Just a few things first. This story will be five chapters long and it takes place in the same universe as Inheritance: Legacy.

In my fanfic universe, the Banishing of the Names never happened, there are lands beyond Alagaesia which will play a role in the story, there are more mythical races, events will happen much differently from how they happened in the books, and many characters will be portrayed differently. I am writing this story as a prequel to Inheritance: Legacy to provide some back story which will play a major role in the events of that story.

Prologue

The wind howled and the snow pelted a lone figure seated astride a crimson dragon as they fought their way through a raging blizzard high above a remote mountain range.

"Curse this place and its backwards seasons!" Morzan bellowed, wrapping himself tightly in his travel cloak.

As if the crimson Rider did not have enough problems to worry about, now it seems as if Galbatorix had sent him on yet another wild goose chase. Their orders had been to hunt down their old masters, Oromis and the golden dragon, Glaedr, who had eluded Formora and Kailandi earlier.

This is a waste of time! complained the crimson dragon on which Morzan rode.

Agreed. But you know just as well as I do that we have no choice. Ragnarök replied.

Morzan sighed. "We never had a choice…" he said in barely a whisper. His words were lost amongst the howling wind.

As they soared onward through the winter storm, Morzan reflected on the events that had led him here. He dreaded to think about how he had fallen into Galbatorix's clutched as a young student. It had been a terrifying experience. He recalled how Galbatorix, the wanted fugitive, had threatened himself and Ragnarök with death if they did not comply. He had used their love for one another against them, forcing them to swear oath after oath to him. No matter how badly they had wanted to seek help, the binding oaths prevented them from telling anyone.

Morzan scowled bitterly at the thought of what Galbatorix had made him do. He thought back to how the fugitive Rider had forced him to assist in the stealing of a hatchling which ended in the murder of a young student. He remembered how Galbatorix had used him as a mole, gathering information about the Riders, the whereabouts of the elders, and recruiting other disgruntled Riders to his cause.

"It doesn't matter now." he tried to tell himself. "They're all dead now."

From the time Ragnarök had hatched for him, the other Riders had treated them both like vermin. With a few exceptions, everyone they met had been cruel to them.

Having grown up as a poor street urchin, Morzan had always been looked down upon by the other Riders.

"They were a bunch of entitled elitist fools! They deserved what happened to them!" Morzan growled, feeling the chill of icy wind penetrate his cloak, reflecting the cold darkness which had gripped his heart.

Saphira and Brom didn't deserve what happened. Ragnarök corrected him with a hint of regret and sadness.

Morzan frowned, adjusting his cloak so as to better keep out the icy wind.

Dammit Rag, why did you have to bring that up? Morzan demanded.

Brom and his dragon had been among the few Riders who had not been downright cruel to them. Morzan felt a great pang of guilt every time his thoughts drifted back to the pair. Brom, while he could be annoying at times, had been the only other student who was willing to befriend Morzan. And Saphira, as self-righteous and bullheaded as she could be sometimes, was a kindhearted dragon who had helped him on numerous occasions. She had even personally saved his life once before. Now she was dead, slain by his own hand. As for Brom, Morzan had never learned of the boy's fate but it was unlikely that he had survived. He shared an unusually close bond with his dragon. If the shock of losing Saphira didn't kill him, the invisible poison which had coated Vroengard certainly would have.

Few people had ever been kind to him and most of them were dead now. Morzan tried to push the thoughts from his mind and focus on the mission at hand. Recently, Galbatorix had captured another surviving Rider, an elf by the name of Natagath. The rider's dragon, a violet colored female, had managed to escape thanks to Natagath severing the bond between him and the dragon, making it impossible to track her down through their bond. Though the dragon had not yet been found, Galbatorix had learned from the elf that Oromis and Glaedr were still alive somewhere. Morzan's search for his former master had led him to a land called Danthuania, a small continent in the southern ocean south of Alagaesia. Located in the Southern Hemisphere, this odd land featured backwards seasons and highly unpredictable weather. It also had a surprising variety of landscapes for a small continent. The northern coastline that Morzan and Ragnarök had seen when they first arrived was covered by dense tropical rainforests, while the interior was dominated by a large, snowy mountain range.

A strong gust of wind caused Ragnarök to roll sharply to the right before steadying himself.

This accursed storm is growing worse by the second! We must land or we'll be killed! the ruby dragon said to his comrade.

Very well. Try to find us some shelter. We'll continue our search once the blizzard has passed. Morzan replied telepathically. Truth be told, he could have just warded them from the storm but he wanted an excuse to rest. The pair flew on for several minutes until Ragnarök found the entrance to a cavern near the base of a mountain. As soon as the red dragon landed in the snow, Morzan climbed down and sank up to his knees. Wrapping his arms around himself, Morzan waded through the snow until he was inside the cave. Ragnarök followed. The dragon was almost too large to fit through the opening, but he finally managed to squeeze inside. Morzan took a moment to look around the cavern. The only light seemed to be the light coming in from the entrance of the cave. Just as Morzan was about to find a place to sit, Ragnarök sniffed the air, tensed up and growled.

What is it, Rag? inquired Morzan, gazing into the darkness.

We're not alone! replied the dragon.

"Brisingr!" Morzan shouted, shooting a ball of fire into the darkness of the cavern. As the ball of fire traveled into the depths of the cave, Morzan saw several sets of glowing eyes, illuminated by the glow of the fire, staring at him. Immediately the Rider drew Zar'roc from his belt and prepared to cast wards around himself. Behind him, Ragnarök glanced up at something up above them. Before either Rider or dragon could react, an ear-splitting screech filled the air. A sharp, burning pain shot through Morzan's mind and he and Ragnarök both screaming in agony in unison. Morzan's vision blurred and he became disoriented. He tried to summon his magic to steady himself but to his horror, it was as if his link to magic, and to his dragon, had been severed. As the sound of the screech reverberated in his mind, Morzan became more disoriented and lost his footing. Zar'roc fell to the floor of the cave with a clank and Morzan struck his head on a rock. The last thing he saw before darkness set in was a dark form descending upon him from above.

To be continued…