“Eragon found the stone both beautiful and frightening. Where did it come from? Does it have a purpose? Then a more disturbing thought came to him: Was it sent here by accident, or am I meant to have it? If he had learned anything from the old stories, it was to treat magic, and those who used it, with great caution.”

Eragon has just discovered Saphira’s egg without knowing what it is yet. His fear of magic is ironic, given his future deep involvement in the subject and his natural magical abilities. He responds to the stone as any other common villager might. Everyone in Carvahall shares a superstitious dread of the Spine mountains except for Eragon. His latent magical tendencies are already asserting themselves in his attraction to the place and its supernatural qualities.

“The sands of time cannot be stopped. Years pass whether we will them or not…but we can remember. What has been lost may yet live on in memories. That which you will hear is imperfect and fragmented, yet treasure it, for without you it does not exist. I give you now a memory that has been forgotten, hidden in the dreamy haze that lies behind us.”

Brom makes this statement in the guise of the village storyteller. However, his words contain secret meaning. In retrospect, the reader can see that the past casts a heavy shadow over his life. He cautions his listeners not to forget the past. This is a veiled hint to Eragon because his own future is bound to the long history of the Dragon Riders. 

“‘Yes, I heard your story the last time I was in town.’ ‘Story!’ roared Brom. Lightning flashed in his eyes. ‘If it is a story, then the rumors of my death are true and you are speaking with a ghost! Respect the past; you never know how it may affect you.’”

This quote is an overt statement of the hint offered in the preceding one. Brom directly addresses a boy whose destiny he already knows, even though Eragon himself is ignorant of his fate as a future Dragon Rider. Eragon still expresses the opinions of a rural farm boy not the heroic figure that he will soon become.