Chapter 4

With Brom leaving him sitting on the floor of his home with a freshly hatched dragon, Eragon tries his best to wrap his head around what is happening. He didn't think for an instant that the butterfly effect could change the future so quickly. In the novel, the egg doesn't hatch for two weeks from now at the earliest, and the Razac don't appear until near the end of winter, the start of which is only a few weeks away. He battles with his thoughts for a few minutes before he forcefully pushes them down. 

"There is no use in thinking about what if's. I need to focus on what's happening now and plan accordingly for things to change from canon." with a firm resolve he looks towards his little dragon that is exploring the room with newborn curiosity. 

Eragon's fierce determination melts in the face of such a magnificent creature. The dragon scans the room before seeing Eragon and waddling up to him. She sits on the rug and looks up at him expectantly. Eragon remembers that in the movie, he tried to feed the dragon some milk but failed and ended up feeding her small pieces of meat instead. 

He gets up and walks towards Brom's pantry and cuts up some meat into small cubes. He places a cube in his hand and holds it out for the dragon. She tentatively sniffs at the meat before her mouth darts forward and swallows it whole. Her small tongue licks her lips as she looks at Eragon with a pleading expression. The sight melts his heart and fills him with more joy than he has ever felt even in his past life. 

He continues to feed the dragon while thinking about what to name her. After a few minutes of contemplation, he decides to still call her Saphira as it was the name of brom's dragon. As Eragon calls out her name, Saphira perks up and climbs into his arms. He brings her over to the bed and sets her down. As he sits down next to her, the fatigue from the Gedwey insignia branding hits him hard and he passes out. 

A couple hours later, Brom returns to his shack with his arms full of supplies. He sets everything down in a chair before noticing Eragon and the dragon sleeping peacefully on the bed. 

Eragon is laying on his back and the dragon is curled up on his chest. The sight brings a new wave of joy surging through his old bones. Witnessing the birth of a dragon and the first new rider in over a century has given Brom a new purpose in life that he never would have dreamed possible, training his son in the ways of the riders. 

Of course, it won't be easy. While Eragon has shown incredible talent in magic and steady muscle growth, he still lacks in many ways when compared to the riders of old. Let alone the fact that the eggs' appearance most likely means that something has happened to its carrier. Brom theorizes that the elven queen's daughter Arya must have been attacked by Galbatorix's men and been captured. 

Once the queen finds out, she just might order a full scale assault on the capital. The possibility of such an assault ending the life of the betrayer is basically zero. Brom sits down in a chair and spends the next few hours thinking about where they will go and what is more important to the future of Alagaesia that he hopes ends with Galbatorix's head on a pike. 

… 

Eragon's eyes flutter open as he yawns. Outside the window he sees nothing but darkness and stars. He tries to sit up but finds that there is something on his chest. He looks down and sees Saphira sleeping on him, her body curled up into a ball while slowly breathing in and out. The sight fills him with happiness. He strokes her scales lightly while thinking about his past life. 

"The warmth I'm feeling right now is what I truly wished for all my life. My mother left me in the hospital when I was born. I was taken care of by the hospital staff until I was sent to an orphanage. I stayed there, never getting adopted, all the way to the age of 15 where I was thrown out onto the streets. 

Without any help I left the city and roughed it in the wilderness. One day I got fed up with my situation and just decided to travel the world, trying to find a place where I belong. I traveled throughout the United States, visiting many iconic places. 

Then one day, while I was digging through someone's trash, I found the first book of the Eragon series. From the moment I opened that book my life changed completely. 

I got a job, rented a small apartment, clawed my way up the ladder to become a top engineer with a bachelor's degree from MIT. The Eragon books and the movie were the first bright light in the unending darkness that was my life. Even if the movie didn't stay true to the source material, it still was a decent movie if you overlook the storyline. Not to mention that everyone that I have seen in this world has looked exactly like their movie counterparts."

Eragon's thoughts are interrupted when Saphira nudges his hand with her head. She looks at him with the same pleading look as last night. He sighs as he rubs her head with his hand. 

"Good morning Saphira. I'm going to need you to get off me if you want me to get you some food." Saphira tilts her head to the side as if contemplating his words before clambering off him and sliding off the edge of the bed to the floor. Eragon stands up and starts cutting up some meat for her while she sits next to his leg. While feeding Saphira plenty of meat, Brom enters the room. 

"So you finally woke up. We need to discuss our plans for the future."

Eragon releases an exasperated sigh. "We can't stay in Carvahall can we Brom?"

Brom shakes his head. "Unfortunately no. It's far too dangerous to stay. Galbatorix will stop at nothing to acquire you and your dragon, seeing as she is a female she will need to lay eggs at some point otherwise dragons will go extinct."

Eragon acts like he is shocked by the news. "Extinct!!! I didn't know things were that bad… Is Galbatorix so hungry for power that he would even wipe out such beautiful creatures?"

Brom looks into Eragon's eyes with a sorrowful look. "There is nothing he wouldn't do. There is no one currently that can contest with his strength other than the Varden or the elves. The Varden is actually where we will be heading. I would love to cross over the spine but the winter weather will hit us soon so it is best to head south through the town of Therinsford before reaching Yasuac, then we head south west until we find the Toark river that we will follow to Teirm. From there we can take a boat down the coast to Surda." 

"And what about Roran, Garrow, and the rest of the townsfolk? Won't Galbatorix send his soldiers here at some point. Can the magic that was used to send Saphira's egg be traced back to here?" 

"Ye… What did you just say?"

"Can the magic that was used to send Saphira's…" 

"How do you know that name?"

Eragon tilts his head in confusion. "It's the name of my dragon. I thought about a name for a while and came up with it because her scales are blue like a sapphire. Why? Is there something wrong with the name?"

Tears start streaming down Brom's face as his lip quivers. "That… That was the name of my dragon as well. She was killed in the battle at Doru Araeba by Morzan. Morzan was Galbatorix's right hand during the downfall of the riders and it was him that I killed whilst faking my death to move here. Your mother was one of his top assassins."

Eragon walks over and places his hand on Brom's shoulder. "Don't worry dad, Even if it takes me a hundred years, I will see that Galbatorix's reign of terror ends." 

Brom wipes the tears from his face and scoffs loudly. "Ha. You think it's that easy huh? Guess I will have to train you better than any rider ever has. I hope you're ready, the fate of Alagaesia is on your shoulders." 

"I might just surprise you, old man" The smile on Eragon's face is almost blinding to look at. Even Brom has to look away from it lest his grumpy persona falters any further.

… 

The two spend the next few hours discussing their imminent departure. Brom cannot find a good way to protect the townsfolk if they leave. Eragon suggests having a chat with Roran and Garrow at the very least as he doesn't want his family to get hurt because he left them here to die at the hands of Galbatorix's soldiers. Brom agrees and they both make their way to Eragon's house, arriving just before first light. Garrow and Roran are just polishing off the rest of their breakfast when they enter. Garrow starts to talk but stops when he sees Brom enter. His eyes narrow and his mouth curls up in a snarl for a second before he takes a deep breath to calm himself down. 

"So… What brings the great storyteller to our humble abode?" 

Roran looks up and nearly chokes on his food seeing Eragon with Brom at their home. He chugs a glass of water and tries to stifle his coughing fit to no avail. Eragon chuckles at the sight before putting on his serious face. 

"We need to talk. You both need to hear this."

Garrow is slightly surprised to see such a serious face on his nephew but still motions for them to sit at the table. The next few hours are filled with conversation, angry yelling, and tearful sobs followed by silent contemplation. Roran's eyes are darting back and forth as if he is running through what he will do in the coming weeks while Garrow is just staring forward in deep thought. The silence is finally broken by Garrow. 

"I won't leave. My wife died here so I'm going to die here. You two were always going to leave me. You're young and deserve to at least see the world outside our town hidden in the mountains. I have no right to stop you Eragon, your life is your own. If you do plan on leaving, take what won't hinder your travel and don't worry about us. We can manage." 

Roran looks up at Eragon. "I was going to find some work with Horst and save up money so that I could properly propose to Katrina but now…" Roran sighs. "I won't leave unless Katrina comes with me. I doubt Sloan will let her leave, especially with a poor farmer like me." 

Eragon stares down at the table in contemplation. "The whole town is in danger because I received Saphira's egg. I had no way to predict something like this would happen, but I still have a chance to do something to make sure all of you are safe. The main problem is that whether I fight or flee, Galbatorix will still send people after you to use as leverage against me. Brom, do you have any ideas on how to solve this?" 

Brom shakes his head. "I can't think of a reasonable way to save anyone in the town. If you show Saphira to the townsfolk they will most likely turn against you to not suffer at the hands of Galbatorix's men. Roran won't leave without Katrina and Sloan will never let her go. I'm sorry Eragon, we might have to leave everyone to their fate." 

Eragon sighs. "I don't see any other way either. I'm sorry but the fate of Alagaesia is larger than one village. We can't let Galbatorix have Saphira, he will create an army of dragons and dragon riders that are completely loyal to him. I will leave Carvahall with Brom tomorrow. Roran, go talk with Katrina in secret and tell her about the danger without revealing anything about Saphira. If you can convince her to leave, head to Surda and hide with the Varden." 

Roran nods his head. "I will try Eragon. All I can say is good luck and make sure to parade the mad king's skull through the village when you get back."

Eragon grabs Roran in a hug. "I will train harder than any rider before me and slay Galbatorix if it's the last thing I do. And Garrow… Whatever you do, don't let Galbatorix's men capture you." 

Garrow smiles weakly. "No soldier will be taking me from my home. I will die here without regrets… Goodbye Eragon."

Eragon wraps him in a big hug as well. "Until I found out this drunkard was my father, you were the father figure in my life. I will always remember you. Goodbye uncle Garrow." 

As Eragon walks out the door he takes one last look at the home that he was raised in. or at least, the former Eragon. Sam looks down at his hands in contemplation, still wondering why he is here and why the old Eragon has vanished without a trace. 

He kicks the dirt absentmindedly and a shiny object that was just beneath the surface causes a glint of light to hit his eyes. Eragon shuts his eyes and covers them with his hand before leaning down and picking up the object. In his hand is a small silver coin that must have fallen out of someone's pocket as they entered the house. 

Realizing that he forgot to give his cousin the gift he acquired earlier, Eragon, With a satisfied smirk, walks back into his house and hands Roran a uncut sapphire the size of a baseball with bits of rock surrounding it to make it look more authentic. 

"I can't have you ruining my image as the brother of a dragon rider. Here, take this and sell it to the traders when they get to town. Hopefully it will be enough to kickstart your journey." 

Roran's shocked expression at seeing so much wealth in the palm of his hand slowly morphs into a sad expression where he tries his hardest not to cry. "Thank you brother. Now I actually have a shot at getting Katrina away from this madness and to somewhere safe. Now get out of here already, you got a king to defeat."

Eragon and Brom say their final farewells to the duo before grabbing their packs full of supplies and leaving Carvahall.