Unexpected Ally - Eragon fanfiction

Chapter 11 - Pain of the past

!!! TW - DOMESTIC ABUSE !!

Ruth was 8 again, she was walking back to her house in Daret. She knew her father was not going to be happy when she returned with no money. Although she had spent the whole day doing hard labour for a promised reward but yet she wasn't given it. She slumped groggily back to the dreaded house, her heart thumped as she neared the door.
She tried as hard as she could to stop herself from unlocking the door but couldn't stop the dream. She entered the main room, which consisted of a small table and a tall bookshelf, a large window with wooden frames and a woollen rug.

She stared at her father dead in the eye, his tall figure towered over her. A thick beard rugged down his chin, bushy eyebrows concealing the tops of his black eyes, unruly brown hair bound to his shoulders. Her mother was sitting at the table, her red hair flowing down her back. She looked at Ruth, her green eyes already watered, a tear resting on her cheek.

"Where's the money?" her father, Edmund, growled lowly

"I didn't get any, no matter how hard I worked" she replied, timidly, closing the door behind her and taking off her extra layers of clothes. She always stayed strong after she ran from home, she didn't want to be as helpless as she used to be.

"WHERE'S THE MONEY?!" Edmund roared, taking a step forth

"I don't have any" she exclaimed "I don't!"

He tore her coat from the table and searched all the pockets, when he found they were empty he tossed it to the floor.

"WE NEED THE MONEY" he bellowed

"No, we don't! You need it, mother makes enough" she said, standing up for herself for the first time. Her father slapped her hard across the cheek, she fell to the floor, her right cheek stinging. Before she could fully stand, her father shoved her back to the hard, pine planks.

"Edmund, stop, please. She's just a little girl" her mother, Sylivia, said, putting a gentle hand on his arm

"No, we need this and she needs to learn what happens when she doesn't follow orders" he spat

Ruth stumbled, using the table to help her as she stood. Tears flowing down her face.
'I hate this place' she thought

Her father whirled round to face her, "Go to your room"

"But I don't want to" she said, she hated her room too, she hated her life, she hated her dad and she hated her deep helplessness, she hated how she couldn't do anything

"I SAID GO. TO. YOUR. ROOM" he yelled ferociously

She heard muffled voices, she couldn't tell if it was from real life or the dream, they got louder and louder and louder.

Edmund grabbed Sylivia's plate and smashed it on little Ruth's head, she fell to the floor unconscious.

A loud voice ringed in her ears and her vision disappeared. The muffled voice got louder and louder.

"Ruth, wake up!" she heard someone's muffled voice say
She sprang up from her bedroll, her chest heaving and tears wet her cheeks. She looked to see Eragon crouched by her side, embarrassed she wiped her eyes and gulped

"What's wrong?" she said, her voice cracked and was coloured with sorrow tint

"Are you okay?" Eragon asked, peering at her curiously

"I'm fine, what's wrong?" she snapped, not in the mood to deal with anything, instead she wanted to curl into a ball and sob for the rest of the day.

"Brom's up!" he exclaimed, a relieved smile on his face

"Ah" she said, looking behind her, she saw Brom sitting drinking from a waterskin "I'm glad he's well"

I might as well begin the day she thought, grimacing as pain lanced in her stomach

She grabbed her cord that ties up her hair and tied it into a high ponytail, her curly fringe framing the sides of her face

"Morning" she nodded to Murtagh, he replied in kind

She walked over to the cave entrance, the sun was high in the sky

"How long was I asleep?" she asked turning around

"Long, it's midday" Murtagh said

Surprised, she blinked, adjusting her eyes to the bright outside, when she turned back again she stumbled over her foot. Eragon chuckled softly and Ruth glared at him.

Later that night, they were all gathered around the fire, eating.

"Why are your eyes like that?" Eragon asked, looking at her peculiarly, Murtagh too looked interested

"I was born this way" she replied, she never knew why her eyes were the were and she guessed it was the same from birth for she had always looked like this

"Did your father and mother have the same eye colours as you?" Eragon questioned, she disliked the mention of her father

"No, my mother had green eyes and my father; brown"

"Brown?"

"Yes, do you want me to repeat it again?" she snapped aggressively, she didn't know what came over her, she wanted Eragon to stop reminding her of her father "Sorry" she said, running a few fingers through her hair

Eragon peered at her with even more curiosity, she excused herself from the meal and sat by Brom

"How are you feeling?" she asked, the old man, resting her back against the wall he too was rested

"Not good, not good at all" he replied "You know, I was going to really let you have it for your gate trick in Dras-Leona"

"I'm glad the Ra'zac decided to attack then" she smiled

Brom laughed dryly and she chuckled, she was fond of Brom and enjoyed his company

"Do you think we can trust Murtagh?" she asked seriously, still unsure of him, he was nice to her but she was still wary

"I believe we can for now"

She nodded "Good"

"How are you feeling?" he asked, suddenly concern in his voice

"Stiff" she replied, she smiled again "How did you and Eragon know one another?"

"We lived in Carvahall together, I'm a storyteller there and he occasionally visited, he is very curious" he said, pausing to drink his water

"I can tell" she stared at Eragon, he was talking with Murtagh, drawing her eyes away from the boy she met Brom's gaze "I lived in Daret, have you been?"

"Yes, they have fortified the place"

"Why?" she asked, concerned for her hometown, although she hated it she still wanted it be safe

"Urgals" he replied shortly

"Did you meet a man called Edmund?" surprised to find herself almost concerned for the monster

"No, why?" he said, looking at her
She sighed, and stroked her right arm, she glanced at the old man before continuing her gaze at the wall in front of her

After a long silence she finally said "He was my father" she hesitated, unsure if she should tell him, but she needed to tell someone "He was a terrible man, that's why I was outside Teirm" she looked at Brom, who nodded

Once they fell asleep, dreams of what to come and what she lost and what may be, filled her head.

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