I am an elf. A pirate. An assassin. A Dragon Rider. I've done many things in the 126 years of my life. Some I am proud of. Others, I am ashamed of. I've killed a shade and did Alagaësia a great good by doing so, but I've also killed innocents in cold blood. They never deserved to die. Things like that weigh heavily on me in both good and bad ways. My past has never been properly shared before. Eragon knows some things about me, more than most. Cael also knows much about me, more than Eragon, truth be told. However, none know me better than Valinor, my dragon and closest friend.
If you know anything of the Riders, then it is probably their role as peace keepers. However, no one gives the dragon any credit. Many consider them to just be a dumb animal, but they are much more than that. Their wisdom surprises even we elves. Another thing not known about the Riders is that their dragon is more than a pet that is larger than a house. Our connection with our dragon goes so deep that our minds melt together until we seem nearly like one being. An elf who becomes a rider will seem more violent than a normal elf and a Rider's dragon will be like a small kitten when placed next to a wild one. That is because the connection is not just in our minds; it is in our very being. We cannot bear to separate for we feel as though a part of us is missing and perhaps that is because there is. My experience supports that thought.
It is actually Valinor that has convinced me to take my quill and place my story upon parchment. He has convinced me it is time that the other Riders deserve to know me better than they do now. He argues it is only fair. After all, I am the first Rider to graduate under Eragon's tutelage since he left Alagaësia. That means I act as his messenger to the world and assist him in teaching the small number of other Riders that arrived after me. I believe Valinor is right. My students should know who I am. Perhaps the world will someday. Until then though, I will write my story here, to the best of my memory. Valinor may need to help in some cases but the rest will be my story. To make this text easier to read , I have translated the Ancient Language and Dwarvish into the tongue of the humans but I may keep some phrases and names in their original form to give you, the reader, an idea of what the languages sound like. When this done, I provide a translation shortly after.