All canon characters belong to Christopher Paolini. All OCs belong to me.

It has long been thought that death is the end. Once you have passed into the void, there is no return. Those are the rules. However, sometimes there are exceptions. Sometimes there are ways around the rules. Either way, I have returned, and whatever path history might have taken in my absence, the world is about to change forever.

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Chapter 1: Bold Escape

"I've no interest in joining anyone's cause." Murtagh declared, staring at the two men who sat across from him at the campfire.

"Perhaps that is for the best." replied Brom wearily as he gazed into the fire, the flickering glow dancing around his aged facial features.

Eragon frowned upon hearing this. Two days had passed since Brom's narrow brush with death, and the old former Rider was still weak from the effects of the seithr oil. Despite his weakened condition, Brom had insisted that the group keep moving, but now it seemed that Murtagh wanted to take his leave.

"Are you sure you won't reconsider?" Eragon asked. "The Varden could certainly use you."

"I've no desire to be 'used' by anyone, Eragon." Murtagh replied firmly. "I will not swear oaths of loyalty to any one party. True, I despise Galbatorix and the things he has done, but I value my independence too greatly."

"I cannot say for certain that you would be welcomed among the Varden anyhow." Brom added.

Though he did not intend to sound hostile, by the scowl on Murtagh's face, it was clear the young man had taken offence to the statement.

Eragon frowned. "So when will you leave?"

"Probably in the morning. I prefer to fight my battles alone." Murtagh replied somberly.

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Not far from camp, Saphira stalked her prey. She had tracked down three deer and hungrily prepared to pounce. It was too dangerous to risk being seen in the air so the sapphire blue dragon chose to hunt on the ground. Just as she prepared to pounce, Saphira heard a twig snap off to her right. As she turned her head, the blue dragon was struck by a powerful stunning spell. Her legs collapsed from beneath her and she fell to the ground. Moments later, her attacker stood over here. There stood a figure completely clad in black plate armor. He stood six feet tall but appeared to be of fairly thin build. He carried a short staff on a leather sheath on his back. On his left thigh, there was another leather sheath holding another weapon of some sort. He wore a leather belt holding various pouches. Even the gloves he wore appeared to be armored, featuring sharp, spiked knuckles. A leather strap that stretched from the armored figure's left shoulder to his right hip held five small canisters and four small iron balls of an unknown purpose. His helmet completely covered his face and the eye holes were covered by a pair of dark tinted lenses. Upon the forehead of the helmet was the coat of arms of the Empire and just above it was a number seven, emblazoned in red. The emblem and red number seven were also present on both of his shoulders.

Saphira had no idea what to make of the creature standing before her. It was clear from his appearance that he was a living, breathing weapon. Saphira attempted to stand, but the armored figure struck her with another stunning spell.

"It is useless to resist, dragon." the man said with a muffled but understandable voice.

Saphira let out a defiant roar, struggling in vain against the binding spell.

Back at the camp, Eragon heard Saphira's roar and immediately he knew something was wrong.

"Saphira!" cried the young Rider, leaping to his feet, a look of fear and concern clear on his face.

"Eragon, wait!" Brom shouted to no avail.

Eragon bounded through the woods. Murtagh grabbed his bow and he and Brom took off after him. As Eragon ran, he tried to contact Saphira mentally but could not sense her. Either she was blocking him, or she was simply unable to respond. It didn't take long for Eragon to reach Saphira. He found his dragon sprawled out on the ground, unable to move. Her sapphire eyes widened with fear when he came into view. She opened her mouth and let out a distressed whimper, as if trying to warn him about something. Eragon heard a heavy footstep behind him and before he could even turn around, he was knocked out cold from behind. As the Rider fell unconscious to the ground, Saphira let out a distressed wail.

"A pity it had to come to this." said the armored man, grabbing the unconscious Eragon by the shirt and dragging him to Saphira's side.

Murtagh leaped from the clearing, an arrow at the ready. Just as he fired the arrow, the armored man waved his left hand and a wave of violet energy shot outward, deflecting the arrow away and knocking Murtagh off his feet. The man clutched Eragon by the shirt once more with one hand and grabbed one of Saphira's horns with the other. He uttered an incantation and there was a sudden flash of bright, violet light. When the light faded, the armored man, Eragon, and Saphira had simply vanished.

Brom arrived just in time to witness the spectacle. Throwing Zar'roc onto the ground, he let out a cry of anger, clasping his hands against his forehead and breathed hard, a look of rage and frustration on his face. For several seconds, Brom just stood there, looking as if he didn't know what to do.

"Now what?" Murtagh asked flatly, picking his bow up off the ground.

"The energy required to teleport a dragon would be massive. They… they can't have gone far." Brom stammered.

He thought for a second and then exclaimed, "Gil'ead!"

Murtagh cocked his head. "And what makes you so certain? How do you know they weren't taken to Dras-Leona?"

"Gil'ead is the Empire's primary stronghold in these parts." Brom replied. "If I were going to imprison a dragon, Gil'ead is where I would try it. I'm going after them!"

The elderly former Dragon Rider picked Zar'roc off the ground and sheathed the crimson blade.

"You're mad! You'll surely be killed!" Murtagh exclaimed in protest.

"Those two are all I have left to live for. If I die trying to rescue them, then so be it!" Brom snapped as he started back toward the camp. "I have snuck into Gil'ead before. Now, Eragon and Saphira are the last hope we have against the false king. I'll be damned if I'm going to let Galbatorix get his clutches on them!"

Murtagh frowned. "I suppose you want my help?"

"Yes. Gil'ead is a fortress but I know the city. Eragon and Saphira will most likely be held in the city's castle. It is the only suitable place to hold a dragon."

After they retrieved their possessions, Brom climbed onto Snowfire's back and led Cadoc along while Murtagh mounted on Tornac. They set off for Gil'ead with all due haste.

Murtagh rode alongside Brom and declared, "That boy seems to have a knack for getting himself into trouble."

"I've come to expect this sort of idiocy from Eragon." Brom growled. "But Saphira… I can't believe she allowed herself to be captured that easily. She let her guard down. Just… just like…"

Brom's words trailed off as he tried to fend off a wave of nightmarish memories.

"We have more important concerns at hand now." he said, pushing the thoughts out of his mind.

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Eragon regained consciousness, his head throbbing and spinning. As his vision became clear, he became aware that he was lying on a stone floor inside a tiny cell. Rubbing his head, he felt a large, aching bump from where he had been struck. He looked around the room. There was not much to see really, just a tiny barred window near the ceiling and a nondescript wooden door with a small window leading out into the hall. Footsteps could be heard out in the corridor. There was the unmistakable sound of keys being turned in a lock and the door swung open to reveal a man dressed in long maroon robes and crimson red hair and matching eyes. The man's skin was pale white. Eragon was confused at first, but then the stranger gave him a menacing grin, revealing sharp, pointed teeth.

A Shade! He thought to himself as he gazed up at his captor, terror paralyzing his body.

"It's about time you awoke. You have been out cold for two days." growled the Shade.

Propping himself up with both arms, Eragon asked, trying to hide his fear, "Who are you?"

His captor merely chuckled. "You are in no position to make demands, boy. But since you ask, you may call me Durza."

"Where is Saphira?" Eragon demanded. He was unable to sense her presence, though he knew she had been captured along with him.

For a moment, a Durza stood there looking confused. Then he grinned once more.

"Ahh yes, you mean your dragon. She's safe, at least for now." Durza replied with a sneer. "So tell me, boy, was it that old fool Brom's idea to give her that name?"

Eragon glared at his captor. "I'll tell you nothing!"

"It really makes no difference to me whether you talk or not. Just give me time."

The Shade smirked. "I'm sure I can find ways to break your will and loosen your tongue."

Eragon scowled which seemed to amuse the Shade even more. "Personally, were it my choice, I'd just chop your dragon's head off and rid the world of her wretched race once and for all."

Before the conversation could continue any further, a guard approached Durza, bowing to the Shade.

"Sir, the elf has regained consciousness." said the guard.

Durza nodded. "I want four guards posted at this cell."

Turning back to Eragon, the Shade smirked. "If you will excuse me, young Rider, I have unfinished business to attend to."

Durza started off down the passage, leaving Eragon alone. Four guards took their positions outside the cell.

"An elf?" he muttered to himself, lying down on the stone floor again.

He recalled the visions he had been having of a female who he believed to be an elf. She possessed raven black hair, stunning green eyes, and pale skin. She seemed to be in distress. Could she be the elf the guard was referring to? Eragon did not have time to ponder on the subject though.

One of the guards suddenly pointed down the hall and shouted, "Intruder! Stop!"

The other three guards turned their attention in the direction the fourth guard was pointing. There was a flash of steel and a cry of pain and one of the guards fell to the ground, a dagger in his back. The other two guards turned to the forth guard who had just drawn a hand-and-a-half sword. Before either of them could react, the guard struck them both down. Turning to Eragon, the guard removed his helmet, revealing…

"Murtagh?" Eragon gasped.

Murtagh chuckled and quipped, "Well you didn't just think we'd leave you to rot in here, did ya?"

"Well of course not. How did you find me?" Eragon asked, getting to his feet.

"Brom figured it out." Murtagh said, removing a set of keys from his pocket and opening the door to the cell.

"Alright, let's go!"

He quickly retrieved his bow and arrow from behind a stone column nearby and started down the hall with Eragon following. Eragon still wasn't sure what had just happened, but he had no intention of staying around to find out either.

"Brom is pissed." Murtagh muttered as he noched an arrow.

Eragon didn't answer. He knew Brom would have some long lecture prepared.

"Where is Brom anyway?" the young Rider inquired.

"He went to find Saphira. He said to head for the roof." Murtagh explained.

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The dungeon was a dark and forbidding place, with puddles of standing water and an atmosphere that smelled of decay and musty air.

Brom silently crept through the dimly lit catacomb, a dark cloak draped over his body. All was quiet except for the occasional drip of water from the ceiling. Brom glanced around, trying to find possible escape routes. He had entered the dungeon through a small hatch. It certainly wouldn't be big enough for a dragon to squeeze through. Overhead, he saw a wooden grate and nothing but open sky just beyond that.

That'll do. He said to himself.

The old Rider paused at a junction in the catacomb. Two smaller corridors went off to the left and right, but both were significantly smaller than the one he was in now. Neither was large enough for a dragon Saphira's size to pass through. Directly ahead, Brom spotted a large set of double wooden doors with two guards posted.

That must be where they're keeping her. He said to himself.

Dispatching the guards was easy. A simple killing spell was uttered and both men dropped where they stood. With the guards dealt with, Brom ran to the doors. There was a heavy metal latch holding the doors shut but there appeared to be no other locking mechanism. Drawing Zar'roc, Brom jammed the sword into the base of the latch and lifted, using the sword as a lever. Finally, he lifted the latch out and pulled one of the heavy doors open just wide enough for him to slip through.

There, chained to the floor in front of him, was Saphira. Her head, tail and all four legs were all chained tightly to the floor. Her jaws had been placed in a muzzle, preventing her from opening her mouth. The dragon's brilliant blue eyes gazed warily at the elderly Rider.

Brom! Saphira exclaimed, trying to lift her head.

Peace, Saphira. I'll have you free soon! Brom replied calmly.

Where is Eragon? Asked the dragon worriedly.

I sent Murtagh to find him. We need to get you out of here before we worry about anything else.

First, he used Zar'roc to cut the muzzle, freeing Saphira's mouth. Next, a simple unlocking spell was all that was required to open the locks on the shackles that bound Saphira in place. First Brom freed her neck, then her front legs.

Before he could completely free the dragon, a trap door overhead opened and a dark figure dropped to the ground, landing with a loud clang. Brom found himself facing the same armored warrior that had kidnapped Eragon and Saphira.

"You should have stayed away, Brom. I had no quarrel with you." said the warrior, the reflective glass eye covers of his helmet fixed on the elderly Rider.

Brom draw Zar'roc and assumed a combat stance. He found it surprising that this… thing, knew his name.

"I don't care who or what you are, but you will die this day, agent of the Empire!" Brom spat.

"Rather overconfident, aren't you, old man?" retorted the armored warrior. "After all, you are not exactly in your prime anymore."

"Enough!" Brom shouted.

The warrior removed the metal rod from the sheath on his back. The top of the rod ended in a mace-like knob while the bottom ended in a sharp spike. The assassin pressed a tiny button on the middle of the rod and both ends suddenly sprang outward, turning the small rod into a long metal staff about five feet in length.

Twirling the combat staff, the warrior taunted, "There are about twenty different ways I could kill you with magic alone, but that would not be very sporting. Perhaps I'll go easy on you, old man."

Brom swung Zar'roc downward, aiming to cleave the armored assassin in half, but the warrior easily blocked the attack with the staff. The warrior then countered by swinging the lower part of the staff at Brom's feet in order to trip him. Brom leaped over the staff and quickly ducked under a second attack aimed at his head. The clanking sound of the two metal weapons striking together echoed through the cavernous dungeon. While the two combatants fought, Saphira set about trying to free herself. She bit into the chains restraining her hind legs, tearing through them with ease. She then did the same with the chain restraining her tail.

Brom and the armored warrior, who he had decided to call "Seven" for the red number seven emblazoned on the forehead of his helmet, continued to block and parry each other's attacks. Seven swung his spiked fist at Brom, but the old man ducked, causing Seven to simply strike the stone wall with instead. Brom then counterattacked with an upward swing, but Seven blocked with a quick twirl of his staff. Unfortunately, Brom was still weak from the seithr oil poisoning and his strength was quickly fading.

"Tired, old man?" Seven taunted, pressed forward and trying to drive the old Rider back into a corner. He lunged at Brom with the pointed end of the staff, narrowly missing as Brom dodged to the side. Quick as lightning, he countered another attack from Brom. Without warning, Saphira intervened, bringing a swift end to the fight. With a brutal swing of her tail, she struck the armored warrior with so much force that he was sent flying across the room. Seven slammed into the opposite wall and fell to the floor in a crumbled heap.

Brom smiled at the sapphire blue dragon, nodding a silent "thank you" to her.

"Come, let's go!" he ordered, starting off down the corridor. Saphira padded alongside Brom, keeping her head low and holding her wings close to her body in order to pass through the narrow hall.

Voices could be heard down the corridor. Brom knew they didn't have much time to make their escape. He saw the sunlight streaming through the wooden grate overhead.

"Saphira, there is our way out!" he exclaimed, pointing up.

Saphira nodded her head and dug her talons into the stone wall, climbing up to the ceiling. She tore through the wooden grate with ease. As more guards appeared, Saphira dangled her tail down to the floor.

Brom, grab onto my tail! ordered the sapphire dragon. Brom quickly complied and Saphira climbed up through the grate and into the sunlight. They appeared to be in some sort of courtyard. All around them, stunned onlookers watched the scene in a state of shock. Brom climbed onto the dragon's back and seated himself on the saddle. Saphira spread her wings and launched herself into the air, climbing above the rooftops. She reached out with her mind, searching for her Rider.

Eragon, where are you?

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Eragon felt Saphira'a consciousness touch his mind, a welcome relief after having been separated from her for so long.

We are making our way to the roof! he replied.

I have Brom with me. We are in the air but I can't linger over the city for long! Saphira said.

Eragon and Murtagh quickly climbed a flight of stairs and found themselves at the end of a long hall lined with cells. About half way down the hall, one of the cell doors was open and voiced could be heard coming from inside.

Cautiously and quietly, Eragon and Murtagh made their way forward, stopping just outside the cell.

"I must say, you are proving to be surprisingly hardy, even for an elf!" came Durza's voice from within the cell. "But I will break your mind eventually."

Eragon peered inside the room and that was when he saw her. The elf woman, with her raven hair and pale skin, was the same woman who had appeared to him in his visions. Eragon silently nodded to Murtagh, who noched an arrow. The two of them made their move, hoping to take Durza by surprise, but as they entered the cell, they saw only the injured elf. There was a puff of red smoke as Durza appeared behind them.

"Well look what we have here!" the shade sneered. He extended his bony hand toward Eragon and Murtagh, but before he could do anything else, there was a loud crashing sound overhead.

"What?" Durza exclaimed, turning his attention to the ceiling just as it was torn away. Saphira ripped through the stone ceiling, snarling at the Shade, a look of pure hate burning in her eyes. Taking advantage of the distraction, Murtagh took aim at Durza's chest, aiming for his heart, but at the last second, Durza blasted him back with a stunning spell, throwing off his aim. The arrow struck the Shade in the side of the head. A genuinely shocked expression crossed Durza's previously smug face as his body began to dissolve. With one final scream, he vanished in a cloud of red smoke.

"Hurry, there isn't much time!" cried Brom who was sitting in the saddle.

"Murtagh, I need your help!" Eragon shouted, turning to help the elf woman to her feet.

At first the barely-conscious elf seemed confused by the two humans who had come to rescue her. However, when she saw the sapphire blue dragon, and the aging Rider who sat in the saddle, an expression of joy and relief appeared on her battered, bruised face.

Murtagh helped Eragon carry the elf over to Saphira. She tentatively reached for Brom, who gently pulled her up onto the saddle with him while Saphira snatched Eragon and Murtagh with her front paws and leaped up through the hole she had created in the ceiling, flapping her wings and taking to the sky. Seconds later, the blue dragon and her passengers soared over Gil'ead, flying to freedom.

To be continued…

I'm rather disappointed with how this first chapter turned out. I find that the first chapter is always the hardest to write. Maybe once I get the story really going, I'll be able to go back and make some improvements here.