AN: I do not own any characters. They all belong to Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle.
Chapter 1: Stories
I was practicing with the little knife my brother gave me. It was small and wooden but I still loved it. It fits me, I thought. I knew I wanted to be a warrior when I grew up, fight against the Urgals and all those other evil creatures lurking in Alagaesia. Garrow would sometimes help me train, showing me some sword strokes.
"Selena, we have to finish our chores first!" My head turned towards Garrow. I loved my older brother but I hated it when he made me stop practicing.
"Let me finish this sequence."
"Selena, you know mother disapproves of your sword practicing. If she knew you were neglecting your chores, you could be in big trouble." With a long sigh, I put down my sword. I hated doing chores. It took away my free time. But I was going to have to do what Mother said. Otherwise, I would be in much trouble.
"I'm coming!" I shouted in my brother's direction. Garrow stood in the doorway, with his hands on his hip. He wasn't too much older than I, only three years older, but he acted much older than twelve. He was strong and mature. My father praised him as much as my mother appraised me. Both of my parents adored Garrow. He was the perfect son while I was the mixed-up daughter. My mother did not approve of my boyish attitude and while my father would admire my ability to fight back, he agreed with my mother. My parents would have me tend to the house and mend torn clothes. How I hated that needle! I knew that they preferred Ismira, my best friend, to me. They stared at her adoringly and always praised her for her perfect manners.
Although they gave her their ultimate attention, I had no ill feelings for her. After all, she never criticized my ways. As a matter of fact, when we played games, I would be the knight in shining armor. I would protect my friend from the Urgals and Shades. I always pretended to lunge straight through the heart of the Shade who bothered our kingdom. I remember the tales my father would tell us about the Urgals who would wreak havoc in our peaceful kingdom, how the elves had many magic in them, the dwarves who stayed underground, and the Dragon Riders. I was always entranced whenever my father told stories about them, especially the story of Eragon. The story of the first Dragon Rider, the elf who found the dragon egg that hatched for him only. How I wished I could be a Dragon Rider. I could fight better with a dragon by my side. I could save Alagaesia from all those creatures spoiling our land. I could do magic. I yearned for adventure, especially when I was making the butter on our little farm or milking our cow. If only I had a chance. But from my father's tales, I knew that elves had I higher chance than I to be chosen as a Dragon Rider. But I knew, there were a few humans that have been chosen. If only I could be one of them.
"Selena, what are you doing? Stop standing and get to your chores!" My mother's voice rang through my head, reminding me that chances of escaping were slim. There was no way I could escape with all of these chores left for me to do. My mother's eyes bored into my back, making sure I didn't make a run for it. Finally, she left the room and went to take care of her own tasks.
"Psst. Selena, come on." Garrow was waiting for me, his face eager for something I knew nothing about. I looked back at the churn, and then to his excited face.
"But, Garrow, I have to finish churning the butter. Otherwise, Mother will be mad at me." Garrow's face dropped slightly before rebounding to his happy expression.
"Here, let me finish it. I can do it faster than you can." Gladly, I stepped aside. Garrow quickly took my place and finished much faster than I had expected. When he was finished, he wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead and turned to me, grinning.
"Selena, let's go." I was anxious to see what he was so anxious about but I had to practice being a good little girl.
"Where, Garrow? I can't leave all these chores here." Garrow, still grinned as if he was invincible from everything.
"We're going to town. The traders have arrived. Mother and Father said it was okay to listen to the traders." I had forgotten it was trading season. Our family would always try to take advantage of the trading season. Garrow and I would listen to the traders' stories and news. It was our favorite time of the year. They had arrived a little early this year and time had flown by quickly. I quickly left the farm and joined Garrow. Garrow grabbed my hand and we ran to town. The stories had not yet begun. Garrow took his place next to Horst and I sat next to Ismira and Elain. The crowd was beginning to calm down yet anyone could feel the vibration of excitement in the air. Children and adults alike were anticipating the latest news and any stories related to the news. But something was out of place. The years before, the traders too were excited about sharing the latest news. This year, their faces were somber.
"Galbatorix has gained much more power and it is possible he may choose to oppress us. It is now that we must unite against the king. Who is with us?" The whole crowd was quiet. We never had any problems with the king. We had no motivation. Carvahall was not the kind of town who would attack if we were not attacked first. We lived our lives in peace and we found no reason to attack.
After a long pause, Ostrec, Horst's father, stood up. He was a big man and many of the villagers considered him the leader of the village. "Carvahall will take no action. The king has not disrupted us and we find no cause to attack the king." The traders looked infuriated.
"Wait until all of you are crushed by Galbatorix. By then, you will all wish that you have joined us." One of the traders, one that I recognized as Alastair put his hand on the trader who had just shouted at us. "Peace. Let them be. If they choose not to join us, that is their decision. We will let them enjoy their lives after this trading season." The infuriated trader sat down and attempted to calm himself down. But that left many of us villagers and children wondering if we had made the right decision.
How much risk did we just thrust upon ourselves by refusing to help them? And how many people would we lose? I looked at Ismira and Garrow. Their faces reflected mine, horror and confusion. What would happen if we didn't have each other anymore? What would happen if…we had to say our final goodbyes?
Note: I'll keep it simple. Please review. Also, in case there is confusion, Alistair is not in the Inheritance Cycle…I made him up. All the other characters that have names are from the Inheritance Cycle.