The Rider's Daughter

Chapter 16

Selena paced her room nervously. Bridgette was with her shaking her head. She didn't understand why Selena was acting so strange. Outside Selena's room were two guards. This prevented Selena from leaving her room as well as someone coming into her room that was unauthorized. Selena thought about what the king said about Eragon. For some reason she felt that she was doing something wrong, like maybe Eragon is innocent and it was Murtagh who is jealous. She was confused with her thoughts and was bored out of her mind.

Bridgette sighed and said, "Selena, maybe you should lie down? Pacing around the room is not healthy for a young lady to do. You shouldn't trouble yourself with your father's business, and the kings. Let them deal with the situation."

Selena stopped in her tracks. She looked over where Bridgette sat sewing. "Don't you get tired of sewing all the time?"

Bridgette smiled, "Not at all. It's something that I enjoy. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I hate it; I never want to sew again. Magic is my enjoyment and passion. It's in my blood, literally."

"I am afraid I am missing your point." Bridgette set down her sewing needle ready to listen to her answer.

"My point is that I hate my life. All I have done is live in a castle with people constantly telling me what to do. When I ran away, I felt a small taste of freedom. Coming back , I was hoping that I could change my lifestyle by talking with my father about how I really feel. That obviously didn't work. Now I am stuck in my room with nothing to do. I was meant for more than this."

Bridgette stared at Selena. After a while, she was able to compose her response. "Maybe you are meant for something greater, but complaining about how miserable you are gets you nowhere. You have always had a wild spirit, and was shocked that the King denied you into his elite group of magicians…"

"Don't say that, please. I never wanted to join that group. I am glad I was denied. But a housewife is not much better. I want an adventure, and I fear I just missed one. I feel like I should never have run away from Eragon. He never showed any signs of hurting me, so maybe he is good. Maybe Murtagh made me believe something that wasn't true at all." Selena sat down on her fluffy bed. The sun shone through her window caressing everything in its path with its warm rays. Outside on her balcony, a bird sang cheerfully.

"I know very little about the situation with your uncle." Bridgette fidgeted before she continued on to say, "Come, maybe I can convince the guards to take us on a stroll. You need to get out of this room."

Bridgette got up and walked to the doorway and knocked. After, one of the guards opened the door, "What is it?"

"Selena is very restless, so I would like to take a stroll with her, with your permission of course."

"Is she now? Well, Murtagh never informed us that we were allowed to let her leave the room, so…"

"It will not be for very long, and we will stay in the castle. I will be with her as well."

The guard looked at his companion, who by the way, just gave him a shrug. "Eh, I guess you can go, but only for a little while, if Murtagh comes and she is not in her room…"

"I understand, sir, I would be in serious trouble as well. But Selena really needs some new surroundings."

"Alright, go." With that, Bridgette and Selena left the stuffy bedroom.

They walked down the corridor and then made a left. Neither said a word until the guards were out of sight. When they were far enough away, Selena blurted out, "I can't believe you convinced them to let me out? Thanks so much!" Indeed, Selena was very happy to be out of her room. They walked and talked about random topics ranging from food to animals. Then, suddenly, they stopped walking. They heard loud footsteps and voices coming from a nearby room. Selena's heart pounded wildly when she heard her father's voice.

"Selena, we need to go," whispered Bridgette.

"You can go, I want to know what is going on." She started to walk towards the voices.

"Selena…" Bridgette ran after her. "Have you lost your mind, your father is nearby and you are out of your room!"

"Hush! I know, but I have to know what he is up to." Selena crept slowly down the hallway, getting closer and closer to the room her father was in. Bridgette stayed close behind her. Within a few minutes, they were by the door. Selena pressed her ear against the cold wood and listened carefully…