Eragon was tired of fighting. His arms were heavy, and his mind was confused by fatigue. But he knew he couldn’t stop fighting now. The elfmagicans were tired, he was tired, Saphira was tired, but so were Thorn and Murthag too. And Eragon still had the power from Oromis’ sword which he had transferred into Brisingr.
Thorn attacked again. Whit his enormous jaws open he launched himself downwards against Saphiras back. But Saphira was to fast. With an easy move she got out of Thorns path, and Thorn passed by her with direction to the ground.
Eragon reacted on instinct. <Follow after him and bite his wing like last time we fought>, he told Saphira. She nodded and dived after him. The moment that Thorn was going to straighten up, Saphira caught him. She closed her might jaws around his wing. The bigger dragon tried to get rid of her, but she didn’t let him go. The risky dive continued.
<Do you want me to bite it off?> Saphira asked. Eragon shook his head. <I most make Murthag surrender his sword to me. Almost all of his vards are connected to it. So if I can get it, I can break the vards and make Murthag surrender both himself, Thorn and all the hearts of hearts he has.> Saphira nodded and closed her grip around the wing. Thorn growled.
Eragon took a better grip around Brisingr. “Murthag!” he shouted. Murthag sat on the back of Thorn, only a few meters away from himself. “Murthag!” he repeated. “Surrender your sword to me! If not, Saphira is going to bite of Thorns wing!”
Murthag looked at him. “You’re lying!” he shouted back. Eragon shocked his head. “I have to defeat you, and if it means to kill you, or tare of Thorns wing, Saphira and I will do it! And you know that’s something you’ll never manage to reappear!” Eragon could see the fight in Murthags face. A fight between anger, frustration and hopelessness. Anger to Galbatorix, who hade made him his slave, and Eragon, who forced him into a corner with no way out. Frustration, since he couldn’t do as he wanted and give Eragon his sword. Hopelessness, since he couldn’t save Thorn from his terrifying faith.
“I can’t give you my sword! Don’t you get it? Galbatorix has made me promise to don’t give it away!” he shouted.
Eragon felt his last tiny piece of hope disappear. He had hoped that Murthag had done it on purpose, so that Eragon could have a chance. In frustration, Eragon threw himself out of his saddle and against Murthag. On the way he shouted “Brisingr!” of his lungs full power.
He felt the enormous loss of energy from both himself and the sword when it stood out in flames. Every solider on the battlefield beneath him looked up as Eragon fell down against Murthag with his sword as a flare. Eragon swung Brisingr with all the power his body could manage to make against Za’Roc.
Za’Roc shattered. It shattered into ten thousand pieces, falling over the fighting warriors reflecting the flame of Brisingr. Then the flame put out, and Murthag sat left only with a sword yell.
Eragon grabbed one of Thorns horns. <Saphira, get us down at some empty place, and don’t lose Thorns wing, okay?> he said quickly. <Okay>, Saphira answered. Then Eragon opened his mind toward Thorn and Murthag. They were almost without protection, since all the wards connected to the sword were destroyed. Eragon easily broke through the rest of them.
When Eragon reached their minds, he got surprised over finding Murthags mind unprotected. He was still so shocked, that he hadn’t managed to put walls around it. Eragon took the opportunity, and went into Murthags mind. When Murthag realized that Eragon had broken through, it was too late. Eragon had bound him on hands and feets.
<Surrender, Murthag! Eragon yelled inside his mind. I have won! You’ll be dead if you don’t give up! It will cost my nothing to kill you now, and you know it!> He could feel the frustration in Murthag. <I can’t! I want to, but I can’t, Eragon! It’s nothing I want more, then have the possibility and opportunity to surrender to you! But I am not free as you are, and I can’t surrender!>
Eragon tried to find a new way to attack it, a new way to get Murthag out of trouble, something Galbatorix hadn’t thought of. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t find anything that Galbatorix hadn’t thought of. In frustration he looked through Murthags mind in search for something helpful. He got surprised over finding memories. A huge wave of memories of a younger Murthag. Eragon watched some of them, and then “copied” the memories and then stored them in his own mind. Couldn’t know, maybe they turned out useful?
All this had just taken a few seconds, which was the time it took Thorn to get over the shook of the shattering of Za’Roc and realize that Eragon sat on his face. The big dragon started to shake his head from side to side. Eragon felt his grip lose, and tried to tighten it. But then a long tail of red fire came out of Thorns mouth, and Eragon unleashed one of his horns. Now Eragon only hold with one arm, and he felt how the dragon prepared to start shaking again. “Thorn, if you don’t stop, I’ll kill Murthag!” he yelled in the same moment as Saphira said: <Thorn, if you don’t stop, I’ll bite of your wing!> Thorn stopped immediately.
<Eragon, I recommend that you move, because the ground is close, and its not Thorn who is going to be on the top, if you know what I mean!> Saphira shouted. Eragon understood and climbed up Thorns neck. He grabbed Murthag and yelled: “Prepare to jump!” Murthag gave him an ice-cold look. <Eragon, I can’t jump. I can’t even move!> Eragon smiled. “Sorry, I forgot.” Eragon closed his arms around Murthags body and asked Saphira one word. <When?>
Eragon didn’t have to wait long. <Now!> Saphira shouted. Eragon jumped with Murthag in his arms. Even with his elvish strength, it felt heavy. He forgot that when Thorn and Saphira hit the ground. Or, more correctly, Thorn hit the ground. It made quite much sound.
Eragon landed on the ground and dropped Murthag. <All right>, he said. <I’m going to unleash your hands and your mouth if you can promise me that you won’t hurt me or Saphira or anybody else.> The only thing Eragon felt in Murthags mind now, was hopelessness. <Eragon,> Murthag said, with a tired voice. <I can’t. I have promised Galbatorix to never swear something to anybody else than him.> His voice was about to burst. <I’ve tried to break every single one of the promises, but it's impossible. I can’t promise you anything, because Galbatorix has waited all his life after getting a rider under his control, and he has already thought of every possible getaway, and found a way to stop it.> A tear ran down Murthags cheek. Eragon unleashed him, but were ready to bind him again. “Eragon, please stop asking me to break my promises. It hurts me, because I want to do it, but the promises stops me, and they pains me!” More tears followed the first one. “Do you hear me? They pains me in ways you can’t imagine! They burns my soul, my will to fight them! In the end, they’ll make me give up the fight, and I will be a slave in both body and soul!” Murthag couldn’t talk any more. It was too many tears falling.
Eragon turned his attention to Saphira and Thorn. They were in the middle of a wrestling fight. Saphira had a clear advantage, since she had her tooth in his wing and were faster. <Thorn>, Eragon said in a disappointed voice. Thorn stopped fighting with Saphira and looked at him. <Thorn>, Eragon repeated. <You don’t seem to care about Murthags problems. Don’t you want to be free?> Thorn didn’t answer, but sent a wave of memories to Eragon.
<A first sight of light through a broken egg. A face, no, the face, the face he had waited for all his life, a face filled with happiness and joy and… sorrow and pain. Then another face, evil, cruel, full of power. A dark room. A big dark room. Nothing to see or hear or feel or anything. The feeling of being alone, when he should had someone to take care of him. Frustration. Hopelessness. Panic. Then an open door. The evil face, asking him to promise something. The fight in him, against the promise that’s told him to stay in the room, and the dragon in him who wanted to go out. Then, finally, being allowed to go out. Training with Murthag. Then forced into the dark room again. Nothing. No bond to Murthag anymore. Then training. The dark room. Training. The dark room. Then, his first battle. The one on the burning planes. He had fought against Saphira, and he had lost, even when Murthag won. Galbatorix anger. The long days in the dark room. No will left to fight the promises. His fast growing. How it confused him and made it hard to fly. Their second battle. How Saphira had fought him and defeated him. The anger from Galbatorix. The long days in the dark room…>
Eragon didn’t need to listen any more. Thorn had never felt freedom. He didn’t have any wishes about being free. It was not a part of him.
Eragon got an idea. <Saphira, can you show Thorn some of your memories, Some of freedom, when you were younger and played in the forest, and things like that?> Saphira looked at him-
<Why?> she asked. <Because Thorn has never been free, and if we can make him want to be free, he might change his true name, and then Galbatorix will lose his control,> Eragon explained. <Okay>, Saphira said.
Eragon looked at Murthag. He still sat crying. Eragon couldn’t remember that he had seen Murthag ever cry. He looked through his memories, but he couldn’t find one single tear. Not even when Morzan threw Za’Roc at him, he had cried. Eragon looked through the rest of the memories, searched through them and learned from them. He had a lot of time. Murthag had many years of tears to fell.
Eragon put his sword back in its sheath. “Murthag,” he said, and Murthag looked up. “Tell me your true name.” Eragon looked at Murthag, and he saw the same frustration as before. “I can’t, Eragon. I can’t tell you my true name. I’ve promised Galbatorix to never tell.” Eragon looked at him again. “You’re right, you can’t tell me your true name, but not because of Galbatorix.
“Give me your sword, then,” Eragon said. Murthag looked at him. His face was wheat of tears. “What?” he asked, a little confused. “Give me your sword. You don’t have any use for it,” Eragon said. Murthag looked at his sword yell, then threw it to Eragon. Eragon caught it, and then looked at Murthag. After a long silence, Murthag said: “What?” Eragon smiled. “Have you realized what you just did?” Murthag shook his head. “You gave me your sword. Something you promised Galbatorix not to do.”
Eragon smiled when he saw that Murthag was about to realize the truth. Then Murthag jumped up and shouted: ”I’m free!” Eragon smiled when Murthags strong arms closed around him in a big hug. “Thank you! Thank you very much!” Murthag laughed. “Ohh, it’s so good to laugh again! I haven’t done it since the twins caught me!” Eragon looked at him. “What are you going to do now?” he asked. Murthag smiled. “I’m tired of war, so I and Thorn is going to fly over the great sea to find a country where we can live in peace.” Eragons smile disappeared. “Are you going to leave now? Galbatorix is about to fall! You are maybe the only one who can defeat him! And now your just leaving?” Eragon was really angry. Murthag looked like he was about to slap himself. “Sorry, Eragon, that was stupid said of me. I shouldn’t. But it’s just that I’m so tired of this war, were I’ve not had the possibility to choose side myself.”
Eragon nodded. He understood. “I think we shall return to the camp. But first you most promise me two things.” Murthag looked tired. “First of all, you have to promise that you’ll never ever let Galbatorix take control over you again.” Murthag got back his smile. “I can do that.”
“Second,” Eragon said, “you have to promise me your loyalty. Let me explain first,” he said when he saw Murthags reaction. “On our side, we have the dwarfs, the elves and the Varden. And all want a piece of the cake. And we, you, me, Saphira and Thorn, are now the cake. I’ve promised my loyalty to Nasuda, I’m a part of Oriks family, and the elves has trained me and counts me as one of them. Its also many other promises that binds me. I need you to be unbound, because I’m planning to rebuild the Dragon Orden. And I’m going to take control, I just have to make Nasuda give me complete control over The Dragon Orden without her messing it up. And if I’m going to control the Dragon Order, I need somebody to control. Somebody that is not bound by a lot of promises. Do you understand? I need to be sure that you don’t bind yourself to anybody else.” Eragon took a deep breath. Murthag said something. “Eragon, I like your dream, but I want to be truly unbound…” Eragon held up a hand. “Pleas let me finish. I now you don’t won’t to bind yourself, but if you do not bind to somebody, No one will trust you. So I’m going to do what I can to protect you, but I set killing Galbatorix higher then your freedom. So if you don’t bind yourself of your free will, I’ll have to force you.” Then Eragon said one word, and Murthag fell to the ground, screaming in pain and frustration and sorrow.
Eragon looked at the ground in front of his feet. “Please, Murthag. Please don’t force me to use your true name again. Join me of your free will.” Murthag lifted his head and looked at Eragon. It was a fire in his eyes. An evil fire. “How can it be of my free will, if you get it as you want, no mater what I choose?”
Eragon thought of it. “Your right, Murthag. It’s not of your free will. So I have a new deal. You give me your word in the anicent language that you will follow me as the leader of the Dragon Order, and then give me your word as the Murthag I knew, the one who weren’t a rider, that you’ll follow my orders and never betray me or do anything that could harm me, because I know you won’t break that promise, except if it’s turns out necessary. Is that a better deal?” Murthag raised himself up, and then gave Eragon his hand. “Deal.”
Eragon smiled. “Now we have to meet with Nasuda. She’ll be happy to have a new rider on our side.” Murthag smiled and started to walk together with Eragon. “Thank you again,” he said. Eragon smiled. “Don’t thank me before we’re safe in Nasudas tent. I think it’s quite many in the camp who wants to kill you.” Murthags smile disappeared.