Naïve Awareness

Disclaimer: I have bad news. I have murdered Christopher Paolini and assumed his identity. Empire will be finished by moi. Right. Like that's gonna happen. Lol. I don't own Eragon.

Eragon saw a small girl of about fifteen kneel before him. Her face was obscured by shadows.

"Help me, Argetlam," she whispered. "My sister and I need you."

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Ar…" the girl whispered before fainting.

Her breathing became ragged as she lay there. Eragon reached forward to try and help her. A tall girl ran towards them. She picked up the unconscious girl and muttered something under her breath. Her eyes met Eragon's before she finished. They were black.

"You cannot help us. Your life will be forfeit if you even try," she whispered harshly before she and the smaller girl vanished.

Eragon's eyes sprang open. The dream was over. He couldn't think who would have sent him such a dream. It was more lucid than his normal dreams though not as clear as his dreams of Arya were. He could only assume that the tall girl who had ended the dream was the one-who-had-started-it's sister. She was right about one thing. Eragon could help them if he had no idea who they were.

He closed his eyes and was asleep for what seemed like only a few minutes before he was awoken again.

"Argetlam, wake up," a voice above him yelled.

Eragon looked up to see Angela's curly-haired head above him.

"Wha-why?" Eragon muttered groggily.

"A group of fishermen were shipwrecked on Vroenguard. They found what they believe to be the last dragon egg buried there outside of Galbatorix's control there," Angela whispered back.

"They what?" Eragon yelled leaping up suddenly alert.

You heard what she said. Honestly, asking what someone said when you heard them properly has to be one of humanity's most annoying habits, a voice replied dryly.

"Solembum has a point," Angela said. The werecat was now visible by her side.

Well, at least he's awake now, came Solebmum's retort.

Angela ignored the werecat.

"Go get dressed and meet the farmers. With luck, this could help us out of this quagmire we've been in since the red rider appeared," Angela yelled as she threw clothes at Eragon.

The red rider, Eragon thought, Murtagh. Angela had inadvertently reminded him of everything he wished he could forget: his friend's betrayal, the revelation of his heritage, tending to the Varden and Surda's wounded, Arya continued refusal of his advances. In fact, the reunion and reconciliation with Roran had been the only good event this entire week. He mechanically took the tunic that Angela had flung at him off of his face. Quagmire was a good word to describe the past weeks events.

Be comforted, hatchling, Saphira whispered kindly. This egg will provide new hope. Besides, I can sense it is a female. This means more hope for the dragon race. Now we need only steal the next egg and…

HOW CAN WE DO THAT? I HAVE TO COMPLETE MY THRICE DAMNED TRAINING, HELP MY COUSIN RESCUE HIS DAMN FIANCEE, FIND THE DRAGON'S NEXT RIDER, AND WHO KNOWS WHAT ELSE! Eragon snapped back.

You really should control your swearing, Saphira remarked dryly.

Eragon threw on his clothes scowling.

"Had a fight with your dragon did you?" Angela quipped.

A very loud and ill-mannered fight it was too, the sardonic werecat added.

"I've told him to stop listening to other's conversations. He never listens," Angela said, stroking the Solembum's head fondly.

Eragon scowled at all three of them.

"Ardis, that was extremely foolish of you," Luce yelled at the small girl lying on the floor next to her. "You should have known better than to contact the rider Eragon. He has no idea who you are; he couldn't save you even if he wanted to, and I doubt he would if he could; and the man who claims to be our father would kill you if he found out that you had contacted the enemy!"

"I'm sorry, Luce," Ardis muttered. She looked on the verge of tears. She hated it when Luce-- or anyone for that matter-- yelled at her. "I'm just not clever like you are."

Luce sighed. It was hard for even her to stay mad at Ardis. Her sister was too sweet and innocent for that. She just wished that Ardis would use her pretty little head sometimes. Being Galbatorix's daughter made that necessary. Luce had learned that when Galbatorix killed her mother for being to ambitious when Luce was only three. She had spent the past seventeen years trying to stay alive.

"I'm worried. Alright?" she said. "You could have killed yourself trying something like that. I know you've a gift for magic, but Eragon's in Surda. You're lucky I could break the dream."

"I guess this means that I'm right about one thing though," Ardis said, sitting up and grinning slightly.

"What?" Luce asked, smiling a bit herself.

"The battle between Surda and Father's troops already happened. Eragon's still in Surda, which means that Murtagh didn't capture him." Ardis replied.

Luce hadn't really believed that he would have if he could have. She just wouldn't tell Ardis that.