Hey you guys! Sorry for the shortness of the prologue, but it was just supposed to be a teaser. All will be explained in time. Other than that I just have a few things to say:

First, Thank you so much to all of you that read my story. This is my first fanfic, so it means a lot to me.

Second, I do read all reviews even though I may not reply to all of them. I have to work around school and other stuff so I write whenever I get time. All reviews are taken into consideration and I do thank you for taking the time to tell me what you think.

Third, I am so sorry that it took me so long to update, but I've been totally slammed with other work. I volunteered at two different hospitals this summer, so I haven't had any time to do anything other than schoolwork

Last, just a disclaimer. I don't own the Inheritance Cycle or Eragon and Saphira. I wish I did, but they all belong to the genius that is Christopher Paolini.

Happy Reading!

Rose POV

I slowed my horse Shadow to a halt, feeling the wind on my face. I closed my eyes and turned my face to the late afternoon sunlight streaming through the trees. I loved living so close to the mountains. The isolated nature of the ranch suited me. It was just me and my animals: horses, dogs, and whatever wildlife wandered inside the borders of the property.

I tapped Shadow's sides with my heels. "Come on, boy. Ganga."

The regular crunch of leaves under Shadow's hooves lulled me into a state of calm. I zoned out just enjoying the day. Suddenly, a massive explosion shattered the quiet. Shadow reared, lashing out with his front hooves. I fell backwards, landing hard on the ground. Low curses escaped my lips, some from every language I knew. Shadow took off into the woods, fleeing through the trees like rats flee before a scythe. "Shadow!" I called, knowing that it was futile. I soon turned towards the source of the sound, knowing that Shadow would eventually head toward the barn.

The sound had come from the east, so I cut through the woods in that direction, limping only slightly. I could tell I was going to have some bad bruising tomorrow. It was easily half a mile before I came across any signs of anything out of the ordinary. Several trees had been blackened on one side, and the brush had been incinerated, leaving a clear, blackened ring about 20 feet across. I looked up and gasped in shock.

In the center of the ring lay two figures, so fantastic they seemed unreal, almost like apparitions. One, a gorgeous sapphire dragon the size of a house. The other, a man, but like no man I had ever seen. His features were graceful, yet rugged, and almost feline. He was more beautiful than any man I had ever seen.

An interminable amount of time passed as I stood there, entranced by the figures. Suddenly, my mind fired, and I realized that I needed to see if the two were hurt. I padded into the clearing, looking around to make sure there was nothing else that would need my attention. I knelt by the man and gently shook his shoulder.

His eyes snapped open, and he sprang up and backward to get away from me. Faster than the eye could follow, an elegant hand-and-a-half sword was in his hand and pointed at me, still kneeling. "Where am I? What happened? Who are you?" The questions flew at me like buzzing hornets, fast and thick.

"One thing at a time," I said, eyes on the blade. "I'm Rose. You're on my farm in Montana. As for what happened, I have no idea. I was riding my horse when there was this explosion. I came this way to see what it was, and I found you." A fleeting thought danced through my head, as incredible as it was fitting. I eyed the man warily. "Hold up your hands, palm out."

He didn't sheath the sword, but one at a time held up his hands. A silvery mark covered his right palm. My eyes widened. "It can't be," I breathed. "Shadeslayer? Eragon?"

He darted forward, his sword at my throat in the blink of an eye. "How do you know my name?" he questioned, his eyes hard as flint.

I swallowed hard, glancing down at the iridescent blue blade millimeters away from my neck. My eyes flicked back up to his face. "There's a series of books in my world, based on you and Saphira and all your adventures. I never thought they were real though, until now…"

"How do I know I can trust you? You could be lying." Eragon looked at me, and I knew he was trying to read my mind. I opened up all of my memories to him, trying to impress on him that I meant no harm, keeping only the most personal in a tight cage. "I would never harm you. It's just me out here. I don't even go into town. Everything is delivered." He must have found what he was looking for, because he relaxed a fraction, then stood back and sheathed his sword.

"All right. You seem honest enough, though you know the ancient language, which is odd. But I want you to swear that you will never betray me or Saphira."

I sighed. I knew he would ask something like this. Quickly, I spoke the oath that would bind me to them for the rest of my life.

Once my oath was complete, he seemed to fully relax. As he did so, Saphira stretched and yawned, then seemed to remember what had happened, because she sprang up, wings half extended, ready for a fight.

Eragon called to her, "It's all right Saphira. She's a friend."

She slowly stalked over to me. I twisted my hand over my chest in the elven gesture of fealty and bowed. "Atra esterni thelduin ono, Bjartskular. It is a true honor to meet you."

One bright sapphire eye surveyed me. She whuffed at my clothes, seeming pleased with what she found. Well met indeed, little one. Very strange things have happened today. Perhaps we can untangle this mess with your help. Her voice sounded in my head, accompanied with strains of haunting, lyrical music and a sense of ancient wisdom. It awed me, and I took a moment to find my voice. When I did it trembled slightly. "I will help in any way that I can, Brightscales."

Good. And little one? You may call me Saphira.

I bowed low, humbled by her gift. "Thank you…Saphira." Her eyes sparkled in approval, and she hummed low.

I straightened and clapped my hands together. "I'm neglecting you! You two are my guests! Let's head toward the house and I'll get you settled in. I'm afraid you will have to fly, because the trees are too close together to allow you to walk Saphira. Would you permit me to fly with you and show you the way?"

"Of course. You can sit in front of me so that you don't fall," Eragon said, smiling slightly.

Saphira crouched low to make mounting easier for me, and Eragon boosted me into the saddle then swung up behind me. I shifted slightly, trying to get comfortable. Eragon didn't seem to notice. Saphira's muscles bunched beneath us, and she threw herself skyward. Her wings beat hard, fighting the pull of gravity, and she shot through the air like an arrow loosed from a hunter's bow, rising on an updraft of warm air. I looked down to see the forest rushing past at a dizzying pace. A great shout of elation tore from my throat, and Saphira flew in a huge loop, making land and sky reverse before my eyes.

Eragon chuckled at my antics, and I turned and grinned at him. His face lit up with an answering smile that made the whole world seem somehow brighter. It was dazzling, and for a moment it stunned me so much that I couldn't speak. I shook my head to clear it, and turned to Saphira. "Head south," I called. "The house is about two miles from here. You can't miss it."

After a short time, I sighed. "What's wrong?" Eragon asked.

I shook my head quickly. "Nothing. It's just so beautiful up here. It's so free."

He nodded. "I had the same reaction the first time I flew with Saphira. I didn't want to come back down to earth again."

I chuckled mockingly under my breath. "I can understand that," I muttered softly.

We flew in silence the rest of the way to the house. Eragon slipped out of the saddle when she landed, then turned to look at me. "Jump down. I'll catch you."

I slid out of the saddle, falling quickly towards the ground. Eragon caught me in a classic cheerleading cradle, one arm under my back and the other under my knees. I looked up at him, a thank you on my lips, and the words died in my throat. His eyes met mine, and for a second the world stood still. He quickly set me on my feet, clearing his throat almost nervously. "Thanks for catching me," I said, trying to lighten the mood.

His lips quirked in a small smile. "You're welcome."

I started towards the barn to see if Shadow had made it back yet. After a second, I heard soft footsteps and muffled thumps follow me. Walking into the barn, with the dust in the air and the smell of fresh hay all around me, I felt my tension ease slightly. I always felt better being near my horses. I smiled softly. "Hey, babies. You guys want to go out on the ranch?"

I opened all the stalls, and was soon surrounded by soft noses and searching nuzzles. A small giggle escaped me. "You just want treats, don't you? I'll get you guys some carrots."

I walked over to one of the walls, where I kept a refrigerator filled with treats for the horses. I grabbed a bag of big carrots and turned back towards the herd. "Come and get 'em, guys."

They quickly surrounded me, and the bag was soon empty. I looked for Shadow, but he must have been still somewhere in the woods. That worried me a little, because I would have thought that he would have been back to the barn by now. A few slaps sent the stragglers out to pasture. Leaning against the doorframe, I stared towards the forest. A small frown was still wrinkling my forehead when Eragon walked over to me. "What's wrong?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

I glanced at him quickly before turning back to the door. I sighed. "It's Shadow. He still hasn't come back to the barn. I'm just kind of worried about him. He was my first horse and I've had him for a long time."

"Would you like me to call him for you?" he asked.

I turned to him. "Would you? It would make me feel better if I knew he was safe."

He turned towards the forest and called for Shadow. I could feel the power that infused his words, and shivered. A small time passed, and Shadow emerged from the edge of the wood. A jubilant cry escaped my lips, and I ran forward to meet him. I looped my arms around his neck in a hug. Then I pulled back and looked him in the eyes sternly. "Don't you ever do that to me again, do you hear me? You scared me half to death!"

A soft snort was my only reply. "All right, I forgive you. Just don't scare me like that again." With that, I led him towards the barn. Eragon grinned at me. "You really love that horse don't you?"

I shrugged. "They're all my babies, but Shadow will always be special to me. He's been mine for a long time, and he helped me through some rough patches. I'll just get his tack put up and give him a rubdown and we'll go to the house, ok?"

Shadow seemed glad to be home, nuzzling me when I got his saddle off. I could understand the feeling. I brushed his mane one last time, then led Eragon back to the house. I left my riding boots on the back porch, telling Eragon to do the same. "I always leave my shoes on the back porch so that I don't track mud and grass in to the house."

"Smart idea," Eragon commented.

Once I reached the kitchen, I moved to the bay window in the breakfast nook and threw the panes wide. "Over here Saphira! The window's open!"

Quickly her head snaked in through the window, inquisitiveness sparkling in her eyes. "If you're hungry, there are usually some deer in the woods. You can eat your fill, just make sure you aren't seen. I don't have any close neighbors, but there are some major roads within about 25 miles of here, so just be careful."

I will little one. I think one or two of those deer sound very good right now. I will return later. Behave, you two.

"What—" "Saphira—" Eragon and I looked at each other, laughing at our mutual inarticulateness as Saphira took to the sky. Turning to the refrigerator I asked, "Are you hungry? I have some food that might fit your tastes, if you'd like something to eat."

"No, thank you. I ate just before . . . all of this."

I stilled, hands coming to rest on the counter before me. What was 'all of this'? What had happened to bring him and Saphira from their world to mine? "I think we need to talk about that. Come sit with me."

Leading him to the table, I said, "Why don't you tell me what happened to you first."

"Alright." He sighed, sitting down across from me. "I was camping with Saphira on my way back from a scouting mission. I thought I saw something in the woods a ways off, and went after it to see what it was. I came to a small creek and went to jump it. I landed on a rock, slipped, and fell backwards, hitting my head on something. I blacked out and woke up here with you kneeling beside me."

"Hmm. Well, I was riding Shadow in the woods when I heard this huge explosion. He reared and threw me, and then ran off. I hiked over to where I had heard the explosion come from, and found you. You were lying in a blackened ring about 20 feet across, kind of like the one Saphira's egg appeared in. You know the rest."

We sat in silence for a few minutes, pondering what had been said. I asked, "Do you want to see the books? The ones about your world?"

"Sure."

I hesitated. "Wait a minute. How similar is your alphabet to mine? Twenty-six letters? The grammar is pretty much the same."

"Yeah. If you could just show me the letters you use then I'm sure I could work with that."

"Fine with me." I grabbed a pad of paper and a pen out of the kitchen and wrote the alphabet on the top sheet. As I handed it to him, our fingers brushed, and a shock jumped between our hands. I jerked back quickly. "These are all the letters from A-Z. Let me go grab those books off of my shelf for you. I'll be right back."

I ran upstairs to my room, pausing for a minute once the door swung closed behind me. What was wrong with me? Why was I reacting this way to him? I took a deep breath to compose myself, grabbed the books off my nightstand along with one for me to read, and started back downstairs. As I padded down the stairs, I paused at the bottom of the steps and looked over into the kitchen. Eragon sat there with his face turned toward the windows looking at the setting sun. I stood there for a few moments just watching him, not wanting to disturb whatever peace had descended upon him. Slowly he turned to face me. His eyes flickered down to the books in my hands, then back up to my face. "Are those them?"

I started, nodding, and moved to the couches in the living room, beckoning him to follow. I settled into one of the recliners as he settled onto the couch next to my chair. I tucked my feet under me and handed Eragon the books. "If you have any questions just ask; I'll be sitting right here reading. OK?"

Eragon nodded, then leaned back, opened the first book, and started to read.

Several hours passed quietly, only broken by Saphira's return after a while. She settled down alongside the house, quickly falling into slumber. At around 10:30 I closed my book. Eragon had worked his way through the first two books and was halfway through the third. As I had read, I couldn't help but watch him over the edge of my book, seeing him so absorbed in the stories of his life. Suddenly a yawn overtook me and I stood and stretched. "I'm going to go to bed. How about I show you where you can sleep ok?" I handed him a bookmark and he marked his place carefully, then stood to follow me. I led him up the stairs to the room adjacent to mine. "You can sleep in here. If you need anything I'm right next door."

As I turned to leave, Eragon stopped me with a hand on my arm. I looked up at him curiously. He opened his mouth several times before saying, "I just wanted to thank you for doing so much for me." A flush colored my cheeks, and I shrugged. "It was the right thing to do. I'm sure you would have done the same for me had the tables been turned. Good night, Eragon."

"Good night, Rose. Sleep well."

With that, I slipped into my room. I quickly changed into a tank and sleep shorts and climbed into bed. I prayed I wouldn't have any nightmares with him right next door. With a small sigh, I slipped into that dark sea of slumber.

A/N: Again, I am so sorry for the wait guys. My schedule has been hellish for the past few months. I'll try and keep the interval between posts as short as possible, but I can't make any guarantees. Until next time, readers.

-Max

(I am a girl so please don't call me a guy. )