Disclaimer: I don't own anything.
Author's Note: Unfortunately, I have writer's block with "Reborn" So, I have decided to post this to pass the time. This takes place 2 years before Eragon would have met Saphira.
Dark Beginnings, Chapter I
The King's servant
It was early morning and a young, sapphire blue dragoness was curled up in a large dais. She had been awake for several hours and was waiting for her master to call her down to his chamber. Every few days, the king would bring more prisoners into the castle for them to be tried for their crimes. Today however, was different. It was Saphira's hatchday.
Four years ago was when Galbatorix had figured out how to make dragons hatch before they found their rider. However, his first attempt had killed all 200 magicians that created the spell. This was the only thing that stopped him from forcing all the dragons out of their eggs.
The only downside to forcing the dragons out of their eggs prematurely was that they only had half the strength of a normal rider-dragon. Ever since she hatched, Galbatorix had brought nearly every child in Uru'bean to see her. None of them satisfied her in the slightest.
Saphira, please come down to the throne room. I wish to have a word.
Yes master.
Not wishing to anger the king, Saphira got to her feet and walked towards the center of the room which had a large opening leading directly down to the throne room. Without bothering to flap her wings, she jumped through the circular opening and plummeted down 100 feet to the ground where she landed without stumbling in the slightest.
As she looked around, Saphira noticed that there were about twenty men, chained to each other tightly. She also saw two guards walking up and down the line inspecting the captives closely.
"Saphira, as you know, today is your fourth hatchday. Whatever you want, as long as it is within reason, you can have." Galbatorix seemed to be in a good mood today. Normally he would have given her a deer and told her to be off.
Anything I want?
"Yes. You have the rest of the day to decide." As he finished talking to Saphira, Galbatorix got to his feet and glared at the soldiers who had been inspecting the prisoners. "Which ones can be useful to me?"
The soldier to the right raised his right hand and three of the men stepped forward. They were all shaking nervously at the sight of the king. "This one," he said, pulling the oldest of the men to his side. "Is a skilled blacksmith who can craft any weapon that you desire."
"Very good, send him to the labor yard to begin immediately." The king said, grinning maliciously.
The next man to be pulled forward was very old and seemed to be nearly blind. "This man is an excellent potion master. He can create a poison or antidote for nearly anything."
Before the king could respond, the large chamber door at the end of the hallway opened and the shade, Durza, entered with a large smile on his face. Saphira growled to herself silently. For the past few weeks, Durza had been egging her to make him her rider. Why a shade wanted a dragon was beyond her.
"Welcome Durza, you are just in time to see our new slaves."
"I look forward to meeting them." The shade grinned, shooting the prisoners an evil gaze. To no ones surprise, they all recoiled.
"Now, what of the boy?" Galbatorix said, looking with a curious expression on his face at the boy who seemed to be only in his mid-teens.
"We believe he would be fit to be a servant to yourself." Upon seeing that the young man wasn't looking at the king, the soldier grabbed him by the hair and pulled his head up, causing him to let out a small yelp.
For the first time, Saphira got a good look at him. As soon as her sapphire blue eyes met with his, something triggered in her mind, although she didn't know what.
"I have a better idea. Why don't I send him to be one of Durza's servants? I believe something unfortunate happened to the last one."
Durza let out a laugh. "Yes, that was unfortunate. The boy would be an excellent replacement."
Galbatorix chuckled. "Then you may have him. Now, I wish to be left alone."
As Durza grasped the boy's hand, Saphira's instincts took over. Master!
"What is it Saphira? Have you made your decision?"
Yes. I want the boy.
This response startled the king. He was expecting her to ask for jewels or precious stones. At first, he thought of telling her that she couldn't have him. Then he remembered that Saphira was lacking a rider. Maybe if she spent enough time with him…
Saphira stared hopefully up at the king as she waited for a response. "Durza, I will find you another servant. From now on, Saphira, you shall be in charge of this boy. Don't make me regret this decision."
Excitement filled through the dragonesses' body. Why she wanted this particular person she didn't know. Something just told her that he was the right one.
Durza frowned as he released his tight grip on the boy's arm. With one leap, Saphira jumped onto the ground and walked over to the teenager. She could tell by his reaction that he had never seen a dragon before. Knowing that she didn't have a saddle, Saphira lifted him up with one of her claws and cradled him in one of her scaly arms.
The boy was now pale with fear. His arms and legs were shaking badly and he seemed to have frozen out of terror. Noticing his fear, Saphira sent him a loving smile. Just relax; I'm not going to hurt you.
As she leapt into the air, the boy let out another yelp and grasped her arm tightly out of fear of falling. It didn't take much work for the dragoness to lift herself back into her chamber. Without loosening her grip, Saphira walked over to the dais and curled into a ball around the boy who was still paralyzed with fear. You do not need to fear me. I will make sure nothing bad happens to you. My name is Saphira. What should I call you?
"E-Eragon."
I like that name. Saphira said, nuzzling his hair affectionately. Well, Eragon, we have much to talk about. But for now, I want you to rest.
It was clear by the look on Eragon's face that sleeping with a dragon was not something he ever wanted to do. Saphira picked this up almost automatically and laid her wing over his body, securing his position until she decided to move it. You can trust me. I won't harm you.
For several more minutes, Eragon simply stared up into her sapphire blue eyes. Knowing he didn't have a choice in the matter, Eragon laid his head against the softer scales that ran down her underbelly. A smile quickly formed at the edges of the dragonesses' mouth as she watched him drift off to sleep. I'll see you in the morning, little one.
Author's Note: I hope this chapter felt like it flowed well. If you have any questions about the character's ages or when this story is supposed to take place, feel free to PM me or ask me in your review. Please leave some feedback, I want to know if there is anything I need to change.