Author's Note: Whoa--a crazy numbers of reviews! And alerts! OO I...I am overcome with joy. And thankfulness. Thank you, happy reviewers! Hope I've made you laugh. The plot is still pretty much the same here, although there is a subtle change...fans of the book might notice, but maybe it's not obvious at all, and that's just my mind playing tricks on me again...(laughs). Well, enjoy the chapter!

Chapter 1: Discovery

"Okay, Eragon…are you ready? Now, I thought we'd start off with a few minor changes—"

"Wait," said Eragon. "I thought I got to make the changes."

"You do! I'm just making suggestions," Subieko said. "I thought I'd shorten that whole hunting thing, because it really doesn't have to be that long, the important thing is that you get the egg."

"Subieko, you keep making the story shorter—soon there won't be any story left!"

"Of course there will," Subieko said with a grin. "We have to take stuff out to make room for all the new stuff we're putting in."

"Like what?" Eragon said.

"Like this!"

Eragon ran a hand through his messy blond hair, gazing up at the clear sky. It was almost nightfall, and he still hadn't caught up to the herd of deer he was tracking. His brown eyes were red with weariness, and he was shivering in the cold. It was almost winter, and Palancar Valley would soon be choked with snow.

Eragon's family needed meat for the winter; it had been a bad year, and they hadn't brought in as many crops as his adoptive father, Garrow, had expected. Now Eragon was trying to bring in as much game as possible, to be preserved for the long months ahead.

A faint rustle in the bushes made Eragon turn, pulling his bow from the buckskin tube on his back. He was nocking an arrow when he saw that it was only a bird taking flight. Eragon relaxed, but kept his bow in hand. He couldn't get careless out alone in the wilderness, and especially not in the Spine.

Most people in Carvahall feared the Spine; strange tales were told of it, few of them good. The mountain range ran up and down Algaesia, and nowhere was it tamed. But Eragon didn't fear the Spine. It had brought him many a good meal over the years.

There they were—the tracks Eragon had been looking for. The herd seemed to be heading for a small glade Eragon had visited once or twice. It was a safe place, deep in the mountains, with plenty of grass and tender shoots. Eragon trekked on, sure-footed even in deepening twilight. He was only fifteen, but already he was a skilled tracker, and as good with his bow as any man in Carvahall. He had to be, to support his family.

Eragon paused, crouched behind a tree. The herd was there in the glade, just as he had thought. Reaching into his quiver, Eragon quietly drew out three arrows. He stuck two into the ground within easy reach and put another to the string. Pulling the string back, Eragon took his time lining up his shot. Carefully…carefully…he mustn't rush, or all his work of the last three days would be wasted…

He released the arrow, and the world exploded.

There was a blinding flash of light, and Eragon was knocked off his feet by a shockwave. He could feel his skin sizzle from the intense heat that flowed over him. When all was still, Eragon lay there for a while, catching his breath. Then he got to his feet and cautiously stepped forward.

Where the glade had been there was now a charred circle of ground. Around it were a few half-burnt trees and bushes, survivors on the edge of the destruction.

In the center of the ash was a polished blue stone, a little larger than Eragon's head. It was midnight blue, veined with thin bands of white, and it was unnaturally smooth. Eragon felt a strange desire to pick it up. Even though his mind screamed at him that this was a terrible idea, that the stone was surely dangerous if it had the power to burn out the glade, that he was being incredibly foolish, he bent down.

The stone was cool and smooth under his fingers, like flowing water. It felt heavy in Eragon's hands in a way that had nothing to do with weight. It was entrancing, but his fear broke through.

What am I doing? This is crazy—I've got to get ride of this thing, leave it here, forget that I ever saw it! It's too dangerous…it's…

Eragon gently caressed the stone. It was so very, very beautiful. It seemed impossible that he should abandon it to the wild Spine. Why shouldn't he take it? It had come to him, hadn't it? It was meant for him. It needed him.

Eragon spread his bedroll under the trees at the edge of the glade. He would set out for home tomorrow, with empty hands and an empty belly. But somehow, none of that mattered to Eragon right then. He drifted slowly off to sleep, not feeling the frigid air, not noticing the hard ground beneath him.

As his eyes flickered shut, the last thing he saw was the moon's reflection, distorted and tinted blue by the stone.

"What did you think, Eragon? Did you like it? I thought your dialogue—well, mental dialogue I guess—was much better. You sound more like a kid here. And I decided you wouldn't guess right away that someone transported the stone there by magic. Maybe it was there all along."

Eragon looked over the chapter. "I don't know…the setting hardly got any description. You can't even tell what the valley looks like, and you didn't mention how it was a harvest moon, and how it cast a ruddy glow over the valley, and how there was thick mist! And what about the doe with the limp?"

Subieko just shrugged. "What about it? Did that really matter to the story? And the reader can imagine the setting, we told them it's in the wilderness and there are mountains and it's cold. What more do you want? And what about the bit with the stone?"

Eragon made a noncommittal sound.

"Well, I like it," Brom said kindly. "It's a good idea, that the egg sort of entrances him, what with he and Saphira being bonded."

"Yeah—that's just what I was thinking! Aww…you're so nice, Brom."

"Does that mean I get to live?" Brom said hopefully.

"…don't count on," Subieko replied.

Durza waved Brom away. "So what's next? Something with me? How about it, Subieko? I'm much more fun to write about than Garrow and Roran!"

"Well, that's true," Subieko said. "But remember, you can't hunt down Eragon without the scenes with Garrow and Roran. He's got to come from somewhere."

"And this is the chapter where we find out how evil Galbatorix is," Eragon said. "That's important, too."

"Actually...we need to work on that," Subieko said. "In the book, Galby doesn't look all that evil…I mean, we see some burned-out towns and he makes people pay taxes, but it's just not clear why the Varden are even fighting him. I mean, all the atrocities started after the Varden started making trouble."

"Yeah, but…he's insane!" Eragon said. "That makes him evil!"

Subieko rolled her eyes. "That's not enough, Eragon. If you want the reader to feel hatred for Galby, you've got to show them how evil he is. If we just say it, they might not even believe us!"

"Huh…well, why doesn't he go slay some people or something?"

Subieko completely ignored this suggestion. "Come to think of it, why do you know all about how evil Galby is anyway? I mean…you don't know anything else about the world. Your home is really isolated. Why would you care?"

"Well—well—because he's evil! I'm the hero, I have to hate the bad guys!"

"You're not the hero yet, Eragon. You become the hero later…and you should find out about Galby later. Yeah—that settles it!"

"Wait!" Durza said. "What about me? When do I get to be in the story again?"

"Um…well…it takes a while in the book, Durza. But maybe we can put you in earlier!" Subieko added quickly, seeing Durza's face fall. "We can put a chapter with you and Galby or something…although, actually…"

"What? What is it?" Durza said.

Subieko frowned, tugging at a lock of hair. "Well…in the book, Eragon and Saphira hang around for like three months. That's kind of a long time."

"Yeah, but Saphira had to grow," Eragon said.

Subieko shrugged. "Not all animals take a long time to grow. Humans take years before they can take care of themselves even a little, it's true, but for lots of animals it's much shorter. Look at sharks—they're born ready to swim off and hunt for themselves. Even some mammals can walk just a few hours after birth! Why not Saphira?"

Brom lit his pipe again, pondering this. "Hmm…yes, why not? Why, a cat is only a kitten for a year or so. Why shouldn't dragons take less time to be self-sufficient?"

"Not self-sufficient!" Subieko said hurriedly. "No, just enough to travel with you and Eragon. She'll still be a baby. It's just that if Durza's going back to report to Galby, and he knows the egg vanished when he was near Palancar…why would it take three months to find Eragon?"

"Well, no one visits Palancar Valley all winter," Eragon said. "They had to wait until the traders came."

"Why, though?" Subieko said. "Durza's supposed to be this incredibly powerful sorcerer—why couldn't he use magic to spy, or something? Or why couldn't the Ra'zac just fly in? And speaking of them—"

"But Subieko, that's changing the plot so much!" Eragon cried. "Then how will we know what happens next?"

"We won't," Subieko said. "That's half the fun. Now…let's get started!"