AN: Okay. This is my first fanfiction ever, and I'm so nervous to have you guys read this! and yes, I know Murtagh really isn't in this chapter all that much, but I assure you, He'll come next chapter! And I'm sure that this is boring, but it'll get better! AH! I'm nervous! I haven't read the Eragon series in a very, VERY long time, so if I got anything wrong I apologize . Tell me what you guys think about it :).

Chapter One

Amnesia

Pain. Excruciating, mind numbing pain traveled up my body, slithering like a snake into my brain. All I could see was bright, white light. I wanted to scream, but I couldn't open my mouth. My limbs felt like stone, locked into place. All I could hear was ringing, and a deep voice chanting. What was happening? Why was he doing this? I used my last ounce of strength to scream a name I already forgot, and then everything went black.

When I woke up, I could feel the cold bite of snow seeping through my threadbare fabric. I stood up, my muscles sore. Desperation filled me, adrenaline rushing through my veins. What had happened? What was I doing here? Where am I? Who am I? All these questions made my head hurt. I felt like a child who was torn away from her mother, frightened and cold. I looked around at my surroundings, somewhat surprised at what I saw. I was in a forest, the leafless trees looking hauntingly familiar, yet I knew that I had never seen this place in my life. The sky was gray, white powdery snow falling from it. I shivered, and crossed my arms over my chest. All I was wearing was a thin shirt and thin breeches, and I could've sworn that my feet were going to fall off. I felt delirious, as if I was walking on clouds.

I heard the crunching of someones footsteps, and I quickly darted behind a tree. The footsteps stopped, and I could hear two people panting, as if they had been running for awhile.

"Think we lost them?" One of them said, a male.

"Doubt it. Their Riders; they don't give up that easily." The second voice, another male replied.

"We need to get going. This thing is going to make us millions." Male one said.

I looked from behind my tree at what they were talking about. My breathing stopped. My heart beat faster, and I was seeing red. The amber stone in his filthy hands wasn't supposed to be there. For some reason, I felt fiercely protective of it, like a mother bear was protective of her cubs. I didn't think about the fact I was unarmed and much smaller then the other too. I cried a battlecry and jumped onto the one with the stone. The other one pulled me off of him, and I turned on him. Scratching, biting, clawing, I used everything I could. Then, with strength I didn't know I possessed, a grabbed the second mans head and snapped his neck. I turned to the man with the stone, who was already running, and ran after him, my numb feet not feeling the pain of thorns stabbing into them. I grabbed the back of his shirt, and pulled him to the ground. I held him down, and ripped out his throat with my teeth. The coppery taste of blood filled my mouth, and as he choked on his own blood, I retched on the snow next to him. After he was dead, I wrenched the stone out of his cold hands, and held it to my chest. It was warm, and when I put my ear to it, I could hear a faint beating heart.

Dragon egg. The word automatically came to me, and I knew it had to be true. A picture of a huge white dragon rearing up on his hind legs and letting out a thunderous roar flashed into my mind, then was gone. I blinked, and shook my head. I didn't know who I was, or where I was, but one thing I did know, was t hat I would protect this defenseless baby with my life. I curled into a ball in the snow, and clutched it to my chest, whispering to it.

Hours went by, and it was dark. I was still cradling the egg when I heard someone running up to me. Automatically I was on my feet, crouched in attack mode, one hand still holding the egg and the other in a fist. Before me was a tall, slender woman with fiery red hair, and pointy ears. She had strange, angular features, and a grimace permanently etched into her face.

"Give me the egg, girl." She said, her voice demanding, borderline violent.

A snarl ripped through my chest, surprising me and making the woman jump. She pulled out her sword, which was mahogany, and threatened me. "Give me the egg, creature, or I'll cut your neck."

Again, I snarled. She lifted her arm to swing at me, and I prepared to jump at her.

WAIT. A deep, booming voice said in my head. Next to the woman, a dragon landed that was the same shade of brown as the woman's sword. The dragon and the woman were staring at each other, and it seemed like they were arguing, but I couldn't hear what they were saying. I backed away, both hands protecting the egg. I prepared to run, when the voice spoke again. The dragon swiveled his huge hea din my direction, and gestured to the blood covered snow, and the man dead. Why did you do this, little one? Was it to steal the egg and get the money all to yourself?

I snarled a third time, and it took me a moment to figure out how to speak again. "Defenseless... Threatened..." What I was trying to say, was " the baby was alone, and the two men were not supposed to have it. It was threatened, it was going to be harmed", but I couldn't figure out how to form the words.

The dragon looked back at the woman. I told you Nienna. She's not some monster in the form of a human; she's a hatchling who cant even speak. She saved Saphira's egg.

"She growled and her hair turned blue! How do we know that she's human?!" The woman, Nienna, snapped at the dragon. I was confused. Blue? My hair was blue? The confusion was replaced by determination. I was not going to be distracted, the egg was not going to be taken away from me. And who was this Saphira?

I would have smelled something off about her. He turned back to me. Whats your name hatchling? Where are you from?

The questions surprised me as well, for I did not know. Tears sprung into my eyes, and I shook my head. "Do.. not... know.." It was hard to say it, because I could barely speak this strange language that these too were speaking in, and also because I knew it was true.

I could feel his pity, and hers as well, although I knew this Nienna still didn't trust me. I didn't know if I was a monster or not, but I'm sure a monster would be able to remember its own name.

"Luthien... we should take her back to Vroenguard." Nienna said.

Are you sure? I thought you wanted her dead. There was a hint of anger in Luthien's otherwise calm voice.

"Luthien, please, don't be angry with me. What would you have done, if you were not a dragon and in my position? The girl doesn't know who she is, or where she is from. She is also obviously magical in some way. Maybe Eragon will know who she is and what to do with her."

Maybe you should speak to her; She is standing in front of us. There was forgiveness in the dragons tone.

Nienna sighed, and turned to me. I was watching this whole discussion, my determination dwindling. They wanted to help me; They knew someone who could tell me who I was. "Child... If you give me the egg, I can take you somewhere safe. There will be a warm bed for you and hot food, and we can find out who you are." Her tone was gentler then it had been before, but it still had something I could not name.

I shook my head, and brought the egg closer to my chest. She sighed again. "Fine.. you can hold it until we get back to Vroenguard, but then I'm going to need it. Alright?"

I didn't plan on giving it back to anyone but the egg's mother; This Saphira. But I nodded, anyways, and took a step toward her. She picked me up as if I weighed nothing more then three pounds and put me on the back of Luthien, then climbed on behind me and told me to hold onto something. Then he took off. I screamed as I watched the world dissapear below us, and Nienna covered my mouth. "Idiot!" She yelled over the wind, and then winced. I guess that Luthien was saying something to her that I couldn't hear.

Vroenguard was apparently an island, that was swarming with dragons and people riding them. There was huge, absolutely HUGE structures that I guessed was for the dragons. There were dragons of all sizes and colors, and it shocked me. For some reason, deep in my heart hope grew. I didn't know why this hope was growing, or why I was crying with happiness at this sight, but it made me feel better about my predicament.

Nienna led me into the largest structure, to a man who was standing at the other end of a huge hall, speaking to some others that looked like Nienna. The man looked like Nienna was well, he had blond hair and blue eyes. Nienna stopped in front of him.

"Eragon-elda, I got the egg." She pointed to me.

The man, Eragon, frowned. "But who is this?" He asked.

"She's a girl who doesn't remember who she is. But Eragon-elda, when I told her to hand the egg over, she growled like an animal and her hair turned blue."

Eragon thought for awhile. "I don't know anyone who that had happened too... yet she looks human." Eragon looked down at me, and saw the amber egg in my arms. "May I have that?" He asked me.

I shook my head. "S-S-S-S-Saph-Saph-Saphira." The intricate word made me stutter a few times, but I got it.

He chuckled. "I'm Saphira's Rider, child. Its alright."

I still shook my head. Eragon sighed. "Saphira's out hunting, with Thorn, she wont be back until dawn. She's excited about one of her young returning home. How did she come across it?" He asked Nienna.

"She ripped the mans throat out with her teeth. Hasn't let go of it since." Nienna told him.

Eragon looked shocked. "Well.. I guess that would explain the blood. Why don't you clean her up and get her some warmer clothes. And get one of the healers, her toes look severely frostbitten."

"Yes, Eragon-elda." She whisked me away.

We passed someone else, another male that was taller then Eragon, with jet black hair and black, tortured eyes. He stopped and stared at me for a second. "Nienna, who is this?"

"A girl that doesn't know who she is. And she won't give up Saphira's egg until Saphira gets here. She also doesn't know how to speak apparently." Nienna said to the man.

"I see." He left, and I heard Nienna sigh strangely. I looked at her.

"Murtagh is his name, he's quite handsome, but is not interested in a single woman on this entire island." She sighed again.

I didn't understand one bit, but I just nodded my head, agreeing with her.

"Come on, idiot, lets get you cleaned up."