Okay.. this is the prologue to the story. Hope it does not suck to much. My writing style may not suit those who like fast-paced stories, so, you've been warned. Just try not to flame me, okay?

Disclaimer: If this was mine, I wouldn't be here! Actually, in this prolouge, only one character belongs to Christopher Paolini. So guess, which one is it?

***

Prologue

A moan escaped her as pushed with all her might. At last! The elf triumphantly held up what she had endured nine long months for. A beautiful baby girl stared back at her. Green eyes met blue. The baby had her father's eyes, no doubt, but had at least inherited her slender frame and pale complexion.

Then her face fell. She could not bring this back with her, back to her life where this baby would never fit in. She marvelled at the newborn babe's already-sharpened senses and, pressing her lips to her child's soft skin, glanced back, deep into her eyes, one last time, before vanishing into the cover of night.

Behind her, a mournful cry, lovely in all its sorrow and helplessness, sounded clear in the silent night.

***

20 years later…

A young maiden leapt gracefully through the mountain terrain, lithe as a panther. She laughed. It was a beautiful one. Every note in it was clear and lilting, not very different from the trill of a mockingbird. The others would never catch her now!

She stopped by the edge of a lake. Looking down, she examined her appearance carefully. Slanted eyebrows, pointed ears; she was just different. That was not the only thing that put her aside from the rest. She was bigger in size, yet was still as fast as any of them. She had their eyes, which could change its colour as fast as a chameleon; yet still loved reading books in the quaint little attic of the mage's.

She was just different. A few years back, she would have loathed it, resented her mother for giving her all those ungainly attributes. Now, though, the rage in her was calmed. She accepted who she was. She began thinking of herself as unique, instead of different.

Blowing at the smooth surface of the water, she got up, watching the ripples appear one by one. Others said she was wasting time; they preferred to always be at work, doing something meaningful. But she enjoyed every moment of it. Just sitting down and observing her surroundings.

A smooth pebble just a few paces away caught her attention. If the others were here, they would have overlooked it, but not she. It was concealed by a seemingly easy but complicated web of moss and plants. It was as if they wanted to protect the stone, but only revealed its presence to her..

Gently, she bent down to dislodge the stone in one swift motion. It had a smooth gray surface, blemished only by silvery-white swirls which adorned its centre. She knocked on its cool surface experimentally. It produced a fine ringing sound, which she allowed to hang in the air for a few moments before fading away.

Relentlessly, she examined the stone. Rubbing it against the sharp granite lining the lake, throwing it once in the air; only she could make any sense out of it. After a few hours, she glanced up. The sky had darkened. Dropping what she was doing, she laid down on the soft ground, cradling the stone in her arms, her star-gazing dropping off into a deep slumber.

Inside the stone, life awakened.

***

Hope none of you died of a heart attack... Anyway, PLEASE REVIEW!!! No pressure, but I'm trying to get 5 reviews before I actually continue this story.