Author's Note: I do not own Eragon or anything affiliated with it. The rights to it belong to their owners.

AN 2: This story is told through Eragon's point of view.

Testing of the Rider

Ch.1 Meeting

It was just another day in the life I was currently adjusting to. Brom, Saphira and I had left Teirm a few day ago, and now we were on our way to Dras-Leona. I spurred Cadoc forward across the grassy plains, just as Brom did with Snowfire beside me. That was when I felt Saphira touch my consciousness.

"We're being followed," she said, and I immediately straightened in my seat. "Who is it?" I asked. "I know not, only that they have followed us for about a day now. When I tried to discover their appearances I found that they were dressed in black coats," she explained. My eyes widened, my heart began to thump, and I thought "Black coats! Could it be the Ra'Zac?"

"No this is not them. The egg-breakers are hunched over, with oddly shaped bodies as you know. These individual sat in their saddles straight and tall, and their did not radiate the same aura of fear as the Ra'Zac. Rather, they exuded an aura of confidence, and of great power," Saphira told him. I thanked her for the information before turning to Brom and saying "Saphira says we're being followed."

He looked at me and slowed his pace. "Did she say who it was?" he asked. I shook my head. "She said that she couldn't tell. Their bodies were wrapped in black coats, but they weren't the Ra'Zac, and have been following us for a day now. What should we do?" Brom was silent for a moment, thinking, until he spoke. "We'll continue on at the same pace we are going. If they are truly following us then they'll catch up, and we'll be ready. Otherwise, we press onward."

Satisfied with that plan and not in the mood for a battle, I nodded and spurred Cadoc's reins. We traveled for the larger part of a day, Saphira giving constant updates as to the status of our followers. By the time the sun began to set they had narrowed the distance between us, only stopping to let their horses drink. "Should we keep going?" I asked Brom. "No, we need to stop and rest the horses. If our followers arrive, then we'll be prepared."

Feeling that this wasn't going to turn out well, I nonetheless agreed and stopped, tying Cadoc's reins to the limb of a lone tree while Brom did the same for Snowfire. In these plains we couldn't make an adequate fire, so we were forced to eat our meat cold. It sufficed however, and Saphira came down to offer to take first watch for the followers. I tried to protest, but she held firm until I eventually gave up, curling up against her side.

The moment I did I fell into a deep sleep, and stayed that way for more than a few hours, until I was nudged awake by Brom. "They're coming," he said shortly. Instantly I snapped awake, and grabbed Zar'roc from the bag against Saphira's side. Brom drew his sword, I did mine, and Saphira stood, all looking in the direction we came and waiting. For about half n hour nothing happened, and then I began to hear hooves.

I tightened my grip on Zar'roc and got ready, and the two followers and their steeds stopped in front of us. Saphira was right, they were wearing black coats, but from the way they were built I could tell one of them was a man. He was tall with broad shoulders and arms that appeared to be muscles beneath his sleeves, . His steed was a pure black, save for its hooves which were a golden yellow.

The other was female, with a slim figure and cherry-red lips, and her horse was a snow-white, save for its mane and hooves which were a bright red. On her hips were a pair of swords in red sheaths, and the moment Saphira saw them she growled. They both we silent for a moment, and we were too, until the man said "So, you are Eragon, the newest of the riders and named after the first." His voice wasn't terribly deep, but his voice was strong. "And you must be Saphira, one of the last of your great race," the woman said, her like the tinkling of a bell and she almost seemed to be singing.

When the woman spoke to Saphira she growled again, and Brom asked "Who are you? Why have you been following us?" The couple ignored him, and the man said "Such a crystalline blue for a dragon's scale, don't you agree?" "Yes," the woman agreed "I have not seen a dragon of such a color in a long time, the shade of the blue reminds me of an intense blue fire. Tell me Eragon, can your dragon yet breath flames?"

I blinked at the question before looking at Brom, who shrugged. "Not, she can't," I admitted. I saw the man and the woman both frown, and they turned to look at each other. "She can't even breathe fire yet. What are we going to do?" the man asked. "Well, we must bear in mind that she is only a few months of age. Give her time and she will," the woman advised. He nodded, and then Brom spoke louder "I repeat, who are you? Why are you following us?"

The man turned to look at him. "We weren't following you, though I have no objections to keeping tabs on such a unique individual as yourself. In truth, we followed Eragon and his dragon." "We wish to test him," the woman added. "How do you even know our names?" I asked. "And how I was a Rider?" "We had heard rumors of a new Rider that had appeared in Alagaesia, and when we heard these rumors we just happened to be near Carvahall. We heard how a voe named Eragon had disappeared, along with Brom the storyteller. Then we put two and two together," the man explained.

"Once we knew your names, and your descriptions from asking the butcher of Carvahall, it was easy enough to track you," the woman said, her lips curling in a smile. So Sloan had given them up one again. Making a mental note to have a word with the butcher if he ever saw him again, I asked "So why are here? You've found me, but what do you want? Do you serve Galbatorix?"

Although most of his face was hidden by the hood of his coat, the man's mouth frowned in disgust. "We bear no allegiance to that traitorous piece of slime. Galbatorix is madman who has lived for only a century; we have been in this world for so much more. Our power is beyond measure, and we will bow to no one, nor anything. We serve ourselves," the man said fiercely. "Then what is it that you want?" Brom asked.

The woman's smile grew devious, as if she was suddenly looking at prey. "Why, just as we said Old Brom. We, or to be specific I, have come to test Eragon. We wish to see if he has the potential to destroy Galbatorix, or if he is simply over his head and will perish as a martyr." With that she slipped of her horse and landed lightly on the ground. I took a step back, unwilling to participate in an unnecessary battle.

The woman noticed this and said "It would be a very bad idea for you to try and avoid me. Either one of us could easily overpower you." I stopped and reluctantly pulled Zar'roc out of its sheath. "Once one of us had won, will you leave in peace?" I asked. She nodded and said "Oh, just so there is no interference..." She flung her hand towards Brom and called "Thrysta!" An invisible fist punched Brom in the stomach, doubling over before sending him flying.

Before I could run over to him the woman said "Rïsa brisingr!" and a circle of fire rose out out of the ground and circled around Saphira, the woman, and me, trapping us inside. I looked at her and she smiled devilishly. "Now it is truly you and your dragon against I. Once one of us is defeated, the flames will dissipate," she said, before drawing her two swords. The handle were wrapped in red cloth while the hilts were perfectly circular and they, along with the pommels, appeared to be made of volcanic rock. The blades were of average length, but they were sharp and looked like they were forged out of ruby.

The three of us, the woman, Saphira, I were still for a single moment, before Saphira roared and charged forward. She trie3d take a swipe at her with her claws, but the woman simply jumped and back-flipped out of her each, landing lightly on the ground. Before Saphira could try again, and woman used one foot to launch herself forward and cut against one of Saphira's forelegs.

Saphira bellowed in rage, and the sight of her blood made mine boil. I charged forward and brought Zar'roc down in an overhead blow, but the woman blocked it with one sword before retaliating with the other. I jumped back to avoid being hit, and the woman crossed her swords over her chest. She called "Brisingr!"and both her lades burst into flame. She swung one sword at me and arc of fire shot toward me while she did the other for Saphira. I held up Zar'roc and the wave collided with blade, burning brightly for a second before fading away.

Saphira swiftly moved to the side and dodged the arc, but the woman used the momentary distraction charge again and give Saphira another cut to her other foreleg. With both of them injured Saphira's forelegs actually shuddered for a second, having trouble supporting her weight. The woman smiled and ran up to my dragon, actually leaping up and jumping off her snout.

I looked up to see the woman call "Kveykva!" before she pointed one of her swords down at Saphira and a bolt of lightning shot out of the end. The bolt her on her right wing, and she roared in anger and pain. I quickly ran over and took a look at her wing. The spot where the bolt hit was burnt, and when the woman landed back down I told Saphira to stay put before I charged.

I swung Zar'roc at the woman side and she blocked it easily, again responding with her other sword. I moved back to avoid it, and the woman kept on me, using one sword after another to attack me relentlessly. I ended up backpedaling, using my sword to block every attack, but that was the woman was letting me do. She was strong, more than capable of wielding both blades with fluid efficiency.

Eventually the sight became too much, and Saphira roared before charging back forward. She snapped her ivory teeth at the woman, who jumped back, but now it was my turn to press on her. I slammed Zar'roc against one of her swords, and before she could use the other I pushed and sent her reeling back a few steps. Then Saphira took another swipe and her and she flipped back, but this time her balance was off and she fell to the ground.

I ran forward, intent on claiming victory, but then the woman jumped back up to her feet and called "Sverd Eldrvarya!" Then her swords burst into flame, only this time they didn't fade, and she charged forward. The heat of the flames hit me every time I blocked a strike, and the woman was equally successful at holding off Saphira at the same time. I noticed that the flames had absolutely no effect her blades, and I was hit with realization. All her spells were revolving around fire!

The woman jumped back and sent another arc of flames toward me, but I called "Adurna!" and flung out my hand. An orb of water shot from it and hit the arc, which dissolved in a cloud of steam. The woman frowned and then stood perfectly still. I was perplexed, until I felt a burning dagger searing at my consciousness.

I fell to my knees and clutched my head, and a roar beside me told me that Saphira had been affected as well. The dagger tried o tear apart my mind, and I hurriedly threw up walls to prevent it from getting in. Even so, I could feel the dagger as it stabbed at my mind, leaving a mark of raw power and burning emotions each time it left. If this was the woman's mind, then it felt like fire, burning away at my defenses.

Then I blindly charged forward without thinking, swinging Zar'roc toward the woman. She was forced to halt her assault on my mind in order to block, and once Saphira was freed she joined in too. For a full minute the two of us traded blows with the woman, before Saphira manged to shove her back, and when she wobbled on one foot I shoved into her as well and sent her onto her back, her swords flying to land point-first in the ground. Before she could get up I rested the point of Zar'roc against her throat.

"It's over. What do you say?" I asked her. She seemed to looked at Zar'roc, then Saphira, her swords and finally at me. Slowly, I felt an burning anger began to rise within her, an uncontrollable rage, and her body trembled with it before she called "What do I say you ask? I say this: Evarínya edoc'sil!" Her body glowed red and she grabbed Zar'roc, not minding the cut the blade made to her hand, and threw it away from her neck. She jumped up to her feet and flipped back before looking up at the sky, rasping her hand toward it and calling "Naina du evarínya un reisa anglát!"

I looked up, and to my horror a ball of flame formed in the sky above us, before it flashed and revealed itself to be a star-shaped comet. It streaked down at a rapid pace, and I knew that not even Saphira would survive its fall unscathed. I looked at her and saw that she was smiling, but the smile had a crazed look to it. "No one, save I, will survive the crash. Surrender, and I'll allow the two of you to live, I'd wager that you have about thirty seconds."

"Are you crazy?!" I asked her. Her smile grew and she replied "Not crazy, only enraged." The comet was nearing us now, and I could feel the heat and power emanating from it. I looked at Saphira. "What should we do?" I asked her frantically. She looked from me to the star and sighed. "We must surrender. We have no choice," she told me. I nodded gravely and looked at the woman. "We surrender," I said. She smiled once more and looked at the comet. "Mor'ranr," she said softly, and the comet disappeared. The circle of flames around us vanished as well. Brom and the man with the black horse from before stood there.

The woman said "Well done Eragon. Very few have ever been able to subdue me, even in a two-on-one battle. I see that you have the seeds for great potential, and that even now they have begun to take root. I look forward to seeing what you will become with a little more training." The she walked over to her white and red steed and climbed on top before reaching to grab something out of a saddlebag. "Oh, and here is something for your troubles."

She tossed me a large bag of coins, and I blinked when I heard the clinking of the money inside. "May your swords stay sharp, young Rider," the man said, before they both spurred their reins and their horses sped off into the night. I looked at Brom and asked "Are you okay?" He nodded and said "The spell that woman used was a simple one designed to send me back, that way she could have only you, her and Saphira in her circle of flames. However, we should be going now; we don't know if those two will show up again."

Despite being now thoroughly exhausted, I nodded quickly healed Saphira's injuries, particularly the burn mark on her wing, before walking over and climbing on top of Cadoc. We both spurred our horses reins and began riding as Saphira took to the skies. I fell asleep in the saddle, too exhausted to even think.

xxx

Far way on a hill in he plains, the man and the woman watched the Rider, dragon and former Rider of the dragon's namesake ride off to Dras-Leona. The man turned in his saddle to the woman and asked :You enjoyed that, did you not?" The woman smiled before pulling back her hood to expose her face. Along with her cherry-red lips was lightly tanned skin, a small dusting of freckles across her nose and cheeks, eyes the same orange of sparks from a bonfire, and long hair that was as bright and red as fire itself.

The woman turned to look at the man and smiled. A genuine smile, and one of love. "Yes, I did. It's a shame we could not both fight him though, I enjoy fighting with you by my side. The man smiled and pulled off his hood, showing fair skin, red-gold eyes and spiky hair the color of silver. "It's of no consequence, I shall merely fight him next time." The woman nodded and turned to look back to where the traveling group and been before gazing up at the stars.

"Yes, we shall see him again. And that is a meeting I look forward to."

xxx

Well, this is my first Eragon fanfiction, and I hope it was up to scratch. Come next chapter there will be more information about this mysterious couple, and I hope you all will stay tuned for then!

Please review! (Flames will be ignored)