《Fae Princes Chronicles The Sun and Moon Brooches》


 Prologue

    ¡°Tia, can I say goodnight to my primos, please?¡± Lucera¡¯s wide, orange eyes looked up at her tia pleadingly.


    Luzradiante, a light fae and Queen of all Si¨®g, residing in the region of Solas, turned to meet Lucera¡¯s adorable stare. She remained quiet for a long moment, then glanced at the rest of the family sitting around the round dining table. Green vines and white flowers decorated the circular opening in the ceiling. Lucera¡¯s parents, two sun faes, snickered knowingly.


    Luzradiante looked exhausted. Lucera could see it in her face. Dark rings punctuated her tia¡¯s golden eyes. White hair atop her head hung loose and was uncommonly disheveled, running long down her back. Even her copper complexion was pale. It hadn¡¯t quite been a week since she had given birth to her two sons.


    With a sigh Luzradiante looked back to her sobrina* but gave no indication she would concede. ¡°Lucera, I don¡¯t know. I just got them to sleep.¡± She then smiled weakly, likely seeing the disappointment flickering on Lucera¡¯s face. ¡°You wouldn¡¯t want to wake them, would you?¡±


    ¡°Por favor, I promise to be reeeeeally quiet.¡± Lucera raised herself up onto the tips of her toes, leaning on the arm of her t¨ªa¡¯s chair, grinning sweetly.


    With a heavy, drawn out sigh, Luzradiante looked to her husband sitting just behind Lucera. Rionnagan, a moon fae, chuckled as he wiped a cloth napkin across his face. ¡°It¡¯s alright dear. I don¡¯t think it¡¯ll be a problem. So long as Lucera is quiet.¡± He quickly reached under Lucera¡¯s arms and tickled her sides, making her squeal with surprise.


    She looked to her t¨ªo as he stopped tickling her and stood from the table. Raising a finger to his lips, he gently nudged Lucera toward the lavish bedroom where the boys slept. The white double doors were mere feet from the dining table. Her t¨ªo grabbed hold of one of the silver door knobs and slowly began to twist it. Excitement swelled in Lucera¡¯s chest with every click of the latch and light pop of the doors hinges as her t¨ªo cracked it open just wide enough for her to squeeze through.


    Lucera peeked her head inside, surveying the room carefully as to not make a sound when she entered. The white walls were covered in greenery and flowers. Moonlight poured into the room from the open balcony at the far side of the room. Glittering drapes arched to either side of the opening, tied to the walls. It was fairly dark save for the light of a fire crackling in a fireplace to her right. To her left, a few candles burned upon nightstands on either side of a grand bed.


    Holding her breath, Lucera tiptoed inside as softly as she could, her bare feet patting against the white marble floor. As she made her way to one of the nightstands, she paused and stared at the two white bassinets at the foot of her t¨ªa and t¨ªo¡¯s bed. Lucera exhaled softly and carefully climbed up the corner of the bed, making sure she didn¡¯t make a sound.


    She crawled to the edge of the bed, her heart racing and a large smile spread across her face. Positioning herself at the center end of the bed, laying flat and peered inside both bassinets. In each slept a baby boy, comfortably swaddled in their little blankets. One of the boys was wrapped in a deep blue sparkling blanket. A small tuft of ebony hair peaked out from atop his fair skinned head. A gemmed crescent moon brooch was pinned to his blanket. The other boy was wrapped in a bright orange blanket. A patch of golden blond hair poked out from his copper skinned crown and a gemmed sun brooch was pinned to his blanket.


    ¡°They¡¯re so cute.¡± The words escaped her lips before she could stop them. Lucera covered her mouth, afraid the babies would wake but they continued to sleep peacefully unaware of her presence. A grin stretched from eye to eye as she relaxed.


    She looked up at Rionnagan standing before the bassinets, the fire caressing his fair skin, sparkling in his purple eyes, and glinting off his ebony hair. Lucera raised to her knees and leaned forward as far as she could past the bed¡¯s edge, her hands raised to her chest pleadingly. ¡°T¨ªo,¡± she whispered, ¡°can I stay another week, pleeeeease?¡±


    ¡°Ah, that¡¯s something you¡¯ll have to discuss with your parents, my Grian Beag.¡± Rionnagan answered and shot her a playful wink, causing Lucera to shrink in disappointment. Her pleas rarely worked on him but that never stopped her from trying.


    He raised a hand to her blonde hair, softly rubbing her head. ¡°When the three of you are older, you can spend as much time together as you want. Especially after you¡¯ve become their Crystal Guard.¡± Her t¨ªo smiled warmly.


    Lucera groaned at the thought. ¡°Awww but that¡¯s so far away.¡±


    Just as a Rionnagan began to chuckle, he fell silent, visibly startled by the sounds of rushed footsteps and raised voices outside the bedroom. Frightened, Lucera slid closer to him while remaining on the bed. She looked up at him as he quietly stared at the door, his face stoic.


    The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there.


    After a long minute her t¨ªo turned to her. ¡°Lucera,¡± he started, a small smile on his lips but concern in his eyes, ¡°I need you to stay here with Sol and Gealach, can you do that for me? Just watch over them and remain as quiet as you can. I¡¯m sure everything is alright.¡±


    Lucera didn¡¯t respond, she didn¡¯t know what to say as she had never witnessed such an air of worry about him. Her lips trembled and stomach churned. All she could muster was a hesitant nod.


    Rionnagan cupped her cheek sweetly. ¡°Attagirl, I know they¡¯ll be safe with you.¡± He then quickly turned and quietly exited the room, closing the door behind him.


    Pushing her worry out of mind, Lucera slid down the bed, careful not to wake her primos, and hastily moved to the door. Placing an ear to the wooden surface she could hear her family speaking, but the words were muffled and quiet. Several gusts of wind suddenly raced through the room, followed by the sound of wings flapping, growing louder by the moment.


    Lucera turned to find the glittering silver curtains dancing freely by the balcony, no longer bound to the walls. Between the swaying fabric, stood a hooded figure dressed all in black. Her eyes shot wide and body went rigid, frozen with fear. She stared at the figure, her thoughts racing as fast as her heart. It took her a minute to realize it wasn¡¯t her who held his attention. Instead his gaze was fixated on the bassinets.


    As he took a few steps into the bedroom, the hood shifted and the figure turned to look at her. Lucera¡¯s breath stopped at that very moment, her every joint locked as though shackled by iron. Sweat beaded and slid down her brow while tears welled in her eyes.


    The figure had a masculine frame and though it was hard to see his face, she could tell his skin was fair and the man had charcoal black hair that stretched to his chest.


    The stranger¡¯s eyes lingered on her as he raised a finger to his lips, a soft shushing sound filling the room. All she could do was stare at him, petrified, as he started toward her primos bassinets.


    Lucera¡¯s heart felt as though it would escape the confines of her chest as the figure stopped before the bassinet closest to the balcony, Sol¡¯s bassinet. A frown lightly touched by the moonlight formed beneath the man¡¯s hood. ¡°No, not you.¡± His voice was smooth and seemed to share the same accent as her t¨ªo, a trait of the moon fae from the west side of the region of O¨ªche just to the north, but was laced with sadness.


    The figure stepped past Sol¡¯s bassinet, and stopped at Gealach¡¯s. ¡°Here we are, the moon child.¡± He reached down and scooped up her primo.


    As he pulled the boy from the bassinet, Lucera¡¯s throat squeezed tight. The figure cradled Gealach in his arms close to his chest. Her primo squirmed and groaned softly, then stopped as slumbers hold over him held as firmly as the stranger¡¯s arms. A wicked smirk fell over the man¡¯s lips. ¡°Great things await you, my wielder of darkness.¡±


    Lucera wanted to say something. She desperately commanded her voice to wrench through her shuddering nerves, to scream for the stranger to put her primo down, but fear smothered the sound to a mere whimper.


    The figure¡¯s hood raised toward her and a jolt ran through her muscles. She watched as he drew out a dagger from beneath the cloak. ¡°You won¡¯t give me any trouble, will you, little sun fae?¡± A murderous tinge dripped from every syllable.


    She had to do something. She had to say something. She had to. She needed to. Lucera took a deep breath and the dams stifling her commands broke and turned to rubble. ¡°THIEF!¡± She screamed at the top of her lungs, louder than she had ever screamed before. ¡°Thief in the royal chamber t¨ªo!¡±


    The doors behind her slammed open as her t¨ªo hurried into the room. His eyes flashed wide as they locked on the bundled up child in the strangers arms.


    Black wings immediately appeared from the shrouded man¡¯s back, looking similar to that of moths wings, but much larger, and he fled out the balcony, flying with incredible speed. Rionnagan unsheathed his silver longsword in an instant and gave chase. His starry night wings were no more than a blur as he dove off the balcony and out of Lucera¡¯s sight.


    Luzradiante rushed past Lucera to the bassinets as Sol started to cry. She watched as her t¨ªa fell to her knees with a loud gasp and gave out a piercing cry of sorrow. The wailing was as nothing Lucera had ever witnessed before, sending shivers up her spine. Her chest felt heavy and tears freely flowed from her eyes, watching as her t¨ªa¡¯s anguish poured over the room.


    ¡°NO! Gealach is gone!¡± Luzradiante looked about the room and then to the balcony. Tears streamed down her flustered cheeks. She got to her feet and ran onto the balcony, her flowy white nightgown soaring behind her. Before she was able to take flight, two of her ladies in waiting rushed past Lucera and grabbed hold of her tia, reminding her that she was still in no condition to fly.


    Lucera¡¯s parents now entered the room and knelt before her, blocking her view of the commotion, but the cries continued on. She could hear her parents saying something, but a numb ache covered her every sense. Their words barely reached her. Lucera stared down at the ground, feeling terrible as a queasy sensation wriggled into her stomach.


    One of her primos was taken. Snatched right out of his bassinet before her eyes, and she hadn¡¯t lifted a finger to stop it. She only stood and gawked. Her breath shallowed as the guilt began washing over her.


    ¡°What have I done?¡±

 Chapter 1 Sol There’s a Meeting at the Docks

    The sun¡¯s rays pierced through the balcony window of Sol¡¯s bedchamber and bounced off a crystal chandelier, casting fractal rainbows over Sol while he slept. He squirmed as the light passed over his eyes and he slowly began to awaken. Opening his eyes his gaze lingered on the vibrant blue sky.


    After a moment, he glanced at the clock hanging on the wall between his window and balcony and his eyes shot open. It was nine in the morning. Sol jolted upright, startling his colorful rainbow feydragon, Arco¨ªris, who until that moment had been peacefully sleeping beside him. She let out a hiss akin to that of an angry cat.


    ¡°Oops! Sorry Arco¨ªris,¡± he said as he quickly threw his blankets off of him. ¡°I don¡¯t want to be late!¡±


    Sol rushed into his golden sun decorated bathroom, pulling his pajama top off and bumped into the sink in the process. After turning on the faucet, he tore off his pajama pants and tossed both articles of clothing into the hamper. Returning to the sink he hastily grabbed his toothbrush and began brushing his teeth. As the sounds of the rushing water from the faucet filled the room, he felt a powerful sensation send tingles through his body. Sol glanced at the toilet and as he did, the feeling surged and he knew he couldn¡¯t hold it for long.


    ¡°AGH! Alright, fine body but be quick!¡± He  stepped before the toilet and allowed his body to do its thing while finishing up with his teeth. Relieved, he looked about and found a new set of clothes hanging by the towel rack. Flushing the toilet, and a quick rinse and spit into the sink, he then went about dressing himself for the day.


    He pulled on the yellow tunic and as it slid over his back, Sol let out a groan. ¡°Oh come on, how can I fly if there¡¯s no opening for my wings?¡± He then blinked at the ceiling. ¡°Oh that¡¯s right, I can¡¯t even fly yet, but today could¡¯ve been the day and now I¡¯ll never know.¡± He said with a giggle.


    Being a fae, Sol could summon forth wings from within his back at will. Most fae were unable to fly until they entered puberty and while Sol was only ten years old, he¡¯s been practicing and hoped to get off the ground by the end of the week.


    He put on the remainder of his new clothes and then noticed a pair of matching yellow flats sat right up against the wall. ¡°Perfect!¡± Thankful that he didn¡¯t need to go searching through his walk-in closet, he grabbed the shoes and while hopping back into his white and yellow bedroom, slipped them on.


    Just as Sol managed to get his feet into the footwear, he ran to the doorway and jumped as a shadowy figure greeted him. ¡°AIL¨ªN!¡± Sol exclaimed with a startle.


    Ail¨ªn was Sol¡¯s Gentleman of the Bedchamber. A Gentleman¡¯s duty was to tend to male royals and he had always done his job rather well. Female royals had Ladies in Waiting, or Handmaidens. Being a Prince, he was privileged with having a personal servant who tended to his needs or, as Sol saw it, an overprotective babysitter.


    ¡°In a hurry to be somewhere, your Highness?¡± Ail¨ªn asked. His words were heavily accented, even for a moon fae. Sol was a sun fae, like his mami used to be before becoming a light fae, but thanks to Sol¡¯s athair* being a moon fae, it was easy for him to understand the moon fae¡¯s dialect. Ail¨ªn¡¯s arms were crossed over his chest and his eyes narrowed. The violet hues of his irises just barely peered from beneath his eyelids.


    Sol swallowed, looking up at Ail¨ªn quietly for what felt like a full minute. Realizing he had been staring, he straightened his clothing and posture, then answered, ¡°Uh yeah. Just, well, uh, ¡± he stalled while trying to squeeze past the fae, avoiding contact as if touching Ail¨ªn¡¯s glittering deep violet robes would ensnare him, ¡°heading to the docks.¡±


    Just as the final word left his lips, Ail¨ªn grabbed him by the scruff of his tunic and pulled him back to face him. ¡°I don¡¯t think so.¡±


    ¡°Aww come on, Ail¨ªn! I¡¯m just meeting up with Sk¨ªd. He said he had something to show me. I wasn¡¯t going to be gone for long,¡± Sol responded with slumped shoulders.


    Ail¨ªn raised a skeptical brow at him. ¡°Sk¨ªd? What¡¯s a Lord¡¯s son doing on the docks of Dra¨ªocht when he should be at the academy with the other students?¡± He crossed his arms again, probably assuming Sol¡¯s winter fae friend Sk¨ªd was playing hooky again.


    Sol raised his hands in defense of his friend. ¡°Before you start, it¡¯s not what you think. He had an accident at school and broke his arm. I think he said it happened during his flying training or something,¡± Sol answered while tapping a finger to his chin. ¡°Anyway, he¡¯s on leave from school until his arm is healed. Since it was more than a sprain there was only so much the healers could do for him.¡± Sol shrugged.


    ¡°Oh.¡± Ail¨ªn sighed while rubbing his forehead. ¡°If that¡¯s the case then why are you trying to sneak out like a thief in the night?¡±


    ¡°I uh . . .¡± Sol tried to think of something, any excuse to convince Ail¨ªn to let him leave, but nothing came to mind. With a heavy sigh, he answered honestly, ¡°Lucera is smothering me lately and I thought Mami might overreact and make up a reason to not let me go on my own. Please, Ail¨ªn, it¡¯s just the docks. I can take a carriage there and be back before my lessons today with Master Sonlig.¡±


    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.


    Sol placed his hands on his hips, exuding as much confidence as he could muster. He loved his mami, but every time Sol wanted to go anywhere or do anything, he had to do so in the presence of far more guards than he thought he needed. It always made Sol stand out. As for his prima* Lucera, she always clung to him as if something was going to happen. It always made Sol feel nervous. Compared to the two, Ail¨ªn had always been a bit more relaxed.


    ¡°Well,¡± Ail¨ªn looked away and rubbed the back of his neck. His deep violet hair swayed lightly left and right.


    ¡°Pleeeeease.¡± Sol pleaded, giving Ail¨ªn the biggest puppy dog eyes he could. Based on Ail¨ªn¡¯s unamused expression, Sol didn¡¯t have high hopes for success.


    ¡°Sol, your mother wants to eat breakfast with you.¡± His voice was sterner now. That typically meant the answer was a big old no and what hope had been there in the back of Sol¡¯s mind was now extinguished.


    ¡°Oh,¡± Sol sighed in defeat, ¡°okay then.¡±


    ¡°But,¡± Ail¨ªn added, ¡°I hear your cousin has overslept this morning so I guess, as long as the Queen permits it, I could go with you.¡±


    ¡°Really?¡± Sol exclaimed. He instantly grabbed the moon fae¡¯s hand. ¡°Well come on, what are we waiting for!¡±


    ¡°Sol wait¡ª¡± Ail¨ªn shrieked, but it was too late. Sol was already pulling him through the halls of the Crystal Palace.


    The Castle was enormous, especially through the eyes of a ten year old fae. Thankfully they didn¡¯t have to travel far. There was a dining room situated near Sol¡¯s parents¡¯ room, which was only one hall over.


    He skidded to a stop with Ail¨ªn in tow. The room was circularly shaped and coated with green vines and colorful flowers from all the corners of Si¨®g. Sol¡¯s mami, and Queen of the faedom, was sitting at a round, white wooden table. Its surface was covered with many carved statues representing faes from the six courts, each with a chair to match. His mami was sitting at the sun fae chair.


    Seeing that the moon fae chair beside her was empty, Sol plopped himself down right next to her and, as if on cue, she kissed the top of his head and brushed his golden blonde hair behind his pointed ears. His mami was tall, six feet to be exact, with white hair neatly tied back in a braided bun. Her golden eyes sparkled with affection as she looked down at him. Her brown skin was free of the makeup she usually wore throughout the day and she was still wearing a fitted, white silk nightgown. He assumed she was likely in no rush to start the day.


    ¡°Oh, and what¡¯s gotten you all ready for the day? Your lessons aren¡¯t for a few hours still and you usually wait till the last minute to change out of your pajamas,¡± she said sweetly.


    On that note, Ail¨ªn nudged Sol with an elbow. Sol tried to give him an annoyed glare, but Ail¨ªn looked away, unfazed by it as he accepted a plate of strawberry pancakes and orange juice from a passing servant.


    ¡°Sol?¡± His mami called while tilting her head toward him.


    Sol cleared his throat, trying to push down his nerves as best he could, and finally asked, ¡°Um, Sk¨ªd wanted to show me something at the docks. I was hoping I could go and meet with him.¡± Sol smiled at his mami as widely as he could, and watched as concern etched onto her brow.


    ¡°The docks? With Sk¨ªd? I-I don¡¯t know, Sol¡ª¡±


    ¡°No, that¡¯s okay! Ail¨ªn offered to go with me, and I promise to make it back before my lessons today. Por favor?¡± Sol leaned on the arm of his chair, pleading with his orange eyes.


    His mami stared at him for what felt like forever. Eventually her golden eyes glanced up to Ail¨ªn and then back to Sol. As she opened her mouth to answer, he was sure she was going to say no, so Sol tried interrupting with one last plea. ¡°Por favor, Mami? I''ll be on my best behavior!¡±


    ¡°Alright alright! Let me think.¡± She pinched the bridge of her nose and took several deep breaths. Sol wondered if he had irritated her and prepared for the no he had been expecting all morning. His smile began to fade. Sol¡¯s mami then released a long sigh. ¡°If I let you go will you promise to do as Ail¨ªn says?¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Sol answered quickly.


    ¡°And you promise to keep in his line of sight at all times?¡± She asked, more a command than a question.


    ¡°Yes.¡±


    ¡°Sol?¡±


    ¡°Prometo!¡± Sol slammed his hands down on the arm of his chair with a wide grin, excited to go with such a small escort for once.


    His mami sighed again. ¡°Alright then.¡±


    ¡°Yes!¡± Sol shot his arms triumphantly in the air, ignoring Ail¨ªn¡¯s eye roll while mami giggled at his reaction.


    ¡°You can leave after breakfast. Oh, and Ail¨ªn?¡±


    Ail¨ªn startled just as he was about to stuff a large fork full of pancakes in his mouth and looked at her nervously. ¡°Yes, your Majesty?¡±


    ¡°Please take your griffin.¡±