This is the prequel to The Female Dragon Rider, turned into the first chapter. Disclaimer: I don't own anything from the Inheritance Cycle, but I do own Kendra and Ice and eventually Brock, I suppose.
Officially refurbished! Although, there really wasn't much I could do for this without screwing up the rest of the story. I fixed the grammar and stuff, but the people are still out of character some I think.
Background: Eragon and Murtagh met a girl their age named Kendra. Galbatorix considered her a daughter even though she hated him. Murtagh and she were the best of friends. So, when Murtagh was leaving with Eragon she had to say goodbye even though she wanted to go with them. She knew she couldn't because of Galbatorix.
Murtagh snuck out of the castle as he had been doing for nearly two months. He ran to the clearing where Eragon was impatiently waiting. Eragon glared and stood up as he got there.
"Finally! I don't get why you don't just come with me." Eragon said, rolling his eyes and throwing his hands up in the air. Murtagh scowled at him, rummaging through his knapsack.
"It's complicated." Murtagh muttered, not about to tell him he wouldn't go with him because of a girl, he could just imagine that abuse he would get from that, "Be happy I'm helping you learn magic and swordsmanship." he added to change the subject and stop Eragon's glaring.
"Okay, fine." Eragon sighed, raising his hands up in surrender and changing the subject with one final, "But, just imagine if Galbatorix finds me now. Brom did want me to go straight to the Varden." Murtagh's scowled deepened at the reminder of the Varden. Before he could retort, the bushes behind him rustled and both Eragon and Murtagh turned to them, swords raised.
A short girl popped out of them, tumbling to her feet. She looked up at them, smirking slightly and Murtagh sighed, putting his sword away. "So this is where you've been sneaking off every night Tag?" the girl asked, slight undertone of laughter in her voice. Eragon cautiously put his sword away after Murtagh, watching the girl warily.
"Kendra! Why did you follow me?" Murtagh growled, blatantly ignoring the nickname. The girl, Kendra, laughed dryly.
"You think I wouldn't notice you missing since sunset every day." Kendra rolled her eyes. "Your lucky old Galby doesn't care about either one of us enough to notice we're missing." she added. Murtagh sighed, as Eragon looked at him in confusion at the mention of Galbatorix (or who he assumed to be Galbatorix).
"Fine. Let's continue Eragon." Murtagh growled in annoyance, not letting him question the reference.
"Hi! I'm Kendra! Nice to meet you Eragon!" she exclaimed happily, holding out her hand for Eragon to shake. He did so, laughing at how mad Murtagh still looked from her appearance.
"Okay! Enough! Let's spar!" Murtagh growled again. Eragon and Kendra both snickered this time.
"Okay! I'd love to Tag!" Kendra said, grinning as she deliberately used his nickname again to attempt to get a rise out of him.
"I wasn't talking to you and if you call me Tag, then I'm calling you Pixie." Murtagh shot back, smirking slightly at her frown. "I'm teaching Eragon to spar, not you." he pointed out. She rolled her eyes.
"Obviously, I'm already better than you, so you don't need to teach me. Anyway, I'm in a sparring mood. Eragon can learn from watching, and can I ask why you are teaching Eragon?" Kendra asked, an eyebrow raised curiously.
"Can I tell her?" Murtagh asked Eragon, a hand pinching the bridge of his nose. Saphira answered for Eragon by landing behind Kendra. Kendra heard the landing and stiffened. She had learned the many noises dragons make, and she recognized the landing.
"Okay...a dragon...by the sound of it." she mumbled and turned around. She smiled shyly, a little bit afraid of this dragon she had never met before. "Hello! May I ask your name?" she asked Saphira, tensing herself and forcing herself to be brave, or at least act like she was. Saphira smiled in the only way a dragon can, by bearing it's teeth, and went into Kendra's mind. Kendra didn't relax her posture yet.
"Nice to meet you little one. My name is Saphira." she introduced herself, and Kendra slowly relaxed. Saphira didn't seem like she was being threatening at the moment.
"Nice to meet you too Saphira. You're very pretty." Kendra complimented admiringly. Hey, what better way to get on a dragon's good side?
Saphira smiled and directed this thought towards Murtagh and Eragon, "I like her, you should have brought her along a while ago Murtagh." Kendra smiled at Murtagh tauntingly, all passed traces of fear gone.
"Well, that's great. How about you two spar now?" Eragon laughed, bringing them back on topic. He really was curious as to what Kendra would look like sparing, and knew Murtagh held back when sparing with him.
Murtagh and Kendra nodded and got into fighting position, drawing their swords and blocking them with magic. Kendra jumped forward quickly and swiped at him. He deflected it and attacked her back, which she parried.
They went on like this for a few hours and Eragon kept trying to get them to stop, but they were ignoring him. He was really regretting being curious now. They parted for a moment both panting heavily. Then they both nearly fainted, Murtagh only lilting slightly, catching himself on a tree and Eragon caught Kendra considering she was closer.
Eragon and Saphira swapped incredulous glances, until Eragon sighed and put Kendra down. It was another few minutes until she woke with a gasp. Eragon had took the time to get her water, which both she and Murtagh happily guzzled down.
"You two fought each other until exhaustion, I think it's time for you to go home for some rest." Eragon said, now amused and relieved that they were okay, only a slight bit of shock remaining.
Both Murtagh and Kendra nodded standing up and tumbling their way out of the forest.
Kendra came with Murtagh everyday Eragon and she became like siblings. Saphira and she became best friends.
Murtagh and Kendra of course told Eragon and Saphira about how they had been best friends since they were little and Kendra moved here.
After about a month though Galbatorix noticed their frequent disappearances and asked them about it. Kendra thought quickly and said they had been going on dates. Murtagh blushed brightly at that giving her a disbelieving stare, while Galbatorix laughed and said, much to their embarrassment, to not have sex.
He chuckled and went away when they blushed even brighter. That's when Kendra knew it was time for Eragon and Murtagh to go, as she said when they met that night.
"Hi Kendra! Murtagh!" both Eragon and Saphira greeted.
"Hey." Kendra said, she took a deep breath,
"Murtagh, Eragon I think it's time to go. Galbatorix is getting suspicious." Kendra continued.
"Oh, okay! When do we leave?" Eragon asked.
"Well, you three leave tonight." Kendra said, looking down.
"What?" the before mentioned three yelled as they realized her intentions.
"That's right. I can't go with you, Galbatorix will be after you in second, maybe I can hold that off for you." Kendra argued.
They argued with her, but she had a comeback every time. She eventually convinced them to leave after arguing for at least an hour.
"Kendra promise me you will be okay!" Murtagh whispered to her, looking on the brink of tears, while Kendra had a few silent tears running down her cheeks.
"I promise. You'll be okay too right?" she asked. Murtagh smiled slightly and nodded. He turned to leave, but before he could do so Kendra caught his sleeve spun him around, and stood carefully on her toes, pecking him on the lips. She carefully dropped back to her heels and sighed slightly, pushing the stunned Murtagh away. "Go! I'll make sure Galbatorix doesn't go after you for as long as I can." she told the two.
"Thank you Kendra." Eragon said breaking out of his own shock, hugging her goodbye, then dragging a still shocked Murtagh with him to where Saphira was waiting impatiently. Saphira broke into Kendra's mind to say goodbye as she took off.
A few more tears trickled down Kendra's face before she started to run. After running for quite some time, she stumbled over a big white rock...or so she thought.