Verion, chapter 9 - Discussions
Belgarion wrote the letter the next winter. "Your Majesty" Brand said as the king planned to post it, "it is well possible that the winter- storm shall sink the ship carrying your letter". "It's also possible that the ship does not sink" Belgarion said, "I'm not going to order anyone to go, I give you that. Don't tell me if it does sink". Brand stared at him. "If the ship sinks, they'd all sink" Belgarion continued, "and I don't want to sacrifice more than one. If my aunt's supposed to get that letter and come here to do this little thing, she'll get it when it's the right time". Brand shook his head. "But why don't you want to know if the ship sinks?" he asked. Belgarion sighed.
"To avoid the temptation of sending another one to sink as well" he said, "because I'd probably try to send another letter - instead of trusting the Purpose of Light to organise things so that she gets that first letter at exactly the right moment".
"Belgarion, you can't just trust some destiny" Brand said desperately. "Can't? I must, Brand. First off, I have restored life to someone who was dead twice in my life, first in the cave where the gods gathered to discuss their creations when I gave life to a stillborn colt - with no help, I merely felt that the gave required it of me. Next, I restored Durnik with the help of the gods left after I slew Torak, and got the Orb to help me in it, too, but I only were allowed as the instrument of the Purpose". "What's that have to do with this?" Brand asked. "Many times I've just known things, Brand. Each time correct even if I can't say how I know or why I must do some things" Belgarion said, "that's how it was with the colt. Polgara would have stopped me if she had known, but it still was one of the things I had to do, and I just sensed it was required of me".
"Why would she have stopped you?" Brand inquired. "Because she'd thought it might cause me to use my will beyond my strength and that would mean my death" Belgarion said gravely, "and I was exhausted, but it wasn't beyond me. Right now I have similar knowledge that I'm only to send that one letter on this, because what ever is to happen to that one, would equally happen to all I'd send on this matter". "I'll do as you say, but I don't understand any of this" Brand sighed and followed Belgarion back into the Citadel.
"Brand" Belgarion said after being silent for at least two hours, "would you really have killed Olban?" "For his attempted regicide, yes, I would have" Brand said gravely, "but why do you ask?" "For some reason I needed to hear that from you" Belgarion said, "I need to know exactly how you felt about Olban when he told you". "Why?" Brand asked before he could get hold of himself. Belgarion didn't reply, merely gave him a sad look. "I'm sorry, I just prefer not to talk about it" Brand apologised, "but if Your Majesty insists " "Just tell me and we'll let it lay for good" Belgarion told him gently, "but I must know". Brand sighed. He had the obligation to speak up and Belgarion had every right to demand that of him, but his nature was reluctant to do so. Finally he opened his mouth. "First I didn't want to hear him say that he was about to die, I didn't want him to tell me" he begun and told Belgarion all he had gone trough that night. "Did you still love him?" Belgarion asked. "Yes - though I shouldn't, but how can a father stop loving his son?"
"Even so you were ready to slay him?" Belgarion continued. "Yes" Brand said. "I I told Olban I'd not have one tear for him, but it was a lie". Brand steeled himself. "I know you forgave him - but I can't. I blame myself for raising him wrongly If I hadn't objected so when you declared joint throne ". Belgarion sighed. "Brand" he said quietly, "the incident happened before that. It is not your fault. It was a misunderstanding, that's all". Brand sighed. "You're the only man in the world who shrugs attempt on his life off as a misunderstanding" Brand said, "you are very forgiving". "The incident was meant to be" Belgarion said thoughtfully, "I never really thought about myself as a king before he threw that dagger. The next morning after my talk with him I was instructed to read a passage in the Mrin Codex to see what it was I had to do - slay Torak. All that day I thought about it and then I left". Brand sighed. "I'm glad it's over and that you came out alive" he said. "So am I" Belgarion replied.
Belgarion spent his days learning about how to run his kingdom, and to Brand was relieved to find that his king did read most of the papers he carried in, and only one or to out of thousand got just signed by merely a glance. For some reason Belgarion took in a habit to carry the Orb with him when he occasionally visited the city. It took months before Polgara came. Just as soon as she had arrived, she and the Queen had a talk, and Belgarion went to see her just a bit later. When Belgarion took Ce'Nedra's arm to lead her back to his bedroom that night, Brands heart jumped of joy and he felt so very grateful to Polgara.
Before sunrise the next morning a sentry woke Brand and told him he ought to go to see the king in his room. The Royal Guards at the door opened the door as he came and announced him quietly. "So good of you to come" Belgarion told Brand gesturing him to a chair, "would you join me for breakfast?" Brand nodded and seated at the table facing his king, who waited until the valet had left. "I just want to insure that you remember that there are things you are to remain silent of" Belgarion said casually. "If you let Polgara think we're hiding something, she'll find out things she should not know about by picking them up from your mind without you even noticing, so be careful". Brand sighed. "I realise why that one thing I told you must remain secret, but _all_ the things you told me?" Belgarion looked at him with absolute serenity. "Brand, my orders of secrecy are still in force" he said calmly. "Yes, my king" Brand sighed. No way he would begin breaking the king's orders now - it might destroy Belgarion completely.
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