Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Inheritance or any items or articles associated therein, including any and all prevalent characters, locations, etc.

Vivian sat atop her bed in Ellesmera. She had anxiously awaited this day for years. This was her tenth birthday, the day she would be taken to the dragon eggs to see if one would hatch for her. Excitement and anxiety were having a full-on war in the pit of her stomach. The few minutes she had to wait for the elders each seemed like an eternity.

When the elders arrived, she sprang up and dashed forward. Without a word they led her out of the treehouse she called home and toward the grand citadel where Arya Drottning sat in her throne. Vivian was groomed well for this day. Her brown, straight hair was combed perfectly, and she strode purposefully, her deep brown eyes proud if worried. Like all elves, she had angular, cat-like features.

By the time the party reached the doors of the royal palace, the war in Vivian's stomach had been fought and won by anxiety. If an egg hatched for her, she would be taken to the training ground of the Dragon Riders, the most esteemed order in the land. If one didn't, she would be resigned to live out her endless life in Ellesmera like most elves. That wasn't what she wanted.

She was escorted into the pallace and taken to the egg chamber, where dozens of eggs sat on small columns. And there she sat. It was the practice that a child sit and wait for twenty-four hours, though usually if an egg had not hatched in twelve, none would. But still she sat and waited.

Six hours passed and there was nothing. Nine hours. Twelve hours. Vivian sat holding back tears when she realized that it had been twelve hours. But still she sat. Sixteen hours. Twenty. Twenty-four. The elders returned. And without an egg, she turned to leave.

Then suddenly there was a tap. And a cracking sound. Vivian turned, barely daring to believe that a dragon might be hatching, but as she turned she saw an egg rocking side to side. She watched in amazement as the egg rolled right off its pedestal and smashed open on the floor.

Vivian, the call came in her mind. The voice was male. Vivian nearly fainted in disbelief. The dragon laying on the floor was a hue of bright, sparkling gold. It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen. She approached, slowly at first, but then quickening as she gained confidence. She reached out, her left hand came into contact with the dragon's snout. Immediately a flash of pain went through her whole body, sending her to the floor. But when she looked at her palm, there it was. The Gedwey Ignasia. The silver palm.

Light-headed and unable to think, she simply said the first word that came to mind.

"Brisingr." Gold fire erupted from her hand. She quickly cut the spell off, not wanting to damage the area. The elders watched this unfold stoically, seemingly uninterested, until they came to take her and the dragon from the ground and take them to the queen.

When they arrived at the throne room the lead elder stated simply, "Drottning."

Arya's green eyes pierced Vivian. Unnerved, she grasped for words. Fortunately, Arya smiled then, her eyes becoming lighter, and spoke, "You must go to see Eragon, then."

Until that moment, Vivian had been non-believing of the whole matter. But now it was happening. She was going to Eragon, the legendary rider who defeated Galbatorix, the Dark King, and his blue dragon Saphira. It had been two decades since that fateful day at Uru'baen. And here she was, about to go study under the greatest hero of all time, possibly even greater than the first Eragon, who had created the Riders.

Arya spoke again, "Come, we shall arrange your escort and your journey shall begin at once."

Two hours later, Vivian was on horseback, riding East, headed for the lake. The journey was uneventful, nothing near what she hoped she would find once she arrived at the stronghold of the dragon riders.

Several weeks passed unnoticed. The only thing that mattered was her dragon's growth along the road. By the time they reached the lake, her dragon had nearly doubled in size, so it was as long from head to tail as her arm span. When she set out to the Eastern lands, she was beyond excitement. Her dragon was beginning to communicate more fully, being able to communicate more words than just "Vivian."

The crossing of the lake took only two days. By the time she reached the Eastlands, there was already an escort waiting for her. A dwarf riding an amethyst dragon, and wielding a mace of the same color sat waiting for her.

"Well hello there," the dwarf said, "you must be Vivian." His voice was deep and gruff, but Vivian couldn't hide her grin. Everytime the dwarf spoke, his beard puffed out. The dwarf didn't notice this, or if he did he didn't care, and continued on.

"I'm Klok, I'll be escorting you to New Vroengard, the home of the Dragon Riders," the Dwarf said.

"It's a pleasure," Vivian replied, twisting her hand in the motions of the formal elven greeting.

"There'll be no need for yer elven pleasantries," replied the dwarf, "but it's good to meet you, too."

"So, how do we get there?" Vivian asked, suddenly anxious for them to be on their way.

"Well, you climb on the back of this here dragon, and then we fly East," Klok replied.

Hello there, a male voice sounded in Vivian's mind. It sounded very much like the dwarf's.

Hello, Vivian replied.

Let's be on our way, the dragon said.

"Yes, climb up on Volor, and we'll be on our way," Klok replied.

Dragon, a voice in Vivian's head said.

Yes, dragon, Vivian replied. The gold dragon she cradled reminded her very much of a child. Very curious.

And without any further ado, Vivian climbed upon the purple dragon's back and she was off. The wind rushing through her hair felt amazing. It was the first time she'd ever flown, though she knew it wouldn't be the last. Her dragon had been growing very quickly. By the time they landed that night, it had grew almost ten extra inches from head to tail, and its wingspan had, too, making it actually larger than her.

They picked up flight the next morning, and around noon, the most exciting event of Vivian's life occurred. Her dragon squirmed from her arms, despite her struggling, and jumped into open air.

"No!" Vivian screamed, but then, to her amazement, her dragon snapped open its wings and it began to rise on the air currents, rising up next to Volor. A huge smile broke out on Vivian's face, and Klok laughed aloud. In that same moment, the dragon's mind developed substantially.

I am Sol, the golden dragon. Vivian recognized the voice as her dragon's, who now had a name.