Brooke: I LOVE THIS SONG!
Sarah: Where's Rebecca?
Ellie: She's hiding. Mind telling me what she's hiding from?
Sarah: Uh...
Ellie: You did not.
Brooke: RUN!
"When you feel my heat, look into my eyes, it's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide. Don't get to close, it's dark inside, it's where my demons hide, it's where my demons hide." -Imagine Dragons
"Oh, God, why did I agree to come on this trip?" Ellie whispered. Heights were never her favorite, though she had often laughed that fear in the face. Now that they were flying through a freaking thunderstorm, fully exposed.
"We're gonna be fine, Ellie." Eragon shouted, though it came out as a whisper. She knew they were, but at the moment, when the wind ripped at her flesh, rain letting them like bullets and cold making her feel naked. "Just go to sleep, Ellie, we'll be there soon."
So she closed her eyes and leaned into his heat. They had been traveling for about a week with no land in sight. She wanted to say that she was miserable, but how could she if she was alone with Eragon? Aside from Saphira, of course.
A part of her wondered how Meg was doing, but most of her was thrilled to finally be in Eragon's arms.
Meg was lying on an outdoor sofa, sunlight blinding her momentarily. It looked like she was on a patio by a grand house overlooking a vast vineyard. Confusion gripped her. How...?
"There you are!" A voice said from behind. She sat up to see Murtagh walking towards her, a smile on his face, his whole body seemed to be free of pain or hate. "You minx! Abandoning me to Lord Ferrus and his maddening stories! It...are you alright?"
She sat up, opened her mouth to speak, but found that no words came out, she tried to stand, but found it was difficult to. She looked down, her eyes widening in surprise to find that she was pregnant.
"Meg," Murtagh said when she tried to stand easing her back on to the sofa. "Meg, please listen to me, you had one of your attacks."
"Attacks? I don't-"
"What is the last thing you remember? Aberon? The siege of Ellesmera? Our wedding?"
"Uru'baen, the Hall of the Soothsayer."
"Oh," He said hoarsely. "Meg, it's been eight years since then."
No! It couldn't be true! Though, everything around her seemed so real; the grass, the trees, the extra weight in her abdomen, Murtagh...
"Mother! We've been looking for you!" A little boy with Murtagh's eyes ran up to her. Beside him was two girls, both with her hair and one with her eyes. "Are you alright?"
"Of course," She stammered, tears in her eyes. "I just..." A sudden thought came to her. "I love you, Murtagh,"
"I love you, too," He replied, taking her hands. Out of the corner of her eyes, she saw a jeweled dagger. When they leaned in to kiss, she took the dagger and stood, "You are not real!" then, she stabbed herself through her heart, violently awakening her to be once more in the Hall with Galbatorix and Murtagh.
She lay still, her eyes staring at the ceiling, unblinking, tears slipping from the corners and rolling past her temples and behind her ears.
Then, in the ancient language, she said, "I, Meg Jackson swear as a resident of Alagaesia that I will obey Galbatorix..." and so on.
"Wake up, sleepy head, we're here."
"We are?!" Ellie's weary eyes snapped open. "How? But I...? We were days..." She noted his blushing face and realization dawned on her. "You put me under a sleeping spell, didn't you?!"
"Maybe..."
"Eragon, you can't do that!"
"You were suffering! It doesn't matter now, we're here anyway." She groaned and rolled her eyes. "Let's get started."
Glaedr in Eldunari form spoke to them about the history of Vroengard as they wandered, pointing out buildings and places where important figures died. It all seemed awfully sad to be wandering through the wreck. This must've been what it was like for archaeologists.
Suddenly, she froze up. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and she began to wander into the world of dreams.
There, she saw Meg reciting vows that bound her loyalty to Galbatorix.
"Now, leave us, Lady Meg, have a servant show you your quarters, then report back to me." The vile King said, she bowed and left while he turned to Murtagh. "Now, the child must be born of true love—I can not force you to make love, but I order you to court and woo her to accomplish this. You have three days."
"Yes, sir."
"Ellie!"
She woke from her brief slumber to Eragon and the second she came to, she wept, "Oh, Eragon, we've lost! Meg has sworn allegiance to Galbatorix! Everything we've done had been for naught!" through tears and sobs, she explained what she saw and he listened quietly, calmly.
"Now, Ellie, think. Would Meg ever do that? Is she not witty enough to have another plan?"
"Perhaps you're right," She whispered, wiping a tear. "Perhaps, she just secured our victory."
Meg plucked at the silk garment she was given to wear, thinking it strange to wear such fine things when she had changed her clothing very little throughout the journey. She had been told by the King to wear the gown and to wait in Murtagh's room.
When he came in, he seemed angry, though he froze upon seeing her, his eyes widening in surprise. She flatted the fabric, smoothing out the wrinkles where she found one, "Do you like it? Personally, I feel naked, but I-" He slapped her across her cheek so hard that she was knocked to the ground.
"You fool!" He exclaimed. Her hand was pressed against her cheek, tears in her eyes from the sting. "You should have never sworn fealty to him! I thought you stronger than this! The only reason I did not kill myself was because of you, Meg! Now you've doomed us all."
"Murtagh, listen to me!" She shouted, making him fall silent but not forget his anger. "I am as free now as I was when we traveled together at the beginning."
"What?"
She winced and looked into the mirror to find one of his rings had cut her cheek. "With every vow I said that I swore as a resident of Alagaesia when truly I am not from here. I am a free woman."
Murtagh stood there for a moment, baffled until he realized in his blind anger that he had hurt the one he loved. "Oh, Meg, I'm so sorry." He had her sit on his bed and cleaned it before healing it completely in his frustration at the wound he had caused.
"You should fight more against the King, you know," She said. "Only then can we marry and make love without fear." She smiled deviously.
He chuckled, nervous slightly, all of the sudden, "We could, we just aren't allowed to enjoy it."
She laughed brightly, "Do you really want to test fate, Murtagh?"
"I wouldn't be ready, anyway."
"I beg your pardon?"
"To be a father, I mean," He amended with a smile. "I've been told so often by the people of the court, I look like my father, I sound like my father, I act like my father. After I killed the dwarf king, these people feared me. They thought me worse than my father. I can't do that to a child. I can't run the risk of becoming Morzan."
Meg smiled weakly and placed a hand on his tired face. She had learned from the old woman, the servant, that he rarely slept. It only showed to her. "You will be a better father than Morzan ever was. You will prove that you are different; but not now." She pulled from her pocket a ring and showed it to him. "This is a purity ring. It means that I have promised not to make love until after I marry."
He sat quietly in thought, then said, "Marriage...that's it!"
"I'm sorry if I'm being extremely complain-y, but I am hungry." Ellie said as they gathered wood for a fire. "I'm not really in the mood for old, moldy provisions, if you know what I mean."
"I'm working on it, princess," Eragon grumbled.
"Hey!" She scowled, but his laugh eased her broken pride. "Alright, my jester, why don't you hunt for food and I'll take care of the fire?"
"I'm not so sure about that," He said, hesitantly taking his bow and arrows.
"What's to worry about?" Saphira will stay with me, no worries!"
"I'm a little more concerned with you burning down Vroengard; Brooke enlightened me on the so called 'Christmas Ham Disaster.'"
"Oh, she's gonna get it when I get back!"
He merely laughed, then took off into the woods.
It took a good hour (and a few burns) to get the fire going and when she was done, she gazed upon it fondly. "Truly, you are a magician." Saphira mocked.
"Is it Tease Ellie Day, or something?" Her minor anger was interrupted by a loud crash, like a tree collapsing. She looked around but saw nothing that could've made the noise. "Eragon?" She called. There was no reply.
She looked around, exploring to see what could have made the noise. Eventually, she dismissed it and turned, face to face with a massive snail.
She screamed louder than when the girls took her on Expedition Everest blindfolded.
"Ellie! I'm coming!"
She had stumbled backwards and on to the ground. She scooted back to find that a fallen log blocked her escape behind her. "Eragon!" She closed her eyes and prepared for death by snail.
"Ellie, it's alright, you can open your eyes." Scared, she slowly peeled her eyes open. The snail was lying dead but feet from her. Eragon had wrapped his arms around her in comfort.
"I hate this place," She whispered, burying her face into his chest as though it would shield her from the dangerous world.
"At least we have something to eat, now, princess."
Saphira didn't even growl in protest when Ellie slapped him.
"Hey!"
Ellie had chosen to sleep under one of Saphira's wings while Eragon remained outside to watch the fire. She did not eat any of the fried snail and finished off the dried fruit.
"Ellie, we're going to look for the rock, will you come with us?"
"Of course," She said with a roll of her eyes. "I do not want to be attacked by another snail."
Apparently, there was no searching, Glaedr knew just where to go. "You tricked me," Ellie growled.
"Sorry, I wasn't going to leave you. Besides, maybe you can help me."
"Help you? You've been here before?"
He winced, "I need to speak my true name, but I know not what it is."
A few choice Classic Brooke Grace words went through her mind as to possible true names for him, but none did she say out loud. "Sorry, I can't help you."