Chap 7 Nineteen Years Of Hell
Part 2
Kali woke up to the sounds of shouting and angry animals. She looked over at Luka. She was still sound asleep. Kali quietly got out of the bed and walked out of the tree, grabbing her hunting knife on the way out. She hid the knife as she followed the noises into an immense clearing. There were so many creatures that there was hardly any space to move in. She recognised many of the creatures from the book Brom had given her; chimaeras, fairies, hydras, leprechauns, pegasi, unicorns, phoenixes, vampires, demons, werewolves and maenads.
She stood in awe as she stared at each creature; the chimaeras with the front of a lion, the middle of a goat, the rear of a snake, and the heads of all three creatures; the fairies that look like tiny humans with butterfly-like wings; the hydras, dragons with fearsome nine heads; leprechauns who were small old men with grey beards and twinkling eyes that never tell lies, although they don't always tell the whole truth; the pegasi with their feather wings folded gracefully around their body; the unicorns with their pure white coats and shining horns that could heal even the most vicious of wounds; the phoenixes, birds of flame that are reborn from its ashes; vampires who drink human blood to survive; demons that stood in human shape; the werewolves with the human growing hair all over their body and growing a snout and claws, but still retaining their basic human shape in the full moon and lastly the maenads, women who danced and celebrated fertility yet could tear a human apart (not all were women, just most).
All the creatures were arguing and shouting, not letting Kali understand what they were talking about. "ENOUGH!!!" she screamed. They all were silent in seconds and stared at her, "You will never hear what the other is saying with all this noise! How will you discus whatever is wrong if you are not heard and neither is the people around you?!" They all stared at her, some looking slightly guilty.
We are sorry, your majesty, said Azra as he stepped forward.
"Why are you all arguing?" she asked.
Many have heard that there is a human in Aquila, he replied, they do not feel that the human should live, because the humans and the rest will kill us.
"Really? Well, have you or Shadow or even Faro told anyone what I said last night?" The unicorn shook his head. "Anyone who dares harm that little girl will have to go through me!" she yelled at all of them, "And, honestly, I have more common sense than you! You kill anyone that is human or elven or dwarven but then you say they kill you!"
"It's for self preservation!" yelled a werewolf currently in his human form.
"You kill them for revenge!" Kali yelled back, "You do what they do to you. They kill your loved ones and you kill those that killed those that killed them. In doing so you kill someone else's loved one and then they're after your blood!" she looked at all of them, "You hurt that girl and I'll be after your blood. I don't give a damn if I'm royalty and I shouldn't kill you but, damn it, I will!" Everything was silent for a second.
"KALI!!!"
Kali's eyes flashed gold. Before she could run back to the house, she appeared in her room, with Luka safely behind her in a dark purple mist. She was surprised, but hid it well. A werewolf was snarling in front of her. Her eyes were still in their dragon slits. "Dare touch her," she whispered fiercely, "and you die." The werewolf stopped snarling as he realized who he was messing with, but looked at Luka with a haunting gaze. Luka shuffled closer to Kali, terrified of the man. "Get out of my house," she demanded. The werewolf stayed where he was. "I SAID OUT!!!!!" The werewolf was engulfed by flames. She pointed at the door and he flew into it, taking the door off its hinges. Kali waved her hand and the door flew back into place, slamming shut with enough force for it to break again.
Luka was silently crying behind her. "It's ok, Lukie," Kali said as she hugged her, "They won't hurt you anymore."
"I'm scared," Luka whispered.
"Look, why don't we go outside? If you stay with me they won't hurt you," Kali suggested. Luka nodded quietly. They slowly made their way outside, Luka holding Kali's hand like a lifeline. Everywhere they went there was someone who looked like they would kill the little girl clutching her hand. Kali glared at anyone that approached them who had that look in their eye. Kali and Luka explored Aquila, passing quickly through the huge market that was surrounded by massive oak, though not as big as her house. In fact, her tree had at least five floors, none of them explored.
They passed the market and other trees. They stopped by a mountain that jutted out of the forest floor. There was an opening, like the opening of a tunnel, big enough to fit a dragon a thousand years old. Kali felt a strong urge to go into the mountain; it felt as if there was something calling her, wanting her to explore. "Kali?"
"Yeah?" she replied.
"Do you want to go in?" Luka asked.
"Yes, I would," Kali stated as she looked into the gloom. She felt Luka take her hand and gently dragged her inside. They walked in the semi-darkness until they reached an inner cave. The cave was bigger than the tunnel. It had a hole in the ceiling that let the light in. At the far end were two throne-like chairs. Kali slowly walked up to them. She stepped closer to the one on the left while Luka stayed standing in the centre of the cave, admiring its vastness. I wish Murtagh was here, she thought before she hesitantly placed her hand on the armrest of the chair.
She felt a sudden surge through her body and something shift in her mind. Kali quickly took her hand away from the chair and stepped away quickly.
God, what was that? she heard a voice say. She knew that voice too well.
Murtagh? Kali called.
Kali? My god! What happened? How are you and Luka? Did you find Aquila? he asked quickly.
Yeah I found it, she replied, dazed. We're both fine, except that they want to kill Luka.
THEY WHAT?! Murtagh shouted, I swear if I was there right now I'd...
Murtagh? Are you there?
"I think I'm more here than there." Kali spun around so quickly she almost fell. Murtagh looked at her in bewilderment. "How did I get here?"
"I don't..." she trailed off, "I think I did something like that this morning. I hear Luka scream and before I could run I was already there," she explained. She looked at him in horror. "People are going to find out you're missing!"
"Actually, they won't," he smiled, "I asked Tornac if I could take a two week hunting trip by myself."
"He said yes?" Kali asked. That didn't sound like Tornac at all.
"Of course not! We were talking in the training fields! He said he'll come with me, but he never said where. Later he said he'll come with me to the gates and then he'll go and visit his family while I go on the hunting trip. He said I needed to get out of the castle...and my room," he added quietly.
Kali was just about to say something when creatures started to pour through the tunnel. "Luka! Come here!" Kali grabbed her and stood in front of her. Murtagh stood next to Kali, blocking Luka from everyone else's view.
They all stopped as they saw Kali and Murtagh and started bowing. Murtagh and Kali looked at each other. "Kali, what are they?" he whispered as he looked at every different creature.
"Ok, let's see. That's a pegasus," she said pointing to the winged horse, "the horse with the horn is a unicorn. Seven headed dragon is a hydra; the mix of lion, goat and snake is a chimaera; phoenix is the bird that looks as if it's on fire. The little winged people are fairies; the ones that look like," she stopped for a second, "dwarves," she whispered, "are leprechauns. The rest that are human shape are werewolves, vampires, maenads and demons," she leaned close to him, "Werewolves are the hairy ones, vampires with the long teeth and red around the eyes; maenads are the woman or mostly, they'll have a sort of glow around them; and the demons are the ones that can change shape so some might have claws or a tail."
"Like you?"
"Yeah like...what?!" she yelled.
"You have a tail!" he said as he pointed at her rum.
Kali turned her head. There was a black fluffy tail swishing behind her. She moved her tail and stroked Murtagh's face with it. Luka giggled as she hit him on the back of the head. "Certainly is useful," she said. She looked at everyone, "Will one of you demons explain why I'm turning into a cat for no reason?!"
A woman stepped forward, "A demon is of age at two years, the age they find their animals unless their parents are not demons. Adults show their children how to find their shape if not, the child will find out by themselves at five or six."
"Kali, what's happening to your tail?"
She turned again and saw the hair fall of. Instead, it was cover in dark amethyst scales and the tip had a gold spike, "Quis venio volo?!" she yelled. She took a moment to realize what she said, "WHAT DID I JUST SAY??!!"
"Storm, stop," said Murtagh as looked into her eyes, "You only said, 'what's happening to me' in a different language...that I apparently didn't know I knew," he said with a small smile.
"I know what I said, Murtagh."
"Then why the heck did you ask?"
Kali looked at him, "You're impossible sometimes," she laughed, "And I'm not the only one with a tail," she said pointedly. Murtagh turned his head and he saw he had a tail covered with bronze scales. Kali and Luka burst out laughing from his look of horror.
Milady, maybe you should have this conversation elsewhere, Shadow nickered, somewhere private.
Kali looked around and saw everyone was looking at them. It unnerved her a little bit. She got Luka's hand, "Come on, Murtagh," she said as she got his hand, "We're going back to the-" Suddenly everything changed and they were back in the tree where Luka and Kali had slept in, "house," she finished in a whisper.
"Did you just...?"
"I think so," she said quietly. I knew it was going to be a long day.
"Why did you think it was going to be a long day?" Murtagh asked.
Kali looked at him, "But I had my barriers up!"
So I read your mind while your barriers are up?
"Yes," Kali said nodding as if to emphasise the word more.
Murtagh looked at her, "I didn't say it to you. I said it to myself. My barriers are up too."
Kali turned her back to them and made her way into the room she had slept in. The bed had been made while she'd been gone. She threw herself on it and grabbed a pillow. She felt Murtagh climb on the bed too. Luka scampered up the stairs into the next floor. "Why couldn't we have a normal life?" she said as Murtagh hugged her.
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The two weeks passed before Murtagh had to go back to the castle. By now, everyone in Aquila knew that messing with the little human girl meant they had to deal with the king and queen. Kali and Murtagh had found out that they could turn into dragons; Kali a dark amethyst and Murtagh bronze and Kali could also turn into a black puma. They had given Luka a few rides each once they got the hang of flying in their dragon forms. (They were five and seven therefore so were their dragon forms). They had also controlled their 'orior' as Murtagh called it. They found out that they had to will themselves to a place and they would appear in it.
Murtagh had said goodbye to everyone. Once people had realised they had to accept Luka, they were very friendly and they had made many new friends. Luka didn't want him to go and had made a very big fuss. Silently, Kali wouldn't have minded joining her but knew she was just going to make it worse.
Over the next three years, Kali and Luka lived in Aquila. Luka was taught healing and how to defend herself by a woman called Lisa. Kali learned the basic healing and was taught sword, knife, double blade and hand-to-hand combat from the werewolves and demons. She was also taught magic, like glamours or to change part of your body but most of it she found out herself. Murtagh would come whenever there was a full moon so they could feed off each other and they would fly together although those times were few and far apart. Kali had learned that only the royal family could turn into dragons unless they were mates to the royal family. Apparently, one of the royal family was a Dragon Rider and her male dragon could turn into a human. Also the royal family could sometimes be more that one form, like Kali.
Kali gathered as much information as she could from every type of creature and their history in those years. Murtagh had told her that her father had finally stopped looking for her and, Kali and Luka had decided that they would go back to Uru'Baen. Everyone said goodbye and Luka was surprised when a small grey pegasus called Thunder came to her and asked her if he could stay with her as her horse. Naturally, Luka had said yes. Shadow and Thunder flew for a week before Kali had made them conceal their wings and make the rest of the way on foot.
They decided that it was not needed for Luka to disguise herself; after all, no one would recognise her; she was no longer the scrawny little girl from three year previous. Kali, on the other hand, needed to put a glamour to hide the scar her father had given her and she changed the colour of her hair to blonde and changed her eyes to an icy-blue. Luka commented that her eyes looked like Murtagh's.
They had gone into the city walls without any trouble and had gone east. The street rats had welcomed them back with open arms. Surprisingly, in the years she had gone, a lot had changed. None of the street rats slept on the ground anymore. Many of the buildings that had once been unusable were now fixed enough so that there was shelter. The street rats had also learned that, together, they could do a lot more than by themselves.
That night, she had given Murtagh the shock of his life by appearing in the window. She had taken off the glamour and changed back into herself. The next day, they discussed what they would do. Kali agreed to stay with the street rats and Luka while Murtagh went back to the castle so Galbatorix wouldn't have another temper tantrum. "It wasn't pretty," that was all Murtagh had said. At night, Kali would come to his room and they would talk or just stay in each other's arms for the night. Almost always, they fell asleep like that until the sun rose and Kali climbed down the walls before anyone could spot her. The king had moved Murtagh into the Dragon Tower, although none of them knew why, but Kali still managed to reach his room. It went well for the next two years, until she was caught in Murtagh's room by the king himself.
Kali was wrapped in Murtagh's arms. He was still asleep. She longed to go back to sleep but the nightmare replayed in her head.
Murtagh looked older by six or seven year at least. He was kneeling in front of the throne, hands tied behind his back. A body was thrown beside him and Kali saw herself. She was older; her back bore bloody whiplashes and she wore rags. The older Kali looked up at Murtagh. "You will tell me, Morzansson," the king hissed. Murtagh looked at Kali. She quickly shook her head. Murtagh didn't answer. "Very well," he got off his throne and stood in front of Murtagh. Galbatorix placed a hand on his forehead.
Murtagh closed his eyes in pain. After a few minutes, he started to scream. Kali tried to help him but she was held back by two people, although she couldn't see their face. The older Kali struggled and screamed, tears running down her bloody and dirty cheeks. Finally, the king removed his hand and Murtagh fell to his side. In that second, he looked at her, his eyes no long held the familiar sparkle; they looked hollow.
Kali had woken up so suddenly, she had gotten dizzy. She turned and looked at her side and saw Murtagh sleeping peacefully beside her. She found the room too stuffy and opened the window before going back to bed. That had been hours ago. She was slowly getting sleepier and soon fell asleep.
The door slammed open. Kali and Murtagh shot out of bed. Everything froze for a second. Kali looked at her father and quickly jumped out of the still open window before he could realize what she was doing. She quickly became invisible and raced out of the castle gates. Once she was in the safety of the market she became visible again and ran to the poor parts.
For the next two weeks, Kali didn't dare go to the castle nor did Murtagh come to the market. They didn't even risk talking in their minds. Luka and the street rats saw how down Kali was. They thought it was because she couldn't see Murtagh, and they were partly right. She was repeating the nightmare again and again. She couldn't understand what it meant. One day, Kali had gone to an old woman. She was blind but could tell anyone anything they wanted to know for a price. Kali had given the woman a few herbs and she told Kali that it was just a nightmare; that fate did not plan to have her punished for something she did not commit. Kali was left with doubt but she made herself forget the nightmare.
Just as Kali was going to snap at the beginning of the third week, Murtagh finally came to the rock square. They were so happy to see each other that they kissed before either one could do anything. They both had separated, blushing.
"Finally!" someone yelled, "We were wondering how long it was before you two would get together!" Everyone made noises of agreement.
Kali and Murtagh blushed harder. Was I that obvious? they both thought. They read each other's thought's perfectly. They laughed quietly, before they sensed something was wrong. They looked around. Kali heard the soft trot of a horse. Shadow and Thunder were in the forest outside the gates and Tornac the horse was standing beside Murtagh. No other person in this area had a horse. If Tornac were to come, he would have come with Murtagh. Kali looked at Murtagh and they came to a silent understanding.
"EVERYBODY RUN!" they both yelled. In that second, everything was chaos. Everyone rushed to get under the shelters and lock the doors. Kali and Murtagh mounted Tornac, Murtagh in front, and set off at a gallop in the opposite direction from the other horse. They made their way through the dark alleys, making sure not to go into the populated areas. After they had reached the west wall, they stopped in a deserted square. Everything was unusually quiet. "I don't like this," Murtagh whispered as they dismounted.
"Me neither," she whispered back.
"And you shouldn't," a pale white man with blood red hair stepped out of one of the alleys.
A shade! Shit! Since when does father have one! Kali panicked. She could feel Murtagh was the same. "What do you want?" Kali surprised herself by pulling of a casual tone.
"I don't want anything. On the other hand, the king does. He wants you back home," he mocked, "He promises that you can stay with Murtagh when you wish."
She looked at Murtagh. What do you think? Should I go back? I mean, we found out what we wanted, Luka's safe and if father keeps his promise, I can stay with you. Those are the reasons I ran.
I don't know, Kali. I would love for you to stay with me in the castle. It's lonely with only Tornac to talk to and we wouldn't have to go behind anyone's backs, he replied.
Kali nodded and looked back at the shade, "We'll go on one condition. No guards; those on the roofs can't follow us and we go without a struggle."
The shade nodded slightly. They mounted Tornac again as the shade mounted a black horse that had been hiding in the alley. They made their way through the market and into the castle gates. They left Tornac and the shade's horse in the stables.
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Six years had passed. Galbatorix had kept his promise and Kali and Murtagh were never separated. During those years they had gotten even closer. Kali had a room opposite Murtagh's but had nothing inside it. Everything was in Murtagh's room. It was practically her room as well as his. They slept in the same bed, went to breakfast together; they everything together.
During that time, their love for each other grew. Four years after Kali had come back, Murtagh had felt a change in Kali and had started kissing her and touching her in way unimaginable. She realised what was wrong, but couldn't stop him; she didn't want to stop him. She had enough sense to say a spell before letting him do what he wanted. After that night, they were inseparable.
Kali, now sixteen, woke up, feeling ill. She quietly got out of the bed and put a robe on. She made her way to the bathroom in time to puke into the toilet. She felt Murtagh behind her and rubbed her back. Once she stopped, she rinsed her mouth. She moaned as her stomach muscles contracted. "I feel horrible."
"Maybe it's because you ate too much," Murtagh chuckled, "You have to admit you did eat a lot today." He wrapped his arms around her.
She removed his arms from her still sensitive stomach. "Look who's talking. You had a feast last night."
"With your father. I swear his staring made me lose a bit of my appetite." Murtagh's eighteenth birthday had been the previous day. Kali chuckled slightly. "Come on, back to bed."
Kali felt sick for the next few days; Murtagh had to force her to eat. Kali realised what might be wrong with her after a week since she had fallen sick. The only problem was she was too scared to find out.
"Sweetie, you should really go back to sleep," Murtagh said as he stood behind her. Kali was staring out of the window. She hadn't moved for half an hour.
Alright, let's give it a go, she thought. "Have you ever thought about having kids?"
"Pardon?" Kali gave him a don't-act-stupid look. "Well, not really," he started, "I want a family, sure, just not yet."
"Thought so," she said as she stood up. She slipped under the covers. "Night. Love you." She blew out the candle.
"Love you too."
The next day, she and Murtagh were walking down the stairs to breakfast. She hadn't woken up all night, but the nausea was coming back with avenges and backup; wooziness. Halfway down the stairs she stopped. Everything was spinning. She felt the world tilt before being surrounded by darkness.
Kali woke up in a white room, the brightness hurting her eyes. She groaned as she felt she was about to retch. "Kali?" She turned her head. Murtagh was looking at her with a worried expression.
"I'm fine," she said quietly. She sat up slowly, realizing she was in the infirmary. Damn, I have to get out of here! She placed her feet on the floor in time for Nayara to come in.
"No you don't! Get back in that bed!" Kali immediately sat back on the bed. She had been there enough times to know you should never mess with her. "Now, how long have you been feeling sick?" she asked.
Kali didn't want to answer. She didn't want her suspicions to be confirmed. Murtagh answered the question for her, "About a week but it lessens when she eats." Kali looked away as Nayara looked at her.
"Is that true?" Kali nodded. "Kali, when was your last bleeding?" She opened her mouth but nothing came out. She tried again, getting the same result. Her eyes started to smart and a lone tear fell down her cheek. "Kali?"
"I get a bleeding every three months because of the dragon side," Kali whispered. Nayara already knew this.
"Kali when?" she asked.
"Three month two weeks," she said quietly, another tear falling. She looked away from Murtagh. She knew she was going to burst as soon as she started to shake.
"Nay, what's wrong with her?" Murtagh asked.
Nayara looked at Kali in sympathy as she started to sob quietly. "She's with child."
Kali got off the bed quickly. She passed them without a glance. She walked calmly to the door. The moment it closed, she ran. She ran down corridors. Up the stairs. Passed rooms until at, last she, reached a solid oak door. She hesitantly reached for the handle. The door swung inwards on rusty hinges. She entered the room which was filled with dust. Chairs, tables, old useless furniture was piled into the room. There was a small chest at the far end of the room. She made her way over to it and opened it. Inside was a small blue music box. Kali had hidden it there so her father couldn't find it. She quietly slipped out of the room with the box in her hands and made her way to the Dragon Tower. Instead of going into Murtagh's room, she went into her own. She sat on the bed, staring at the box in her hand. She hesitantly opened the lock and opened it.
A beautiful sound echoed around the room. The sounds of the sea and instruments made her feel calm yet she didn't know whether to be happy or sad. The song calmed her like her mother used to just by holding her. She felt safe, like nothing could hurt her.
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Murtagh had found her later that day. They were both shocked but both of them where happy. Nayara had said she was two months pregnant. Murtagh made sure that Kali didn't use magic and put glamours around her so that no one could see the child growing inside of her. No one knew except for Tornac and Nayara, who were both witnesses when Murtagh and Kali married in secret.
They knew that they had to get out of Uru'Baen before the baby was born. Her father would be furious if she had a child at sixteen. And he was the one who gave them the opportunity to escape five months later.
At seven months pregnant, Kali knew that everyone thought something was going on with her but no one knew what. It was night. Just as she entered the room, Murtagh came speeding down the corridor with Tornac close at his heals. "Pack light," he said as he entered the room.
Kali got a pack and put in a few clothes, "Where are we going?" she asked quickly as she quickly stuffed two blankets in the pack.
"Right now, out of Uru'Baen," he said as he took the weapons and pack from her. Tornac had disappeared somewhere. "Your father has gone mad!"
"I think that happened a long time ago," she replied as they started to walk through the halls. They walked down the stairs quickly and hurried into the stables. Shadow, Tornac (the horse) and a brown stallion were saddled. Kali mounted Shadow.
"If anything happens you make sure that she's safe, Shadow," Murtagh said.
Of course, your majesty.
They made their way to the gates. Murtagh sensed an ambush. Shadow started to gallop through the gates as guards surrounded Tornac and Murtagh. Shadow turned east before stopping at the Rock Square. No one was on the streets. Kali dismounted and made her way through the crack, leading Shadow behind her. She knew that if she turned back to help she would be endangering the baby.
Once they were in the forest, they waited until a lone figure on a horse approached them an hour later. Murtagh dismounted and hugged her. She knew without words that Tornac (the man) hadn't made it. Murtagh grabbed the reigns of the horses and oriored to Aquila. Kali went inside the tree while Murtagh removed their packs and saddles from the horses.
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The next few months went well. Kali had given birth to a healthy baby boy that she and Murtagh loved to pieces and named him Hunter Moon as he was born on a full moon (which the werewolves called a hunter's moon). News had come of a new Dragon Rider. Kali instantly knew it was the little boy she had met in Carvahall, although she couldn't remember his name.
Kali was out in the Woadark Lake enjoying the little peace she had at the moment by herself. Hunter was in Lisa's care for the day and Murtagh had disappeared a few days ago to find the new Rider. She had been reluctant to let him go because she knew Brom would recognise him but she didn't tell him that piece of information. So Murtagh had left, leaving her alone...where the ra'zacs found her.
The caught her unawares and bound and gagged her. She thought she had been unconscious for most of the trip because she only remembered fragments. Flying, being forced to drink a horrible substance, darkness, a castle.
She woke up slowly. She could tell she was lying down on cold stone. She looked around and saw she was in a cell, but not just any cell; a cell in Uru'Baen. She tried to contact Murtagh and use her magic but it was useless. How could I have been so stupid?! Kali was angry rather than scared. That is, until her father opened the door a day later.
The door was slammed open and the king stormed in. Before Kali could do anything he grabbed her by her hair and dragged her out. She passed down a few halls entering the one she dreaded; the torture chamber.
Kali was held with her face to the wall. Her arms where chained above her head and her shirt was ripped off. Fortunately, she had the leather piece on; the one Lisa had made for her. Unfortunately, it didn't cover her back. Kali knew what was going to happened, but she wasn't ready for the sting the whip caused. She screamed as she was whipped mercilessly. Blood trickled down her back only to be stopped as the whip cut through her skin.
All of a sudden, the whipping stopped. Kali turned her head slightly and through a teary blur, saw her father standing beside her. "Where is Morzansson?"
"Go to hell," she spat, the pain from her back making her shake. Galbatorix smirked slightly and nodded at something behind her back. The whip cracked again and Kali screamed as it bit her aching back.
A tear escaped her eye, "Don't cry, my dear," he taunted as he wiped it away. Kali moved her head to bite his finger but he moved his hand away quickly. "Naughty, naughty," he said before he slapped her; hard. The sound of bone cracking echoed around the room. Kali felt the copper taste of blood in her mouth and spat it out. She was taken back to the cell after another bout of whipping.
She lost count of how many days it happened before she was dragged into the throne room. And that was where she saw him. Murtagh was kneeling in front of Galbatorix, his hands tied behind his back. Kali was thrown next to him. He was beaten badly, though not as much as her. Two men stood to the side. They were both bald. Twins
"You will tell me, Morzansson," her father hissed. Murtagh looked at her. She quickly shook her head. Don't tell them anything, no matter what happens to me, she thought but she knew he couldn't hear. Murtagh said nothing. "Very well," he got off his throne and stood in front of Murtagh. Galbatorix placed a hand on his forehead.
Murtagh closed his eyes in pain. After a few minutes, he started to scream. Kali tried to help him but she was held back by the twins. Kali struggled and screamed, tears running down her bloody and dirty cheeks. Finally, the king removed his hand and Murtagh fell to his side. In that second, he looked at her, his eyes no long held the familiar sparkle; they looked hollow.
Kali felt some part of her die as she saw him. Her nightmare had come true. She saw a tear tickle down his cheek. "Morzansson, you will swear your loyalty to me."
"My loyalties do not lie with you!" Murtagh spat. Galbatorix looked at him before looking at the twins. They placed their hand on Kali's forehead.
She screamed as she felt white hot knives being embedded into her skin. She looked at her body yet there was nothing there. "Stop! Please!" she begged. But they didn't. She cried as she screamed, the pain mounting.
"STOP IT!!" Murtagh yelled. He was struggling with an invisible opponent as he tried to help her. The ropes binding his hands broke. Galbatorix nodded to the twins and the pain lessened and decreased. Kali was limp on the ground where they dropped her.
"You will do as I say or she will pay the price!" Galbatorix spat. He whispered something and Murtagh screamed, "Swear your loyalty to me and the Empire." Murtagh struggled but couldn't stop the cursed words coming out of his mouth. Kali could only watch helplessly as Murtagh gave his life away. "Good," the king cooed. He reached for a chest that rested beside the throne. He opened it, revealing a ruby dragon egg and a pearly white one. "Touch them."
"Not the red one," Kali whispered, so quietly it was almost inaudible. Almost.
"Milord, the girls says the red one," the twins said in union.
"No," Kali moaned. Galbatorix grabbed Murtagh's hand and placed it on the red egg. They waited a few seconds before it started to crack. After a few minutes of struggling the little red hatchling was free from its egg. The hatchling stared at Murtagh, then at Kali before squeaking and sitting on the floor. Kali slowly crawled towards them. When she reached Murtagh she took his left hand in hers. The hatchling squeaked again and placed his muzzle on their clasped hands. A shock went through both of them before Kali blacked out.
Kali woke up in her cell. She was wearing a brown dress that barely reached her knees. It had no sleeves and she was shaking from the cold. The cell door opened and she was dragged to the throne room again. She was forced on her knees. Galbatorix was just about to speak when Murtagh was pushed into the room. "Oh, good," he sneered, "I was just going to give my daughter her duties." Kali stared at him in disbelief, "You will be working for the guards. You will give them their food and anything they ask for. You have no accommodations and will have to find someplace to sleep. You will be punished if you refuse or don't do your duties right. And, lastly but not least, if I catch either of you within ten feet from each other, there will be a price to pay."
Kali was dragged away without a word. She couldn't believe what he had said.
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The first few days, she was whipped, until she got the hang of her duties. Kali was branded on her shoulder blades to show she worked for the guards. She hardly got a wink of sleep, barely ate and never rested. Even when she did her jobs right, she was whipped. Kali didn't speak as she did her duties and went everywhere in a daze. None of the guards took advantage of her and for that she was thankful but everyday she felt like she was dying. She couldn't see Murtagh, her other half. She wasn't sure how long it was until one of the guards pulled her aside into a little room.
He was the only one who was secretly helping her. His name was Greg, nice man, handsome face with a shock of blond hair. He gave her food and water and forced her to eat so that she could survive. He was the only one she talked to, the only one who knew why she was practically a slave for the guards. He even knew that she could do magic and change her appearance. Greg was the only one who gave her hope that she could be free, but every day it disintegrated a little bit more.
"Kali, I can get you out of here, but you have to trust me," he said.
Kali nodded silently. He handed her a bundle of clothes. She knew those clothes very well, "These are Murtagh's," she croaked.
"Yes. Now put them on." She did as she was told but kept the dress underneath it. "When you change shape can you change your hair length?" Kali shook her head. Greg sighed and pulled out a knife.
"What are you doing?"
"I don't think that Murtagh has long hair," he said sarcastically. Kali was silent as she let Greg cut her hair just above her shoulders. She knew what he wanted her to do. "There, perfect." Kali touched her newly cut hair. She saw most of her hair on the floor. Before Greg had cut it, it had reached her upper back. He held out a small mirror. Her hair was the same as Murtagh's although a little longer than she remembered but she hadn't seen him in goodness knew how long.
Her face was dirty and bruised. She grabbed the mirror and started to change her appearance. She grew taller and muscular, her hair turning Murtagh's colour. Her face changed and her hands grew bigger. Lastly, her eyes changed to an icy-blue. Kali looked back into the mirror and saw Murtagh staring at her. She realized that her scar was still visible so she put a glamour to hide it. "How do I look?" she even had Murtagh's voice.
"Perfect! You can easily get passed the guards!" Greg exclaimed as he hugged her.
"It would look every weird if someone were to come in and see you hugging Murtagh," Kali laughed.
"You're right. Look, get to the stables and get a horse. You can't go through the poor parts because there is a search for someone in those parts so you have to go through the main gates," he explained. Kali nodded.
She quickly left the room and made her way to the stables. She saddled a grey mare and quickly passed through the gates. No one stopped her, or rather; no one would dare go against Murtagh. She quickly made her was to the city gates. She waited in line for a long while until it was her turn. One of the guards stopped her, "Morzansson, what business do you have that you have to leave Uru'Baen?"
"That is the king's private business," Kali invented quickly, "If you have a problem, I suggest you ask him." The guard looked terrified and quickly let her through. Just as she was about to passed she heard someone say, "Morzansson?!"
Kali turned her head quickly. There stood none other than Murtagh speaking to the guard that had let her through. He looked up at her with his mouth open. Shit! Kali quickly dug her heals into the horses flanks and galloped into the waiting forest. She heard people following her into the tree. There were yells and shouts that Kali couldn't make out.
She let the glamour drop and changed back into herself. She couldn't afford to lose more energy than necessary. She pulled up the hood of Murtagh's cloak to hide her face. She galloped for goodness knew how long until she couldn't take it anymore. She let herself drop of the horse. She hissed as she felt some of the scabs on her back crack. She took of Murtagh's clothes, even the boots and piled them on the tree roots.
The horse beside her gave a nervous snort. Suddenly, the horse reared and bolted. Double shit! Kali thought as she looked around her. Everything was quiet, too quiet. The silent whistle of the wind was the only warning she got. Kali bolted at an arrow embedded itself into the tree behind her. She was too weak to use her demon speed but she kept running and running as she heard soldiers and horses follow her. She couldn't even use her magic anymore to help her.
She was running close to the edge of a valley when she felt an arrow pierce her lower leg. She yelled as she fell to the side. She fell over the edge and skidded over the rocks down into the small valley. She felt the rocks tear her left side. She whimpered as she reached the bottom. She felt her side and when she removed her hand it was covered with blood. She looked up and saw Murtagh and Galbatorix looking down at her. She knew she had a little time because there was no way they could jump down. Kali pulled the arrow out of her leg, making more damage than the arrow had done, but she didn't care. She couldn't care anymore.
She stood up and started to run, ignoring the pain in her leg and side. She didn't know where she was going but all she wanted to do was to get away; get away from the pain, from the nightmare that kept following her. She reached the edge of a canyon. There was a piece of rock that jutted out and that was where she stood. A river flowed roughly below her. The fall could easily break her neck or if not, the water would surely kill her. At that moment, she wanted to die.
The sound of horses behind her made her turn. Galbatorix, Murtagh and a few dozen guards surrounded the jutting rock. Anyone realise that she could only go that way. But she had a different way. She turned her back on them and walked to the edge of the rock. From the way she was standing, everyone could see her scars, brand marks she had gotten and the new wounds. Even they could tell that she was about to crack.
"Kali! No, wait, please!" She turned as Murtagh made his way towards her. Not even Galbatorix decided to stop him. He reached her but she avoided his touch, "Please, don't do this," he said quietly as his eyes started to sparkle.
"I can't do this anymore," she whispered. Even Galbatorix heard her whisper. Everything was too quiet as if it was waiting. "I can't," a tear escaped her eye, "I tried, Murtagh, I have, but I can't do this. Don't you understand? I can't stand the thought that you might be down the next hall yet I can't see you. I can't stand the thought that I am the reason you can't control your own life anymore. I'm the reason why Thorn hatched for you!"
"How do you-?"
"I DON'T KNOW!! That is why I can't stand anything! I don't know how I knew that dragon was going to hatch! I don't know how I knew that Eragon was the Blue Rider when he was only three! I DON'T KNOW HOW I KNOW!" she screamed, "All I want to do is DIE!!" Everyone stayed in stunned silence. "I can't live like this! I used to be able to tell you what was wrong! I could tell you if I'm worried! But I can't anymore because of HIM!" she said pointing to Galbatorix, "I have been keeping everything bottled up because I had no one to talk to! Even when I did talk, I couldn't stand it but this is the last straw!"
"Then why don't you tell me now?" Murtagh asked quietly silent tears falling.
"Why should I tell you now?! So that you can take me back and let this happen all over again?! So I can be whipped day and night for no reason?! So that I can quietly die and you won't even know?! I WON'T TELL YOU!!" Tears were falling fast but none of them wiped them away. "I'll take them to the grave," she said quietly. She stepped back before he could do anything. All she felt was the air underneath her.
"KALI!" She saw Murtagh being held back before she hit the water and blacked out.
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Everywhere was black.Distorted images flashed through her eyes yet disappeared before she could take a good look at them. Everything hurt. She couldn't even feel where her fingers were, from the pain. Who knew being dead could hurt so much? Kali thought.
"Kali," she heard something whisper, "Kali, you need to wake up. Storm, please. It's me, Lukie." She felt someone hold her hand. The movement made her arm feel as if it was on fire. She felt like she wanted to scream but couldn't sum up enough energy.
So I'm not dead.
"Kali, please," Luka sounded on the verge of tears, "You're scaring me and the others."
Others? What others?
"Mitch, found you," Luka explained as if she read her thoughts, "You know, the boy that always pickpockets the women of the court? Well, anyway, the soldiers were searching for him and he went to the forest through the crack. The soldiers didn't even give it a glance," Luka chuckle sounded forced, "He found you floating in the river. He managed to get you to the crack and he brought you here. Everyone wondered how he could have gotten you here; that was, until they was what happened to you," Luka paused, "We're all worried, you know...I don't want you to die," she cried, "Please, just show me that you're going to be ok."
Kali tried to move but the pain forbade her to move even a hair. She summoned all her energy and gave her hand a small feeble squeeze. Luka gave a small gasp as she felt her pathetic attempt to squeeze her hand, but it was enough. "Oh, thank the gods!" Kali felt a small smile graze her lips. "We thought you were going to die!" At that the smile disappeared. Luka noticed. "Kali?" Kali felt a presence brush against her own. She let the barriers down slowly. Kali?
I wanted to, she replied, I jumped off the canyon. I didn't want to live if this was how my life was going to be.
Who did this to you?
The soldiers, my father, a magician or two. I couldn't stand it.
And Murtagh? Luka asked.
I don't know. I wasn't allowed to go near him. That was what made me snap. I had so many things I needed to talk about and I could tell he was the same when I saw him...how long have I been like this? Kali asked.
About three weeks. When did you see him?
When I was running from everything. The soldiers were running after me as were Murtagh and my father, she spat the word. I was running towards the canyon when I realized that if that was how my life was going to be then I didn't want it. I decided I didn't want to live anymore. Murtagh even tried to stop me! Kali laughed.
He saw you fall?
Yes, Kali replied guiltily. Listen, Luka, I'm a little tired. Tell the others I'm fine just...just don't tell Murtagh if he comes, ok? She felt Luka disappear and fell asleep quickly.
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"Kali, I have a surprise for you," called Luka from one of the rooms.
Over the last month Kali had regained her strength. She had regained most of her health back and could now stomach solid food but she was still very thin. Luka had burned the dress she had been wearing when Mitch had found her and had given her a shirt and trousers. Luka had even called her Murtagh once when Kali had her back to her. They had just laughed it off but Kali wondered what was happening to Murtagh, how he was, what he was feeling.
"What is it?" Kali asked as she stood up from the bed. She made her way into the other room. The street rats had given Luka the cleanest room they could find so she could heal her. Kali still slept in that room at night by the street rats insistence. Luka was in the room beside her.
"Someone wants to say hi to mummy," she replied. She was holding a little boy on her hip. He was sucking on his thumb until he saw Kali. He held out his arm so she could pick her up.
Kali rushed to her little boy, "Hey, Hunter," she said as she picked him up. She had tears of happiness. "Mummy missed you," she whispered as he put his head on her shoulder. "How did you...?"
"Thunder wanted to go to Aquila. He heard what happened and told me. We brought him here because Lisa says he doesn't stop crying and needs his mother," Luka said quietly.
Hunter giggled as he touched Kali's short hair, "Baba."
"No, silly, it's mama or dada," Kali laughed. She held Hunter close, "You want to go for a little walk?" she said as she bounced. Hunter gave a little giggle. Kali smiled and made her way to the door, "Say bye-bye to auntie Lukie." Hunter just gurgled and stuffed his hand in his mouth.
Luka laughed, "Here, take this." She held out a small money bag, "Buy yourself something."
"No, I couldn't," she said holding it out so Luka could take it back. Luka just held her hands up and waved as she backed into her room. "Your auntie is impossible," she whispered to Hunter. The little boy just laughed again. They walked out of the building and made their way to the centre of Uru'Baen.
On the way, Kali placed a glamour on the scar on her face. The rest were hidden by the clothes she wore. They entered the busy market and looked from stall to stall, nothing really catching her eye. Just as she was about to turn back someone yelled, "SOLDIERS!"
Everyone scattered to let the galloping horses through. A small girl fell as everyone rushed to safety. Kali recognised her as one of the street rats. No one noticed the little girl fall, nor did they rush to help her when she was trying to get up as the stampede approached. Kali ran forward and tried to get her up. Suddenly she realised why the girl couldn't get up. She had broken her ankle. Hunter was still on her hip. The horses were metres away and they weren't slowing down. Without thinking, Kali raise a shield quickly. The shield spread from wall to wall and towered metres high.
The soldiers' horses reared into a stop. "I think I overdid it," Kali whispered. The girl laughed. "Mary, right?" The girl nodded. "Can you hop if I hold you?" the girl shrugged. She helped the girl up.
Hunter gurgled, "Papa."
Kali looked up and saw Murtagh standing on the opposite side of the shield. He looked at her with a mixture of surprise, shock and...hope? "I swear seventeen has got to be a curse," Kali mumbled. She touched the girl's shoulder and oriored back to the square, making sure that the shields were lowered.
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"Care to explain?" Kali jumped, but didn't turn or answer.
"Kali, he has a right to know," she heard Luka say.
"Luka, no offence, but go away." She heard Luka close the door quietly. Hunter gurgled from his bed as she looked down at him, his eyes slowly closing as he fell asleep. She felt him behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. She felt him sigh. "Would 'I'm sorry' help?" she asked.
"Why did you do that?" Murtagh whispered.
"Because it was that or die in a cell. I realised that sometimes you don't get what you ask for." She turned to face him. "Let's go to my room." She took his hand and led him into her room. He sat on her bed as she closed the door. She sat down beside him and he held her close as if he never wanted to let her go.
"You know, your father actually broke down crying." Kali looked at him in disbelief. He just nodded grimly. "I know. It's hard to believe." He leaned closer to her and kissed her lips. He did it again and again, always little pecks. He moved down to her jaw and then her neck.
"You're doing this on purpose," she gasped as he bit her neck gently. She felt his hands go up her shirt.
"Maybe," he mumbled.
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Murtagh went back to the castle in the morning. Luka had asked Kali what had happened. She had just replied, "You don't want to know." The street rats thanked her for saving Mary but Kali had said that no one lets other harms their real family. They were so overjoyed that they wanted to celebrate. They agreed that in the forest there would be no suspicion and they could make as much noise as they wanted. They said the celebration would be in two weeks, the day after the ball in the castle. Kali hadn't heard of it.
Murtagh came back at night. She asked him about the ball. "Your father told me about a month ago. Actually, the day after you...never mind. Well anyway, it's a masked ball. All the lords and ladies of the court; just your usually people in the upper classes." He paused, "I need to go with someone."
Kali looked at him, "I don't mind if you go with another woman."
Murtagh licked his lips nervously. "Well, Luka said she could find something for you to wear," he said although it sounded more like a question.
"But why...? NO! Absolutely not!" she screeched, "I am not stepping foot in that castle!"
Needless to say, the word she screamed at Murtagh, Luka, Mary and a few others fell on deaf ears. Two weeks later, Luka and Mary had dragged her to the river for her to bathe in and made sure she was clean. They had given her a dark purple dress. Black swirls covered the corset. Kali had put the dress on and she had to admit it was pretty. It fitted her perfectly; showing off her curves and was just off the shoulder.
She was dragged back to her room, where Mary and Luka did a miracle with her short hair. They curled it slightly and somehow managed to put her hair up with a few elegant curls hanging down. Kali made sure to glamour her scars as Luka placed a light makeup on her face. Where she had gotten it from she will never know. Mitch had stolen a pair of purple slippers from one of the ladies of the court and had given them to her. Kali had just laughed.
Kali was done. She stepped outside were catcalls and wolf whistles greeted her. Kali blushed slightly from all the attention. Everyone stepped to the side as Mitch walked through the crowd. He held something behind his back. Everyone quietened down. "No need to act as if someone's died," he called as he reached her and everyone had held their breath. A few chuckles greeted his response. "Well, anyway, Kali, we realized that you have to wear a mask to a masked ball so all of us pitched in and got one for you," he showed her a beautiful mask of dark purple with black swirls. The mask only covered her eyes (it had holes so she could see through). "And we didn't steal it," he said as if in afterthought.
Kali laughed slightly as she took the mask from his hands and admired it, "Thank you," she whispered.
"Good, and no crying," he said suddenly, "We can't have all that hard work go to waste." Kali smiled again. He gently took the mask from her hands and put it on her. Luka passed her a black cloak and the reigns to Thunder.
"You need to get going. Murtagh said he'll wait by the fountain," she said, "We'll take care of Hunter."
Kali fastened the cloak on, mounted the horse and slowly made her way to the castle. She passed the gates just behind one of the carriages. She rode to the side and handed Thunder to a stable boy. "I want you to make sure that this horse is well taken care of," she said, "He will tell me if you don't." The stable boy nodded quickly and led Thunder away.
She made her way over the path that led towards the gardens. In the middle of the garden was a huge fountain. Four stone dragons squirted water from their mouths into the giant pool below. Around the pool were stone seats, were Kali sat as she watched the water flow into the pool.
She stayed there for five minutes waiting, hearing the crickets and watching as the sun lowered on the horizon. "You look beautiful," she heard Murtagh whisper in her ear. She had expected as much and didn't jump in surprise. She stood up and turned. His eyes widened and jaw opened slightly. "Not beautiful... stunning!" Kali smiled slightly feeling herself blush slightly. Murtagh kissed her lovingly. "We should go inside," he whispered. As they walked in, Kali took a good look at him. He was wearing his customary things, all clean and polished. His mask hid half of his face.
"Does Galbatorix know that you have a partner?" Kali asked.
Murtagh nodded, "I told him that you were a friend named Annalyn and that you were close to Kali too," he smirked, "Your father is a rich man but he's a farmer. Also as you knew Kali had died and didn't want me to be by myself you wanted to accompany me."
"Yeah," she said sarcastically, "I was dragged kicking and screaming all day because I wanted to accompany you. I swear if anyone has any suspicion, I'm going to make sure you can't have any more children with me or any other woman."
"Really? You don't look like you are kicking and screaming now," he smiled as they entered the castle.
"Well...that was before...I saw how pretty I looked," Kali said sheepishly. They entered an empty hallway.
Murtagh chuckled quietly. He paused for a second, "You need to change your eye colour. The rest people can't tell it's you but if your father sees your eyes, he'll know." Kali concentrated for a second before giving him a quizzical look, "Matches your nickname. Stormy grey."
"Come on," she said, "The sooner we get this over with the better." Murtagh led her to the ballroom. He and Kali had a few good memories from the room. They had snuck into it a few times when they were smaller and had tried to dance like the lords and ladies. They had burst out laughing most of the times but did teach each other how to dance a little. Before they entered she placed her hand over his. They entered. As they walked in Kali felt like every eye was on them. I swear, I'm going to crack tonight.
No you're not. Just stay with me, Murtagh replied soothingly. When everyone was ready, they moved into another room where diner was served. Murtagh sat on the kings right, Kali beside him. To the kings left was an empty space. She noticed that he was the only one without a mask.
Kali was shaking slightly as she ate quietly. God! What's wrong with me?! She felt Murtagh place a hand on her thigh and gave it a gentle squeeze. He could tell she was nervous.
"So, Murtagh," said Galbatorix, "I don't believe I know your friends name."
"Forgive me, your majesty. This is Annalyn. She has known me and...Kali," he whispered for a second, "For a long time."
The king nodded for a moment before going back to eating. Kali smiled at Murtagh secretly. He was a very good actor and liar. Once everyone had finished eating, they went back into the ballroom where everyone started to dance. Kali and Murtagh danced for a while before someone asked Kali to dance. She agreed and Murtagh asked someone else to dance. She changed partner a few times before she excused herself and sat down while she watched everyone dance. After five minutes she felt someone sit beside her.
Her father sat hunched over swirling a glass of wine in his hand before downing it in one go. "You're taking the drinks hard," Kali commented.
"A way to deal with my problems," he grunted as he got another drink.
"You know, getting drunk won't help your problems." He looked at her. "It'll just make them worse. You should tell someone about them. It might make things better."
"And who am I going to tell?!" he laughed as he downed the drink in his hands. He ordered another one, but Kali waved the man away.
"I have ears," she whispered. She thought for a second. "Kali helped me with my problems and I helped her with hers. Maybe I can help you."
They looked at each other for a second. The king nodded. "I would like to talk," he said quietly.
"Then we will. Now."
Galbatorix looked around. "Not here." He stood up and led her outside the ballroom. He led her down a few corridors. A servant girl was coming the opposite way. "Get me a glass of wine," he said, "I'll be in my study." Before the girl could say anything he stormed away.
"Don't bring him the wine," Kali whispered, "Could you bring lemon tea instead?" The girl nodded. "Oh, and the black and purple cups with the gold dragon," she said in afterthought.
"But no one knows of those cups except...princess?" the girls eyes widened.
"Don't tell anyone," Kali said quickly.
She was just about to go after Galbatorix when the servant said, "Cook made some cinnamon biscuits today." Kali looked at her with a smile. The girl ran off and Kali quickly followed her father into the study.
The room was large and there was a huge cushion on the floor beside gigantic doors that Shruikan would come through when Galbatorix was in the study. At that moment the doors were locked. Books were on every shelf on the wall. There was a desk with quills, ink, parchment and two chairs. Kali sat on one of the chairs with her legs crossed. Galbatorix sat opposite her and sighed as he looked at the floor.
"Why did you shun her out of your life?" Kali asked when he didn't say anything for a few minutes. Might as well get some answers I want to know.
"I did not!" Galbatorix shouted as he stood up, "She was always with Murtagh, stuck by his side every day! If she had a problem, I wanted her to come to me, but instead she went to Miliani and Murtagh, and when she died, I tried to get her way from him!"
"Why did you want them away from each other?" she said calmly.
"I...I don't know," he said as he sat down in his chair again looking defeated, "I just wanted my little girl back," he whispered, "I wanted her to come to me, like any parent would want their child to come to them if something was wrong. I felt like he was taking her away from me."
Kali reached over and took one of his hands, "Have you ever thought that maybe she did want to tell you things, ask you questions that only you could answer, but felt like she couldn't?"
"But why couldn't she?!"
"Because maybe she was scared. Kali told me what you did to her mother," she replied quietly.
"Sh-she saw?" Kali nodded her head solemnly, "No wonder she hates me...my temper got in the way of the argument we were having. I can't remember what it was about, but I just got so angry. I snapped. The same happened when I gave her the scar. When I heard her say that she liked him and that she hated having me for a father...well, you could guess what happened," Galbatorix looked at her. "You must think I'm-"
"No," she interrupted, "I don't. But maybe you should have been with her, not leave her by herself so much. She felt like she didn't have any family, no one to love her, so instead she made one with her friends. She always looked out for them and in return, they helped her."
He smiled, "Sounds like her mother. She thought I didn't love her?"
Kali nodded, "But I think she never gave up hoping, because I knew her too well. She acted all strong and tough but I knew she wanted her family. I know that she was beaten by you and the soldiers and what you put her through and it made her crack beyond belief, but I know she still loves you."
"How would you? She's dead," he said dejectedly. There was a knock on the door before she could answer. The servant girl came in with a tray and placed it on the desk. Kali quickly dismissed her.
"Tea?" she said as she poured it into the two mugs. Both mugs were the same except one was black and the other purple. The handle was gold and a gold flying dragon decorated the mug. He stared at her as she added a sugar cube and a teaspoon of milk before handing it to him. She placed three sugar cubes and added a lot of milk to the purple mug before taking it herself.
"How do you know how I take my tea?"
Kali looked up from her cup. She had done it without thinking. "Er..."
"Not that I mind," he said as he took a sip. He looked at the cup before looking at her. "You act a lot like her," he stated with a smile. "Why were they always together?" he asked after a while.
"Because they loved each other. You could tell by the way they looked at each other, the way they would always be together. It was very annoying. Stuck to the hip all day but they didn't care," she said as she took a cinnamon biscuit.
"If I hadn't been so blind I might have realised," he drained the cup as Kali finished, "We really should get back to the ball," he stated, "Murtagh might be worried about you."
Shit! Murtagh! Kali quickly lowered her shields to talk to him, Murtagh?
Where the hell are you?!
Kali winced slightly as she and Galbatorix started to go down the corridors, I'm just talking with someone.
Well you had better get here now! Galbatorix has disappeared so you can get back.
Er...he's the one I was talking to, she replied hesitantly. The response was instant.
WHAT!! WHAT IN THE NINE LEVELS OF HELL WERE YOU THINKING??!! DO YOU REALISE THAT HE CAN FIND OUT WHO YOU ARE??!! THIS HAS GOT TO BE THE MOST STUPIDEST THING YOU'VE EVER DONE!!
By now they had reached the ballroom. Kali quickly walked over to Murtagh and slapped him across the face, "How the hell can you say that?!" she screamed, "YOU OF ALL PEOPLE SAYING I'VE DONE SOMETHING STUPID!"
"WHAT?! YOU'RE CALLING ME AN IDIOT?!"
"YES I AM!"
"AT LEAST I'M NOT THE ONE THAT TRIED AND FAILED TO STEAL FROM THE BAKERS!" he screamed back.
"AT LEAST I'M NOT THE ONE WHO GOT HIS ASS KICKED BY A GIRL!"
"AT LEAST I WASN'T THE ONE STUPID ENOUGH TO JUMP OFF A CANYON!" Kali's mouth hung open. Murtagh's eyes widened, "I...I-"
"Shut up," she said. The whole room was quiet. She turned around quietly and came face to face with her father. She couldn't take it. She ran.
N/A : Review!
Just another part left!