Lordrin POV

‘Crown Ruuthelaine’ was the Sun Fiend. That was the only thing that could make this make sense. Everyone else was simply too cowardly to admit it. Even her name, Ruuthelaine, made it too obvious, to anyone knowledgeable of the Crowntongue. Ruu, ‘sovereign, mother of’. Laine, ‘dragon, monster’.

Crowns and Hallows were bastions of order and harmony, pruning the world into proper shape that it may flourish and thrive. True royal lineages were their watchmen and caretakers, turning a more attentive, intimate hand to the kingdoms of the world. Of course, there were dead branches, fruits gone bad. Of course, there were contingencies set in place for Kings gone rotten, those who displeased the Crowns and allowed the Sun Fiend’s harbingers of chaos and entropy to creep in. But I was not one of those Kings. It was not my peers who moved against me to war. It was not my subjects who judged me and found me lacking as a proper arbiter of justice.

It was not Mother Naruune who cast me aside in favor of a better Crown-son.

It was the Sun Fiend. It was one of her schemes. There was no other explanation. But it did not mean that all was lost. It was simply…a test. A trial. A blessing in disguise. Yes, it must be. Crown Naruune was testing me, to see if I was truly worthy of the title of her most beloved Crown-son. This golden opportunity would reveal to me all those who I could truly trust—and all those who were filthy, spineless pawns of the Fiend.

The first thing I did, upon being confined to the lackluster guest rooms, was to pray to Crown Naruune. To express my gratitude for the opportunity to better myself and open my eyes to the corruption around me. These rooms were not the lower cells underground. There was no fresh earth to touch and ground myself with. If I offered my blood to her, there was no way it would reach her. Still, as her child my words must have reached her. The thought was soothing, grounding.

But whether Crown Naruune moved to intercede on my behalf or not, I still knew this would all be temporary. A king should always have many plans to fall back upon. And as infuriating as her traditionalism had been in the past, it also meant Head Priestess Forya would never settle for anything less than me on the throne, myself. With her advanced age, she would not be creating another Crown-son—it was me or no one. And perhaps it would serve as a much-needed warning for her too. A reminder that I was the King, I was the Crown’s beloved one, and not the other way around. It was my power, and she should respect it as such.

She would not come for me in person. As much as I detested cowardice, only Crowns Naruune and Arcturus could face the Sun Fiend in boldness. Instead she would move in shadows. She’d have some plan to destroy the false King, and then she would place me back on my throne, and I would execute the cowardly pigs currently keeping me in this damnable room, alongside their spineless brat of a ‘king’.

Soon. Any day now.

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When I heard a quiet knock on the door, my heart leapt in my throat. In no time at all I quickly moved to the door, placing my ear against it, and listened. From the other side came a soft, feminine voice.

“Crown-son?”

Her voice was familiar, but I couldn’t immediately place it. Despite how much I yearned to throw open the door and demand everything go back to the way it was, I knew my task wouldn’t be anywhere near so quick and simple. I also knew that there was a chance this wasn’t truly one of Forya’s agents, and was simply some maid sent to pull information from me. I had condemned cowardice earlier, but after some time to cool my head, I realized there was little I really knew now, little I could do. I would need to mind my words. And so, while I quietly crept to the door and placed my ear against it, I did not speak. Instead I waited for the girl to speak again.

“I am Priestess Candidate Dennia, Crown-son Lordrin. The guards have been sent away for now,” she whispered again.

Dennia. Now I could place the voice. Indeed, she was one of Forya’s pets, her precious proteges. Dennia was the most ambitious among them. At times ambition could be dangerous, but it was also predictable. So long as I was her best means of advancement, there would be none more loyal. And I was Crown-son, the proper heir to the throne, the one who had been shaped for it since I was young. ‘Crown Ruuthelaine’ or not, there was only one true King here.

So she would have to do.

“I am here,” I replied, voice low. “The Head Priestess sent you?”

There was a pause. I imagined her looking over her shoulder for the return of the guards. “I am here,” she finally said.

That was a non-answer had ever I heard one. Had it been the Head Priestess saying it, herself, it would have been so extremely like her. But it was not, it was one of her proteges, now clearly in a position with more freedom, more power, than I. If I asked her for a favor, I would certainly owe her and need to make her Head Priestess by the end of it.

But I was somewhat lacking choices right now, wasn’t I? And what must have been the Sun Fiend’s own chosen sat upon the throne. This was all a test by Crown Naruune, all just a test. But could I afford to be patient and wait for the goddess to act, to save my city?

Or was Priestess Dennia’s presence here a sign from my goddess, instead?

…I would never let Nania become my Head Priestess. Not now, not after how volatile and disloyal she showed herself to be. Dennia may have been a pawn of Forya, but I knew what it was she desired. I understood what mechanisms moved her and what gravity compelled her.

This was all simply a test of faith, a leap of faith. And if I simply waited this out without acting, if Crown Naruune was slow to intervene, if the Sun Fiend were too fast to act, the wisest way to deal with a rival Crown-son who had lost the throne would be to—

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

I swallowed. “How long can you remain?” I asked. “We have much to discuss.”

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Raike POV

Gresha’ City had been really lively since Ellie’s duel, but it was nothing compared to our house. Things hadn’t been quiet for a single moment the past day. Instead the small house echoed with the sounds of people talking or keeping busy at all hours, even long after my siblings and parents were supposed to be asleep. When it was my siblings excitedly giggling about having a king in the family, it was almost tolerable. When Perene started badgering me with questions about whether Ellie would make him an elite guard, it got a little more annoying. But everyone else found reasons to go outside when Mama and Dad began arguing.

The last time they argued like this was before Elian joined the army.

Another argument early one morning woke me. Not even commandeering the room that had once been Ellie’s for myself had gotten me a night’s peace. Still half-asleep, I felt frustration brewing deep in my gut. It had been growing there since yesterday. No, I’d been carrying it long before that, but it had only started making a nuisance of itself long before that.

Why did Ellie get to go off on adventures all the time? Didn’t they realize the ways their antics affected our parents, affected me? Why were an Angran and a Priestess so special?

But whatever headaches I was dealing with now, being king was probably giving Ellie a bigger headache. Being frustrated wouldn’t help either of us. We were family, and family was supposed to love each other. And so before I had even had my morning meal, I was already guiding Perene through a reluctant apology for having stepped on Arene’s stuffed doll, and assuring an incensed Meyna who had gotten upset on her younger brother’s behalf that Arene was not hurt, and that was what was important. That Perene hadn’t really meant what he said, and as siblings they should all forgive each other.

Even when the oldest brother ran off to play king with his strange friends, siblings should forgive each other.

Mama and Dad called for breakfast, and we gathered around the kitchen table as they parceled out the morning’s porridge. For a moment, everyone was too busy stuffing their faces to speak. Silence, at last. The moment passed too soon for me to really relish it, and the headache returned.

“We need to talk to that boy,” Dad said. “Someone needs to talk sense into him, before it’s too late.”

Not all my siblings were of the same mind. Some of them were too young to really understand what was happening…others…

“But can’t he talk to Head Menone for me too? Please?” Perene whined.

Mama leaned over the table and patted his head. “Good warriors learn to protect their younger siblings first. Hold onto Arene and Kerri in the crowds today, okay? You can practice for the guard by protecting them.”

“I do protect them, I wanna learn to protect them better,” Perene grumbled, slurping down the last of his bowl.

“Head Menone called some sort of gathering today, right? What was it for again?” I asked.

“Something foolish and showy, no doubt,” Mama muttered.

“A tournament,” Dad clarified. “To show off the strength of the new king, against the soldiers he trained with. As if strength alone is the problem…”

“Maybe if you’re very good, you can pester Menone and Ellie into letting you fight,” I told Perene, my tone teasing. My little brother looked utterly delighted, but even as I said those words, I started to grow doubtful. A fighting competition, already? Ellie’s arm had still looked…off, the last time I’d seen them. What were they thinking, holding an event like that? Could my sibling really care about them enough to do something this dramatic?

“Raike,” Mother chided. I shot Perene an apologetic look. Mother sighed. “Not now, okay? Don’t cause problems, we’ve got enough to deal with already. You’re usually such a good girl.” She touched a hand to her forehead. “I was hoping the Head Priestess and Crown would put a stop to this foolishness before it began, what’s this nonsense about a ‘third Crown’...”

“It’s not for us to understand the Crowns, dear,” Dad said, reaching out to touch her arm. “But if we don’t understand, I doubt Elian understands any better, perhaps we can still…”

Mother shot Dad a look. “It’s already been embarrassing enough for the family already. Everyone knows he’s our family’s child. If the eldest is doing this, how can our other children ever lead happy lives?”

I winced, trying not to look at Perene and the others.

“No, we have to talk with him before this tournament. We need to get it into his head what a mistake he’s making. He’s had his adventures, he needs to start thinking about his future now,” mother declared, then turned to me. “Raike, would you stay home and watch your siblings?”

I nodded mutely. My siblings were annoying, but I preferred my company to the annoying neighbor boys. When my siblings were rude, my parents scolded them. When the neighbor boys were rude, Mother sighed whimsically and wondered which one would make me, Meyna, and Kerri happiest.

Once the dishes were cleaned and Mama and Dad were out the door, Meyna tried drawing me one of her favorite games. A recreation of the eternal fight between the Sun Fiend and the Sun Falcon. She ran, shrieking around the house as I chased her. Once that was done, I had to check on Kerri, our youngest baby sister, and stop her from putting bugs into her mouth, and then I had to corral Meyna and Perene into helping with chores.

It’s strange, usually Perene is insistent on playing Sun Falcon for Meyna. I suppose he’d been sulking, I wondered. He’s been weirdly quiet all morning, actually…I’m not even sure where he is now.

Our house didn’t have very many rooms. It didn’t take much searching to realize Perene wasn’t in any of them. Of course, Meyna hadn’t seen him anywhere. Briefly I feared Arene had vanished too when I realized how quiet he’d been today too, but the boy of five sun-seasons had only fallen asleep in his room again. Kerri was still babbling happily as she toddled around with her toy wagon. It was a relief that my youngest siblings were still safe, but I still had no idea where Perene was. Perhaps he was in the fields around our house? Even if he was there, and hadn’t gone where I feared he had, I couldn’t just leave my other siblings alone—what if they wandered off, too?

“Meyna, you’re very responsible”—and bossy, I silently added—“so I’m putting you in charge while I go out to look for Perene. You need to stay with Auntie Kerria next door.”

Meyna puffed up her small chest. “Okay!” she said. Then she turned around, and ran off looking for her younger siblings. “Arene! Kerri! Raike says I’m in charge! You gotta listen to everything I say now, so I say we’re gonna—”

I sighed. They’d be fine, under our neighbor’s watchful eye, so long as Meyna thought she was being helpful. First, I would drop them off. Then, I would look for Perene. Unfortunately, I knew exactly the direction to look in…