Beldaran gazed at Polgara, her large eyes asking, sorrowful. "You. you didn't come, Pol." She

whispered, her voice choked, "I waited. I waited so long.... In my prison of darkness.

You....you never came for ME?"

Polgara looked down at herself, she was bleeding, all over. Looking back at Beldaran, she

cried, "How could I? HOW! Look at me! Look."

"You could've tried at least... now my baby and I are dead. You told me you loved me. you

said you needed me, yet you didn't come. Why?"

Polgara reached for Beldaran, but her sister turned from her, "I'm dead and it's all your fault!

You let me die Pol! You let my baby die! You failed us all!"

Polgara paled, "you don't mean that.."

"Yes I do!" Beldaran began to run away into the light, leaving Polgara in the darkness to cry.

***************************************************************************

Polgara awoke, aching. Her head raced. She was all bruised, all torn. She realized that she

hung just inches above the ground, her hands tied to a pole on a ceiling above her. All her

memory returned, and she screeched, like an injured child, wanting its mother. She struggled,

but all hope was gone from her, all her wishes, dreams. Beldaran. She let her head hang in

sorrow.

But she suddenly stopped, in horror. She couldn't breath, her eyes were wide, and she was

pale. All around her, on the floor, there were snakes, licking her toes, climbing her, some

already on her shoulders. She looked around herself; she was in a small square room, alone

with snakes of all sizes. Quickly she reached for her Will, and yelled "Fire!" all the snakes on

the floor caught fire and she shook the horrible snakes off herself. Her wrists burned and with

her Will she let herself free. On weak legs, she stood up, and limped around, trying to find an

exit. But found none.

She hit the walls, screaming to be let loose, but no one heard her cries.

***************************************************************************

Belgarath frowned. Where was Polgara?

"Pol!" he yelled, shaking the large tree she always climbed in, "are you offended? Good!" he

frowned again, "As your father, I command you to come out!"

No reply.

Beldin was suddenly behind him. "You want the girl to come out? Then don't hassle her!" then

in a gruff voice he called up the tree, "Pol! Bring you big rump down here!"

Again, no one replied. Where was she?

Belgarath sighed, and then began to climb.

"What do you think you're doing?" Beldin asked.

"Are you blind?" Belgarath questioned, not looking back.

Beldin glared, "No" he replied.

"Then shut your trap."

Beldin laughed, "Ah!" Belgarath blushed, but continued.

A moment later, Belgarath, sounding confused, he called "She's not here!"

"When was the last time you saw her?" Beldin asked.

"A week ago."

Beldin snorted, "She's probably gone to Beldaran!"

Belgarath thought of the possibility. "Maybe.." He whispered as he struggled to get down.

***************************************************************************

Riva sat on his galloping stallion, his gray-blue eyes narrowed against the rush of wind.

Beldaran's screams echoed in his mind, making his heart bleed in horror as his jaw ached from

clenching. Where was she? Where was his beloved wife, his Queen? As he ran, he looked over

at the crowd of people watching, and nearly reined in his stallion when he noticed an old man

looking at him. The old man looked just like

Belgarath, except his beard was more yellowish, unlike Belgarath's iron gray color. He

continued. He didn't like the way the old man stared at him and his sword with the Orb.

The old man watched, the hood of his gray cloak drawn up, just barely shadowing his eyes.

Slowly, a smile twitched at the corners of his thin lips. When the Raven King was gone, with

his loyal soldiers, the old man turned around, and with a swing of his hand, he shoved a little

boy out of his path and walked away.

She was here.

Quickly he hurried to the woods, into the hidden area where he kept the Queen, the magical

illusion he had created around it was hard for the human eye to see. Lying on a comfortable

blanket on the floor, her eyes wide open, he noticed Beldaran. She neither blinked nor moved;

he had put a spell over her, she was now in a trance, lost in her own mind.

But his eyes went to the gruff looking man to the right of Beldaran. In his arms, he held

Polgara, now a beautiful maiden. Like Beldaran, she was in a trance, eyes open. The old man

opened another blanket next to Beldaran that he got from his horse, tied to a tree, also in the

enchanted, invisible spell. The gruff looking man laid Polgara down, and then, the old man

noticed something on the raven-haired beauty. He spun around to the big man and hit him in

the face, hard.

"Fool!" he roared, "I told you to bring her to me- not to abuse her! If Belgarath discovers this-

we're doomed!"

The Gruff man shrunk away from the sorcerer's wrath. "Forgive me Lord Zedar! Forgive me!"

He wept.

The old man chuckled, with the man groveling at his feet. He ignored his worries, for now.

He got them! He got the Twins!

Zedar laughed like a mad man, "Belgarath! Let's see how you act with both your daughter's

gone?!" He said out loud, to no one in particular.