Nocturne

☼ Chapter Sixteen ~ Aurora ☼

She stood tall on a burning plain.

The sun was high overhead, refreshing in its heat. Grass made of fire licked at her legs, pleasant and warm- far from the burning one would expect in real life.

Aurora turned to the man in front of her, facing her with the same vivacious yellow eyes Aurora saw whenever she looked in the mirror. His face was a strange colour, as if crafted from dark burnished copper, glowing from within, just barely inhuman, though not in any way easy to explain. His brow was heavy, but His features were refined and handsome. He had hair that shimmered between yellow and orange and red and white, so bright Aurora could barely stand to look at it. He was grinning, with teeth pointed and pure, blinding white.

Aurora inclined her head. "My lord."

Sol laughed, a booming, hearty sound. "Welcome, Aurora!" He exclaimed, and clamped a strong hand on her back. "Good to see you again! I half thought they'd kill you!"

His face was clenched in anger at the people who might dare such a thing, but He didn't seem to notice the effect his words had on Aurora.

"You will punish them, won't you?" He asked. "Luna wanted me to forgive them, but after what they did to you last time-" He shook his head. "They're lucky my sister stopped me from smiting them all!"

Aurora bowed her head again. "Thank you, my lord."

The god laughed again. "Don't thank me, youngling! At least you're back, safe and sound." He patted the ground next to him. "Come, sit!"

As Aurora did so, He waved a hand and a bright white blanket spread itself over the flaming ground and covered itself in all sorts of breads and candies, not to mention massive piles of rich red meat. A mug filled with a deep brown liquid appeared in His hand and He took a deep dreg.

"Mead or ale?" he asked the sixteen-year-old girl. When she hesitated, He thumped her on the back again. "Don't worry! It's not real- for you anyway!" He laughed heartily and poured back the alcoholic beverage. It refilled itself neatly, without Him seeming to notice.

He put his drink aside and leaned forwards. "Well, Aurora, I bet you're wondering why I called you here."

Aurora nodded, though she was smiling. "Oh, so it wasn't just for a good time, my lord?"

Sol chortled again, and popped a grape in His mouth. "I know, this is a fine time, but no, There is a reason!" He leaned forwards. "You remember that sword?"

Aurora nodded. "Yes. Chrysos, right?"

The god seemed pleased. "That's the one! You see, when I, and my sister of course, created you two, we realized pretty quickly that you'd need some help down there. So we made three 'gifts' for you- a book, a sword, and some magic hoo-ha- pretty lights, mostly. When you get the hang of it you'll be able to 'walk through fire' and 'goldsing' as my sister calls it- basically control fire and gold. Though the main use you'll probably need to access anytime soon is the power of healing! What a wonderful thing, eh? Unfortunately, it will come in handy. For one of you anyway, ha! 

"As you can doubtless guess, my sister gave them all sorts of poetic mumbo-jumbo you'll have to get the hang of before you can use any of it."

Aurora was pretty eager to hear more about the 'magic hoo-ha', but the Sun God wasn't done. "But you're not here for that! You're here to claim your sword. Χρυσός is a good blade. Lots of magic in it- has to be, it's made of pure gold! Anyone but you who touches it will get some nasty burns."

Aurora's eyebrows disappeared into her hair.

"Anyhoo, once you return, you'll be able to sense the sword at all times, and summon it to you pretty easily. Got that?"

Aurora nodded. "One question- what's that 'poetic mumbo-jumbo' I need to learn?"

Sol shrugged. "To master each of the three gifts you'll need to master an aspect of your identity. I know the book is usually the hardest for our kind- learning to face the past and own up to your mistakes is one of the most challenging things we ever do! But I'm sure you'll get the hang of it. You're strong."

Aurora smiled at the god's complement. "Thank you."

Sol grinned and pushed a lock of pale hair behind a pointed ear. "Don't thank me for stating the facts!" Still, she could tell that He was flattered.

He stood and stretched. "Well, I guess you need to go back now. Those cursed royals are pretty confused right now. Who knows what they might do to you while you're unconscious?"

Aurora took the hint, standing herself. "One last thing- can you help me learn the magic?"

Sol frowned. "No. I do wish I could, but your magic is your own to claim. There's nothing I can do to take that control from you, even when it would be to both our advantages."

Aurora grinned. "One of Luna's rules?"

Much to Aurora's surprise, Sol shook his head. "No, actually! It's caused Her a lot of grief too. It's something about the nature of the gift. It's yours, and yours alone. You two are the only ones that have those particular brands of power. You'll have to do it yourself. Got me?"

Aurora nodded. The wind was blowing faster now, she noticed. A strand of red hair blew into her face.

"Goodbye," she offered.

The last thing she saw was the god's smile and the world around her faded to white.

"I think you mean... Hello,"