Hey y'all! Here's my first published fanfic - but I'm not going to ask you to be nice in your reviews. So, basically this is a "what if Bella was a Rider before she met Edward yadda yadda yadda" fic. I've seen some "what if Bella somehow got into Alagaesia and became the new Rider" fics; this is the opposite side.

Disclaimer: I don't own the Inheritance Cycle or the Twilight Saga. (This is the disclaimer for the WHOLE story - why should I be redundant?)


"Delos," the youngest Dragon Rider murmured to her large emerald green dragon. She was crouched beside the mighty beast, a long slim hand resting on his snout. If she had been standing, she would be well above six feet tall. Her long brown curls were swept back from her round face by a black headband. Her deep chocolate eyes watched her dragon, sadness encompassed within them. She shifted her hand, light glinting off a silver ring with a purple stone set in it. "Esterni," she murmured.

Esterni, Datia abr Dauth, the dragon, Delos, said, looking up at his Rider with large sad eyes. The sun reflected off his scales, sending diamond patterns shimmering in every direction. I love you.

Datia abr Dauth, Mists of Death, smiled slightly at the dragon, her white teeth looking almost fang-like in the recesses of her mouth. She ran a hand over his head, murmuring a spell to heal his minor wounds. I love you too.

Delos winked at the Rider, thanking her for the slight help she had given. I could not go if I wanted to, Enori, you know that. I am too hurt. The deep claw marks on his flank began to burn with a ferocity that surprised even him. It seemed as if gallons upon gallons of seithr oil had been poured in the wounds.

I'm so sorry Delos, Enori, the Rider, said, resting a hand on his wounds. I would heal your wounds, but I don't have enough energy to...

It is alright, assured the dragon, stretching his long neck to rest his head nearer to his Rider. The elves have magic on their sides, and they will help me, no matter the cost.

Enori rose from her crouch, giving Delos a kiss on the snout. She smiled slightly as she again said, I love you, Delos Bjartskular.

And I you, Enori. Goodbye. The green dragon looked at his Rider, imprinting every detail in his memory. Her eyes especially stood out to the dragon, and made sure to remember the color. He made sure to remember her high height and slim build, her gracefulness as she stood fluidly.

Goodbye. Enori was doing the same. Though she would only be gone a short while, she would be far enough away to lose contact with her dragon. She made sure to remember his tail that always moved so expressively as he talked about something he cared for, his claws that he made sure were clean at every opportunity of each day. She loved her dragon, and she was not going to forget him any time soon.

Enori had to force her legs to move away from Delos. She walked as slowly as she could, glancing back every so often to see Delos one last time. Delos was watching her, his pain at seeing her go doubling, tripling hers. A large blue dragon nearly twice the size of Delos stalked up to him and curled up beside him. Enori smiled at the two mates, knowing that Saphira would be there for Delos while she was away.

Saphira's Rider walked up beside Enori, placing a comforting hand on her shoulder. She smiled at Eragon, leaning closer to the other Dragon Rider.

"It will be alright, Enori," said Eragon. "You will see Delos again."

She nodded. "Yes, it will." Her stomach was full of butterflies, excitement at finally meeting the one and only Nasuada consuming her like a large wave at Lake Ardwen.

"Go," Eragon said, bumping her with his shoulder playfully. She could tell that he would miss her, and she felt the same.

"Bye, Eragon," said Enori softly. She hesitated only a second before leaning down and lightly kissing Eragon on the cheek.

She darted off, beginning her journey, before she could see him touching the spot on his cheek with a look of utter happiness and shock on his face. She ran with light feet, happy that she had finally shown her feelings to the older Rider. A while later, when her head had come down from the clouds, Enori said, Delos?

Yes? he said, sounding like he had just woken from a nap.

I didn't get to say goodbye to anyone besides Eragon, she explained, beginning to run a bit faster, for the feel of the wind in her hair and rush of adrenaline, so could you tell Arya, Queen Islanzadí, and anyone else who might ask about me that I say goodbye?

I shall do that, said Delos. Have a safe trip.

Love you, Delos, said Enori, feeling the connection fading. She slowed so she could hear what Delos had to say.

I love you too, Enori, he said. She began to run again, feeling the connection beginning to weaken even more. Delos started to say something else, but then they were too far away and she didn't want to turn back.

Enori was alone now, no elves or humans near her. She stopped and closed her eyes, letting all the senses of the plants and animals wash over her. She searched out her favorite, the squirrel, and she found it almost immediately. Feeling all the life around her made her feel less alone, giving her the will to continue on. She started to run again. She sprinted, keeping her mind open. But then she felt something not right, something not from Du Weldenvarden.

It was a small animal, one that Enori had never seen nor heard of before. It stood on four legs, its height mid-calf on her. It had white and brown shaggy fur, with dark brown eyes that stared dolefully at her. Its short tail was wagging furiously from side to side. She went into its mind, to find that it did not come from Du Weldenvarden, not even Alagaësia itself.

She scooped up the animal, running a hand over its rough fur. It seemed to like the attention, as its tail wagged even harder. "What are you?" Enori asked it, not expecting an answer.

The dog wiggled, asking to be put down. She obliged, and followed it as trotted to a place that was no different from any other clearing in the forest. She sighed, giving up. She should be heading to Fenister and the Varden, not following some strange creature.

But then the dog disappeared. Not as if by some transportation spell, but as if it walked under something – or through something.

There was a window where it left, a hole in reality. The dog walked through it to somewhere else, for sure not in Alagaësia. There were humans, many humans, and a disgusting odor through the window.

Enori stepped back, murmuring a spell to shift her to look more human. Then she stepped through the window, into another world.

It was busy, noisy and ugly. She just stared as metal beasts screeched down paths of stone and humans walked hurriedly with metal devices to their rounded ears. Enori knew that Delos would have loved to see this, this other world.

There were barely any plants in this city, only a few shrubs that weren't really living. The air was thick and polluted with gas and the scent of metal. It was disgusting, a million times worse than the dirtiest city in Alagaësia.

Enori scanned the thoughts of the people, discovering that they knew nothing of elves besides myths and legends passed own through the generations. They knew nothing of the Varden or Alagaësia. They lived in a place called Earth, and this town was called Phoenix.

"Excuse me, miss?" A young boy, of maybe twelve years, tapped her on the shoulder hesitantly. Her heart softened, as children were respected greatly in Du Weldenvarden. "Would you be able to help me get a flight to Seattle?"

His intents were good – his sister lived there, and he needed to escape his drunk and abusive father. His mother was dead. Enori nodded. "Sure thing. I need money though," she admitted. "Give me a minute."

She walked up to the couple who had the animal that had led her here, and grabbed it. She searched the boy's mind for the cost of a flight as she walked away.

"Hey! Lady," the man shouted, "that's our dog. Give her back!"

Enori turned to stare coldly at the man. They looked like they have lots of money. "Three hundred dollars and you get Bowser back."

They wondered how she knew the dog's name, but it was not important. She smiled as the man decided to pay. It wasn't too much, by this man's standards, and his daughter dearly loved the dog. Enori felt bad, but she had to do so to get away from the dirty city.

The man pulled out his wallet and counted our three hundred dollars. She took the money and gave them their dog back. She smiled in apology, not saying anything.

"Seattle is smaller than this town, right?" Enori asked, hoping that she didn't just agree to a bigger and dirtier city. "I need to get out of this place."

"Yeah," the boy said, nodding. "Why?"

"This place makes me feel sick," she explained, not truly lying. Her body was stable, but her mind was not.

"'Kay." The boy paused, then, almost as an afterthought, he added, "What's your name?"

Her name. She couldn't use Enori – it was not human, especially not for this place. She glanced around, her eyes landing on a small flower shop – Bella's Flowers.

"My name is Bella."


Whenever I use words from the Ancient Language, I'll put the translation down here at the bottom.

esterni - good fortune

Datia abr Dauth - Mists of Death (It's a title, sort of - like how Eragon is Shadeslayer. Enori is known for how deadly she is at fighting.)

This takes place a few months after Brisingr and before Twilight.

Please review - and don't be nice; I love constructive criticism and would prefer if I didn't get reviews like "luv it post more soon."