Prologue
Being an account of the death of Belgarion of Riva and his family, and the reason for the exile of his daughter and heir
-- Based upon the historical records in the Library of Imperial Tolnedra
And so it came to pass that Belgarion of Riva and Ce'Nedra, his queen, ruled over the Isle of the Winds with wisdom and kindness. Under their guidance, the Isle prospered, and the song of the Orb of Aldur echoed from the Hall of the Rivan King to cover the city of Riva with its blessing. The children of Belgarion and Ce'Nedra were many, 'tho they were ever only blessed with one son, and they were a constant joy to the royal pair. And so the years passed, and the Isle of the Winds, and indeed all of the Kingdoms of the West, were blessed with peace.
And, as was foretold, the worship of the God Eriond spread, first covering Mallorea and the Angrak Kingdoms, but soon expanding, until many nations viewed him as their God. The old gods had left this world, and so the peoples of the World turned to Eriond to lead their souls through the darknes. And so the kingdoms of all the world were blessed with his light and his love.
But, like many such blissful periods, these years all too soon came to an end. Fate, that cruelest of masters, once again shook the very foundations of the West when a pestilence swept across the Isle, claiming the lives of many, including the Rivan Queen, the crown prince, and all but one of the beautiful princesses. The grief of King Belgarion knew no bounds, and he wept for days. Placing himself in seclusion, he left the ruling of the Isle to Kale, the Warder of Riva. Not even his remaining daughter could charm the King out of his melancholy over losing his wife, and so, mere months after laying her to rest, Belgarion joined Ce'Nedra in the halls of the dead by willing himself out of existence.
Now Belgarath, the Eternal Man, his daughter, the beautiful Polgara, and her husband, Durnik the smith, were all deeply saddened by the loss of so much of their family. But, as there was still one member of the royal family left to care for and protect, they pushed aside their grief and focused on caring for the child.
For a time, this family of sorcerers attempted to raise the child in the palace at Riva, but this soon proved impossible. There was a new Emperor in Mallorea, Kevan by name, and he sought to raise himself above all others as Overlord of all the World. Seeing the line of Riva in such a fragile state caused him to exalt, for it would be much easier to kill a small babe than it would be to challenge the King of Riva for Overlordship of the West.
And so, to protect the young girlchild, Polgara turned once again to the disguise of the country woman, caring for an orphaned relative. Taking Durnik, her husband, and their two children, she immersed herself once again in the Sendarian countryside, waiting until such a time as the young daughter of Belgarion should be old enough to take up her birthright as Queen of Riva.
And the Purpose of the Universe looked on, seeing that, for now, the Path of men was following the way that the universe intended. But chance was now in force, and so he continued to watch, and to worry, and to pray that man did not stray from the intended Path. For the Path was thin as the edge of a knife, and although purpose directed mans steps, a misstep could be easily made, and plunge the world again into chaos and war.
