[Legend of Sun Knight] fic: The Time of Ten Suns Part 4
Title: The Time of Ten Suns Part 4
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1,885
Summary: One Sun was more than enough. Really. Inspired by the Chinese myth, The Legend of the Ten Suns.
Notes: A sketch by kiyutsuna is included at the end of the chapter~. Happy Thanksgiving, US friends!
Previous part
Part 4
Dearest Ann,
What would you do if you and your sisters suddenly had to take care of all of the tasks around the palace?
Would you enjoy it, or would you find it tiring?
I think I would find it soothing, being able to do something so mundane together.
It really makes me feel that things are going to be okay, even if we're not quite there yet.
Leaf Bud City was currently a desolate city. After Sun had gone missing and we'd alerted the king, the king had immediately ordered for the city to be evacuated. Not only had we evacuated all the common folk in the city, we had also evacuated all of the servants in the Holy Temple. Our vice-captains and the rest of the holy knights in our platoons had helped with the evacuation, guiding everyone to safety. Although our vice-captains had wanted to stay behind to fight along our side, we had not allowed them to.
If we were to fall, the vice-captains needed to be able to take our places. Hence, we had tasked them with a vital mission -- staying alive. Meanwhile, we, the Twelve Holy Knights and the Pope, had stayed behind to battle Charlotte and Stephen.
Because it had only been a day since the conclusion of the battle, we had yet to welcome the citizens back. This meant, other than us, the Holy Temple was currently empty. We would not have to explain to anyone why we had ten Suns running about. As long as the Suns didn't venture outside all at the same time, where they might be seen by the few royal guards who were still around, we would be fine.
On the flip side, with no one around, it meant that all the little things the servants and our vice-captains had done for us currently all had to be done by our own hands.
Such as making breakfast.
I stirred the stew in front of me. Blue kept the fire going with fire magic.
Last night, I hadn't known how to save Sun from the dark element, but thanks to the other Suns, he had been stabilized. We hadn't been able to completely drive out the dark element, but at least he wasn't overwhelmed by it anymore. With the Eternal Tranquility around his neck and the Divine Sun Sword by his side, he had calmed down a lot, lucidity returning to him. With Metal's room completely destroyed, the two of them had moved to Sun's room.
I felt a nudge from Blue, who said, "Don't worry too much. He'll be fine."
I wasn't complete reassured. "What about the other two Suns? Will they be okay?"
Mature-looking Sun had given up his Eternal Tranquility. Sword-wielding Sun had given up his Divine Sun Sword, which meant he now no longer had a sword. It seemed that the Eternal Tranquility was vital in keeping the dark element in check for Sun, while the Divine Sun Sword provided yet another layer of defense against the dark element. Both Suns could very well be in danger without these items.
What about Blue then?
He had neither. I quickly looked him over. He tilted his head at me. From what I could sense, there didn't seem to be an imbalance of elements in him. Is he not a demon king candidate, or is his candidacy still dormant? Does it even work like that?
Whatever the case, I was glad he was okay.
"I would hope the other versions of me aren't that stupid," Blue said. When I furrowed my brows, he went on to explain, "Wouldn't it be stupid if they saved the other guy but ended up endangering everyone else because they lost control instead? I would hate that!"
This sounded exactly like something Sun would think but never tell me. I hadn't even known Blue for very long, but he was already fine with telling me exactly what he was thinking. Maybe it was because he was the unrestrained Storm Knight. Unlike Sun, he had never had to speak long praises of the God of Light. Here was a Grisia who was not hiding behind pretty words. I found myself reaching out and giving him a pat on the head. I half expected him to swat my hand away, but Blue just grinned at me.
"What, do you find me cute, Strawberry?" he quipped. Then, he even angled his head so I could reach better.
"Good boy," I said with a smile and ruffled his hair.
He batted at my hand. Sun would never have let me do this.
To our side, Ice and his Sun were also in the kitchen. The four of us were responsible for preparing breakfast for everyone. Twenty-one people was not a small number. The Pope was still asleep after casting Resurrection, but we'd included his share too. I had never had to cook for so many people before. Ice and I had been cooking for the Twelve Holy Knights for the past month, but now we had nearly double that number to cook for.
As I tended to the stew, I kept a careful eye on both Blue and Ice's Sun. Sun wasn't much of a cook and had always left the cooking to other people, such as Adair and Ice. When we had gone adventuring, Sun hadn't done any of the cooking, instead letting me make the stew and the others barbeque meat. He was only ever responsible for eating. With Sun's sweet tooth, I had been afraid that Blue and Ice's Sun would end up adding too much sugar in our breakfast or doing something else unacceptable with the seasonings, but surprisingly, nothing alarming had happened. I was able to add the seasonings to my liking.
Blue was actually quite helpful with his magic. When I needed a fire, he started and kept one going for me with fire magic. When I wanted more water, he easily supplied it with water magic. The entire time, Ice's Sun had watched on with a curious expression on his face.
I was equally curious about him. Not only had he not accidentally destroyed the kitchen, he was actually quite skilled in food preparations. It wasn't even that he was taking a hands off approach like Blue, who was only helping out by using magic. Ice's Sun was actually cooking. It was so surprising that even Ice had paused momentarily when Sun had expertly cracked open the eggs without needing Ice to show him. He did not seem to be unused to the kitchen.
When he heard Blue call me Strawberry, he stopped in the middle of preparing the pancake mix. Blue eyes flicked over, his gaze landing on me. He seemed to be assessing me.
"Strawberry...?" he finally asked after looking me over.
I blinked. "Oh, um, yeah, you can call me that."
He stared a bit longer at me, and then he took to looking Ice over too. Is he wondering if Ice also has a nickname?
I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and hesitantly said, "It's kind of like my nickname. Sun... you gave it to me."
I did not know if this was our Sun, nor was I sure if he even considered himself "Sun." But unless told otherwise, each and every one of them was just like Sun to me. Even if they didn't consider themselves Sun, they were still my comrade, my friend, my brother.
Just like Blue.
This particular Sun had asked us who we were, and he hadn't reacted when someone had called out "Sun." Could it be that he's like Blue and isn't the Sun Knight? But even though Blue isn't the Sun Knight, he still knows us. He even calls me Strawberry.
"I do remember giving that nickname," Sun said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Even though I've never met any of you before, somehow you all feel... very familiar."
My heart skipped a beat. I sought out Ice, wondering if he had the same thoughts as me. Could this be our Sun? Could it be that the price of Resurrection was his memories?
Ice shook his head and gestured at the pancake mix this Sun was preparing. Even if Sun had lost his memories because of Resurrection, that wouldn't suddenly make him excel at cooking. I knew what Ice was trying to tell me. Something wasn't adding up. There was also the fact that this Sun could see.
But what if... what if the God of Light did give Sun his sight back?
I had always wished that Sun could have his sight back. I reached a hand up towards the direction of my eyes. If by forgetting us, Sun could have his sight back...
Would it be worth it?
I could not help but ask, "Sun, have you forgotten us? Did you lose your memories?"
He froze momentarily. "Memories? Memories..." His voice trailed off, as if he were deep in thought. Then, he said, "You keep calling me Sun... Isn't he the spokesperson of the God of Light?"
The way he had spoken made it sound like he knew of Sun and of the God of Light, but his familiarity with each did not go past the surface level.
It was Blue who responded. "What, you don't even know who Sun is? Do you know about the Twelve Holy Knights then?"
He hesitated but answered, "I know a little bit. Are you all part of the Twelve Holy Knights?"
I nodded. "Yes, we're the Twelve Holy Knights. Sun is our leader... and one of you is likely to be our Sun Knight."
"So what Ecilan told me yesterday is true," he said.
At those words, Ice paused in the middle of checking the oven.
"Ice?" I asked.
He shook his head at me. Even though I was still worried, I could only return to the task on hand.
When we were nearly done preparing breakfast, Blue and Ice's Sun started carrying the food out. Blue used wind magic to levitate the food behind him while Ice's Sun watched on curiously once more. They chatted as they left the room. Ice's Sun did not seem to know magic and was listening with rapt attention as Blue rambled on. I watched them leave. This Sun, like Blue, did not possess the Eternal Tranquility nor the Divine Sun Sword. He did not think of himself as the Sun Knight.
He wasn't even a fighter.
The moment they left, Ice murmured, "He called me Ecilan."
I glanced over. Ice had turned in the direction the two of them had left in. He too had watched them leave. Ice's expressions had always been difficult to read. This one was no different, but from the way he still hadn't looked away from the door, I could tell that he was in deep thought.
"He only ever called my name right when he lost his memories," Ice explained.
"Do you think he might have lost his memories again?" I asked. Do you think he might be our Sun?
"I really don't know." Ice paused. "He's not acting like the time when he'd lost his memories, but..."
Ice would know. He had spent the longest time with amnesic Sun.
Helpless, Ice peered down at the pies he was taking out of the oven. "Maybe these will help us figure things out."
I didn't know if pies would help or not, but Ice had always communicated with Sun through food, especially desserts. This could possibly help make things much clearer for Ice. He knew what Sun loved to eat the best.
Just which one is our Sun?
to be continued
Here's a sketch of dark haired Sun by kiyutsuna! Thanks to mature!Sun, he now has the Eternal Tranquility to keep him stable.
Next part
Fandom: The Legend of Sun Knight
Words: 1,885
Summary: One Sun was more than enough. Really. Inspired by the Chinese myth, The Legend of the Ten Suns.
Notes: A sketch by kiyutsuna is included at the end of the chapter~. Happy Thanksgiving, US friends!
Previous part
Part 4
Dearest Ann,
What would you do if you and your sisters suddenly had to take care of all of the tasks around the palace?
Would you enjoy it, or would you find it tiring?
I think I would find it soothing, being able to do something so mundane together.
It really makes me feel that things are going to be okay, even if we're not quite there yet.
Leaf Bud City was currently a desolate city. After Sun had gone missing and we'd alerted the king, the king had immediately ordered for the city to be evacuated. Not only had we evacuated all the common folk in the city, we had also evacuated all of the servants in the Holy Temple. Our vice-captains and the rest of the holy knights in our platoons had helped with the evacuation, guiding everyone to safety. Although our vice-captains had wanted to stay behind to fight along our side, we had not allowed them to.
If we were to fall, the vice-captains needed to be able to take our places. Hence, we had tasked them with a vital mission -- staying alive. Meanwhile, we, the Twelve Holy Knights and the Pope, had stayed behind to battle Charlotte and Stephen.
Because it had only been a day since the conclusion of the battle, we had yet to welcome the citizens back. This meant, other than us, the Holy Temple was currently empty. We would not have to explain to anyone why we had ten Suns running about. As long as the Suns didn't venture outside all at the same time, where they might be seen by the few royal guards who were still around, we would be fine.
On the flip side, with no one around, it meant that all the little things the servants and our vice-captains had done for us currently all had to be done by our own hands.
Such as making breakfast.
I stirred the stew in front of me. Blue kept the fire going with fire magic.
Last night, I hadn't known how to save Sun from the dark element, but thanks to the other Suns, he had been stabilized. We hadn't been able to completely drive out the dark element, but at least he wasn't overwhelmed by it anymore. With the Eternal Tranquility around his neck and the Divine Sun Sword by his side, he had calmed down a lot, lucidity returning to him. With Metal's room completely destroyed, the two of them had moved to Sun's room.
I felt a nudge from Blue, who said, "Don't worry too much. He'll be fine."
I wasn't complete reassured. "What about the other two Suns? Will they be okay?"
Mature-looking Sun had given up his Eternal Tranquility. Sword-wielding Sun had given up his Divine Sun Sword, which meant he now no longer had a sword. It seemed that the Eternal Tranquility was vital in keeping the dark element in check for Sun, while the Divine Sun Sword provided yet another layer of defense against the dark element. Both Suns could very well be in danger without these items.
What about Blue then?
He had neither. I quickly looked him over. He tilted his head at me. From what I could sense, there didn't seem to be an imbalance of elements in him. Is he not a demon king candidate, or is his candidacy still dormant? Does it even work like that?
Whatever the case, I was glad he was okay.
"I would hope the other versions of me aren't that stupid," Blue said. When I furrowed my brows, he went on to explain, "Wouldn't it be stupid if they saved the other guy but ended up endangering everyone else because they lost control instead? I would hate that!"
This sounded exactly like something Sun would think but never tell me. I hadn't even known Blue for very long, but he was already fine with telling me exactly what he was thinking. Maybe it was because he was the unrestrained Storm Knight. Unlike Sun, he had never had to speak long praises of the God of Light. Here was a Grisia who was not hiding behind pretty words. I found myself reaching out and giving him a pat on the head. I half expected him to swat my hand away, but Blue just grinned at me.
"What, do you find me cute, Strawberry?" he quipped. Then, he even angled his head so I could reach better.
"Good boy," I said with a smile and ruffled his hair.
He batted at my hand. Sun would never have let me do this.
To our side, Ice and his Sun were also in the kitchen. The four of us were responsible for preparing breakfast for everyone. Twenty-one people was not a small number. The Pope was still asleep after casting Resurrection, but we'd included his share too. I had never had to cook for so many people before. Ice and I had been cooking for the Twelve Holy Knights for the past month, but now we had nearly double that number to cook for.
As I tended to the stew, I kept a careful eye on both Blue and Ice's Sun. Sun wasn't much of a cook and had always left the cooking to other people, such as Adair and Ice. When we had gone adventuring, Sun hadn't done any of the cooking, instead letting me make the stew and the others barbeque meat. He was only ever responsible for eating. With Sun's sweet tooth, I had been afraid that Blue and Ice's Sun would end up adding too much sugar in our breakfast or doing something else unacceptable with the seasonings, but surprisingly, nothing alarming had happened. I was able to add the seasonings to my liking.
Blue was actually quite helpful with his magic. When I needed a fire, he started and kept one going for me with fire magic. When I wanted more water, he easily supplied it with water magic. The entire time, Ice's Sun had watched on with a curious expression on his face.
I was equally curious about him. Not only had he not accidentally destroyed the kitchen, he was actually quite skilled in food preparations. It wasn't even that he was taking a hands off approach like Blue, who was only helping out by using magic. Ice's Sun was actually cooking. It was so surprising that even Ice had paused momentarily when Sun had expertly cracked open the eggs without needing Ice to show him. He did not seem to be unused to the kitchen.
When he heard Blue call me Strawberry, he stopped in the middle of preparing the pancake mix. Blue eyes flicked over, his gaze landing on me. He seemed to be assessing me.
"Strawberry...?" he finally asked after looking me over.
I blinked. "Oh, um, yeah, you can call me that."
He stared a bit longer at me, and then he took to looking Ice over too. Is he wondering if Ice also has a nickname?
I tucked a strand of my hair behind my ear and hesitantly said, "It's kind of like my nickname. Sun... you gave it to me."
I did not know if this was our Sun, nor was I sure if he even considered himself "Sun." But unless told otherwise, each and every one of them was just like Sun to me. Even if they didn't consider themselves Sun, they were still my comrade, my friend, my brother.
Just like Blue.
This particular Sun had asked us who we were, and he hadn't reacted when someone had called out "Sun." Could it be that he's like Blue and isn't the Sun Knight? But even though Blue isn't the Sun Knight, he still knows us. He even calls me Strawberry.
"I do remember giving that nickname," Sun said, pulling me out of my thoughts. "Even though I've never met any of you before, somehow you all feel... very familiar."
My heart skipped a beat. I sought out Ice, wondering if he had the same thoughts as me. Could this be our Sun? Could it be that the price of Resurrection was his memories?
Ice shook his head and gestured at the pancake mix this Sun was preparing. Even if Sun had lost his memories because of Resurrection, that wouldn't suddenly make him excel at cooking. I knew what Ice was trying to tell me. Something wasn't adding up. There was also the fact that this Sun could see.
But what if... what if the God of Light did give Sun his sight back?
I had always wished that Sun could have his sight back. I reached a hand up towards the direction of my eyes. If by forgetting us, Sun could have his sight back...
Would it be worth it?
I could not help but ask, "Sun, have you forgotten us? Did you lose your memories?"
He froze momentarily. "Memories? Memories..." His voice trailed off, as if he were deep in thought. Then, he said, "You keep calling me Sun... Isn't he the spokesperson of the God of Light?"
The way he had spoken made it sound like he knew of Sun and of the God of Light, but his familiarity with each did not go past the surface level.
It was Blue who responded. "What, you don't even know who Sun is? Do you know about the Twelve Holy Knights then?"
He hesitated but answered, "I know a little bit. Are you all part of the Twelve Holy Knights?"
I nodded. "Yes, we're the Twelve Holy Knights. Sun is our leader... and one of you is likely to be our Sun Knight."
"So what Ecilan told me yesterday is true," he said.
At those words, Ice paused in the middle of checking the oven.
"Ice?" I asked.
He shook his head at me. Even though I was still worried, I could only return to the task on hand.
When we were nearly done preparing breakfast, Blue and Ice's Sun started carrying the food out. Blue used wind magic to levitate the food behind him while Ice's Sun watched on curiously once more. They chatted as they left the room. Ice's Sun did not seem to know magic and was listening with rapt attention as Blue rambled on. I watched them leave. This Sun, like Blue, did not possess the Eternal Tranquility nor the Divine Sun Sword. He did not think of himself as the Sun Knight.
He wasn't even a fighter.
The moment they left, Ice murmured, "He called me Ecilan."
I glanced over. Ice had turned in the direction the two of them had left in. He too had watched them leave. Ice's expressions had always been difficult to read. This one was no different, but from the way he still hadn't looked away from the door, I could tell that he was in deep thought.
"He only ever called my name right when he lost his memories," Ice explained.
"Do you think he might have lost his memories again?" I asked. Do you think he might be our Sun?
"I really don't know." Ice paused. "He's not acting like the time when he'd lost his memories, but..."
Ice would know. He had spent the longest time with amnesic Sun.
Helpless, Ice peered down at the pies he was taking out of the oven. "Maybe these will help us figure things out."
I didn't know if pies would help or not, but Ice had always communicated with Sun through food, especially desserts. This could possibly help make things much clearer for Ice. He knew what Sun loved to eat the best.
Just which one is our Sun?
to be continued
Here's a sketch of dark haired Sun by kiyutsuna! Thanks to mature!Sun, he now has the Eternal Tranquility to keep him stable.
Next part