AN: Ha ha, speedy updating! Don't get too excited, it's only because I have no talent. I'm like Madonna. It's easy for me to produce lots of words, because a lot of them don't really make any sense to anybody. Also because I go out in public in my underwear even though I'm a geriatric and my arms are all veiny...oh no, wait...that's just her.
"Oh my God...it's you..." I whispered, numb with shock. I tore my eyes away from his hand to look into his eyes, asking him a thousand silent questions. "All this time...the one I have been running with is the very same person I have been running from...how could you?" I gasped.
"Katharean, I swear, I-" He started, but I cut him off with a look.
"What did you call me?" I did not even try to control the trembling in my voice, because I knew that it would be a fruitless effort.
"I said..." His pensive frown morphed into one of horror when the realisation and gravity of his own mistake hit him. I screamed out to Obsidian with my mind, trying to push away the flutter of panic which was rising in my chest when I realised that he was too far away to hear my call. I did not understand what was happening, could not process this new revelation.
"Katharean, please...I can explain." He pleaded. I should have turned around and ran, right then. If you asked me now why I didn't, I would not have a satisfactory answer, other than the fact that I was falling in love with him.
"Really, Murtagh? You can explain? You can explain why you've been lying to me this whole time? That's great, because I would really love an explanation."
Sadness shone from the depths of his dark eyes, and somewhere beyond my rage, I felt a pang of guilt for causing it. Fortunately, this was easily ignored by the angry beast which had begun to unfurl itself inside of me.
Murtagh took a deep breath, which became a small, sad sigh, and he stepped towards me. I stood where I was, determined that I would not show any fear, although the look in his eyes told me that dread was not the emotion he was aiming to provoke in me.
"Very well. I will tell you the truth. There is a good chance I will be killed for doing so, but you deserve to know. I am in service to King Galbatorix, and two months ago I was sent to your father with the last of the dragon eggs. He did not know what it was, and I told him that I was requesting your hand in marriage, and that the egg was to be an anonymous gift to you, from me. It hatched much sooner than the King had anticipated, and the dragon was already several weeks old before he sent me back to your house to bring you to him. I would have succeeded, easily, had you not decided to run away that very evening."
"The King's nephew..." I whispered, more to myself than him, but he nodded.
"Knowing your father's loyalty to the crown, Galbatorix knew that he would not refuse a royal suitor. Of course, when the King found out that you had 'disappeared into thin air', he sent me after you. I was made to swear in the ancient language that I would bring you to him, and so I must."
I stared at him for a moment, waiting for him to continue, to tell me a way we could get around his oath, but he did not.
"So what? That is it? You pretend that you are my friend, you pretend to be this good person so that I allow myself to get close to you and then you betray me?" I fumed.
"Not exactly. Becoming...attached to you...was never part of the plan. I tried extremely hard to feel nothing towards you, but I could not control it."
"Oh, well, I am flattered." I said, sarcastically.
"Katharean, I am sorry. I never wanted to hurt you...I never wanted to love you." He whispered, trying to take my hands, but I brushed him off.
"You have nothing to apologise for. I know you think you have to take me to Galbatorix now, but for some reason you seem to think that I am going to go willingly. You are, of course, very much mistaken."
"I have to take you to him, I swore-" He started, but I cut him off, unwilling to listen to the same thing twice when time had become such a precious commodity.
"In the old language, yes, you mentioned that earlier. I was paying attention, you know, details like that are quite important. But what exactly did you swear?"
He blinked, seemingly confused by my question.
"That I would take you and your dragon to King Galbatorix's castle." He replied, frowning.
"Did you say when you would take me there?"
He opened his mouth to reply, then closed it again, cocking his head to the side as his mind worked rapidly. After a few moments, he looked at me in surprise.
"No." He replied, incredulously. I scoffed.
"God, old Galby really is losing his touch. I would not have thought he would miss something so obvious." I smiled, placing my hands on my hips.
"Not so obvious that I saw it." Murtagh muttered, seemingly annoyed with himself.
"Yes, well, if you were as clever as you seem to think you are, you would not be on the wrong side." I replied, narrowing my eyes at him.
"I was not given much of a choice, or, indeed, any choice at all."
"You could kill yourself." I growled, darkly.
"Why does everyone I love keep saying that?" Murtagh asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation. I shrugged.
"I'm serious. Sacrifice your life for the good of mankind...if the Empire lost it's dragon rider, and the Varden gained me and Obsidian, Galbatorix would fall and his reign of tyranny would be at an end." I did not really mean what I was saying, I only wanted to wound him as he had me, and the look on his face told me I had succeeded.
"I am sorry. Like I told Eragon, I would not sacrifice my life or Thorn's for the sake of a thousand people I have never met."
"Eragon?" I asked, frowning. Why would the people's champion and greatest hope of the Varden be exchanging words with a sworn enemy?
"Yes, he too suggested that my death would be nothing but a good thing. That's just brotherly love for you." He muttered, sadly. I ignored the tortured look on his face, refusing to feel sorry for him, knowing what he was.
"So you and Eragon are brothers? How do two siblings turn out so differently?" I asked, coldly.
"We are not so different, he and I. We just led very different lives...and made different choices." He said, in the same, pained voice.
"The choices we make in life define who we are." I replied, stiffly.
"Not if we were left with no choice at all." He grumbled, hoarsely.
"Yes, well, I choose life. I choose freedom. I choose a better world than this. And I am choosing to help Eragon and the Varden make it happen. I choose not to be like you. Goodbye, Murtagh."
With one final, scathing look, I turned from him and left the room. He ran after me, into the hallway, and tried to grab my arm, but I whipped around and hit his hand away.
"If you touch me, I will break your wrist. Do not try to follow me. If you do...I will kill you. No fancy threats. Just death. I promise you that." I growled, lowly, almost scaring myself with the sinister tone in my voice, but most of all, with the realisation that I truly meant what I said. I knew Murtagh felt it too, because he looked unmistakably as though he had just been punched in the face.
"Katharean, please...I could come with you. I could help you! I promise, I could take you to the Varden...please..."
"It's funny, Tag. Your promises...they sound like lies." I sneered, angrily, turning to go.
"Katharean...Katharean, wait! I love-"
"Dont!" I yelled, cutting him off. I turned around to look at him, one last time, hating that my eyes had filled with hot, angry tears. He looked after me, pleadingly, and I shook my head, incredulously. We stared at each other for a few seconds, and I saw the pain that I was feeling reflected back at me through his dark eyes. "Don't you dare." I whispered, before turning my back on him again. This time, he did not call for me, and I ran all the way to Obsidian, strangely relishing the pain in my legs and my chest as I did.
I did not look back once.
AN: Yuck. I don't like this chapter. But I want to get on with the story, so I've churned it out, and I'm giving it to you guys for your judgement, which I always appreciate by the way. Reviews make me smile. Wouldn't you like to see me smile...? :(
Um, I actually uploaded this yesterday, but because I'm a bit simple, I only uploaded it into my Dox, and forgot to add it to the story. I'm speshul like that.
I might do a re-write later if you guys think it sucks as much as I do.
Peace out, my lovely minions :) x