Don't Let the Darkness Cover Me

“Are you sure about this?”
“Yes,” I said, knowing that I have wanted to do this for a long time.
He sighed, then spoke again, “Okay, let’s go.”
I thought back to my life here at Urû’baen.
‘Endless torture, learning the ways of sword fighting and archery, and secretly learning how to use magic to become stronger and hopefully join the Varden for the fight against Galbatorix. I was rebellious to the King’s wishes, and every time I defied him, he would use magic to “teach me a lesson.” It never did work; if possible, I came to oppose even more. I guess the only reason I have lived this long is because I am…’
“Star, what are you doing?” a voice snapped me out of my thoughts.
I had stopped walking, and stood in the middle of the corridor.
“Sorry, I was just thinking.”
“You need to focus on what you’re doing. We can’t get caught. You should know, of all people, what the consequences are.”
I nodded and followed my mentor, Wynton, as we walked down the hall, leading towards the thrown room in the castle. Wynton was a kind, strict man. He had blonde hair that came down just above his ears and his bangs brushing just above his beautiful blue eyes, his hair framed his soft face perfectly. His muscular figure showed that he was not someone you would want to get in a fight with. He was recruited for Galbatorix’s army when he turned eighteen. By the age of twenty-five, he was a general for one section of Galbatorix’s army. One year later, in a battle to capture Cithrí in Surda, one of the Surdan warriors made a powerful blow to Wynton’s head, causing him to suffer hemorrhaging to his brain. He lost some of his memory, including the days he was a soldier and general, and an incapability to control his body parts at times. The damage to his head caused his brain to not being able to send signals to his body parts to move, thus, sometimes, causing him not to be able to move his body. After he recovered from the injure months later, he was ordered, by the King, to teach me sword fighting and archery to help prepare me for a time when Galbatorix might need me in the war, I was only six years old. Now ten years later at the age of sixteen, I was finally breaking free from this place.
When we made our way to the heart of the enormous castle, Wynton turned and said,
“I’ll go get the horses ready and waiting right outside the castle doors. Go in, grab one, and come out without waking anyone or running into a guard.”
“I know what to do, Wynton.”
He rested his hand on my shoulder.
“Be careful.”
“You too.”
We gave each other a quick hug and parted our ways. I watched as his retreating figure ran in the direction to the front of the castle. I turned and ran to the thrown room, where Galbatorix ruled Alagaësia and caused unhappiness throughout the land. Once in the thrown room, I turned right, towards a metal door that would lead to a hallway. Pulling open the heavy metal door, I entered the hallway. At the end was an ebony wood door with jewels and gold decorating the entire door. It was the chamber of the evil king himself, Galbatorix.
The King had gone to Nía Beirland, one of the neighboring lands to discuss plans of recruiting more troops for his army. How he is going to get the ruler of that land to lend him troops is beyond me. But the King could be very persistent when he wanted really something.
On the right side of the hall was an indentation in the wall running from the ceiling to the floor and six feet in width. In the middle was a small dragon, made from sapphire, ruby, topaz, and emerald gems molded together to make one, beautiful gem. Its colorful head was pointing toward the ceiling as if it was looking up toward the heavens. I put my hand on the dragon and whispered, “Sé orúm thornessa hávr sharjalví lífs.” The dragon turned to the left until its head was facing the floor, I could hear the metal lock sliding out from the stone to keep the wall from being open. I pushed open the door hoping no one would hear the stone scraping against stone. Inside was the last three remaining dragon eggs on pedestals. Red, gold, and green. The blue egg had been stolen before I was born by Varden spies, Brom and Jeod. Since that happened the King moved the hiding place of the eggs closer to his chamber to keep another egg from being stolen again. Unfortunately for him, I knew where he kept the eggs and I have become powerful enough to protect myself from the traps waiting inside. As I looked over the eggs deciding which one I should take. I could only fit one in my bag that I had strapped from my shoulder, around my body, and resting at my right hip, for my sword was hanging from my left hip. That was when my eyes landed on the emerald colored egg. It was dazzling, the pure green color shone like a jewel more beautiful than anything that existed, and the white veins that webbed through the egg was like the veins in a person that kept us alive and the egg as well. I was transfixed, feeling an attraction to the third egg.
‘That shall be the egg I will rescue from this horrible prison.’
“Skölir.” I whispered, feeling the magic surrounding me. I took a step toward the green egg, just as I entered the barrier that trapped the eggs, a burst of fire came flying at me. I felt my barrier waver then become strong. It hit off against the magical shield that protected my body. I put more magic into my shield to protect me from the more powerful attacks that would come as I got closer. Another step towards the egg and arrows shot out of the ceiling above me. Glancing off the invisible wall, I kept being attacked by pointless traps because my magic was stronger than that. As I reached out and grabbed the egg, I felt pressure building around my entire body, threatening to crush me. I could feel the magic starting to drain my energy at a great pace. As I stepped back away from that spot, I felt the magic break, leaving me exposed to the dangerous traps that lied within the hidden room. Running back to the door, I was hit with an arrow in my leg stopping me from running. Another lodging just in between two of my ribs. A third just skimming past my face, cutting my cheek. Getting the strength to get up, I ran for the door, feeling the blazing hot fire just behind my back. I shut the door, the lock clicking back into place, put the amazing egg in my bag, healed my wounds, and took off running for the front of the castle.
As soon as I was back out in the corridor, I ran as fast I could toward the castle doors, where Wynton would be waiting. I slipped outside into the cool night. Right there was the two horses that held our escape, like Wynton said. I climbed on the black horse that had a white tail and mane, back legs that were white till halfway up when the hair turned black, and a white patch of hair in the middle of his forehead that was shaped like a crescent moon. Wynton was seated on his lifelong horse, Grace. She was a white horse with a brown mane and tail, and brown splotches of hair all over her body. When I was seated on the saddle, both horses took off towards the wall that surrounded the city of Urû’baen. Horses hooves clicking against the stone, was the only sound to be heard in this deserted place, as everyone had retired for the night. As we were racing our way through the village, a guard walked out in front of out path, spotting us. I pulled out my Black Shadow sword, which hung around my left hip, and swung the sword at the guard’s head, nearly decapitating him. Moments later I heard a guard shouting,
“Help! Someone is trying to escape!”
Horses hooves hit against the ground behind us as they heard the cry of help from the guard that found another’s body. Wynton pulled out his bow and started to shoot the guards coming at us. I used my sword, slicing down any enemy daring enough to try and face me.
‘Almost there, almost there.’ I thought seeing the giant metal doors that kept us locked in this horrible place. Only a few yards away from freedom, Wynton suddenly disappeared from my line of vision. As I turned around I saw him on the ground, an arrow penetrating the neck of his horse. Guards immediately surrounded him, but he pulled out his sword and started fighting all that was around him.. As I hopped down from my horse he looked at me and screamed,
“Go! Get out of here! Don’t worry about me! I’ll hold them off as long as I can!”
Just then he stopped moving altogether, his disability was happening at the worst time during the breakout. Seconds later one of the guards had him on the ground putting shackles on his hands and feet, binding him from fighting when the handicap wore off. Regretfully, I jumped back on my horse and whispered a few words and the wall doors opened just enough for my horse to fit through. I looked back to see Wynton being hauled off towards the castle, a feeling a guilt dwelling in my stomach. Looking around me, there was fifty or so guards surrounding me in a circle As they started closing in to capture me like Wynton, I reached into my bag and grabbed the dragon egg. Taking it out with my left hand, raising it high above my head, I whispered a few words and in a flash the egg was gone.
“Brisingr!” I screamed, as green fire came out from the palms of my hands. It engulfed all the guards and their horses. I bolted from the circle of burning, screaming men as the burnt to a crisp, and raced myself as far away from that forbidden city for as long as possible. Smiling and thinking, ‘The first to escape from Uru’baen.’

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When Galbatorix arrived at the castle of King Merlin of Nía Beirland, he was greeted with warm tidings and shown to his wonderfully extravagant room. Just as he was done getting settled down, there was a knock on his door. Opening it was a small, 5’2” women with a petite figure and short choppy blonde hair wearing servant’s clothing said in a small cowering voice, almost like a child
“The King invites you to join dinner with him.”
He followed the girl to the dining hall. In the center was a long table that could probably seat a hundred people and at the end was King Merlin seated at the head of the table and his son Prince Mason seated to right. Taking a seat on the left, we started our meal.
“So, what brings you here to Nía Beirland, King Galbatorix?”
“Well soon your son will be in need of bride I presume?”
“Yes, you are correct.”
“I have the perfect girl for him to marry, my daughter.”