a/n- wow, i wasn't expecting people to respond this enthusiastically! Thanks BUNCHES to the following people who actually reviewed to my stuff:

extracredit- I hope I can continue..I'm already having trouble with it ~_^

mdemanatee- I loved the books too! (hence the reason I'm writing a story..) Did you know they're making a movie out of it? It's coming out in 2005!

uknowwhoslittleprincess- My friend and I have several theories..as soon as I get around to it (probably not soon..i'm lazy :D) I'll send them to you.

Silver Spell- I know, Raven, I know. This chapter is a lot longer, but no Eragon chars. yet :( Definitely next chapter though..I'm trying to work out a few glitches with..what's happening.)

Disclaimer for chapters One and Two: Anything and everything you recognize from the wonderful book of Eragon belongs to the nineteen year old genius Christopher Paolini. He wrote that book when he was fifteen, so that gives me a little more hope of getting something published, as so am I.

* * *

Alzena glanced at the guests. They were so beautiful, so elegant, they seemed to be floating. Their faces were gleeful as they filled the ballroom floor, dancing to the light, quick tunes of the miniature orchestra that her father had rented especially for the occasion. The room was filled mostly with young men and women. She sighed; it was grand, to be sure. But the party's purpose was what had her in a rather depressed state.

Her father was the governer of Teirm. Throughout her life, he had been strict in his upbringing of her. It was the annual coming-of-age ceremony, when all those who were celebrating their sixteenth summer that year would be announced officially as adults. Those girls who did not have appointed husbands yet were also engaged.

She leaned against one of the large, stone columns that lined three ofthe ballroom walls and sighed heavily. Though the young men around her were kind and handsome, the music light and lively, she felt out of place. The ballroom was elaborately decorated in red tapestries lined with gold and the entire room glowed warmly by the large fire on the far wall, as well as large torches set in various places around the room. The fireplace made the columns that formed a small hallway around the other three walls cast large, dark shadows.

Alzena hovered against the smooth surface of one column opposite the fireplace. She glanced to her right, noting that the column was bright and shimmering with firelight. To her left lay the shadows, where light could not reach. She stood right in the middle: the power of choice.

"Bored?" a voice muttered quietly. She gasped, startled, and turned to face the dark side of the column.

"Quite. I've been waiting for you, Kanrin. What is it you had wanted to tell me?" she asked quietly.

He moved slightly so that the firelight caught his face, throwing his hardened face into sharp relief. Firelight caught in his eyes and made them seem to be hot, glowing emeralds. His skin was soft, lightly tanned. He moved his thin, wiry frame in a way that showed strength only gotten from a life of hardship. In the distance, a hound bayed, and a long whinny was carried on a faint breeze through the partially-open window behind them. Kanrin turned to face the direction the sounds had come. Though it was mid- spring, the wind still held a sharp chill.

"I haven't much time. They're on my heels..."

"Are you leaving?" she asked worriedly.

The dog barked loudly, closer this time. Men's voices could be heard shouting in the distance. Kanrin moved closer to the window, his long, black cloak rustling softly. He turned back to face her, moving his cloak behind him with one arm. Tall leather boots covered the bottom of his beige breeches, the frayed ends of a forest-green tunic hung past his waist. A long, thin sword hung from a belt at his waist. The firelight glinted off of his copper-red hair, giving it more of a metallic tint than usual. Though his face was hard and determined, care and affection shone from his eyes.

"I must. I bring danger to you and all those here as long as I'm around. I must go," he said gently.

"Then please, let me go with you!"

"No!" he said harshly his brow creasing angrily. His gaze softened, "No..Alzena, it is better for you here. You are safe, and with people who love you."

"Better for me? How can you say that? This manor is like a cage to me. It's bars are only getting smaller..I am trapped. I cannot stay here." She lowered her gaze and turned away from him.

He walked slowly over to her, and took her chin in his hand, lifting it. She slowly moved her shimmering golden eyes up to meet his. His jaw was set, but his expression was caring.

"I will return for you, Alzena. Please stay."

"I can't, Kanrin. I can't stand to stay here any longer. Let me come with you, we can live together forever!"

"Even if you were to come with me, you are not dressed for riding, nor for travel," he said gently.

Alzena ruffled the skirt of her dress absently; it was soft white, the hem decorated ornately with gold thread. The dress hugged her slim form to her waist, where it cascaded in folds of silky white fabric. The long sleeves clung tightly to her arms to the elbow, then flared widely, hanging gracefully by her side; the ends were decorated similarly to the hem. Her dark hair was pulled up in large, neat curls, and two hung down to frame her soft face. The collar of the dress was decorated in the same manor as the hem, and stretched softly over her upper arms, leaving her shoulders bare. The attire was completed by a golden circlet around her head.

The voices were now much louder. The pounding of many hooves on cobblestone echoed in the large chamber, but was overwhelmed by the orchestra before it could alarm the guests. Kanrin moved closer to the window, glancing across the lawn for signs of his pursuers. His fiery chestnut stallion snorted softly below them, alarmed slightly by the loud baying of the approaching hounds. He turned back to Alzena.

"Please don't worry yourself over me. I promise, I will return for you. They are catching up..I must go."

He hugged her briefly; she clutched at his cloak and willed the tears not to come, but they fell anyway. He drew away from her, and held her at arm's length. He ran one thumb across her cheek.

"Don't cry. This isn't goodbye. We will meet again."

"Where are you going?" she asked, her voice shaking.

"I am bound for Gil'ead."

Kanrin turned and climbed out the window, a narrow ledge the only thing separating him from a two-story drop. He carefully positioned himself and dropped, landing heavily on the back of his horse. He rode foreward a few paces, then turned to look at her one last time. He raised one hand, pulled the hood of his cloak over his face, and spurred the stallion into a swift gallop across the lawn. She watched him until the light of the full moon could no longer show the horse and rider, then closed the window and moved through the small hallway formed by the smooth columns, out of the glow of the firelight.

Suddenly, she turned back to the window, her expression grim and determined. She gave a short nod, and slipped out unnoticed. She walked through brightly lit stone corridors, past studies and libraries. She reached the end of the hall and climbed a spiral staircase, up one flight. She stepped off in a corridor, the floor covered in a thick red carpet.

She pushed open a large oak door and entered a large room, closing the door behind her. She latched it, and turned to find herself in a small study, with large, comfortable chairs situated around the room. The floor was covered in a large, white carpet, the borders decorated with gold. The wall on her left was covered with tall bookshelves full of her favorite books. The right wall was bare, save for a large fireplace. Directly opposite her, a large bay window covered nearly the entire wall. The moon hung among the stars in front of her, a shimmering, silver orb amid pinpricks of light. Their light was reflected off of the ocean that lay on Teirm's western border.

Alzena walked over to the bay window and sat on the cushioned seat. She didn't know how long she had been sitting there, lost in thought, before one of the maids came and gently shook her arm.

"Miss? Are you ready for your supper?" the girl asked. Alzena remained quiet for a few minutes, undecisive. Then her confidence restored, and she knew there was no turning back.

"Yes..but please only bring up a few loaves of bread and some apples. I'm going to bathe, so just leave it on the table," she quickly lied.

"Alright, miss..." the maid turned and left the room through the large door Alzena had entered.

She stood from the bay window and walked to a small door that was nearly hidden by the bookshelves. She walked through, into a room a little smaller than the study. A large canopy bed covered the far wall. Thin white curtains were drawn across, hiding the bed. She strode over to a bureau on the opposite side of the bed and opened the bottom drawer. She pulled out a small deerskin pack, into which she hastily shoved three pairs of breeches, as well as a few tunics. Some rope was tossed in after that, followed by a folded map of Alagaësia.

She changed into a pair of fawn-colored breeches and pulled on a royal blue tunic. A thin belt went around her waist, the buckle made of silver. She looked into the large mirror over the bureau and pulled off her circlet, setting it on the top of the bureau. She then picked up a brush and proceeded to brush out all of the curls from her dark brown locks. When she was finished, it flowed gracefully from her head in large waves, just past her shoulders. Regardless of her looks, she pulled it back with a small strip of leather. She walked into a small door next to her bed, where a large bathtub was situated in the center, a stone washbasin next to it.

She poured water into the basin from a ceramic pitcher next to it and splashed her face from it. All the stately paleness washed away, revealing tanned, lightly freckled skin. A few dampened wisps of hair escaped the leather strip, and hung loosely around her face.

She returned to her study and found four loaves of bread and six apples waiting for her on a platter. She sat on the large, comfortable chair next to the low table and carefully put the food into her pack, then slung it onto her back. This done, she carefully looked around for the maid and walked over to the fireplace, picking up a torch from a large vase next to it. She grabbed the trim around the fireplace and pulled, revealing a very small, spiraling staircase.

It wound down, down, down. She started to get dizzy with the swift pace she was descending. The stairway was narrow, barely wide enough for her. The steps were small and damp; several times she almost slipped. Finally, she reached the bottom, and pushed open a small wooden door. The staircase had taken her three stories downward. She crawled out of the door and closed it, leaning against it heavily to catch her breath. The door blended seamlessly with the exterior of the manor. She breathed the cold night air, her breath coming out in a hazy white cloud.

Alzena felt refreshed, and set off for the long, rectangular building in front of her. She gently pushed open the wooden door and entered the stable, immediately finding herself in the tack room. One boy, a little older than she, with thick blonde hair, turned around at the sound of her entry.

"Goin' for another night ride, Miss Tamíer?" he asked with a sly grin.

"No..I'm leaving for good. I've had it."

"You goin' with that guy, Kanrin?"

"I'm following him, yes. Damien, could you do one final thing for me?"

"Of course, Miss Tamíer," replied Camien.

"One, please don't call me 'Miss Tamíer'. My name is Alzena. Also, please don't mention anything about this to my father, or anyone else!" she said pleadingly.

"Of course not, M- Alzena. It would only be fair, after what you did for me with my parents and all," Damien replied.

Alzena smiled, picked up a light saddle and bridle, and walked into the stable. On either side of her, the noses of curious horses peered over their half-doors at her. She walked over to her light gray mare, Breshá, and saddled her, then strapped her pack onto the back of the saddle. She led Breshá to the double doors of the stable and mounted, ready to leave. Damien walked up to her, a small array of items with him. He handed her a long, light blue cloak.

"Where did you get this? I thought I'd lost it," she asked, fondly running her hand across the smooth, thick material.

"You left it in here a while back, when you were in a rush to get inside," Damien replied simply. He passed up a long, thin scabbard. She withdrew a thin, supple sword from it, and held it up to examine it in the torchlight that lit the stable aisle.

"And this?"

" 'Twas a gift to me, but I have no use for it. I figured that Kanrin could teach you, once you caught him."

"Thank-you, Damien. I'll certainly owe you, if we ever meet again."

"Think nothing of it, Alzena. You just have a safe journey, and make good use of that sword and cloak, and I'll consider it payment enough," he replied, smiling. His soft blue eyes danced merrily in the firelight.

"You are a true friend," she said, putting on the cloak. She pulled the hood up to cover her head and put the sword back in it's scabbard, then strapped it to her waist.

"Now you go, Alzena, before they discover you missing. Goodbye!" he said, and slapped Breshá on the hindquarter. The gray mare abruptly surged into a quick canter, her ears pricked foreward excitedly, and they rode off into the darkness.

* * *

a/n- There's a simple process that almost all writers follow. They write and post, the readers review. Then, the writers write and post again. There can't really be one without the other..

So review! ~_^

It'll be my birthday a week from Sunday, so maybe if I get enough reviews *hint hint* I'll post another chapter then...

peaces!
-Amy