Daughter Of Light And Darkness Chapter 24: Don't Surrender Part II, an inheritance cycle fanfic

Dear Readers,

The beginning of this story is under reconstruction. When you read a chapter that has nothing at all to do with what you have just read, please keep in mind that is the previous version of the story and I am redoing it as quickly as I can. I apologize for the inconveniance. I am not trying to confuse you! Later on, after chapter 28, things mostly fit together with the revised chapters of the story.

This is Chapter 24, revised.

Thank you and enjoy!

DragonRider2000

Taya's head was pounding, and her legs felt weak. She didn't let herself fall, even though the thought of sitting down was tempting. Something was happening to her surroundings… she could not rest. She could not give in…

Then suddenly before her what had been darkness turned into a garden. She found herself standing by a fountain, with blooming rose bushes lining the gravel walk. Before her, beneath a tree and among tall, lush grass stood a man, and at his feet was a still figure. Taya's heart seemed to catch in her throat and her hand went to her mouth to stifle her outcry. The figure on the ground was a woman. She had crumpled to the ground on her side, her brilliant red hair a tangled mess on her shoulder and the ground. She was wearing a white gown, and the gown was colored red with blood on her back. Not far from her head was a silver circlet that had been dislodged from her head when she'd fallen.

The man above her was turned away from Taya, and in one of his hands he held a dagger, and she could see the jewels on its hilt. He was tall, with black hair, and was dressed in a kingly fashion with a gold crown on his head.

"Mother…" Taya whispered in horror, and jumped when a voice spoke from beside her.

"Yes, you are correct. That is your mother, and your father. This was how it was when she died." Morzan said from beside her, and his different colored eyes burned with glee as he spoke, as he knew what he said broke her heart.

Taya's legs gave out then and she fell to her knee's, staring at the scene before her in shock. She choked and several tears streamed from her eyes.

"Aww, so the hard-edged princess can cry after all. How… pitiful, really." He paused, waiting to see if she'd say anything. When she didn't, he continued matter-of-factly. "She deserved it, you know, the little traitor. I don't know why she thought she could hide her treachery from the king. It does not pay well to be a spy… and he spared her no favors just because she was his queen. She was rather worthless."

"Shut UP!" Taya yelled, looking up and glaring at him through blurry eyes. "Why… are you doing this to me? And don't you DARE say my mother was worthless! He only found out because of you!"

"And he molded me, so it was really him. I'll say whatever I wish, there's nothing you can do about it. And I am doing nothing to you. I am just the bystander. Of course I'll gladly tell you how he did this once you've died and joined me. The more scenes you see, the closer you are to deaths door."

Taya lunged to her feet, her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She slammed her foot into the ground as she growled in his face, "I will NOT die, you worthless… DEAD coward. I know why Galbatorix is doing this to me. He knows that I despise him with every fiber in my body. Now I have even more reason too, since I know he killed my mother. He wants to see me suffer…. But then why not just kill me quickly and see it for himself? Why wait? Why give me the chance to fight back?"

Morzan laughed incredulously. "Fight back? You certainly are delusional, little princess. There is no way to fight back. But you're lucky that I am here, because I know the purpose of his poison, of your slow death sentence."

"Purpose?" She yelled. "What purpose?"

Morzan raised an eyebrow and considered something, and then he decided to oblige her.

"So your little friends can watch you suffer and be completely helpless, unable to do anything at all to save you, and of course for you to suffer beyond their puny imaginations for what you have done."

Taya narrowed her eyes as cold shivers raced up and down her spine, thinking of Raya and Sasha traveling across Alagaesia without knowing if she would survive. An overwhelming urge to punch Morzan suddenly came over her, and she barely managed to stop herself from wiping the smirk off his face. After all, he was dead and merely a part of the drug, so it really wouldn't do any good.

"If that be the case," She snapped back, "why don't you leave me to suffer in peace? You're doing nothing here… and let me make something clear. I will never join you, even if I die. I will not give in to this poison, or to Galbatorix. There is still a race to run!"

"If you think you can somehow defeat him, you are sillier than I thought." Morzan scoffed. "He cannot be defeated. That is the truth."

"And when have you ever told the truth?" Taya snapped again, flexing her hands. "You could never tell the truth, Morzan. Your whole existence is a lie."

"Then so is yours."

Taya's fist clenched and she struck out, catching him in the face. To her glee her hand collided solidly, and he jumped back with a howl. And then he disappeared, and she stepped back as a brilliant white light appeared and then she was thrown into her earlier memory, only it had skipped ahead to the day after the next, the day the guests were supposed to arrive in Uru'baen.

"So, let me get this straight." Zen Drayson said slowly. Taya rolled her eyes at him and crossed her arms, but she was grinning ear to ear. She was facing Zen, Weston, Xackzan and Murtagh in the hallway by her bedroom, and she had just made a proposal to them. They were all relaxed, and in good moods, so she had a feeling no matter what Zen said, they would agree.

"You are giving us, or the three bodyguards, a day off, and then asking us to use that day off to technically guard you as we go to the lake outside of Uru'baen, ride around, and then come back in time to confuse the noble guests of Galbatorix, with the possibility of a huge storm coming and us getting drenched, and then giving us the option to take this precious day off and go into town and leave you all by yourself?"

"That's how I thought it sounded." Weston chimed in, looking sideways at Zen. "I think you should-"

"Oh shut up." Zen scoffed, "I wasn't finished yet." He turned back to Taya and asked incredulously, "What kind of options are those?"

"Your options, Zen." Murtagh answered, and Weston tried to keep a straight face. Xackzan shook his head, and said,

"I think I like Taya's proposal."

"I never said I didn't." Zen snapped.

"I think he sort of did." Murtagh drawled, and then he looked up at Xackzan. "I think I do too, Xack. What do you think, Weston? I'm game."

"So am I. Let's go before we lose any more light."

Taya and the three of them turned and started walking away, and Zen asked frantically,

"Wait, what about me?"

They all stopped, and Taya said slowly, "I thought you wanted to use your precious day off and go into town?"

Zen narrowed his eyes and said pointedly, "And leave you by yourself? What, are you kidding? There is no way I'm leaving you with these three either." He glared pointedly at Murtagh as he fell in beside them, and Murtagh just grinned.

They stopped by the kitchens to pick up a picnic lunch, and were helped by Shalla. She couldn't ask Taya anything for fear someone would wonder, so Taya answered her unspoken question as they packed her saddlebags.

"He's fine today. The salve seems to be working. He gave me a scare last night because his fever went up, but it came back down early this morning. I don't think he's out of the woods by a long shot, but there's hope. If you have time, come by this evening. Izaak would love to see you. Mari's been sticking it out with him."

Shalla smiled at her. "I think I will. You might be tied up for a while today, though. I heard a rumor in the kitchens that there's going to be some sort of private dinner for the arriving guests?"

Taya groaned. "I wish he would have told me. Gah, that's annoying! Thanks for being informed, Shalla, you are amazing!"

Shalla rolled her eyes and put the last item in the bag and buckled it up. "I'm glad I can make your life just a tad less hectic. Have fun today." She looked at the three waiting men and raised an eyebrow, pointedly looking at Zen. The blond haired bodyguard raised an eyebrow back, and Taya laughed.

"Thanks, Shalla. See you later." Taya led the way out and to the stables, and once there everyone split directions to their horses. Taya paused to pet Adnarim, her mysterious patient's horse, and then took Chester from his stall. A little down the aisle Weston and Murtagh were laughing about something, and she saw Zen glare at them, and then he disappeared outside because his horse, Antara, was in an outdoor paddock that day.

"What's so funny?" Taya hissed when Zen was safely outside. Weston snickered like a little kid.

"We figured out why Zen couldn't let us go without him."

"He's too chicken to go off and do anything by himself." Murtagh said sadly, successfully keeping a straight face.

Xackzan shook his head as he came out of the tack room. "Give him some credit, you two. At least he's smart and an excellent archer. He could shoot straighter than either of you any day."

There was a pause, and then Weston replied, "Too bad we brought lunch."

He received three very confused stares and then he finished matter-of-factly, "Zen could've shot us a chicken for lunch."

Taya gasped, startling them. "Weston, how could you think of such a thing? He couldn't do that!"

"Why not?" Weston asked in confusion.

"Because he'd be shooting one of his own kind!" She hissed as the back door opened, and Zen was greeted by hoots of laughter. He eyed them suspiciously, which only made them laugh harder, and then he growled,

"Oh, I know you were talking about me. Continue, I don't care. Keep acting like 10-year-olds."

"You left yourself wide open, Zen. But we will refrain from being silly now, for your sake." Taya said, staring down Murtagh and Weston, who were having a hard time getting over her comment.

"Thank you." Zen drawled, saddling Antara quickly. "I feel so special."

"You should." Xackzan clapped him on the back as he headed outside, Taya right behind him.

"But I am glad that you're coming with us, Zen." Taya said as she mounted Chester. Murtagh and Weston exited the stable in time to hear her next statement. "Because you'll add some sanity to this group of lunatics."

Weston's jaw practically dropped to the ground, and Murtagh just laughed.

"Because he isn't a lunatic at all." Murtagh said, mounting in tandem with Weston. "I certainly am not the one who jumps into the fountain in the summer, or tricks people into-"

"Ok, don't even go there." Zen cut him off and glared at him, causing everyone to laugh.

"Fine, fine." Murtagh rolled his eyes, and then Taya led them out of the castle grounds and into the city, out of the city and towards the lake beyond the city and some of the outlying farms. It was one of their usual hangouts because it was out of the way and not many people travelled there. It was a fairly long ride but they all enjoyed it, as did their horses. It was a good way to escape, but that day it also tied into Taya's plan for receiving the king's guests. She hardly planned to be easy on them.

They spent most of the day around the lake, just relaxing and practicing sword fighting, and then the wind started picking up and grey clouds started rolling in at a magnificent speed, so they decided it was time to head back. They started off towards the castle at a brisk trot, watching the approaching storm warily.

Taya looked towards the road, and noticed two blurs in the distance. She pointed them out.

"I bet you that those are our esteemed guests, trying to beat the storm just as we are. Come on, I want to get there before we get drenched, and just before they get there!"

"See you there!" Zen yelled as he nudged his horse into a run, and Taya laughed, leaning low over Chester's neck and she spoke softly to him. The big horse's ears twitched and all of a sudden he leapt forward, stretching his legs eagerly across the ground. Behind her, Weston, Murtagh, and Xackzan let their horses enter the race, and the land echoed with the pounding of the five horses' hooves. Taya pulled ahead of Zen, but Murtagh's horse surged up beside her and they were running neck to neck, full tilt, along the path towards the castle. Weston was not far behind either of them, with Xackzan behind him. Antara, Zen's mare, was giving him some trouble, so he quickly fell into last place. They finally slowed their horses when they neared the gate, Murtagh and Taya tying for first, but no one cared.

When they reached the gate, they were barely ahead of carriages and their horses were prancing, ready for more, and everyone was grinning widely, exhilarated. Taya patted Chester on the neck and looked at her friends. They certainly looked like a motley crew, and she knew she didn't look any better. Between the lake, sparring, riding hard, and the humidity from the storm, she doubted none of them looked like bodyguards and she certainly didn't look like a princess.

Oh well. The guards knew them and their whereabouts that day, so why should she care?

"So, Taya," Murtagh asked quietly as they approached the gate just ahead of the carriages, "what is your plan? You hardly look the part of a princess, so I doubt they would believe you if you told them who you were. What's your game?"

Taya smiled. "Does a princess have to always look the part?"

He rolled his eyes. "I know that smile. Don't be too mean, Taya. Your lighter side is much more agreeable to be around."

The guards saluted them, and Taya noticed that they were the same men that they'd passed on their way out, hours ago. She frowned and hailed the captain, who was walking in the opposite direction.

"Captain!"

He paused, and turned slowly around and walked hurriedly to her side. Taya knew that she was holding up the carriages, and she saw out of the corner of her eye someone lean out of the second, but she kept her attention on the captain, who seemed rather nervous.

"Captain Rosen, what are these men still doing here? I believe that the guard was supposed to be switched an hour or two ago, yet these men still stand here, weary on their feet. Do not tell me we are expecting a full day's duty from them? Or that we have lazy guards who do not report on time? I do not think that you would like to work through the heat of the day and then through a storm. I cannot and will not sanction it."

The captain was obviously surprised, and he snapped to a relieved attention. "They shall be relieved at once, Milady. I will see that it does not happen again."

"Wonderful. Good evening, gentlemen!" Taya threw the guards a jaunty salute and entered the city, happy to see the relieved and thankful looks the men gave her. Well, she did care about people, no matter what other people said.

She was satisfied when she heard Rosen bellow "Where are those replacements?!" and then a scurry of metal as men shifted positions. She thought she heard a relieved sigh, and imagined that someone had thought that he was going to be relieved of his duty.

They stopped a ways from the gate on the road to wait for the carriages, and Taya glanced at her men. She frowned, looking at Weston, who at her expression finally allowed himself to laugh. Zen too was grinning madly, and Taya shook her head at them. Murtagh, who was beside Weston, rolled his eyes and whacked him over the head, causing everyone to laugh. Taya's confrontation with Captain Rosen apparently had been amusing to them all.

The carriages were stopped for an inspection, and there were some heated words from inside one of the carriages. Taya grimaced, and then sighed. She despised being the welcoming committee.

"Come now, Taya. Don't let a few lords and ladies get you down." Murtagh laughed, and she made a face.

"Easy for you to say, Murtagh. You aren't the one who has to deal with them."

"Not directly, no. When I'm around you, yes."

The carriages started on again, and Taya shot a half serious look at the guys, who straightened and tried to not look like they were amused, but there were still traces of laughter on their faces. Taya started whistling, and then waved the drivers to stop. The two carriages did so, and there was an exclamation from the first, and then someone spoke rather loudly from the second.

"Why in Tavron's name have we stopped again? Is there a second gate? And where is that blasted bottle?"

Taya tried to hold back a snicker. They apparently had a drinker in their company for the week. So much the better sometimes. A calm male voice answered,

"No, father there is not a second gate. I don't know why we are stopped, actually, but I'm sure it's for a good reason. And remember, you ran out of your drink halfway to the city walls. I am sure the King's grace will provide you with some once we are settled in the castle."

"If we ever reach the castle." The older man grumbled, and Taya heard someone behind her cough over a laugh.

The window of the first carriage opened and a young lady stuck her head out, and shot a disdainful look at the last carriage, and then turned to say something to the driver when she spotted Taya and her company in front of the carriages.

"You there! Why are you stopping us? We are expected at the castle, so I would warn you to move along."

Taya raised an eyebrow and leaned on her saddle. "I beg your pardon? Oh dear, you must be Deyana Bretton of Belatona. If I had not been told to escort you, I think I would let you get lost."

Deyana Bretton of Belatona, for so it was, obviously could not believe what she'd just heard. She stared at Taya in growing anger and astonishment. Taya knew she certainly did not look her formal part, but she hardly needed a formal appearance to make an impression.

Taya looked at the drivers, who both smiled slightly at her, wondering at her. "If you will follow me, good drivers, we will lead the way to the castle."

"Yes, Lady." The first driver said, with a very thick accent. Before Taya turned Chester, she noticed the young man sticking his head out of the second carriage's window to see what was going on. He seemed to do a double take at her, and then she turned and started off.

"How dare she say such a thing to me! What impudence. And to think, she knows who I am! I will not be treated with such disdain. And I thought we were supposed to be met by the princess, not some smart-mouthed servant."

"Shush daughter, before your tongue carries you away. We were told that the princess might greet us. That does not mean she will, and I did not expect us to have the honor of an escort. You were not too agreeable, besides."

Taya didn't hear if Deyana replied, because Murtagh sidled his horse close up next to her and said softly,

"Well, that was different. I have a feeling that this is going to be an interesting week. I wonder what the rest of the characters are like."

"We'll find out soon enough. Prepare yourself, my friend."

Murtagh chuckled. "If I must. You seem to be already fully prepared. You're going to give them quite a shock, you know."

"I know of at least one person who deserves it."

"Easy, Taya. Your dark side is starting to show again."

Taya rolled her eyes at him, and then there was a mighty clap of thunder above that ended the conversation and had them urge their horses on a little bit faster as it started to sprinkle. When they reached the castle gates Taya waved at the guards, who saluted back and didn't attempt to stop them. They circled the courtyard and the head groom hurried out to hold Chester's head as Taya and the others dismounted. Taya turned to the carriage drivers.

"If you will, gentlemen, the groom will show you where you can put your horses and gear, and I will make arrangements for you in the castle. I will send a servant for you soon."

The drivers tipped their hats to her, and followed the groom and Xackzan to the stables. Then Taya turned her attention to the guests, and she waved them into the castle. The two guards at the door saluted her, and she bowed her head with a smile. Once inside, they were in a well-lit receiving hall, with tall pillars and a marble floor, with fantastic designs carved into the walls from the days of the elves. Yet to Taya, there had always been darkness associated with the designs, and in the whole room. She wondered what had happened here long ago.

Taya turned on her heel suddenly and faced the guests, forcing them to halt. She surveyed them silently, knowing that she was unnerving them. Deyana Bretton stood beside a young man who looked very much like her, who Taya guessed to be her brother, Tanan. He was tall, but he seemed young, especially about his features as there was still a hint of adolescence there. Their father, Lord Nezir, was tall and thick with thick brown hair and brown eyes, and a beard. His eyes were keen, and they watched her just as she watched him. His wife, Emrita, was of medium height with blonde hair, which both of their children had, and blue eyes. She looked like a quiet, pleasant woman.

The others were the Katzia's, and Taya's gaze was first drawn to the younger son. He was not looking at her, but around the room. He was lean, tall, and his fine features reminded her of an elf. He had very light chestnut hair, and she couldn't see his eyes. Almost reluctantly she looked at his brother, who was taller, more built, and he seemed at ease in the strange surroundings. His hair was as black as night, and rather unkempt. She was closer to him than anyone else, and was fascinated by his copper colored eyes. She could almost make out her own reflection in them, which was suddenly disconcerting and she moved onto their father.

Lord Calveen Katzia was as tall as his oldest son, heavier, and he looked rather intimidating, except it was obvious that he was a drinker which lessened the effect on her. His hair was dark and greying at the temples, and besides the look of a man who drinks a lot, he seemed worn to Taya, as if life had not been easy on him.

"Welcome, guests of the king, to Uru'baen castle." Taya said softly, but her voice echoed in the hall, adding mystery and command to her tone. Everyone's attention was riveted to her, and she couldn't help but feel rather smug. "I hope that you enjoy your accommodations and your stay here. If there is anything you need, a servant will see to it but please do not harass them." She looked straight at Deyana. "They do the best they can. I expect that there will be a dinner in your honor this evening, and so one of the king's servants will inform you."

As if on cue two manservants appeared, and Taya nodded to them. "Would you show our guests to their accommodations, please?"

"Of course, milady."

"Very good. Now, good evening, sirs and ladies." Taya bowed slightly, and then turned and with the others following, exited the entrance hall. From behind them they heard an exasperated noise, and Deyana Bretton's voice filtered to them.

"Oh! To think we would be treated so meanly on arriving here. She was positively horrid. I will be glad if I never see her again, and I'm sure when whoever is in charge of her hears of this she will be put in her place."

"For once in your life daughter, be silent!" They heard a touch of panic in Lord Nezir's voice. "There is more to that young woman than we know… far more than we know. So be silent!"

"Well," Weston commented softly, "at least we know that one of the guests is observant."

"He certainly gets points for that. But Lord Katzia is still my favorite. You know, if you look past the effects of drinking, I think he would be the strongest and most influential of them all. There was something about him… I'm curious to know more about their family." Taya mused, and then there was another loud crack of thunder that caused her to jump. They could hear the sudden downpour of rain on the castle roof, and everyone looked at each other and grinned. They all loved the rain.

"I heard that Lord Katzia's wife died a couple years ago from a disease. From what I understood he started drinking immediately afterwards. But even as a drinker, he is smart and invaluable to the king. He has a lot of military influence." Murtagh said, and they all nodded in agreement.

"That's not hard to believe. I wonder what his sons are like."

"Well, as you said there's probably going to be a dinner tonight, so I'm sure you'll find out soon enough. We will have to keep an extra careful eye on you, with those two around." Weston teased, and Taya whacked him on the shoulder and glared, but she laughed.

"I am not averse to that, considering we don't know them. Just give me a little space and I'll be fine. And to counter that, I'll have to keep my eyes on you guys with this Deyana girl around."

Zen's eyes seemed to almost pop out of his head and he coughed. "Are you kidding? If she comes my way I'll turn and run the other way!"

"Good thinking, Zen." Taya smiled, but before she could say anything else they had reached the doors to her wing, and were greeted warmly by Kell Arder and Raneck Katifa.

"Well, it's about time you showed up. Again. Next time I'm going on this adventure. What's news?" Raneck asked curiously, having noticed their mixed expressions.

"We have 7 guests, one who is a slightly panicked, but very observant Lord, his prissy daughter and another Lord who is a heavy drinker with an imposing aura. Only time will tell about the others." Zen explained, and Kell raised an eyebrow.

"A prissy daughter? Just what we need. No doubt she was pretty, too."

Taya gave him a strange look, and he shrugged. "Usually the prettier ladies are the prissy ones, especially if they have an influential family. At least that's what I've found around here. You don't count in that category at all, dear Taya. I can only imagine your reaction to her."

Weston and Murtagh laughed. "You should have seen her, Kell." Weston said. "She had them going the whole time, and Deyana Bretton, the daughter, got the brunt of it. I can't wait to see the look on her face when she finds out Taya IS the princess."

Raneck widened his eyes. "They didn't know?"

"No, Taya never said anything and Deyana jumped to the conclusion that she was Taya's servant, or someone of the sort."

"Oh dear. That will be some dinner this evening. On that topic, one of Galbatorix's guards came by not too long ago and informed us when we said you were out escorting the guests about the dinner tonight. Same time as usual, and formal."

"Obviously it's formal. Did they say that it was raining, too?" Taya said sarcastically, and Kell tsked at her.

"No, they didn't. Be nice. On another topic, we've only had word from Kyra once, and that was to say that our friend was fine, just that his fever had kicked up a bit and she wanted to know if we'd heard from you. This was an hour or two ago."

"Thanks, Kell. Come on, troop, let's go see what's going on. I'll make sure that Sade and Larton are here to swift shifts with you two. You're coming with me tonight."

"Really?" Raneck said, slightly shocked. "Since when have you let me go to a party and not guard the darned door?"

"Since tonight." Taya shot back, and opened the door, and Zen said quietly,

"Now you can take Kyra on a date! She will be shocked."

"Ohhh shut up, Zen." Raneck growled, causing everyone to laugh. They hurried to Taya's room and slipped quietly in to find Shalla and Kyra sitting across from each other, concentrating on a game, and Izaak and Mari arm wrestling. The street kid was almost winning when his attention was broken by them walking in the door.

"Aha!" Mari cried, and Izaak groaned.

"Come on! Rematch!"

"No way, kiddo. Winner of the last game was over all winner. That was the deal."

"But they walked in the door! That's hardly fair!"

Mari grinned and ruffled his hair, then greeted Taya.

"Great timing, you guys. I was about to get beaten by a kid!"

"How did the day go?" Shalla asked, standing up.

"Let's just say it is going to be an interesting week." Zen said, and Shalla rolled her eyes.

"Isn't it always around here?"

"Hey, Taya, can I ask you something?" Izaak cut in, jumping in front of Taya, and she looked down at him with raised eyebrows.

"I don't know… can you?"

"Can I stay here in the castle with you guys? I want to be a Hljodhr!"

The room went dead silent except for the sound of breathing, and Taya looked slowly at Mari and then Shalla.

"Why?" Taya asked softly, and Izaak looked confused.

"Because… well, you're awesome, and you care about people… and I've never really had anyone who cared about me. And you're not like what I thought a princess would be like, Taya. I can see why all the Hljodhr Evarinya stay with you. They're your family. And you're saving a person that you don't even know. Why would I want to go back to the streets? I'm just another nobody there. You all treat me as if I'm somebody."

It took Taya a minute to reply. She hadn't really thought about Izaak. He'd been randomly thrown into the picture because of Zen, but he was a good kid, and likeable, and now that she thought about it she couldn't stand to see him back on the streets. That was out of the question. But to keep him around, all the time?

"We would never send you back if you didn't want to go, Izaak. As for you second question, at this time you are too young to officially be a Hljodhr Evarinya. But, I am certain there is something we can find for you to do that is more agreeable to all of us. And if you haven't changed your mind by the time you're old enough and we all still get along, we will see about you being a Hljodhr." Taya looked around at the others, who all nodded slightly in agreement. Izaak nodded too.

"Fair enough." He said, and gave her a hug. "Thanks, Taya."

Taya couldn't help but smile. "You're welcome, Izaak." She then turned to Kyra.

"Kyra my dear, you are going on a date tonight. Raneck is taking you to a formal dinner."

"Wonderful!... But then who will watch him?" Kyra motioned to the young man on the bed.

"I will." Shalla piped in. "I do not have anything else to do this evening. Izaak can watch him with me."

"I've been called to help with the dinner," Mari said almost sadly. "I'll be back as soon as I can."

"That's alright, Mari. Alright guys," Taya looked at the three men. "Off you go. You have to get ready too. And make sure Sade and Larton get to the front doors."

Murtagh nodded. "Oh the joy I am feeling in my heart at the idea of a formal dinner."

"Stop complaining! Get on with you."

"Would you like an escort?" Murtagh asked as he, Zen and Weston were shooed towards the door. Taya stared at him blankly. "I'll take that as a yes. I'll meet you in the receiving hall."

"Good. See you there." Taya went and sat down beside their patient and checked him over. His fever was very slight, and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully. The ladies had just recently changed his bandages and poultices, so there wasn't anything for Taya to do except sit and watch him, and wonder. After a little while Mari and Izaak left, Mari to go to the kitchens and Izaak to go to his room for something, which left Shalla, Kyra and Taya alone.

"Alright, my dear princess and dear friend," Shalla said seriously to the other two, "it's time for you to get ready for this important formal dinner. I am at your service."

Taya smiled. "If you insist."

An hour later both Kyra and Taya were ready.

Kyra was dressed in a long blue and gold gown with low silver sandals and a silver tiered necklace that was clasped at her throat. Her strawberry blond hair was long with a silver headband pulling the hair out of her eyes, and there was a little extra color to her face.

Taya was wearing a floor length, V-neck emerald dress, the front of which was adorned with sequins in a vine pattern that twisted to the side and down to the hem of the dress. The sleeves went to the elbow and then split so the fabric flowed at her side. She wore black boots, and her long copper hair was half pulled up by a green and purple hair clip and resting on her head was a jeweled circlet of silver, and her necklace and earrings were matching green teardrop gems that sparkled brightly.

"If I do say so myself," Shalla said, looking them over with obvious pride, "you two look stunning."

"Thank you, Shalla. You did a wonderful job helping with the selections." Taya looked at herself in the mirror, and shrugged.

Good enough. She thought, and while Shalla fussed with putting a feather in Kyra's hair Taya went and sat beside her patient again and felt his forehead.

"Get better." She whispered, her voice barely audible.

"Don't worry, Taya. If he shudders, or thrashes, or anything I will send one of the guys running to drag you back here." Shalla said, coming up beside her. "But I think he will be fine. He has the best caregivers in Alagaesia. Now, you two get going or you'll be late, and we can't have that."

Taya sighed heavily, and stood. Kyra handed her cloak to her, and they quickly left, nearly running to the door, where they found Sade Feist, Larton Zax, and Xackzan.

"Hey, Xack, good timing!" Taya half hugged him, and he chuckled.

"My my, don't you two look beautiful. Raneck will be right along, he had to run and get something. I think the others will meet us at the dinner."

As he said this, Raneck appeared through the door, changed from his all black clothes to a maroon shirt and grey cloak, with black pants and boots. He had a little box with a bow in his hand, and after he'd stopped to stare in awe at the two women, he handed the box to Kyra with an excited smile.

"For you, darling." He said, and Kyra untied the bow and lifted the lid, and gasped.

"Raneck!" She cried, holding up a pair of dazzling turquoise earrings. "They're wonderful!"

"I'm glad you like them. I thought they fit the occasion."

"They do. They are lovely but," Taya agreed, "come on, we have to get going!"

With that they hurried off. They passed a few people, mostly servants, but a few lords and ladies as well, but they didn't even pause and so made it to the receiving hall with plenty of time to spare. There were a couple of the usual guests waiting there, who greeted Taya cordially. They had not long to wait before Murtagh appeared and hurried to Taya's side.

"I am not late." He stated seriously, and Taya smiled.

"No, you're not. We are now agreeably on time. Shall we?"

"Zen and Weston aren't far behind me. Do you want to wait for them?"

"No, they can blend in with the crowd better if they don't enter with us."

"Alright then."

Taya nodded to the herald at the door to the great hall, and she slipped her arm through Murtagh's as the herald bowed, opened the door, and a trumpet gave a clear, ringing sound.

"Princess Taya, daughter of the king!"

Everyone in the hall stood and watched her enter, something which Taya thought absolutely disconcerting, but as usual she kept her composure and a slight smile. Behind her came Kyra, Raneck and Xackzan, and the other guests, but all attention was on her, especially the eyes of the new guests.

Her gaze swept over Deyana and her family and then she locked gazes with Larel Katzia, and was caught by his stormy blue/grey eyes. His expression was one of recognition and surprise, but it was very subtle.

Then they were past him and they stopped before Galbatorix and bowed.

"Taya, Murtagh." Galbatorix greeted them, and Taya replied as cordially as she could,

"Father." They turned, and Taya noticed absently that Kyra and Raneck had blended in with the crowd. Xackzan, as her bodyguard, was now beside her. As was customary, the new guests came forward to be introduced to her. First were the Bretton's, Lord Nezir looking rather uncomfortable as he stood before her and bowed low.

"Princess, I am Lord Nezir Bretton. This is my wife, Emrita and my son and daughter Tanan and Deyana. We thank you for your gracious invitation."

Taya smiled and bowed her head. "It is my pleasure to be acquainted with you, Lord Bretton. I hope you enjoy your stay."

"Thank you." She noticed that he flinched. Oh, he knew who their escort had been earlier, and undoubtedly his daughter's words and manner were ringing in his ears.

As Deyana Bretton moved past her, Taya said very softly,

"Smart mouthed servant, indeed, Miss Bretton."

The young lady suddenly shivered as she looked into Taya's green eyes, and somehow she managed to incline her head before she hurried away. Taya couldn't tell if she was scared stiff or indescribably angry. Probably a little bit of both.

"Milady," Her attention was drawn to Lord Katzia standing before her, his son's on either side of him looking very handsome. She was struck again by Calveen Katzia's manner, and her smile suddenly became far more pleasant.

"Lord Calveen Katzia at your service, Milady, and these are my son's, Sharac and Larel. You were most kind to escort us and welcome us to Uru'baen this afternoon."

"It was my pleasure, Lord Katzia. I welcome you once again to my home." She noticed that Sharac Katzia had not looked away from her and she mentally sighed. She knew that look, and the feeling of discomfort started creeping up on her.

"Thank you, Milady." Lord Katzia bowed with a flourish, and they moved away towards the table, and then the trumpet sounded again, this time to announce dinner. Galbatorix sat at the head of the long table, Lord Katzia and Lord Bretton at his right and left, and then Taya and Murtagh across from each other. Sharac and Larel Katzia sat beside Murtagh, and Taya found herself sitting beside Lady Bretton and her children. When the food had been served, Taya began a conversation with the lady, who at first was hesitant to talk, but slowly warmed up to her and became an animated conversationalist. Across from her, Murtagh was slyly fending off Sharac Katzia's questions and trying to make himself seem like a very dull person. Tanan Bretton tried to make himself apart of his mother's conversation, but an annoyed look from Taya silenced him. Deyana tried and failed to get Larel Katzia to even blink at her, although he politely answered her questions when he had no choice if he was to be civil.

Sharac finally gave up on Murtagh and turned to her and Lady Bretton, although the gist of his attempts of talking with Murtagh was that it was clear that he thought because Murtagh had escorted Taya in that he knew her quite well and was someone very important and Sharac should get to know him.

Taya smiled to herself. Easier thought of than done.

Periodically Taya would look at Larel Katzia, but he was always looking down the table or concentrating on his food. When the two Lords were not talking with the king they were talking to her, and Taya found that both men didn't seem to like the other very much. The king was the perfect mediator. Not that they argued or came close to blows, there was just a potent, underlying feeling of dislike between them. Taya wondered if the whole thing couldn't get any more complicated.

Dinner seemed to pass slowly, but then before she knew it the musicians struck a chord, announcing that dinner was over and the dancing and festivities were beginning. The table was soon deserted, and Taya found herself in a conversation between Nezir and another lord from Uru'baen. Their topic was military, and Taya suddenly wondered why in the world these two men were talking about the military. Neither of them had experience and they were both considered politicians. Their conversation was so biased Taya almost felt sick. She quickly excused herself and looked for Murtagh, feeling the rhythm of the music and hoping to convince him to dance. Instead, she came face to face with Sharac, and almost turned and walked the other way. He bowed, and she returned the gesture, her mind working quickly.

"Princess, I am honored to have this chance to meet you. I have heard so much about you, and could not wait to come to Uru'baen." His smile was genuine, but Taya was exasperated by his words.

"Really? What have you heard of me? I had not thought there was anything positive about me being talked about… and very few people know I exist." She was suddenly suspicious, but Sharac explained.

"You were in Dras'leona with your father, and you healed a young woman there. That action was not lost on some, and while only a couple people knew who you really were, I was able to find out from them and I was struck by what you did."

"You saw me there?" This was certainly a surprise to her. Why was she trying to avoid this young man who was very good at flattering her? Oh, right. Murtagh. Dancing. How would she get rid him?

"I did." Sharac looked around, and then back at her. "Would you like-"

Taya's eyes suddenly caught on a black shadow moving towards her and her glass of punch suddenly slipped from her hand, and she cried out ever so slightly and jumped back as the glass broke on the floor and the very little bit of punch splattered on the floor. Within a minute servants swarmed her and Taya had to shoo them off of her, and for a second Sharac was separated from her. When he got back to her she smiled shyly.

"Oops." She said, and Murtagh suddenly appeared at her side.

"Princess, are you alright?" He asked softly, and she nodded and waved a hand.

"Clumsy me, that's all. I lost my grip."

"Good, for a minute I was worried." Murtagh looked at Sharac and apologized,

"Sorry to intrude." He held out his hand to Taya, who took it. "A dance, princess?"

"Certainly, good sir. I am sure we will run into each other again, Sharac."

And they were gone, leaving the guest to meet someone else. Murtagh guided her to the other side of the dance floor, and when they were settled in a nice spot he asked with a slight grin,

"Did you lose your grip on purpose, Taya?"

"I had to at least give you a chance." Taya said with emphasis. "Did you know, Murtagh, that when you wear all black around me that you look an awful lot like a Hljodhr Evarinya?"

"No, the thought had not occurred to me. Poor Sharac Katzia. He looked a little lost when I stole you away from him."

"You really do, which helps keep your true identity safe. I'm sure you thought of that. He seems to be a fan of mine, which did surprise me greatly. I am sure for courtesy's sake I will have to dance with him this evening."

"I admit, I had thought of that. I prefer it when people do not run away from me screaming when they see me. So why did you give me a chance to get to you before he asked you?"

"And I wonder why they do that to you and not to me, hmm. Really, it hardly makes sense. He almost did, silly. And a girl has to do what she has to do when she wants something."

"I believe I have an answer to that, but this is hardly the right place to discuss such a topic. So you dropped your glass? I believe I owe you some punch."

"Come now, you can't leave me hanging like that. What else was I supposed to do? The idea of pretending to swoon did occur, but that seemed a little too much."

"Fine. My father's evil impression on people was rather more potent and visible than yours. Your father is all powerful and so people fear him and his rule is strong. But my father struck fear into people's hearts mostly by example, and he did not hold anything back. There, happy? I don't think you would have gotten your dance if you had carried out that idea. The glass was very clever."

Taya narrowed her eyes at him, but his explanation did make a little bit of sense. And he'd had years to think about people's reactions to him.

"I can't argue with that, not right now. I'll get back to you later. I agree, I would not have gotten my dance. So, now what?"

The dance ended just then, and Murtagh shrugged. "Now I go get you a glass of punch. I will be right back."

"Alright, but remember, I don't have another glass to accidentally drop if someone else comes along."

Murtagh laughed, and Taya stepped to the edge of the floor, and was confronted by Deyana Bretton, of all people. They stared at each other for a long minute, and then Deyana inclined her head.

"Princess, I wanted to apologize to you for the way I acted this afternoon. You are very different now than you were then."

Taya's eyes flashed. "Apology accepted, Miss Bretton. I have a few words of caution for you, especially while you are here in this castle. Appearances can be deceiving, and you have no right to judge anyone. I do not really care for those who place themselves so much higher than others. I may be a princess, but I hardly think I'm any better than the woman cleaning the floor in the hallway."

Deyana Bretton's eyes were wide, and Taya continued softly,

"I have known quite a few people a lot like you, Miss Bretton. You are not hard to pick out. Maybe this visit will help you understand your true worth and the worth of your neighbor. I am glad I was able to speak to you."

She turned and was about to walk away, but Deyana asked almost angrily,

"Why do you hate me, Princess?"

Taya paused and looked back at her. "I do not hate anyone, Miss Bretton." And then she walked away and slipped out the doors into the gardens and when she stopped under the awning she took a deep breath of fresh air. It was still raining, but the thunder and lightning had subsided for the moment. After another breath she turned and went back inside, and found Murtagh standing where she'd been, looking confused until he saw her.

"Thanks, Murtagh." She said as he handed her the punch and she took a sip. "I just needed a breath of fresh air. I had a little run in with Deyana."

"Ahh, I see. Well I wasn't waiting long."

"There you are, Taya." Xackzan walked up to her, looking relieved. "I lost sight of you for a moment."

"Oh, I'm sorry Xack." Taya shook her head. "I went outside for a second, just to get a breath of air. I didn't even think."

"It's alright, Taya. I'll pay closer attention next time. Are you alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine, perfectly fine actually. It's already been a long evening. Have you seen the others?"

"Zen and Weston are here somewhere, they watched from the hall door until dinner was over and then came in. As for Raneck and Kyra, I have not seen them in a while."

"That's ok, that means they are having a good time. I am going to see if I can find Larel Katzia… that is one young man I want to talk to." Taya said, looking around. Both Xackzan and Murtagh looked at her sideways.

"Oh? Any particular reason?" Murtagh asked curiously.

"Not one that I can explain. I'll see you two in a little while." She walked off, leaving the two men behind. Only, she found herself waylaid during her search by the usual people found at parties who flock to the important people. She escaped after a little while, but was having no luck finding the youngest Katzia. She was almost about to give up when someone cleared their throat from behind her.

"You look rather lost, Princess."

Taya turned and found that she was looking slightly up into the face of Larel Katzia. She noticed that he sounded rather amused

"I rather was, but you were the lucky one to find me, good sir." She said courteously, suddenly relieved.

He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so? Your display this afternoon makes me rather dubious."

"Did I say you wouldn't be dubious, or even surprised? I am rather surprised that you are, and that you have not fallen down at my feet in awe and admiration. That adds points to your character."

At that he was rather surprised. "That was hardly the answer I was expecting from you. I do believe it is a pleasure to meet you, Princess Taya. May I have this dance?"

Taya smiled and nodded. "You certainly may. Please call me Taya."

He frowned at her. "Why would I do that?"

"Because I would rather not be called 'princess'. I get that enough as it is."

Larel nodded, understanding. "Then call me Larel. It really feels strange when I get called 'sir', especially by a princess."

Taya laughed. "Indeed. Thank you, by the way."

"For what?"

"For saving me from your brother."

Larel moved them in a circle and there was Sharac not far from where Taya had been. Larel chuckled.

"You're welcome, then. He's not a bad guy at all, but he is rather determined. But that wasn't why I asked you to dance. I wanted to meet you personally, one on one without someone listening to every word."

"Funny… I was looking for you for that same reason."

"That is funny, in a slightly weird way. Why did you want to meet me in particular?"

"Because you seemed different from everyone else, I suppose. There is something curious about you that sets you apart even from your father and brother. I have yet to realize what exactly."

"Interesting… on my part I wanted to see what you were really like, as I'm sure you guessed. I am pleasantly surprised thus far. So tell me Taya, what of your famous bodyguards? Are they different from the stories too?"

"It depends on what stories you have heard. They are even less well known than I am."

"That is true. I have heard that they are a ragtag group, sadistic, silent and radiating evil. But I'm a bit skeptical now."

Taya frowned at first, and then smiled. "I think your sources saw Galbatorix's guard and mistook them for the Hljodhr Evarinya. Although, they are rather a ragtag group but hardly sadistic… and them, radiate evil? Hah! They are silent in public usually, but so are most bodyguards. Every one of them has a unique background, but they are all honorable men, loyal and exceptionally witty when you come right down to it."

"So the two men who came in with you are Hljodhr Evarinya?"

"No, just one of them, although my escort does look like a Hljodhr. He knows it too. The taller, bigger man is a Hljodhr Evarinya."

"Then who is the other one?"

"That is my best friend. Murtagh."

Larel Katzia's eyes widened and he stiffened ever so slightly. "Son of Morzan?" He said quietly, and Taya looked at him with understanding, sorrowful eyes.

"Is it so hard to see, Larel Katzia?" She replied sadly, and Larel hesitated.

"There is good in people Larel that cannot usually be seen on the outside by strangers. Murtagh and I are much alike. People can be deceiving, especially in this place. Thank you for the dance." She said as the song ended, and she made as if to move on, but he did not let go of her hand. Taya frowned at him.

"Yes?" She asked.

"Please do not think ill of me. Adjusting to this is not easy, but I am willing to do so. In the past five minutes you shattered more than half of my preconceived ideas of this place. Can you give me a second chance?"

Another song began, and Taya took his other hand again for the next dance.

"Alright, another chance. I have a feeling it will be worth it."

"What does that mean?"

"I don't know yet. Now, it's my turn to ask. Tell me about your father. He bears a great weight on his shoulders and yet he has the feel of a king about him. He has me puzzled."

Larel sighed. "Ahh, my father. You are wondering as well why he is obviously a drunkard, considering his station? My mother died of a sickness two years ago. His loss was heavy and his mourning caused the drunkenness. He has learned to cope with the effects of the alcohol and appear alert and quick, which he is. Sharac and I are all that he has left, especially of our mother, and not only does he wish us to always be near him, but we do not wish to be far away. Sharac is much more like him than I am. I take almost completely after my mother."

"I am so sorry about your mother. I can imagine then that he especially wants you around, then." Taya said softly, and Larel nodded.

"That is so. But he knows one day we will leave to become our own persons. I think he fears it, but he would never let on. What gives me comfort is that there is too much pride in him to give up on life, even with my mother gone. She wouldn't have wanted him too, and wouldn't have been happy with him if he did. He knows that, so he keeps on, for her and for us. But that is what you see, or most of it. I am sure he keeps things to himself, but so do we all."

"That is good for him. I wasn't exactly told why you and the Bretton's are here. Do you know? I heard your father provides a great deal to the army, and that this is only partly a business trip, but that's all."

"My father is very influential with the army, yes. He has always been a leader. But I do not know why the Bretton's are here. My father and Lord Nezir are not on very good terms. They do not see eye to eye at all."

"Well, that's interesting. Contention is something that gives my father pleasure, so I am not too surprised to find that out. I suppose we will see what happens in the next few days." Taya said slyly, and Larel nodded.

They talked a little longer, about Dras'leona and Uru'baen, and they found that they knew a few people in common. Then when the song was over, she motioned Larel to follow her.

"Come, I want to introduce you to someone." She led him straight to Xackzan, who was not far away. She had an idea, but she didn't know if it would work.

"Xackzan, this is Larel Katzia. Larel, this is one of my esteemed Hljodhr Evarinya. I am going to let you two converse, and I am going to make sure that Zen and Weston are behaving themselves." She smiled at the both of them, and then nearly danced off. She soon found the two she was looking for, entertaining a group of young ladies known to them all from the castle.

"Princess!" One of the lady's exclaimed as Taya appeared beside them. "You look amazing tonight!"

"Thank you, Aurina, as do you. Now what sort of mischief have these two troublemakers been up to?" Taya said, raising her eyebrows at the two Hljodhr's.

"Us, my lady?" Westen replied, horrified. "How could you jump to such a conclusion?"

"Because you've been too busy doing something to find me!" She glared, but she was completely joking. "But as it is, I have found you two and I am glad that you are enjoying yourselves. There's one thing: I have found Larel Katzia to be a wonderful, charming young man, and I even was able to brighten his perspective of us all and of Uru'baen, if you can believe it. I left him with Xackzan. You two will like him, I think, so you should find time to meet him tonight. We will be seeing him quite a bit this week, I do believe."

"Well, alright, I'll mosey on over there right now." Zen said, and Taya smiled widely at him.

"Good. Thanks, Zen. I will see you all in a little while. I am going to go find Murtagh." She explained quickly, and disappeared back into the crowd, moving towards the drink table. If he wasn't there, she would then check the gardens and then the entrance hall. But to her relief, he was leaning up against the table, and everyone was giving him a wide berth. He looked up and grinned when she walked up to him, and picked up a drink and handed it to her.

"I was wondering if you were going to come find me or continue talking with our guest." Murtagh said evenly.

She took the drink gratefully. "Thank You. I was tempted, but I knew that you'd appreciate the company."

"You're welcome. So, what do you think of him? Larel, I mean."

Taya grinned. "I think he is Hljodhr material."

Murtagh glanced at her sharply. "Are you serious? Larel Katzia? That's unlikely."

"Why?"

"For starters, I hear that his father is extremely protective of him, and he seems to be one to stick close to home. Uru'baen is not his home. Come now, Taya, not every young man with a sad history is going to cling to you enough to stick around this place just to be a Hljodhr Evarinya."

"You never know. I think there's more to him."

"If you say so. But I won't expect him to stay. I see that Zen has joined him and Xackzan. Don't you think that you're trying a bit too hard initially? I thought you usually let them make the decision themselves."

"What, to have him get to know people? Especially the good ones? No, I certainly don't think I am trying too hard. Maybe one day he will thank me. Who knows?"

The memory dissipated into darkness, and Taya shivered as she looked around her prison. Small flames flickered on the ground and high in the air, but she could not feel any heat. Yet.

Then, with no warning, the ground seemed to disappear from beneath her, and her heart seemed to catch in her throat at the thought of falling into nothingness. Yet she did not fall, and instead found herself flying, or hovering, over a great expanse of land which she knew to be Alagaesia. Below, across the plains she saw four horses running, and three riders bent over their necks. And behind them, gaining on them was a dark shadow beast that was not a Lethrblaka. Taya moaned. Trust Galbatorix to find another terrifying creature to replace the Raz'zac and Lethrblaka. The Kcaros was a legendary, twisted descendant of the first wild dragons. Their homes were deep within the unknown mountains, answering to no one and having no cause to venture forth into a land it despised. But somehow Galbatorix had called one out to prey upon her and her family.

'I must still have some link with myself and the others.' She thought desperately, unable to just sit back and do nothing while watching Sasha and Raya be hunted. She was about to try to tell them that they had to stand firm against the beast, let it know that they would fight, and when they did it would instinctively lose interest… but the scene disappeared and she was back in her burning prison.

'MORZAN!' She yelled, whipping around and lashing out at the dead rider's memory. To her surprise, her hand collided with his face instead of passing through him as she thought it would. Then she remembered that she already knew that would happen.

He seemed surprised again as well, but he quickly masked it.

"You were too close to actually helping them, young Corsallen. You are still too strong… but that was just to tease you. Do you really think that your family can escape the king's grasp, when you could not? They are just ordinary young humans against the might of a great king. And they have little provisions left. They cannot go forever. Neither can you."

Taya suddenly smiled. "Oh, Morzan, you think you know so much, when you actually know so little! There is more to them than just ordinariness. But how could you know that, after all? You are nothing but a poison and a memory. I have faith in them, and that is what they need."

"Ah, good, the poison is finally beginning to take its toll. You're surely delusional, Taya, if you think that your faith in them, when you're dying no less, is all that they need."

"I take that back, then. After all, I am small in the grand scheme of things. I have faith that someone is out there, watching over them and protecting them. They will escape." Taya's green eyes were narrowed with intensity, daring him to try to argue with her.

Morzan growled. "If they somehow manage to escape from the Kcaros, Murtagh will find them, just as he found you. And there will be no mistake, no trusting in a stupid beast to do a king's wish. Faith and love will not stand against him!"

Taya laughed, shaking her head. "You are worried, Morzan. You are worried that somehow I will win. Keep worrying, because I am not dead yet and last time I checked, faith, hope, and love were greater than mortal man. And Galbatorix is mortal."

"You may not be dead, but you are not healed. We shall see what your 'faith, hope, and love' will accomplish against poison."

"Go, Morzan. Your time to gloat is past. I rather like the silence of my prison. You're not welcome here."

"I will go, but not because you told me to. Your memory awaits you." And he was gone.

Taya sniffed. "Was that supposed to frighten me, I wonder?"

Then she froze, thinking back to Morzan's 'tease'.

Four horses? Three riders?

Who?

And her burning prison began to change once more.

Taya walked into her room and nearly slammed the door. Not on purpose, and not because she was mad, she was just absolutely exhausted.

Once it had been acceptable for her to leave the party, she, Larel, Weston, Zen and Xackzan had gone to the top tower of her wing and talked and laughed for hours, watching the storm that had begun raging and throwing lightning bolts that split the sky and illuminated Alagaesia. Rain pelted the castle in heavy torrents and thunder seemed to shake the stone on which they stood.

Then they'd said their farewells, and now Taya felt like sleeping for a hundred years. She was glad that such events did not happen very often.

She tossed her shoes into a corner and was moving towards her wardrobe when she noticed Izaak spread out on her fluffy rug by the fire, and Shalla was asleep in one of the high backed chairs. Taya smiled, and shook her head.

An unfamiliar noise caught her attention and she turned slowly towards her patient in time to see his head tilt to the side, and a very slight moan escaped him. The sound broke the silence of the room and confirmed that Taya wasn't imagining it. She rushed over to him and slowly sat down beside him, pressing her hand against his forehead. She grabbed a cloth, and getting it damp she wiped away the perspiration on his face. At the touch, his eyes fluttered, and Taya held her breath.

It seemed too soon for him to regain consciousness, and she had no idea what the effects of the trauma and the poison were doing to him on the inside. It was likely that if he fully awoke he would just slip back into blackness.

She pressed the rag against his neck, and with a shiver his eyes slowly opened and immediately locked with hers. Taya caught her breath. The pain she saw there was almost tangible… but what was more, his eyes were the color of ebony, swirled with bits of gold…

Obviously he had never planned on waking up again. When it registered to him that he wasn't dead or dreaming, a look of horror flashed across his face and he moaned again, closing his eyes and cringing away from her, as if anticipating some new torture.

Taya couldn't imagine what was going on in his mind, but he undoubtedly thought that he'd been kept alive only to be tortured again.

"Rest easy," She said softly, repeating wiping the rag across his forehead. "You went through most of it conscious, but you aren't dead. You came close a couple times, and you had me worried. But you're getting better, surprisingly fast. I hadn't thought to see your eyes for another couple of days at least." As an afterthought she mused out loud, "Whoever you are, you're a lot stronger that many of the strongest men I know."

He opened his eyes again, and she was again shocked by their color. Now there was a look of guarded confusion, and Taya knew she'd said the right thing. His lips moved, but no sound came at first. Slowly she leaned closer, knowing he wanted to say something and she wasn't going to stop him.

"Who… are you?" He managed, barely able to whisper.

"My name is Taya. Some of my friends and I found you and brought you here to my home. Don't worry, you're safe."

Did he recognize her name? If he did it didn't show, and Taya doubted that he could hide emotions in his condition.

"You should…'ve let me die." He took a deep breath and suddenly coughed a brutal, deep cough that sounded as if it would rip his lungs out. His breathing was ragged for a long minute, and then he haltingly continued, looking at her intensely.

"Those… who did this, will find out… and… harm you. They will find… me… I'm not wo-worth your death…" His eyelids closed slowly as his voice trailed off, and Taya was sickened. What had this young man done to deserve this, and to think that he deserved it? Who was he in this world? The implication of his words was obvious, but he didn't know yet who he was dealing with.

Her worry slightly lessened as she smiled ever so slightly. He probably thought she was lying and was actually one of Galbatorix's pets, keeping him alive so he could be tortured again and again and again. But that wasn't normally Galbatorix's style, especially not with recruited guards.

Now more than ever was she determined to keep him alive, to learn more about why this happened, but also to prove him wrong, to show him that there were good people in such a place of evil. She would protect him, even though she knew nothing about him, and she would keep him safe. She would not let Sen or anyone else harm him like that again.

She didn't know if he was unconscious or asleep, but those words had cost him dearly, energy wise. That he had managed them so clearly was astonishing to her. She had a feeling that she should get used to it.

Taya leaned close to his ear and said softly,

"I won't let that happen. I didn't use a whole afternoon, a night and a day patching you up and worrying about you only to see you taken and killed or tortured again. Trust me, please. I know you don't have any reason to, but you must. You're on the mend, but far, far from recovery. You will hurt, especially if you try moving and speaking anymore. Trust me to protect you and heal you, and I will trust you to heal. You are among friends in the castle of the enemy. Rest now."

With a small sigh she made to get up, but he slowly reached out and touched her hand, causing her to jump and her heart nearly to stop. She looked down at his face and saw that his eyes were half open.

"You must not like to follow orders." She said to herself, and she doubted that he heard.

Much like the whisper of the wind, his pained voice echoed in her mind like a falling rock in a deep cavern.

"Melcar." He paused, took a breath, and then squeezed his eyes shut. "My name is Mel…car Di'Acor. That…. at least you should know."

That was a name she had not heard in a very long time, at least the last name. But where? Important was apparently his middle name, and she was going to find out why.

"Taya Corsallen, at your service Melcar." She replied, but he was finally resting, and she breathed a sigh of relief and stood up.

Melcar Di'Acor…

It was time to get Izaak and Shalla out of her room and into their own beds. Her conversation could wait until morning to be told.

Taya sat cross legged in the middle of a burning clearing, her prison, but this time there were trees. They were burning too, and while everything else around her continued to burn, Taya sat and thought.

How much time was passing for Sasha and Raya? It felt to her as if it had hardly been a couple of days, but she doubted that.

What was the point of a drug that trapped you in your mind, making you relive certain memories while the poison kills your body? In the beginning Taya felt as if she was being tortured, with the vision of her mother's death. But now… there was nothing terrifying about these memories, mainly because she knew exactly what happened and how they turned out. Was the poison specifically created for her? But… Galbatorix had not at first known that she had companions, so he wouldn't have known that there would be someone to worry about her and to try to get her to the Varden! Morzan had lied to her before… that wasn't very surprising though.

Taya frowned as another idea came to her. The whole thing could be a way to extract information that Galbatorix never would have gotten from her otherwise. And Taya knew that she was not powerful or strong enough to fight it, and that was the point of the poison.

She growled, and picking up a stick that was close to her and not to mention on fire, she glared at it and threw it as far as she could, and as it landed she looked at her fingers, which were slightly blackened as if she'd run her fingers through ash.

'No Morzan this time?' She asked herself, and then she sighed. 'Probably a good thing since I know that I can hit him effectively… and I really feel like doing that right now.'

It was the next day, and once Melcar woke up again, Taya tried to get him to eat something. Tried.

She also tried to get him to talk, but was losing the battle. He would only stare at her with a guarded expression, which caused her to wonder. When he refused to eat over and over again, she slowly became annoyed, and then she sighed in frustration and sat down in one of her chairs and proceeded to glare at him.

"You're worse than Drayson." She muttered, and she was satisfied to see his expression change to one of confusion. "Oh, don't worry, you're not the only one I've had to nurse back to health, or try to get food into. You're not unlike the others. You're just another dignified warrior who doesn't want to be fed with a spoon by a woman. If you'd like, you can try it yourself and see how far it gets you. You have to eat something at some point to regain your strength, and now is as good a time as any to do so. You aren't weak, if that's what I make you feel like… actually you are, which is why I'm trying to feed you."

He didn't say anything, but she thought she might have made some headway and went back to his side and lifted the bowl of soup.

"Do you want to know what happened to the other dignified warriors under my care? They ended up being fed with a spoon by me. I promise, I won't tell anyone."

She thought that he almost smiled, and she tried not to laugh as she put the spoon to his lips and then he didn't budge.

"Do you want to starve or not?" She said in exasperation, wondering what was so hard. He merely stared at her, and she put the bowl down again and stood, moving towards the door. "I'll just have to go get someone who can hold you down while I shove soup down your throat."

"Why would Taya Corsallen want to keep me alive?" His voice was full of contempt.

Taya froze, sudden understanding flooding her. She turned back to him, wondering what her expression looked like to him.

"So you did hear me last night, after all." She said, and he nodded once.

"Who do you think Taya Corsallen is?" She asked, and he narrowed his eyes.

"You…"

"No, what do you think Taya Corsallen is like? I have never met you, so how do you know what I am like? Why do you think I want to keep you alive? I meant everything I said last night. Obviously you know that I am Galbatorix's daughter, so did you automatically think that I am like him? You have much to learn. I'll be back with that person to hold you down."

She turned and left her room, thinking over what she'd said and wondering what he was thinking. His idea of her, of Taya Corsallen, was obviously what Sen and the others had painted her as. So now, how could she get him to trust her, to see what she was really like?

Taya walked down the hall for a little ways, and then Weston appeared at the other end of the hall.

"Weston! Just the man I need."

"Good morning, Taya." Weston drawled, grinning at her.

"Good morning. Our friend is awake."

Weston's jaw practically dropped open. "What? Really?"

"Yes, and I've been trying to get him to eat something but it's not working. I think he thinks that I'm trying to poison him. I need your help."

"Is he as bad as Drayson was?"

"I hate to say it, but I think he is worse."

"Oh, wow. That's hard to imagine."

"I know, but this guy is very headstrong. I don't really blame him though, after what he's been through. I can tell he has a lot of pride. But most of you young men do."

"As do you." Weston grinned at her, and she glared back, then they started walking back to her room.

"What do you want me to do? He might not like having someone else there so I might be more of a hindrance than a help."

"You're going to be my back up plan. I think just by being there you can embarrass him enough to get him to eat something. Don't ask me why I think that. I told him that I was going to go get someone who could restrain him while I force fed him. Anyways, have you seen Zen this morning?"

"That might possibly work. We shall see I guess. And Zen… I think I saw him yelling at your new guy. Apparently he stepped on Zen's foot or something."

"Ohhh Zen. I wonder how Larton took that. They will be an interesting pair to watch." She stopped a maid who was passing by, and the young woman nearly fainted when Taya addressed her. Taya tried not to sigh in frustration.

"Excuse me, would you please go to the wing entrance and send Lieutenant Drayson to my room?"

"Yes, princess!" The maid answered and with a hasty curtsy she scampered away.

Taya looked after her, and shook her head. "I wish people would stop thinking that I am going to hurt them."

Weston put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, don't worry about it. There's no point."

"Thanks… I'll try not to. I just hope one day people won't always think that I'm evil."

They reached her room, and when she opened the door, she paused in surprise. Her patient, Melcar, had somehow managed to twist himself around and was trying, and also failing, to reach the bowl of soup on the side table. He stopped in mid reach when the door opened and he saw them both, and Taya noticed how terribly he was shaking. Then he lost whatever reserve of strength he'd dredged up and collapsed, hanging halfway off the bed.

Taya and Weston jumped forward, and Weston lifted him fully back onto the bed, and Taya growled, seeing that his stunt had reopened at least one wound on his side. He, Melcar, was breathing hard, and his jaw was tense as if he was trying very hard not to make a sound.

"That was really smart." She said in annoyance, but suddenly laughed, and both men looked at her in surprise. She shook her head, and proceeded to patch Melcar up again.

"I should have guessed that you would try that. But really, next time think about the consequences of doing something stupid without someone around." She said, smiling. "And I was right. You really are worse than Drayson."

"What? Who's worse than me?" Drayson asked as he walked in through the open door, and Taya almost laughed when Melcar moaned.

"Oh, Taya was just saying that someone surpassed your record of being a pain and being wounded at the same time." Weston chuckled, and Zen huffed and crossed his arms.

"Well, that's unacceptable. Now I have to go hurt myself."

"Ohh, no you don't, Zen. That would mean that I'd have you hurt and being a pain on purpose, and I would have our friend Melcar here trying to be miraculously cured, but far from it. So, I would have a mental breakdown and be unable to care for you two, and so you both would suffer and possibly die. That is unacceptable."

"But that takes the fun out of it!" Zen exclaimed, and the three of them burst out laughing, half ignoring the fourth member of the group, whose look of utter confusion went unnoticed.

Suddenly Zen stopped laughing, and asked seriously,

"What did you say his name was?" He moved to the side to get a better look at Melcar. "When did you find out?"

"He told me last night when I got back from the party. He said that his name is Melcar Di'Acor. What is it, Zen? I recognize the last name, but I can't remember from where."

"I do too. I think that name belonged to an imperial lord, but I could be wrong. But he could tell us."

"Zen, he just nearly blacked out trying to feed himself. I don't think he should try to tell us, yet. He needs to conserve his energy." She said the last part glaring at Melcar pointedly. "And eat something. And don't you dare try to protest because you have no say in the matter. If you try to resist, these two will help me."

There was a pause, and then Taya reached for the bowl of soup, but she stopped when in a whisper Melcar asked,

"A minute ago… are you always like… that? Joking and laughing?"

Zen and Weston stared at him in surprise.

"Always!" Zen said, and Weston nodded. "There's never a dull moment around us, especially when we are all together."

"With the Princess of Alagaesia." Melcar stated, his tone almost dark, but laced with confusion. Taya's eyes widened and she suddenly understood. Just as it had been earlier, he did not understand her. He did not understand how Zen and Weston could act so brotherly around her, who was supposed to be ruthless and dark.

Taya looked slowly at Weston, who understood what she was thinking, also remembering what Taya had said in the hallway about the maid. She looked back at Melcar, her expression soft.

"Understand me, Di'Acor. I am not who others say I am. I would not be me it if were not for these guys joking with me and laughing with and at me. I might actually be a little like what people say I am if they did not do that. They brighten up the darkness that surrounds us as we live in this place. Without the Hljodhr Evarinya, I don't know who I would be. Alright, so I act differently when I'm around other people, in the king's court, or in the king's presence. I can't exactly act as if I'm a nice person in those places. But that mask I wear in those places is not the true me."

"She's right. Not only does she act differently when she's away from the court, but she's almost a completely opposite person, period. She saved Zen's life when he was nearly killed by the king's guard, she broke another Hljodhr out of the dungeons, took another one off the streets before he could be caught and hurt or killed by the king's guard… and she saved your life. That has to give you an idea of what she's really like." Weston added, and then he grinned. "I hope it does. She's rather tired of having people think that she's mean and uncaring just because she's the daughter of the king. No one outside of her circle knows that though."

"Exactly, Weston. I couldn't have said it better myself." Taya grinned. "Tell me, I'm curious. What would you do if I suddenly disappeared one day?"

Weston frowned, obviously wondering where the question came from, but he answered with a grin. "Duck, take cover and hope no one would come after me to figure out what happened. And I'd try to make sure everyone else didn't go berserk. Especially Drayson."

"Well, that works for a quick answer. Good plan. Now, since we've answered your question and explained…" Taya looked back at Melcar and found his eyes closed and his breaths were coming evenly, and he was sound asleep.

"What happened?" Taya asked quietly, taken aback.

"I think he had something worrying him, and we cleared it up for him." Zen replied seriously.

"That was wise, Zen, very wise." Weston kidded, and Zen rolled his eyes.

"Thanks, Weston."

'What did happen? You used to be screaming, begging these memories to stop. Something must not be right… can you not feel the flames?' Morzan appeared behind her, and she looked back at him from her sitting position and she laughed.

'Me? Scream? You must be joking. I hadn't thought you could do that, Morzan. Funny. And actually, I cannot feel the fire. I think that it is too much a part of me.'

'What does that mean, 'too much a part of me'?' The memory of the forsworn rider asked, and Taya shrugged.

'Just that. I don't really want to catch on fire, thank you. This is my mind. And these memories are hardly worth screaming about, I am only almost in tears because these are fun memories. It is hard to scream when Zen and Weston are being ridiculous. I think that would be counter intuitive. If you somehow chose this string of memories to break my will or suffocate me with misery, you did a horrible job.'

'I did not. I cannot. I am just a part of the poison.'

'So I am not really talking to Morzan's ghost? You're just in the poison.'

Morzan glared at her, and turned around and walked away.

'Hey!' Taya cried indignantly. 'I'm not finished with you yet! This is interesting; it's helping me figure this poison out. Get back here! I am still alive, so I have authority over you!'

The dead forsworn rider paused, and then disappeared into the wall of flames surrounding the clearing. Taya 'hmphed' and rested her chin on her hand.

'So sad. No one respects proper authority these days.'

It was three days later, a bright morning and the sun was peeking through the curtains. Taya was sprawled on one of the couches, her pillow on the floor, and her blankets tangled around her. She was half awake, and aware enough to know that she was being watched. Her first thought was an assassin, but only because she'd had a dream with an assassin in it, and then she realized that it was Melcar Di'Acor. He probably hadn't guessed that she was awake and knew that he was watching her. But she was too comfortable to move, so she kept her eyes closed and almost went back to sleep, when suddenly there was a loud knock on her door that sent her flying off the couch.

Melcar jumped at the sound of the door and her instant reaction, but Taya didn't notice.

"So much for sleeping longer." She grumbled as she rushed to the door and stuck her head out.

"What in the world are you pounding on my door for at this hour?" She demanded, and Zen Drayson laughed.

"This hour indeed! It seems I caught you sleeping in, but your wakeup call could not be helped."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Fine. What can I do for you this morning?"

Zen tried not to grin, but failed. "Well, fair princess," Taya glared at his mocking tone. She knew she hardly looked 'fair', having just woken up. "You received an invitation to lunch with the Katzia's in the main garden. We all thought it would be prudent to accept their invitation and wake you up, because we, your collective group of bodyguards, thought you would not want to miss this chance to speak with all of the Katzia's."

"Lunch!?" Taya gasped, "What? Why didn't you wake me up sooner?"

Zen laughed again, shaking his head. "Because you have been going non-stop for a week, and we decided you needed the extra rest. We have your best interests in mind, Taya."

"Right, thanks. If you would find Kyra and send her here, I would appreciate it. I have to check on Melcar here, and get ready. I'll be down to the doors as soon as possible."

"Alright. See you in a little while."

Taya shut the door and turned to Melcar, feeling very frazzled. The feeling only mounted as she looked at Melcar, who looked at her and then quickly at the window. Taya sighed, and went to open the curtains, letting the full sunlight in. Since the other day, Melcar had refused to say anything, or eat or drink. They had all thought that he would trust Taya when he woke up again, but he'd done a good job of ignoring her attempts to help him. She could barely stand it, and over the last three days she'd watched as his features took on a scrawny appearance. And since then he never slept peacefully, as if there was something else bothering him, something haunting him but he wouldn't say what.

Taya knew trying was useless, so she just kept administering to his wounds, which were healing slowly, but not as fast as they could be. Kyra and Shalla had tried to talk to him, but he was the same towards them.

So, deciding to ignore him, Taya moved to her wardrobe and opened it, standing back and surveying her options.

"What to wear, what to wear…" She thought out loud, and then she jumped when Melcar answered,

"Try the blue one, on your left."

Taya turned to look at him, then took out the dress and inspected it.

"Hmm, who knew that I would have a fashion consultant recuperating in my own room?" She grinned, and was ecstatic when she got a small smile out of him. She went into the side room, and after a few minutes came out wearing a royal blue high V-neck ankle length dress, with short, flowy sleeves. It was without decoration except for the wide jeweled band around her waist, and the jeweled broach on each shoulder.

Taya smiled as Melcar nodded in approval, and then she brushed out the tangles in her hair, placed her small emerald jeweled tiara on her head, clasped a simple silver pendant around her neck, put on a pair of shoes and picked up her cloak. Then, as an afterthought, she went to her desk and picked up a small dagger with its sheath, and sitting down she tied the sheath just below her left knee. Satisfied, she walked over to Melcar and sat down beside him.

"Do you always tie a dagger onto your leg?" He asked quietly, almost mockingly.

Taya frowned. "Women have to get creative when they wear dresses. Men don't usually have to worry about that, so be quiet."

Just then there was a soft knock on the door, and Kyra entered.

"You're still here?" She asked, and then surveyed Taya with an approving look. "Very nice. Not too formal for a lunch in the gardens, but every bit your part."

"Why, thank you Kyra. The dress was actually his idea." Taya looked down at Melcar, and then sighed. "I'll let you take care of him, Kyra. I'd better get going." She stood and walked to the door, but stopped as she opened it. She turned slightly and looked back at Melcar, and met his black and gold stare.

"I saved you, Melcar Di'Acor. I can't stand to watch you starve yourself after what I've done. I swore to myself I would never let anything or anyone hurt you again while you're here. But I never reckoned that you would want to hurt yourself." She paused. "I will find some way to earn your trust before you waste away."

And then she left, closing the door softly. As she walked she threw her cloak about her shoulders and clasped it, and made her way quickly to the entrance to her wing.

Weston, Zen and Kell Arder, one of her first bodyguards, were there waiting for her, and Weston commented,

"You're going to have to watch out for Sharac Katzia. He will be falling all over you."

"Oh, go away." She growled, and the three men looked at each other in confusion, and then shrugged. They started off towards the gardens, and Taya was silent, brooding over Larel Katzia and Melcar Di'Acor.

"Anyone know what's up with Taya?" Kell asked, trying to be quiet enough so Taya wouldn't hear, but she did anyways.

"No. She was in a good mood when I left her room earlier. Whatever it is, it must have to do with Melcar." Zen replied.

"I think we need to figure out more about him. Especially why Sen almost killed him. We know that he was taking the tests, and obviously something went wrong… but what?" Kell wondered, and Weston spoke up.

"I think Marthl went to do some digging this morning. He was bothered yesterday when Taya told us that Melcar wasn't cooperating, and switched shifts with Sade this morning and said something about sparring. Sparring with the king's guard, no less."

"He does know that isn't really a good idea, right?" Zen asked.

"He is hardly known at all among them. He'll be fine." Weston replied, and Taya wondered about her bodyguard. After lunch she was going to track Marthl down to see what he'd learned. Knowing a little about her quiet guard, she knew that he would find something, if not everything, out.

They reached the gardens, and then they stopped. "Alright guys, you blend in and keep an eye out." Taya said.

"Right… blend in." Weston chuckled.

"Go find a pretty girl to talk to, I don't care. Just be around. You know the drill." Taya couldn't help but grin, and then she walked away, heading to the spot where she knew the Katzia's would be.

Sure enough, they were there, at least Lord Calveen and Sharac. Her mood sank a little more when she didn't see Larel, but she thought he might still show up. The two Katzia's stood and welcomed her warmly, and Calveen pulled her chair out for her.

"Thank you, sir." She said, smiling.

"And thank you for accepting our invitation, princess. I would have understood if you had not." Lord Calveen replied. "Larel will be along shortly. He went to spar with a new friend of his this morning."

Little alarm bells went off in Taya's head, and she tried to turn them off, but they only softened. "Oh? I wonder who that could be."

Lord Calveen's expression soured slightly. "One of the king's guards. I don't fancy him myself."

Taya suppressed a groan. Really?

Calveen was about to continue when Larel himself appeared, out of breath. Taya couldn't read his expression when he looked at her, but he bowed slightly and sat down.

"I'm sorry I'm late. I lost track of time." He said apologetically.

"It's alright, I only just arrived a minute ago. Did you have a good spar?" Taya asked innocently, and Larel nodded.

"Yes, it was a good spar. I learned a few things, too."

"Good." Taya tried to smile genuinely, but her heart certainly wasn't in it. And was Sen nearby?

Then the food was served, and they talked mostly about politics and pleasantries. What were her views on slave trading, the Varden and their attacks, tax laws and other stuff that Taya thought was extremely boring, but she kept on, indulging the lord and his sons in history and points of view. After the main course was finished, they put aside politics and talked about horses and trading, different cities, and Lord Calveen told her about a few skirmishes that he'd been in charge of, which led to a conversation about the army. And then Taya asked about the Katzia's history, and what she'd learned from Larel about Lady Katzia was repeated by Lord Calveen.

"I miss her dearly." He said sadly, "She was the happiest person in the world, even when she was in pain. She held us together, and helped me immensely with my work. I think she would have liked you very much, Princess. As for the sickness that took her, there was nothing we could do for her in the end. But thankfully it took her quickly instead of dragging on. Larel was the closest to her at the end, and he certainly has taken on her traits and her looks."

Taya glanced sideways at Larel, but he didn't seem to be listening. Instead, he was looking away somewhere in the garden, and Taya followed his gaze. Her ears started ringing as she saw two people arguing a ways away, and she easily recognized Sen. She tried to spot her bodyguards, but they had managed to blend in well, thank goodness.

"Did you know that it took him almost three hours to convince us to leave him behind when we leave this week?" Lord Calveen's question brought her awareness crashing back to the table, and she turned to stare at Larel, who seemed slightly embarrassed by his father.

"No, I did not. Why?" She asked softly, and Larel must have heard something in her tone because he finally looked at her, but Calveen answered.

"Sen Karees made arrangements with him to stay here and become one of the King's Guard. I am not happy about his decision, but it is his decision. The King himself seemed unusually enthusiastic. He seems to think that Larel will be one of the best guards he's ever had."

Taya stiffened, and her gaze hardened. Larel quailed slightly, but held her stare.

"Interesting. He certainly is a good fighter. But I was hardly expecting this myself. I wish you luck, Larel. We might still run into each other, then." Taya said, and then looked up into the sky. Clouds had begun to roll in, and she figured that she'd been talking to the Katzia's for at least two hours. She didn't want to seem rude, as Lord Calveen still seemed to want to talk, but she wanted to check on Melcar and find Marthl. Yet she stayed and talked for a little while longer, but grew increasingly on edge. And Sen did not leave, so she guessed that he was waiting for Larel.

After a while, Calveen seemed to realize how long they'd been there, and said,

"I realize that we've kept you for quite some time, Princess."

"Yes, but it has been a wonderful visit, Lord Calveen. Thank you very much for the invitation. I have a couple things that I must see to this afternoon, so I think that I will take my leave now." They all stood and bowed, and in parting Taya said, "I am sure we will see each other a few more times before you leave. Good afternoon, gentlemen."

Larel acted as if he was about to say something, but he hesitated and then did not, so Taya turned and slowly walked away, until she was out of sight and then she doubled back along another path and hid behind a tree between Sen and the Katzia's. The family of three talked for a few minutes, standing, and when the servants came to clear the table, Larel broke away from the other two as they walked towards the castle and he went quickly over to Sen.

"That took a while." Sen said mildly, and Taya bristled. His expression was rather disapproving.

"Yes, sir. I did not want to offend the princess or my father by leaving too soon."

Sen scoffed. "Never mind about offending the princess. She's a spoiled brat. Cunning, but spoiled and arrogant."

Taya couldn't see Larel's expression, but she noticed how his shoulders tensed. That gave her a little bit of hope.

"So we can offend the daughter of the king?" Larel stressed the different words, half disbelieving and half mocking. Sen wisely chose to ignore that.

"She has no say in what we do. Yet neither do we with her or her bodyguards." Sen practically snarled. "And we have nothing to do with them. Period. That little twit and her followers are a nuisance. But that aside, the first test begins in two hours. Be on the grounds before then." With that, Sen turned and disappeared through the garden. Larel stood there for a while, and then turned and walked the other way, his head bowed, deep in thought. Taya was about to follow him when she jumped as Zen appeared beside her.

"Don't worry, I heard the whole thing." He said. "I wanted to make sure you were alright."

"I'm fine. I'm going to follow Larel, and talk to him, to warn him and maybe to relieve his mind a little."

"Taya, he made a choice. I don't want him turning to their side either, but…"

"Zen, I have to go after him, if only to clear my name. I can't let Sen ruin it. I won't have it."

Her friend sighed. "Ok. We are right behind you."

With that Taya ducked out from behind the tree, Zen following, and Kell and Weston melted out of their hiding spots and caught up with them. Taya followed after Larel, having to hurry before he got out of site. Just before he exited the gardens toward the stables, Taya was close enough to call out and stop him, and the Hljodhr's scattered.

"Larel!" Taya said just loud enough for him to hear, and the young man stiffened and stopped, turning slowly just as she stopped behind him. He looked a little worried when she saw his expression, but he kept his composure.

"Princess." He replied gravely. "I…"

"I told you not to call me that." She said sternly, standing straight and tall, regal. "I don't know what happened, for you to meet Sen Karees and for him to convince you to join the guard. I thought you were better than that. When I went to lunch, I was hoping to ask you if you would like to stay and join the Hljodhr Evarinya. I was trying to give you space and time… but it seems someone else had their eye on you. You're a good man, Larel. But those men will drag you down, or kill you. They've done it before. I won't tell you how to live your life, but I will tell you that it might be shortened. Think of me how you will, but I will not let Sen tarnish my name. He has a chip on his shoulder because I beat him to a horse the other day, but we've never cared for one another since the beginning. You can be the judge if I'm a spoiled brat or not in the coming days, but even I don't think I'm arrogant, but I do like to think that I'm cunning.

Larel, the tests that you are about to take are mentally and physically taxing. They will hurt you. They are tests. You will have to decide between your loyalty, however strong it is, to Galbatorix and your humanity. Being around those guards you will undoubtedly hear stories about past guards who failed in this way or that. They might say those men were worthless and weren't strong at all. They are worth more than you are at this time. They realized the truth of what they were doing. You'll hear tell of a man named Zen Drayson, who one day lost his nerve after seeming so hopeful. They might say that he was a coward, and tell you how he disobeyed his king. He chose right over wrong and almost paid for it with his life. They think that he did. He will always be better than you. Then they might tell you of a young man with astounding potential named Melcar Di'Acor, and how weak he was. He was not weak. He endured more than any man should be able to, and he did it with strength of will and character. I don't think any of us can ever match him, or go through what he did.

Think what I say over, Larel Katzia. Just this morning I counted you as my friend. Now, if you turn into one of them I will not be able to show you mercy in the coming days and we might just cross each other's path on the wrong side. I hope not. Goodbye, Larel."

He tried to call out after her, but stopped and quietly watched her walk away. Once out of sight the others joined her, and they walked in silence back into the castle. Then Zen wondered,

"Do you think it was a good idea to tell him that I used to be one of the king's guard? Isn't that supposed to be our little secret? And why go and tell him about Melcar? You did a good job of warning him, but you hardly relieved his mind."

"He won't tell a soul what he learned. I think I know him well enough to know that he won't breathe a word of what I told him. He's too good of a man to betray someone's confidence, and I know he likes you, Zen. He wouldn't turn you in. And I hinted at Melcar in past tense. Chances are he will think Melcar did die, and he will be left wondering how I knew about him. I know I gave him more to think about. That will be what relieves his mind. Maybe it will make him see sense!"

"Interesting thinking, Taya." Kell said, and she smiled slightly.

"Thanks, Kell. Now it's time to find Marthl and see if he learned anything about Melcar that will help."

They reached the entrance to her wing, and to their luck and Taya's relief Marthl was there, talking quietly with Larton and Sade. The tall, dark haired bodyguard turned when he heard them coming, and stepped up to her side, his face unusually grave.

"Princess, you will want to hear what I found about our friend, Melcar."

"Indeed I do, Marthl. What is it?"

Marthl's expression darkened. "He was going to be the best, maybe even better than Sen. The guard I talked to said in passing that he, Melcar, had a chip on his shoulder and was quiet and quite uncaring. He passed the first two tests with the highest standards, even higher than Zen's, but something happened during the third that no one expected. You know that the third test is the hardest, mentally. Well, Galbatorix was there to see it through personally and so were all the other guards. Melcar Di'Acor was standing to the side when two guards brought a prisoner to the king's feet, and he was charged with treason and plotting to kill the king. Galbatorix made this man's execution Melcar's last test. He was about to strike when the prisoner recognized him and spoke his name. Melcar froze and stood there poised for a moment, and then with an angry yell he turned his sword on the two guards holding the prisoner."

Taya gasped, everything finally making sense to her.

Marthl made sure that she was alright before he continued,

"He killed Gannon and wounded Trier, who died the other day in the infirmary, before Sen got to him and knocked him out cold. You know what Galbatorix is like when he is quietly raging. He told Sen to punish Melcar in every cruel and hideous way imaginable to make him pay for what he did, and after he knew what the pain of betrayal and treachery felt like, to kill him. The prisoner was taken back to the dungeons, and Sen and the others took Melcar and proceeded to find their poison of choice, Salcosa, and haul him to a place where no one would find him… and when he awoke, they tortured him. He was kept conscious by the drug and only when he was almost dead did Sen stop, and they left him to die alone and in agony, and the thought that anyone would find him before he died still has not occurred to them. Unfortunately the guard I talked to didn't know anything personal about Melcar, so I went to the record room in the library because I knew that I'd heard the name Di'Acor before. Lord Aron Di'Acor and his family were killed when their house caught on fire. He had a wife, two sons and three daughters. He was a very influential lord, with strong ties to the army and in politics… and he was apparently ruthless. Galbatorix commended him after a number of battles against the Varden. There was no reason given for the start of the fire, but I don't think that either of the Di'Acor boys died in that fire. But then why would one son join the Varden, his father's enemy? And why did Melcar join the Empire and then turn on it? I think that there is more to this… and that the prisoner is Melcar's brother. That I think is obvious."

Taya stared at him, processing what he'd told her. Her emotions were jumbled and frantic, but finally one clear thought formed in her mind.

"Larel's last test will be to kill Melcar's brother, if it is indeed him. And I think that Larel will do it. He has no ties to him, no reason besides mercy and pity to spare him, and at this time he has no cause to turn against Galbatorix especially when his life would be forfeit. But I will not let that happen, to Larel, Melcar, or his brother."

"And how are you going to do that? What are you thinking, Taya?" Weston asked hesitantly. Taya looked calmly over at him.

"I'm going to aid in the escape of a prisoner."

"Taya! Absolutely not." Kell replied sternly, and Weston and Zen nodded in agreement. But Marthl looked as if he was contemplating something.

"I broke Xackzan out of the dungeons. This man is no different. Except that by doing this I save two men's lives, and hopefully a third."

"Do you think Melcar will trust you if you help his brother escape?" Zen asked.

"It's worth a try. I'm going to ask him." Taya brushed past them, almost running to her room. She paused by one of the large windows and was glad it was the rainy season. The clouds she'd seen earlier were getting larger and darker, and the sunshine was being driven off by the storm clouds. They should have another rainy evening, and that would help them during the escape.

She startled both Melcar and Kyra by entering without knocking.

"What do I have to do to earn your trust?" She asked Melcar thoughtfully, and when he didn't answer, she explained.

"One of the Hljodhr's found out your story today. We know why they did this to you, and we think we know why you did what you did. We also found out a little bit of your family history. You would sacrifice yourself in hopes that his life would be saved. What if I told you that his death has only been postponed, that his hours are limited? If you don't tell me who that man is you tried to save, you both will have gone through torture for nothing. Because you know that he thinks you're dead, and that itself must be torture."

Melcar stiffened, and held firm in his silence for a minute, but then he looked directly into her eyes and he hesitated, seeing something important there. Whether it was her want for the truth, or if he suddenly realized that she was trustworthy, she didn't know.

"He's…. my brother."

Taya nodded. "Thank you. I will see that he gets away safely. Do you want me to tell him you're alive?"

"What are you… how?" Melcar stared at her incredulously, disbelief coloring his features. "And why?"

"Why, because a good man I know holds the sword that would undoubtedly end his life, and your life depends on your brothers escape. I know that's what has been bothering you these past few days. And I aim to see you healed. You know that. It is in my power to free your brother, and I will see it done."

"You truly are not the person I first thought you were. I'm sorry." Melcar said quietly, and she shook her head.

"Save it for when I've freed your brother. We'll have time to talk then."

"His name is Raelack. He is my only living relative. The rest of my family was killed by a hired group of bandits and our home was set on fire. We escaped only because we were gone, hunting. That was almost four years ago. Raelack and I were separated in Teirm two and a half years ago… but I don't know how he came to be a prisoner of Galbatorix's." His voice darkened, and he spat the king's name. Whatever loyalty he had had to that man was shattered, never to be put back together.

Taya wondered, but decided to question him later. She walked over to him and laid a hand on his shoulder, smiling.

"Thank you. I'm glad you finally decided to trust me. I'll be back soon."

She turned and left without a word, and to her surprise Kyra gave her no opposition, but Taya was glad of it. She decided to go the back way to the dungeons, thinking she could pull off the rescue better by herself. But to her surprise Marthl and Zen were leaning against the walls next to the side door, waiting for her.

"Did you honestly think that you could slip off on a dangerous mission without your loyal friends and bodyguards?" Marthl asked, trying not to sound smug. Taya couldn't help but laugh at the two of them.

"No, I guess not. Come on, then. Keep up you two."

Taya was happy as she walked with the two men down to the dungeons. Finally, her charge trusted her. He would be alright, and their friendship was just beginning. For safety and for secrecy she would not tell Raelack Di'Acor the true fate of his brother, but neither would she lie. She would avoid any questions from him, and see that he was away safely.

Outside sprinkles began to fall, hitting the window panes… the beginning of a storm.

'And that was the beginning.' Taya said quietly, smiling. 'I wonder if we will ever meet Raelack again, since he probably went back to the Varden. We'll see.'

'You certainly won't.' Morzan said, and Taya sighed.

'When are you ever going to realize, Morzan that I am going to win, no matter what? I know what it's like to lose, but it takes a lot for me to do so. Every second I am trapped in my own mind, Sasha and Raya are travelling closer to the Varden, and once there someone will know how to heal me.'

'Who said you would make it there in time?' Morzan sneered, and Taya glared at him.

'Be careful, you. I might decide to get up and attack you, since I know now that I can do so effectively. We are in my mind, after all. I would keep my distance, if I were you. These memories might be good ones, but they also make me realize even more that I'm missing a lot that's going on. Just you wait, Morzan. Besides, I'm Galbatorix's daughter. That has to count for something in this. It will end soon enough.'

The forsworn rider laughed. 'Indeed it will. Enjoy the past, Taya, because you don't have much of a future.'

Taya kept her expression annoyed, but deep down something hesitated. Was she kidding herself? How could she go on…?

'Don't give in to him, Taya! You're strong enough to see this through. Don't you dare disappoint me. Don't you dare surrender your life to him. Fight it.'

Taya looked around slowly, but didn't see anyone besides Morzan. The voice that had spoken was clearly feminine. Where was she? Who was she?

She looked back up at Morzan, and laughed, catching him by surprise. "I'll fight, thank you. I don't quite like the idea of surrendering. It's not my style.'