Storyboards: Deikar

The Tale of an Unknown Soldier
Deikar of the House of Anadile was born and raised in Tol Borune, ancestral home of Ran Borune, Emperor of all Tolnedra.
He had no affinity for the Will and the Word, such as the Eternal Man, Belgarath, or his daughter Polgara. He slew no Gods, as did Belgarion, long lost heir to the throne of Riva Iron-Grip. He could not transform into a bear like Barak of Trellheim, or speak to horses like Hettar, son of Cho-Hag, Chief of the Clan Chiefs of Algaria.
He could banish no demons, like BelDurnik, last disciple of Aldur, nor had he accrued half the world's wealth, like the roguish Prince of Drasnia, Kheldar. And, unlike Eriond the White, New God of Angarak, he was far from divine.
Yet the holy seers at Kell turned not a blind eye to the destiny of Deikar, for his name was written in the stars, and the Heavens called him The Unknown Soldier.
Deikar was born into a chaotic world, where the forces of darkness and light vied with each other through long prophesied proxies, rushing ultimately towards one final EVENT, which would decide forever the fate of the world, and all that lived in it. As a child, he became fast friends with another of the Anadile family, a solid and dependable youth called Varana.
The two of them were bred for service in the Imperial legions, loyal subjects of
Ran Borune by birth, and loyal soldiers of the Tolnedran state by rearing. They played together, trained together, fought together. As the two young Anadiles grew into manhood, Varana caught the eyes of the General Staff, and accrued much honor to his name. Varana was sturdy and practical, one to be depended upon whenever the chips were down.
Deikar was no less so, yet he lacked the charisma that Varana posessed. So it was that Deikar was frequently passed over for promotion in favor of Varana. It would be a falsehood to say that Deikar was not the least bit unnerved by the fact that his good merits were overshadowed by Varana, but he was a good soldier.
He lived to serve Tolnedra. It was all he knew how to do. So he concentrated on doing the best job he could, rather than try to outshine Varana. Deikar was an exceptional leader of men, and though the General Staff failed to notice him, the men under his command were fanatically loyal to him.
Now, it came to pass that in the north, a King returned to the throne of Riva Iron-Grip, and took up the Orb of Aldur in fulfillment of an ancient prophecy. Now, Tolnedrans were not by nature superstitious people, and a Tolnedran was no more likely to believe in the fabled powers of the Orb than they were likely to believe in the child-delivering stork, or magical fairies of doom.
But the Tolnedrans were bound by the terms of the Accords of Vo Mimbre, written five hundred years before, and Borunes did NOT break treaties. The Rivan King had at long last returned, after twenty five centuries in exile, and the entire world watched with baited breath, waiting to see which course of action Riva's heir would take.
But Belgarion of Riva, ultimate grandson of the sorcerer Belgarath, crept away from the citadel of Riva one night, to face the One Eyed God, Torak in single combat.
Now, the Kingdoms of the West were united by the most unlikely of heroines, the wilful Imperial Princess, betrothed of Belgarion, the dryad Ce'Nedra. And the words of the fiery little Queen-to-be set aflame the people of the West, and great multitudes flocked to her banner in a desperate attempt to divert the attentions of the Angarak hordes.
When Ce'Nedra and her armies passed through Tolnedra, Deikar privately wished to join her. Yet, like the good soldier he was, he did his duty, arraying his forces to push back the "invading" forces, if necessary. Privately, Deikar was amused when Ce'Nedra goaded her father, the Emperor, into a fit, and stole away the legions.
But Deikar's forces stayed in Tolnedra, out of loyalty to him. They would not march upon Thull Mardu unless he himself led them.
Tolnedra's legions had given in to greed, and deserted their motherland, headed for distant Mishrak ac Thull and Thull Mardu. Ce"Nedra, Jewel of the House of Borune and would-be Queen of Riva had borrowed the authority of her betrothed, King Belgarion, to unite the Kingdoms of the West in an attempt to hold the attention of the Angarak Kings, buying time for Belgarion, Belgarath, and Kheldar to get through to Cthol Mishrak and face Torak in the Tomb of the One Eyed God.
With Tolnedra's armies already marching through Algaria, a secret order was issued by the Emperor himself. Deikar was summoned to Tol Honeth for a clandestine meeting with Duke Varana and Ran Borune himself.
Officially, Ran Borune did not recognize the legitimacy of Ce'Nedra's claims to speak for Belgarion, nor the right of her army to exist. Yet, he was not only an Emperor.
He was also a father, proud of the way Ce'Nedra had purposely duped him and stolen his Legions. He had already suggested that Varana and other members of the General Staff take a "vacation" and "go have a look around", preferably somewhere in the vicinity of Ce"Nedra's encampment. The personal wishes of the Emperor were clear. Varana and his fellows were to aid Ce"Nedra as well as they could.
At the recommendation of Varana, Deikar had been summoned to Tol Honeth, and was promoted to Commander of the 26th Imperial Tolnedra. His orders were to send the men under his command on immediate furlough, so that they may join Ce'Nedra's army, and then accompany Varana. Now, Deikar and Varana had been friends all their lives, and more than friends. They had indeed been as family to one another.
Varana did not truly believe that Ce'Nedra had any hope of winning the war to come, and did not expect himself to return to Tolnedra. So, outside the gates of Tol Honeth, Varana spoke to Deikar.
He asked that should he not return from Mishrak ac Thull, that Deikar would care for his family, and the two of them swore an oath of Brotherhood there, forging a bond that could never be broken.
The sworn brothers, Varana and Deikar now journeyed straightaway to Algaria, where they would catch up with Ce'Nedra, and offer their services in this futile war.

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