Brooke: MEG AND MURTAGH SITTING IN A TREE, K-I-S-S-I-N-

Meg: *whacks Brooke upside the head* No.

Ellie: Uh, yes.

Me: Uh, no spoilers.

"Everybody has a dark side, would you love me? Could you love mine?" - Kelly Clarkson

"I'm sorry," That was the first thing that Ellie heard when she came to. "I'm sorry."

"Meg?" She asked, her vision clearing up enough to identify her. "Why are you apologizing? What did you do?"

"I transferred magic through you when I knew you weren't prepared. It's my fault you're here."

The healing tent. That's where she was. "You did that?" She asked. "That was some power."

"I know," She chuckled. "And I'm sorry."

"Stop apologizing already," Ellie said, pushing her back against the tent to help her sit up. "I forgive you. That's what sisters do."

"Thank you,"

"Meg?" They looked up to see Elva coming in through the gap. "May I speak to you, please?"

Ellie nudged her and, hesitantly, she nodded. They walked along the edge of Leona Lake, towards Nasuada's Pavilion, she noticed. "I sense that Nasuada will suffer a great pain. I know not what to do, we can not change her fate."

Meg was surprised at her sudden willingness to help. "Don't be so sure," she murmured. "Come, I'll need your help. Nasuada and I have a plan."

Ellie ditched Gertrude and wandered through the camp in search of Eragon's tent. Altogether it wasn't too hard to find his tent as it was the only one with a dragon behind it.

She "knocked" on the tent, called out to him and entered. "Ellie," he said rather surprised. "I thought you were still resting."

Arya was there.

"Oh, sorry, I didn't realize I was interrupting anything." She turned to leave, tears already in her eyes.

"We weren't doing anything, Ellie, I swear." Arya insisted.

"Regardless, I intruded. Now let me leave while I still have some pride."

"Ellie, please, I love you." Eragon said.

"Then stop holding me back,"

Their argument was interrupted by a dragon roar overhead which startled the three of them. It was a roar that did not belong to Saphira.

They ran out to join a fray of soldiers and Varden warriors who were engaged in a fierce battle. They wasted no time in joining the battle.

"Eragon!" Sarah yelled. "I see Thorn..." A soldier took her on, making her close her trap while Ellie finished, "Where's Murtagh?"

She took a head count to ensure her friends were alright—Sarah and herself were by Eragon's tent. Saphira was fighting Thorn. Where were—there, Rebecca was by Roran and Brooke by Baldor. Meg? She asked through their link. Are you okay?

She knew Meg would be with Nasuada, out of sight, but that didn't mean she couldn't answer.

"Ellie!" Rebecca called, then pointed to Nasuada's Pavilion.

Murtagh was striding out of it, dragging Nasuada by her bound wrists. Her hair was disheveled and there was a nasty scratch on her cheek. Tears littered her yellow dressing gown and only more were formed when she tried to stop her kidnapper. He pulled her close with a harsh tug, then struck her temple with Zar'roc, knocking her unconscious.

"No!" Brooke yelled.

Where was Meg?!

Thorn kicked away Saphira violently and took off, coming down to pick up his rider and Nasuada with one of his claws and roared one last time in triumph.

Arya had climbed onto Thorn's bail and was trying desperately to reach Nasuada, stabbing Thorn with the dauthdaert when she could, but he was too strong and hit her with his tail, sending her falling and distracting Saphira from the task at hand in order to save her.

A sense of foreboding doom fell upon them. Who would lead them now?

"There is no choice," Jormundur said. "Nasuada made her wishes perfectly clear. You, Eragon, must take her place and lead the Varden in her stead."

Arguments ensued for hours to the point where none of the girls cared who became leader so long as they found Meg—she was still missing.

"You could all stand her arguing like ninnies or I could tell you what happened," They looked up to the person in the corner who removed their hood and revealed, to their astonishment, Nasuada.

With all their mouths a gape, only Rebecca mustered enough strength to speak, "Yes, please. How the heck are you standing here?"

She smiled, "It was Elva and Meg's idea, actually. Elva came to Meg and told her that she sensed my pain in the near future. They came to me and made me send away all of my servants and others and Meg presented me with an idea,

"She reminded me that we were often told that we looked like each other, save for a significant difference. So, Elva and I, shall we say, bathed her in ashes and created my twin. We gave her my dress and had her lay down and eventually, she fell asleep.

"We watched her from a hiding position and raised the alarm before massacre. The Nasuada you saw taken was actually our dear Meg."

"You do realize," Ellie said, "That we'll have to hold up the image that you're missing until they discover there's a fake."

"Indeed, Meg and I thought of that. We've decided that Rebecca will become the next leader."

"What makes you think I'm qualified?!" She exclaimed when she recovered.

"As Meg argued, of the five of you, one is the most valued friend of the first free dragon rider to appear in a hundred years, one is the infamous Heartless Lady, another is a shadeslayer and another, a werecat. Rebecca needs a part." She explained. "What do you say?"

"I'm going to kill her."

"Wake up." Meg almost didn't recognize the man the growl belonged to. Her vision was hazy and she felt blood dripping from her temple. His grip on her shoulder was almost painful as he lead her down the halls most likely to Galbatorix.

He still thinks I'm Nasuada.

"Ah, Lady Nasuada, a pleasure," Why did she have to be right? "Do you...you're not Nasuada."

"What?" Murtagh said, shoving her to the ground.

She chuckled, "I'd expect the hospitality of Galbatorix to be a tad more pleasant."

"Meg?" Murtagh was astonished. "Sir, I swear, I did not know it was her, I-"

"Be silent," Galbatorix said nonchalantly. "You have brought me a far greater prize than Nasuada." Meg wanted to disappear. What did he mean? "Murtagh, take her to your quarters cleanse her of this substance and give her the spare bed. Tomorrow, we shall begin."

She was as confused as heck, but dared not show it. She stood fast—too fast. Everything spun and darkness clouded her vision, she was falling.

She never hit the ground.

She woke up in a stone room upon a plush bed, never feeling as weak before as she was then. What the heck was Zar'roc made of? She sat up, a hand pressed firmly against her forehead.

"I'm glad to see you're awake."

Her heart jumped in surprise, but all that mattered to her body then was soothing her temple. "Gee, thanks," She looked at her hand and found it was still covered in ash.

"As was Galbatorix's command, I will cleanse you of that," He offered his hand as he was supposed to and he spoke like a pet, but his actions were different. When Meg stood (reluctantly) she teetered, but he took her gently around the waist and lead her to the tub that was filled with steaming water.

He was modest and looked away when she stripped to her undergarments after being told a new outfit would be provided. Why she wasn't freaked out, she would never really know.

A breath of pain escaped her and she winced as she slid into the water which turned black upon her entry.

"Are you well?" His voice was deeper—he was putting on a show. She looked around and found an older woman sitting in the corner, watching him.

Meg leaned her head against the edge and looked to Murtagh pleadingly, "Please, Murtagh," she whispered.

He looked to the woman, expressionless as ever though she nodded and said, "I will say nothing."
Instantly, his arms were wrapped around her and he was stroking her slightly damp hair. She clung to him, hating that tears were coming from her eyes but choking on her sobs nonetheless. "I...I thought I had lost you completely." She whispered.

"Never," He replied gently, burying his face in the top of her head. "I'm so sorry, Meg. This is my fault and I will fix it, I promise."

"It's okay," She said, returning completely to the tub. Her hand was against his face, her thumb caressing his cheek. "I'm so sorry."

He let out a breathy laugh, taking a wet rag and wiping the ash from her face. "None of this is your fault," Finally, her body was pale once more and she rose from the tub, dried off and pulled on the night gown the woman provided with some help. When they were finished, Murtagh beheld her and smiled. "There's the Meg I love."

"It's freezing," Meg said, wrapping her arms around herself as they returned to his room.

Murtagh laughed, "It's nearly winter. That's what happens." He removed his cloak and wrapped it around her shoulders.

"Thank you,"

"Something is troubling you," She smiled and took a seat at his desk. Of course something was troubling her: she was scared.

"Tomorrow." She replied quietly, pulling his cloak closer to ward off the cold that seemed so unnatural.

He nodded in understanding, sitting down to removed his boots and changed into his night clothes. "I need you to understand something," He murmured, taking her hands in his. "Tomorrow, I may have to turn into someone I'm not. I may have to become a monster. I'm sorry, I do not want to, I-"

"It's alright," she interrupted. "I'll become the same." she hated and loved how he took down her defenses just by being there. Since she regained her heart, it's been harder and harder to resist.

She also hated the hopelessness of the situation. It was like Romeo and Juliet—two lovers doomed to die just like she had said upon the Burning Plains. It was enough to bring her to her knees at the thought of being at Galbatorix's mercy, at the thought that he could use Murtagh to get to her, at the thought that all it took was one night for Galbatorix to get their unborn son.

When she came back to her senses, Murtagh was in front of her, his hands on her shoulders. "Meg? Meg, are you alright?" He didn't wait for a reply, instead, he picked her up, bridal style, and placed her in his bed.

"Sorry," she whispered, handing him his cloak. He smiled knowingly and went to hang the cloak. "Murtagh? Please don't leave me,"

His smile weakened; he climbed into the bed and wrapped his arms around her, laid down and buried his face into her hair after kissing her forehead. "I will never leave you. Now, get some sleep, tomorrow requires strength."

"I'm afraid." She murmured dreamily, her eyes already closed and her mind slipping from the world now that she was in his arms.

"Me, too."