Authors Note: Beware! Third ever fanfiction. It can now be added to my list of unfinished stories. Well, they'll be finished one day, I hope. But this idea just came to me and I can't sleep 'till I get it out of my brain. My clock says 12:24 a.m. so you can imagine... I hope it's not too bad. If it is, tell me, and I'll stop writing immediately and make sure this gets deleted.

Emerald

Chapter One: Unanswerable Questions

She ran.

She ran with all the force her slender legs could carry her with. The harsh wind blew against the gentle features of her face. Ginger hair came lose from its tight bun atop her head. Water glistened amid golden eyes. The girl, no more than seventeen years of age fled through the night, within the depths of a deep forest, her plain clothing clinging to her sweat dampened body, tunic flapping wildly in the wind.

From her neck hung a delicate charm from a chain of the purest of silver. The charm was that of two wild roses, long stems intertwined. Of one, the silver petals bloomed gloriously, but the other hung, wilted.

Above the canopy of trees, the stars and moon were the only light, casting eerie shadows on the ground. Forest creatures startled, their nightly routines disrupted by the frantic calls of a strange girl, "Evyn!" her voice rang clear through the silence, "Evyn!" she called again.

Up ahead there was a clearing, once reached it she stopped to catch her breath, crouching with her hands on her knees, whole body shaking with adrenalin, lungs burning to reclaim oxygen, she called again, louder "EVYN!" Once she had stopped running, the wind had stilled, it was no longer her force to create a draft, but overhead, around the clearing the trees rustled, and branches shook as an even more powerful gust shook the forest.

In the sky a brilliant flash of green could be seen. The shining emerald scales of a magnificent dragon reflected the moonlight dazzlingly. As it made it's decent it folded its wings, causing another draft, and slowly glided toward the ground. It landed right beside the panting girl, You called? He asked through their bond of communication with their minds.

Evyn was a small dragon, barely an adolescent, growing taller and broader by the day. As well as stronger and wiser, Katrina? You called?

The girl looked straight into the shining emerald eye that matched the scales perfectly, I think I was recognized, she, trying to hide her fear and exhaustion, failing as her trembling knees gave way and she crumpled to the ground.

By whom? Evyn asked, concerned, wrapping a shimmering tale around the small form of his rider.

I don't know, replied Katrina, nestling close to the warm underbelly of her friend, In Teirm there were wanted posters everywhere! Do you remember the person I told you about, from Carvahall?

Roran, yes.

Some were of him...Her face became withdrawn as she stared into the sky, and of his cousin, Eragon, and of myself.

A ring of smoke escaped a nostril of the dragon, Evyn, and he pondered this, The Empire are not fools. They have been after us sine our escape. But what of this Roran? And of his cousin? What significance are they to this war?

I don't know, Katrina's thoughts became solemn, They came looking for Roran before I was taken, but no one knew why, we suspected it has something to do with Eragon. He left shortly after his uncle, Roran's father, was killed. And hasn't been seen since.

Evyn nodded his understanding.

Oh, Evyn. What's going on? Why did this happen? This terrible war, it's unbearable. How can people have so much hate? What are we to do?

Unable to answer any of these questions, Evyn lay his large scaly head in the grass and peered to his rider with a large sympathetic eye.

Katrina finally let the tears flow. Hot and wet they dripped from her cheeks into the grass as she snuggled up closely to her large, green, friend. After a few minutes of silence, sleep crept over her and all thoughts were lost into a swirling pool of darkness.