Realm of the Sun

Part 1: Moonless Voyage (Chapter 1)

Solarie wiped the sweat from her forehead, glancing up to the skylight above. Orange and yellow ribbons swirled between the clouds, indicating that the sun was beginning to set. She would have to pack up soon. It wasn't safe at night, not with all those creepy shadow monsters looming in the dark. Her sister would be scared. No matter how many times she told Ariana not to be scared, and that as long as she stayed inside with the light she would be safe, she still cried herself to sleep in Solarie's arms every night. Something about finding out the monsters under the bed are real seem to have a large effect on a nine-year old.

"Still here, huh?"

Solarie looked up from the workstation, finding her mentor, Orion Erebus, towering over her like a giant from the stories. He placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, brushing away her short, untamed hair. "You work too hard. Night will be coming soon. You can't exactly defend yourself. Go home." He nudged her as sternly as he could manage, but anything that came out of his mouth sounded more like a soothing lullaby verse rather than a rigid command.

"The palace isn't that far from my home. Let me finish packing up, at least. I know you hate it when it's messy in the morning." Solarie replied, turning back to the workstation. She snatched a rag from a nearby bucket, and began wiping the table down. The shiny surface reflected her face to her, and she continued rubbing away the dirt and grime that had collected in the corners.

Orion sighed. "There's no budging with you, huh?"

Solarie kept herself focused on tidying, removing the tools from her belt and neatly putting them away in labeled bins. "If I want to keep this metalwork apprenticeship, I need to work twice as hard as others. Variens don't get the same privileges as the Elites."

"You forget you're talking to a disinherited Elite. It's not that much of a glorious life. Half of our house gets deployed every day to either wage the war with Sötèt, or fight those cursed monsters. I lost Arvin last year to those things. I'm not losing you too. Go home."

At that, Solarie whipped her head around. So this was Orion's stern tone. She made a note of it, before turning and continuing to shelve the rest of the materials.

"Don't ignore me, Solarie Lin. Either go home, or lose the apprenticeship." A slight vibrato appeared in his voice.

With a sigh, Solarie unclasped her tool belt, letting it fall to the floor with a clank. Now she could really see it was getting dark- the sky had turned almost completely a dark orange. Orion was right- it was going to be dangerous if she didn't leave now. "Fine. You should go home too. Can't defend yourself if you can't move metal."

He raised a singular eyebrow. "I have a flashlight."

She matched his expression. "And so do I."

They reached an impasse, neither willing to leave first. Stubborn as she was, she would have to leave soon. A shame her pride kept getting in the way of her safety.

Silence. Only the hum of the generator to fill the air, until Orion finally broke. "You're impossible. But don't think I won't be checking up on you. How's Jin?"

Solarie hadn't expected that, but quickly switched over to the new topic, organizing her thoughts. "He's okay. Stressing about the trial, mostly."

Orion made some kind of unreadable expression on his face. "His last Sun Trial, no? Will he join me in disinheritance?" he chuckled. Orion had been one of the few high house scions to be disinherited. His position on the high court was purged as soon as he failed his trial.

"Just because he can't make ice from his fingertips doesn't mean he'll fail tomorrow. Maybe he's an eregana instead of origana. Manipulation over creation, I guess. I highly doubt there's just pieces of ice left around the city." Solarie felt the urge to defend her best friend. Jin Lang had been the kindest to her, even upon first meeting. Even if they were from different social classes, he never made her feel inferior or insecure. They found comfort in laughs and giggles, and playful banter.