Notes:

Fandom: Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini

Characters: all my own characters (Yomeila, Sausu, Ksarn, Fea and unknown Rider & dragon), plus borrowing Arya and Fäolin for one paragraph.

Prompt: Beginnings

Word Count: 1,178

Rating: PG

Summary: Yomeila, a young elf living in Ellesméra, is in possession of a silver dragon egg, which hatches into Sausu.

Other: my first posted fanfiction ever ^o^ It's not very good but I decided to inflict it on you all anyways *mwahaha*. I found it on deviantART, look in my favourites (nightembersglowing) to find it, it's called '100 FanFic Challenge' by Op3nY0urH3art.

Even though I have lived in Ellesméra for all of the nineteen years of my existence, it does not change the fact that the only places where I feel at home are in the midst of the gardens of Tialdarí Hall, and within the embrace of the forest itself. I suppose that many other elves would find this odd, as the city of Ellesméra is intended to blend seamlessly with the pine forest around it, but Ellesméra to me is just a way that the elves shape all to their will.

Dawn had only just broken and its pale light was slowly bleeding through the coniferous canopy. Soon, there would be a light influx of elves into the gardens of Tialdarí and my solitude would be shattered. For now, though, only I and three other elves were present. They sat away from me in a group, cross-legged on the mossy ground, and appeared to be meditating.

I sat by one of the ponds in the gardens, staring at the glassy waters. My back was against the rough bark of a pine, scented needles sleeping beneath me. The pine's branches arched over my head and into my field of view. One had three black flowers, I think Morning Glories, creeping up its side. They say that Fäolin gave them to Queen Arya Shadeslayer many years ago. They say that only Queen Arya can open them. I've never tried. I would not like to intrude on something so dear to someone's heart as these blooms must be to the Queen's.

A patter of feet on the stone path caused me to jump to my feet. Hellfire, a bunch of elves are coming. A small shower of needles fell from my leggings and tunic hem as I hurried back to my home.

The house that I shared with my parents was grown from a single pine, the trunk forming the kitchen and three boughs forming the other necessary rooms. Lifting the vine latch on the door, I palmed a honeycake from the table and bit into it as I climbed the stairs. I listened carefully – and sure enough, my parents were fast asleep. I continued climbing the stairs until I reached my room.

A resounding crack split the air.

I stopped in my tracks, my boots frozen to the floor. My blood felt like it had turned to ice. Nothing routinely cracked in my room, so what was it?

Another crack, like the splintering of wood.

The thought free-fell into my head. The egg.

I dashed into my study and unlocked the cabinet in the corner. Throwing piles of scrolls onto the floor along with the half-finished honeycake, I finally cleared a space enough to see it.

It was indeed the egg. Its softly silver surface, instead of being flawless and smooth, was now fractured with cracks as the dragon within tried to hatch.

I grabbed the egg and opened the window. I looked down – and gulped. It was a long way. Steeling myself, I jumped out. For a moment, my hair streamed behind me as I fell. Then I hit the ground and rolled and ran.

Tremors ran through the egg and into my hands. The silver shell was cracking even as I ran, running to somewhere where no-one would see me. I'd found the egg a week ago, lying in the hollow of a tree. After waiting seventeen hours to see if anyone would lay claim to it, I stowed it under my tunic and took it home. I knew that dragon eggs would only hatch for their Riders. The only time that wouldn't happen would be if the egg contained a wild dragon, and I knew of none in the whole of Du Weldenvarden, let alone in Ellesméra. Besides, my chances of becoming a Rider were less than minute. Why was it hatching?

At last, out of breath and panting, I reached the glade where I could be alone. Dropping to my knees, I set the egg down. Its wobbling and shattering intensified. Fragments of shell flew in all directions. With a final bang, the egg fell away with a few curls of smoke.

A silver dragon hatchling sat proudly before me in the clearing vapours. The clear dawn light reflected off its scales so that the dragon appeared to be luminescent. Its eyes were light blue.

It shook itself and its scales clinked as it shuffled them all into order. It opened its wings to let them dry, the wing membranes glowing in the sunlight. I stared, dumbstruck. I was a Rider? A Shur'tugal?

Either that, or a wild dragon was going to eat me, right here and right now.

Politeness seemed a very good route at the moment. I touched my lips with my fingers – I will not alter the truth during this meeting – and spoke first, recognising the dragon's higher status.

"Atra esterní ono thelduin," I said softly. May good fortune rule over you.

The dragon's mind touched mine. He – it was undoubtedly male – had a peaceful mind. It appeared to me to look like a huge cavern, dark but with the walls sparkling iridescent blue-silver. His thoughts whirled around in the centre of the cave, bright lights swooping and dancing and illuminating the darkest corners with their paths. His voice was mellow.

Atra du evarínya ono varda.

"Un atra mor'ranr lífa unìn hjarta ono," I whispered. It was a great honour to be spoken to by a dragon.

He spoke directly into my mind once again, What is your name, elf-child?

They call me Yomeila.

Greetings, Yomeila. I am Sausu, son of Fea Lightclaw and Ksarn Bloodtooth. I have hatched for you because you are to be my Rider. You will be the first Rider not to have a gedwëy ignasia, a shining palm, because you will be the first Rider to ride a wild dragon.

What? Dragon parents sometimes gave eggs to the Riders to become bonded dragons, dragons with Riders. Wild dragons hatched when the time was right for them to survive – never for an elf or a human.

Forgive me, Sausu, but how is this possible? I asked.

My parents gave me an old dragon blessing that let me choose if I wanted to be bonded to a Rider or not. I choose you to be my Rider rather than be free.

How could he have given up the chance at a lifetime of solitude and freedom? But now I was a Rider…

I…Thank you. I couldn't think of anything better to say that would express my gratitude so wholly. In the thought, I tried to impress on the dragon how much this meant to me. A feeling of recognition passed across the newly formed bond.

Something roiled in the pit of my stomach. Sausu tensed at the same moment as the hairs on my neck stood up. There were eyes on us. I turned, very, very slowly.

The pine branches sprung back, rustling, but they could not mask what we'd just seen – a great cream dragon and its grinning Rider.

Hope you like it, please review if you can ^o^ it will be much appreciated! ^o^