 16 year old Virika was frantic with worry. She wrung her hands and paced.

Tanlin was seated on a tree branch just above her head. His face held a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

"Because, someone has to," he said with amusement.

Virika stopped pacing and glared at him. Then she swiftly pulled herself up so that she was perched next to Tanlin on the branch. She swung her legs back and forth like a child.

Tanlin's eyes slid to his friend next to him. Her gown had ripped from her earlier adventures leaving a tantalizing strip of her leg bare as she shifted. Unwittingly, Virika furthered Tanlin's view by lifting her bare leg to rest her foot on the rough bark of the tree.

He brought his eyes back up to her uneven eyes and involuntarily reached out to cup her cheek.

"Don't worry Rika, I won't die," he said in a soothing tone.

Virika glared. "No, you won't. Because I'm going to be the one to kill you for leaving."

He laughed—he only ever laughed at her—his head tipped back and his chuckled wracking his body. He removed his hand from her cheek and instead grasped her hands. He watched as her gruff demeanor fell and tears splashed down her face.

"I do not want to leave," he whispered his eyes meeting hers, "you must trust me about that. I would never willingly choose to leave you."

There eyes held for a moment before Virika looked away with a sigh. She didn't pull away from his grasp allowing him to hold her hand.

In the golden light of the dying sun she looked more beautiful than any elf maiden he'd ever laid eyes on. He reached over to brush a glittering tear off her cheek and delighted in the pink that spread across her face.

Her eyes were on his as his hand froze inches from her lips.

"Tanlin," she said softly her voice carrying on the breeze that ruffled her hair. "I—I . . ." She looked down at their hands entwined.

"Rika, lost for words. I never thought I'd see the day," he chuckled.

She looked back at his face her eyes searching his with determination before faltering and looking down again. Her sobs cut him.

Gently he pulled her so that she was flush against his body in his lap. She buried her head in his chest her wet tears soaking his tunic. Tanlin wrapped his arms around Virika's body and she placed her hands on his chest.

"I love you," she whispered into his skin.

Tanlin stiffened and Virika pulled back from him—her eyes wide with fright at his reaction. They stared at each other for a moment before Virika spoke again.

"I—I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that . . ." she moved to break from his embrace but Tanlin's arms locked with vice-like determination around her body. She searched him looking for an explanation.

"Rika," he said putting his face very close to hers. "Do you truly love me?"

Her face blushed crimson as she looked down at her hands splayed against his chest.

"Yes, I do," she murmured.

Suddenly, Tanlin's lips were on Virika's hard and hot. She gasped putting her arms on either side of his broad shoulders pulling herself closer to him. She felt his smile on her lips as he tangled a hand in her hair and tipped her head back to allow him more access to her mouth.

His tongue touched her lips begging for entrance and Virika obliged reveling in the warmth that pooled in her stomach as his tongue entwined with hers. All too soon she had to pull away.

Virika's face was a bright red and her breathing ragged. Tanlin looked down at her his eyes soft and dark.

There was a long moment of silence.

"I love you," he said.

Virika wiped the glistening tears that slid down her face away with the back of her hand. There was no use in crying—what did it accomplish? She took a steady deep breath and rose from the floor.

She stood in front of the window again. It was dark now and all she could see were millions upon millions of twinkling stars in the blue black sky. Virika stared out at the stars thinking about her situation.

Without even seeming to notice it she put one foot on the window sill. Using her hands she pushed herself upward until her silhouette filled the opening of the window. Virika didn't look down at that void below her. She held on tight to the stones that framed the window her heard looking up at the heavens.

Virika shut her eyes tight. Deeply she breathed in and out standing there in the open window. A rough wind played tag with her dress wiping it around her legs and pulling tendrils of hair to frame her face. There was an echo of a bird a far way off.

She was jerked backwards suddenly her hands ripped from the stones scratching her palms. She was pulled backwards flush against a warm body, strong arms griping around her waist.

"What the hell were you doing?" his voice had an edge of menace to it. But there was also something else. Something like a breathless worry hidden underneath his malice.

Virika stared straight ahead not daring to move from his grasp. He held her tightly like a drowning man to a single piece of driftwood. "I was looking at the stars," she said.

Murtagh snorted. "Liar."

Virika tried to twist so that she could see his face but his hands held her fast. She was forced to answer him without gauging his reaction.

"I was going to kill myself," she replied truthful this time.

The pressure around her torso increased as his arms constricted around her. She let out a squeak as all the air was forced from her lungs. Her legs became weak and she was forced to slump against Murtagh in order to keep upright.

"You are not allowed to kill yourself until I deem it okay," he said in a guttural growl, "you are my slave."

"I won't be your slave for long," Virika spat with as much venom as she could muster.

Murtagh chuckled low in her ear and Virika felt one of his arms move from her waist to trail down her leg. He held her pressed tight to his body and Virika could feel her back on all of his hard muscles.

She stopped breathing as his hand skimmed the thigh where her dagger was hidden. Murtagh passed by it but then with a small hiss went back up her thigh to feel the dagger through her dress.

Roughly he yanked at her dress ripping a panel of it off and exposing her long white leg with the dagger strapped to it. Virika waited for him to punish her with bated breath. Instead she felt his chest shake with laughter.

"You meant to kill me with this?" he asked tearing it from her leg with one strong pull. "Naughty, naughty," he dropped the cloth and dagger to the floor with a clang. Murtagh moved his lips so that they were on Virika's ear. "You'll have to be punished for that."

The hand that had been caressing her thigh moved up her abdomen higher and higher. With each soft touch Virika's breathing quickened. His hand brushed the swell of her breasts and Virika sucked in her breath with a gasp.

Murtagh's tongue licked at her ear causing her to gasp. He chuckled the sound tickling her sensitive skin.

"S—stop," Virika managed to say as his hand caressed her shoulders and collarbones now. He gently pulled down the short sleeves on both shoulders so that they fell off her shoulders and exposed more of her breasts.

Murtagh laughed at her complaint. "You won't be saying that for long."

Virika opened her mouth to say more but Murtagh's hand was suddenly on top of her breasts tracing circles on the left and then the right. Her breathing was coming fast now much to her disgrace.

Seeing the effect he had on her Murtagh trailed his fingers down into the space between her breasts before cupping her left breast. Virika stiffened against his body and tried to pull away at his touch but he held her against him in a grip of iron.

He pinched her nipple making it pucker and turn hard at his touch before rubbing a soothing thumb over it. Virika gasped and involuntarily arched her back at the delicious sensation that his warm hand over her breast gave her.

Murtagh placed his lips on the base of her neck while gently kneading her breast. Dizzying warmth spread throughout Virika's stomach and she couldn't contain the moan that escaped her lips.

Murtagh slowly brought his other arm up to perform the same treatment on Virika's other breast delighting in the fact that he no longer had to restrain her. Virika's head tipped back at Murtagh's touch and she was aware pressed up against his back as she was that he too was enjoying this.

His hard body was pressed against her back and she could feel his erection rubbing against her. Virika's head lay against Murtagh's shoulder and he took advantage of that position by dipping his head down to capture her lips.

Their tongues played a game of dominance in their mouths each one swirling and tangling with the other. At the same time Murtagh ran his hands down the length of Virika's body lower and lower till he pressed on her mound.

Virika whimpered when he removed his hands from her breasts but then moaned as he pressed against her hot core.

"You like that, don't you?" he asked in her mouth before nipping her on the jaw with his teeth.

Virika couldn't respond she could only lean back against his weight as his hands made their way back up to her breasts. The heat that she felt flowing through her body was so much that her mind wasn't functioning. She could only think of how pleasurable Murtagh's hands and mouth were.

He placed a kiss on her collarbone before sucking hard at the spot he had just so chastely kissed. Meanwhile his hands moved over her breasts pulling and pinching her nipples making them tighten and darken with color.

Murtagh couldn't wait to see those breasts. Feeling them was good, but seeing Virika's naked body spread out beneath him—that would be even better. A searing heat of lust spread throughout his loins at that thought and he was painfully aware of his need.

He steered Virika to his bed laying her across it so that her legs dangled off the edge. Her eyes were lidded with lust and she lay there watching him patiently. Murtagh leaned down over her his hands still on her breasts to place a kiss on the hollow at her neck.

"Tell me you like it," he said pressing his body down on hers before nibbling her earlobe causing her to moan. "Tell me. Tell me Rika," he said again.

Her eyes snapped open at the sound of her name and he saw that they were no longer clouded with lust. One clear violet eye and one clear blue eye stared up at him with so much fear and anger that for a moment he was glad that he had removed the crude dagger she had made.

Something flashed in her eyes as she placed both hands on his chest and pushed hard at him.

"No!" she said emphatically giving him another shove.

This one sent him falling backwards startled at the amount of strength she seemed to have just acquired.

"No," she said her voice a low growl. The power around her vibrated and hummed. Murtagh looked at her with alarm for a split second before muttering the words under his breath that sent her to the ground with a cry of pain.

Looking down at her, Murtagh had the sinking feeling that seducing his beautiful slave wouldn't be as easy as he had hoped.

..................................................

Oh snap! Just what has Murtagh gotten himself into? btw...you know what would make Murtagh verrrryyy happy (besides a nice lay, i mean)? if you left me a review. ;)