The morning of the Dawn Ceremony was really beautiful. In Oakhaven this day is the important day of the year. It is a day when the sun is supposed to wash all the bad things we did the year before.. As I stood in my room in the Moonlight Spire I could feel something bad underneath the city. It was like the city was being mocked by this thing.
Isabella was on her knees in front of me fixing my clothes. Today I was not wearing my dark animal skins from the North. I was wearing silk with silver thread, which made me look like a weak and holy person.
"The entire court is waiting, Master " Isabella whispered, her eyes showing a mix of surprise and a strong desire. "The King, the priests and Cedric. They all think they will see a ghost."
"Then we will give them a ghost that will haunt them " I replied, leaning on my cane. I made my face look pale and my breathing sound weak. The Alaric persona was back. Inside my power was working at a low level.
Our carriage arrived at the Great Solar Cathedral. The crowds. Were really quiet. The people of Oakhaven, who had cheered for Cedrics victory a few days ago now looked at me with quiet whispers. To them I was the prince who had come back from being very sick just to see the sun one last time.
Inside the Cathedral the air was thick with the smell of incense and the pride of the nobles. King Valerius sat on the Solar Throne his face showing an hidden tiredness. Beside him stood Cedric his armor shining so brightly it hurt to look at.
Then there was Elara. She stood near the High Altar, her book with pages hidden by a golden cover. When our eyes met for a moment I saw the smart look behind her eyes. She was ready.
"Prince Alaric of the Line " the Royal Herald announced, his voice echoing off the high marble arches.
I walked down the aisle, my cane tapping on the stone. Every step looked hard. Every breath sounded like my last. I reached the foot of the throne. Bowed low.
"My King..." I said, coughing into a handkerchief that already had blood on it. "I have come back... To give my life... To the Light."
Cedric stepped forward his lip curling in disgust. "Father this is not real! We are here to celebrate strength not to mourn a—"
"Be quiet Cedric!" the King said, his voice cracked and his eyes fixed on Elara. He looked scared.
Elara stepped forward her voice sounding beautiful and commanding. "The Sun spoke to me this morning, Father. The visions were clear. We have neglected the North for long. The Princes suffering shows the problems of the Empire."
The nobles started to whisper, a wave of unease spreading through the Cathedral. Elara opened her book and the words inside shone with a white light that hid the bad energy underneath.
"The Oracle says," Elara announced, her eyes locked on the Kings. "That Prince Alaric is to be named the Grand Warden of the Soul. He is the one who will keep the Sun from setting on your rule, Father. To deny him is to invite darkness."
The Kings hands gripped the arms of his throne hard his knuckles turned white. He was a man who feared nothing than his own end.
"Then it will be done " the King declared, his voice shaking. "By decree Alaric is elevated. He will have the power to oversee the health of the Capital."
Cedrics face turned red with anger. He realized in that moment that I had just been given the power to investigate anyone, including him.
"You... You would give this 'dead' man power over the Paladins?" Cedric hissed, his hand reaching for his sword.
I looked up at him from my kneeling position, a smile on my lips. "Go on Cedric " I thought to him. "Show them the 'Hero' is a common thug."
The tension in the Cathedral was so thick it felt like the air was turning into glass ready to break. Cedrics golden armor caught the light of the morning sun. He looked less like a hero and more like a trapped animal.
The Kings decree hung in the air like a death sentence for Cedrics ambitions. To name me Grand Warden of the Soul was to give me the power to find out every secret in the Capital. The nobles were already whispering their eyes shifting from the 'Golden Son' to the 'Holy Martyr.'
"Father this is crazy!" Cedric roared, taking a step toward the throne. The golden energy around him flared, causing the floorboards to creak. "You are listening to the talk of a girl who reads many books! Alaric is a snake! He is not a saint; he is a disease!"
"Cedric stop " the King commanded, though his voice lacked its strength. He looked at Elara seeking comfort from her 'prophecy.'
Elara didn't flinch. She stepped toward her brother her book held tight. "Are you questioning the Suns vision, Cedric? Or is your pride so great that you think you are higher than the Light itself?"
"I am the one who fights for this kingdom!" Cedric screamed, his hand finally closing around the hilt of his sword.
The sound of the blade sliding from its scabbard echoed like thunder through the holy hall. The crowd gasped. Drawing a weapon in the presence of the King during the Dawn Ceremony was a crime—a sacrilege that could not be forgiven.
"Perfect " I thought to myself.
I didn't move. I stayed on my knees looking up at him with scared eyes. I made my body tremble making me look as small and defenseless as possible.
"Cedric... Please..." I said, my voice breaking. "If my life... Is what you want... Take it. Just do not... Defy the King."
"Shut up! Shut your lying mouth!" Cedric lunged.
He didn't use any skill. It was an impulsive strike aimed at my neck. He wanted to end this now.. As the golden steel whistled through the air I didn't need to dodge.
A beam of pure white light intercepted the blade. Baron Vane, the 'Iron Censor' himself stepped forward his eyes burning with an strong belief. He didn't even use a weapon; he simply raised his book—the one I had corrupted—and the force of the impact sent Cedric reeling back.
"Sacrilege!" Vane's voice boomed, shaking the Cathedral. "To draw steel against the Grand Warden? To spill blood on the Day of Dawn? Cedric Valerius you have turned your back on the Light!"
The Royal Guards, who usually took orders from Cedric hesitated for a second.. When they saw the High Inquisitor himself denouncing the Prince they moved. A dozen spears were pointed at Cedric's chest.
"Father! He's manipulating you all!" Cedric shouted, looking around frantically.. He saw only faces of horror and disgust. Even his own Paladins lowered their heads in shame.
The King stood up his face pale, with shock. "Cedric... You have shamed our family. Guards! Take his sword. Put him in the Sunless Cells until the Summit is over."
"No! You can't do this!"
As the guards swarmed him Cedric looked at me one time. In that moment I let my mask slip for a fraction of a second. I didn't smile with my mouth; I smiled with my eyes—the dark purple of Aethelred the Mastermind.
Cedric's scream of rage was cut short as a guard's gauntlet struck him across the face dragging him out of the hall.
The Cathedral went silent more. I remained on the floor coughing into my handkerchief looking like a victim who had nearly been killed.
"Prince Alaric " the King said, his voice now filled with a hope. "The Cathedral is tainted by this violence. We need... We need your guidance. The Grand Warden must lead the purification."
"I... I am but a servant, My King " I whispered, Isabella helping me to my feet. "But I will... Do my duty."
The Sunless Cells were beneath the palace cut into the damp rock where you could hear the sound of the waves crashing above. It was like a drum beating all the time. This was where the kingdoms worst traitors were kept. Now the Sunless Cells held the Golden Son.
The air in the dungeon was thick with salt. It smelled like old iron. I walked down the corridor my cane tapping on the floor. It was the sound. The Royal Guards at the entrance did not even ask to see my permit. They just kneeled down. To them I was the Grand Warden. I was the man who had the Kings soul in my hands.
I reached the cell. It was an iron cage with special marks that glowed with a faint gold light. Inside Cedric was sitting without his armor wearing a shirt. His hair was messy. His face was bruised from the fight in the Cathedral.
He did not look up when the door creaked open.
"Did you come to see me Alaric?" Cedrics voice was rough. "Or did you come to finish me off with a prayer?"
I did not answer away. I walked into the cell. Stood in front of him. Then I slowly stood up straight. My back was no longer bent. I threw my cane aside. Looked down at Cedric with eyes that burned with the power of the Sunless Cells.
The Sunless Cells were a place. The Golden Son was now in the Sunless Cells.
"The view is better from here Cedric " I said. My voice was cold and calm.
Cedrics head jerked up. His eyes widened as he saw me standing straight. The dying prince was now radiating an energy. "Your illness... The blood..."
"It was all a show " I said. "A smart person does not fight on the battlefield. He makes the battlefield around his enemy. You were beaten the moment you decided to be a hero. Heroes are easy to predict. They are loud.. They are easy to break."
I grabbed Cedrics chin. Made him look into my eyes.
"Your sister is mine " I whispered. "The High Inquisitor is mine. Your fathers fear is mine. You have nothing left Golden Son. Not even your pride."
The shadows in the room started to move towards Cedric like living things. This was the Pit of Lost Glory, a place for those who fell from great heights.
"No... No! Elara would never..." Cedric gasped, tears of anger and shock streaming down his face.
"She was the one who planned your end Cedric " I said. "She enjoyed it. Every word."
The ritual of the Pit was one of shame. As the shadows took away the last of his dignity I made him watch visions of Elara kneeling before me of Baron Vane burning his vows and of the commoners cheering for my recovery while they spat on his name.
I did not need to touch him. The weight of his failure, combined with the dark energy of the Pit was enough to change him completely. He was not becoming a servant like Vane. He was becoming a Shell. A puppet I could use to do terrible things.
Hours later I picked up my cane. Acted like I was weak again. I walked out of the cell leaving behind a man who was no longer a prince. A hollow tool waiting for its next command.
As I climbed back, to the Moonlight Spire I thought about the Sunless Cells and the Golden Son.
The Imperial Summit starts tomorrow. The foreign kings are arriving.. I have just the right Golden Hero to show them how rotten this kingdom has become. The Golden Son was now mine. The Sunless Cells had done their job.