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[taran]

"Thank you, though I hope we will not need it."

[Backabuth]

The red eyed boy wandered around close to the Beor Mountains, falling into the sand of the Hadarac. His mouth filled with sand, his tears fell freely. He turned his body towards the sky and screamed. "Why am I still alive?!?!?!?!" The scream broke through the quiet serenity and echoed off the large Beors. Closing his eyes he suddenly felt peace ever since he had run from Galbatorix. His aching legs stopped and his heavy arms were suddenly light as a feather. He felt as if he were floating and then was suddenly dropped to the ground, a pain crushing his chest and breaking bones. He never knew that pain in his heart could break bones. He opened his eyes and saw what was breaking him. A lean man was beating a wooden club against his chest, the dying boy hearing his bones crack with every hit. He smiled up at the man and said two words. "Thank.......you...." He said it in a whisper, the second time that he was dying. This time he would succeed. Hopefully. The man looked at him with confusion and surprise written all over his face. "Lathem?" He dropped the club and knelt down next to the bloody boy and grabbed his arm, hoping to comfort him with his final moments. "I didn't know that was you Lathem.....I'm so sorry." The red eyed, gray haired boy looked over at the man. "Who.....is......Lathem?" The man looked deep into the boy's eyes, searching for life. "Lathem! You are Lathem!" The boy smiled at the man. "Is.....Lathem.......your......son?" His words grew breathy, his death lying near. Tears streamed down the man's face onto the boy's chest. "Lathem......what has happened to you?" The boy flapped his arm in attempt of trying to grab the man's hand. "Don't......cry......the....boy.....Lathem.....will.....be.....fine...." The man's sobs wracked his body. "Please, Lathem. Remember. Remember your own brother. It's me, Lathem. It's Ganer." Ganer reached down and stroked the boy's face. "Please, Lathem. I love you." The boy closed his eyes. Ganer screamed. "No!!"

[Tismri]

Jeriah walked through the desert near the Beor mountains. She had been tracking Lathem for days, having heard that he had fled from Uru'baen days before. It had been nearly a year since Lathem had disappeared away during the night, nearly six months since she had joined the Varden. Her skills with the sword and with magic had grown extraordinarily fast, making her a very powerful magician in the Varden. Using magic, she was able to track Lathem thus far, but she nearly lost the trail several times. She just found it again when she heard a scream, "Why am I still alive?!"
She ran forward toward the cry. She knew that voice. She had finally found her love, and he sounded troubled. Crazed. She was worried. She hoped she was not too late.
Jeriah found a lean man clutching a broken figure to himself. Jeriah burst into tears when she recognized the bloody boy as her love.
"Lathem!" she cried, running forward and kneeling next to the man. Tears fell down her face. She pried Lathem's limp body from the man's arms and held him in her own.
"Waise heill," she murmured to him, holding him close to her heart, "wiol pomnuria ilian. I love you."
OOC: lol, sound a little familiar, backabuth? lol!

[Backabuth]

OCC: lol Yup ;D
The boy opened his eyes again to see a beautiful girl. "Hello......pretty.......lady." Nearby Ganer screamed and beat the ground. "I killed my own brother!" He laid his head down the sand next to the boy and watched him. The boy smiled up at the girl. "Who.......are.......you.......looking.....for?" Blood dripped onto the sand from the boy's chest.

[Tismri]

Jeriah smiled at Lathem.
"It was you, I was searching for you." She held him close, continuing to heal him. She raised her eyes to the other man.
"You...you're his brother?" she asked him. She swpet some hair back from Lathem's face, still holding him close. She leaned down and kissed his forehead, her magic slowly draining energy from her. She hoped it wouldn't be too much of a strain on her, but she had to save him. Tears continued to fall from her eyes as her strength ebbed from her.

[Backabuth]

The boy's eyes filled with confusion. "I......have......no......one........Who......are.....you?" He looked down to see his chest healing up. He shook his head. "I'm......not......worth.....it..." With the little energy he had, he stopped her from healing him. He put his hand on hers gently. "Leave......me......You.....probably........have.......some......man.....that....
..is....in......love.....with.....you........This....Lathem......man..."
Ganer looked at the girl, tears running from his eyes to the sand. "I am his brother. He never knew it though....We were very good friends. Our father gave him to a wretched man and....and he grew up miserably. I asked our father why he did so and he said, 'I swore to the man that I would.' I never knew that he could grow up to do this to himself.....He's...he's....he's in pain. He doesn't know who he is anymore." Ganer looked over at his brother who was now staring up at the clouds smiling. Ganer touched his brother's face and sighed. "He's insane." Ganer beat his head on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.

[Tismri]

Jeriah nodded to the man. So that explains why he said he hated his father, she thought. She looked back down at Lathem. She could feel him fighting her, and it was draining her energy even more.
"No, there's no one else. You're the only one for me, my love," she told him gently. She looked again at the man.
"He's...he's fighting me," she said weakly. She licked her lips. "Listen, I may be able to save his life, but I need your help. If you will let me, I will take some of your strength. Together, we may have enough energy to heal him physically. We have to deal with this wound before we can heal his mind," her speech faltered, "Decide quickly. I cannot fight him much longer..."

[Backabuth]

Ganer looked at Lathem. No, not Lathem. Someone else. He did not know who this boy was. He certainly wasn't Lathem. He looked back at the girl. "Very well, but we need to save his mind as well. He's....he's not Lathem anymore."

[Tismri]

Jeriah nodded and quickly reached into his mind, gathering strength from him. It gave her enough energy to completely heal Lathem from his broken bones and the large hole in his chest. She released the magic and fell forward, nearly out of strength. She looked at the man again.
"Thank you. Get us to some shade, out of the sun for now. Get us to the mountains..." her voice trailed off as all went black and she knew no more.

[Backabuth]

Ganer whistled for his horse and then flung the girl and Lathem over the black stallion. He left a little room for him to get on and jumped on, making the horse run forward. They flew into the mountains, going faster than any horse had ever gone before. Ganer stopped at a small hut by a small lake and brought them into his home, laying Lathem on his bed and putting the girl on a bed of blankets that he put on the ground beside Lathem. He watched this new boy sleep and cried. This wasn't Lathem. Lathem was gone. This was.....was someone new who had taken over his brother. Ganer let the tears fall and closed his eyes, falling to sleep almost suddenly.

[Tismri]

Jeriah awoke and found some food lying nearby. She saw that they were in a small hut, grateful for the shelter. She turned to Lathem. The boy was still sleeping. She approached him slowly. Somewhere in there was the boy she loved, hidden under so much maddness.
"What has Galbatorix done to you, Lathem?" she asked softly. Then she knew what she had to do. She walked up to him and grasped his hand, feeling for his mind with hers. He mind felt cold, like it was only existing, not alive. But there was one part of it hidden, sheilded behind the strongest barriers she had ever encountered. Yet she knew her love lay behind there. She pushed with all her might.

[Backabuth]

The one part of Lathem's mind that was left fought back, not letting anyone break through. Lathem was in that part, while the other boy lived in every part in his mind. Lathem could feel a familiar touch, someone who he could never forget. Letting down his barriers, he could feel the woman that he loved. That one part of Lathem stormed out as the barriers were let down and destroyed the boy who had taken over. Lathem opened his eyes and saw her. In a raspy voice he said the name that meant so much to him now. "Jeriah."

[Tismri]

Jeriah smiled softly at him.
"Lathem," she said softly, "welcome back. I've missed you."

[taran]

Taran and the rider walked in relative silence for a long ways. As they neared the Beor's, Taran spotted a small hut with smoke billowing from the smokestack.

[micaylah]

"I see it to Taran. Shall we take a look?" Elyria didn't wait for his response as she made her way to the hut.