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Chapter Text

It had been nearly a century ago that Eragon had freed all of Alagaësia from Galbatorix's tyranny. The land had since then been led by the more just bloodlines of Eragon's elder cousin, Roran. Yet their current king, Garron, was quickly losing favor with his people. Poverty was spreading across the lands as the king locked himself in his castle in the capitol, while the cities and villages had fallen prey to greedy merchants and tax collectors. Of these was Carvahall, which had been restored into a bustling city after Eragon had left Alagaësia for good. The only building left to ruin was the old farmhouse on the outskirts of town, a monument of the last Rider's past. Not far from the farmhouse, near the edges of the Spine, was the home of Eva.

The air was unseasonably cool as Eva returned home after buying food from town. She sighed as she approached the gravel road that led to her small farm, carrying only a few strips of meat and a loaf of bread. She was young, with dark auburn hair and striking green eyes. She lived alone with her mother, her father having died in the Spine when she was only three years of age. Ever since, money had been harder to come by with each year that past.

"Mother, I'm back," she called as she reached the gate, glancing at the garden where her mother, Linota, knelt weeding. The woman stood up in dirtied clothes, throwing what she'd just plucked into an old rusty bucket. She was beautiful, with soft grey eyes and golden colored hair. Her youthful features opposed her actual age.

"Oh, hello dear," Linota answered, following her daughter into the cottage. "This was with all the money I gave you?" she asked, hoping otherwise.

Eva nodded, looking down. Only weeks before, the same amount of money had bought them twice the amount of food.

Her mother touched Eva's cheek with her hand. "It will be alright. I'll go in the morning to talk to Balard. He should be able to help us out."

Balard was the owner of the bakery in Carvahall, and a cousin to Bero, Eva's father. Though he was a burly, intimidating man, he was kind hearted and helped out Eva's family when they were in need.

"He must have been sick today. Agnes was there instead."

Linota frowned, and then sighed. Agnes was the co-owner of the shop. She was an older woman, irritable and almost cruel to her customers. "Well, maybe I'll catch her on a good day tomorrow."

Eva looked at her mother doubtfully, and then helped her make a stew out of the meat. They ate in silence before withdrawing to their rooms for the night.

The next morning, as Linota left for Carvahall, Eva went to catch fish along the Anora River. The sun was bright and welcoming, the water more peaceful than usual. With her basket and tools sprawled in the grasses, she stood patiently at the water's edge with her makeshift pole, the slight breeze playing with strands of her hair. Eva wasn't the greatest at fishing, but she had an incessant amount of patience. Here and there she felt a tug, but otherwise the line remained relaxed. Suddenly, a hard pull on the line threatened to tear the pole from her hands. Eva wrenched the pole back, stepping farther from the bank, but the pole only bent closer to the water. Just as she was afraid either the line or pole would break, a monstrous fish burst from the river, spraying water in every direction. Eva quickly hurled the line behind her, the fish disappearing into the grass. Just as she set her pole down, something caught her eye in the water. Edging closer to the bank, Eva examined the object half buried in the water. It appeared to be a gem, its luminous green color vibrant even as the water rushed around it. Eva reached into the icy cold water and pulled out a perfectly smooth emerald-green stone. Though it had rested in sharp rocks and sand, she was unable to find even one flaw on its surface. She turned the stone in her hands several times, awed by the way it reflected back the sun's light.

This is just what we've been waiting for, Eva thought excitedly. A gem this large is sure to be worth a great deal.

Eva hugged the stone to her chest and retrieved her pole from the grass. As she glanced at the basket she'd brought, however, her breath caught in her chest. Woven into the basket was the pattern of a dragon. Eva stared at the stone in her hands, realizing at once that it might not even be a stone, but rather an egg.

A century before, the last of the Riders had left Alagaësia forever, taking the last of the dragons and their legacy with him. The very thought of dragons had faded almost into myth, the only proof of their existence engraved in books or encased in jewel. To find one now was impossible. Eva shook her head, ridding herself of the thought.

I will take the stone to Carvahall tomorrow, she decided. Perhaps someone there can tell me for certain what it really is.

Eva gathered everything up, hid the stone in her pack, and made her way back home. The farmhouse was empty; her mother was still in Carvahall. Eva threw her pack on her bed and then went to cooking the fish she'd all but forgot about.

Chapter Text

The morning was cool and pleasant as Eva rode into Carvahall, the stone tucked away in her pack. People were rushing here and there as they bought goods from the merchants and nearby shops. Several stalls caught Eva's interest, but she had to solve the mystery of the stone first. She tied her gelding outside the bakery shop, deciding to ask Balard what he thought.

The smell of flour and sugars enveloped Eva as she entered the bakery. The store owner was in the back, pulling out a fresh loaf of bread from the oven. He slipped off his mitts and came to see his potential customer, a warm smile spreading across his face as he noticed who it was.

"Well, now! If it isn't my favorite cousin's daughter. What can I do fer yeh today?" He leaned over the counter and gave her an apologetic smile. "Tell yer ma I'm sorry, by the way. I heard from another customer Agnes was a real witch to her yesterday. "

"She understands," Eva replied, sliding her pack off of her back and in front of Balard. His curious expression morphed into shock as Eva pulled the green stone from her pack. "I was wondering… or well, hoping, actually, if you could tell me what this is?"

"May I?" Balard almost whispered as Eva handed it to him. He held it as if it were about to shatter, the shocked expression seemingly locked on his face. "Where did yeh get this?"

"I found it in the river yesterday while I was fishing. I didn't know what it was; I never told mother about it either."

"A wise choice, that," Balard muttered, his eyes studying the stone as he carefully turned it in his hands. "Yer ma hasn't got the strongest of hearts fer these kinds of things."

"So it's not a stone then?"

"Nay, you'll never find a stone the likes of this one. Even the dwarves of the southern mountains would find themselves unable to recreate it. No, my dear, this is worth more than all the gold of Alagaësia."

Balard carefully placed it back in Eva's hands, his eyes scrutinizing the windows. "This," he said in a soft, yet almost pained voice, "is a dragon's egg."

Just as he said the word dragon, the egg stirred. Eva jumped in surprise, the egg slipping from her hands and onto the counter. A large crack split across the egg, which stirred even more. Bero grabbed it quickly but carefully and placed it in her pack.

"Get out of town," Balard ordered as he shoved some bread and pastries into the pack around the egg to keep it from cracking more. "You'll be safe once yer back at home. If yeh need anything in town, just ask yer ma to let me know. I'll stop by later on." He stepped around the counter, placing both his hands on her shoulders. "I never thought I'd see the day when the Riders returned to Alagaësia. And to find that it's you," He shook his head, stepping back. "Go on, get goin. If anyone's seen yeh, there might be trouble."

Eva nodded and thanked him, rushing out of the store with her pack. As she leapt onto her gelding, her pack shrieked, startling a couple about to enter the shop. Avoiding their eyes, she nudged the horse's belly and raced home.

Eva slowed her pace as she came into view of her farmhouse, not wanting to alert her mother. She rode to the barn, setting her pack down amongst the square bales of hay stacked along the far wall. After she'd taken care of her horse, she sat before the pack, carefully taking out the egg. It had fractured in more places, but remained intact.

Eva smiled as she traced her finger along the first crack. The egg peeped and trembled as she touched it, before completely falling apart. Eva gasped, staring at the small creature before her with both excitement and caution. The small, dark-emerald green dragon stared up at her with curious eyes, stretching its neck towards her. Eva hesitantly reached out to touch the dragon, gently placing her hand on its small head.

Suddenly she was thrown back, her arm exploding in pain. The dragon shrieked and leapt off the bale, knocking pieces of eggshell everywhere. Eva laid her head back, sighing in relief as the pain faded, leaving her hand only throbbing slightly. She examined her hand, where a silvery scar was now stretched across her palm. She frowned as she touched it, then glanced at the dragon curled up on the sandy floor. It peeped at her, flicking its tail slightly.

Eva smiled, picking up the dragon without a thought, glad to find the pain didn't shock her again. The dragon curled up against her, closing its eyes. She held it like a mother would her newborn, stroking its smooth, gem-like scales, which matched the color of the egg perfectly.

My dragon, Eva thought to herself in wonder. She swore she could hear the same possessive thought emanating from the creature