The Suns Heir: A War of Two Kings

Isolde: A new dress.

"You look beautiful, my lady." Unella smiled.

Since dawn, Isolde had been poked and prodded, twirled around, stripped and dressed. She had tried fabric after fabric.

Under normal circumstances, nothing would delight her more than receiving a new dress. However, since the letter had left for Sunwharf she had been anxious. She simply wanted her wedding to be on the morrow, or even right now. She so desperately wanted to marry her beloved Rainer.

Unella and Cyra had told her that she should be excited to try on new dresses, and new jewellery, but all she could think of was Rainer. There was a pit in her stomach, something gnawing at her. Perhaps it was lord, Hart. He had taken great strides in calling off the wedding and she thought her father would have given in by now. There was very little his advisers could not coax him into.

"You do, princess. I could only wish for such a gown on my wedding day." Cyra added.

Finally, Isolde graced them both with a smile and looked at herself in the mirror.

It felt strange to not be wearing green.

She wore a white dress, with traces of gold patterning it. Her father had spared no expense in its design. she was also presented with a crown and necklace. More gold, how her family loved it. The Goldheart's and their gold.

A knock echoed through the door, and it opened moments later.

"Daughter, you look a vision." Her father was drunk, his words slurred.

"A true beauty, your grace." Lord Hart added.

Isolde scoffed at the letch's voice. How she hated him. She didn't anyone, only lord Hart. He was trying to keep her from Rainer.

"Sur Benric, will you fight in the tournament?" Her father asked.

Whilst all Isolde could think about was her wedding, her father could only think of the tourney. He would not take part, but he would insist that every gold-knight take part. They fought in his honour and as his household guard, he said their victories were his.

"Will Rainer fight, father?" Isolde turned eagerly. How fondly she remembered watching him fight. The smile as he held a sword, that dashing smile. She wondered if it would gleam so when she stood across the aisle from him. Of course, it would, he loved her as she loved him.

"It is tradition and I have no doubt he shall win." The king smiled as he drank his wine. "You'll watch yourself if you face him. He bested men twice his age, knights and nobles alike. I have no doubt the boy has grown into a skilled young man." Her father turned his attention to her guard, Sur Benric simply nodded along. Though, Isolde could see that he was doing his best not to laugh. The wine had spilt from her father's mouth and it had stained his white beard.

Benric had always had a queer sense of humour and duty. He had been her guard since she was eight, he was the youngest of the gold-knights and by far her favourite. He sometimes joined in with the Isolde and her maid's laughter.

Unella quite fancied him. He was handsome, but he could not hold a torch to Isolde's love. No one could. Rainer was surreal, blessed by the sun.

"No doubt young Rainer will take great pride in his victory. It will swell that Sunbarrow arrogance." Lord Hart jabbed. The man was so bitter, he wanted to ruin everything.

"Have you met my betrothed, lord Hart?" Isolde quickly jumped down his throat. She already knew the answer. Lord Hart had never been to Sunwharf and therefore would have only met Rainer once when he was seven years old.

"Not recently, but I know his father well and a son is never too different from his father."

Isolde hoped that wasn't true. Not for Rainer's sake. Lord Warner seemed a kind man. But for her brother's sake, she prayed the son was not like the father. At least not this version. Drunk and loud, and sometimes cruel. She hoped young Edmure would be like her father when their mother was alive. He drank less, yelled less. He would bring her chocolates and sing to her. Such a singing voice he had, her mother loved it too.

"Enough of this. I know you have your issues with Warner. I don't know why, but you do." Her father's voice had risen, and it was so loud, so commanding and intimidating it should have smashed mirrors, blown-out windows. Isolde hated that voice.

"I'll say it again. I think you give the Sunbarrow's too much power. By marrying Rainer to Isolde, you're giving them an opportunity to take back the throne."

"Stop it, you're trying to ruin everything!" Isolde looked to lord Hart with anger, temper burning in her eyes and a vein bulging on her forehead, the same vein that bulged on her father's face.

The room fell silent at her outburst, silent until her father burst out with an onslaught of laughter.

"It would seem the son is not the only one who learns from the father."

Lord Hart began to hesitantly share in the king's amusement. "Perhaps, we should discuss this elsewhere, your grace?"

Her father shook his head adamantly. "No, I'll hear no more on the matter. Rainer will marry Isolde. Now, go see to your duties." With that lord, Hart vacated the room.

"I hate him," Isolde muttered.

Once more her father laughed and went to take a drink from his goblet. "Damn, I need more wine and a woman. A good woman. You!" He pointed to a passing servant. "Bring me wine, and find me a woman."

There was no goodbye her father simply took off, the door closing behind him as he wailed down the hall about his wine and his need of a woman.

"Are you okay, my princess?" Cyra asked.

Isolde nodded. She could handle it all so long as she married her Rainer...