The Sun Stone Chapter One

Cassie

It’s been nineteen years since the sun disappeared from Eadranelle’s sky. We’ve been living in the darkness ever since. They say the sun shining in the sky looked like a great white ball of pure light. It was hard to look directly at, but it brought light to everything in the land.

Sometimes I dream about the sun. I pretend that I saw it for even a moment before it disappeared, but I know that is impossible. You see, the sun disappeared at the exact moment I was born. My parents say that it was my fault the sun is gone, that if I had never been born, the sun would still be here. I like to think that’s not true, but all the evidence of my life seems to support that theory, so who am I to dispute it?

My parents have kept me on the sidelines my whole life, supposedly so they do not have to explain to everyone why the sun has gone; that it is their fault for giving birth to a cursed daughter. As a result, I have been ostracized by my family and everyone else in my life since I was a child. I have faced criticism for something that I had no control over, whether the sun’s disappearance had something to do with me or not.

One benefit, however, of being ignored most of my life is that I have a bit more freedom to roam on my own and explore the palace and the surrounding town. Like now, when there is an important meeting happening in the throne room. My parents sit on their thrones in the center of the room, my three older siblings lined up next to them. I, meanwhile, am sitting crouched in a corner in a maid’s closet on the second floor. I once found this closet while exploring, and found that it has a small opening that allows someone to view the entire throne room. Since my parents would always order me into a corner of the throne room anyway, I’ve recently taken to hiding out in this closet to see what happens in these meetings. At least this way, no one will be not-so-subtly whispering to each other wondering why I’m there. My siblings won’t be laughing snidely to each other about the fact that I’ve been designated to a corner. And this way, they can all go on with their lives believing me to be ignorant and stupid about what is going on in the kingdom, while I actually know everything they do, if not more.

The meeting today was planned very quickly and last minute, and I barely had time to get to the maid’s closet before my father started speaking to the room.

“Thank you all for joining us on such short notice,” King Delmond announces to the room. There aren’t as many nobles lining the edges of the room as there usually are, but I presume anyone who needs to be listening to whatever this announcement is, is somewhere in the room. “I have brought you all here today because we have received news regarding the Sun Stone.”

I immediately perk up from my seat. Usually these meetings are pretty boring and don’t reveal any interesting information. I should honestly probably be glad I’m not expected to be in these meetings because I’d probably be bored out of my mind, but I still like to hear all the information so I’m informed of what is happening in the kingdom. And today seems especially important.

The Sun Stone is basically a legend that few people rumor about anymore, and my parents especially have discouraged anyone from speaking of the Sun Stone. For those who do not blame me for the disappearance of the sun, many believe it is the fault of a sorceress named Mirabella. Little is known of where she came from or how she got her power, but according to the stories, she had magic abilities that could affect the elements of the world around her. She had been wreaking havoc on Eadranelle for decades before I was born, before she vanished suddenly. I’m not so sure where the rumors began, but people began telling tales that Mirabella is the one who trapped the sun in a magical stone to steal its power from the sky. The legend of the Sun Stone was born, and many people searched for it in the first few years of darkness, with no success. My father forbade anyone from speaking of the Sun Stone again, and for those in the palace, he has continued to feed the belief that I am at fault for the loss of the sun, rather than Mirabella and the Sun Stone.

If the king is now admitting to the possible existence of the Sun Stone, then he must have some irrefutable proof of its whereabouts. Suddenly, hiding in the dusty closet has become much more fascinating.

“A scroll has been found near the last known location of the Sorceress Mirabella. Before she locked away the Sun Stone and died, she apparently wrote on this scroll explaining more about the Stone.” A page runs up to the throne and hands a scroll to my father. “There is some information still missing, as these pages seem to be slightly destroyed by the elements. But from what we have been able to uncover, it reads: ‘I am not capable of destroying the Sun Stone completely at this time. If it has not been released from its holdings or destroyed in twenty years’ time, the results of its inhibition will be made permanent. I write this now in the hopes that someone will be able to finish my work and prevent the Sun Stone from releasing its power ever again.’” My father pauses and allows everyone in the room to take in the information before continuing. “Clearly, this evil sorceress wanted to destroy the sun forever. For whatever reason, she wanted to curse this land. We must find this Sun Stone before the end of the month so we do not lose the sun forever. There is a hope that we can bring light back to the world if someone can retrieve the Sun Stone and bring it back to this palace. And we have chosen our champion who will embark on this quest to find the Sun Stone. Sir Bastian of the Royal Guard, if you would please step forward.”

I cringe as Bastian steps forward. I can’t stand him. He’s so pretentious and acts like he is the best knight to ever be a part of the Royal Guard. He’s one of the youngest Guards, sure, but that doesn’t mean he’s the best. He’s cocky and arrogant and always so rude to me. He always likes to laugh at me for being the “Cursed Princess” that no one cares about or likes. I just wish my father didn’t like him so much, because I think that is part of the reason why he feels so confident in his mockery of me.

Bastian walks up in front of the thrones and kneels in reverence to the king and queen.

---

Bastian

I grin to myself as I kneel in front of the monarchs. I’ve always known I was the most favored knight of the Guard, and now this only proves it. King Delmond is about to name me the chosen champion to find the Sun Stone, and I will, of course, accept. This quest will be my way of proving to all my doubters that I am the best, and I will be the one to restore light to the kingdom of Eadranelle.

“You may rise, Sir Bastian,”the king says.

I stand up and take a ready stance to show that I am always on guard, capable of stepping into action at any moment to protect my king and kingdom.

“Do you accept the quest of retrieving the Sun Stone and returning it to its rightful place here in our palace?” He asks me.

I nod my head graciously. “I accept.”

“Good. You may take the next few days to prepare for your journey, but then you must be off. Time is of the essence, as we only have a little over a month before this darkness becomes permanent.”

“Of course, my liege. I will leave as soon as possible,” I respond, trying not to sound too eager. Obviously they want me to be eager to complete this quest, but to sound too eager or prideful could give off the impression that I am too irresponsible for the mission, and more likely to fail. I must not fail, at any cost. Proving my worth means too much to me to be making any mistakes.

“You may be excused to begin your preparations,” the king tells me dismissively.

I know not to overstay my welcome in the throne room ever, so I nod my head and quickly make my way out the door. As soon as I close the door behind me, I lean against a wall and close my eyes, releasing a large breath I didn’t even know I’d been holding.

This is it. This is my chance to show all the ornery old knights of the Royal Guard that there is nothing wrong with being young. In fact, I’d argue that I’m in much better shape than them, physically, so if nothing else I am much more capable of being a soldier than they are. And yet, they all choose to look down on me.

I know their dislike of me and their distrust in my skills stems from the fact that I have never been tested in a true battle. When the sun disappeared, Eadranelle’s borders were also closed off to the rest of the world; some invisible force separates us from all neighboring kingdoms. Therefore, there has been no war or fighting in over two decades. Of course, there could have been uprising from within Eadranelle, but I can’t see why anyone would want to overthrow a king as fair and honorable as King Delmond.

Because there has been no war or any sort of contact with other kingdoms, there is no real need for a professional army, but the king has hope that our borders will be lifted again, and we must be ready for anything should that happen. However, without the trials of war, the older knights have only left their service when they die of old age or retire by choice, so even if their physical skills can no longer match what they once could do, they still remain as knights of the Royal Guard. The only real reason I was appointed as a member of the Royal Guard was to replace my father, who passed a few years ago after falling ill.

“Bastian!” A female voice calls out from my left, pulling me from my thoughts. I quickly stand up straight in hopes that the person didn’t see me slouching, but quickly realize that it doesn’t matter anyway, as it is none other than Cassie, the Cursed Princess.

“What do you want?” I ask in disgust. I can’t stand the princess. According to all the stories, she is the reason the sun is gone. Yes, the sun’s disappearance is probably also related to the Sun Stone being locked up, but she was born at the exact moment the sun disappeared, and so she is somehow also a part of this whole thing. Perhaps the Sun Stone is only a part of what keeps the sun hidden from us, and maybe the rest has to do with Cassie. Maybe if she were dead, we would have light once again. But of course, that is not a theory I will test, because even though the king and queen seem to hold no regard for their own daughter, I doubt they would be very favorable to anyone who committed a murder of a royal, no matter who that royal was.

“I heard you’re going after the Sun Stone,” she says. She looks up at me hopefully, which is odd because she has never looked at me in any way positively, not after the way I treat her. “I want to come with you.”

I have to stop myself from laughing out loud. “You? Want to come with me to find the Sun Stone? Why would I let you join me on the quest?”

“I want to prove to everyone that I am not responsible for the sun’s disappearance. Or at least I want to help bring the Sun Stone back so that people know I wouldn’t have hidden the sun on purpose! Please, Bastian. No one lets me do anything around here. I need to prove that I’m not useless. That I don’t have to be just the Cursed Princess.”

I roll my eyes at her. “You will always be the Cursed Princess. You will never amount to anything. And you are not joining me on this quest. Now please, leave me alone so I may start my preparations.” I turn away before she can say anything else. I know it may sound harsh, but I can’t have her joining me on my quest and sabotaging me in any way. I can’t afford to bring anyone else along, because they will either hold me back or steal my glory. I must be the one to return the Sun Stone to the king. I will be the one to return the sun to the sky and bring light to Eadranelle.

---

Shayne

I peek around the street corner to be sure there are no guards nearby before turning down the street. While I’m not technically doing anything illegal, I’d still rather avoid the distraction of a guard who might ask too many questions. I count the storefronts before reaching my destination.

I turn, taking a closer look at the front of the shop, at the way the wood around the door seems to be warping and a crack lines the left window. I sigh, knowing this isn’t going to be one of my easier visits.

I open the door, and a small bell signals my arrival. I don’t normally appreciate having my movements monitored and announced in such a way, but in this instance I’d rather the business owner get to the front as quickly as possible so we can get this over with. I look around briefly at the crudely crafted leather items lining the shelves as I wait for the owner.

An old man pushes aside a curtain in the back, entering the front area of the shop. His eyes widen as he takes me in, and I have the sense that he wishes he could run.

“Shayne! It’s good to see you,” he says shakily, pasting on a fake smile. “Do you have my new talisman?”

“Do you have Normand’s payment?” I ask instead.

The man’s face crumples. “You know I don’t have enough money. This is why I need the talisman. Please, Shayne, you have to help me.”

I sigh inwardly, hating to be the bad guy in these situations. Normand began distributing his talismans to Astalid’s citizens who could not afford the king’s prices for the fuel needed to keep their lanterns lit, but free things can only last so long, and Normand had to begin charging for his talismans, which are powered from some tiny inkling of magic. I have no idea where he gets them or how they are made, I just know that they work as well as a flint and steel and can light a household for a few weeks.

Collecting payments is not one of my usual tasks for Normand. I am more often accompanying him on visits to regional leaders of the Rebellion around Eadranelle. Normand is our formal leader, and as such he delegates from the main base of operations in the capital, but he frequently visits the other leaders in the more rural areas of the kingdom to be sure everyone is maintaining order. However, when I am not traveling with Normand or training in swordfighting, I am often given menial tasks such as talisman distribution, even if Normand says I am too soft for the job. He may be right.

“Please, without light, I cannot do my leatherworking. And without my products to sell, I cannot get money for food for my family. There must be something you can do. Please,” the old man begs.

I turn and search his wares for a minute, dragging out the silence until I pause my gaze on an item. I lift a dagger hilt from one of the tables. “This is a nice piece you have here. Good stitching, strong leather,” I comment.

“Thank you, sir,” the old man murmurs hesitantly, as though he is unsure why I have changed the subject. It’s strange to have someone older than me call me ‘sir’ but I suppose he’s trying to do anything to gain my favor.

“I would think that a hilt of this quality would be worth about as much as a talisman,” I tell him, waiting for him to catch my subtlety.

The man’s face lights up, finally understanding my intentions. “Yes, sir. I believe that would be a fair trade.” He nods his head up and down excessively, his smile no longer faked.

I take the few steps to approach him and hand him the talisman from my pocket. “I hope you are able to make some more sales this month. I cannot promise the next collector Normand sends will be satisfied taking only a hilt.”

The old man gives a more sobering nod of his head. “I understand, sir. Thank you.”

I give my farewell and make my way out of the shop. Normand may not be happy taking the man’s payment out of my wages, but he pays me too much already.

I turn my head and see a ladder leading up to the roof of the building. I smile to myself. I think I’ll take the fun way home. It is the best way to avoid the Guards, after all.

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