Fortified Minds, An Inheritance Ff

Chapter Nine

It’s been a week since I last spoke to Murtagh and it’s a horrible feeling, I wake up every morning in time to watch the sun rise and take in the beauty of it, hoping against myself that he’ll come and find me like he did all those weeks ago, well over a month ago at Galbatorix’s castle. Then I’d make him pottage so he could have breakfast and lunch without me even seeing him then disappear to clean or fix anything I could lay my hands on, only now. I’d run out of things to do.

“You do live here.” A dry sarcastic voice from the edge of the kitchens said. “I was beginning to think I had a kitchen fairy.”

“Yes well, I’ve been busy.” I stated turning back to the mixture which was forming in the bowl before me. “Pottage is on the hob.”

“What are you making; it’s much more interesting than pottage.” He said coming right behind me and looking over my shoulder. “Is that cake mix?”

“Yes, I’ve finished all my chores so thought I’d bake a cake.” I ground out.

My breathe caught in my throat as he lifted his fingers and moved some stray hair away from my face and tucked it back into the plait at the back of my head. I daren’t look at him; I grabbed an egg and cracked it, keeping my hands busy.

“I’ve always liked your hair.” He stated and I could feel him start to tug at the end of the plait, “But it’s nicer down.”

“You know women shouldn’t have their hair down.” I snapped trying to pull it away from him but having very messy hands I couldn’t and soon I could feel my hair falling from its plait. “What do you want, I’m here minding my own business and you start annoying me?!” I shouted slamming my hands down into the washing bowl, causing water to fly everywhere.

I turned and he was just watching me having a fit, he shrugged and stuck a finger into the mix to taste it. I let out a stressed scream and threw a dish cloth at him before stalking from the kitchens and into the garden; at least it’ll be easier to avoid him out here. A chuckled filled my ears and I snapped my head round to see him following me.

“What do you want?” I asked leaning down to collect some flowers for my bedroom window.

“Just company.” He shrugged throwing a berry at me.

“Can you stop annoying me now please?” I ground out as he pulled more berries off the nearby bush, he didn’t say anything but I knew what that meant; if I avoided the orchard I should be safe.  

“Nope.” He shrugged keeping exactly one step behind me. “Aénor, are you happy here?”

“Yes.” I ground out stopping and grabbing another bloom of flowers off of a bush. “Why?”

“You don’t look happy.” He said as if commenting that the weather didn’t look happy.

“I am, I enjoy being here.” I sighed turning to face him, “Much more than being with Alyce and Careen anyway.”

“Ouch.” He chuckled darkly clutching his heart as he tried to pull me towards him with the skirt of my dress. “Why are you still wearing this one, I’ve bought you three new dresses and you insist on wearing the worst one!”

“Because it was clean and on top of the pile.” I ground out.

“Didn’t I give you a room with a wardrobe?” He asked as I dug my heels into the ground as he reeled me in easily, “Surely, you just opened the door and saw them all lined up looking at you and you thought; Oh this will annoy Murtagh.”

“What do you want?” I sighed letting him catch me, I felt myself flag and pout as he laughed and for once it was actually a happy sounding laugh.

He leant down so his face was close enough for me to feel his breath on my lips and whispered. “Do you really need to ask that love?”

I managed a nod through the haze that was slowly clogging my brain; another genuine chuckle escaped his lips before he kissed me.

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I sat smirking feeling happier than ever as Aénor played about with something at the table, I picked up some stuff of the side and threw them into the chairs close by so she wouldn’t have anywhere to sit down when she did finish.

“We should get some ginger in so I can make ginger cake.” She mumbled as she sliced a piece of cake and put two on a small plate. “We only have one plate.”

My smirk changed to a smile as she found ways of sitting together too, “It’s a good thing we only have one chair.”

“How interesting.” She drawled, not being able to keep the smile off of her face for much longer than it was to say those two words as she walked across the room and slipped onto my lap.

 I ran my fingers through her hair as she blushed and separated the two slices of cake on the plate, she was so perfectly innocent yet she orchestrated this as much as I ever did. Her cheeks nearly matched her hair as she turned to pass me a slice of the cake; her cheeks turned an even deeper red as I caught her gaze.

“Who would have thought, innocent little Aénor sitting on my lap.” I mused as she pursed her lips in suppressed laughter, “We should go and visit your little friends back at the castle, bet they’d love this.”

“They told me I had no chance of ever getting you.” she shrugged and I moved my hand to her thigh and gave it a little squeeze. “What is that?”

I looked down at my hand and back up to her. “Get used to it?” I tried and she shook her head laughing.

She rested her head against my shoulder as her fingers played with the ties on my leather jerkin, slowly they came undone till she could slip her hand beneath the leather and rest her fingers against the warm thin material of my shirt. Before I knew it she’d fallen asleep in my arms. I grabbed my cloak from a close by chair and wrapped it around us, propped my feet against another chair, shut my eyes and fell to sleep with a smile on my face in the first time in years.