A Rider's Legacy

Chapter 3:

Murtagh walked through the halls of the Rider's academy, his mind a whirlwind of emotions. He was planning to talk to Eragon as soon as possible. He knew that this conversation was  inevitable, so he wanted to get it over with. As he walked, he sent a mental message to Eragon.
[Eragon, you can let everyone out now. I need you to meet me in my study as soon as you can. I will explain soon.]
Finally, he entered his study and sat in the chair behind his desk. He took advantage of Eragon not being there to let his emotions loose.
He had not wanted to show to much of his true emotion in front of Harry, as he knew that he would have to be strong for his son. Now that he was in privacy, however, he let his mask slip off.
For the first time in a long time, Murtagh put his head in his hands and sobbed. His whole body shook with every breath.
How could he have been so foolish?
What could he have been thinking, leaving the woman he loved and his new born child in a war-zone. He had foolishly thought that they were better off without him. He had believed that Harry would grow in safety with the love and affection that he himself had been denied.
But no. Lily had been killed and Harry had been raised by people who hated him for his mere existence.
His chest ached every time he thought of her fate. She had had so much to live for. She should have been allowed to flourish like the flower she was. She should have had a life time of joy with her friends and her son. And possibly him.
Lily had burnt so brightly. A child of light, shining star. Fire in her heart.
She had come into his world like the blazing sun comes to light a new day. She had given Murtagh what he had hardly ever experienced in his life. Hope.
With Lily, the world was brighter.
But now that light was gone forever.
In his mind he could see her as clearly as he had almost fourteen years ago. Her vibrant red hair. Her emerald eyes, so full of life and kindness. Her beautiful smile and the way it lit the entire room.
He remembered Harry describing to him what he heard when he was near dementors. Of how, in her final moments, she had not begged for her own life, but for that of her child.
Selfless until the end.
He thought, the smallest of smiles gracing his face. But then his expression darkened.
How could he have been so weak? He had had the power to fight Voldemort. But no, he had selfishly decided not to, all because he wanted to avoid conflict.
If he had been stronger, if he had stood and fought against Voldemort, done more to protect the woman and child he loved...
Maybe Lily would still be alive and Harry wouldn't have grown up being treated like he was worthless. Maybe, if he had just snapped out of his own self pity for more than five seconds, he could have actually been the father Harry deserves.
Instead he was a weak coward who ran away when the people who could have been his family needed him most. And now the woman who had saved him from his own mind was dead and his child had suffered just as much, if not more, than he ever had.
He had failed Lily. He had failed Harry. He had failed himself.
"Murtagh?"
Murtagh's head shot up to see Eragon standing in the doorway. Evidently, Murtagh had been too lost in his thoughts to notice his brother approaching.
"Are you... crying?" He hesitantly asked. Murtagh could not blame him. He was always hiding his true emotions behind a mask, never letting anyone see any weakness that may be exploited. Now however...
In the face of what he had learnt, of the consequences of his actions, he was unable to muster the strength to hold his mask.
"It's... Nothing..."
"It doesn't look like nothing." Eragon retorted, taking the seat on the opposite side of the desk. "Tell me, what is the matter? And who was that child?"
Murtagh took a deep breath.
"Well," He began. "His name is Harry. And he... He is my son."
Eragon blinked in surprise.
"Your son?" He asked.
"Yes."
"You, have a son?"
"Yes."
"When and how did this happen?"
"It is... Complicated."
"I'm listening." Eragon replied.
So Murtagh told him. He spoke of how, during his and Thorn's travels, they had discovered a secret society of magic users. He told of the war that had been going on in magical England, led by a dark wizard who sought to rule over those he considered to be unworthy of magic. With his heart still aching, he described his meeting with Lily. He had to be careful not to let his emotions get the better of him again. Without getting into any intimate details, Murtagh told him of how he and Lily had become close.
Then he told him of how Lily had told him of her pregnancy. He told him of how he felt both overjoyed and scared by the news. He told him of how he feared Harry would grow up and be hated just as he had been. So he explained what he and Lily had planned. Finally, he finished with how the plan had backfired in the worst possible way. He did not give Eragon the fine details of Harry's mistreatment at the hands of his mother's sister and her family, not to mention what he had to endure on a yearly basis from supposedly the safest place in all of magic Britain. It was Harry's private information, after all. He should be able to share it with whom ever he wanted.
When Murtagh was finished, the room was full of complete silence.
"So, what you are telling me, is that you have a son, whom you left to be raised by his mother because you didn't want him growing up being hated for events that happened before he was born?"
Murtagh nodded.
"Why did you never tell me?" Eragon asked.
Murtagh sighed.
"I wanted to keep him as safe as possible. It would appear that I have completely failed at that."
"You did what you thought was right." Eragon comforted.
"Yes, and look how well that turned out." Murtagh muttered bitterly. He put his face in his hands again. "I am nothing but a failure."
Murtagh could hear Eragon's chair scraping against the floor as his brother got up and walked around the desk to stand next to him.
"You are not a failure." Eragon said, putting a hand on Murtagh's shoulder.
"I am a failure!" Murtagh practically yelled. "I have failed him as a father. I am no better than Morzan."
Murtagh suddenly felt Eragon place his other hand on Murtagh's other shoulder.
"Murtagh, look at me." His brother said forcefully.
Murtagh looked up at Eragon, his grey eyes looking straight into Eragon's brown.
"You are not a failure. You are not as bad as Morzan, you are nothing like him. You didn't know that any of this would happen. You thought that you were doing the right thing, and hopefully Harry will understand that."
Eragon stood straight up and looked at Murtagh. Murtagh took a deep breath.
"You cannot change the past." Eragon continued. "You may not have been there before, but you can be now. Harry is here, and he obviously wants you, as he wouldn't have come all this way in the first place. This is your chance to make up for the years that you never had. You are not Morzan. You are far better than him in every way. This is your chance to prove it. You do not gain a single thing from misery."
Murtagh took in a deep breath. Finally, he looked at Eragon.
"You are right... Thank you."
Eragon shrugged.
"What is a brother for?"
Murtagh smiled. It felt good that he was no longer forced to fight against his brother.
"So, will you allow Harry to stay?" He asked, already knowing the answer.
"Of course." Eragon said, beaming. "He is family, after all."
Murtagh felt relieved. He knew that Eragon would welcome Harry, but it was still good to hear it out loud. Even if the rest of The Riders did not accept his son, he was relieved that at least Eragon would. He knew that Harry needed as much family as he could, considering what he had to grow up with.
"Now there is only the matter of how we are going to introduce Harry to the rest of The Riders."
Murtagh frowned.
"It all depends how Harry wishes to be introduced. I will not take this decision away from him, as this may very well shape how he is viewed here."
Eragon squeezed his shoulder again.
"It will be alright Murtagh."
Murtagh smiled.
"Thank you."
He got up from his chair.
"Now, I must go check on Harry. I left him to organize his belongings in a room close to mine. Before I left he said he wanted to hear my side of the story."
Eragon sent him an encouraging smile.
"Good luck then. And do not worry, everything will be fine."
As Murtagh left the room, he silently hoped that Eragon was right.
 
After Murtagh left, Harry set about organizing the contents of his trunk. He was hesitant to do much, as he was not sure if this Eragon would let him stay. However, he still placed some of his clothes in the wardrobe, as well as some other things on the desk beside the bed.
He lent his broom against the side of the wardrobe, just as Hedwig flew on top of it, tucked her head under a wing, and fell asleep. He placed some of his text books and some quills and ink on the desk. He thought he might as well take them out, as he may be able to get some homework done. He looked out of the window. The weather seemed perfect for doing some of his work outside. It would be nice to be able to do his homework without having to do it in the dead of night, in fear that any moment the Dursleys would discover him.
With shaking hands he pulled a very special book from his bag. It was the photo album that Hagrid had given him at the end of his first year, full of pictures featuring his parents... Well, his mother and James Potter. He still did not know what to think of the man.
Gently, he placed it on the desk beside the bed.
Finally, when he was finished setting up his new, hopefully not temporary room, he rummaged through his trunk for the mirror that Sirius had given him before he left. According to Sirius, he and the other Marauders had used them during their Hogwarts years, whenever they had separate detentions. This mirror was connected to other mirrors which acted somewhat like a telephone, only you could actually see the person's face. All you had to do was say the person's name and the corresponding mirror would activate, telling the other person that they were being contacted.
Before Harry had left, he had promised that as soon as he reached Murtagh he would contact Sirius and Remus and tell them how the meeting went. And that was what he was doing now.
"Sirius." He said. "Sirius Black."
The mirror glowed for a minute or two. Then, the glowing faded and Sirius' face appeared in the mirror.
"Hey, Harry! How's it going? Remus, come on. It's Harry."
Harry chuckled.
"Nice to see you too."
Sirius' face moved slightly to accommodate Remus. It looked rather strange, having both of their faces in the mirror at once.
"So, did you find Murtagh?" Sirius asked.
"Yes." Harry replied.
"And, how did it go?" Remus asked.
"Well," Harry began sheepishly. "We got talking. Most of it was just me, umm..."
"Throwing a few choice words in his face?" Sirius supplied.
"More like, a few hundred." Harry replied. "I may or may not have blown up."
"How much did you tell him?" Remus asked.
"A lot. More than I've ever told anyone." Harry replied.
Sirius whistled.
"Well, I can't say I didn't expect it."
"You expected I would blow up?" Harry asked, surprised.
"We suspected that you were holding back a lot of what you are feeling, and that sooner or later it was going to burst right out of you." Remus replied.
"And considering what happened when you gave the Dursleys a piece of your mind, I can only imagine that this confrontation was much worse." Sirius added.
There was a long moment of silence.
"So," Remus finally said. "How did Murtagh react to you, umm... Blowing up?"
Harry pursed his lips.
"He seemed genuinely concerned for me. He also seemed genuinely upset when I told him that Mum is... You know..."
Harry sucked in a breath.
"He seemed to be struggling to hold back his emotions, as if he were afraid to express himself."
Sirius scoffed.
"I guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree." He muttered.
Harry blinked.
"What do you mean?"
"Nothing, nothing." Sirius said quickly. "So, what's happening?"
"Well," Harry began. "He seemed to be willing to let me stay here. The only problem is that he said that he would have to talk to his brother Eragon, my uncle I guess, about it."
"And how is that a problem?" Sirius asked.
Harry shrugged.
"I don't exactly have the best experience with uncles."
"Well," Sirius replied. "Just look on the bright side. He can't be as bad as Vernon Dursley."
Harry laughed.
"Well, Uncle Vernon did set the bar pretty low."
All three of them laughed. Suddenly, Harry heard a knocking from outside the door.
"Harry, is everything alright?"
Harry turned to the mirror.
"I've got to go. Murtagh's back. Talk to you later?"
"Definitely." Both Sirius and Remus replied.
"Talk to you soon." Sirius said before the mirror went blank.
Harry placed the mirror on the desk. He got up off the bed and walked to open the door.
"Sorry," He began. "I was just talking to Sirius and Remus. They gave me a magic mirror before I left and asked me to contact them after I found you."
Murtagh nodded.
"That is alright."
Harry let Murtagh into the room.
"So, what did he say?" Harry asked nervously.
For the first time, Harry saw a genuine, unmasked smile on Murtagh's face.
"Eragon was, shocked to hear the news, as I have not told anyone of your existence. However, once he processed the information, he was more than willing to welcome you."
Harry let out a breath he did not know he had been holding.
"That's... That's great. I was a little worried for a minute there, because... You know... I haven't exactly had the best of luck when it comes to family..."
Murtagh put a hand on his shoulder. Harry supposed that this was meant as a gesture of comfort, but he still could not hold back the flinch that came at the contact. Harry did not know for sure, but he could have sworn he saw an expression of sadness flicker over Murtagh's face.
"Do not worry Harry. You are with proper family now. You can rest assured that Eragon would never do anything to harm you as the Dursleys have."
Harry smiled weakly.
"That's... That's good." He replied.
"The only point of concern," Murtagh continued. "Is how the rest of The Riders will react to you. Though, that really depends..."
"Depends on what?" Harry asked.
"On if you wish to be recognized as my son... As Harry Murtaghson."
Harry thought over it for a few seconds. Harry Murtaghson. It felt strange, to not think of himself as Potter, but he supposed he should start getting used to it. He wondered if it was too soon, or if Murtagh would even want him to. Harry thought that, if he did call himself Murtaghson, then maybe Murtagh would be more accepting of him. He truly wanted to be accepted. But at the same time, he was afraid that Murtagh wouldn't want him to go so far, just yet.
Finally, he answered.
"If... If you want me to." He said hesitantly.
"I would want nothing more than for you to be recognized for who you truly are." Murtagh replied. "I am only concerned that you will face the same treatment I faced. While the past few years have seen much improvement in how The Riders see me, there is still the natural stigma which comes from our particular bloodline."
"I don't care." Harry replied.
"You don't?"
Harry shook his head.
"I'm kind of used to people making decisions on how they feel about me, without even knowing me. It will be just like dealing with the Slytherins."
"Well," Murtagh said slowly. "If you are sure..."
"Yes." Harry replied. "I am sure. I am not going to hide who I am."
Murtagh smiled, though there was a note of bitterness behind his smile.
"We shall see if you have the same sentiments after you hear of our family’s history."
 
When Murtagh had entered the room, he had been nervous. He was afraid that Harry would not want to be recognized as his son. He wouldn't blame him. After all, Murtagh had barely done anything to deserve being recognized as Harry's father. So he was surprised when Harry had agreed straight away. Not only that, but had asked if he, Murtagh, wanted him to be recognized as Murtaghson.
Though Harry had agreed for him to be introduced as Harry Murtaghson to the other Riders, Murtagh did not know if he would still have such an opinion after he learnt of Murtagh's past.
Murtagh knew that this was going to be hard. He had decided to be completely honest with Harry. He deserved that much at least. Murtagh would not just tell him of his past, but the entire story, including Galbatorix's rise to power and Morzan's hand in it. He could only hope that Harry was not going to be too disgusted with his lineage.
Out of the corner of his eye, Murtagh saw Thorn land on the balcony outside of Harry's window. He cleared his throat.
"Yes, well... What I am about to tell you, it brings back bad memories... For both myself and Thorn. I would feel more comfortable explaining it if we were closer to each other." He gestured towards the window.
"It's okay." Harry said. "If it makes you comfortable, then I'm okay with it."
Murtagh let out a sigh of relief.
Together they both walked to the balcony and opened the glass door. Murtagh walked over to Thorn and leant against his side. Harry hesitated for a few seconds before sitting down next to him.
"Is it true that he can communicate through your mind?" Harry asked.
Murtagh raised an eyebrow.
"Where did you hear about that?"
Harry shuffled uncomfortably.
"Mum mentioned that Thorn talked to her in her mind."
Murtagh felt the corners of his mouth twitch up in a grin.
"Yes. And once she got over the shock she bombarded him with questions."
The two of them shared a laugh. Murtagh had to blink to hold back another tear. He had so longed for moments like this. He hoped that they could have more of this.
[May I speak to him?]
Thorn asked him.
Murtagh turned to Harry.
"Is it alright if Thorn speaks to you?"
"Okay." Harry replied, seemingly unsure.
Murtagh watched as Harry's face went from vaguely nervous, to shocked, to excited. Murtagh did not know weather to feel joy or sorrow when he saw that his expression was almost identical to Lily's own, when she had first heard Thorn in her mind.
"Wow." Harry finally said. "That was incredible."
Murtagh let a smile grace his face. He had to practice letting more positive emotions show around Harry, while still keeping control of the more negative ones.
A moment of silence passed. Murtagh was just thinking of how to start. That, and he was still nervous about telling him the whole story, all at once. He had been nervous enough with Lily. And with her, he had told her piece by piece. With Harry, he was about to tell him everything at once. If Murtagh could help it, Harry would never hear the names of Morzan, Galbatorix, and the Forsworn, and he would leave the bad memories of what he had done in the past where they belonged. Unfortunately, this had to be done. Harry deserved to know why a whole continent of people might hate him if he were to ever set foot there. He had a right to know of the blood that ran through his veins. Murtagh could only hope that he did not hate him at the end of it.
[Are you alright Murtagh?]
Thorn asked him.
[I am if you are.]
He replied.
[Will you be alright, with me telling Harry all of this?]
[You cannot stop what is inevitable. You should tell him yourself before he learns of it from another source who may warp the truth.]
Murtagh knew that he was right. It would be bad enough from his perspective. But if Harry heard it from someone else... Murtagh shuddered to think what would happen if he heard the story from one of the older Riders.
So Murtagh, as Lily would have said, bit the bullet and began.
"What I am about to tell you, it is not a pleasant story."
Harry shrugged.
"You can always stop if you get uncomfortable."
Murtagh sighed.
"Well, you might as well get comfortable."
Harry leant against Thorn's side hesitantly. Thorn encased them both in his wing, creating somewhat of a red tent. There was space between both Harry and Murtagh that he longed to close. He did not know if harry shared the sentiment. He thought that it may be uncomfortable if he suddenly closed the gap and held him as he had done when Harry was first born, as he had longed to do ever since.
"Well," He continued. "It all began many centuries ago."
"Long ago, the land of Alagaësia was protected by The Dragon Riders. Elves and humans whom were bonded to mighty dragons. They were the greatest of warriors and magicians."
"Then, almost two centuries ago, tragedy struck. A young Rider called Galbatorix had gone with other Riders and dragons, believing themselves invincible, on a venture which would end in all but him losing their lives, including his dragon. When he requested the old Rider Council give him a new dragon, they denied him. This drove him to madness. He murdered another Rider and forced the young dragon, Shruikan, to bond with him. Then he proceeded to begin a rebellion which would see the end of The Dragon Riders, and the near extinction of the dragons as a race. Galbatorix was joined in his rebellion by thirteen Riders who would become known as The Forsworn."
Murtagh sucked in a breath. This was where the story became difficult.
"One among them, and the last to fall over a century later, was Morzan."
Murtagh took a moment to steel himself.
"Do you... Do you have some sort of connection to him?" Harry suddenly asked. "Morzan I mean."
"What would make you think that?" Murtagh asked, slightly shocked.
"It's how you reacted when you said his name." Harry replied. "You looked as if just thinking of him causes you pain."
Murtagh blinked at how observant his son was.
"That part of the story will come soon."
He continued the story.
"Once The Riders fell, Galbatorix declared himself king of Alagaësia. In a secret vault, he hid the three remaining dragon eggs, in hope of creating a new Rider order in his image."
"Over time, The Forsworn perished, leaving only Galbatorix and Morzan. However, just over forty years ago, Morzan met a woman. Her name was Selena..."
"Wait," Harry interrupted. "He met a woman... Was... Was Morzan your... Your father?"
Murtagh looked down at his hands.
"Unfortunately." He muttered.
He continued the story. He spoke of how, when Selena became pregnant, Morzan had hidden her. Once she had given birth, Morzan had kept her separate from her new born son. This son, was Murtagh.
With great pain, he spoke of Morzan's cruelty. Of how, when Murtagh was barely three years of age, Morzan in a drunken rage had thrown his sword at him, and how even to this day, Murtagh had a jagged scar marring his back.
"Wow." Harry muttered. "Uncle Vernon was always violent when he drank too much, but this..."
Murtagh had to clench his fists when he heard this.
He opted to continue his story. He spoke of how The Varden, a group who fought for the downfall of Galbatorix, had managed to infiltrate Galbatorix's fortress in Uru'bean and steal one of the eggs. Not only that, but the agent, Brom, had managed to kill Morzan.
He skipped ahead several years to when Galbatorix had summoned him, ordering him to slaughter an entire village, and how this led to Murtagh fleeing Uru'bean.
He described his hunt for the Ra-zac, and his eventual meeting with Eragon and Saphira. This part of the story was easier, as he had enjoyed the time when he and Eragon had fought side by side. However, this could not last. For eventually, he reached the part of the story where he was captured and taken back to Galbatorix.
He described how it felt when Thorn hatched for him. How he was both amazed and terrified. He then went on to describe how Galbatorix had discovered both of their true names in the Ancient Language, which meant he had gained complete control over both of them. It hurt to no end to describe his torture at the hands of Galbatorix, and what he was forced to do. But he pushed on. Harry deserved to know the truth, no matter how much it hurt.
Once he got to the part with Nasuada, he found it was suddenly awkward. While in the few weeks she had been Galbatorix's captive, the two of them had developed a bond which could have led to something more, their paths led in two different directions. She was to become the new ruler of Alagaësia, and he was to be a Dragon Rider. While he no longer held these feelings for her, it was still rather strange to speak of such things with his son.
Finally, he finished by explaining how he had changed his true name enough to break free of Galbatorix's control, and of how Eragon finally defeated the tyrant king.
"After we escaped from the collapsing fortress, I had a talk with Eragon by a lake side. Then Thorn and I left Alagaësia to heal from what we had suffered. Three years later we found magical England, and I suppose you can figure out the rest."
There was a long silence as Harry seemingly processed the information. Murtagh took this time to steady his own thoughts. This had been hard. Reliving the old memories was one thing. But to describe them to someone else, and his own son no less...
Finally, Harry spoke.
"I... I think I'm beginning to understand why you did what you did."
Murtagh blinked.
"Is that it?"
Harry shrugged.
"Don't get me wrong, I'm still angry at you. But I'm beginning to understand why you did what you did."
Murtagh could hardly believe what he was hearing. This was most definitely not what he was expecting. He had feared that his son would hate him for all that he had done.
"So, you don't... You don't hate me?" He asked.
"No, why would I?" Harry asked, surprise evident in his tone.
"Did I not just tell you of all I had done? I have killed so many, committed horrific crimes..."
"Did you do all these things willingly?" Harry asked forcefully.
"No, of course not."
"Then I don't see why I would hate you for it." Harry replied. "It's not your fault you were forced to do all those things. You're not the villain in this, you are the victim."
Murtagh looked down. He had to struggle to fight back his tears. But this time, they were not tears of sorrow. They were tears of joy. Joy that his son accepted him, regardless of his history. It was more than he had ever dared hope for.
"Thank you." He practically whispered.
Murtagh felt a smaller hand clench his own. He looked up to see that Harry was looking at him with those brilliant green eyes. Those vibrant orbs which reminded him so much of Lily.
"Don't worry... I get what it's like, being blamed for something that was out of my control. Not on the scale that you experienced, but still... Every time something went the slightest bit wrong, I would get blamed for it, even if I had nothing to do with it."
Murtagh sucked in a deep breath when he was reminded of how his son had been treated.
"I was afraid... That when I told you, you would be disgusted by your heritage."
"I don't see anything wrong with you." Harry replied.
"I don't mean me. I mean..."
"Morzan?"
Murtagh nodded.
Harry frowned.
"Well, from what you told me he sounded like a real bastard, possibly as bad as Voldemort."
Harry looked at him seriously.
"But you shouldn't let that control your life. I know that when you were young, it was hard for it not to, but that is in the past. You can make your own path."
Murtagh looked at his son in complete surprise.
"You are taking this rather well."
Harry shrugged.
"Over the past few years, I've learnt a few things."
"And what is that?" Murtagh queried.
"That you cannot pick your blood," Harry replied. "But you can pick your family. I mean, just look at how different Mum and Aunt Petunia were."
A small smile appeared on Murtagh's face.
"As different as day and night."
"You see?" Harry said. "Just because Morzan was bad, doesn't mean you are."
Murtagh could hardly believe what he was hearing. His son was accepting of his heritage, as well as all that Murtagh had done. There was still one burning question that he had to hear the answer to.
"So, after hearing all of this, do you still wish to be recognised as my son?"
"Yes, of course." Harry answered without missing a beat.
Murtagh was unable to stop the tears that were coming.
"Thank you." He said. "Truly, you are your mother's son. She... She would be so proud of you... Just as I am..."
Murtagh was court off-guard. He was honestly not expecting to be hugged so forcefully by Harry. His smaller, much thinner body was now practically on top of him. His thin arms were wrapped around Murtagh's middle. At first, he could only sit there in shock. Then, he wrapped his arms around his son and held him close, just as he had wanted to do for almost fourteen years.
His head was swirling with emotions. He was finally holding his son in his arms. His son did not hate him for all that he had done. He was not ashamed of his heritage. He was not ashamed of him.
Yes, he could not take back the past. But he could still be there for Harry, now that they were together.
For a long time, they just sat there, enjoying the contact that had been denied to them for so long. But then, they were interrupted by someone clearing their throat.
"Am I interrupting something?"
Both Murtagh and Harry looked up. Thorn had moved his wing so that they were no longer concealed by it. Standing only a few feet away was Eragon, looking sheepish that he had interrupted their moment.