Dunei - A Murtagh Love Story - Eldest Fan Fiction

Chapter 08

"Lorena?" Lorena looked away from the interweaving veins on the ceiling to see Murtagh spying on her.

"Yes?"

"I think it might be time to tell Galbatorix what we know." Lorena pulled against the restraints to get a better view of Murtagh, to look at his face and see if this was some kind of joke. She was met with hard grey eyes.

"What? How can you even think that, after everything he's done to us."

"Exactly! They're branding us with hot irons, they flayed you earlier. You don't think it's only going to get worse from here? Unless we tell that bastard what he wants the tortures are going to get more extravagant and more painful."

They stared into each other's eyes until Lorena felt hers begin to water, she look up at the ceiling and blinked away the wetness. "You're right. You are right, I agree with you," she turned to look back at him, "but what's going to happen if we do tell him? It's not like he's going to let us go our own way, it's not like this is going to have a happy ending. So what are we going to be trading this torture for?

"He's made it clear he would like you to become a Rider, and Riders are immortal. You'll be forced to swear fealty to him, so you'll become his slave for the rest of eternity. But what if an egg doesn't hatch for you, then you'll become a not as powerful servant who's been forced to swear fealty to him. Then there's me, I'd probably be held in a cell to be used as a tool to force you to behave, or I'd just be killed. None of those alternatives sound that great."

Anger swelled behind the force of Murtagh's words. "We don't know what Galbatorix's plan is, and besides, if we tell him what we know he may look on us with favour. In case you don't remember you insulted him earlier, and he didn't take it well. I can see the blood in your hair and along your arm. Well," Murtagh looked toward the ceiling, "I wasn't very polite when he took me to see the dragon eggs either. I think if we can get his favour it would improve our chances of surviving."

"Murtagh... Murtagh, please," Lorena voice trembled with emotion, "if we tell him then this has all been for naught. All the torture, all the fighting, for naught. You're the one who said 'Remember, we tell them nothing. We don't give into the bastard.' Don't forget that, we tell them nothing."

Murtagh sighed exhaustedly, "We tell them nothing."

* * *

The bolt scraped and the door flung open with a loud bang. Lorena jerked from her sleep and looked over as the King swept down the stairs. He stopped next to Murtagh and looked down at him with a hard face, before the corners of his mouth turn up in a smirk. "Is it true?"

Confused Lorena looked from Galbatorix to Murtagh, unsure of what the King was talking about. Murtagh nodded. "It is true. I will tell you everything you want to know."

"No!" Lorena screamed as she attempted to pull herself upright. "Murtagh, we agreed!"

Murtagh turned and looked at her with dull grey eyes, "It's the only way," he turned back to the King, "my barriers are lowered."

Galbatorix placed a hand on Murtagh's brow and lifted his face skyward. Murtagh lay still, his eyes moving under the lids as if in a dream. They stayed that way for over an hour, Lorena watched in earnest chewing her bottom lip. Eventually Galbatorix retracted his hand, he looked down with a small smile at Murtagh as he sighed and opened his eyes. The affection in Galbatorix features disturbed her.

"Thank you," the King said as he began to remove the restraints, "you are now free to leave this cell, and enter my service like you were born to."

Murtagh slowly sat up and swung his legs over the side of the stone slab. Lorena watched him as he stood and made his way over to her stone. He leaned over her, his face hovering centimetres away from her own before he caressed her cheek with his thumb. "Lorena, please. It's the only way."