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consider facing them without the aid of the Orb ' and
only the King of Riva can wield it. I therefore summoned
Brand and Cho-Hag and Porenn to Val Alorn this spring
so that we might discuss the matter and decide what
must be done. The immediate solution, of course, is for
Belgarion to take another wife. Ce'Nedra's barrenness is
certainly reason enough for him to set her aside. He is
extremely fond of her, however, and the proposal would
have to be broached with some delicacy. Porenn raised all
manner of objections. Although she is extraordinarily
able as a ruler, she is nonetheless still a woman, and is
therefore unable to see such matters without emotionality
creeping in. She pointed out most eloquently that she
herself had been childless for several years following her
marriage to Rhodar and that it had been only with the
guidance of Queen Layla that she had been able to
become pregnant. She urged that before we suggest
divorcement to Belgarion, we should consult with Layla
and enlist her aid. She went on to suggest that should
Layla fail, we should then appeal directly to Polgara, who
now lives in the Vale with her husband, Durnik, and the
strange, beautiful foundling they call Errand. Rhodar's
tiny little widow can be extremely forceful when she
takes it into her head to be so. She stubbornly insisted
that we take no steps with Belgarion until both Layla and
Polgara have been unable to remedy Ce'Nedra's
childlessness. By custom, no action may be taken in concert by
the Alorn rulers unless all of us agree, so Porenn had us
over a barrel. She declared that she would refuse to agree
until we met her conditions, and she even offered to go to
Layla herself to present our request to the Sendarian
Queen. Brand, of course, had no official standing at our
meetings, but was present to protect Rivan interests in
discussions to which Belgarion should probably not be
privy Brand has aged noticeably since the Battle of Thull
Mardu. The death of his youngest son appears to have
struck him to the heart. Cho-Hag, however, remains
much the same - although his face is so weather-beaten
that it would be well-nigh impossible to detect signs of
aging upon it.
Following our meetings, Porenn traveled to Sendar,
and there she placed the entire business so forcefully to
Layla that Fulrach's plump little queen put aside her
morbid fear of sea travel and left immediately for Riva to
consult with Queen Ce'Nedra. I hope her efforts will be
successful. Peculiarly, I find that I love the little Rivan
Queen. She can be absolutely impossible, but at the same
time completely adorable. Belgarion would be much
poorer without her.
The Vordues have set up what they call 'the Kingdom
of Vordue' in northern Tolnedra. Varana is going to have
to do something about that.
This fall Prince Kheldar returned from Mallorea and,
somewhat surprisingly, traveled directly to Boktor for
discussions with Porenn rather than return to his base of
operations in Car og Nadrak. She advises me that our
wily little friend traveled through the Dalasian
protectorates in southwest Mallorea after his departure from
Melcene and that what he saw there frightened him. I