Arianna Selenasdaughter

Weeks passed by in more or less the same manner. Galbatorix’s rages became steadily worse. A blow to the face here, a kick to the stomach there. A few bones were broken, but he always had his healers fix me up.

Again, like the Ra’zac, it wasn’t out of any kind of compassion. He absolutely loathed me. He had his magicians working around the clock to try and figure out my true name. The king was so used to breaking into people’s minds that when he couldn’t break into mine, he started breaking into everyone else’s minds just to make sure he could still do it. For someone who was supposed to be all high and mighty, he was mighty insecure of himself.

Eragon’s memories flung themselves at me when I slept. As twins, our minds were almost the same. They would’ve been even more linked if we’d been the same gender. Luckily, I took after our mother. Without her, I wouldn’t have been able to use magic. That was the only reason, after all. She had been a spellcaster. Yes, my father could also use magic, but that was because he’d been a Dragon Rider.

Eragon was learning how to read. I remembered when Brom first taught me. I’d been about ten, but once I figured it out, I was hooked. I devoured everything that was in Brom’s possession, and when I couldn’t read anything more, I wrote silly stories, just to have something to read later. Brom found that humorous for some reason. At least Eragon was somewhere comfortable for the moment. And free.

I sighed wistfully. I wished that I could be with them. I missed them. I even missed Saphira, and I’d only ever had contact with her the one time. But she saved my brother, and that was all I cared about.

I saw one of Eragon’s memories when I was awake. Through it, I saw Angela the Herbalist and her werecat, Solembum. I was especially interested in the fortune she told Eragon using a dragon’s knucklebones. She told him that he would live forever or have a long life, which he’d already known.

Then she told him about how he was free to choose his own fate, but that there was a doom upon him. She also told him he would leave this land forever. My reaction was similar to his. Where would he go? And a death in his future. My thoughts instantly raced. Me? No, I was sure I wasn’t going to be killed anytime soon, and like I said earlier, I’m not suicidal.

Then my thoughts reached Brom, and my heart lurched. What if it was Brom? I refused to think about it. When she told Eragon of his epic romance, I laughed out loud. The guard must’ve thought I was finally cracking. If only he knew how wrong he was.

My laughing was cut off when she mentioned a betrayal in the family. Would I really crack? After all, I was the one in the perfect position to betray him. And he would never blame me for giving in. No one would. Except me. And I didn’t want to be the only one blaming me, so I just wouldn’t have to give in.

The guard passed me water through the door, and a small plate of measly food that didn’t look worth eating. However, my stomach was begging for food, so I ate the crummy food to appease it. After the first few weeks of checking for drugs and not finding any, I stopped worrying about it. He didn’t know that I could use magic, so why would he waste his precious magic drugs on me?

When I was done with the plate and the jug, I pushed them under the door for the guard to pick up. I sat back down on my stone bed and leaned my head against the slimy wall. I was filthy. I hadn’t seen my reflection in a long time, but based on the amount of filth I could feel in my hair, I didn’t really want to anyway.

When the guard came to unlock the door, I straightened my shoulders and tried to look brave. The king awaited and, when I refused, another beating.