Rebirth [Inheritance Cycle Fanfic]
Note: Rebirth takes place fifteen years after the events of the final book of the Inheritance Cycle. All books are held as canon. Some small inclusions may be added. Although highly helpful, you don't need to have read the books to enjoy the fanfic. But otherwise, enjoy the story!
^click for larger, it will come in handy^
Chapter One: Pebbles On The Lake
Eira stood on the banks of Isenstar Lake, looking over the silent sheet of glimmering water. Snow was everywhere, for it was the midst of the winter season, and even the lake, although not frozen, seemed to be more still than usual. The snow was thick under her boots, and the air was chilling even though the wind was mostly calm. The trees that stood along the waters and further inland were bare of their leaves with last night’s snow resting upon the top of the branches. A few birds chirped as they attempted to clear themselves a spot, just as squirrels and other day time animals scurried through the snow as they emerged from hiding.
The scene was calming to Eira and she took very slow breaths, taking in the cold and letting it go through her being, and then releasing it. Eira would be turning sixteen years old tomorrow, which would signify adulthood in her village, at which point she would take up a husband as soon as possible and make a home for herself amongst her village mates. It was a very intense time for her, as it was for her mother and her mother’s mother, but it was the way it was always done, and she was prepared.
After all, it wasn’t all bad. She learned from her older sister, Elisa, that the Coming to Age Celebration was something to embrace and feel proud of. Sure, she would be leaving the care of her home, but it was the natural way of things. And after all, the celebration was full of presents from her peers and elders, blessings, plenty of food and drink, music, and storytelling. It should be something she should be looking forward to more than anything else.
But today was her last day as a child, and she decided she would spend it around the lake she grew up with, Isenstar. Isenstar was one of the larger lakes in Alagaësia, which itself was a huge continent filled with all kinds of people and places. It sat in the northern regions of Alagaësia, fostering the huge city of Gil’ead, along with many smaller villages, one which was her own, Imoria. Imoria rested on the most northern part of Isenstar Lake, along the edges of the great forest of Du Weldenvarden, the forest where the ancient elves reside. Eira loved it here, for the calming waters of Isenstar always gave her comfort and the forest of Du Weldenvarden always struck her curiosity. Of course, she had never wandered into the forest before, but at a younger age she could have sworn she saw a group of elves along the edges of the forest, staring back at her while she was on the lake.
But on this day, she saw no elves peeking through the forest at her, but only giant ancient oaks and calm waters. The silent was suddenly ended, however, when a figure appeared on her side and spoke.
“What’s on your mind?” asked Elisa, Eira’s older sister by five years.
Eira smiled back at her. If there was anything else in the world she cared about more than the lake or the forest, it was her family and sister. She turned and looked back out at the water, then said, “I’m not sure exactly.”
Elisa chuckled, reaching down and picking up a pebble off the ground. She examined the smoother surface in her hand for a few seconds, then she gave it a swift toss and it skipped across the water, disturbing the silent water for a few seconds before finally coming to rest and sinking. “I had the same feeling,” she responded, smiling. “The key is accepting it and not to let it bother you.”
“You can say that,” Eira said looking at her sister. “You have a working husband and a home and a child. You’ve gotten past all of the tough parts. I’m still just a girl.”
“Not tomorrow, you won’t be.” She pat her sister on the back when it didn’t seem her mood would change, and then turned to make her way back to the village Imoria. “Don’t stay out too late, Eira. You need your rest for tomorrow. I would stay out here with you longer, like we used to do but… I have things I need to take care of myself now. As you will soon, if you just have faith. Everything will be fine.”
Eira didn’t respond, but just gave a small somber nod as she heard her sister’s footsteps grow quieter as she grew further away until she could not hear them at all. She then reached down and picked up a stone, a light bluish white one which gleamed even in the setting sunlight. It was a particularly smooth stone, she considered, giving it more precedent then it probably should have been given. She lifted it up and then tossed it towards the lake. It hit the surface with a small and sunk to the bottom of the shallow banks.
Eira shrugged, crossing her arms. She turned back towards Imoria, straightening her dress and making sure she seemed pleasant, and began her way back. As she walked, she saw a quick dark movement on the top of her vision, and she looked up at the sky. Where she thought she saw something, a shadow of movement, there was now nothing. She did spot a few stars shining in the distance, but that was all. Sighing, she looked forward again and made her way to her home.
The sun seemed to rise too soon for Eira.
She awoke in her bed, put on her clothes, and went to the living area of her small home and had breakfast with her mother and father. Her mother was a stout, thick woman named Elderna, a somewhat independent and feisty woman for her village. Her father, Nedor, was the town’s book and record keeper, a silent man who let his wife do most of the decision making.
She sleepily sat at the table as her mother passed her a bowl of stew, a mix of carrots, radishes, and potatoes with a gravy type of broth. She spooned it up and took slow sips, letting the warmth fill her. She gave a nod towards her mother and thanked her for the good breakfast. It would be one of her last within this home.
“You’ll need it for tonight, Eira!” said her mother, but it might have well been a shout for her loudly she spoke. “Tonight is your special day!” Her face turned red, as if she was holding in something fantastic, some secret she wasn’t allowed to tell, and her smile beamed beyond any she had ever seen before.
“I know mother,” nodded Eira, who did not carry the same weight of happiness as Elderna did.
“Oh come on,” Elderna responded, tapping the ladle of the stew pot against the edge of Eira’s bowl. “Your sister had no problems at all with the Coming of Age Ceremony. She took it with strides, and look at her now. A well respected woman among the entire village. And an amazing husband to boot!”
Although Eira did not like her mother comparing her to Elisa her sister, her last sentence struck her the most. The main attraction of the Coming of Age Ceremony was the being presented with a husband. In Imoria, the female was the one who chose the male, usually out of a small group, five or six, during the ceremony. Whoever she chose she would be bound by for the rest of her life.
Of course, there were cases when a young woman did not find the proper man during the Ceremony, but that was a very rare thing, and it did not last long or looked upon with good eyes from the rest of the villagers. Eira knew she would also be presented with a group of individual boys, and she would have to choose one for her own. That was what made Eira the most nervous.
Elderna watched as Eira did not give a response, and then she eyed Nedor with a frown. “But try to pick a better husband than I did,” she muttered, causing her husband to look up from his book at his wife. “I wish I picked Delron, for crying out loud!”
“Oh hush,” said Nedor in a voice that was quite different from his wife’s. It was an aged sullen voice, but one that did hold a bit of wisdom. However, getting the hint from his wife, he turned towards Eira and said, “I’m sure it will go fine. I will be there, your mother will be there, Elisa will be there. You will choose a good husband. I have faith in you, my daughter.”
That did make Eira give a small smile. Her father was not the closest father, but when he did speak, it was comforting words. She gave her parents a nod and finished eating the rest of her breakfast stew.
The day went by quick. Eira had spent her time wandering through the village, greeting everyone who greeted her. Most people looked upon her with big smiles, as if she was supposed to do something amazing on the spot. Others gave her warming smiles of pride, and some of the boys looked at her as well, which made her blush and walk faster.
There were many males her age in Imoria, but none she truly had any strong feelings for. There was Eldnei, who was two years older than her and a strong blacksmith. There was Igor, who was a soldier, an archer to be specific, one year older. There was Kalverslack, a butcher’s apprentice, but he was actually the last person on her list because of the smell that seemed to stick to him. And there was Eralor, a boy three years older than her who was the Earl’s son. He was a friend since she was young, and he would frequently go with her and Elisa out to the lake to explore and play.
But Elisa wasn’t sure if Eralor would be among the chosen few for her to choose from. And even if he was… she wasn’t sure she would make that choice either. It was all so draining she gave a long sigh, her mind in a million places at once. It was then that Eralor appeared before her, as if by faith, giving her a smile.
“What’s the matter?” he asked, obviously having noted her deep drawn out sigh. “You seem a bit down, Eira.”
Eralor was, by all means, a handsome young man. He had short brown hair, intense brown eyes, and a strong figure. He was not as bulky as Eldnei, nor as thin as Igor, but had a good balance between the two. His smile and his eyes always caught her sight, and did care for the boy, if not in a deep way, as friends at least.
“I’m fine,” lied Eira, her eyes looking forward.
Eralor didn’t say a word for a few seconds, which for some reason made Eira nervous, then said, “We should go to Isenstar today, before the Ceremony begins. One last time.”
The thought made Eira’s heart skip a beat, and she almost staggered. One last time? It was customary to keep the men who would appear before her during the Ceremony a secret, but was this a hint that Eralor was not chosen? Would Eira have to pick some other man, even Kalverslack? The thought made her shiver. She was so distressed, she formally declined the offer. “I shouldn’t go,” she said. “I don’t want to get filthy before the events. I need to look my best, my mother says.”
Eralor shrugged and gave a nod. “Fair enough,” he said. He then stopped, which made Eira stop as well, and gave a small wave. “I should be off then. I also have some things to do before tonight. I’ll see you at the Ceremony though.” He gave a smile and vanished between two buildings. Eira watched him go, sighed, and continued on her walk.
It was 6pm and the sun was setting in the west, creating a fabulous glow across Isenstar and Imoria. The entire village had entered into the party. There was music at every corner, food spread out on benches stretching many yards long, dancers, story tellers telling ancient tales, fire breathers, sword fights for show, magicians showing off varying skills, and all kinds of other amazing sights.
Eira walked through the streets. She was wearing a beautiful red gown that stretched just below her ankles, black flats, and a striking light snowy blue rose in her hair behind her ear. Her face glowed and her smile was bright. At her side was Elisa, and her other side, Eralor. Although she was smiling, and she did truly enjoy seeing all the amazing festivities, especially because they were all surrounded around her, she still had a deep anxiousness insider her, one she was not sure how to deal with. She didn’t let it appear on her face, nevertheless.
“Isn’t that amazing?” commented Eralor towards a magician. Eira turned to face the man who seemingly made a small stone rise above his the palm of his hand, split into many small stones, catch on fire, and fly around in insane patterns before returning to its original state.
It truly was amazing. Magic had become somewhat common knowledge in Alagaësia after Queen Nasuada had taken the throne some fifteen years ago. Before then, as far as she knew, magic was used in horrible ways to treat people unfairly, but now that she was the queen, it was better maintained and kept in check. Something like splitting a rock didn’t alert Queen Nasuada, however, killing someone with magic, which was totally possible, would.
She didn’t know much before Nasuada’s time. She had been the queen almost all her life. Although Imoria itself had an Earl, that person gave fealty towards Queen Nasuada over any other. From what she did hear from story tellers during some occasions, she did know of Galbatorix, who was the previous King. He was what they called a Dragon Rider, one of an ancient organization of men and elves and dragons. The Dragon Riders were a group of people and dragons who wandered the land and protected its citizens. However, Galbatorix had turned and killed the other Dragon Riders and taken throne for himself. It was then, fifteen years ago, when a new Dragon Rider named Eragon appeared, slain the king, and made Nasuada the Queen before leaving Alagaësia to take care of new Dragon Eggs in hope that they would hatch and remake the Dragon Riders.
But that was all she knew, and everyone knew that. The details escaped her, but she could learn more whenever she wanted, her father being a book keeper. But now was not the time to talk of ancient orders and kingdoms. Now was a time for celebration into adulthood in the village of Imoria.
“I wonder if I could ever use magic?” speculated Eralor as they walked away from the magician. “I bet I could do amazing things, like move mountains.”
Eira giggled at him, which made him give her a wondering look. “You don’t seem like a magician type in my opinion,” she said, smiling. “You’re destined to be a politician, aren’t you? I know of none magical politicians.”
Eralor shrugged. “I could be the first. Eralor the Politically Magical.” Eira chuckled again as did Elisa.
It was then that five horns blew, one after another, a resonance so deep it echoed through all of Imoria. Eira stopped in her tracks, knowing exactly what that meant. It was time. Her mother appeared from seemingly out of nowhere, grabbing her by her wrist and pulling her away from Eralor and Elisa, walking down the street in a hurry.
“Oh dear oh dear, we must hurry Eira!” shouted her mother, and as she walked the rest of the town paused whatever they were doing and gathered behind her, all walking with upmost anxiousness.
They walked for what seemed like forever, her wrist starting to get sore from her mother pulling at it so much, until they finally came to a stop along the banks of Isenstar Lake. The sun had already gone down and now the moon was bright in the winter sky. On the edges of the bank was a raised platform where five individual men stood. She stood facing then, and on her right and left was a huge gathering of villages, almost everyone.
Eira turned to her right, seeing her mother in the crowd who was giving her a hand motion to go on and Elisa behind her giving a warming smile. She turned to her left and saw Eralor, giving a nod but seeming somewhat sad, although it did not show clearly on his face. Eira frowned, wishing more than ever he was beside Eralor right now, or Elisa, or his mother or father.
She felt her heart beat faster as she turned towards the raised platform. There stood five men. She recognized them all. She was not particularly close to any of them, but she had talked to them on occasion and knew them by name and by profession, but not much else. To her dismay, Kalverslack stood in the center, the tallest of all the others.
She gulped, feeling her legs freeze up as she tried to take a step forward. Her mind was racing, trying to decide which she should pick, or if she should deny them all. It was totally a possibility, but knew that everyone would look down on her for it, for these five individuals were personally handpicked by the elders for their pros. It would be nothing less but insulting to deny these men, and even if she found a husband at a later date, she would always be one rank down from all other women in the village.
She turned back towards Eralor, but he seemed to vanish in the huge crowd and she could not pick out his location. Tears almost came to her eyes and she turned back towards the choices. Mind racing she examined each one, thinking about them, about who she really wanted to spend her life with. She knew them all, some she considered friends… but husbands…? But what choice did she have.
She took a deep breath, centering on one individual and opened her mouth. The silence was like ice as they awaited her decision, waiting to hear what she would say, who she would choose. Her voice froze up. She closed her mouth, took another deep breath, remembered what her mother, father, sister, and Eralor had told her, and knew she had to decide.
She opened her mouth and called out –
Isenstar Lake Exploded.
Eira’s mouth held open as she saw a dragon fly out from the lake, roaring at the top of its lungs and shooting a golden flame fifty feet into the air, as if to burn the moon. It snapped down towards the shore, biting one of the choices in half as it clawed its way onto shore. People screamed, cried, yelled, ran for cover. The remaining male choices for the ceremony, at the sight of the dragon and one of their own being eaten, dashed for their lives, abandoning the ceremony.
Eira stood frozen in her place, her eyes wide, her jaw dropped as the dragon made its way on shore, giving another tremendous roar and blowing fire into the sky. The dragon was at least twenty-five feet long from tail to head. It was a striking orange dragon, a blast or red like a scar across face and underbelly. Horns sprouted from its head and made a trail down its back all the way to the tip of its tail. It had two giant wings, both orange with red tips, and for a short moment Eira seemed to notice its left wing seemed to be damaged, bleeding perhaps but she could not be sure. But nevertheless, it was the most awesome sight she had ever seen in her life.
“A-a-a d-dra-dragon,” she muttered.
Suddenly she felt someone pull at her side, but she could not take her eyes off the sight. She could still hear though, and she heard Eralor yelling at her.
“Come on Eira! It’s a dragon; we have to get out of here! Your mother is waiting for you with your sister, hurry up!”
“Look at it,” muttered Eira, her voice so hollow it almost didn’t seem to make a sound at all. Eralor gave a pause to look up at the huge dragon as it stopped in front of her, roughly twenty feet away. It’s eyes were fierce and violent, moving around in its sockets, but keeping basic direction: Facing Eira.
Human!
It was as if a voice boomed in her head, and she knew it came from the dragon. It was unlike anything she had ever heard or felt before, and at that moment she felt as if she could drop to her knees in amazement.
I will have my revenge!
Then the dragon opened its giant mouth and a spray of bright flame shot towards Eira and Eralor and overtook them in an instant.