The Crown of Sun and Shadows

𝒪𝓃𝑒

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Killian Drystan has made many mistakes in his life.

They all had to do with court appearances, the crown prince was notorious for not truly caring about ruling. He just knew he would one day. So, he liked to woo the courtiers and see the young women flush red when he gave them a charming smile. He didn't care much for warfare, they had been in a constant war since his father seized the throne twenty years ago, just a year before he was born. It had only managed to get worse when The King of Solara wiped the only other prominent ruling family off the map, the Abraxas family was nothing but ash and air by the time his father was done, all courtesy of the heir apparent, Princess Avyanna Abraxas. Killian remembers his father's cunning smile when he got the news, how he scared the little girl so badly that she didn't realize she had thrown flames out to protect her older brother Arrowe, effectively burning the interior of their stone palace. The bodies of King Elion and Queen Braelynn were recovered a little under three days after the fire, General Prince Arrowe and Heir apparent Princess Avyanna's bodies were never discovered, although the almighty dagger was found. That dagger now hung off Prince Killian's belt as he walked through the slums of Kallistar, his best friend and personal guard Hadeon by his side.

The crown prince had made many mistakes, but walking into the hall of assassins and spies with only one other man to arm him, may be his biggest yet. That remains to be seen though.

"I'm here for a meeting with Master Arwan."

It was like everything fell silent as the crown prince announced his reasoning. No one could understand what the prince could want with any of them. They were all orphans, criminals, or courtesans, the lowest of the low class in the city. Arwan had made a band of misfits and trained them to smell blood a mile away. And they were invaluable. Any single one of them would be the ideal candidate, for what he needs. An assassin and spy to be sent into a game of survival to win his father's favor, because if Killian could win this battle, which his father fully expected him to, then maybe his father would accept his rise to the throne. Not that it would happen any time soon, but if he could get who he came here for under his thumb, under his control, which may be difficult, he understood that then there was no one in his way to ascending to power.

A woman, she must be a nursemaid, or maybe she's in charge of the brothel attached to the back of Arwan's house, had led him and Haedon to a set of massive double doors. They were metal, with symbols of the goddess of fire decorating the frame. A flame was in the middle, a phoenix was soaring toward the flame, and in the middle where the handles were, was the Abraxas' family crest, a firebird, a crown, and a castle. It was a mockery of the royal family that no longer existed, and even though Killian's father was the reason symbols like that were allowed, it still hurt his very soul to accept that his father had wiped a family lineage off the map just because they posed a threat to his throne. Not the Queen and King, no, the princess, Avyanna, she was the threat, magic so powerful that she would be able to blink and wipe territories off the map. His father had outlawed the use of magic soon after that attack, and it's been peaceful since.

The woman pushed the double doors open, and Killian strolled in, his guard on his heels as Arwan looked up from his desk, a man, who must've been Arwan's apprentice stood behind him at the window, a key on his belt. Arwan was a tall man, lean and strong, with shoulder-length brown hair and a coarse goatee. He made Killian uncomfortable, but the prince nodded his head in greeting, and Arwan's grin sent a chill down Killian's spine. He had seen a lot of slimy people in his years playing perfect court prince, but nothing topped Arwan. "I must say, Your Majesty," The title was purred, a mockery that had Hadeon placing his hand on the hilt of his sword, it only made Arwan grin wider, "It is not every day that the Crown Prince of Solara asks for an audience with me, or that I've even cared to accept it. Please, have a seat."