Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Relationships: Murtagh Morzansson & Thorn, murtagh morzansson & alin
Characters: Murtagh Morzansson, Thorn (Inheritance Cycle), Alín (Inheritance Cycle)
Additional Tags: Friendship, Found Family
Series: Part 4 of Gray's Self-Indulgent IC Fics
Summary:
Murtagh enlists Alín to help with a magical experiment.
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A skewbald brown and white hatchling leapt to his shoulder and hissed at something on the floor. A small violet head popped in and out of frame, snapping its jaws at the other hatchling’s tail. His brother set the piebald hatchling on a high shelf, where they proceeded to smugly dangle their front paws at their playmate.
“It’s complicated!” he snapped, pinching the bridge of his nose and tipping his head back in a big show of irritation. Then he added in a softer tone, “I don’t know. We found another of Durza’s little surprises. I’m not even sure what we’re looking at. It could be a few days, could be weeks…”
Eragon shifted uncomfortably. “Do you want me to go out to help or…”
“We have it under control,” he said. “It’s not dangerous, at least not to us, just weird.”
“Alright, just be careful,” he said.
“Stop worrying,” he said. “We’ll be fine.”
Then Murtagh clicked the compact mirror shut and all but threw it into the saddle bag. He’d normally be more careful, but he didn’t want anybody to contact him. Or to know if anybody was trying to contact him. He still regretted listening to Eragon and putting a bell on the mirror.
Then he picked up his book, the coconut, and a bottle of spiced rum before wading over to where Thorn lounged in the shallow lagoon, the crystalline water lapping at his calves.
They’d had to fly off course on their way back to the academy to avoid a storm and taken refuge on a deserted island. When the weather cleared, they decided to explore a bit before moving on. So far, they’d discovered a lagoon, perfectly sized for a large dragon to have a nice swim, and a shipwreck with several casks of now very well aged rum.
“I’ve decided that they do not need know where we are,” he said, settling down on the soft sand beside his partner. “Or when we’ll be back.”
“If we’ll be back,” Thorn said, tearing into the side of another large tuna.
“I like if,” he said, swirling the drink again, before tapping it against the dragon’s own in cheers.
Then he tipped his head back, enjoying the warm afternoon sunlight and the salt breeze on his face while cooler water washed over his legs.
If anything, the experience was altogether too pleasant, but while they remain vigilant, he could let him relax a little. He’d already decided not to ask too many questions about where Thorn had found a dragon sized coconut. It didn’t appear poisoned, it hadn’t made him sick, and a fancy drink was the very least of what the dragon deserved.
Before he could pick up where he left off in his book, Thorn nudged at his mind to show him the reefs enclosing the lagoon. He’d spent the late morning watching the colorful fish flit in and out of the coral before flying further out after larger prey.
“I want to show you in person later,” he said.
“It’s beautiful, I can’t wait,” he said. A sunset swim seemed the perfect way to end the day.
“And I heard whales while I was fishing,” he said. “We should try to find them tomorrow. Not to eat, they’re too clever for that, but I want to watch and listen.”
“They’re clever?”
“Far more than we are,” Thorn said, tossing his head back and swallowing the rest of the tuna in a single gulp.
“When we get back, we should take a walk around the coast and see what else there is,” he said. “I think there were tide pools by the ship.”
And they had a whole island left to explore. Before they’d landed, they saw cliffs of shining volcanic glass along the mountain to the north. As much as they were enjoying the beach, he was curious about what was hidden further in the jungle.
He closed his eyes, listening to the waves and the strange, fringed trees rustling in the breeze. For once, entirely unconcerned. They had as much time as they wanted.
“Are you really sure you want me to do this?” For what must have been the fifth time, Alín cleaned the tapestry needle with strong smelling liquor.
“I wouldn’t have asked if I didn’t.” He would have done it himself, but he couldn’t get the angle quite right in the mirror.
The two of them sat on the grass in Thorn’s courtyard on a fine spring afternoon. Thorn lounged behind them, his head under a flowering dogwood.
“Are you sure you’re doing it right?” Thorn asked, trying very hard not to look nervous while he fidgeted with a broken branch.
“Lady Zosia said she did this for her sisters and cousins with a tapestry needle and a piece of cold potato,” he said, trying to block out the dragon’s anxiety. “How hard can it be?”
Perhaps it would have been more sensible to ask the eccentric libertine to do this, but Thorn could count the number of people he’d allow to stab his partner on one paw with claws to spare. No matter how much he appreciated her music collection. Even if it was just a needle and Murtagh asked her to do it.
Alín leaned a little closer, biting her lip and setting the needle against his ear. “This would be easier if you stopped squirming.”
“It’ll be fine,” he assured her, willing himself to stay still. He had the decency not to point out that her hands were also shaking. “Just like sewing.”
“Just like sewing.” She took a deep breath before holding the piece of potato behind his earlobe.
“On the count of three.” She nodded in agreement, her hands steadying on her needle. “One, two, thr…”
There was a quick, sharp pinch, then Alín leaned back and wiped her needle on her handkerchief.
“That was it?” Thorn said.
“I told you it would be fine,” he said, picking up one of the little ruby studs Nasuada helped him select. It was tasteful, not too ostentatious and the stone would hold enough power to maintain his wards or provide an emergency store of magical energy. “Gather and store energy from light. If at three quarters capacity, stop. If limit in previous command exceeded, grow cold as ice.”
Both the limit and alert had been Thorn’s idea. He didn’t like the thought of Murtagh putting something dangerous so close to his head, but he’d been brought around to it when Murtagh explained that he could maintain his wards without expending so much of his own energy and promised to take as many precautions as the dragon wanted.
“How do I look?” It hummed faintly as it took in power, but he was sure he could ignore that.
“Very modern.”
“Like a scholar playing at being a pirate,” Thorn snorted.
Alín cleaned the needle again, then replaced it in her kit. Then she tied her hair back, selected another and held it out to him. “Your turn.”
Im finally working on Secondary Objectives again and this chapter should not be so difficult, but this js probably thr third time I've decided that the best thing to do is restart from scratch.
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Murtagh only just caught himself on the flank cinch. Chill wind whipped his hair loose while he twisted and flailed. In his desperate fight to keep his grip, something gave in his right shoulder. Thorn lurched in the air, his right wing and foreleg momentarily limp with shared pain.
He grit his teeth through the sudden stabbing pain and tried to hold fast, yet with every heartbeat, his bloodslick fingers slipped a little more.
“…And by poison you mean…” Murtagh still wasn’t sure he’d heard his brother correctly. He set aside his notes and watched his brother from across the desk.
Their discussion about possible curricula for new dragon riders led to Eragon reminiscing about his time in Ellesméra. Murtagh braced for annoyance at hearing about his brother and his dragon playing with elves while Thorn was being flayed and he was almost hoping that the twins would find an interesting way to torture him. He hadn’t expected this turn.
Chapters: 2/?
Fandom: The Inheritance Cycle - Christopher Paolini
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Relationships: Murtagh Morzansson & Thorn
Characters: Murtagh Morzansson, Thorn (Inheritance Cycle), Eragon Shadeslayer, Roran Garrowson
Additional Tags: Action/Adventure, Canon-Typical Violence, canon atypical emotional support, Mentions of chronic pain, Murtagh Morzansson Needs a Hug, and to be put into situations
Series: Part 2 of Gray's Self-Indulgent IC Fics
Summary:
As much as Murtagh might complain about his already abbreviated training being interrupted, he was starting to appreciate feeling useful.