Chapter Two

The Third Rider

At the castle in Urû'baen there was a young servant girl, Sibel who washed the kings clothes. Sibel was a very unusual girl; her parents had left her as a baby in front of the kings' bed chamber. He had blessed her and had Shrukin, his dragon, mark her. He raised her as though she was just another servant, though, which she actually wasn't.

Sibel had always been fascinated by Shrukin. She always visited him each night and he loved her very much. This didn't happen very often. The only people Shrukin had good feelings for were Galbatorix, his Rider, and Sibel, the servant.

Now, Sibel always liked to go and look at the two dragon eggs that Galbatorix kept well protected. One night, the guards were late to come and guard the eggs. Sibel wanted to touch one of them, just a small touch, it wouldn't hurt. So she tip-toed to where the eggs were and touched the brilliant white one, it's brother was a deep dark crimson, the color of blood. She did not think of the possibility of it hatching till someone shouted at her, "Hey, get away from there, servant!" it was one of the guards. Sibel turned quickly and almost made the eggs fall down from where they sat.

"Get out of here, now! You're going to break something." The other guard said. Sibel was too terrified to move.

"Move, or – or you'll get a whipping!" The first guard shouted at her. Sibel had always been scarred of being whipped, so she silently ran back to her bed chambers, praying that the egg would not hatch.

When Sibel awoke, the first thing she saw was the king's back. He was sitting on the edge of her bed.

"My liege!" she started. Galbatorix turned and smiled to see that she was awake.

"Ahh… dear Sibel," he said, sweetly.

He called me dear! She thought. Never, in her whole life had he even called her by her own name!

"It seems I have some very good news. For me at least, you may not find it comforting, but I would rather that you did."

"I will, my liege." Sibel said in a small voice.

"Of course you will," Galbatorix smiled and patted her blanket-covered leg. "Last night, the guards who protect the two dragon eggs have reported small… squeaks… coming from one of the eggs. I asked if anyone had been there when they had come and they told me a small female servant girl was there. One remembered your name. Sibel, I believe it is, correct?" Sibel nodded.

"Good," Galbatorix said, she smiled again. "Now, what's seems to have happened is that one of the eggs hatched and out came this," a small animal ran from outside of the doorway and into the room. It jumped up on Sibel's bed and waddled over to her. Sibel just stared at it.

"Are you all right?" Galbatorix questioned. Sibel nodded.

"Guards, leave us!" Galbatorix ordered to the two guards who were with them. The guards left Sibel's room silently and closed the door behind them.

"Well, as you can see, this is a dragon." Galbatorix explained. Sibel nodded again. "What will you name it?"

"Do you know if it's a male or a female, my lord?" she asked in a whisper. She was slightly scared of being in the same room of the king who had murdered so many people and who was said to be so evil.

"It is male," Galbatorix answered. "And you may call me Galbatorix."

"Galbatorix, Galbatorix, Galbatorix…" Sibel whispered, getting used to the name. "I think I shall name it… uh… Jewlaveen,"

"Jewlaveen…" Galbatorix tasted the word on his lips. "It's a beautiful name…"

"Yes," Sibel agreed, thinking about who she had gotten the name from. A look of longing entered her eyes, but quickly past.

"All right," Galbatorix smiled. "And you'll need to be trained, of course. And that would be by me, yes… Come, we shall start now."

"Yes, my liege – I mean, Galbatorix."