Murtagh watched Gwen sleep. He was surprised to find that she was still alive after her father declared that she was dead. His happiness was concealed behind a mask like many of his other emotions; growing up, he learned that it was best to never really show your true feelings. That was his philosophy, and he would always try to stick to it. His feelings for Gwen were unlike his feelings for anyone; he loved her, but he was unsure if he would ever admit it to her. After all, how could he provide for her, and even if he could find a way, she was now tiny. With a heavy sigh, he grabbed a piece of bread from his pack and began to eat.
After a few bites, he thought he heard something. Standing up and unsheathing his sword, he looked around the camp.
"Murtagh, what are you doing?" Gwen asked, with a yawn.
Murtagh shifted his attention to look at the woman. "I thought I heard something, but maybe I am going mad."
Gwen yawned again. "At least this proves that you are alert. If anyone was out there, they would not be able to take you by surprise."
He nodded and put his sword away and sat back down again. He broke off a few pieces of bread and handed them to Gwen. "Eragon should know who you really are."
Gwen ate a few bites before replying. "There is no need for you to be concerned, I already told him last night."
"Oh, well then, that is great. Do you think there is a way that he might be able to lift your curse?" He said, trying to keep their conversation going.
"I am not sure there is anything he can do. I thought that only the one who casts the spell can lift it, and even then that is almost impossible to do. I fear that I will remain this way for the rest of my life." She took another bite to calm herself down.
"Well, I guess that there might be some advantages to being extremely tiny. You can easily hide from anyone for one."
Gwen laughed. "You always like to cheer me up, don't you?"
Murtagh became uneasy. "I am just trying to find some good in all this."
"I am sure you are, but it still made me feel better." She smiled up at began to stir. Gwen glanced at him and said, "How long have you known Eragon?"
"Not very long, but I already know that he is a good man. I did not believe him when he said that he saw you trapped in a jar. Despite my protesting, he still risked everything to save you. If I had things my way, you would still be a prisoner at Gil'ead." Murtagh averted his eyes, ashamed.
"Do not feel bad; I have been rescued, and that is all that matters now." She said to cheer him up, like he had done for her.
"What matters now is making sure that we are not caught until we reach the Varden."
"Are you really going to the Varden, or will you sneak away before then?"
"I do not want to go, but I fear that I might now have much of a choice at this point. Eragon can use all the help that he can get."
"You are a good friend to him; I hope he knows that."
Murtagh shrugged. Eragon finally woke up and stretched, Saphira stirring as well. They said their good morning and ate some breakfast before breaking camp. Eragon latched the unconscious elf on Saphira's back and then hopped on Snowfire. Gwen traveled with Eragon by sitting on his shoulder, holding onto the collar. They also agreed that she could hide in his shirt pocket if need be. The rest of the morning was spent traveling south along the Ramr River. At midday, they crossed the river and headed southwest heading towards the Hadarac Desert, and eventually, the Boer Mountains.