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Destiny Riders	By : ShadowSpark1015 Category: A through F > Eragon Views: 16962 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: Eragon and Alagaesia are owned by Christopher Paolini. I am doing this purely for fun, no profit is being made from this story.

Chapter List
- 1-I
- 2-II
- 3-III
- 4-IV
- 5-V
- 6-VI
- 7-VII
- 8-VIII
- 9-IX
- 10-X
- 11-XI
- 12-XII
- 13-XIII
- 14-XIV
- 15-XV
- 16-XVI
- 17-XVII
- 18-XVIII
- 19-XIX
- 9
- 10
- 11
I lost track of time. The days turned into weeks. Every time the king came to visit me in the night my mind would go blank. I would lay limply while he had his way with me, and when he finished, I would curl up into a ball under the blankets and weep. And every time he would saunter out of my room after whispering the same thing in my ear, night after night.
"Remember, Artemis. You are mine."
The only bright spot in all of the darkness that had become my life was the time that I spent with Jack. We would walk through the stone halls together, or take a stroll through the small garden. He didn't press any more about the bruises, even after they faded and new ones appeared. There were times that I suspected he knew more than he let on, but he never hinted at what or how much, so I let it go. One day, during one of our walks, he nudged me down a hall we'd never taken before. I looked at him curiously, but let him lead the way. The palace was huge and there were so many room, one was sure to get lost if you didn't know where you were going. Soon the hustle and bustle of the main halls was behind us and we could talk freely.
"Jack, where are we going?"
"There is something I want to show you." He kept walking, eyes searching the halls intently. At first I thought he was looking for stray servants who might see us and think something improper. Then he ducked into a small doorway. I followed, curious. What I saw took my breath away and sent shivers down my spine.
Paintings. Hundred of paintings. Some were done on pieces of fabric and framed beautifully, others were done on heavy pieces of stone. The latter looked almost real, as if I could touch them and feel skin and fabric instead of the smooth rock. The sheer beauty of the artwork took my breath away. What sent shivers down my spine was the subject. It was me. Portraits of me stared down at us from all angles. There were images of me curled up in front of a fire reading a book, some were of me performing magic apparently captured mid-spell. The most disturbing ones however, had more than one subject. Many of them depicted me standing next to Galbatorix. Most frightening, though, was the one done on stone that showed us sitting astride a massive black dragon.
I stood in the center of the room, turning slowly, trying to absorb what I was seeing. "This is how everyone knew," I whispered. "When I first came here, everyone kept saying I was bound for the king and treating me differently even though there were so many other women with me. This is how they knew."
I stopped circling and brought my eyes back down to Jack. "Why are you showing me this?"
"I found this room one day, not long after I joined the army. I had gotten lost and was trying to find my way back to the barracks. I took a wrong turn and ended up in here. The beauty of the woman in the paintings captivated me." He turned to look at one of the strange stone pieces, ran his fingers along the edges. "I came back as often as I could just to look at them. Then, when you came here, when I first laid eyes on you and I knew you were real... The joy I felt... I can't describe the feelings I felt when I looked at you, sitting so proud on that horse. I fell in love."
My breath hitched. I felt my heart stop beating for a moment. "And now? You know I am the king's bride. Promised to another man."
"I don't care. I can see that you have no love for him. He was the one that made most of these." Jack waved his hand behind him, gesturing at the portraits. "Many of them are older than I am. Can you explain that to me? How is it that a man painted pictures of a woman that apparently didn't exist until seventeen years ago?"
I was starting to get scared. He spoke with the same fervor as the king. I suddenly had no desire to be near him. Gathering my skirts in my fists, I turned and fled. I heard him calling my name as he tried to chase after me, but I wanted so badly to get away, to be back in my room. My vision blurred and suddenly I was there. I stopped short. A shriek behind me had me turning on my heel. Kiandra stood leaning against a bedpost for support, clutching her heart and looking pale.
"How did you... where.... what just happened?" she sputtered.
"I don't know. One moment I was running, and the next I was here."
"You performed magic, my love." Galbatorix's voice behind me had me whirling once more. "I knew you were still in there Artemis. I was just coming to tell you I think I figured out part of the spell. We can start trying to free your memories." He rubbed his hands up and down my arms, smiling.
"That's... wonderful," I said, trying to seem sincere. After seeing those paintings, I was afraid of what I might learn. "When?"
"Now." He grabbed my hand and pulled me from the room and down the hall. I could barely keep up with his pace.
"Now? Right now?" Kiandra raced after us. We came to a juncture in the halls and almost ran headlong into Jack. He straightened up and then paled when he realized who he was facing. He immediately bent into a deep bow.
"Your Majesty. Lady Artemis. I'm glad you found each other. I was most distressed when I lost track of the lady."
I looked up and caught the king's glower. "And why did you lose track of her in the first place? I charged you with her safety. What if something had happened to her while you were loafing off?"
"My Lord," I moved to face him. "He only wanted to show me some paintings, I must have gotten lost on the way." My voice trailed away when his expression darkened.
"You showed her paintings?" Jack visibly flinched. I knew immediately I had said the wrong thing, and I had to find a way to fix it, so I did the only thing I could think of.
I threw my arms around the king's neck to distract him. "To tell you the truth, I really didn't want to see any paintings. I slipped away when he wasn't looking and must have gotten turned around on my way back to my room. So I got scared and used a little magic to take myself back there."
I felt Jack stiffen beside me at the mention of magic, but apparently that had done the trick. Galbatorix was no longer angry. Instead he looked determined. My heart beat a little faster while he contemplated me. Finally he seemed satisfied. "Alright. I will accept that." He stroked a finger down my cheek and I fought not to flinch.
"Now," he said, taking my hand again. "Let's go get your memories back."
Several tense minutes later, I was seated in a rather uncomfortable chair. Kiandra and Jack stood against the walls looking uncomfortable while Galbatorix tied my wrists and ankles to the chair. He chuckled when he looked up and saw the terrified look I knew was on my face. "I don't want you accidently hurting yourself. I'm not sure what will happen. There is a very powerful spell over you and it will take a lot of work to reverse it." He straightened and walked around behind me.
"Whatever happens," he said, addressing the silent observers. "Do not move. Do not interfere. You may end up killing her." With that inspiring statement, he put held his hands on either side of my head, about an inch away, and started chanting. I had no idea what he was saying or doing.
A blue light began to emanate from his palms and little sparks played over my skin. I shut my eyes tight as the light grew brighter. The king's chanting grew in volume and fervor until he was shouting the strange language. Suddenly, the light was inside my head. I felt pressure against a barrier I was unaware existed until then. All at once images started flooding my head. Standing next to Galbatorix performing magic together, flying on a dragon together, sparring on an immense field with other boys and girls our age practicing around us while dragons flew overhead. The last thing I saw before I passed out was a raven-haired woman standing over me with her hands outstretched weaving a spell over me, then darkness. The last vision was accompanied by a heartbreaking sadness.
When I awoke, Galbatorix was holding me against his chest while he slept. I tipped my head back to look at the man. I remembered him a little more. At one point I had thought I loved him. The sadness I felt had come from the realization that everything I thought I knew about him was wrong. I knew there were more barriers in my mind, but I was afraid of what would be behind them. I knew I couldn't stay there any longer.
Galbatorix stirred in his sleep and loosened his grip. I took the opportunity to slip out of the circle of his arms and sat for a moment trying to think of what to do next. Galbatorix opened his eyes and blinked up at me, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. I smiled and put a hand on his chest.
"Sleep." I laced a little power into the word and the king immediately dropped back into slumber. I smiled and let the magic flex around me. It had been so long since I cast anything I thought for a moment I wouldn't be able to do it.
"Like riding a horse," I muttered as I slipped off the bed. Dressing quickly and throwing a light cloak around my shoulders, I found a bag and threw a few of the simplest gowns I could find into it. As an afterthought, I grabbed a few pieces of jewelry and added them to the bag, thinking to sell them at a market. I slipped quietly out of the room, shutting the door without a sound. I turned and ran into something solid. I uttered a quiet oath as I straightened and looked at what I had run into.
It was Jack. "Glad to see you are feeling better, my lady." I quickly hid the bag behind my back under the cloak.
"Yes, much, thank you. I just woke up and can't get back to sleep, so I figured I would take a walk around the citadel to expend some energy." I started walking, thinking he would stay and guard the door. I was wrong. He fell into step beside me and kept pace easily.
"I hope you don't mind if I join you. The king had charged me with your safety, and I intend to make up for my mistakes."
I kept walking. If need be, he would be my cover story, or at least corroborate my story. We didn't encounter anyone else in the halls, which made it easier to move quickly. He suddenly seemed to realize where we were.
"Why are you heading to the kitchens at this hour, my lady?"
I laughed as derisively as I could manage. "I just woke up from a very long sleep. I'm hungry and want a snack." He seemed satisfied with that and we continued our walk. When we reached the kitchen, he stayed outside the door while I grabbed fruit and shoved it into my bag. I wrapped a loaf of bread in a piece of cloth and put it in as well. I found a pantry and started putting random things in the bag before deciding I had enough to get me a decent distance away. I left the kitchen with an apple in my hand to make it appear as if I really did just want a snack. We reached the split in the hallway leading to my room and Jack put his hand under my elbow and started to turn. When I resisted, he turned to look at me.
"Something the matter, Lady Artemis?"
I smiled at him. "You've been so kind to me. It's only fair I answer some of your questions now."
"Um, Lady Artemis, are you feeling okay?" Jack looked concerned and took a half step back. I reached up and touched his cheek.
"The woman in the paintings is me. You were right. They were done over eighty years ago. I'm a half-elf." Jack let out a strangled yelp as I pushed a tiny tendril of magic into his mind. He dropped to the floor, asleep before he hit the ground. "It's too bad you won't remember any of this. You really were starting to grow on me." I left him laying there and walked to the stables.
Minna was there, in a far stall, looking well groomed and rather happy. I quickly saddled her and lashed the bag to the back of the saddle. Mounting quickly, I pulled the hood over my head and turned Minna toward one of the smaller side gates. I slowed her down as I approached the gate and drew the hood lower over my face. A soldier came out of the gatehouse.
"State your business," he demanded as he approached. I lowered my head some more and put a little magic into my voice again.
"Let me pass."
The man's eyes glazed and he walked stiffly to the gate and drew back the bolt. I spurred Minna forward and was outside the city walls before the gate was fully open. I pushed my horse as hard as I could wanting as much distance between me and that awful place as possible. When Uru'baen was almost completely out of sight, I finally slowed. I did it. I had escaped Uru'baen. Now I just had to figure out where to go from there.
- 9
- 10
- 11
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Destiny Riders