Brothers Under the Sun - (An Inheritance Cycle Fanfiction)

The Pale Morning Sky

A/N (sorry it's really long, but... necessary because this scene takes place in the middle of the AU): This was originally written for a collection of AU one-shots that Fredo747 was putting together, but that project was put on hold. I received his permission to post my one-shot as a stand-alone from the project. All credit for the prompt goes to him. Here is the question this AU asks: What would have gone differently if Vrael had managed to kill Galbatorix?

My answer, although it's a long one, is this: I honestly, truly believe that if Vrael had killed Galbatorix, Morzan would have stepped into the role of Galbatorix and finished the job. I also believe that Morzan would have done a better job of it than Galby did. By that, I mean that Morzan—say what you will about him—was not nearly as insane as Galbatorix. He would have assembled the Forsworn, but he would have prevented them from killing one another to gain favor. It's almost certain that some of the Thirteen would still have died, but I think at least a few of them could have survived to see the events of the main conflict. Though they would need to be dead by the time of the final climax. Maybe Brom gets to take a few more down, or Eragon does. I haven't thought that far ahead. Anyways...

What this also means, however, is that Morzan would have undoubtedly raised Murtagh as his son and heir. This means that the Murtagh we are familiar with would be very different. He would have been more entitled, more powerful, and all around darker. I think Tornac would still have some place in his education, so those same ideals of honor and compassion might have been implemented, but his ruthlessness would definitely be amplified. I also believe that this means Murtagh would have been exposed to the eggs at a much younger age; probably the traditional age of ten. Whether Thorn were to hatch for him is a touchy subject, but I do believe he would. In essence, Murtagh would be the same character we've come to know and love, just with the darker aspects of his personality more prominent. CP has stated in interviews that Thorn was anxious to come out of his egg, and might not have been as picky as he otherwise would be, but he did see the positive aspects of Murtagh's personality. I believe this would also hold true in this AU.

In keeping with the construct of the original work, we'll just say that Selena still falls in love with Morzan, and the situation with Brom still happens. Even though it would have taken place in Uru'baen, instead of in the Spine. In this alternate timeline, I also believe that Brom would not have thought Carvahall to be a safe place for Eragon to be raised. After all, Morzan knew that was the place Selena was from, so it might be the first place he'd looked. Therefore, Brom likely would have taken Eragon and raised him himself, with the Varden wherever they might be at the time. In this situation, it's likely that Eragon would have known all along that Brom was his father, leading the way to him knowing about the history of the Riders, as well as his connection with Murtagh. And just as with Murtagh, it's very likely that Eragon would have been exposed to Saphira's egg at a much younger age; again, most likely the traditional age of ten. Brom would have trained him from this young age, and then they would have travelled to Ellesméra to finish their training with Oromis and Glaedr.

And so, when it comes time for the main conflict to begin, we have two brothers who are very powerful, and who have been raised in opposing environments for a lot longer than in the original work. We also have much bigger dragons, considering Thorn and Saphira would be about eight and six years old, respectively. Now, the events that lead to Eragon coming out of his training in order to try and overthrow Morzan, and possibly redeem Murtagh, would be different. But without writing an entire full blown series, I can't really delve into that too much. Let's just say it still involved his uncle's death.

Now, I was also asked to include a short piece of creative writing to go along with the description of my AU. Unfortunately... I don't know how to write anything "short". But I'll do my best. In this piece, I'll be exploring what the brother's first meeting looks like, which will take place during the Battle of the Burning Plains. Enjoy!