Prologue: Ora's Peril

A beautiful young woman sat on her bed in her bedchamber, weeping. Dark blond hair had she, as well as brilliant emerald eyes. She was fit, but not grotesquely so. The beautiful young lass wept for her brothers. Tears streamed from her bloodshot eyes, which were full of sorrow and pain. Murtagh, her eldest brother, had just returned from battle at The Burning Plains, or Du Vollar Eldrvarya, in the Elven tongue. He was exhausted from battle, but Galbatorix still saw fit to "have a counsel" with her brother. The King's "counsels" were just his words for torturing someone.

This was not all that saddened Tarmunora, for that was her name. Known to those who knew her well as Ora, and to those who didn't as "Milady", she grieved even more knowing that Murtagh had faced Eragon, who was her twin brother. Yes, Selena had been carrying twins when she had escaped from Morzan and fled to Carvahall. Eragon had been left in Carvahall with Selena's brother, Garrow, his wife Marian, and their son, Roran. Tarmunora had been taken with her mother. Ora's mother had known that Morzan would be even more enraged than he already would be if she left with child and came home no longer pregnant and without a child.

Selena knew that neither Morzan nor Galbatorix would take any more notice of a little girl that of an annoying gnat.

After Selena had disappeared and Morzan had been slain by Brom, Ora had fallen into the custody of the wicked, evil King, Galbatorix. Ora hated that man with every fiber of her being. Worse, if you wished to have a chance of living to escape, you had to bow to his wishes.

Another pain that she felt that night was her twin's realization of their father's identity and the unwilling betrayal of his own flesh and blood, Murtagh. Ora was blessed (or cursed) with the power of feeling Eragon's emotions with him. Oh, how she burned to run to her twin, embrace him and comfort him, but she knew that that was impossible for the time being because of the leagues that separated her from him. Eragon was not even aware that she existed, let alone the pain she felt for him. Ora thought, "If I can't be with him, I shall at least see how he's doing".

Tarmunora reached for the white porcelain pitcher and wash-basin that lay on an ebony table close to her green adorned bed. She carefully poured the water from the pitcher into the basin and waited for it to settle. When it did, she said the words "Draumr kopa" and the water shimmered, turned black, and then started to focus on the image of her twin. Eragon was leaning up against a wall; talking to someone she couldn't see. In his deep blue eyes she saw anger, sadness, fear, determination, and strangely, a hint of joy. She gazed at Eragon thinking, "I will join you soon, brother, I promise".

There was a loud banging on the door to Ora's bedchamber that startled her and broke her concentration, causing her to knock to pitcher of water over.

"Who is it?" asked Ora.

"His Majesty Galbatorix's guards. Open up! By order of the King you are to join your brother downstairs," yelled the voice, pounding louder. The door burst open, showing two muscular men who wore Galbatorix's colors.

"You can tell the King to come get me himself," Ora said calmly.

"Seize her!"