Prologue

Time Period: Approximately seventeen years and two months after the Great War in which Eragon Shadeslayer defeated Galbatorix.

As Thorn tore at the flesh of the buck locked beneath his claws in the Dragonhold, I stifled a chuckle. For some reason the sight was amusing to me. Crimson blood stained his white claws and his teeth and dripped from his jaws onto the white marble floor. His snout was completely submerged in it, and his forelegs were slick with its stains. The white marble beneath the corpse of the buck had become a puddle of dark pink and crimson. The metallic scent of the blood hung in the air, and when I filled my lungs its scent made my stomach tighten and churn.

Shadows of the cave gave Thorn an ominous appearance as his eyes gleamed with hunger.

Further back in the marble cave, torches lined the back arch where the dragon and Riders' beds were. A cozy, straw stuffed nest for Thorn, and a cotton and straw bed for me, Murtagh.

'Go easy on the buck, I don't want you all bloody for when we see Nasuada,' I told my dragon through our mind link, as our sentry guard outside of the cave shifted his weight noisily in his chain mail. Thorn swiveled his ruby head up and fixed one blood red eye on me, 'Murtagh, you've only reminded me a thousand times we have to look nice for the Queen, don't push it.'

This time I did laugh. 'Alright my scaly fellow I won't keep nagging. Just clean yourself up alright?' Thorn just continued to gorge himself, and I stalked outside of the cave where I could get some fresh air away from the scent of blood.

After being in hiding for so long, it had felt good to come back out of hiding, back to Alagaësia. When I walked out of the cave I saluted to the sentry guard and continued to walk until I reached the edge of the Hold. The Hold had been built into the inside of the outer wall of Ileria, making it all the easier for Riders to stay.

Ileria had been made almost completely different since the time when it had been called Urû'baen, the Dragonhold being one of the many new additions. The floor of the caves and the overhang that reached out over the outer wall of the city was completely made of white marble. The special granite had been found when mining had begun outside of the city after Galbatorix's downfall. The placement, the carving, and the melting of the granite stone had become, with no doubt, a work of art for the capitol.

Along with many other additions, housing, rebuilding, and a greater security unit had been added. Any reminders of Galbatorix had been stripped from the castle in the process.

On the watch ledge of the Dragonhold, it was a nice, warm and clear day, and my long brown-black hair fell into my eyes, making them sting with sweat. Then, the wind picked up, blowing my forehead clear and my crimson cape behind me. I sighed as contentment lifted my spirits, and I sat down of the edge of the Hold's ledge, and swished my feet through the air beneath. To any normal man this height would have been breathtaking, but the view from the back of a dragon could easily surpass this feat.

My hands were grimy with dirt from the day's work, and they were becoming increasingly uncomfortable until I balled them into fists and planted them on the marble beside my hips.

The Queen had no idea I had come yet, I was to surprise her. I had told the guards at the gates of Ileria to tell no one of my presence and take me straight to the Dragonhold, and my dragon be fed at the snap of my fingers. Though a man as great as Eragon or I might have accomplished great feats, it had been difficult to hide a dragon in the height of the day.

I laughed and smiled, tonight would be great, a feast in my honor and a Queen on my arm. But, this could not be so for longer than a night. A Rider could no longer be king after Galbatorix, even I didn't want it to come to that. But even if this couldn't happen, my heart yearned for a life with the Queen.

'The time will come when true love will choose, against good? Or against evil? For true love fears both,' Thorn recited the prophecy of the Dragon Bones in my mind.

'I hope she chooses me,' I told him, a pit growing in my throat.

"Sunset is coming my Lord, the feast will begin soon. Thy Queen still hasn't been informed of your arrival," said the sentry guard behind me, his armor clanking as he walked to help me up from my seat, the emblem of the Varden on his breast plate.

"I will be down soon, thank you for your service, you may be excused. Have Nasuada at the doors of her castle at sunset so I may reveal myself."'Let us hope she is pleased to see me,' I added silently.

"Yes my Lord," he said with a bow, and scurried away towards the stairs that lead down from the Dragonhold. The breeze then stopped and my hair fell back in my eyes, as I went back to the cave to saddle Thorn.

'I haven't seen her in so long. I wonder how she's changed,' I thought to myself, gazing down at my feet.

I sighed heavily. My heart ached to see Nasuada, but what if she had changed too much?

'She hasn't Murtagh, she may have changed slightly in her time of being Queen, but she is still the same stubborn woman you love,' he said, greeting me with a dripping snout at the entrance to our cave.

'I sure hope so, Thorn,' I told the ruby dragon. He wiped his mouth with a forked tongue as I hefted his leather saddle onto his back.

~~~

The light night breeze tossed my cape and my hair back in a flurry mess as Thorn glided down from the Dragonhold in a slowly declining circle, similar to a vulture closing in for a kill. I had only buckled one strap on each leg, for the glide down was to be a short trip.

The sun had now reached the horizon, and had begun to drown itself, giving the land it's last rays of light.

'She will be out soon, I wonder how they will convince her to come to the front doors,' I said to Thorn who now was only ten feet from the stone in front of the palace. Thorn gave a little chuckle beneath me, 'She is a stubborn woman.'

'That is true, I always liked her spice.' Suddenly, Thorn back-winged furiously until his back legs landed softly on the cobblestone, and his front feet landed even softer. He folded his wings neatly and tightly to his side, and he swished his stub of a tail against the cobblestone, making a scraping noise.

'Any minute now Murtagh.' I quickly unbuckled my legs and Thorn bent his forelegs for me to dismount. I hopped out of the saddle, and landed on the stone with my left leg buckling. I huffed heavily before standing up and putting my palm on Thorn's shoulder. It was warm, and his scales were slick.

Moments later, I heard a screech from the streets, "Look mummy it's a Dragon Rider!" I took my other hand and face-palmed my forehead. Thorn chuckled, a spiral of smoke coming from his nose.

"I'm glad you find it amusing," I said.

'Quite.' In a moment or two, there was a flock of villagers, watching us, but keeping their distance.

Then I heard another shout. "It's not just any Rider, it's Murtagh!" Shocked gasps escaped the pedestrians gathered around us.

Then, one wide oak door opened from the palace with a long groan, and one foot soldier stepped from its shadows.

"Queen Nasuada is on her way my Lord," the soldier said in my direction. I nodded politely and rubbed the back of my neck nervously.

The soldier stepped back inside the door, which gave a loud slam as it boomed shut. Everything was silent, even the crowd waited patiently and nervously for the Queen.

Then, this time, both doors were opened, and the royal guard of the Queen marched out in a circle formation around her. The men in her guard were a head taller than the Queen, and she wasn't visible from behind them.

"What in the world did you bring me out here for?" Nasuada demanded from behind.

'That's her,' I added to Thorn, who gave a mental grin.

"Release formation soldiers," the Queen shouted. They did as they were ordered and the Queen herself was seen in a dark crimson dress robe, her hair in a tightly pinned bun on top of her head, and a frown upon her face.

I stepped away from Thorn's side, and smiled brightly at her. Her frown was replaced with a shocked gasp, "Murtagh!"

The picture on the right is of Thorn.