Murtagh was surprised at how readily Fallyn had agreed to ride with him. He had also noted that she was probably as light, if not lighter, than the elf as he had pulled her onto Tornac's back. Her body, leaning against him as she breathed lightly, was slim - small, in fact.
Eragon looked back towards them, clearly not sleeping yet.
"Get some rest, Eragon," Murtagh said lowly as Tornac sped up a little so he could take Snowfire's reins from Eragon.
"Can we trust her?" Eragon asked softly.
Murtagh recalled the absolute hate in those golden eyes when she thought he was Morzan and glanced down at her as she slept with her head on his shoulder.
"She's putting a lot of trust in us," Murtagh said. "Remember, she didn't have to help you, fight the Shade, or heal the elf. All of those things have put her in a vulnerable position. I think we can at least trust that she won't kill us without sufficient reason."
"Saphira won't let her," Eragon said confidently.
"I feel like, if she wanted, she could kill each of us in our sleep without Saphira noticing..." Murtagh grumbled.
The woman stirred, and he adjusted his grip around her waist to keep her from sliding off the horse.
"Regardless, I think we can trust her," Murtagh said. "She hasn't told you or Saphira about my father, so I'm going to trust her. At least this much."
Once Eragon had finished eating, he leaned against Snowfire's neck and eventually fell asleep. Fallyn's horse trotted close by, occasionally nudging his leg with its nose.
"She's fine," he eventually said to the horse. "You behave like an overprotective mother, you know that, right?"
The horse snorted, nipping at him.
"Ow! Hey, that was a compliment!" he grumbled.
Clathus snorted, throwing his head, then cantered ahead slightly, prancing and bucking. Tornac gave a nervous whinny, almost unbalancing Murtagh and Fallyn. He heard her hiss as if in pain, but she did not wake up.
"Ok, ease up," he said. "You'll get her knocked off and hurt if you carry on like that."
Clathus slowed down, trotting alongside Tornac.
"Plenty of personality on that horse," he thought absently.
YOU ARE READING
Age of the Dragon 1: Return of the Riders
FanfictionPart 1 in my Age of the Dragon series. Fallyn senses a change is coming and leaves the safety of her home to meet her Destiny head-on. Along the way, she finds herself in unusual company and embroiled in a headlong escape from the Empire. This is a...
