Barda is the son of Min, a palace nurse in the Palace of Del, and nurse to prince Endon and his best friend Jarred.
Barda became a palace guard while there in his youth and remained there until the attack of The Shadow Lord.
Min claimed to have overheard whispers and that there was evil in the palace. She told this to Endon, but he did not listen and told her she had been dreaming. Within an hour, she was dead. Barda, thinking that she was killed for what she knew, fled from the palace and took on the identity of a beggar.
Later, when Jarred, Endon, and Sharn fled the palace, they met Barda. He became a companion of theirs and Endon and Sharn, disguising themselves as Jarred and his wife, Anna, requested that Barda keep their son, Lief, out of trouble. Often Lief would get in trouble and Barda would have to save him in secret: often by dropping a rope for Lief to climb or distracting Grey Guards so Lief could sneak by them. Barda disguised himself as a beggar living outside the forge at this time and Lief, never realizing that Barda was anything but a ragged beggar and thought that all his escapes had simply been good fortune and skill.
On Lief's sixteenth birthday, his parents sent him on a quest to find the gems of the Belt of Deltora. They also gave him a companion; to his surprise, Barda. Barda originally disliked the thought of going with Lief, as he thought of him as a reckless child that would undoubtedly get the two in trouble eventually. He helped Lief and Jasmine to gather the pieces of the Pirran Pipe on their second journey and quest which is the only weapon that is powerful enough to defeat The Shadow Lord in his own domain, The Shadowlands. He also helps them on their third and last journey and quest to defeat The Shadow Lord and The Four Sisters. On this quest Barda helps Lief to find and unite the seven last Dragons of Deltora, so they can help defeating the Sisters and power up the gem that they represent. However, while he is helping Lief find the Sister of the South, he is blinded by a bright flash of light. After the fight, Lief hugs him and Barda, in wonder, makes Lief hold his hand. He realized that a gem - the opal, Lief remembers - helps his sight, and Lief allows him to use the gem to restore his vision. He later marries Lindal and has six children with her who all end up being taller than their own parents and are almost identical.
Appearance[]
Barda is tall, with dark hair and a beard. Due to his training as a palace guard, he is very strong and fit, and continues to hone his skills while 'guarding' the young Lief when he stays out after sunset in Del when the Grey Guards are prowling about. He is a tower of strength, and never gives up on the quest to find the gems for the Belt of Deltora.