Brooke: I just realized something.
Rebecca: Here we go-
Brooke: I'm serious! The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug came out and we still haven't seen it!
Rebecca: Oh my gosh, you're right!
Sarah: Quick! Write down the date and time as well as the fact that the author only owns us and their messed up plots!
Ellie: Smooth.
"I don't need a parachute, baby if I've got you, baby if I've got you, I don't need a parachute. You're gonna catch me, you're gonna catch me if I fall." -Ingrid Michaelson
Sarah cringed as each venomous word left Murtagh's mouth. Sure, arguments were inevitable, but one of this scale? This determined the future of the group and she didn't know what she would do if they broke apart. Not only that, Ellie was put in a foul mood because their "luggage" had spoken to Eragon and he was willing to follow her to the Varden. "...like a good servant."
Even Meg seemed surprised at his sudden anger. "Murtagh, what-?"
"What's wrong with you?" Eragon interrupted. "I'm grateful for what you did. There's no reason to be angry with me!"
Sarah took Eragon's arm, seeing as Ellie was content to watch and Meg tried to hold Murtagh back. "You two are being irrational-"
They ignored them and engaged in physical attack. Meg went up to the dragon and said, "Please stop them, this is getting out of hand." She nodded and pinned the fighting men.
Meg sat beside Ellie, listening to the argument as well as whispering to her friends. "You're content to just watch your beau fight with him?" She asked.
"He's not my beau, Meg, he's my friend and he's been a better friend than you for a long time." She sneered.
Meg looked away, tears in her eyes while Sarah just stared at Ellie, her jaw on the ground. Wiping away a tear, she went to stand beside Saphira, listening to Eragon and Murtagh.
"I was born." Was the reply more often than not. Saphira released them, seeing as they were now playing nice. He's shaking, Meg realized; and it was true, he was shaking and drew in a shaky breath. "You see my father-"
Saphira's hiss interrupted them and they looked westward. Murtagh paled, "Demons above and below!" There were Urgals marching towards the ragtag group, baring the symbol of the king.
Eragon's face grew red in frustration, "We have to flee! You don't want to go to the Varden, but I have to take Arya before she dies and I have to take the girls to protect them from this mess. Here's a compromise: come with me until we reach the lake, then go on your way. If you leave now, Urgals will follow you and then where will you be, facing them alone?" Murtagh hesitated in responding, so he added quietly, "Think about Meg, how would you be able to protect her?"
"Very well," Murtagh looked to Meg as he climbed into the saddle, his question in his eyes.
"I will go with you wherever you make your leave." She whispered and kissed his cheek before he helped her into the saddle.
Not a word was spoken as they fled, but gestures went farther than words that night. Ellie rode with Sarah instead of Eragon, and said boy cast frequent glances to the girl who concealed her emotions almost as good as Meg. Meg was holding on to Murtagh with an incredible grip, both scared for their lives and needing an anchor to the world to keep Ellie's harsh words from her mind. Murtagh took her hand and interlaced their fingers. She relaxed her grip and rested her cheek against his shoulder.
Of course, with their luck, they were stopped by a group of twenty men when they had taken a rest. Sarah relied on a bow that she had fancied and notched an arrow. Ellie, Eragon and Murtagh brandished swords and Meg fingered one of her throwing knives, standing behind Murtagh who was holding an arm in front of her protectively.
The leader examined them, smirking when he saw the girls. "The horses are strong and healthy, much better than what we usually find." He turned to the girls, "And you three, perfect entertainment."
He grinned darkly and Murtagh drew Meg closer to him while Ellie refused to be "protected" by Eragon. "Who are you?" Murtagh asked. "We are free people traveling through this land. You have no right to stop us." The leader seemed to ignore him, gazing at Meg with a strange gleam in his eyes. "She is my wife, git, it will do you well not to gaze upon her as though she is a prize."
Ellie's eyes widened and she looked over to them with quickly concealed surprise. Murtagh had claimed Meg his wife to protect her—though Eragon had merely held his arm out as though to shield her. Anger and jealousy boiled within her, only driving her to want to fight more.
"Slaves do not address their masters in such disrespect unless they want to be beaten." Meg gripped the handle of her knife tighter, flipping it over so she could throw if necessary.
There really wasn't any warning for the girls that all hell was about to break loose, but when it did, they were prepared. Meg pierced a man through his heart with one spectacular throw while Ellie and Sarah efficiently scared off a few with their first kills. Everything had been fine—until Murtagh beheaded the leader.
"Is your brain rotten?" Eragon exclaimed, confronting a perplexed Murtagh. "Why did you kill him?"
"I don't see why you're so upset-"
"Upset! I'm well past that! Did it even occur to you that we could just leave him here and continue on our way? No! Instead you turn into an executioner and chop off his head! He was defenseless!"
"We couldn't keep him around-"
"Will you two SHUT UP!" They looked to Meg in surprise. She and Sarah were on either side of Ellie, helping her limp to the horses. Eragon quickly went to her side and replaced Meg who watched them carefully. She sighed; the arguments were getting worse and more frequent.
It must have been their week for bad luck. The Urgals they saw earlier were overtaking them, their horses were exhausted to the point of death, Ellie's ankle was sprained, she wasn't talking to Eragon who didn't seem to notice, and Murtagh was in an all around bad mood while Meg remained silent nearly all the time. Worse yet? To avoid the Urgals and save the elf, they would have to reach the Varden in one day instead of three.
However, Murtagh's promise resolved a good amount of those conflicts. He had told Eragon, "Sleep or no sleep, I will see you to the Varden." Meg had smiled at this and kissed his cheek, signaling the end of her silent thinking time, which improved the mood now that he had someone to vent his anger to. It also inspired them to reach the Varden quicker, though, due to the Urgals, they had to try and follow a path through a forest. It was getting late and Eragon had said if they did not find it by nightfall, he would find it with Saphira, leaving Murtagh and Meg free to go.
"Ellie," Eragon said after whispering to Murtagh. "Would you like to ride on Saphira with me?" A 'yes' took a nudge from Sarah and a reassuring nod from Meg to conjure.
When they returned, an Urgal horn sounded and they took off running as fast as they could as long as they could until Eragon called them to a halt upon finding a waterfall that matched the memory of the entrance to the Varden.
"Are you saying the only place I can go is the Varden?" The calm, yet cold tone startled Meg who skidded to a halt to avoid running into Sarah. Murtagh had stopped.
"Yes, but keep going. The Urgals are almost upon us!"
"No," He said, stabbing a finger at him. "I warned you-"
"Murtagh, perhaps now is not the best time." Meg said, holding Ellie who swallowed cries of pain.
"No, Meg," Eragon said. "Now is the perfect time. What's your quarrel with the Varden? It can't be so terrible that you must keep it hidden even now. Would you rather fight the Kull than reveal it? How many times must we go through this before you trust me?"
Murtagh looked to Meg, there was a pleading gleam in her eyes, though she said nothing. "Unless you wish to die, we must go to the Varden," Sarah said. "Don't let us walk into their arms without knowing how they will react to you. It's going to be dangerous enough without unnecessary surprises."
Finally, he turned to Eragon, "You have a right to know, all of you. I...I am the son of Morzan, first and last of the Forsworn."
Sarah and Ellie looked to Meg in shock, but she had a similar look directed towards Murtagh. "You are his heir?" Eragon stammered. Sarah was surprised that he had become defensive, though when Ellie placed a wary hand on the hilt of her sword, she wasn't surprised in the least.
"I didn't chose this!" Sarah looked over to Meg, seeing tears in her eyes. Murtagh sounded desperate, he was pleading to them. He pulled off his shirt and tunic to show his bare torso and reveal a knotted, white scar that stretched from his right shoulder to his left hip. Meg gasped and covered her mouth. "See that?" He demanded. "I was only three when I got it. During one of his many drunken rages, Morzan threw his sword at me as I ran by. My back was laid open by the very sword you now carry—the only thing I expected to receive as inheritance, until Brom stole it from my father's corpse. You must understand, I don't love the Empire or the king. I have no allegiance to them, nor do I mean you harm!" His gaze was locked upon Meg, searching her frantically for understanding and pleading beneath the surface of his begging for her to be the one, if the only one, to not lose faith in him.
Eragon and Murtagh debated Murtagh's purpose the entire time they ran to the waterfall, where they became clueless as to how to continue—there was no door. Some Urgals came close enough to attack; one tried Eragon, though Murtagh put an end to that. "We have to go through the waterfall." Eragon informed them.
Sarah groaned and dragged Ellie over to the fall, not questioning anything anymore and taking the plunge.
Meg looked to Murtagh, who could not met her eyes. She took his face in her hands, "I will go with you anywhere, even to death, so you must make your choice."
He gazed at her in wonder. "After all I've kept from you, after you learn my heritage, you are still willing to be with me?"
"I love you, it was your father who committed foul deeds, not you. So that changes nothing." She kissed him and he smiled before jumping through to join Ellie and Sarah. Eragon had watched them in silent jealousy of their unconditional love.
Dwarves were holding the girls and Murtagh hostage, making Eragon concede to his wishes and go inside after threatening to kill the four of them.
They were lead through an arched doorway and brought to a vast room. The bitter, bald man pushed Murtagh to a bulky warrior where the girls were gently placed at spear point beside him. Murtagh looked to Meg, stealthily attempting to protect her, even in custody, but she shook her head imperceptibly. Now was not the time.
Ellie was not keen on having the bald guy search through Eragon's mind, let alone her own. Arya had been taken through without hesitation for medical treatment, which only made her feelings of the elf simmer at two thousand degrees. However, he did so, and Eragon came away half-fried and weak, managing only to sit up with the help of Orik, a rather friendly dwarf. Ellie struggled against the warrior's hold.
The bald man turned to the girls after Eragon had been proven trustworthy. "Your turn." As they stepped forward, one by one, they felt another conscious, Saphira's conscious, join them and shield anything from before Alagaesia (as well as Meg's feelings for Murtagh and whose son he was) from the annoying man. They were proven true as well.
They were surprised when Murtagh resisted, though the bald man would have none of it and attempted to probe his mind forcefully. Blood dripped from a cut on his neck that he had received upon denying entry to his mind. "The others have been declared trustworthy, so you can not threaten them to influence me. Therefore, nothing you say or do will make me open my mind."
"What of your own life? I can still threaten that." Meg stiffened and drew a deep breath.
"It would do you no good." He said it with such stony assurance that it was impossible not to believe him. Meg measured her breathing, the stand off between the man and Murtagh scared her, as it could mean his life.
Finally, Orik had had enough and pulled the man away. Meg sighed in relief and Sarah took her hand, reassuring her by rubbing soothing circles to tell her what she could not say aloud.
He staggered backwards, the strength now fleeing him as the battle began to take its toll. Meg could not stand to watch any longer and shed the cold grip of her captor, taking his arm and holding him steady; the look in her eyes spoke louder than words.
The man watched them in surprise, then raised an eyebrow. Clearly, he had caught on to what they had tried so hard to conceal. "They are to remain here until word from our leader, seeing as he was not cleared." He glared pointedly at the pair and only removed his gaze when Meg sent a trademark glare in return.
They sat in silence as the others exited the room, leaving the newcomers to themselves. Meg said nothing, though she did not abandon him and ripped a bit of a blanket to stop the bleeding from the cut on his neck.
Ellie was glaring daggers at him, only the thought that he was the reason for their delay running through her mind. Sarah felt uncomfortable, realizing now that it was like a battle; Murtagh and Meg against Eragon and Ellie.
"Why are you here?" Eragon's question made her realize that they were speaking and she silently berated herself for not paying attention. The self-chastisement did nothing to make her listen; regardless, she could read her friend's feelings if they tried not to express them. She could tell that Ellie's frustration grew with each word of explanation. She was becoming protective, though she was persistent in ignoring Meg despite her obvious fear for her safety.
Meg, however, bore a blank expression that only Ellie, Sarah, Rebecca, or Brooke could decipher. She felt betrayed, though understanding the need for secrecy. She was wondering about her relationship with him, concerned, even.
Come the end of his story, Meg stood silently and walked to a secluded corner. He appeared to want to go after her, but a look from Ellie told him to stay put. "She just needs to gather her thoughts." Sarah murmured, as if to reassure him.
After the group had gone silent for an hour or so, Meg had figured them asleep. She sighed and closed her eyes, the marble against her back making her feel stiff and rusted. Then she chuckled, "I can honestly say I have no idea why you brought us here." She stood and paced beside the wall. "I mean, our lives weren't extravagant back home, but things aren't that much more peachy over here, either. So if it's not to enlighten our lives...a change of fate, huh? That's your intention. A change of fate; a second chance. I must admit, you're brilliant and if you have a moment, please give my parents my love, thank you."
She turned to find a good place to sleep, only to run into Murtagh. "Who were you speaking to?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow.
"When I need to clear my head, I find that God is more than willing to help." She replied firmly.
She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her wrist and made her stop. "You're mad at me, aren't you?"
"No," She answered honestly. "I understand your reasons for secrecy, and in your shoes I probably would've done the same. It's just...the slaver. Did you need to kill him?"
"He would've died by the blade regardless." He replied, the tone of his voice exhibiting his confusion.
"But you killed him so blankly, as though the consequences of his death were irrelevant."
"Consequences?"
She sighed, "What if he had a family? A wife? A daughter or son? What if a child prays for the return of their father who has already left the world of the living?"
"I do not understand why this bothers you so,"
She took a shaky breath and looked away. "Because I am afraid that I bare the same fate as he—to be cut down by a stranger who is so numb that he does not take a second thought when shown an enemy."
"Meg, I promise you that I will protect you from anything." He assured her, placing his hands on her shoulders and looking into her eyes. "You have nothing to fear-"
"You can not guarantee my safety. You are not responsible for my fate." With a gasp, she covered her mouth with her hand in surprise. Those were the words spoken by Thorin in the movie they had seen the day they were pulled into Alagaesia.
"Meg?" He asked, taking her face in her hands. "Meg, please tell me what's wrong." He leaned forward and kissed her, tasting her tears and praying that he could stop them.
"Murtagh," She whispered when they broke apart. "Please don't leave me." He pulled her into a tight embrace and held her until she fell asleep, following her suit after whispering into her ear so quietly, the eavesdroppers he knew were there because they wouldn't abandon their friends could barely hear.
"I love you."