DISCLAMIER: I don't own the world of Belgarath the Sorcerer, that belongs to the wonderful David Eddings and his wife Leigh, I'm just passing through with some original ideas.
SUMMARY/EXPLINATION: This is only a collection of little scenes with an original character I had created, so if it appears scatter brained that is the nature of this story. Each new chapter is different scenes that take place at different times in the world of the Belgariad and the Malloreon. There really is not supposed to be any kind of order to this thing.
However, most of these chapters are likely to take place during Belgarath the Sorcerer and will be narrated by Belgarath; at least that is the earlier chapters. If the narration changes I will give you a heads up.
Chapter 1: A Strange Child
We waited while our Master consulted with his brothers over Toark's theft of the Orb. My brothers had immediately noticed my new companion. That frisky she-wolf who followed me on my errand to fetch Belar and did not seem inclined to leave. They marveled over her apparent tameness and my sudden ability to speak Wolfish. Soon an argument developed about changing shape in order to learn new languages. Naturally, Blemakor and Beldin fueled this argument; in fact, they kept it going for centuries.
Gradually my brothers stopped their bickering becoming aware of a stranger approaching our group. They stared off in the distance at the approaching stranger. I noticed that some of my brothers looked worried. Belzendar, in particular, there was a clenching of his jaw and a tightening around his eye that I recognized immediately. He was focusing his will, preparing for what I do not know. No one else seemed as eager to draw in their wills, but they all looked ready to do so if needed. Our last visitor had been Toark, and his visit proved disastrous. Understandably, we were all wary especially because this stranger was so oddly formed. I believe Belmakor was the first to voice what we were all thinking.
"Who or what is that?" He asked calmly with a certain dry surprise, as always he retained his urban charm.
"Who or what indeed," Beldin replied his gravelly voice full of sarcasm. "At least people can tell that I'm a man." No one had anything to say after that.
The figure continued to approach us and it soon dissolved itself into a little girl riding a white horse. Back in the infancy of mankind horses were extremely demure in size. By this century's standards, she was riding a pony not a horse. She held herself proudly on her pony and rode right up to our group, stopping when she reached me. I wondered for a moment why she had chosen me as a spokesman; the she-wolf solved that problem for me.
"One notices that the other two-legers think you are the pack leader." There was a certain amount of amusement in her observation that I could have done without. Although she made sense, I was after all the eldest.
The girl sat calmly on her horse watching me; I felt as though she was measuring me on some unknown scale, further more that I had to pass before she could speak to me. She sat there waiting a long time and as she waited, I took the opportunity to take my measure of her.
She was young, surprisingly young to my mind. Although it had been a few centuries since I was last around someone younger than a hundred. This child could not be older than ten and no younger than four if I was any judge of age. She looked positively doll-like sitting there on that white horse, an image that was only reinforced by how she was dressed.
She was wearing a doublet and hose that were at least two sizes to big for her. She compensated for the doublet's bagginess by rolling the sleeves up. That way her hands would be free to hold the reigns, or rather the rope that passed for a reign. She had wrapped a rope belt around her waist twice, to keep the doublet from falling beyond her knees. Even the legs of the hose were rolled up, and I noticed with some amusement that she was barefooted.
"Hello," she finally said breaking the silence. Apparently, I had passed her test. For such a younger creature, she had such a solemn manner about her, nothing childlike about it at all.
"Hello little one, can I help you?" I asked trying not to smile at how serious she was being. I found her seriousness to be both endearing and amusing.
"I am looking for my father, have you seen him?" I was taken aback by her question; I truly did not expect such a response. I turned around to look back at my brothers, rather accusatorily, wondering which one of them could be this child's father. I could not believe that there was any other reason for her to search for her father within the Vale.
"They're not my father," she said with a chuckle and I turned back to her perplexed.
"Who is your father then?" I asked, she opened her mouth to answer but was distracted by the sight of my Master's brothers walking past us.
At first, I attributed her sudden fascination as her reaction to seeing a God for a first time, let alone five of them. Yet, she did not have that look of dumbfounded surprise that I had come to associate with a person sensing a God's presence for the first time. In fact, their presence seemed to put her completely at ease.
I must admit I was alive with curiosity as to why she did not seem shocked by the presence of the God's. I did not have to wait long to find out either, for at that moment Mara stepped into her line of sight and the child let out an excited squeal, sitting up straighter on her pony. Mara stopped mid step to turn and looked over at her, he smiled when he saw her sitting there and to my and my bother's astonishment greeted her warmly.
"Roisin dear heart," she squealed even louder at the sound of Mara's greeting. She leapt gracefully off her horses' bareback and hit the ground running at full speed. Without hesitation, she hurled herself into Mara's waiting arms.
"Uncle!" she exclaimed her once solemn voice becoming very childlike. I felt my jaw drop open in shock and knew that my brothers were having similar reactions. I gazed at the sight before me feeling as though I had been hit in the face with a dead fish.
As I watched stunned, the other Gods came to gather around their brother, who was now holding the exuberant child. She was chatting his ear off, an action that caused the others to smile and even laugh affectionately at her. One statement she made caused Belar to throw his head back and laugh uproariously. She twisted in Mara's arms to pout rather prettily at the young God.
"Uncle Belar," she asked seriously. "Why do you laugh at me?" Belar stifled more laughter at her question and reached to take her from his older brother's arms. He held her at arms length, so her face was even with his own. After a moment, he gave her a kiss on her forehead and drew her into a quick, fierce hug before answering her.
"Thee hath brought me much joy, my beloved Roisin."
Then Issa the god of Nyissa reached out for the child, and she was soon past amongst the Gods like a well-loved rag doll. Each God held her tight to him, seeming to take comfort in her presence. It was with reluctance that they would relinquish her to those waiting to hold her. Sometimes they would ask her questions while other times they were content to let her chatter at them. One thing stayed constant, holding Roisin brought hope to the Gods' faces, were before there had been sorrow.
Eventually she was passed back into the waiting arms of Mara. Once returned to her Uncle she wiggled in his grasp until Mara held her out at arms length. He studied her for a moment then gave her a rather puzzled look. I had never seen an expression of bewilderment on a God before. It was a talent unique to Roisin, the ability to confuse a God.
"Uncle where is my father?" Mara smiled softly at her rather demanding question.
"Thee must ask Belgarath to take thee to thine father." Mara answered her, setting her down after giving Roisin one last kiss on the cheek. She stared up at him resting her hands on her hips; obviously, that wasn't the answer she wanted. I almost expected her to stamp her little foot in irritation at the God.
"I have asked but he doesn't understand!" She said with a pout. I was surprised to learn that she already knew who I was.
"Then thee must show him," Mara replied patiently. "Belgarath knows thine father well and will lead thee to him."
"If you say so Uncle," Roisin agreed reluctantly. Mara chuckled at her lack of enthusiasm then turned her around so she was once again facing my brothers and me. He then gave Roisin a gentle pat on her backside to send her on her way. She giggled at that then turned back around to say goodbye to her remaining uncles. They all returned her farewells with enthusiasm, then resolutely continued on their way out of the Vale.
Roisin calmly sauntered back to her horse. She had this whimsical smile on her young face that made her seem older. She climbed effortlessly back onto the bare back of her horse then sat there staring directly at me. I lifted a quizzical eyebrow at her and her face broke out into a huge grin sending a mischievous twinkle to her peculiar blue-green eyes. I suddenly had the feeling that she could be trouble incarnate.
"Belgarath, please can you take me to my father?" She asked me calmly.
"Perhaps, Roisin," I answered her hesitantly liking the taste of her name on my tongue. "If you sowed me who your father is"—
She interrupted me with a resigned sigh and to my further astonishment performed a flawless illusion of my Master. She smiled at the expression on my face.
"Can you take me to him now?" She asked sweetly. My only reply was to nod, I had been rendered speechless, and the deafening silence behind me was testimony to my brother's shock. "Then lead the way," She said handing the reins to her mount to me.
Then Roisin proceed to curl up on her mount's back laying on her side. I thought her position to be a dangerous one but I did not know how to tell her that. Instead, I began the walk towards my Master's tower gently leading the white pony and with the wolf and my brothers following.
We were halfway to Aldur's tower when I could no longer allow her to sit on her mount in, what to my mind, was a perilous manner. I stopped and Roisin lazily opened an eye. For some reason her manner annoyed me.
"Roisin, could you sit upon your pony properly?" I asked as calmly as I could.
"I won't fall Belgarath, Snow would not allow it."
"I am not that convinced." I said tartly and my harshness had no effect on her. She merely shrugged.
"If it bothers you so, fix it." Behind me, I distinctly heard Beldin choking on his own laughter.
Exasperated by her indifference to her own safety I boldly lifted her off the animal's back. I was about to set her back on the horse, so she was sitting the proper way, when she calmly laid her hand along my cheek. I received a jolt at her touch that froze me, and she laughed at my expression. At the sound of her laughter, my heart leapt within me. I found myself smiling in return.
"There now Belgarath," she said as I returned her to her mount, "was that so hard?" I did not answer, but then she already knew what my answer was. We continued our walk to my Master's tower in comfortable silence.
When we reached Aldur's tower Roisin dismounted from her pony then laid her hand along the pony's flank softly murmuring into its ear. With a whinny, the pony turned and trotted off. Roisin watched it go then turned her attention back to us.
She calmly slipped her small hand into my own without even bothering to ask if I would mind. Truth be told, I found the touch of her small hand comforting. The she-wolf noticed this immediately, and I noticed that she did not seem to mind Roisin's apparent attachment to me.
"One notes that you are good with pups," the she-wolf commented. I did not make a reply, for I was hoping that the wolf's observation had gone unnoticed. I was soon to learn that not much escaped Roisin's notice.
"Are you not afraid that he will run off?" Belzendar asked Roisin, he was clearly shocked by how she simply let the animal free.
"Snow will not get lost he knows where I am that's all that matters." She replied with a simple shrug.
"Is he tame?" Belsambar asked, she smiled at his question.
"yes, quite tame." She turned to me then, "May I see my father now?"
"In a moment," I answered leading her to the stone that opened my Master's tower. I opened it effortlessly with the command of my will. At the stone's sudden movement Roisin jumped then giggled.
"What fun!" She exclaimed acting like the child she was, "May I try?" She looked at me then her eyes wide and dancing with mirth.
"Would you rather see your father first?"
"Oh yes," her reply was breathless and I found myself being pulled across the threshold.
We walked up the time wore steps with Roisin still holding my hand and with her other hand trailing along the stonewall. I was keenly aware of her presence at my side and felt oddly protective of the child. I was also unreasonably curious about how Aldur managed to have a daughter and not mention her or her mother to us. For some reason I did not think that I would ever get an answer from my Master. Instead, if I wanted my curiosity fulfilled I would have to ask Roisin herself.
When we reached the top of the stairs, we found Aldur sitting at his table examining his hands, his eyes distant and sad. Roisin could no longer be contained at the sight of her father. She squirmed her way out of my grip, before I could even react.
"Father!" she said laughing as she rushed across the tower room, only to be swept up into a crushing embrace. For a moment, the grief of his brother's betrayal left our Master's face.
"Polroisin my beloved daughter," Aldur greeted her with a kiss. "Come let me introduce thee to thy brothers."