A/N: Sorry the first chapter was so long. You can expect the first few chapters to be a little lengthy because I tend to be a bit descriptive and I also just want to make sure that everyone is set in the worlds. Please let me know what you think. I would really appreciate any criticism, whether it be good or bad. Hope you enjoy! Ireth

Chapter 2: Return to the Vale

Belgarion, King of Riva, Godslayer, Overlord of the West, and Lord of the Western Sea stared out of the spotless window that overlooked the quiet grasslands of Algaria in the Vale of Aldur. His gaze wandered through the large cottage occupied by Aunt Pol, that is, Polgara the Sorceress, as she is commonly known as well as the Duchess of Erat and the most powerful woman in the world, her husband Durnik, a sorcerer and the most recent addition to the brotherhood shared by the Disciples of the god Aldur, and their twins. Garion, as his Majesty was called by his closest friends, paced nervously around the floor of the large home as he listened to his own three children, Geran, Beldaran, and Ce'Leigha laughing in their play with Aunt Pol's children.

"When are these people supposed to get here Grandfather?" Garion asked, waking the old man out of perpetual dozing state. Belgarath the Sorcerer shook himself out of his stupor and grumpily replied, "I don't know Garion. Eriond is bringing them here so ask him. Now, leave me alone and quit asking me foolish questions. I'm over seven thousand years old you know. I need my rest," and he slouched in his chair again and closed his eyes. Garion smiled. All of his life, Garion had known Belgarath to be a man who was fond of dark brown ale, rich food, and who liked his sleep; something Garion suspected the old sorcerer had been like for the entirety of his life.

Garion could hear Aunt Pol, his grandmother and Belgarath's wife, Poledra, and his own wife Ce'Nedra, an Imperial Princess of the Tolnedran Empire and Jewel of the House of Borune as well as Queen and joint-ruler of Riva, in the next room and gathered they were talking about the upcoming arrival of the third Princess of Riva that Ce'Nedra carried underneath her heart. Deciding that wasn't exactly his idea of scintillating conversation, Garion marched out of the cottage and down to the stables where he found Durnik and Eriond, friend and member of this strangely assorted family since his early childhood and now the God of Angarak for the past dozen or so years.

"Eriond, when are you bringing these people here?" Garion questioned impatiently.

"It won't be long now Belgarion," the young flaxen-haired god told him.

"What is all of this about anyway?" Durnik asked the god and the king.

"The Morindim have found a new demon to worship Durnik. What makes the situation so frightening is that the Morindim have always worshipped demons of their own creation, demons they dream up. But now they're uniting, and legions of them are worshipping a single demon. I haven't been able to find out much about this demon, but I know that it must be pretty horrible if UL is having me take a definite position in this fight," Eriond explained.

"It must be serious if the Father of the Gods, the most peaceful of all beings, is requesting that you bring warriors from another dimension to fight them," Durnik observed gravely.

A pensive look crossed Eriond's face. "Garion, might I have the Orb, please?" Garion reached over his shoulder and placed his right hand, the hand that bore the silvery birthmark that identified him as a sorcerer, on the Orb of Aldur. He tried to remove it from the pommel of the massive sword of the Rivan King but it wouldn't budge. "Wake up," he ordered the Orb and a blue light flickered within the heart of the grey stone. "Come off," he said harshly and the Orb's normally joyful song audible only to Garion and precious few others became cross and petulant. "Oh, stop complaining," his Majesty stated as he handed the Orb to the young god.

"Garion, I know you've assured us that you have to be firm with the Orb, but it still makes me nervous when you order it around like that. That thing has frightened dragons, banished demons, maimed a god, and split the world. Doesn't it scare you that if you offended it the Orb could do terrible things and possibly obliterate everything and everyone on this earth?" Durnik asked Garion.

His Majesty thought about the question presented by his oldest friend. "No Durnik, it doesn't. While the Orb is capable of many dangerous and horrible things, you have to think of some of the wonderful things it's done. The Orb protects my children; it helped us find Zandramas when she kidnapped my son. The Orb brought you back to life Durnik and that's the greatest thing of all," Garion explained.

"Let's go on back to the cottage. It's almost time to summon these people and it might be better if they arrive somewhere comfortable and pleasant instead of the stables," Eriond suggested as he returned the Orb to it's keeper and guardian. Garion replaced the Orb on the pommel of the massive weapon and he and Durnik walked toward the cozy home of the sorcerer and sorceress.