of Sword and Flame

Chapter 4: Welcome to Solis II

 After Ren had gotten Prince Kana home safely, he tried asking Anika if she needed any help with paperwork, to which she glared up at him between thumbing through a stack.

"If you have nothing else to do, why not try a little something called sleeping?"

Her words stabbed through Ren like a needle. He knew she'd say that, but it didn't make him hate the statement any less. He opened his mouth to speak, but Anika cut him off, tone as sharp as glass. "And I swear to the Saints if you say anything about having difficulty sleeping, I will shove that strong medicinal tea down your throat."

"Alright, alright, I get it!" Ren grumbled, shaking his head.

It wasn't long before he caved. Everywhere he went, people refused his help as if they had been ordered to. He was beginning to think this was a likely action as he shut the door to the medical wing.

With nothing else to do, he retreated to his room and decided to do the unthinkable: attempt to sleep. First, without the tea, and if that didn't work, he'd take it as a backup.

Ren had used the medicine a few times before and knew how strong it was. It wasn't getting to sleep that was his problem, however. It was what haunted his sleep that kept Ren awake for days on end.

Despite his reluctance, Ren knew better than anyone that fighting sleep was always a losing battle. He sighed, running a hand through wavy dark hair and tugging a stubborn tie out of it. His bun fell to his mid-neck with the rest of his hair as he sat on his soft, cushiony, royal purple bed and let another dramatic sigh escape his lips.

Ren glanced at his desk. The journal sitting atop it called to him. It was such a better alternative to sleep.

No, he scorned himself. They'd know. Saints knew he already had circles under his eyes. Ren rubbed his face, exasperated. It was just one night. He could do this. One night, and he could go back to staying awake for days on end.

He nestled into the covers, eyes drooping.

Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Maybe he'd get lucky, and it would be a dreamless night.

Just imagine something happy.

Sleep began to creep toward his mind.

But just as his eyelids began to close, he heard a series of crashing sounds, the clanging of metal meeting metal banging through the castle. Ren shot up in his bed, eyes searching. It must've come from down the hall.

Ren felt a zing of eagerness go through him, followed immediately by a pang of guilt at avoiding slumber again. But he could feel guilty another time. Throwing the covers off his body, he slipped his sword onto his hip, grabbed his band of throwing knives, and took off down the hall.

Kyra glared at the new challenger. A sword laid slack on his hip, belt resting lazily as if he'd just thrown it on. Messy, wavy dark hair fell all around his face, providing a dark background for the heterochromia in his eyes. The right iris, a startling emerald green, was paired with a strange scar along the skin.

Kyra could see the stranger's tiredness deeply set into the bags beneath his eyes. Still, his movements were quick and steady. It was almost unnatural how energetic he seemed. A Lai'enian boy with a sharp gaze. Kyra recalled Lai'en in a lesson with Queen Sahuri. The queen was in no rush to teach them about a kingdom whose king didn't believe in such things as female soldiers and powerful queens. But one thing that stuck out to Kyra from her memories, clear as the seaport waves, was the disappearance of their kingdom's crown princess.