"Fairy," Eva shouted at the top of her lungs before promptly leaving her father's side and tackling the young farm boy as he entered Carvahall. Upon tackling Eragon to the ground Eva landed on something rather hard, jabbing her in the gut. "OW! Eragon, what's in that bag a boulder?"
Eva and Eragon had been inseparable for as long as either of them could remember. Only few in Carvahall knew that Brom was not Eva's father, Eragon, his cousin Roran and his uncle Garrow. Eva was also quite close to Eragon's older cousin Roran. The two of them picked on Eragon constantly. It was obvious that Eragon and Eva were much closer though, as they were closer in age. Eva was a young woman of seventeen years old, going on eighteen. She had long straight brown hair that sometimes looked black depending on the lighting. Eva had pale skin, even though she spent a great amount of her time in the sun.
"Something like that," he told her with a mischievous smile.
Brom sat by his home where he was "speaking" with a few soldiers. He glanced over at who had become his daughter and at the boy she constantly seemed to be hanging on and smiled. "So, what did you bring me Fairy? Any shiny presents," Eva asked excitedly, still sitting on the ground in the middle of the road with Eragon by her side.
"Actually," he said with an excited smile. "I'll show you at home, are you coming with me for a few days?"
Eva smiled and threw her arms around Eragon's neck. She never missed a chance to stay at Eragon's farm with him. "Eragon, I'm shocked that you would think I'm that kind of girl. Let me just go tell Brom." Eva hopped up and sprinted over to her "father". "I'm going to Garrow's with Eragon for a few days," she told him as Eragon walked up behind her.
"All right. You two behave. Don't give your uncle too much trouble Eragon," he said with a warm smile before shooing his daughter away.
"Us; misbehave, cause trouble," Eva said with false innocence. See when separate the two of them were harmless really, but when united they were a force of mischief that could not be stopped. Eva was obviously the mastermind behind all of it but Eragon was always the one that got caught.
As the two made the long trek back to Eragon's home Eva took the bag off his back and put it on her own before jumping on his back. He carried her like that for quite a while before she got down and they walked side by side the rest of the way. As they approached the farm she jumped back on his back again and smiled. He carried her like that all the way up to the house. "The mighty hunter returns," Roran shouted running up to them, Eva still on Eragon's back. "I see you've caught yourself a girl Eragon." All their lives Eragon and Eva had been teased like that. They were unnaturally close. To everyone in Carvahall it was obvious they would marry each other someday.
"And give up my opportunity to be with you, Roran," Eva asked with a smile, climbing off Eragon's back. "You know it's not Fairy that I love." Eva wrapped her arms around Roran's neck, teasingly. She loved the reaction it elicited from Eragon.
Eragon grabbed her around the waist and pulled her back towards him. He rested his chin on her left shoulder and looked up at Roran. "That's enough Roran," he said with a laugh.
"Getting jealous are we," Eva said with a smile.
Eragon playfully smacked her upside the head and began to walk away. "Come on Eva." He took her hand and led her into the house then into his room. Eva had been staying with Eragon for days on end for years now. With the world they lived in and the way their relationship worked no one though anything of the two sleeping in the same room. Everyone assumed one of them would sleep on the floor. That was the case on a few occasions. More often than not though, they would be awake till the wee hours of the morning and fall asleep curled up together on his bed. "All right," he said as they sat down on his bed. Eva handed him his bag. Eragon smiled and pulled out a large blue stone. Eva stared at it, wide-eyed. Her heart stopped for just the briefest of seconds.
"Oooo," she said with a huge smile after she regained her composure. "Blue and shiny. Those are the best kind of presents."
"It's not a present Eva," he said with a sigh. "I was hoping I could sell it. It could get us enough money to get some food for the winter."
"NO," she shouted. "I mean… it's too pretty for you to sell," she corrected herself quickly. It was obvious she was lying, hiding something but Eragon didn't push it. He never did with Eva.
Eva and Eragon stayed up practically all night talking. It was mostly about their respective mothers. Both Eragon and Eva had no memory of their mothers. It was one of several things they had in common. That night was the same as every other night that the two spent together. Eva fell asleep lying across his bed and Eragon fell asleep with his head on her stomach. As the two slept, not worrying about anything around them Roran had poked his head in to see if they were still awake. He saw them lying together but said nothing. Eva always woke up before Eragon. That morning was no different. She woke up before the boy and stayed still, watching him sleep. Eva sighed softly and played with his hair.
The days passed and Roran set out to leave. He didn't show it but Eva knew Eragon was hurting. The three set out to Carvahall and to say goodbye to Roran. The walk there was silent and Eva held Eragon's hand the whole way. When they got their Roran took Eva aside for a moment and looked down at her as she was significantly shorter than him. "What are your intentions with my cousin?"
Eva looked up at Roran with a baffled expression. "Pardon?"
"I saw you two the other night. I don't want you to play with his heart Eva."
Eva stood there for a moment in silence, trying to figure out exactly what it was that Roran was insinuating. "You don't think we… You don't… I think I'm gonna be sick." Roran simply laughed and the two joined Eragon and Katrina to say their goodbyes. She hugged Roran and looked over at Eragon as the cousins said goodbye. "You keep an eye on him Katrina," she said with a laugh. "He's quite the wild one." They finished saying goodbye and watched Roran and Katrina leave. "They'll be all right Fairy," she said with a small sigh. "I guess it's just you and me now Fairy."
"No good can come from this," he said with a laugh, looking down at Eva with a faint smile on his face.
"Eva," Brom's voice called from not far away. "Are you coming home tonight or going back with Eragon?"
"If you'll let me I'd like to go back with Fairy," she said with a smile. "Roran's left poor Fairy all alone. I should stay with him to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid."
"How many times have I told you that you better be nice to that boy Eva?" Brom smiled at her and they both laughed. "You should be grateful you have a friend like him or friends in general."
Eva rolled her eyes and rested her head on Eragon's shoulder. "Fairy loves the abuse though; don't you Fairy?"
"Oh, definitely. I can't get enough of it," Eragon said sarcastically. He glanced down at Eva and took her hand. "I should get going if you're coming with me, we should go now."
"You two be careful," Brom said as the two walked away hand in hand.
Eva simply waved before jumping on Eragon's back. She never called him Eragon. Ever since she was little she had been calling him Fairy for his somewhat fair and feminine features. It was an affectionate thing between the two of them. They were a classic love story in Carvahall. Everyone saw it but them. There was always talk and speculation about when they would get married and who would ask who. However Eva and Eragon didn't see it when they looked at each other. Eva was simply Eragon's closest friend and vise-versa.
When they finally reached the farm it was late at night. Eva was exhausted and collapsed on Eragon's bed. He looked over at her and laughed. "Move over." Eva sat up to move when they both heard a cracking sound. They looked towards the blue stone that lay on the floor in the corner. It was moving. Eva's heart stopped and she glanced to her friend who was staring at what they both now realized was an egg. Eva knew it from the moment she saw it though. It hatched to reveal a small blue dragon. "Eva, it's… it's a-"
"I know," she whispered watching him inch closer to the creature. It can't be, she thought. Not him. Eva sat on the bed, hugging her knees. She watched Eragon get closer and reach out to touch it. The moment he did there was a bright light and Eva was blinded for a moment. When her vision returned she saw Eragon on the ground seemingly unconscious and the dragon by his side. It was him. Part of Eva wanted to celebrate. Her closest friend was the next Dragon Rider. However she began to cry silently. She knew what he would be faced with and Eva didn't want him to have to go through that. She watched him lay there and sighed softly to herself before curling up on his bed. It was the first time in months that Eva and Eragon had not slept in the same bed and Eva lay there silently crying herself to sleep.