AN: First thing I want to say is thank you so much for even clicking the link! This is my first Inheritance Cycle story, and I love getting reviews! Especially when they have constructive criticism! So please don't be afraid to let me know if you don't like something, just don't be mean about it! Anyway thanks again, and R&R!

*Disclaimer: I am not Christopher Paolini

Chapter 1

My name is Lucia. I stand at five foot five inches tall, have long light brown hair, and dazzling brown eyes. My mother often tells me I look like my father. My mother and I live in Utah, and we live a pretty normal life. I'm a sophomore in highschool, doing what almost every other teen does in high school. Study. My days are filled with book and books and even more books. I'm also on the track team, the only reason for this is because my mother seems to think I need to stay in shape. So I participate in long distance running, javelin, discus, and shot put. I had a few select friends, mainly to study with, and a few in track. For the most part, however, I keep to myself.

I only see my father once a year, he comes around my birthday. It has been like this for as long as I can remember. He would bring me strange presents, like the small decorated dagger I recieved for my 14th birthday. I couldn't think of one time my father came around to see me before or after my birthday. Until a month before I would turn 16.
One a November morning I heard a knock at the door. I was barely getting out of bed to start getting ready for school, so it was about six in the morning. I was wearing fuzzy pajama pants and a grey tank top. I groggily walked to the front door, my feet dragging on the cold hardwood floors. I peeked through one of the side windows to see if I should answer the door. To my shock, my father was standing at the door looking panicky.
"Dad?" I asked surprised as I opened the door to let him in. He was wearing strange clothes. A off-white colored shirt under a tan tunic. His pants wear made of a strange material that was a dark brown. His feet were covered with tall leather boots. "What in the world are you wearing?" I added after looking him over.
"Hi honey," He greeted me with a quick smile. "I'm wearing my, uh, work clothes. Is your mother home, I need to speak with her?" He asked looking past me as if he was going to see my mom in the kitchen.
"What are you doing here?" I asked, my voice filled with curiosity.
"Do I need an excuse to visit my daughter?" he asked looking back at me.
"I'm just surprised that's all; my birthday isn't for another month. Is something wrong?" I pressed. I couldn't think of a single reason why he should be here.
"Not really, I need to talk with your mother. Is she home?"
"She's in bed, although, she might be awake. Would you like me to see?" I offered, still confused.
I left to go check to see if my mother was awake, and indeed she was. She actually just finished getting dressed when I entered her room. She had short brown hair, similar to mine, and dark green eyes. She was slightly shorter than me, but made up for that with attitude.
"Mom, someone is here to see you." I said. I didn't tell her it was my father because if I did she probably wouldn't leave her room.
"Okay sweetheart, I'll be out in a minute." She replied with a warm smile.
I left to find my father sitting on the couch. He was running his hand through his hair, and had a worried expression on his face. I could see worry lines that weren't there a year ago. Once again I wondered why he was here.
"She'll be here soon," I said sitting next to him. I tried to enjoy the moment because I never got to spend much time with my father. "So what brought you all the way here from Algeria?" I asked, trying to trick him into telling me what he was doing here.
"I need to talk to your mother; there has been a… change of plans." He replied not looking at me.

"A change of plans?" I asked, my curiosity once again was triggered.
"Lucia, who's here to see me?" My mother asked as she hurried into the living room. "Eragon?" she exclaimed as soon as she saw who it was.
"Kathy! We need to talk." My father said standing up when he heard his name.
"What if I don't want to talk?" My mother retorted, sounding annoyed. "You know you can't just come and go as you please. We have rules."
"It's about-," he started before glancing at me. I could tell my the look in my parent's eyes that something had happened, it was like they could talk without saying anything out loud..
"Alright, but make it quick, I have work you know." My mother finally said so I could hear.
"Lucia please go to your room." My father said gesturing for me to leave the room.

"Why?" I protested. "I want to know why you're here too!"

"I will explain later. Please leave the room." My father answered as soft as he could. I could still see the worry in his eyes. Not wanting to get in trouble I left the living room. However, I did not return to my room. Knowing something important was going to happen, I stayed in the hallway so I could listen to their conversation.
"She needs to come with me." My father said as soon as he thought I was gone.
"She is not sixteen for another month! We had a deal." my mother argued.
"We got it sooner than we anticipated, and you know the prophecy speaks of her."
"Wait," my mother said hesitating. "You already found it?"
"Yes, and she needs to come as soon as possible; we will not win the war until she has been trained." My father said imploringly.

I was starting to think this had everything to do with me. Why else would my father travel all the way here? If he were talking about my mother surely he would refer to her by her name, not as she. Although, I certainly didn't want to do anything about a war. Besides as far as I was concerned there was no war in Algeria.
"But…" My mother started.
"I know I said by her sixteenth birthday, but this in urgent. We need her. We need Lucia!" My father argued. At this point I was one hundred percent certain they were talking about me. Great.
"She's not ready. She doesn't know anything about your world." My mother countered. The more they talked, the more confused I got.
"I'll tell her, she will understand."
"The people there won't accept her; even if she is the one from the prophecy. They never didn't like me." My mother started to sound worried, and scared.
"She'll be different, they have to accept her."
"I don't know…"
I couldn't take it anymore. I just had to know what they were talking about. I stepped back out into the living room and said, "What are you guys talking about? What is this about worlds, and wars, and prophecy?" I asked loudly so they would hear me.
My mother spun around in surprise. "Lucia! You shouldn't be here. Please go back to your room." She said looking frantic.
"I want answers. I heard everything you guys were talking about." I said boldly.
"Lucia let me explain." My father said, his eyes softened slightly.
"Please do," I replied curtly. "I want to know everything.
"I do not come from Algeria, but a place known as Alagaesia." My father started to explain.
"Alagucia?" I asked perplexed.
"No, Alagaesia. It's where I'm from. It's not part of this world," He hesitated before continuing. "I live in a place filled with magic, elves, dwarfs, and dragons."
"You have got to be crazy," I said laughing, "This is some cruel joke isn't it?"
"No sweetie, just listen please." My mother said soothingly.
"Right now we are at war," My father continued, "And we aren't exactly winning either. We have just recovered the last of the dragon eggs, and as said in the prophecy, you will be its rider. I need…"
"Wait, me a rider? A rider for what?" I asked still confused. Everything my father had said so far made absolutely no sense.
"A dragon rider; protector of Alagaesia. I am a rider, the first in hundreds of years." He explained with a small smile as if he were remembering something.
"What if I don't want to be a dragon rider?" I asked. I still wasn't sure if my father spoke the truth or not. I needed to be sure he wasn't lying to me.
"He speaks the truth Lucia. You have no choice but to go with him. I already agreed to let you leave, and train with your father." My mother said. "I can't break my vow."
"You knew?" I asked angrily. How could my mother keep something like this a lie?
"Honey, I had no choice."My mother pleaded.
"You won't spend all your time in Alagaesia either; you have school, and a life here. You can't just disappear. Besides, it'll be a long time before you'll be ready for battle. Not only that, but your dragon will have to grow as well." My father reassured me.
"Well… I don't know; I don't want to leave for long periods of time." I said slowly.

"You won't. You will come with me and spend one month in Alagaesia." My father said with a small smile. "Then you will return to Earth to go to school. Your mother has made it clear you are to finish high school."

"So I only have to be in Alagaesia for a month? That's it?" I asked. One month didn't seem so bad. I could be back at school for the new semester, just in time for track.

"You will have to go back and forth every month now." He said simply.

"So I'll have to go back and forth from Earth and Alagaesia every month?" I asked horrified. "I'll be missing so much school that way!" I exclaimed. "Not to mention I won't be able to participate in track anymore."

"We might have to switch you to either online school or I'll have to homeschool you when you are back with me." My mother said softly.

"No." I said simply. "I can't go with you father."

"You don't have a choice. There are people's lives at stake. A whole world you don't even know about is depending on you to save them." My father said quickly.

"There is no proof that I am this dragon rider." I countered. "I won't do it."
"Here," My father said, and he placed a green stone that had a beautiful marble coloring covering the surface.
"What is it?" I asked, but my mother shushed me.

"Place your hand upon it." My father instructed.
Reluctantly I reached out with my hand, and touched the object. It was smooth to my touch. My hand glided over the stone with ease. All of a sudden it started shaking. Gasping I removed my hand, in turn the stone stopped shaking.

"That is your proof." My father said simply.

"I don't understand." I said confused.

"The dragon inside this egg has chosen you to be its rider. The trembling of the egg is a clear sign of this." My father answer calmly.

"Why doesn't it just hatch?" I asked while staring at the egg.

"It is waiting for the right time. Which will be soon."

Looking up, I could see the desperation in my father's eyes. In that moment I knew what I had to do, whether I wanted to do it or not.

"Fine, I will go with you." I started to say. "However, this does not mean I will help your world. I will decided what I want to do after I completely understand what is being asked of me."

My father nodded, seeming to understand what I wanted. "Agreed, you should not be forced into it, as I was."
"You must keep her safe Eragon." My mother said staring at my father.

"You know I will." He replied meeting her gaze. "Lucia, I will give you one week to prepare for the journey. I have to return to Alagaesia now, but I will be back in one week's time."

"What should I pack?" I asked, unsure of what I would need to bring.

"Simple clothes, you will receive some there, bring with you the gifts I have given you for your past birthdays as well."

Nodding, I took a deep breath. "How long will I have to stay to get all the information I need?" I questioned. "I'll need to know, so I can excuse myself from school." I added at his confused look.

"Plan on being gone for at least a month."

"A month?" I exclaimed with shock.

"It will take time to explain everything to you." Was my father's answer.

"Fine," I said as politely as I could. "Then I will decided what I want to do."

After a few more minutes, my father said good-bye. He left with the green dragon egg through the front door, not looking back.

I spent the next week worrying about the work I was going to miss at school, and going crazy over what I should bring with me to Alagaesia. I had packed all the past presents my father had given me, including the decorated dagger, into a small gym bag. I took both shorts and pants, both made of denim, as well as short and long sleeved shirts. I decided that my hiking shoes, and track shoes would probably be the best to take with me as footwear.

On the day my father was supposed to return to pick me up, I wanted anxiously in the living room. My mother had already finished getting ready, and was saying good-bye to me when we heard a knock at the door.

"It must be Eragon." My mother said softly. She hurried to let my father into the house. Once again he was wearing the strange looking clothes he was in a week ago.

"Are you ready?" He asked after greeting my mother and turning to me.

"As ready as I'll ever be." I said trying to not sound nervous.

"We best be going then." He replied with a small smile. I grabbed my gym bag, hugged my mother one last time, and left the house with my father.

"How exactly are we traveling?" I asked as soon as I realized that we obviously could go by car.

"I brought a ride." My father said smiling. We walked a short distance from my house, to the middle of the street. "Here we are." My father said gesturing to the empty street.

"Great," I said sarcastically. "We are in the middle of the street."

My father chuckled and murmured a few words I couldn't understand. He then touched my forehead and a wave of heat washed over me. "What?" I started to say before nearly collapsing to the ground. My head had gotten dizzy, and the world spun around. When I regained control of my sight, I noticed the street wasn't empty anymore. I looked up to find myself face to face with a gigantic blue dragon.

AN: Did you like it? If you did please review! I am in the process of editing the chapter I have already written. I just finished ch. 1 and am working on ch. 2 now. Please consider this if you are going to continue reading past this chapter! I have made quite a bit of changes, so currently the stories do NOT match up.