The Warrior
Chapter Two
Nia’s eyes snapped open as she heard scuffling outside her cell door. Slowly, she dragged herself to her feet. Her head swam for a moment as her injuries burned. Then she stumbled to the door in order to see what was going on.
There was a young man, slightly younger than she, struggling against two guards as they tried to force him into the cell next to hers.
“Let me go!” he screamed at them.
Idiot boy, thought Nia to herself. They’ll hurt you unless you stop struggling. Less than a minute later the guards managed to over-power the boy and toss him into the dank cell. Nia was disappointed. There wasn’t much to get excited about down here and all too soon the fun was over. She turned and sat with her back to the door - in a perfect place to eavesdrop on the guard’s conversation.
“That boy is almost as difficult as his father was.”
“Oh? Who was that?”
“Who was that?! Are you totally brain dead? That kid is the son of Morzan, last of the Thirteen Servants!”
Disbelief coloured the reply.
“Him? I didn’t know any of the Forsworn had children.”
“Morzan was the only one. He tried to keep it quiet but now that he’s dead there’s not much he can do about that…”
The voices faded into the distance until they could be heard no more. Nia suddenly felt exultant. Morzan was dead. The beast who had murdered her father and brought her before Galbatorix was dead! A hysterical laugh escaped her as tears ran down her face.
A sudden thought struck her which returned all the sadness from before. How long ago had this happened? She’d had no contact with anyone except for the king in seven years. What did Urû’baen even look like anymore? Is my father’s house still standing? Resting her head on her knees, Nia spent hours imagining Alagaësia outside the confines of the castle. So long she thought about this that the sobs of Morzan’s son had subsided before she fell into tumultuous slumber again.
There was a young man, slightly younger than she, struggling against two guards as they tried to force him into the cell next to hers.
“Let me go!” he screamed at them.
Idiot boy, thought Nia to herself. They’ll hurt you unless you stop struggling. Less than a minute later the guards managed to over-power the boy and toss him into the dank cell. Nia was disappointed. There wasn’t much to get excited about down here and all too soon the fun was over. She turned and sat with her back to the door - in a perfect place to eavesdrop on the guard’s conversation.
“That boy is almost as difficult as his father was.”
“Oh? Who was that?”
“Who was that?! Are you totally brain dead? That kid is the son of Morzan, last of the Thirteen Servants!”
Disbelief coloured the reply.
“Him? I didn’t know any of the Forsworn had children.”
“Morzan was the only one. He tried to keep it quiet but now that he’s dead there’s not much he can do about that…”
The voices faded into the distance until they could be heard no more. Nia suddenly felt exultant. Morzan was dead. The beast who had murdered her father and brought her before Galbatorix was dead! A hysterical laugh escaped her as tears ran down her face.
A sudden thought struck her which returned all the sadness from before. How long ago had this happened? She’d had no contact with anyone except for the king in seven years. What did Urû’baen even look like anymore? Is my father’s house still standing? Resting her head on her knees, Nia spent hours imagining Alagaësia outside the confines of the castle. So long she thought about this that the sobs of Morzan’s son had subsided before she fell into tumultuous slumber again.