The feeling of being asleep with an awake consciousness was strange the first time I experienced it. In a sense, it was invigorating; in a normal dream, I did not feel tired in the slightest despite being in the deepest sleep. Instead, I was energized and ready to take on the world. While resting, there was no drowsiness—no clutter in the mind. With this, however, I also lacked sensibility and accepted even the most surreal situations like someone who was intoxicated.
Maintaining this lack of discretion, I sauntered to the gates of the Sun Castle.
The Sun Kingdom was much different from the Moon Kingdom due to blatant, cosmetic reasons. The latter was dark and brooding, and the sun never appeared. All light came from the moon, which gave it a mysterious appeal but made it difficult to navigate. On days the clouds bunched together like clusters of fur, there was no point in leaving the indoors. Unfortunately, most buildings were dimly lit with insufficient candles. Flowers there twinkled like stars and weren't particularly vibrant due to the conditions in which they were accustomed to growing.
Conversely, the kingdom I was currently in was more inviting and open, for the sun shone constantly overhead and never ceased. The environment was an eternal desert by heat, and its weather and infrequent floods were more volatile. Because of the wet soil and cycling of nutrients, the fauna was much more lively. Plants grew in striking, fiery shades of red, yellow, and orange. Simple farm animals were emblazoned with colorations like the surface of the sun, and though the colors could be called an eyesore by some, they all fit perfectly with the people.
Every citizen I passed smiled brightly, the reflections of their teeth adding to the general glow of the place. Perhaps these factors contributed to Koharu's generally jolly disposition and huge grin. It was hard to be sad in a place where everyone looked like the epitome of joy.
The realm made me curious as to what kind of person King Hikaru was, seeing as how Inei and the Moon Kingdom just… made sense. Hikaru's husband was laid-back and calm, so it stood to reason Hikaru would be a contrasting personality. According to what little of him Koharu mentioned, he was likely more emotionally driven and tumultuous than his counterpart; I didn't want him to rain on my parade and party.
Frankly, those were all terrifying thoughts, assuming he had the same magical abilities as every other being I came across. I supposed keeping my mouth shut unless I had a relatively kind statement to make was my best plan if I wanted to wake up in the Moon Kingdom and not in some iteration of an afterlife.
At the gates of the castle, the guards questioned me in the same manner as the ones outside the other palace had.
"What business do you have here today, miss?"
*Have the kings ever thought about making ID cards to stop all the holdups?*
In a sentence or so, I answered them, no superfluous words flowing from my mouth. Another guard pulled a tablet of paper from his pocket. I gave the first man my name, and the one holding the parchment nodded. He closed the pad and slid it into the back of his pants.
"Ah, yes. King Hikaru has been eagerly awaiting your arrival. Please proceed."
A third guard residing behind the gate drew the metal bars back as another bowed. I had just enough space to slide through as I thanked them for being relatively agreeable. (I could not criticize the layer of security. With all the political issues, rioters were lurking around for a mixed bag of purposes.)
I checked my clothes before I walked through the giant red doors. I was shocked to find myself in the same outfit I wore to the Moon Castle. Noticing this, I deemed my appearance passable enough and pushed the entrance open.
*I think I would hide in a ditch if they saw me in pajamas.*
A rush of heat greeted me before anything else. When I glanced around, thousands of candles floated, making the air searingly hot. Yet after a few steps, I couldn't feel the warmth much. A golden spell formed a bubble of cold air around me, and for that, I was grateful.
The layout of this castle was starkly different from the other in more ways than the placement of decorations. Sure, the futuristic styling of the furniture, welcoming atmosphere, and solar motifs were welcome changes, but I noticed this building lacked stairs. I stepped into a clearing where I saw the zenith of the structure, looking up in awe at its grandeur.
Suddenly, a ring of light and flames surrounded my feet as if I stepped on a trigger. Below me, a platform of cobblestone raised from between the white tiles. It then shot into the air. The speeds it reached blew my hair out of place, and by the time I reached the peak of the palace, I appeared as if I were caught in a vile tornado. Thankfully, the platform had enough courtesy in its unanimated mind to not stop abruptly and toss me straight into oblivion.
I grabbed a tangle of black hair, grimacing as I felt other strands stick out from odd places on my scalp, and I proceeded into the hallway. Before me was a giant door that mirrored the one to Inei's room in the Moon Castle. The stone slab which carried me separated into a pile of bricks and reassembled itself on the ground floor.
I breathed quickly; my heart rate spiked from the terror of potentially being sent through the roof and was exacerbated by the thought of introducing myself to yet another authoritative figure within a forty-eight hour block of time. It seemed my stresses were endless as an advisor.
*This whole ordeal needs a contract… but who reads the fine print?*
Looking at the waxed tile as a budget mirror, I flattened any unruly pieces of hair and cleaned any questionable gunk on my face. When I couldn't find any other minutiae to fix, I pushed through the gates. Unlike the door to Inei's room, the hinges on this one were well-oiled and didn't announce my presence as overtly, preventing me from having a breakdown upon meeting several sets of beady eyes.
Whatever hints of chatter—hushed whispers dampened by barriers of stone—were present before I entered, halted immediately. Three men surrounded a large throne, which raised to the buttressed dome of the ceiling. Each had ebony hair, and two were dressed in the elegant robes of advisors except in white. The third was dressed as a jester with buck teeth that poked out when he smiled at me. Upon the sky-high throne was a man with light blond hair and a scruffy, slightly long face, eyes radiating a sense of calmness amidst tan skin.
The four men stared in my direction, and I bowed to introduce myself.
"Hello, sirs and Your Majesty—"
CRASH!
*Not again! Sinclair can't be here, too! Those letters for Gali must take forever!*
I promptly landed on my butt as a pale boy around my age with curly, light brown hair ran into me.
"Hey! Slow down!" I yelled as he rubbed his rear and darted to the older of the two advisors.
"Sorry!" he screamed while turning his head, but he kept on running. The four nobles at the other end of the room appeared thoroughly amused with his behavior.
*What's so funny about someone getting hurt? (Technically, a buttload.)*
"Dad!" he shouted when he reached the man, embracing him tightly.
"Now, how did you sneak in here?" the advisor spoke calmly. The two of them looked nothing alike: The older had narrow eyes and a triangular jaw, while the younger had large eyes like Leo and an entirely different face shape.
"General Asahi let me in. I just pouted enough, and he opened the door."
The blond sighed with a grin on his face. "I'll have to tell my brother to tighten up security a bit, but he'll still probably let you in without resistance."
"Of course he would!" The boy smiled cheekily. "He likes me the most out of everyone in this room!"
"Aaron!" the blond yelled, trying to restrain a giggle. "You act as disrespectful as Leo sometimes, I swear."
Aaron shrugged the comment off before brandishing a paper and tossing it at his father. "I got the military promotion today!"
"Don't tell me you bribed my brother for it!"
"How wonderful!"
The two responses came in unison as I was still ignored.
"I'm so proud of you. I want to hear more about it when we get home." The father then glanced at me with a concerned expression. "Dear, are you okay? I apologize about my son barging in." He looked at the child, who gave him puppy eyes. "Aaron, have the manners to apologize to our visitor. That wasn't very kind of you to plow through her."
"Dad, I'm in my twenties. You don't have to boss me around!" Aaron complained with a scowl as his dad glared at him.
"Regardless,"—the advisor bowed towards me—"I'm very sorry. That was impolite."
I brushed some dirt from my blouse before dryly saying, "No worries. I've been knocked over enough times in the past day."
Aaron chimed in, "Sorry for laughing, but wow, you're unlucky."
*Count your days, kid!*
His father hit him lightly on the back and then smiled at me. "I'm glad you're okay, sweetie. I think we will be on our way home now."
"Mr. Wen, make sure that little rascal doesn't break someone's bones!" the blond yelled as they walked off. Aaron stuck his tongue out at him, while Mr. Wen laughed and bid him a good day.
"Ah, Hieu and Zhi, could you two move just a little for me?"
The jester and a younger man cleared an aisle for me to approach the throne.
*He seems nice…? Or is he just chaotic?*
I bowed once more. "As I was saying earlier, hello, sirs and Your Majesty. It's a pleasure to meet all of you."
The blond grimaced. "I'm going to have to grow accustomed to that title one day, aren't I? I'm pleased to meet you as well. I'm King Hikaru." He gave me a subtle smile. "I think I know who you are since my daughter kept mentioning you. Heide?"
"Yes, Your Majesty." I grinned, thinking about Koharu's rambling. "And has she? What has she said?"
He shrugged with a giggle. "Silly thinking I would tell you, but she has her opinions for sure. I would normally not encourage you to be a nosy one, but as an advisor, you kind of have to be. You always have to know the situation to give the best guidance."
Most of our conversation consisted of small talk of the most mundane sort. Education, my previous job, tidbits of my family history, hobbies, and food preferences were topics about which I was obliged to answer. As friendly and bubbly as he seemed, the king revealed little about himself, which countered my impression of him as an open book; all he directly stated was that he was three years younger than his husband, his little brother was General Asahi, and he was born in Altair—a place I remembered from the briefing for having the scientists.
The most important things I discovered about him were evident in his disposition. He wasn't sloppy and unorganized like Inei and knew how to properly sit in a chair without wrecking his circulation. He was kinder and less stubborn than the Moon King, though his tone was infused with bittersweetness—reminding me of the strong coffee from yesterday beneath cream mountains and sugar snowflakes. With knowledge of his hometown, perhaps he was upset Altair was claimed by his husband, or perhaps he was heartbroken about their fight like Koharu implied. He certainly seemed to be the dramatic type if his reaction to Aaron's infiltration of the castle was any indication.
Throughout the conversation, Hieu and Zhi—who I found out were the jester and another advisor, respectively—listened calmly and contentedly with a cup of chai tea in each of their left hands. Hieu was lighthearted, laughing at mostly any joke made. The advisor beside him was visibly afraid he would get snorted on or sprayed by fiery fluids without notice, so Zhi kept his distance as he perused some pamphlets. He eyed any crumbs dropped from the king's biscuit, perturbed every time one gently rolled onto the ground as if dirt bothered him in the depths of his soul.
While picking at a splinter on his throne and using magic to seal it in place, Hikaru pointed and said, "I know the two of you have sat beside me this entire time, but have you and Zhi met?"
I shook my head. "I haven't, Your Majesty."
Hikaru grinned cheekily, sitting back as his yellow garments shifted. "Well, I know he's rather acquainted with that court jester of yours, so he comes to the Moon Castle from time to time. You two have analogous roles, yes?"
When I glanced over to shake his hand, Zhi's face flushed red.
*So *that* kind of acquainted.*