Thank you all for your reviews. I don't know if I'm going to have Murtagh and Nasuada together. I have other plans for him. But more on that later. For now, enjoy!

"Kuldra!" She bolted upright, her hair plastered to her face. She waited for a response from her dragon, but none came. She held back her tears. Kuldra was not near enough to hear her. She was gone. With the Elves or the Varden, she didn't know. All she knew was that Kuldra was safe. "But now Nasuada's in danger. What can I do with her here? I need to get her out of here. May not necessarily be the same way I got Kuldra away, but I need to get her out of here, somehow." She thought back to her dream, the one that had caused her to scream for Kuldra. It was a familiar one. She had had it once before that she could remember. It was of a shadow with a deadly blade killing Kuldra. Only, instead of knowing the shadow was a Shade, she knew the shadow was Galbatorix.

She missed the gold dragon but dared not call her back. She had been having the dream since Kuldra had left. It disturbed her that Galbatorix had so much power over her. She hated it. Hated him. She wanted nothing to do with him. She knew that he was leaving her his Empire. If he were to die, she would become queen. As queen, she could take back all the oaths he had extracted. She could free everyone and then hand the throne over to someone else. She knew that a kingdom should have a ruler that died. Galbatorix had ruled for a hundred years already. She would live for at least another hundred, but refused to spend those years on a stolen throne.

She got out of bed and dressed quickly, eating one of the fruits from the bowl in her room. She needed to get to Nasuada before she did anything stupid. She had to talk to her so they could work out a plan. "Florina!" She groaned inwardly and turned toward Murtagh. He was sprinting down the hall to her. He looked agitated which meant that Galbatorix was also agitated.

"What does he want?" She snarled.

"Him, nothing. He only wants you to know that we will not be going down into the Hall today. He has some other plans. I was hoping you would want to spar with me." She didn't answer him for a moment. She knew that Nasuada couldn't wait. But she had all day if they weren't going to torture her today. Not to mention that she would relish a challenge. The men she fought with in his absence lost too easily.

"Okay." She said and they walked to the training field, guarding their swords as they did so.

"Emily, I need to know that you speak the truth before I do this." Emily looked at the king and produced the brush Florina had been using. There was a single hair caught in it. She pulled it out and laid it on the table. For the past few weeks, she had been practicing this technique on the servants. She had finally gotten it last night.

"Find your sire." She said in the ancient language. The hair did nothing for a moment. Galbatorix was about to say something when it began curling upon itself, quivering. It seemed to be looking for something. "Find the man who gave life to your source." Emily commanded again. It was a moment longer before the hair jumped and then wound itself around Galbatorix's finger. She turned to him. "This brush is the one Florina has been using since she was a child. I found it in the saddle bags in her room. The hair is hers. See this part against your skin, that part comes from her head and is the base of her hair. You are Florina's father by blood." Emily leaned against the table as she let go of the spell. The hair dropped to the table between them.

"Thank you, Emily. You have done a great deed this day." Emily bowed her head humbly.

"What do you intend to do with this information?"

"Ensure that my line will sit on the throne forever." He said and walked away. Emily didn't follow. He walked to the room near where he kept the Eldunarí and the last egg. He found the basin he wanted and left again and hurried to the throne room. Ensuring he was alone, he rolled up his sleeve and cut his arm. He let the blood pool in the basin before he healed the self-inflicted wound and began to chant. "By this oath, I tie my blood and those of my blood to this throne. By this oath, I bind the Rider Murtagh to those of my blood." He poured the blood over the back of the throne, into the recesses on it. Once he was finished, he smiled and turned away. He needed to give Murtagh some more instructions.

She stopped and hid behind the wall as she felt Nasuada coming closer down the corridor. Just up the way was a group of soldiers. Nasuada couldn't escape through that many. Florina took a deep breath and prepared to grab the woman. Nasuada ran by. Florina was quicker and grabbed her by the arm and pulled her back just before the soldiers could see her. Florina kept a firm hand on Nasuada's mouth, even though the other woman was biting, and pulled her into an empty room. Once inside, Florina locked the door and healed her hand.

"Son of a bitch, Nasuada. Anymore and you would have chewed through my hand."

"It's what a traitor like you deserves." Nasuada spat, blood dripping from her chin. Florina pulled out a cloth and tossed it to her.

"Wipe your mouth." She said. Nasuada did so, wearily watching her. "If I truly wanted to keep you here, I would have let you be captured by the soldiers that are one corridor up. They would have taken you back to the Hall and your torture would have been worse than before. He is growing impatient."

"Did you really send Kuldra away?" Florina hung her head and hugged herself, trying to keep the tears back. She nodded mutely. "Why?"

"She would have died." Was the only answer she gave. She took a breath and faced Nasuada again. "I'm not going to let him use you against me to, Sister-in-Arms. When I've been down in the Hall with them, I wanted to be anywhere but. I was on my way to come and see you when I felt you coming down the hall."

"Are you his daughter?"

"No." Florina crossed her arms. Nasuada noticed the rose in her air. She remembered that Lifaen had given it to her. "Look, Nasuada, we have to get you out of here. The fact that he has become impatient is cause enough for worry. When he figures out that you are special to me, he will use you against me just as he tried to do with Kuldra. I need to get you out of here before that happens." Florina murmured a spell. "There, no one can see you now. Just don't make a sound. As long as we don't walk in front of any windows, your shadow won't be seen."

"Why are you helping me?"

"Because, you are my sister." Florina grabbed Nasuada's arm and opened the door. She walked as naturally as she could manage, having to keep hold of Nasuada to make sure she didn't get lost. They walked by the soldiers who gave short bows to Florina. She ignored them. Nasuada worried that this plan wouldn't work. She had to trust Florina, and she wasn't sure if she did or not.

"But then again, if she served Galbatorix, she would not have sent Kuldra away. I can see the pain of it in her eyes."

"Stay silent with your thoughts. We are coming to the main gate. Stay silent and follow me." They entered the courtyard. Florina walked briskly to the gate. "I'm going for a walk in the city." She announced as she passed. Nasuada went through the gate while the guards questioned their princess. Florina made to follow but was thrown backwards by an invisible force. Her concentration on the spell broke and Nasuada was seen. She ran without prompting. Florina drew Naegling and kept the guards from going after her. "Hide somewhere in the city. Near the gate if you can. Once it is safe, get out of here. Don't worry about me."

"But,"

"GO!" Florina was so focused on keeping the soldiers from leaving that she didn't notice Murtagh return from his own walk into the city. He came up behind her. She noticed him moments before he knocked her unconscious.

"Take her to her rooms. Put up a guard."

"What about the other one?"

"I'll get her."

The door to the chamber crashed open and three sets of footsteps echoed in the octagonal room. She heard Florina's stumbling as if she was being dragged. Murtagh positioned himself where he usually did and crossed his arms. Florina was thrown to the ground next to him. Nasuada could see the dark bruises and the blood stains on her clothes. She took a deep breath to calm herself. "If he would do this to his own daughter, what does that mean for me?"

Galbatorix stood behind and to the side of her head. He extended his long clawlike hands over her. In them he held a small box decorated with lines of carved horn that might have formed glyphs in the ancient language. A faint skree-skree sound came from the box. He opened it and pulled out what appeared to be a large, ivory-colored maggot. The creature was about three inches long and had a tiny mouth through which the sound was coming from. It was plump and pleated like a caterpillar. "This is a burrow grub. It is not what it appears to be. Few things are." He shot a glance at Florina. "in the case of burrow grubs, that is all the more true. They are found in only one place in Alagaësia and are far more difficult to capture than you might suppose. Take it as a sign of my regard for you, Nasuada, daughter of Ajihad, that I deign to use one on you. I would not, however, wish to exchange places with you." He dropped it onto the bare skin of her right arm, just below the elbow. The burrow grub hopped up her arm. She tried dislodging it. It reached her shoulder. Skree-skree. Skree-skra? "Not there." He spoke a word in the ancient language. She struggled to control her quivering. There was something wrong with this creature. The grub paused by her elbow. Skree-skree! It jumped five inches into the air and dove headfirst toward the inner part of her elbow. It divided into bright green centipedes which then burrowed into her skin.

She screamed. Florina looked on in horror. She and Murtagh both knew that Nasuada would have preferred the iron. Seconds later, the dark woman cried out for her goddess, Gokukara, and began babbling. Florina moved to get up, to stop her pain. But Murtagh forced her back down. She bit back the moan of pain that crept up her throat. Instead, it came out as a growl. Galbatorix was laughing.

She looked up at the cry of fear and frustration. Nasuada was awake. Florina stood from Galbatorix's chair and sat on the edge of the slab, wincing slightly. "Shhhh, it's alright, Gokukara's Daughter." She said softly. "I'm here. Everything is going to be alright." Nasuada looked at her and finally saw her.

"Florina?"

"It is good to see you recognize me, Sister."

"Why are you still here?"

"I wanted to make sure that you were alright."

"And he's letting you."

"He's already done his worst." Tears filled Florina's eyes. "I'm sorry. I tried. I should have sensed Murtagh come up behind me. We were almost out of here. If I hadn't been an idiot, I could have kept Murtagh from getting you again."

"Are those things still in me?"

"No. He had me take them out once you passed out." The tears began falling. Nasuada knew something was wrong.

"Why did he make you take them out?"

"Apparently, it hurts worse when they are taken from the body." Florina's voice wavered and Nasuada understood. Galbatorix had made her do what she didn't want to. Florina blinked the tears away. "Damn you, Galbatorix. I will make sure you die for this."

"What else has he done to you?" Florina chuckled and clutched her side. "Florina?" The Rider undid the manacles and Nasuada sat up, lightly lifting Florina's shirt as she did so. Her eyes narrowed at the bruises. She noticed that Florina was keeping her back away from her. Nasuada guessed what had happened and gently felt her back.

"You are not as sneaky as you think you are." The Rider said as she flinched. Nasuada laid back down and Florina replaced the manacles. "Don't blame yourself. It's nothing I didn't deserve. If I had been able to get you out, I may have gotten worse. But then again, I would have been with you."

"You endured this for me?"

"I would have endured the borrow grub for you if he had let me." Florina took a deep breath. "Look, I have to go soon. My guards have orders to take me to the healers and have me fixed. The Varden and the Elves will be here in three days. But you must be careful. Though he does not intend to use the grub again, he is going to try to attack your mind. He will manipulate your senses. Do you remember my mind?" Nasuada shook her head, no. "Please, for me." Nasuada nodded and began focusing on a verse she often used. Florina said nothing as she reached out with her mind to Nasuada's. They stayed like that for a few moments before she drew back. "Can you recognize me?"

"Of course. I would never be able to forget it now. Not with how similar it is to Eragon's."

"Please, no more stupid stunts. I don't want you killed."

"So, he did threaten me to get to you. I didn't think he would. He said he doesn't want to kill me."

"He won't kill you." Florina whispered. "He'll make you beg for death. But he won't be the one holding the iron, so to speak." Nasuada nodded her understanding. "Just hang on for a few more days. It's almost over. Just a few more days." Florina stood, wincing as she did so, and shuffled back up the steps and out the door. Her guards formed a tight circle around her, too tight for her to draw Naegling. She kept her head down as they walked, letting the silent tears finally fall. "How can I save everyone I love?"

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