as days pass by, by Stuart Langridge

scratched tallies on the prison wall

Chapter I : The Beginning

The gods had just finished putting the final touches to,
what we know as, the Great Western Sea and were sitting
in divine paradise sunbathing whilst sipping cans of Sola
Cola. Nedra was in the usual process of getting process
of setting up the great hall for a game of cards when Belar
came up with an idea.

"How abouts we move one of the snooker tables outdoors
into space, right above World Belgariad and have a game
there, just for a change? I'm getting a bit tired of
playing Snap."

Belar was a young god at the time and easily got bored.
No-one bothered to argue and so a snooker table was moved
from the halls of paradise to the open space right above
the newly built world of the Belgariad.

Micro-seconds later, everything was setup and ready to go.
This was promising to be another nice relaxing afternoon.

"As per usual," said Nedra. "The rules of competition
are as follows: all seven colourless balls (Cthrag Transparente's)
must be potted first, followed by the divine colours in the
following sequence:- cthrag notrelevente(yellow), sardius(orange),
dante(green), solarus(brown), yaska(blue), sindy(pink) and
finally guru(black)."

Nedra flipped his seven sided Rubik's Cube into the air. It
landed neatly in the centre of the snooker table.

"Black! Brother Torak, looks like you're first".

Torak took to the table. After chalking his cue (one which
he had got autographed by Steve Davis), he moved the cue ball
into a strategic position, ready to break.

Twas an awesome shot, worthy of the mightiest snooker player.
The Cthrag Yaska crashed straight into the Cthrag Sardius with
mind-boggling impact which tore the fabric of space dividing
prophecy into light and dark.

Alas for Torak, both balls tumbled off the table and headed
straight towards the world of the Belgariad. Whilst one ball
was on course to bury itself into Mallorea, the other headed
towards Sendaria to break Faldor's window. Sometimes I wish
Belar had just kept his mouth shut.

"I'm afraid that's a foul, brother mine." said Nedra to Torak.
Suddenly UL appeared in a puff of smoke. "What hath all thouest
done? The division of prophecy! This cannot, must not be!"

"Ah, but it is, Father of Gods", said the Dark Prophecy speaking
through Torak's less than fragrant mouth. "The division is now
complete".

"Yes.", agreed the Light Prophecy speaking through Aldur. "That
which was one is now two. And we can never be rejoined again
unless. . . "

". . . unless the holy prayer '2 become 1' is sung above the
skies of World Belgariad. However, this song can only be found
in a place called 'Earth'.", said the Dark Prophecy. "Alas,
no-one who has gone to Earth has ever returned. The holy song
itself can only be found in the mind of one of the descendants
of House Atreides. Five seers from the spice planet Arrakis,
a planet also known as Dune, currently reside on Earth;
they are known as the Spice Girls and only they hold the key
to restoring our universe."

"So what should we do now?", said UL.

"Behold", said the Light Prophecy, "In the day that thou is
greeted by one of thy monsters shalt thou hold the key to the
realm of Earth. Choose carefully which of thy sons shalt take
up the quest, for he may not return.".

"I'll go.", said Aldur.

"I wouldn't wannabe in your shoes" commented Belar.

"Dost thou accept this responsibility freely?" asked the
Dark Prophecy.

"Yes", said Aldur.

"Then go! Go down to the World Belgariad. A seed has been
planted there which will grow in years to come. It shall hold
some of the answers that thou and thy brothers have been
looking for.".

"That's all?", said Aldur, "Just go down and wait for a tree
to grow?".

But the prophecies had departed.

"Don't question the words of prophecy, brother mine", said
Belar. "Just say you'll be there.", he added with a grin.

Aldur threw his cue stick at Belar hitting him squarely on
the nose. "Ouch! Mama! Help!", squealed Belar running off,
his hand rubbing his bruised nose, "Just who do you think you
are?".

"My sons! Thou hast all been partly responsible in the
division of reality into two different possibilities.
Thou are all nowst charged with rejoining those possibilities.
Aldur, thou shalt depart immediately for World Belgariad. The
rest of you, do as you will, but be ready when I call upon
thee. And do not touch the snooker table again. The game
has yet to be played out, and I foresee the prophecies coming
back to finish the game.".

And then, UL too departed.





Chapter II: The Tree in the Vale Of Aldur

A long time ago, after UL had spun the world out of nothingness
(is there such a word?), a single seed was planted on a randomly
selected piece of land. Aldur decided to watch this tree grow
and built his tower here. He marked the outer perimeter of this
land with urine and called all that lay therein 'The Vale Of Aldur'.

The following summer, a small plant began to grow where the seed
had been planted. Aldur looked at it, trying to make out what
type of plant it was. Over the next few years, the tree grew
taller and taller. On the eve of the tree's sixteenth birthday
UL descended down from the sky.

"So my son!" he said to Aldur, "Have thouest guessed-est what
this tree is and what it doth represents?"

"Is it a beanstalk?" asked Aldur. It would be nice to have a
gateway to heaven right in the middle of Vale Of Aldur. After all,
beaming up gets a little tedious after a while.

"Nay son' said UL. "This tree will be the first of its kind. It
is here to represent long life in mortals and will be the ultimate
grandparent to a child that will be known in the distant future
as 'The Queen Of The World'."

"How is it possible that a tree can be a Queen?" asked Aldur.

"This tree is but half of one of the 'monsters' that thou and thy
brothers have created. The female part of this species is known
in the Ulgo language as 'dryad' meaning 'good looking female monster
which likes sweets'. It is..."

UL suddenly stopped in mid-sentence as if paralyzed. The voice of
prophecy spoke out through UL's lips.

"Behold, in the day that the Angarak sacred texts speak of 'Scully'
and 'Mulder' shall Ce'Files reveal herself to thee. Guard well the
ultimate dryad, for she shall have no brother. Seek her out,
Beloved Master for she will come only once. And despair not, if
thouest does not understand. Remember that, the truth is out there".
"Father?", said Aldur. "Are you okay?"

"Yes son. Now listen son. Thou must seek out the she-dryad Ce'Files".
"I understand Father. What did the prophecy mean when it talked about 'Scully' and 'Mulder'?"

"Aldur my son, thy brothers' last creation was man. Each of your
brothers in the process invented a language for them to speak.
The words come from thy brother Torak's Angarak language. The
word 'Scully' means much the same as the Ulgo word 'dryad'. The
word 'Mulder' means 'he-dryad'. It doth not translate well, but it
doth refers to the tree."

"I see. When do I leave?"

"Now, Aldur. I must go. Take care my son".

And then he was gone. Aldur sighed as he turned south and
started walking towards the lands of his brother Torak...




Chapter III: Aldur

Aldur was walking slowly in a southernly direction. His quest
was to find the she dryad Ce'Files. The words of prophecy
were swirling in his mind. "In the day that the Angarak
sacred texts speak of 'Scully' and 'Mulder' shall Ce'Files
reveal herself to thee."

"Hmm. . ." thought Aldur. If he was ever going to find Ce'Files,
he was going to have to find the Angarak book which mentioned her.
This wasn't going to be easy. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to get a
little help. He called out to the prophecy. "Are you there?
Can I talk to you for a moment?"

"What is it, Aldur? I'm busy!".

"Can you give me a few pointers as to how I should go about
starting this task of mine?".

"Go south to the High Places of Korim where your brother is
currently jibber jabbering. You'll know what to do when you get
there."

"Okey dokey dukey" said Aldur quoting one of Belar's favourite
replies. Summoning forth his divine powers, Aldur teleported
himself outside the High Places of Korim.

High was an understatement. The temple of Torak was situated
the highest mountain of the Korim reef.

Luckily for Aldur, he had bought along a bottle of Gummi Berry
Juice. Uncorking the bottle, Aldur took a long drink out of the
bottle. A silent bell (ding!) could be heard in the background
signalling that the juice was working. Within seconds Aldur
had bounced his way up to the top of the mountain.

Just in time to hear Torak going into a trance. . .
". . . and they shall number 12, the Swords of Power. For twelve
is a lucky number. And with these Swords shalt great destructive
power be bestowed upon thee. Go therefore to the lands of
Saber-Haven. . . '

Aldur suddenly noticed scribes writing down everything Torak
was saying.

"Yes!" thought Aldur. All that Torak had said was down on paper.

". . . however, the Swords of Power shalt aid thee not in thy
search for Scully. . . "

What was this? A mention of Ce'Files?

". . . .not Wayfinder nor Farslayer can seek her out. . . only the
Chosen One will find her. . . '.

"Great!" thought Aldur. "Big help there Torak buddy; like I'm
really gonna find her with that piece of jibber."

Aldur listened for a few minutes more but it was apparent that
Torak was talking gibberish again. He sighed and decided to call
it a day. Turning northwards, he laid in a course for the Vale of
Aldur, warp nine and set off at godspeed.

He was soon out of Cthol Murgos, flying past Nyissa and on the
way home. It was whilst he was getting towards Tolnedra when he
noticed a very odd looking tree.

Aldur stopped to observe the tree. What had caught his eye
was the fact that it looked like a larger version of the tree
in the middle of the Vale of Aldur. It looked different and yet
similar, if that were at all possible.

Suddenly he heard a small noise behind him, like the sound of
a squirrel scampering. He turned round to see the most
beautiful girl he had ever seen. The girl held a bow in her
left hand. And in the right, she held an arrow against the taut
string. The arrow was pointed straight at Aldur.

"Well hello there!" she said, "I've been waiting for you."

She lowered her bow and dropped it to the ground.

"Why don't you come in for some tea?" she said.

She turned towards the tree and said "Open". A part of the tree
moved revealing an opening. The girl entered and disappeared
inside.

"What have I got to lose?" thought Aldur as he too
entered the tree. . .






Chapter IV: Ce'Files

Aldur found that the inside of the tree looked similar to the
inside of his own tower back at the Vale. Thinking about it,
he couldn't really see why it should look any different.

"So," said Aldur, "You're Ce'Files?".

"How very perceptive of you.", said Ce'Files smiling at him.

"Why are you here?" said Aldur.

"I'm moving house. The Vale got a little boring. Not much
chance of getting a mate there. So I decided to move down
here next to Tolnedra."

"What I meant was, 'What is your purpose in the universe?'"

"Did the prophecy not tell you? I'm supposed to be the ultimate
great grandmother of the wife of the Godslayer."

"Godslayer?"

"Yes, Godslayer. Did you not know? Your brother Torak was a
mistake. A direct result of the division of prophecy."

"But my brother Torak CAUSED the division of prophecy by
smashing the power orbs!"

"No, not really. Your brother simply caused the rift to grow
further. Anyway, enough chitter chatter. Our job is to go to
Earth and check in on your brother Eriond."

"I don't have a brother Eriond" objected Aldur.

"You do now!" giggled Ce'Files. "I'll explain on the way".
Ce'Files climbed to the top of the tree. It was a long climb
as the tree reached high into the sky.

As they reached the top, Aldur began to wish he had brought
along a second bottle of Gummi Berry Juice.

"Are we there yet" asked Aldur.

"Nearly" said Ce'Files. "We just climb up this ladder which
hangs down from the clouds."

"Hangs down from where?"

"The clouds. It is a gateway to the land of Earth. We climb up
this ladder and enter a dimension gateway which will transport
us to Earth. When we get there, we'll just climb down the ladder
there onto the tree there. By the way, the tree on Earth is
called the Faraway Tree. Over there I am called Silky the Pixie."

"Something's just occurred to me", said Aldur. "Why do you
need to come along? Why did the prophecy not just give me the
instructions?"

Ce'Files giggled.

"There's something that you and me have to do together. But also
because I am linked to the tree here on World Belgariad. Had
you come alone, you would not have the means to return. You
are a god at home, but on Earth you are a god no longer.
Keep that in mind."

"Oh right," said Aldur. "So because you are linked, you can
always take us home?"

"Sort of. For safety reasons, I have cast the dryad spell of
're-union' over myself and over the tree here at home. If we
do not return to World Belgariad within four hours Earth Standard Time, the spell will activate and me and the tree will be re-united.
Because you are with me, you will also be taken along."

"Oh right, but how do you know that it won't be the tree that
gets teleported to this place?"

"Because, dear Aldur, magic is stronger in World Belgariad and
also because I cast the spell back here in World Belgariad
and not on Earth. Just trust me."

Aldur and Ce'Files climbed up the ladder into the clouds.
It was not what Aldur had expected. There was nothing there
except doors. One was labelled 'Earth'. Ce'Files opened the
door and taking hold of Aldur's hand she walked through to
the other side.

"That's all?", said Aldur. "Now we're on Earth?".

"Sort of", said Ce'Files. "We've still to climb down the ladder yet."
Aldur and Ce'Files climbed down the ladder to reach the top
of the largest tree Aldur had ever seen.

"How'd you like it?", asked Ce'Files.

"It's . . . ginormous.", said Aldur.

"Come on!", said Ce'Files taking Aldur's hand again, "I'll
show you where I live here".

Ce'Files guided Aldur down to a small house situated a
quarter of the way down the tree. Ce'Files opened the
door and led Aldur inside.

"What do you think of my house?", she asked.

"It's beautiful. Is this where you originally come from?"

"Yes."

Ce'Files looked at her watch.

"We've got to go. We haven't much time.".

"Where are we going?"

"First, to get a copy of the song '2 become 1' to repair your
world. Second, to make contact with Eriond. Lets go!"

Ce'Files began climbing up the tree again.

"Why are we going up again?", asked Aldur.

"Wait and find out." replied Ce'Files with a giggle.

They reached the top again and Ce'Files opened the door to the
house there and went inside. Aldur followed and saw immediately
why they had climbed back up the tree.

There was a big slide in the centre of the room which Aldur
assumed reached the bottom of the tree.

Ce'Files grabbed a cushion, went to the slide and slid off.

"See you at the bottom", shouted Ce'Files.

"Why me?" thought Aldur as he followed Ce'Files.




Chapter V: Eriond

Aldur and Ce'Files arrived at the bottom of the tree.

"God! That was fun.", said Aldur.

"I didn't know you gods used the term god like that", said
Ce'Files. "I mean, don't you guys say 'Prophecy, that was fun' or
something?"

"Just a figure of speech, ", said Aldur, "Besides, I'm no longer
a god whilst on this world, right?"

"True!"

"So, where now?"

"We go to HMV. They usually sell all the singles."

"Okey dokey", said Aldur.

Ce'Files led Aldur into town the usual way via the local bus,
and soon they were at the music megastore HMV.

Ce'Files picked up the single '2 become 1' by the Spice Girls
and then went on to pick up a couple more.

"What are those?", asked Aldur curiously.

"The first one's Aladdin's theme tune 'A Whole New World'
by Tim Rice sung by Regina Belle and Paebo Bryson. I want
to give it to a friend of mine."

"Do I know him?"

"Maybe. His name's Bhelliom, although everyone calls him Worldmaker."
"And what's your second CD?"

"Oh, that one. It's called 'Wake me up, before you go go' by Wham.
When played, it has a calming effect on those with a bad temper.
In the far future there will come two who are infused by the
prophecy of light."

"And. . . ?"

"I don't want to tell you too much. Simply that there will come
a day when some close friends will leave them in the middle of
the night leaving only a note behind. This music is intended to
calm them down a little bit."

"Calm them down? It would cheese me off more than anything. Wake me
up before you go go indeed!".

"Ah, but you know what the words mean in English. On World
Belgariad, it is a different matter".

"So. . . ."

"Enuff chit chat. We have two hours left. Lets go check on
Eriond. He's currently at the Warner Brothers cinema. At least,
that is what it says in The Book of Torak".

"How do you know that? Torak hasn't said much."

"I just know what someone writes when they write it, no matter
where I am. It's a godly trick, so you should be able to do it.
I'll teach it to Eriond someday. It may come in handy."

"I'll take your word for it.", said Aldur dubiously.

Ce'Files paid for the CD's with a few bits of metal and then
took hold of Aldur's hand yet again and started walking out
of HMV and towards the cinema.

"Do you know what my brother Eriond looks like?", asked Aldur.

"No. But it will cum to me. I found you didn't I?" said Ce'Files.

They arrived at the cinemas shortly and Ce'Files paid for a
couple of tickets to see 'Star Wars'.

"Why 'Star Wars'?", asked Aldur.

"Because you don't want to see 'The Empire Strikes Back' until
you've seen the first film." replied Ce'Files with a laugh.
"Actually, it's because the Light Prophecy told me to go to the
screen with the most people in it. It increases the chances of
success.".

"I see", said Aldur even more dubiously.

They walked into the main foyer and bought some Butterkist
popcorn and a couple of large Coca-Colas.

"No Sola-Colas I'm afraid. Just mortal food here".

"That's okay, I can get used to it".

"Shall we go in?"

They walked into the main screen and took a couple of seats
on the back row and waited. Within minutes the cinema was
packed full of people.

"I can't see him.", said Aldur. "How will you know him?"

"Dunno", giggled Ce'Files. "I was hoping that he would glow.".

"How long have we got left?".

"About one hour. About halfway through the film we'll be
pulled back into World Belgariad."

The film started ten minutes later after a few trailers.
Aldur started to get fidgety as time was slipping away fast.

Luke Skywalker was currently trying to use his lightsaber to
hit a ball in a training session. OB1 was saying, "Luke, feel
the force. Close your eyes and concentrate. The force is
strong in you Luke. Use the force Luke, use the force. . .
the force be with you, always. . .".

Suddenly in one small corner of the cinema, Aldur saw a glow.
He looked sharply in that direction and saw a small boy of about
seven years old totally absorbed in the film.

Just then Aldur felt a tug.

"That's the spell signalling us to get ready," warned Ce'Files.
We're going back to World Belgariad."

"Wait!", said Aldur. "I've located Eriond and I know what I am
supposed to do.".

"Hurry then, the spell is already beginning to translocate us.
Part of yourself is already forming back home".

"Which means that I'm a god again," thought Aldur. "What the hell,
let's give it a go."

Aldur threw his thought to the young boy.

"Remember Eriond, the way home is through the Horse. Remember
to use the Horse. The horse, Eriond, the horse . . . remember,
the Horse be with you, always. . ."

And then he was back at Ce'Files' tree.

"Did you get through to him?", asked Ce'Files.

"I think so! I remember him looking in my direction and smiling."

"Good. Then now we can finish off the remaining task."

"And what is that?"

"To test the song '2 become 1' of course".

"How do we go about doing that?", asked Aldur.

"We simply play the music. The rest will tend to itself".

Ce'Files switched on the CD player and inserted the CD. Moments
later the voices of the Spice Girls could be heard.

. . . candle light and soul forever. . .
. . . a dream of you and me together. . .
. . . say you believe it. . .
. . . say you believe it. . .

Aldur felt a sudden longing to hold Ce'Files. He looked at
Ce'Files who was sitting next to him and saw that she was
experiencing similar feelings. As Aldur put his arms around
Ce'Files, he found that a part of his body began to
throb acknowledging Ce'Files' presence.

It wasn't long before they were making love, totally oblivious
of their surroundings.

"And done." A voice sounded in their heads.

"What was that", said Aldur.

"Nothing",. said Ce'Files. "Just that we've completed our tasks
for the time being. It's about time you went home. Your father
will be waiting for you".

"Good-bye Ce'Files. I'll come down again sometime.".

And then Aldur stepped out of the tree and headed towards
the Vale. . . .




Chapter VI: Belgarath

Aldur arrived back at the Vale to find UL waiting for him.
"So, my son", said UL. "Have thouest retrieved the holy prayer
'2 beccome 1'?"

"Yes father", said Aldur handing over the CD.

"Good work my son. I have now another task for thee."

"And what is that father?"

"A mortal named Garath will seek thee out in a hundred years
time. Prepare the vale for his coming and teach him the ways
of the will and the word. In time he shalt become thy disciple
and will aid thee greatly.".

"It will be as you say, father".

And then UL was gone.

Just over a hundred years later, Belgarath arrived at Aldur's
doorstep. "You're late," thought Aldur as he welcomed Belgarath
into his tower. At first Belgarath was a little unsociable, but
as the decades rolled by, Aldur and Belgarath got to know each
other and soon they were close friends - bumchums.

One morning, Aldur said to Belgarth, "My Son, lay down thy study
of the mountains. I have another task for thee."

"Yes master.", said Belgarath. "How can I help you?"

"I want thee to travel south towards Tolnedra and study a Dryad.
Return when thou hast found the reasons why dryads exist".

"Yes master", said Belgarath.

A thousand years later, Belgarath returned.

"And so Belgarath my son, what hast thouest foundst out?".

"Dryads are monsters created shortly after the world was made.
Dryads is an Ulgo term meaning 'Divine Remedy Yielding A
Durable Shag'."

"What?", exclaimed Aldur.

"Or it could be 'Divine Remedy Yielding a Durable Screw' I
suppose", said Belgarath deep in thought.

"What?", exclaimed Aldur louder.

"Dryads exists to provide gods with sexual pleasure. Because
all gods are born male then there are no female deities.
However, female women don't have the stamina to entertain gods
and therefore Dryads were invented."

"I see.", said Aldur. "What else hath thouest foundst?"

"Well, apparantly they are linked to one or more trees with
some sort of invisible bond. The dryad will live as long as her
tree, but the more trees a dryad has, the faster the dryad will
grow and mature. But by having more trees, each tree will live a
shorter life thus shortening the life of the dryad."

"Interesting.", said Aldur. "How were thouest able to come to such
conclusions?".

"Oh, it was easy.", said Belgarath. "The old dryad has just
died. She created too many trees. She could have lived another
thousand years had she not done so. But there's a whole forest
out there now".

"Ce'Files!", cried Aldur struck with grief.

"Yes,", said Belgarath. "How did you know her name? Or is it one
of those godly things?".

Aldur ignored the question. "Was there nothing that thouest
could do?"

"No master.".

"Return to thy studies my son.", said Aldur. And then he
was gone.

Belgarath returned to his studies dreaming of Ce'Files, of the
moments they shared together, and their forest of children.




Chapter VII: The Brotherhood

It was perhaps two thousand years later before Aldur appeared before
Belgarath again. It is not known whether this delay was because Aldur was grieving for Ce'Files, or whether he was simply trying to
avoid Belgarath's fragrant smell. (Surprised you that did,
didn't it Polgara. Oh yes, Belgarath's lack of bathing dated back
to the dawn of time - LP.)

"Belgarath, I have a task for thee."

"Yes, Master! How can I be of service?"

"The time has come for thee to seek out thy other brothers."

"I have other brothers?" said Belgarath. "And you did not tell me
before now?"

"They were supposed to come shortly after thy arrival my son.
However, the Light Prophecy has just informed me that the Dark
side has tampered with history. Thy mission, should thy choose
to accept it, would be to go where no man has gone before."

"Been there, done that master - with Ce'Files. I'm fairly
certain that no man had gone where I had gone, before I had
gone where I had gone and got her pregnant." said Belgarath. "Well,
I suppose that you had, - but you're a god, you don't really count
you know . . . ".

"Silence", roared Aldur. "I meant that I was going to send thee
back in time to correct what once went wrong."

"Oh I see." said Belgarath. "Just one question - if I go back
in time, how do I get back?"

"Belgarath my son, thou art not a mere mortal. Three thousand
years ago, I bestowed upon thee Eternal Life. Thus, for thee
to go back in time would be an advantage as time will not touch
thee."

"Meaning that, if I go back in time, then I have to wait for
it to get back to the present day again through the normal
course of events?"

"That is correct Belgarath. Think of it as extra time for studying,
my son. Even now, after two thousand years, thou art still as
thick as two short blanks. A trip into the past would allow thee
to gain on thy current present self."

"Okay dokey! When do I leave master?"

"Just as soon as thou hast taken a bath. Twould not be wise to
alert thy enemies in the past with thy Aura of Stench."

"As my master commands."

It was perhaps several weeks later when the next rains came, and as
the first droplets of rain fell on to Belgarath, he immediately
threw his thought out to the master to inform him of his readiness to depart.

"Master! I believe that the time has come for me to depart!"

"Okay my son. Stand still whilst I cast the spell for thy departure
from this time."

Aldur held out his hand and a magical wand appeared. Waving the wand, he softly spoke the magic words "Izzy wizzy let's get busy. Tum
diddly-um dum dum-dum".

Then next thing Belgarath noticed was that Aldur had disappeared. . .



Chapter VIII: Belzedar

"Well!" thought Belgarath. "Either the master has disappeared, or I
have succeeded in going back in time! Hmmm, I wonder how I can find
out?"

Belgarath began walking in a southernly direction wondering what to do next.
Suddenly, in the distance, Belgarath could hear the sound of
someone approaching. Unsure of whether or not his skills in sorcery
had diminished, returning back to his skill level a couple of thousand years ago,
Belgarath decided to hide in the bushes and wait to see who was coming.
As the stranger approached, Belgarath noticed a distinctly familiar
face. The stranger's face seemed to closely resemble Aldur. His
clothing however, seemed to reflect that of a tramp, and as he
came closer the freshness of the air seemed to degrade causing
trees and animals both to suffer.

A voice suddenly spoke from within his head. . .

"So Belgarath! Thou hast successfully travelled back through time
and space to help restore the time-line - to put right what once went wrong - and help thy master find his missing disciples!".

"Who are you? And how do you know that?"

"I am what thy master would refer to as the Dark Prophecy. I am here to give thee a choice. Thy master made a mistake when he chose
to send thee back through time - only the prophecies can do that.
The stranger approaching yonder is thyself from the past. Were both
of ye to meet at this moment in time, thou wouldst both cease to
exist. Dost thou understand Belgarath?"

"Yeah! What you mean is that no two beings can be in the same place
at the same moment in time - all that quantum physics stuff. Afraid
I only took quantum sorcery."

"Exactly! Now I am offering thee a choice. Either this EVENT proceeds without interference causing the destruction of Belgarath which would leave thy dear Aldur with no disciples or. . ."

"I join the dark side?"

"Thou wilst make a fitting disciple", congratulated the Dark Prophecy. "So what will it be? Thou art at a cross-roads. Thou always has a choice. Which path wilt thou choose?"

Belgarath looked over to the stranger approaching. With each passing moment, the odour emanating from the stranger seemed to increase in
strength.
It was only a matter of time before he would be face to face with Belgarath of the past.

Belgarath sent a silent prayer to UL and then replied to the Dark Prophecy "Ok, I'll join you, but may the day come when the Belgarath approaching yonder
defeat us."

"Not a chance!" said the Dark Prophecy with a chuckle, "Thou knowest
everything
the other Belgarath knows and more. What chance has thy self from the past got? Now, thy first mission is to infiltrate what in the future will be
known as the 'Brotherhood of Sorcerers'".

"Ok!", said Belgarath. "How do I do that?".

"First of all I change thy DNA structure slightly such that thouest can go out there and greet thyself from the past.". The Dark Prophecy mumbled a few magic words "Izzy wizzy, let's get busy. Tum diddly-um dum dum-dum" and Belgarath felt a tingle throughout his entire body.

"Why did you choose those particular words?" said Belgarath curiously? "The Master used those precise words to transport me into the past."

"Belgarath. In all thy time with Aldur, did he not teach you that the words have no meaning and it is the will that is important? If thou
remembers one thing from todays conversation, make it be that. Now, thy DNA has changed sufficiently such that though can now greet thy former self. It twould be confusing were thou to continue to be named Belgarath.
Hence forth I shall name thee Belzedar!".

"Belzedar?" enquired Belgarath.

"Well, actually it should be Zedar. Let Aldur tag the sentimental Bel into thy name!".

"But why Zedar?".

"In the language of the Gods, the name Zedar has the opposite
meaning to the name . . .".

"Let me guess . . . Aldur! Right?".

"Absolutely!".

"So what now?".

"Thou art to follow Belgarath back to the Vale and appear several days later as the next disciple. Now go! Belgarath approaches, and even one with power
such as I cannot cope with both of thee releasing toxins into the air."
And then the Dark Prophecy was gone.

Belzedar waited until Belgarath of the past had walked by and then followed. Several minutes later they reached the Vale Of Aldur.

"Hmm!", thought Belzedar. "Time for some de-ja vous". In the distance, Belzedar spied on Aldur and Belgarath. . .

"And so Belgarath my son, what hast thouest foundst out?", asked Aldur.
"Dryads are monsters created shortly after the world was made.
Dryads is an Ulgo term meaning 'Divine Remedy Yielding A
Durable Shag'."

"What?", exclaimed Aldur.

. . .

The conversation drifted on for a while and then both Aldur
and Belgarath returned to Aldur's tower. Zedar decided to wait
until morning before proceeding as planned. The next day,
Zedar woke up and entered the Vale.

Aldur seemed able to sense those entering the Vale - maybe
it was the urine laid down centuries ago that alerted him, or
maybe it was simply godly intuition, but either way, he arrived
to find Aldur waiting.

"We have been expecting you." said Aldur as Zedar approached.

"Master, I have humbly come to beg thee to take me into thy service." said Zedar. "My skills are poor at best, but I can make a good
tomato soup.".

"Zedar is not a fitting name. Hence forth thou shalt be called
Belzedar. Belgarath, take Belzedar here and train him in the
Will and the Word.". And then Aldur departed.

"So, it's Belzedar is it?" said Belgarath. "Welcome!".

"So," said Belzedar not knowing quite what to say next, "Am I
a disciple of Aldur now?".

"Nope!", said Belgarath. "First you are his student, then
after a few hundred years you might become his disciple. But
first you must learn the Will and the Word.".

"What's that?", said Belzedar pretending to sound interested.

"Sorcery!", replied Belgarath, as they departed for Aldur's tree.




Chapter IX: Beldin

Over the next few months, Belgarath taught Belzedar the Will
and the Word. Belgarath realised quickly that Belzedar had a
quick mind and was slightly annoyed that Belzedar was ever quick
and able to pick up the Will and the Word in a matter of
months what took himself several centuries to master.

Although Belgarath was irritated at this, he was pleased
that the Brotherhood of Sorcerers had gained a highly skilled
individual.

Months passed as Belgarath and Belzedar continued their training.
Then one day, Aldur appeared before them in a puff of smoke.

"Greetings, Aldur!", said Belgarath and Belzedar acknowledging
Aldur's presence.

"Good day, my sons! I trust that everything is well?"

"Most certainly!", said Belgarath.

"Good! Now listen carefully my sons. There is a disturbance
in the force. A dwarflike person will approach the Vale soon. The
prophecy has foretold that we may need his specialised talents
in years to come! I need thee to go out and greet him.".

"Yes, Master!", replied Belgarath.

Belgarath and Belzedar, arm in arm, moved to intercept the
incoming dwarf. As the dwarf approached up the hill towards
the Vale, Belgarath signalled him to halt.

"Hello there stanger!", said Belgarath.

"What do you want?", replied the dwarf.

"Our master invites you to his tower."

"No thanks! I'm busy.".

"Our master kind of insists!".

"No thanks."

The dwarf continued to walk forward. Belgarath and Belzedar
quickly blocked his path.

"Sorry, you have to come with us.",said Belgarath.

"Don't make me angry!", said the dwarf. "You really don't want
to make me angry."

Belzedar laughed. "Why what happens when you get angry?
Turn green or something? So where did you get your blast of
gamma radiation." Belzedar unleashed his will and sent the
dwarf tumbling down the hill.

"What did you go and do that for?", asked Belgarath?

"He was getting out of control.", replied Belzedar. "He needed
to be taught a lesson."

Suddenly, the sound of ripping could be heard. The sorcerors
glanced at the direction of the dwarf as it seemed to grow in
size; its clothes ripping as it grew, and its body turning a
green colour.

The dwarf, now no longer a dwarf, turned and faced the sorcerors.

"Oh no!", said Belzedar.

"What do you mean 'Oh no'?", inquired Belgarath.

"That's erm...the incredible hulk. We're in trouble.".

"Whats The Hulk?".

"A big green thing. Watched it on TransVision 1.".

"Pah! You watch too much TV. Watch this!", said Belgarath
as he unleashed his will at the green beast.

The beast ignored the ineffectual attack.

"What?", shouted Belgarath. "Why didn't you tell me that
it was immune to sorcery.".

"I've been trying to tell you that all along.".

"So what do we do now?".

"Run!".

As the two sorcerors turned towards the vale and ran, Aldur
appeared in a puff of smoke.

"Enough", thundered Aldur. "I asked thee to greet thy new
brother, not attack him."

"Sorry master!", apologised Belgarath. "How is it that he
is immune to our attack, and why does he go green when
he gets angry?".

"Thouest doth watch too much TV Belgarath. Had thy used
thy brain, thoust would have known that Din here simply
transformed into The Hulk when thy attacked in much the
same way that thouest doth do when thee takes the shape
of a wolf."

"Oh! And what about the immunity then?".

"Had thouest paid attention to thy studies, thousest would
know that some creatures such as Dragons and Hulks are
immune to sorcery. It is this reason why thy new brother's
skills are so important."

Aldur walked over to Din.

"Welcome Din to the Vale. I believe you have already met
Belgarath and Belzedar."

Din reverted back to his usual hunchbacked dwarflike form
and let out an ugly laugh.

"Yeah. Almost had them for breakfast.".

"Indeed. However, thoust doth hath the potential to
to further thy skills in the Vale. Wouldst thou consider
joining the brotherhood to accomplish that end?"

"Ok, but what's in it for me?".

Aldur turned and smiled. "Breakfast".

"Well, why didn't ye say so, me darlin'!" beamed Din.
"'Tis indeed bin a while since I last sat down with
yer fer a bite to eat, Aldur, me main man."

Belgarath turned round in astonishment. "You know him?",
he asked Aldur. "How? When?"

"A story for another time perhaps.", replied Aldur as
he turned towards the Vale. "Din, if thou art to join
the brotherhood of sorcerors, thou must adopt a more
fitting name. From hereon in, thoust shalt be known
as Beldin."

"As you say Master.", replied Beldin as the brotherhood
turned to follow Aldur back to the Vale. "So...., ",
said Beldin rubbing his hands together enthusiastically,
"....Aldur me chum beyond chums, how about ye wave yer
magic hand and get us all some grub....?".





Chapter X: Belsamber & Belmakor

Spring arrived early in the Vale that year. As the
brotherhood studied hard, learning the ways of man and
of the Will and the Word, the competence of the brotherhood
in the arts of sorcery increased, albeit slowly.

During the course of study, Aldur appeared periodically
to assign chores or test their skills and understanding.

It was one of these days whilst the sorcerors were
studying the reason for TVs that Aldur appeared in front
of them in a shimmer of light.

"Shimmering!", remarked Beldin. "Gotten bored of da
puff of smoke, have yer, Aldur, me olde cocker? Probably
a good idea methinks. Gotta get rid of yer druggy image,
man. 'Tis not a good example yer been setting for the
young 'uns.".

Aldur ignored the comment. "Dearest Beloved. Thou hast
each trained for many days and nights, working hard on
thy talent. Today, each of thee shalt be tested on the
more complex arts of the Will. Today, we shalt learn
how to perform the art of TransDuplication."

"TransDuplication?", repeated Beldin. "Would that be de
art of copying something?".

"Precisely!", replied Aldur. "Although the arts expressly
forbid the undoing of any creation, it doth not forbid the
duplication or changing of any existing creation."

"So, Master, it can be used t' make one loaf of bread
become two?".

"Correct! But the task I have set thee today goes beyond
mere breadmaking. For today, thouest have been given the
task to duplicate thyself."

"Ourselves?", exclaimed the sorcerers.

"But Master!", asked Belgarath. "If we create a replica
of ourselves, and we are not able to destroy it, there will
be two of each of us in the Vale. Is that a good idea?".

"Master!", asked Belzedar. "Would it be possible to create
such a being to be exactly the same? Would the laws of
mathemagics permit the same entity to exist at the same time?"

"Belzedar, thou art indeed wise. How was it that thouest were
able to come to such a conclusion?".

Belzedar thought back to the converstation the Dark Prophecy.
"Erm, I'm not sure Master. But I assumed that if the same
person were to meet himself, then, erm, one of them would
be destroyed as the world cannot cope with the same entity
being in more than one place at a time."

"That is correct Belzedar. There are indeed consequences
to complete duplication of the same person in the same
universe using sorcery. However, the task I have set aside
for thee is to create a complete separate being from thine
own energies and to infuse some of thy personal traits into
thy creation for thee may have to live with thy creation
for for many years to come. Belgarath, as my eldest disciple,
thou shalt go first."

Belgarath stepped forward and gathered his will. He formed an image
of himself in his mind and infused his will into its entire being.
Thoughts of a wise, serious, knowledged person were the qualities
inwhich infused the heart of the being's personality. As Belgarath
released his will, the air around shimmered, a bell could be heard in the background and the being that existed only in Belgarath's mind
suddenly was there in physical form. A silent voice whispering
'And Done!' rang in Belgarath's mind.

"So Belgarath!", said Aldur. "Thou art indeed a worthy disciple.
Thou hast created a being in much the same way the gods once
created the race of man. What name have thoust decided to call
thy friend?".

"Erm...", replied Belgarath. "Well, I was thinking of creating
a person that was wiser and more knowledged than myself, one
who does not have my bad habits of drinking, one who is always
sober and sombre. Maybe Sombre?".

"Sombre doth not seem fitting. Sambre is a better name. From
this day forth, thy creation shalt be known as Belsambre. Greet
thy younger brother Belgarath."

Belgarath moved forward to greet the new disciple of Aldur.

"And thou gentle Beldin. Have thouest thought of how thoust
shalt shape thy companion?"

"Yes, Master. Not a problem, Master. This will be a piece
o' cake.".

Beldin stepped forward and gathered his will. Hw formed an
image of himself minus his hunchback and infused his will
into its entire being. Thoughts of the Spice Girls, Rembrandts,
and Savage Garden infused the heart of the being's personality.
As Beldin released his will, the air around shimmered and danced
to the music that sounded in the background. Another being
suddenly appeared in physical form.

"So gentle Beldin!", said Aldur. "Thou art also a worthy disciple.
What have thoust decided to call thy friend?"

"Well Master", replied Beldin, "I used t' long t' be a pop star.
Always wanted t' play de drums, did me. However, no matter
what instrument I played, no matter how hard I tried, everyone
around could not hear da music I made, only a din, hence me name.
I wanted t' create someone that could make music. How about
MusicMaker?"

"BelMusicMaker is too long a name gentle Beldin. Belmaker doth
seem more fitting but doth sound like a man skilled in the
art of making church bells. From this day forth, thy creation
shalt be known as Belmakor. Greet thy younger brother Beldin."

Beldin moved forward to greet the new disciple of Aldur.

"So Belzedar. Now it is thy turn!".

Belzedar stepped forward, gathered his will and formed an image.
Within that image he focused thoughts of kindness and willingness
to help others. Within the image focused also the thoughts of power
and of the unimaginable potential to do good. Belzedar released
his will.

Nothing happened.

"Thoust have failed, Belzedar. What were thy trying to accomplish?"

"Master, before I gathered my will I thought of the darkness
that the Dark Prophecy and Torak bring. Upon gathering my
will I thought of being able to bring into the world a
being that had the power to destroy the darkness but was kind
and willing to help others."

"Belzedar, Belzedar, Belzedar. What hast thouest done?"

"Sorry Master, I do not understand. What have I done."

"Belzedar, the characteristics that thouest hast wished for
match only those of a god. Thy actions hath may hath caused
the birth of the eigth god. However, as gods may only be born
into at the dawn of time before the birth of the world, thy
creation will affect the actions of past, present and future."

"Master, what do we do?"

"Belzedar, as thoust have caused actions to change in the past,
I charge thee to go back into the past and seek out the powers
of past, present and future. They whom thoust doth seek be known
as the sisters of charmed or the charmed ones. Only she of the
past, she of the present and she of the future can
help thee with the power of three and derived the name of
the god that thee have created. Only they can see the ripples
of change which thou hast caused. And only then can any
damage be undone."

And then Aldur disappeared in a puff of smoke.

"Oh well", thought Belzedar, "Here we go again!".





Chapter XI: Tree Of Prophecy

It was a cold and dreary night. Aldur felt restless as he tossed
and turned in his divine self-warming bed. For the last week
he had been dreaming about Ce'Files. Whilst deep in his sleep
he could hear the call of Ce'Files....

"Aldur! Help me....."

The same message had rang loudly in his mind tonight as it had
for the last fortnight waking him for the fifth time that night.
The image of Ce'Files was clear in his mind. He could see
Ce'Files falling to the ground. Blood was pouring from the back
of her neck. Now it was clear that something was wrong.

Each time the dream came, Aldur had always felt a shiver down
his spine. Even with his semi-phenominal nearly-cosmic godlike
powers, he was unable to decipher the meaning behind these
dreams. He considered consulting UL, but for the last month or
so he had felt that UL didn't want to be disturbed.

Not able to sleep, Aldur arose from his bed and went to the bathroom
to refresh himself. It was a hot night and the cool night air
outside looked instantly appealing.

Aldur decided to take a stroll outside to help himself think. What
had happened two thousand years ago? Belgarath had clearly stated that Ce'Files had passed away peacefully. Could he have been lying? Was he hiding something? What really happened all those years ago?

The sound of footsteps behind him broke Aldur's thoughts and he turned around quickly. Behind him stood Ce'Files, or at least someone that
looked very much like Ce'Files. The shimmering around Ce'Files made
her seem a little ghost-like.

"Who art thou?", asked Aldur?

"Aldur! Help me!". Ce'Files either wasn't able to hear him or
chose to ignore him.

"How can I help you?".

Ce'Files looked straight at him, her eyes seemed distant. "Go to
the land of our children and seek out the ancient one. Go. Time
will not wait for thee. After the passing of the thirteenth moon,
shall the events of the past be forever lost."

And then Ce'Files disappeared.

The thirteenth moon. Aldur counted on his fingers and toes.
That would give him two days. And he wasn't even sure what
he was supposed to do. However, Ce'Files' presence had moved
the situation from dream to reality.

Aldur headed towards the Wood of the Dryads. The term 'the land of our Children' could have meant only one thing. As a god that did not take on one of the peoples of the world, Aldur's children could only have
been the offspring of his coupling with Ce'Files.

Could his children be in danger? Cruel images of woodcutters molesting his young saplings instantly came to mind. And did the actions of
Belzedar have resulted in a change to Ce'File's past. Only time would reveal the answers to Aldur's questions.