The Hidden Sun (Bariwon Chronicles Book 1)

by J. Lloyd Morgan

  The members of the hierarchy said nothing as they walked from group to group, carefully inspecting the offerings before finally leaving the hall to debate the matter.

  “While the hierarchy decides,” Sherwyn said, “please stay in your places.”

  The room began to buzz with conversation. King Kenrik leaned over again and said, “There shouldn’t be much debate. I’ve never seen a treasure like Governor Abrecan has brought.”

  Eliana looked at the group from Erd and saw Daimh staring at her with a leering smile. This was not happening the way it did in the stories. He was handsome, no denying that, but there was something unpleasant about him. She whispered, “Father, the suitor from Erd disturbs me.”

  The king glanced at Daimh. “Oh? The crowd seems to favor him.”

  “Yes, but what about what I want?” Eliana asked almost urgently.

  Using his most regal tone, the king replied, “This is your duty—your responsibility. This is what you were born for. You will be the queen.” Softening his voice, he added, “It may not seem fair, but it is the way things have been done for generations. It took a little while for your mother and I to be comfortable around each other. It may take time, but you will adapt.”

  Her father’s statement hit Eliana hard. Her mother and father didn’t fall in love on sight? Why had her father waited until now to reveal this? Why didn’t he tell her before what to expect?

  “Father—”

  Any further conversation was interrupted when the hierarchy returned to the hall. Magistrate Seanan walked over to Priest Sherwyn and handed him a folded note. The priest opened it, glared at the hierarchy for a moment, and then addressed the crowd. “The Hierarchy of Magistrates has decided.”

  CHAPTER 3

  None of the feasts Rinan had attended previously could compare to this. The banquet hall of the castle had tables laid end to end that ran the full length of the large room. All manner of meats, vegetables, and drink were available to the guests. Governors from all seven districts were in attendance, each with several others from their respective lands. Guardians lined the walls, dressed in a fashion suitable to the area they represented.

  Wearing the gold and blue of a royal guardian, Rinan stood almost directly behind Eliana. From his vantage point, he could clearly see the company from Erd, who had been seated next to the royalty—the customary position for those selected at the Shoginoc.

  To Eliana’s left was Daimh, who seemed to be oblivious to anyone other than the princess. Rinan tried to relax but found his shoulders continually tensing up. Throughout the dinner, he had noticed Daimh ogling the princess. Rinan could tell Eliana was being polite and doing her best to keep a conversation going, but Daimh often lost track of the topic, and appeared to find any excuse to touch the princess.

  “Your hair is magnificent.” Daimh reached out and ran his fingers through Eliana’s golden locks. She smiled, although Rinan thought he saw her flinch.

  “Thank you. I can tell you got your dark hair from your father,” she said. Rinan wondered if she was trying to direct Daimh’s attention elsewhere.

  “Oh, yes, I suppose,” Daimh said. “Ah, my dear, allow me.” He grabbed his napkin and leaned over, dabbing it against the corner of Eliana’s mouth. It was another obvious attempt at physical contact, as there was simply nothing to wipe away.

  The dinner continued for the next half an hour. After dessert had been served and largely completed by the crowd, King Kenrik stood, quieting those in attendance.

  “I thank you all for coming. Once again, I congratulate the district of Erd for being selected by the hierarchy.” Raising his chalice, he said, “To peace in our kingdom!”

  “To peace in our kingdom!” the crowd echoed.

  ***

  After the feast, Daimh insisted on escorting Eliana to her room. Since he refused to take no for an answer, Eliana acquiesced, even agreeing to take his arm. The princess insisted that Rinan accompany them, telling Daimh that she didn’t go anywhere without her personal guardian. Looking Rinan over with distaste, Daimh reluctantly agreed.

  Walking down the hallway toward her room, Daimh said, “When I become king, one of the first things I will do is commission new tapestries for the castle. Look how old some of these are. Dreadful.”

  “I’m rather fond of many of these,” Eliana said. “They’ve been here as long as I can remember.”

  Daimh waved his hand dismissively. “Oh, we’ll keep them somewhere. We just need new ones that are more exciting.”

  “Where would you propose we keep the old ones?” Eliana asked.

  “I don’t know. I’ve never really concerned myself with details. We’ll have a servant take care of it.” Stopping, Daimh motioned to one of the tapestries. “Look at this one. How boring.” He sniffed loudly, then turned and continued down the hallway.

  Rinan glanced at the tapestry Daimh found so unappealing. The title read “Rain and Sunshine.”

  “Here we are.” Eliana let go of Daimh’s arm and opened the door to her chambers. He started to follow her in.

  She turned and placed a hand on the large man’s chest to stop him. “Where are you going?”

  He blinked stupidly. “What do you mean?”

  “This is my room.” Eliana frowned. “You will be sleeping downstairs.”

  “But we should get to know each other better,” Daimh said. “After all, we will be married soon enough.”

  “Until we are married, you will sleep in your room, and I will sleep in mine,” she said firmly.

  The finality in her voice seemed to be lost on him.

  “Surely you are joking.” He pushed her hand away, taking another step into her room and causing her to back up.

  Before Daimh could proceed further, Rinan grabbed his arm and stopped him. Daimh whipped his head around, and Rinan stared him in the eye.

  “Let me show you to your room.” Rinan’s voice was hard as steel.

  Daimh shook free of Rinan’s grip. “How dare you touch me! Who do you think you are?”

  “I am the personal guardian of Princess Eliana,” Rinan said. “And she has made it clear that you are not welcome into her room.”

  “Rinan, you shouldn’t handle Daimh that way,” Eliana said. “After all, he’s going to be king.” She addressed both of them. “We are all tired. It’s been a long day. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  She stepped into her room, closed the door, and locked it from the inside.

  Daimh narrowed his eyes at Rinan. “We’ll see how long you remain her personal guardian after I become king.” He spun and stomped down the hallway.

  Stunned, Rinan watched the future king walk away. The woman Rinan loved was going to marry a man who didn’t deserve her, but when he had tried to defend her, she had rebuked him. Balling his hands into fists, Rinan thought about Priest Sherwyn’s counsel. Well, he wanted me to stay to see if my sense of duty would override my feelings, Rinan thought. I guess I have my answer.

  ***

  Anemone, who had been waiting in the princess’s room for the feast to end, came up behind the princess to help her with the buttons that ran down the back of her dress. Before the nursemaid could undo more than a couple of buttons, Eliana turned and collapsed into her arms. The embrace triggered the tears Eliana had been holding in. Anemone didn’t say anything, but just held Eliana close as she sobbed, her body shaking as she cried.

  After several moments, Eliana said in a quivering voice, “I can’t do this. I know this is what I’m supposed to do, but I can’t.”

  “I know it won’t be easy, dear—” Anemone started, but Eliana cut her off.

  “No. I can’t. I just can’t.” She pushed herself away from her nursemaid.

  “Eliana…”

  Looking around the room, the princess said, “There has to be something I can do.” Her gaze settled back on Anemone, and her eyes got bigger. “Yes, that’s it.”

  “What’s it?” Anemone asked, clearly puzzled.

  “You never
had to marry. You gave your life to service and became a nursemaid. You had a choice.”

  “Eliana, there is a big difference between you and me,” Anemone said.

  “Just because I’m the princess doesn’t mean I can’t make choices in my life. I can’t marry a man I don’t love!”

  Anemone put out her hand to touch Eliana’s arm. “In time, you could learn to love Daimh.”

  Brushing away the nursemaid’s hand, she said, “No. I could never love that man. He’s arrogant and self-centered. He wants to replace all the tapestries. He thinks he can do whatever he wants. He’s not…” she paused.

  At this moment, she realized why over the last several months she had been dreading the Shoginoc. She had been taught her whole life that this was her duty and had even found the idea somewhat romantic, but something had changed recently, something significant and wonderful. Glancing over to the closed door and lowering her voice, Eliana said, “I’m in love with Rinan.”

  ***

  Anemone spent several hours talking with the princess. Eliana came to the conclusion that rather than marry Daimh, she would renounce the crown and become a nursemaid, even though she was in love with Rinan. She saw that as her only option. She knew that being a royal guardian meant everything to Rinan. She couldn’t imagine him renouncing his position for her, and if she couldn’t marry for love, she would not marry anyone.

  Nothing Anemone said could change the princess’s mind, although the nursemaid did manage to convince her to sleep on it before she acted. Once Eliana appeared to be asleep, Anemone went straight to Priest Sherwyn for help. Fortunately, the priest was still awake when she knocked on his door. He ushered her in and offered her a chair.

  Anemone pulled her hooded gray cloak tightly around her and said, “Princess Eliana is about to make a big mistake.”

  “How so?” Sherwyn asked.

  “She’s considering renouncing the crown. We must stop her.”

  “Oh dear.” Sherwyn sat back in his chair and frowned. “This isn’t good. No, this isn’t good at all.” He paused. “As for stopping her, I’m not sure how we could do that. We can’t force her. That much is clear in the Tome of Laws. Everyone gets to choose for himself—or herself. However, they must live with the consequences of their choices.”

  Anemone sighed. “She’s such a stubborn girl. I don’t know how to change her mind. She says she can’t possibly love Daimh because she loves Rinan. But since she doesn’t see marrying Rinan as an option, she wants to become a nursemaid.”

  The priest’s eyebrows arched. “The princess claims to be in love with Royal Guardian Rinan?”

  “So she says, but she’s not expressed that to him.”

  “Interesting.” Sherwyn rubbed his hand over his bald head. “Does Princess Eliana realize that if she renounces the crown, Daimh will still become king?”

  “Yes, although I don’t see that being much of an issue for Eliana,” Anemone said, staring off at nothing in particular. “She has no interest in power or the status of being one of the royalty. When she was very young, she liked the idea of being queen, After growing up, however, she realized this made her different. She’d often complain that her responsibilities kept her from being herself. However, she’s always kept up with her studies—the savants have seen to that.” Anemone sighed. “I’m afraid that if we tell Eliana someone else will be the ruler, it won’t convince her.”

  Sherwyn folded his hands on his lap. “Without Eliana on the throne, I fear there will be serious consequences for the kingdom.”

  “Oh?” Anemone said, her eyes wide.

  “For several years, there have been disturbing reports from the district of Erd.” Sherwyn leaned forward. “The people in Erd seem to fear Abrecan. I secretly sent in one of the clergy to investigate, and he was killed in what was described as an ‘unfortunate accident.’ Lady Calla has not been seen for several months—her disappearance occurred soon after a public disagreement with her husband.”

  Horrified, Anemone said, “I had no idea. Why hasn’t the Hierarchy of Magistrates done something about this?”

  Sherwyn sighed. “Abrecan is smart, and he covers things up too well. I have a suspicion that the magistrate of Erd has been doing Abrecan’s bidding. Caldre could be convincing the hierarchy that everything is under control.”

  “I can’t believe what I’m hearing.” Anemone shook her head.

  “I wish it wasn’t true,” Sherwyn said, clearly frustrated. “But now you know why it’s important to place Eliana on the throne so King Kenrik can advise her. The true power of the crown belongs to the heir.”

  Anemone shrugged her shoulders. “I don’t know what to do.”

  Sherwyn stood and went to his table. “I don’t know either, but perhaps I can find a solution.”

  ***

  The first light of dawn entered Eliana’s room. Despite promising Anemone to sleep before she acted, sleep had eluded her. Anemone had offered Eliana some plyese tea that had helped her sleep in the past, but the princess couldn’t bring herself to drink it. She had too much on her mind and didn’t want to sleep until she had thought it out. With each passing moment, it became more clear to her how she felt about Rinan and that she could not possibly marry Daimh. She knew speaking to her father about this was useless, since he was adamant that she must marry who was chosen.

  The princess’s room had three doors—one led to the hallway, one to the room where her personal guardian slept, and one to the room where her nursemaid lived. All the doors could be locked from inside her room to give her privacy, although she only kept the door to the hallway locked.

  She looked over to the door that led to Anemone’s room. The princess knew Anemone had left during the night. Apparently her efforts to feign sleep had fooled her nursemaid. Anemone had returned a few hours later, and that was the last Eliana had heard from her nursemaid all night. Here, in the early morning, Eliana could sense no movement from Anemone’s room. She got up, put on her robe, and walked quietly over to the door that led to Rinan’s room. She knocked once, and then again. When she didn’t get a response, she cracked opened the door. Rinan wasn’t there. His room appeared as if it had been vacant all night. Thinking back, Eliana realized she hadn’t heard Rinan come back to his room.

  A sudden thought occurred to her. Certainly Daimh wouldn’t have done anything to him. She knew Rinan was dedicated to protect her—he showed that last night in preventing Daimh from entering her room. She had told Rinan to stop what he was doing because she didn’t want him to get into trouble. She was grateful he had stepped in, but such actions could only lead to unfortunate consequences.

  Her fear turned into panic. She crossed the room to Anemone’s door and knocked. A moment later Anemone opened it, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes.

  “Get dressed. I fear something dreadful may have happened to Rinan.”

  ***

  “I never thought it would end like this,” Rinan said. “But, as Priest Sherwyn likes to say, ‘We must live with the consequences of our choices.’”

  He didn’t get a response, but he wasn’t really expecting one. After all, he was alone in the stables, and the horse he was talking to seemed content just to listen.

  Rinan finished placing the last of his rations in the saddlebags. He had roamed the castle all night, trying to decide what to do. The more he thought about it, the more he was convinced he couldn’t stay. “I’ll be right back.” He patted the horse. “Captain Wayte should be up by now, and I can give him the news that I’m leaving.”

  Turning, Rinan discovered Eliana and Anemone at the entrance of the stable. The princess had her hands on her hips and was staring at him.

  “Leaving to go where, Royal Guardian Rinan?” Elian asked sternly, her chin lifted.

  “Princess, w–what are you doing here?” he stammered.

  “We searched the castle for you all morning. Fortunately, we found someone who saw you heading to the stables.” Eliana took several steps toward him. “B
ut don’t answer my question with a question. I asked you where you were going.”

  “I can’t stay, Princess,” Rinan said quietly. “I’m resigning and returning home.”

  “But why?” she asked, her voice losing the firmness it had before.

  He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but he couldn’t. It had been inappropriate to grab Daimh the night before, but sharing his feelings with her could only make the situation worse. Rinan hoped his answer didn’t sound as weak to her as it did to him.

  “You no longer have need of me. Your future husband will protect you. Word has it he is an expert swordsman. I fear that my desire to keep you safe will interfere with your marriage to Daimh. You made it clear last night that I was in the way. I think it would be best if I were not around.”

  “You’re willing to resign as a guardian for me?” Eliana asked. The hardness in her eyes softened with the tears that started to form.

  That was not the reaction Rinan expected. “Yes, Princess. I want you to be happy. My resignation is the only way I can bring that about.”

  Eliana reached out and took him by the hand. “That’s not the only way, Rinan.”

  “I’m not sure I understand …”

  Anemone, who had remained quiet to this point, chose this moment to speak. “Eliana, you should tell him.”

  Looking back at Eliana, Rinan asked, “Tell me what?”

  Eliana took a deep breath. “After the Shoginoc and spending time with Daimh, I realized I can’t marry a man like that. The last few months you and I have spent together have been the happiest I’ve ever known. What I’m trying to say, Rinan, is that I love you.” She closed the gap between them and embraced him.

  He tensed, unsure how to react. Had he heard right? The woman he loved had just told him she loved him too? Not only that, but she was embracing him. After feeling more miserable than he had in his entire life, this seemed too surreal to be true.