The Truth About Lies (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

A Change of Heart

Murtagh's POV

A pang of jealousy and hurt coursed through my veins and spread through my chest as I watched them strolling through the garden, hand-in-hand. Why is she doing this? Why won't she let me explain what happened? Does she truly think I would have betrayed her like that, just for the power? I thought that I had made it clear to her I never wanted to be anything like my father, but I guess that I didn't. The sight of her with that bastard just infuriated me; I don't know why I'm doing this to myself. Perhaps if I could catch her alone though, I might be able to convince her to listen to me. She's been here for two months and we still haven't had any alone time other than the meeting in the library. After that day, she's taken every care to avoid me. But I still loved her...

"Admiring the flowers, are we?" a voice said from behind me, snapping me back to reality from my brooding thoughts. As I turned, I came face to face with my most hated of enemies: Léod. He wore a smirk upon his face and his arms were crossed over his chest in a smug fashion. Léod leaned up against the slim trunk of a tree, his eyes glittering darkly as he reveled in my pain.

"Just that, actually," I replied coolly, trying not to let him see that I was seething with anger. "They are exceedingly lovely this time of year."

"I'll say..." I saw him lean forward to glance over my shoulder, where I knew Tabatha was standing.

"Is there something you needed, Your Highness?" I asked tersely. It was maddening to have to be respectful to this maggotous wretch, but it was something I was forced to do. I felt Thorn probing at the back of my mind, trying to calm me.

"Just checking in on you, at my father's request, that's all," he replied, clasping his hands behind his back. Slowly, he began to pace the little stretch of path where we were standing, hidden from the view of the garden's other occupants.

"You needn't worry, Your Highness. I'm doing quite well."

"Even with your little lover so engaged in another man's arms?" he shot back, one eyebrow cocked in a mockingly amused sort of way. I glanced furtively over my shoulder and saw that Tabatha and the Count had escaped the heat of the day beneath the shade of a rowan tree, and they were...

It took everything I had within me not to run over and pummel the little whelp into the ground. "I'm beginning to think you enjoy torturing me," I mocked under my breath.

"It's what I live for," he retorted quickly, laughing at my pain. With that, he walked away to leave me simmering with my rage a little more. I returned to my place behind the rose bushes to watch the two lovers as they left the garden, locked in whispered conversation. It should have been me. I should be the one on her arm right now, not him. The gods seemed to enjoy watching me suffer. When they were out of my sight, I turned sharply and stormed back toward my tower, longing for the touch of one of them, and hoping for the death of the other.

***

Tabatha's POV

I felt his eyes following us the entire time we were in the garden, lurking behind every shady bush and tree. This was absolutely insufferable. "Come on," I whispered in Evander's ear, "let's go somewhere a little more private." A smirk slowly spread across his face and he kissed me quickly on the neck before taking my hand to lead me out of the garden.

Even as we left, I felt him watching. I wanted to say something to him. Wanted to tell him that there was nothing between us anymore; longed to tell him that I never wanted to speak to him again; yearned to tell him to stop following us. But I never did. I was afraid that if I spoke to him again, all of my resolve would fail and I'd be right back where I started: in his arms. Although I was loath to admit it, there was a still a small part of me that loved him; but it was the old Murtagh that I longed for, not the dark servant of the king that had taken his place. The old Murtagh would never return, and it would be better if I just pushed him from my mind completely.