The King Trials.

~A Ride Through History~

The tour has only just begun and already I want it to be over. Exhaustion scratches at my eyes—trying to close them—forced to constantly fight its efforts. Despite Solaris beside me, I find no solace in rest and it seems neither do the others.

Solaris and I share a cushioned bench at the base, and the other two opposite each other are occupied by the Herems. Three on the one side and four on the other. Each of them an island, sitting upright, shoulders in a stiff set. All except Vince who nodded off hours ago and has yet to waken, his burly arms folded, legs spread wide.

The unending clatter of many hooves pounds on the gravelly road. The carriage shakes intermittingly, jostling us all. Something that I learnt to tolerate.

"Aurora... you should see this," Solaris says dazedly. His eyes enthralled by the view outside, straightening in his seat, leaning forward, as if to zoom into whatever caught his gaze.

Heeding his suggestion, I slide over to sit right beside him. I crane my neck and surprise is like an energy stimulus that revitalises me with fleeting vigour. Fascinated, I slant closer to the window hole, my chest pressed up against his flank, my arm resting on his back, my hand dangling off his shoulder.

We have reached the Ane of the Fallen. A momentous territory where history itself dwells, remnants of fallen kings and the ruins of old, all a relic of time itself. The carriage passes through the amorphous border of a colossal valley where ancient ruins sprawl across the land. Dawn broke over the horizon. The orange yolk of the sun spills across in all of its brilliance, bleeding into it. Casting everything under the blood-orange sky with a spectral illusion of the past, of the blood that was shed thousands of moons ago. After the Era of Sovereignty.

This was where the heart of Urium used to beat. A place said where gods and kings alike dwelled. 

My eyes venture through the derelict scenery of temples and edifices that were once glorious in sight and great in stature. That much is evident by the size of the debris and rubble. Weather-worn stone pillars surrounded by dead clumps of grass, half-crumbled buildings, cracked blocks. And stones broken up by meandering tree roots.

Dust-laden spires crushed to large fragments. Caved-in roofs weighed down by vines and other foliage, sculpted archways stained by mildew that has run rampant. Rock walls, embattlements scorched by blast marks from the scourge battles of Pavelia. Ropy vines breaking down stone and encroaching through window holes and doorways.

Symbols and primal inscriptions of any kind eroded by time's chisel, erasing the memory of what was. The desolation reverberates through the ancient valley, a deafening silence that hums with the muffled wails of the dead. Slain as the casualties of prehistoric wars, victims of those who had an insatiable hunger for power. Further on the reminiscent trail of history. Decrepit castle walls rise from its aged ruin. Battered grey stones clamber to reach its former glory but are left beaten by the enormous faceless stone statue that has ruptured into the walls. Its severed head several meters away from its body.

"I assume the Hera of Valwa has heard the stories of the Era of Sovereignty," Solaris says and turns his head. Our faces inches apart.

Alarm tears through me. I return to where I was.

"Yes, a time before the realm was governed by a High king."

Before this place was named the Ane of the Fallen, it was first called. The Sanctum. Famously known as a king's haven because of the untainted magnificence that it was. The realm was once controlled by the Sanctum; the council of old that represented the twelve tribes, each domination of the people of Urium.

In concept, a world order that would ensure peace because every voice was heard and every life mattered. But their differences proved to make it difficult but not untenable. Many on the council loathed species that differed from theirs, saw them as inferior, their ways barbaric, and some believed their magic to be dangerous. The division was caused by the prejudice in beings' hearts, ignorance in their minds, hatred and gluttony that stains their nature. This is what led to Urium being fractured. The first High King rose and conquered with the aid of the Emikrol Empire. From there, kingdoms separated, and people were split up, and not just geographically but socially as well. Some beings valued more where others mattered less.

"Aurora?"

I inhale a quick breath, blinking back to reality. "Sorry." I run a flattened hand on my head. My hair pulled into a low bun that is surely dishevelled. "I was...thinking."

He nods his head at me thoughtfully. His own golden waves disturbed as he ploughs a hand through them, resting his head against a body of pillows.

"Of your family?"

To make things simple. I nod.

"I'm sure you miss them a great deal, particularly your sister, the Baroness. You and she appeared remarkably close by what I could tell from the solstice balls and Count Vern's garden parties."

Ah, the social season.

A soft smile touches my lips. Not for the events, but the memories of it shared with my sister.

"My heart splintered the moment I learnt I had to set sail for the Pantheon. More so when she was forced to leave me at the harbour. So yes, we are very close, two sides of the same coin."

Solaris nods with polite interest. "Intriguing," he says enigmatically.

"What is?" I ask, almost defensively.

"Nothing. Merely that...." He dawdles off. The words stuck in his throat.

My head tilts downwards, my eyebrows raising, encouraging him with an imploring look. But it yields no answer.

"Why—"

A sudden bump in the road rocks the carriage. The belligerent shock even jolts Vince awake as I clutch onto the headboard of the bench.

"—my sister and I are close? You believe in the enmity that exists between a pureblood and a bastard? That I bore resentment towards my halfling of a sister?"

Solaris looks back at me remorsefully. His mouth opens to speak, but by the absence of words, they close back again. I do not begrudge his assumption, that kind of attitude is common amongst the nobles. Since Seliah and I are unmistakeably unalike in our appearance, it makes father's infidelity all the more blatant. Which I'm sure made us the topic of hot gossip amidst the other Heras and Herems, wagging their foul tongues about us.

"Do not look so contrite. I understand where you come from. I love my sister; I even forget that she's a half-blood and a bastard. I have only seen her as one of my own."

A room-grabbing smile illuminates his face, one that comes so easily to him. "Forgive me for ever asking. I should have known better than to ask seeing how genuine and kind-hearted you are."

I try to replicate his smile. "By the way. I happily accepted my sister as our own. My mother, however, did not. When my father was going to have her legitimised, with the honour of bestowing her the title of Baroness. My mother refused and claimed that having her reside in the Regnum was honour enough. To elevate her was to praise his indiscretion."

Cinders of old anger rekindle into a small flame. "Without a noteworthy title, she cannot make an advantageous marriage and wed beyond her station. The label of a bastard; a deadweight that anchors her."

Solaris makes a disagreeable sound. "Well, to whom she will wed such triviality should not matter. She is after all a descendant of Regnum Valwa. She is well-spoken, well-versed in the arts, and despite her...genealogy. She is admired by many of the nobles."

Well, someone has been paying close attention.

"Not to mention she is a sight for sore eyes. I think any Nobleman fortunate enough to have her heart will eagerly liberate her from the discriminative burdens of our society."

My lips dangle a smirk, my head nodding too many times.

"What?" He asks warily. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

I shake my head like my neck is broken.

"Oh, nothing. Just thinking."