Dawn of the Unconquered Sun (Part 8 of the Ignaius-Saga)

On Shaky Ground

Commands were yelled as the royal vessel approached Apricia's harbour, and the sails were successively reefed. People all along the quay and on the ships were watching them. Any ship of this size was sure to generate curiosity, much less one sailing under the flag of the realm. Tanier doubted that this had happened within a lifetime, maybe even within a century. Once the ship was moored to the quay, guards were placed at the gangway and messengers were sent to announce their arrival.

Variel stepped cautiously as they disembarked, and when they stood on the sturdy planks beyond, he wanted to fall to the ground and embrace them. He didn't, but the urge was strong.

They walked flanked by their guard through the harbor, and at the edge, they caught sight of a group of uniformed men with banners marching toward them. "Ah, a welcome party," Vis observed, partly to put Variel at ease when he saw they were armed. The response to the messengers had been quick, as word of the king's impending arrival had reached Aurora before they had.

The honor guard stopped and put on a very brief display at the sharp commands of their captain. Then, from between them, a man dressed in green and gold finery approached. He stopped about five yards away and bowed. "Your Majesty King Tanier, I welcome you to the grand city of Apricia!" he announced, bearing the same accent as Visorro-Kior, only he spoke more grandly. "I am Councilman Norriv-Nelor, and I have come on behalf of Lord Magistrate Kaen-Ontaro to escort you and your entourage to the great Palace of the Sun where he has invited you to dine and quarter!"

The king would already be aware of such titles and places from the information he'd been given on Aurora's government. Their ruler was known as the Lord-Magistrate and was not quite an absolute monarch as Tanier was. A Grand Council served under him, advised him, and voted on important issues. The man that stood before them was one of seven. The Palace of the Sun was the home of the Lord-Magistrate and Grand Council, as well as their seat of power.

Stepping on unmoving ground after a month as see was almost as disorientating as the moving planks of the ship had been at first and Tanier was starting to feel slightly nauseous, but could control it for now.

He greeted the councilman the way Vis had instructed him to and thanked him and the Lord-Magistrate for their generosity. It took a while for everyone to disembark, but soon they were on their way to the palace. Tanier was outright staring at the sights and curious for everything he could see, hear or smell, quite frequently asking Vis about things he noticed.

Variel was staring at everything as well, all the while gripping Tanier's arm and refusing to let go for anything. It did feel very strange to walk on solid ground; he kept feeling a phantom sway and looked forward to getting used to this again, as he still felt safer... sort of.

The Palace of the Sun stood out above everything else in the city and shown brightly. Yellow, orange, red, and decorated with metals, it gleamed in the light overhead, catching the eye of anyone who looked its way, whether they had seen it once or a hundred times. Its main hall was built in the shape of a pyramid, with several steps leading up to the doors that were not entirely friendly to the recent arrivals still getting their land legs.

They were taken into a grand hall where the Lord-Magistrate and the other five Praetor's sat waiting at a crescent-shaped table upon a dais at the head of the room. The Lord-Magistrate - an older man in purple and gold with many ornamental gems - stood at the center of the curve and greeted the group as they entered. The man that had escorted them approached the dais and took his place at the empty seat.

"This is a momentous occasion!" the Lord-Magistrate exclaimed. "Welcome, welcome to Aurora! You have traveled long and far to reach this land, and I am certain you are quite exhausted. Rooms have been prepared, and you will have time to get settled in before we dine this evening. however, I thought it would be prudent to meet one another first." He - of course - spoke directly to Tanier.