Disclaimer: okay, if I owned the Inheritance Cycle, Eragon would be a lot smarter and less love struck. There you have it then.
Author- Hey look! For readers who aren't seeing this for the first time, I totally changed the chapter! The other existing chapters will undergo remodeling because I am not satisfied with what is there. I recently re read Brisingr and remembered some facts that mean that some things need to go away, like replacing the lime-green cabinets in one's kitchen with nice tan ones. (In case you're wondering, we remodeled the kitchen at my house a few summers ago, and that's where my odd analogy came from.) Well anyways, if you are seeing this for the first time, ignore that, laugh about my old cabinets, and if you read the other existing chapters, expect them to change. Read on folks!
Chapter 1- At the pond
"Arya." said Niduen. "Arya! Stop staring!" Arya sat up quickly. She hadn't realized she'd been staring. Niduen was Arya's cousin, older by a year. Arya's eyes roamed as she tried to find something else to look at. Moments before, she had been watching some older boys while they caught frogs near the edge of the pond. "You have a crush on one of them, don't you," said Niduen, forever talkative. "It's that Faolin, isn't it." Arya scowled.
"No. I don't like any of them." she said stubbornly. "I'm just… looking at the frogs." Niduen snorted, but let the statement stand. One of the boys, the one named Faolin, pounced at a spot in the water, and pulled out a huge bullfrog. It flailed about as Faolin showed it to his friends. Arya watched from the dock, then got over her slight shyness and walked over to look. Faolin was putting the frog back into the water. One of the boys noticed her then, and asked if she wanted to learn how to catch frogs, and patted her on the head. Arya hated being patted.
"I'm not a child," she replied haughtily, "I know how to catch stupid frogs." she then stalked back to the dock. She sat for a while, staring into the dark water. A frog that had just been released had swum far from the shore, near where Arya sat. Without thinking, she lunged for it, missed, and was caught off balance. She teetered for a moment, trying to get her balance back, then fell into the water with a spectacular splash.
She flailed around underwater for a moment, trying to figure out which way was up. Finally she surfaced, gasping, and hit her head on something. She realized she was under the dock, and grabbed the beam she had hit her head on to keep herself up, for she didn't know how to swim. Her education in this area had been passed over in favor of matters of state, for she was a princess. She resolved to have someone teach her sometime. She hoped the older children wouldn't tease her for not being able to swim at fourteen. She was about to dive back underwater when something grabbed her by the legs and began pulling her underwater. She yelped and grabbed at the beam, but missed it and was pulled under. Thrashing to get free, she pulled at the thing, which was now wrapped around her waist. She then realized it was an arm, and tugged harder. She was beginning to run out of air. She was lifted above the surface a few seconds later, gasping.
"Are you okay?" a voice said. Arya blushed as she realized that the person who had 'rescued' her was Faolin. She twisted out of his grip as soon as the water was shallow enough to stand, and then ungracefully stomped out of the water and dashed away, dripping.
Niduen ran after her cousin. She knew that Arya was sure to get into some kind of trouble in the state she was in. She was extremely easy to track, for she left a trail of water and wet footprints. The trail stopped at a huge pine. Niduen looked up. She didn't see Arya in the tree, but she could sense her presence. Finally, Niduen's gaze reached the top of the tree. Arya was hanging from the top branch of the tree, upside down over one hundred feet in the air. Niduen began to panic.
"Arya!" she shrieked, "Come down from there! You're going to fall!"
"Okay." said Arya, calm as can be, then let go and began a freefall towards the ground. Niduen screamed, and was about to cast a spell to stop Arya's fall, when Arya caught a branch and swung onto it. She sat down, swinging her legs.
"That was fun," she said. "You should try it sometime." Niduen let out a breath she didn't realize she'd been holding.
"Please, Arya" she said, "don't do that! I thought you were going to smash into the ground!" In response, Arya jumped off the branch she was sitting on, only to grab another, then fall from that one as well. She proceeded down the tree in this manner, and finally dropped to the ground. Niduen glared at her.
"Really. Just because your mad at that Faolin for embarrassing you doesn't mean you need to take it out on me! Why don't you go beat him up or something!" Niduen immediately clapped her hands over her mouth, regretting what she had just said.
"I didn't really mean that!" she yelled after her, "come back!" Niduen took off after her, again.
When Niduen arrived at the pond, Arya was kicking and flailing, being restrained by two older boys. Both she and Faolin had numerous scratches, and some places that looked like they would be bruises. Faolin finished healing a split lip. He approached Niduen, taking her aside.
"What is up with her?" he said, "I really can't tell what her problem is. She just ran up and hit me! I hit her back, of course… and…" Niduen sighed.
"This really isn't like her," she said. "Usually she's calm, collected, pleasant… I don't know…" She switched to a whisper then. "Personally, I think she has a bit of a crush on you. She'll never admit it though. And please," she raised her voice a bit, "Don't tell her mother. She'll be furious. You've never seen her mad. I mean, she's intimidating normally, and… well anyways, getting in a fight is no way for a princess to act." Niduen walked over to Arya, who had been released and was healing her scratches. Niduen started to mend a tear in her tunic with a spell.
"I hope mother doesn't find out." Arya whispered to Niduen. "She'll explode. Maybe literally. One time she actually started smoking… it was all I could do not to laugh…" Niduen grinned.
"Well I told Faolin not to tell her," said Niduen. "And I surely won't."
When she was looking more presentable, Arya went over to Faolin, who had just finished fixing himself up. His friends had gone back to the pond's edge and were searching for more frogs.
"Umm," she said, embarrassed, "I'm sorry for what I did just now. I got out of control. I'm- not usually like that." He smiled crookedly.
"S'okay. I did sort of almost drown you, after all."
"Okay." said Arya brightly. "Then, how 'bout we be friends now. Or at least allies."
"Sure." he said. They shook hands to seal the deal.
That was good, at least I think so. Why don't you give me a review to tell me? Wow, look at how subtle I am. Begging for reviews. Enjoy the world, R&R, Do all your homework or you'll get in trouble. (Unless of course you don't have any or are not in school.)