The light hadn't even reached into her room when her mother gently nudged her until Riley would wake. Her mother was kneeling over her. Jocelyn's eyes were wet and tears built up in Riley's. She knew what had occurred. Jocelyn didn't have to say anything. She sat up rigidly, realizing she was freezing and wrapped her arms together. "When?" Riley asked.

"Less than an hour ago. I just got word from Gertrude," Jocelyn's voice cracked.

Riley could barely move as her mother leaned forward to hug her. She didn't feel her touch even though she knew her mother's skin was smooth and warm. A moment later the door clicked and Jocelyn was gone. Riley blinked though the tears, clearing away the blurred objects before her. Her eyes adjusted to the faint light. She made out her small shelf and end table, the easel and her pile of books. But those normal and dear items seemed so distant, no longer having any meaning. Why? Garrow was strong. This shouldn't have happened. Riley sat there, tears forming again. She jammed her palms to her eyes, seeing white sparks. She let go as they began to throb. Her emotions shot off in all directions: sadness, fear, agony, frustration, and anger. She tried to reason with the guilt. She couldn't have been the reason for Garrow's death. It was the Ra'zac's. Her thoughts turned to them and the Empire. Her frustration at Galbatorix's lack of rule to provide a peaceful and protected land became a storm inside her. She sat there fuming, clenching her fists through the sheet.

As the morning light crept over her bed, finally reaching her, a thought formed. She wanted to help people, the people who were destroyed by Galbatorix and his empire. And why shouldn't I? Her brother was out there and she wanted to see him again. This way she could find him and together they would ridicule his men; attack Galbatorix from the bottom. Heat flashed through as adrenaline set in motion. Nothing was going to stop her now. Finally she would be able to do more. She jumped off her bed, lightly landing on her bare feet. She grabbed her shoulder bag off the end table and began stuffing it with items she thought would be useful. Some of which were books, especially the one her mother gave her and some hair ties for her long hair. She looked around her room. It'd be a while since she'd see it again. That realization hit her hard, but also made her run over to her brother's side of the room. She knelt down. Under his untouched bed, Riley pulled out a larger bag. She was going to use that to pack more. She would use it for her personals like extra changes of clothes, including some breeches from her brother.

As she reached out, her hand hit something; pain shot through her hand. She ripped it out. It was bleeding. Riley wiped it off on a spare cloth. More cautiously now, Riley stuck her arm under once again. She used her finger tips and felt the object. It was long and thin. She found a section that wasn't sharp and gripped it, pulling it out. She gazed at the luster of it, holding it reverently atop her palms. It was a sword.

The metal shone with pale lavender light. Its one and a half hand length hilt was a deep purple that seemed almost black. The rounded guard sparkled like a thousand crystals. Riley had never seen this before and wondered where Cori got it from and when. She stood up and took up a fighting stance, swinging the sword slowly. It didn't feel as heavy as she thought it would. Riley laid it gently on his bed and searched for any other mysterious objects Cori had been keeping hidden.

She pulled back with a sigh. There weren't any more weapons, but she did find the sword's scabbard, matching the dark purple, and some worn and crumpled papers. The papers were written in letter form, but Cori's name wasn't on it. It had many symbols and some of the sentences didn't make sense. Riley was starting to wonder what Cori was really up to. This made Riley more motivated to go. She stuffed the cryptic letters into her shoulder bag to decipher later.

Leaving her packed things in her room, under the bed (it was a good hiding place), Riley made her way into the wash room. Her intent was just to grab some towels and medical supplies for emergencies, but she glanced at the giant wooden tub. Her mother had already filled it up with boiling water for Riley's morning bath. Not knowing when she would get to wash up properly, she shut the door and slipped out of her night gown. Riley washed the cherry scented water over her and rapidly soaked her long hair with the soap her mother made that smelt like mint. After she dried off, she threw the towel over one of the railing on the was for hanging. It flew off balanced and fell to the floor. Riley went to pick it up quickly and saw underneath it, the chain for her locket. She cursed, remembering that she had never put the necklace back on after one of her previous baths. In that time, it had gotten knocked underneath the cabinet by the railing. Riley unsnapped the clasp and slipped it around her neck. She hadn't realized how much she missed it until then. The necklace made Riley feel safe.

A few minutes later, Riley was back in her own room all clean, dressed, and ready for adventure. She checked over the supplies while tightening the scabbard around the belt on her slim waist. She remembered the daggers she bought for Cori and made sure to bring them along, keeping them in safe places.

In the hallway, Riley crept as quietly as a ghost down the hall. Riley couldn't just leave her mother with no explanation. She decided to leave a note. She peeked into her mother's small room. There against the left wall were the books and flowers sitting on the sill by her bed. Riley walked in and stood next to her mother's dresser. On the top was a large mirror, a jagged crack scaring the side. That was the only thing that her mother had kept from her childhood. There were also pictures, detailed drawings mostly of her and Cori that they purchased at a sitting years ago during one of the traders visits. There was one of her father, done before Riley was born. But you would only see that one if you knew where to look. It was behind the mirror frame. She took it out and stared at his picture. It was drawn perfectly, looking exactly as she remembered him or maybe she just thought it did. After all she had stared at the portrait many times before.

She took out a paper from her pack and a thick quill with an attached ink bottle.

"I'm sorry for doing this, but I have to go. Don't worry about me. I'm going to try to meet up with Cori. I want to make a difference in Alagaesia. I'll see you soon. T'a gr'a agam dhuit."

She finished writing, ending it with the only saying her family used outloud in the other language, meaning I love you. She leaned it against the mirror surface. She wished she could have said more, but she really didn't know how her life was going to look in the next couple weeks. She only knew that Cori had traveled through many of the big cities for his work. She would head over to Narda first.

Looking into the mirror, she saw her wide gray eyes rimmed with blue, glisten with unshed tears. She rubbed her eyes and twisted her wavy hair to the side, making sure it covered her ears. It was still wet, turning it a saturated deep brown. Her fine hair balanced the oval shape of her face. It's finally time to leave.

Getting out of the house was easy. Her mother was out, in preparation to help with Garrow's burial. Before she left, she snagged parts of a few plants from the indoor garden. She rolled them up in parchments and tied them with leather. She also cracked open her mother cabinet in the kitchen to raid many of the jars of dried herbs and roots they used mostly for cooking; some of the items Riley was taught to use for medicines. Lastly, Riley threw on Cori's old cloak that hung behind the entryway door. It was warmer than hers, but unfortunately it dragged below her feet. She would have to stop later and cut off the extra material.

Riley avoided the streets, traversing a longer way through the trees to the other end of Carvahall. She made her way quietly, thinking of all the routes to other towns. She didn't know many. Besides where she was born, she hadn't been outside of Palancar Valley. She'd just have to get directions from a fellow traveler. She planned on going from town to town, checking to see if anyone had seen her brother recently.

She thought of something that might make her journey difficult. Others may think it suspicious of a young woman traveling alone. Riley would have to come up with a brilliant cover story, even multiple ones to change it up. Her nerves tingled in fear of it failing.

She stopped suddenly, reflexes advancing her hand around Cori's sword. She heard voices. Two of them: one gruff, one youthful, both familiar. It sounded as if an argument had just ended as Riley caught, "Ah, your legs. You were flying?"

There was a pause before the other responded. In that small question Riley knew that she stumbled upon Brom and Eragon. Brom was the only male who knew of Eragon's injuries. Plus, she would always recognize Eragon's voice. She stood still, unsure whether she should show herself. They might ask questions and turn her in to her mother. Riley turned her head in the direction they were in and listened closely, in the morning dimness, visualizing in her mind's eye the two standing in wary states as the conversation played forth.

"I was going to hunt down the strangers and kill them." That was Eragon.

"A mighty task for one so young. Certainly a worthy endeavor and one you are fit to carry out, yet it strikes me that help would not be unwelcome."

Riley agreed it was a good goal for Eragon. She too wanted to kill the Ra'zac one day, but wouldn't be able to alone. If Eragon was leaving, she could travel with him; then she didn't have to worry about a cover story going wrong. She was about to step forward, to show herself but halted at Brom's next statement.

"Anyway, I'm not going to stay behind while some stripling gets to run around with a dragon."

Riley's mouth hung open. All thoughts and actions evaporated. The only thing she could imagine was a mighty, fierce, yet graceful black beast starring down at her, hunger in its eyes. But if it's Eragon's dragon, it wouldn't eat her. He wouldn't let it, would he? I'll have to make sure to stay on his good side.

"Do you plan on joining us or intend on standing in the forest the whole day, Riley?"

She was so immersed in her thoughts that she almost jumped out of her boots when Brom addressed her. Riley tumbled forward, her face flushed at being discovered. Brom had a smile and Eragon looked surprised, his hands fixed to the sides of his portion of meat rolled up in a strip of leather. She spoke to Eragon.

"If I may, I would like to come with you. Just for a little ways at least. Really, I was leaving anyways. If you don't I can go by myself. I'll be fi—"

"You mine as well come." Eragon sighed, cutting off her blabbering.

"Oh. Okay." Riley hefted her backpack to fit more snug. They began walking through the woods. "So…you have a dragon?" Eragon nodded. "That's nice. And you flew up in the sky?" He nodded again. "I wish I could have seen that," she snickered. Brom coughed to hide his laugh and Eragon elbowed her in the arm as she stood on his right.

They cleared the woods. On the other side, Riley stopped. They arrived at Eragon's home, at least that's what it was supposed to be. Riley bowed her head in sadness at the sight. It was flattened, walls toppled atop each other, timbers jammed out in odd places. Most else was obscured by the drifts from the howling wind.

The air carried the beat of large wings. Riley looked above and immediately bent her head down just as a dragon swooped over them, only feet away. It curved in mid-flight, the wall of air almost knocking Riley on her butt, and grounded gently. Brom started walking to it. Riley followed suit. Brom was mumbling something about how the end would turn out. Riley didn't understand any of it. He soon stopped; Riley halted next to him.

The dragon, shinning of purest blue, scaled the ground in a few giant steps, coming closer to them. Out of her peripheral vision, Eragon passed her on her right. He came to stand to the side of the dragon, patting the base of its neck. It's long neck twisted closer, like a serpents. It first gazed at Brom and he gazed back. Brom reached out his hand and held it in greeting, but then the dragon pushed its head to his hand, allowing them to touch. The dragon moved its head back.

"What's her name?" He asked. How'd he know it was female?

Eragon looked at him as he spoke. "Out of the suggested names I gave her, Saphira is the only one that fit her."

"Fit it does."

Riley noticed a strangeness in Brom's voice, but she did not look over, for the dragon had turned her attention to Riley. Riley didn't move, her hands locked behind her back. She stared, mesmerized by the creature. As Saphira turned her head sideways, Riley took note of the pale spikes trailing along her neck, reaching to the top of her head. She captured the texture of Saphira's many rough scales. And lastly, her eye that she could see, shone with a light of a thousand years of wisdom, yet held human characteristics of a child's emotions. She was the most beautiful thing Riley had ever seen. She could not imagine anything greater.

"Hello, Saphira," Riley said with a smile. Saphira snorted and returned to Eragon. "Now I know why you never wanted to meet up with your best friend. All your attention went to her." Here Saphira snorted again, her tail flicked. Riley went on, not showing her nerves. "Though I missed your company, I understand. I would have ignored you too, if I had a dragon like that."

Saphira and Eragon shared a look and he chuckled. At a later date, he told Riley that Saphira hadn't liked her because she thought Riley had feelings for him. To which Riley laughed a good natured laugh. Riley only ever had feelings of friendship toward Eragon. But at that moment, the look on Saphira's mighty face, her mouth open to show her sharp teeth, made Riley hide behind Brom. She whispered to him, "Stop her if she's going to eat me."

They trailed behind Eragon, like a humongous tail, closer to his house, but they stayed at the frame as he dug through it. Riley watched silently, noticing shards of broken objects littering the ground. She hoped that whatever he was rummaging for hadn't met the same fate. Eragon dug out a pack and his quiver for his bow. He handed them to Riley and Brom after he found them and continued searching for supplies.

After he organized his pile, Riley asked, "Where do we go now?"

"We have to find somewhere to hide." Eragon answered heavily.

"And where might that be?"

Eragon hoisted the small bundle to his back and started to the woods. "This way."