Prequel: Who is Alice?
Author Note: This is the prequel of the actual main storyline (the one with Blodhgarm being sexy in it!) so if you want, feel free to go and read the main story first, and when you want to know more about Alice's past (because it will come up, new characters etc.) then you can come and read these prequel chapters. The first (actual) chapter is labelled "Blodhgarm x Alice Chapter 1", and all prequel chapters have "Prequel" in them, so don't get confused.
Also note: Alice is a year or two older than Eragon, and major plot events in the books by Paolini diverge from this fanfic from the end of Eldest. Please enjoy and comment!
Part One: Alice down the Hole
There once lived a young girl, a Lady in the castle of Urubaen, granddaughter of one of the nobles at court. She had only lived 9 years, and loved to sing and dance and laugh, but also possessed a strong curiosity about all things which, as you know, only the most intelligent young children do.
One evening, she strayed from the feast that the other nobles were occupied with, to seek entertainment elsewhere. Her grandfather, a large and wise man, who knew much more about secret and forbidden things than anyone present could have guessed (even the King), saw her leave with sharp grey eyes under winged eyebrows. He made no complaint, knowing that such frivolity was unimportant to a young mind at the age when it seeks only adventure. For what harm could come to a young girl in a single evening?
Alice ran to the kitchens, where she crawled through the tables and ovens and, dodging chefs and serfs, made her way to the kitchen boy that was often her companion in illicit castle adventures. With a wary glance to the head of the kitchen, he clasped her hand and pulled her out the back way.
"I've got something good to show you." He stated conspiratorially, with a superior smile. He lead her through the passages near the kitchens, and then ducked behind some heavy drapes. "It's here," He said, "I found a secret passage."
"Where?" demanded Alice, eyes sparkling with excitement.
He grabbed her hand and pressed it against the wall they were leaning against. Alice could feel the contours of a grate, of bars covering an entrance about a metre high from the floor. Kneeling, she suddenly heard the sound of an expanse of air that can't be seen, but sensed nonetheless. A faint wind, smelling of damp and ash and rust, blew gently into her face. "It's blocked!" she hissed, disappointed. But the boy shook his head, laughing. "It's rusty, see? Just scrape away at it with something, so we can get through."
"Why don't you do it?" she asked pointedly. He was a boy after all, and a servant. Above all he was bigger than she was, and had stronger hands, though she'd never have admitted that.
"To scared to get your dress dirty?" he sneered. Alice hit him, and the heavy tapestry moved against the wall as they had a brief tussle. A nearby footsoldier looked at the moving cloth with one eyebrow cocked, then decided that the strange things kids get up to wasn't his problem. He walked past, whistling, and the hall was deserted again.
"No need to be mean!" huffed Alice, indignantly.
"I have to get back to the kitchens, but when service is done tonight we can work on it together, okay." He said, unperturbed, and released her from the headlock he had her trapped in.
"Fine." She said. They came out from the tapestry and separated, him for the kitchens, and her to find a heavy object to open the grate with. As Alice walked away, the kitchen boy called out, "Hey, if you get through, wait for me, okay?".
Alice barely heard. With one last dither, the kitchen boy turned and ran back to the kitchens, trusting that she couldn't possibly get into too much trouble in the hour or two before the feast ended.
The grating broke quicker than expected. Within ten minutes, Alice was staring down a dark hole. Without hesitation or backward glance, she crawled in, and the drape swung shut behind her. The passage was as silent as if she'd never even existed. As an intrepid adventurer following a dream of an extraordinary life away from the glamour and shine of the royal court, the girl Alice struck out bravely into the dark. Little did she know that this night would be the start of the greatest adventure in the history of Alagaesia.