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This is just a little torture angst fic I threw together after reading the new book. No smut involved just this. Don't worry more Murtagh and Thorn smut is coming. It's like the Dragon's in GoT. They'll be amazing!

Murtagh struggled to catch a breath as another loud Crack sounded. More pain came across his back as he cried out. Time had lost meaning. Everything hurt. Briefly he wondered if Thorn was well. Another Crack as the whip came across his back again broke his thoughts of the Ruby Dragon. He screamed. He couldn't hold it anymore. He screamed not just in pain, but hatred. Hatred at Eragon for all of this. Still his flogging continued. There was no questioning. He didn't expect there would be. He knew precisely why Galbatorix had ordered this. He hadn't brought Eragon in. He'd left him. And that was not what the King had intended. His beating continued. Down the corridor, he heard Thorn roar in pain and he thrashed to try and break free. “NO! THORN!" The guard laughed as he swung the whip again. His body thrashed and swung from the shackles that held him from the ceiling with each strike. Still more lashes rained down on his defenseless back. How many had it been now? 70? 80? 100? He didn't know. He didn't care. All he wanted was his Dragon. He longed to simply touch his scales. To see him for even the few brief seconds it took to drag him past Thorn's cell. He wanted to stop whatever torments Thorn was suffering through. He wanted to break him out of his cell and fly away, forever. Yet still the sounds of the Dragon's torment mingled with his own.

His whipping continued for another 2 hours. He was healed only between bouts of unconsciousness. Just enough to bring him back to awareness, and prevent death. At some point he felt blood in his mouth. It hurt to scream, and even more to breathe. His arms had gone numb from the shackles that held them above his head, and blood dripped from his wrists as they had been rubbed beyond raw from the steel. His back felt as though it was exploding. Later he would imagine it probably looked like it had as well. As the whip continuously hit his back he was only slightly aware of the blurred vision of the king standing in the doorway. Watching silently as Murtagh was further tortured. More came, eliciting little more than pained grunts and groans. Murtagh hadn't even the strength to scream anymore. “Enough." As the final lash came across his back he only thrashed slightly. He could barely hold his head up as the king silently approached him. Grabbing a handful of his hair he forced Murtagh to meet his gaze. “Pathetic… Have I not given you enough Rider? If not for me you wouldn't even have a dragon, yet you disobey my every order." Murtagh groaned in a pained response. “Hmph. Give it to me." The guard that had wielded the whip returned with a metal rod, the end glowing a shade of yellow. In his pain-fuelled haze, Murtagh struggled pitifully to plead and avoid the end as Galbatorix took and pressed it to Murtagh's chest, his last strength coming in a scream echoing off the walls. As it was removed. A large T was burned into the center of his chest. “Get him out of here. We'll continue your punishment later, Rider. In the meantime allow that to be a reminder. Treason will NOT be tolerated." With that the guards unshackled Murtagh. He landed with a groan into a puddle of his own blood and sweat.

Thorn lay in pain. The King had only recently left him after hours of torment. Down the corridor he could hear Kind-Rider-Friend-Love-Murtagh scream his own pain. He keened in sadness for his Rider. His own pain was at least bearable. Being in a constant state of pain from hatching he had become accustomed to the King's cruelty. He still feared it, hated it, but he was used to it now. But Murtagh was not. He was once free, he was once unmarked save his scar. He was suddenly aware his Rider's screams and pleas for mercy had stopped. Still the cracks of the whip sounded. It continued far too long. When it stopped he hoped that that would be the end, but yet another heart wrenching scream was torn from his Rider's throat, before silence finally came. He sat silent, waiting for a glimpse of how badly he was injured. He didn't have to wait long. As the guards dragged him past the scent of his blood and burned flesh met Thorn's nose. His clothing was as Thorn expected, all but gone, only a raggy loincloth wrapped around his waist covered him. The same Loincloth he was ever allowed to wear when locked in the dungeons. It used to frighten him how little Murtagh was allowed to wear in this cold dark place, but Murtagh had been unbothered by it by now. For a moment he caught a glimpse of Murtagh's back. It was a mess of crimson stripes and blood dripping from his skin. Very little was left untouched and that which was was a deep purple bruise. Blood dripped down his hands, his wrists were cut but on what Thorn was uncertain. He knew it wasn't a blade. To top it all a large T was burned into Murtagh's chest. The mark of a traitor. That angered him. They had followed the orders given they had captured Eragon. Had defeated Saphira. They simply hadn't brought him back as the king intended. But if he'd intended it, he should have ordered it. He keened in immense sadness at the sight of his Rider's broken body. Hearing the sound, Murtagh for a second glanced at him, unseeing. The very sight of Murtagh's emotionless face garnered a worried growl from Thorn. “Th- Thor-" He was unable to even finish the word before his head slumped forward, and he was out of Thorn's sight. He heard the cell door open, and the thud of a body hitting stone, before the door slammed shut and was locked and Thorn roared his anguish and fear.

Murtagh groaned as the guards lifted him. He struggled to stay conscious, and as they dragged him down the corridor he heard Thorn keen in sadness. His vision blurred, he glanced in the direction of the noise. The world spun rapidly as the blurred vision of ruby scales lay before him. Another growl met his ears, filled with worry. He forced himself to attempt to speak even a word to try to put Thorn at ease. “Th- Thor-" even that was too much. His body lost whatever strength was left. His vision darkened and he fell. He kept falling and falling until his body crumpled against cold unfeeling stone. Still he kept falling. Into a darkness he'd never experienced.

A light met him. It grew in intensity until his vision was filled with sights he couldn't comprehend. He and Thorn were flying. There was no pain. No anguish. His body was still broken as he looked at himself. He still wore the same Loincloth as the king had ordered. Thorn was still bleeding as though hed been beaten recently. But, nothing hurt. He glanced at the land below. An impossibly large forest stretched before them. Stretching for miles in every direction filling every part of the horizon. Thorn roared in jubilance at finally being free, and he echoed the sentiment with a whoop of his own. Laughter filled his being as the dragon spun and looped in pleasure of being free. The wind that hit his bare frame suddenly was broken by something covering him. He glanced down again and noted he was finally dressed. A red tunic covered his body and black leggings and boots adorned his legs. Likewise Thorn's scales were a healthy shade of red with no marks on his body. For a moment he was relieved his Dragon was healed. He relished in the wind blowing through his hair and clothing as Thorn continued to excitedly fly over the Forest. He glanced back out over the Forest as the image of a blue dragon began flying towards him. She roared her greeting, as Thorn roared his jubilantly. Saphira… Beside her, another Dragon of Emerald Green roared its greeting. Atop both were two Riders, though one was unrecognizable to him. Eragon smiled as though they were friends again. Long time allies meeting again, after a long time apart. For a moment he felt happiness at the sight of the Rider and Dragon. Suddenly a thunderous roar met them and the forest was lit ablaze. Murtagh watched as the once blue sky turned red as blood as smoke filled the air. In horror he turned to Eragon, who glanced at him with concern. He glanced down and noted their wounds were back, as Thorn roared in terror. The pain returned tenfold and he tried to cry out, to beg for help from his brother, but no sound would come. Eragon reached out towards Murtagh as chains wrapped around he and Thorn. Thorn roared in terror as Murtagh tried to fight them and reached toward Eragon in return, a silent plea for help. A deep longing forming for freedom. Before he could reach the two flames consumed the blue Rider and his companions as Murtagh watched in horror. The chains yanked he and Thorn backward as Shruikan flew towards him, the Mad King smirking in triumph. Before he could do anything he found himself falling again.

He awoke in the darkness of his cell. His body hurt. And movement was almost impossible. A large black spider crawled across the floor near the wall. He watched it mesmerized, as each leg moved the creature forward. As it crawled into a Crack in the wall he tried to move. His muscles felt stiff and his back exploded with pain on every attempt. His arm which he'd been laying on was numb, yet none of his limbs responded. A flickering torch just outside his cell dripped just a bit of flame to the ground. He watched it fall before trying and failing to move again. To his surprise, in the cell next to his he heard Thorn hum a melody. One that he'd sung to him many a night within his cell to comfort him when he was a hatchling.

Silently he listened as the Dragon continued. The melody was in a word, somber, as though Thorn were afraid Murtagh was gone forever. It was a song his mother had sung to him as a boy, and one he'd altered quite a bit to sing to Thorn. As the dragon reached what would have been the 2nd verse, though it hurt, Murtagh did his best to join, though he was certain it sounded terrible. “And to… the Dragon that err… I have.. I'm sorry… for my going away.. For my friend.. I know, that you are.. scared, and wish me… one more day, to stay…"

He noted Thorn stopped humming for a second as though surprised he had started singing. His breaths came pained and he wondered for a moment if he'd hallucinated his Dragon's humming. But still, Thorn continued to hum and with a pained smile, Murtagh sang on. And as he sang, he found strength slowly returning to his limbs.

“But though it falls… unto… our lot, that they should rise…. and we should… not, I'll gently sing, and softly call…. goodnight and joy… be with you all." He slowly was able to move his arm out from underneath him. Before falling to the stone. Still he continued to sing, resting his head on the cool surface.

“For if I'd have… money.. 'nough…to spend, or leisure time… to sit a while, there is a Dragon… within this place. He sorely has… my heart beguiled… His rosey spikes, and ruby scales, and oh… he owns my Heart.. and soul. I long to be… with him again, and let the joy… be with us all." As he finished he somewhat regretted his choice to sing. Every breath came in pained pants, each one as though his lungs were being crushed. He heard Thorn's chains rattle softly, and a moment of anger struck him as he recalled the dragon's joy at even being able to fly.

A silence passed for a moment before He found the strength to speak again. “Are you… okay.. Th-Thorn?" It hurt to speak, and he sounded just as weak as he felt, but he had to know. He'd no idea what his dragon had suffered and he had to know if he was okay after what he'd suffered through. A soft thud against the wall 3 times came in response, accentuated with a soft growl. He felt tears in his eyes as he heard the sound, it was a code He'd only recently come up with on the flight back to Uru'Baen. For a second he was relieved they both remembered. “I.. they whipped me… pretty badly Thorn.. I… I can barely move.. hurts… to breathe.." A soft growl 3 seconds long answered him. Thorn needed help. He tried again to move. But his body again wouldn't respond. What he'd have done had he been able to, he had no idea. As he again failed to move, tears began to fall from Murtagh's eyes. “I'm sorry… I'm so sorry Thorn… I wish we could just leave this damned place… I'm sorry…" He wept freely, As Thorn clawed at the floor, accentuated with a hum that lasted almost 10 seconds. Another code, this one for love. Still it wasn't enough to abate his sorrow.

Thorn was scared. Murtagh hadn't moved or spoken, not even groaned in over a day. Even the king had refused to take him this morning for further torment as Murtagh hadn't moved from where he'd been left in the cell. He was terrified. And since he was, he silently wished Murtagh were there to sing to him. Somehow the Rider had always known precisely when Thorn was frightened, and would sing to him to comfort him. The song wasn't what comforted him though. It was Murtagh. His voice, and his calmness even in the face of unimaginable tortures was what calmed him. He longingly started humming the tune, the same tune Murtagh always sang, imagining him singing to him as he had so many times since hatching. It was only after the 2nd verse he could hear the barely audible echo of Murtagh's voice in the corridor and he stopped in shock. He tried desperately to communicate with his fallen Rider, but already the Vorgethan the king had injected into Murtagh that morning blocked their link. He listened for a moment to see if it were his imagination. Hearing nothing he started humming again, not imagining the Rider singing and this time the unmistakable voice of his other soul joined his humming. His voice slowly became stronger with each line. Unfortunately that wasn't saying much. The human sounded frighteningly weak. They finished and Thorn sat silent, relieved that Murtagh was not dead, yet fearful of how badly the King had actually hurt him to the point that he'd been unconscious this long.

Pained gasping met Thorn and for a moment he feared that his Partner of Heart may be dying.

“Are you… okay.. Th-Thorn." Murtagh's voice sounded strained, as though the very concept of speech was painful. It also was barely louder than a murmur. Though frightened at how weak he sounded, Thorn was relieved as he thought of his Rider's codes he had come up with. They were brilliant if he was honest, yet each was rather complicated to an extent. He remembered, however, the answer to this question. Once for Good, 2 for scared, 3 for hurt. Growl for concern for him. His wings were broken, of that he was sure. The guards and King had not been gentle trying to get him back in his cell. His blood still dripped from his back and legs from the King's steel whip. But he was breathing well, and most of the wounds had stopped bleeding. He was also able to think clearly. He was just bound tightly to the ground. It scared him. Being trapped in small places, well nothing scared him more. Still he managed to follow through with the code, using his tail to hit the wall between them both. There was silence, that was only broken by Murtagh's labored breathing. It scared Thorn to no end the amount of damage his Partner of Heart may have suffered. “I… they whipped me… pretty badly Thorn… I… I can barely move…. Hard.. to breathe…" Thorn felt panic rush his mind. No healers had even attempted to enter Murtagh's cell. If he had been only whipped then he'd have been left bleeding all this time, and the strong scent of Murtagh's blood was still coming from that direction. He thought for a moment. The King had even seemed somewhat.. Well not concerned but hesitant to abuse Murtagh further when he had come this morning, So Murtagh's tortures had to have been more than even Thorn himself suffered.

In fact he was sure it was. Murtagh's torments had gone far longer, over an hour more than his, judging from the screams, cries, and whip cracks he had heard. After a few seconds he remembered his codes with Murtagh and a soft growl escaped him. It meant do you need help, but Thorn was uncertain what if anything he realistically could do to aid his Rider. It was Murtagh's sobs that responded. “I'm sorry… I'm so sorry Thorn… I wish we could just leave this damned place… I'm sorry…" The Rider continued crying as Tears formed in his Dragon's eyes as well. He had only heard Murtagh cry like this once. After he had broken their first day as Rider and Dragon. The king had taken a dagger and was in the process of cutting his scales off when Murtagh sobbed and begged for it to end.

Since then he had been as strong as he possibly could have been. Often the one comforting Thorn. To hear him reduced to this was… it was devastating. Thorn hummed softly and raked his claws into the ground, a feeble attempt at proclaiming his love for Murtagh. It did little to abate the sobs however as Murtagh continued to cry. Thorn joined in as well. He was a dragon. He should be an unstoppable, nigh on unbreakable creature defending his Rider yet there he lay chained in a cell listening to his Friend and Rider, the one he loved more than anything in the world be broken and abused. In that moment he swore, the day they were free, no matter what he would defend his Rider with his life.