Page 19 of Of Stars and Lightning (Sun and Shadows #1)

Fourteen

PRINCE OF NOTHING

SOL WAS TO begin her training immediately. After she mentioned her lack of magic and Samara remarked she was useless without it, the King ordered her court to at least grace her with basic history, since she couldn’t start her Wielder training.

Without palpable magic, she couldn’t claim her birthright.

Not that she was in too much of a hurry.

The Semmena Court also didn’t seem to care.

The only thing that mattered to them was for her to seal the Jinn gate.

That, and her attendance at a royal dinner in five days to formally announce her arrival in the South.

As Sol and her court stood in the great hall after an uninteresting dismissal, she couldn’t quite focus on what anyone was saying. Instead, she focused on a spec on the wall, tracing the edges of the dirt spot with a lazy gaze.

The people are in your hands now, and for that, I am so sorry, Soleil.

“Sol?” A hand on her shoulder made her return to her body.

“Hmm?” Sol looked at Nina who peered at her with a furrowed brow.

“Are you alright?” she asked. “You’ve been staring at the wall in silence for a while now.”

“Sorry,” Sol said, blinking away the haze.

Sawyer began to lead Sol down the hall as the rest of them fell in line, but a voice halted them. “Princess!”

Sol turned back toward the doors with a stifled eye roll at the title. She was going to have to get used to that.

Gaven, lead of the Semmena Kingsguard, emerged into the hall followed by Samara.

“What is it?” Sawyer asked, returning Samara’s nasty stare. Alix mumbled something that might’ve been a prayer to the gods.

“His Majesty has requested for me to take over the Princess’ personal protection,” Gaven said, removing his iron helmet. He had deep, golden skin, the kind of tone painted by evenings in the sun.

“That’s Cas's role. You’re not needed.” Nina crossed her arms, stepping between Sol and Gaven.

The man shrugged. “He has requested Prince Xanthos and yourself, Miss Amana, in the throne room. He is on his way there.” Nina stiffened.

Sol tugged at the sleeve of her blouse as Cas stepped forward, a trail of Shadows in his wake. She had to arch her head to look up at him, but as his jaw tensed and his eyes were shone, she averted her gaze and wished to never be on the receiving end of that expression.

“Why?” was all he said.

Gaven had the good sense to back up a step.

“I—I was not given the details.” He shifted his helmet to his other hand. “I’m just following orders, Prince.”

“Please don’t scare her,” Sawyer huffed. “She’s finally become tolerable.”

Samara scoffed and walked forward, placing a hand on Cas’s forearm. “I sure hope you haven’t already gotten into trouble, brother. You’ve just barely returned.”

Behind them, Alix cleared his throat. “I must return to the libraries.” He gave them a small bow. “I’m sure I have a lot of unopened correspondence. I will check on you during dinner, Sol.”

Nina looked at Sol, then gave her a small hug. “We will be back as soon as we can, Sol.”

“I’m not going anywhere,” Cas said, continuing to stare at Gaven.

The idea of all of them leaving her alone, with no familiar faces, made her want to break into a sprint for the stables. Or at least tag along with one of them, but she wasn't about to ask.

Nina squeezed her arm, then pulled Cas along with her. “We will not piss off anyone else today, Cas. Let’s go.”

Sawyer frowned. “Gaven will show you to your room, cousin. I have a small thing to take care of.” She stepped into a walk with Nina.

Sol rubbed the scar along her palm, wishing more than ever to have Lora nearby. She must be fine, since Sol hadn't felt anything amiss. But still, Sol yearned to know the state of her home.

“You don’t leave the castle grounds without one of us,” Cas said, looking down at her. “We won’t be gone long.”

Sol gave him a simple nod, then watched him catch up to Nina and Sawyer.

Gaven smiled, a true gesture of goodwill. “I promise I won't bite, Princess. I will show you to your room.”

Sol stepped past him and pretended to know where she was going. As he fell into step behind her, she only said, “Don’t call me that,” and stalked up the giant staircase.

GAVEN WASN’T TERRIBLE. Sol had judged him harshly.

He trailed silently after her for nearly an hour, even as she walked in circles around the castle.

At first, she hovered around the second floor.

But after realizing it was filled with mostly black cloaks, she fled back to the first floor, where the glares weren’t as threatening.

She gave up trying to pretend like she knew where she was going soon thereafter and settled to learning her surroundings instead. She discovered a staircase that led to lower levels, which she concluded were the kitchens after a flood of people emerged carrying trays and pitchers.

There were other uninteresting rooms, meeting spaces, and areas with expensive couches and furniture.

The most notable part of the first floor was the enormous golden doors past the bottom of the staircase, engraved with a three-tier crown.

The edges were embellished with carvings and glyphs, which she took a few minutes to observe in silence before a servant carrying a tray of roasted pork nearly smacked into her.

She went upstairs after that.

The second floor had sleeping quarters, presumably for the students.

She quickly found another set of stairs that took her to the third floor.

Gaven explained her room was there, along with the rest of her Court’s.

He also noted that until she took the official title of Queen, they were to remain in this main area.

The Semmena Court resided in a separate wing entirely.

At least she didn’t have to worry about running into them too often, then.

The fourth and final floor had the interesting stuff.

Sol saw three libraries: two with students concentrated on their studies, and one with mainly white cloaks that had to be scribes.

The smell of old books and sounds of turning pages made her sigh with nostalgia.

She wanted to stop and search the bookshelves but opted to return at a time when it was less populated.

Especially since every single head turned her way when she stepped into the first one.

Sol began to make her way back down to her room when Gaven fell into step beside her. “If I may, Princess.” She glared at him.

“My apologies—Sol—” he corrected as they turned a corner. “If you’d like, I can show you around the castle gardens and courtyards? They’re quite lovely.”

Sol thought about it. If she ever needed to escape, examining the outside layout was perhaps smart.

She nodded.

On the way, Gaven offered her extravagant portions of foods she had never seen, but all she could think about was Lora’s stew.

“There are establishments in the town that specialize in foods like that,” Gaven said. “But someone from your Court will have to accompany you. I don’t feel like being executed by Prince Xanthos.”

Sol had snagged a handful of almonds from a bowl in the kitchens, which she plopped into her mouth as they walked along the outside gardens.

There weren’t many people outside, whether due to the hazy day or because most students were in classes, Sol didn’t care.

With each step away from the castle and into the foliage, she felt herself lighten.

“Prince,” Sol mumbled. “What makes him a Prince?” Gaven removed a stray piece of branch from their path.

“He is technically the Crown Prince of Eswin, a territory southeast of us.” He plucked another branch free. “But due to his sentence, he is bound to Rimemere for another seventeen years.”

Sol halted, the hedges around them caressing the side of her head. “What do you mean by his sentence?”

Gaven stopped a few feet in front of her, his expression unreadable.

The sky above them was a misty blue, and the wind began to push against the walls of vines around them. It sent a whiff of roses adrift as Sol anxiously waited for a response.

“He hasn’t told you?”

Sol shook her head. “He hasn’t told me much.”

Gaven huffed a laugh and began walking again, motioning for her to follow. “I suppose that’s typical.”

Sol fidgeted with her nails as they emerged from the hedges, diving into what seemed like was meant to be a garden of some sort but held only bare pots and dirt.

There was a stone fountain in the middle with carvings of the Original Creators, and like the statues in Yavenharrow, Sol swore their eyes followed.

“His father, Draven Xanthos, was your mother’s guard,” he started, lowering his voice to a near whisper.

“Rumors said he was in love with her, but Queen Irene never quite returned the sentiment. When the Queen’s Coronation Vows came to pass, Xanthos participated.

He was desperate to be with her, even if it meant being bound by law. ”

“I’m sorry, Coronation Vows?”

Gaven led her down to another courtyard.

“The South has a tradition that calls for a sort of tournament prior to a ruler’s official coronation.

” He looked at her sidelong. “Though it has been almost three decades since Rimemere needed to host such a feat—I’m not sure if Semmena will call for one, especially after how the last one ended. ”

Sol shivered as they passed a fountain.

“Anyway, Draven was one of the prospects—but so was

Arnold.”

“The King?”

Gaven nodded. “It was down to them both at the end. The survivor would marry Irene. But Lady Mel, Sawyer’s mother, begged Irene to find a way to not only save Arnold but also let him marry her.

No one really knows how, but your mother found a loophole and saved both Draven and Arnold.

She agreed to marry Draven, letting Arnold be with Mel. ”

“Why don’t I know any of this?” Sol’s blood boiled with fresh betrayal. There was so much about her own mother she hadn't even heard whispers of. Lora hadn't said any of this, neither had the others. The small meter of trust she had begun to feel for them plummeted.

Sensing this, Gaven sighed. “It’s a difficult part of our history. I only know it because my father was the main kingsman at the time and told me the story. It’s not typically recounted.”

Sol bit the inside of her cheek. “So how is Cas related to any of this?”

They continued to a labyrinth of rose bushes.

“A month before Irene and Draven’s holy union, she became pregnant—by someone else.

She never told anyone who sired the child.

There wasn’t a single speculation, except that it wasn’t Draven.

He was so furious when he found out that he threatened the child if your mother didn’t reveal who the father was.

” Gaven glanced at her. “Because of the threat made to you, he was executed.”

Sol stared at a single red rose, willing herself to process the words. “So guards executed his father… because he threatened my mother?”

“The Queen personally oversaw executions,” Gaven said. “She executed him in front of the Counsel.” A pause, then, “And the Prince. He was eight years old at the time.”

Sol was going to be sick. She was glad she hadn’t eaten much, because her stomach swirled with nausea. She spotted a lone bench near a gaggle of blackbirds and quickly leaned against it.

“Oh Gods,” she muttered. “I—why is he in my Court then? How—”

Gaven sighed and leaned against the side of the castle. “Your mother gave him a choice. Swear loyalty to her and her Clan—or die. He chose the former.”

“At eight years old?”

“Yes.”

They were silent for a long time after that.