The long hall-like room was silent until both of the massive double doors were forced open with a boom. A crowned head lifted as the man who opened the door dropped his hands and regained a regal posture. His piercing stare was almost a glare that made the recipients feel as if their soul was pierced by the gaze.

"Adviser Konrad." The royal's imposing voice echoed into the large room with a hint of urgency as he focused his royal gaze onto the opposite end of the long rectangular space. "Konrad, what are you doing in my throne?"

The man whom the royal spoke to sat with his legs over the right armrest and leaned against the left armrest and the back of the black chair. "Ah, King Baron." Konrad briefly sat properly in the throne with the same regal posture as a powerful ruler as he stood. Strangely, the man's shiny leather boots with silver plating were oddly silent as he placed them on the ground and stood. "How may I be of service?"

Konrad's copper breastplate shone as if the metal was brand new despite their old age. A black cloak was clasped onto his shoulders with shining copper buttons marked his status as a member of the royal court. His armor was a common procedure when it came to those consistently around the royal family. Though he bore no weapon, King Baron knew he could trust the man to protect him.

However, the young king had noticed that there was something especially strange about the royal advisor that was stranger than his oddly light clothing in the cold night kingdom of Roahla. Not only did the man have a powerful presence, but unlike most of the people in the king's court and the entire population, Konrad was unaffected by King Baron's royal gaze.

Despite the distance between them, the young king felt Konrad's powerful presence. The advisor had a strange aura around him that crippled those who had not grown up around his presence like the ruler.

With a sly grin, Konrad approached the king with the silence of a cat stalking its prey. "You asked me to join you here?" Although the man before the king was known as being wise, Baron knew that though he was potentially dangerous. Konrad had been his father's advisor for his entire reign, yet had not aged at all from the young king's earliest memories from nearly twenty years ago. "I am at your service, your majesty." He bowed before returning to his seemingly supernatural height.

The king looked up to the taller being. "There are rumors of dragons in the land near Urre again. I need to calm the people." Despite the king's reservations and questions about the royal advisor, Konrad was still strangely wide about how to control and calm the citizens of the sun-blessed town.

"Furred beasts," Konrad snorted and scowled, "worthless food thieves and killers." He raised a hand to his chin as he pondered over potential solutions. After a few seconds, he came to a conclusion and lowered his hand. "Send out some knights to search the mountains. If they return in two weeks with no sightings and no pelt, dust off one of the old ones and show it to the people as if it was new."

"Very wise, Konrad." The young king nodded, then looked straight into the man's dark eyes. "But this is a warning, advisor." He emphasized 'advisor' with a slight glare that accompanied his statement. "I am the king of this realm. Though you wear the royal colors on your cape, you have no right to sit in my throne, and next time I catch you, you're going to the dungeon for treason." With a slight snort, the king turned and walked out of the room with his royal black cape trailing behind him.

The young king left the doors to the throne room open, and as he walked out of the advisor's view, he thought about the advisor he had inherited with the throne. King Baron knew that he did not fully trust his father's advisor quite yet. However, the king knew of his father's undying trust for the man.

Several things Baron had noticed about his advisor made him feel as if the wizard was up to something. For starters, Konrad had a habit of vanishing at the oddest of times with no explanation. Furthermore, the man always refused to visit the spirit dragon of wisdom that was trapped inside the cave. He claimed that he disliked and loathed the sight of dragons as a result of a childhood incident. Though the spirit dragon was an ancient species of scaled dragon rather than the furred dragons that thrived in the cold dark land of Roahla, Konrad did not care.

King Baron adjusted the golden armor around his lower arms before he looked to the chandelier of glowing spheres of liquid light. The spirit dragon had taught his many greats grandfather how to trap and bottle light that glowed endlessly for a year, and his family had kept a monopoly of light.

After a moment of studying the extent of his family's legacy and power, King Baron and headed deeper into the castle. "Perhaps father can give me some advice on the topic as well. I should see what he says."

Ex-king Rook had a room in the base of the easternmost tower. Whenever he desired, he could easily climb the stairs to the observatory at the top and survey the entire city of Urre below him. This is where King Baron found his father as he climbed through the trapdoor in the floor of the observation room.

"Father, I am in need of advice." Baron's voice notified the land's previous king as the current king stepped out of the hole and onto the wooden floor. "I hope you can help me with my thoughts."

Rook turned to look at his son with a fond smile. "Come in, you can always talk to me." He patted the metal railing beside him in an invitation to join him and talk as they enjoyed the view. As his son joined him, Rook spoke the inciting question, "what is on your mind? Is this about finding your queen?"

Two sets of green eyes met as Baron gazed into his father's eyes. After a brief moment of hesitation, the reigning king spoke in a calm voice, "No, father, my questions are more about Konrad."

"Well, what about him?" The ex-king questioned with a raised eyebrow and listening ears. "I don't think he should be giving you any trouble. If you're unsure about his advice, Konrad's suggestions always worked for me, even when I thought of them as strange and possibly absurd. He is very wise."

"I want to get your opinion on the dragons that people potted recently and compare it to what Konrad told me," King Baron began, "he said to send out knights, and if they fail to return bring out an old pelt and trick the people. It would work, but I do feel bad about having to trick the people."

While ex-king Rook thought of a proper answer, the current ruler of the land gazed to the black stone obelisk in the castle courtyard. As he gazed to the monument's peak and thought more about the other family relic: the Sun Bead.

The magical artifact atop the tall pillar gave life to the town and was the only remainder of the sun. To keep the light focused on the city, mirrors reflected any light that shone off of the bead in undesired directions and focused them back down to create an umbrella of light that illuminated most of the settlement.

However, unlike the constant light stored in the liquid light globe, the Sun Bead's light only lasted for hours each day. Though the tiny bead was not as bright or warm as the legends suggested the sun was, the sphere of light still saved them from spending their lives in eternal darkness.

Since Baron's father was still silent in his pondering, the current king studied the carved sides of the obsidian obelisk. Intricate engravings displayed the story of how King Jude discovered the Sun Bead.

When the darkness descended, the king at the time, King Jude, climbed to the top of the tallest mountain. There, he entered the ancient Temple of Cownturs and consulted the spirit dragon, Darkon, the same spirit dragon the nobility still consulted.

The spirit dragon Darkon consulted the wisdom of the universe itself and told King Jude how to find a bit of light for his people. According to the wise spirit, one of the last rays of dusk had fallen to the ground, and a monstrous dragon with fur made out of snow had found it. The greedy dragon wanted the ray of light all for himself.

In response to the news, King Jude set out on a quest. Though he tried to negotiate, the beast refused to share. So the ancient king slew the evil white dragon and returned with the bead so everyone in his kingdom could come to Urre and live in the light, safe from eternal darkness.

"Konrad was my advisor." Rook finally spoke his answer, "he was my father's advisor. He has never steered the family wrong." Rook looked down to the city below. "Our family has remained in an unopposed position of power for generations. No one has attempted to usurp or family since the Darkness Revolution that caused the disappearance of the sun. The people have been scared to revolt ever since they tried on our ancestor, King Jude. Your position is secure."

"He was Grandfather's advisor too?" Baron looks shocked and glances around many parts of the city and courtyard as he processes the information. After several moments, he spoke once again. "Father, do you find it odd that he never ages? He must be rather old if he served under grandfather as well."

"Son, Konrad is a mysterious warlock, yes, but he is a wonderful advisor. He has never steered me wrong. His magic probably keeps him looking young, but that does not make him any less wise." Rook looked to his son with a reassuring smile.

"The man seems unnatural and mysterious to me." Baron frowned slightly. "He has excellent solutions to and is very wise, but sometimes I feel like there is something I'm missing something about him. I am oddly itching to ask more questions about him, and I cannot explain why." Baron gazed towards the obelisk of the Sun standing in the perfect middle of the courtyard. "Perhaps my reservations about Konrad stem from how he carries himself as if he is just as important as a king."

"Sure, I was unsure of him when I first received the crown, but soon I realized just how great he is. He has his quirks, but you haven't even been king for six moons. You will learn to trust him and his advice as I did." Rook put a reassuring hand on his son's shoulder and smiled a bit.

Secretly still unsure of himself, King Baron nodded. Before he left his father's room, he looked to the older man and spoke, "thank you for your help and advice. You helped me sort my thoughts."

Baron walked back down to the base floor of the castle, then traveled to the king's bedroom and walked out to the private balcony that overlooked the city. "I'm the king now," Baron mumbled to himself and fingered the edge of his black cape. Black like the rich fertile soils, the color of life, the color of his family's house. The black starkly contrasted with the white of the snow and the white of bones.

However, dark was also the color of the unforgiving endless night and decay while white was also the color of the stars and the light of the moon.

Baron leaned against the railing and gazed out to the town. "He may be my father, but I am the king now. I can make my own decisions and do what I feel best." He took a deep breath and looked out to the spire that held the sunlight.

Author note:

Funny story, this is actually the chapter I wrote first. This little side story is what stated my journey, and I am glad to see it finally be published, even in this highly edited form. The story evolved and changed from the original plan as I wrote.

This chapter was originally going to be the first out of a three part interlude micro series that started at chapter ten, but then I wanted to introduce more side character backgrounds until it came to the point that this chapter is the last interlude.

It is also the floodgates to the last ten chapters. Nine for the main plot and then the epilogue.

Well, I will see you tomorrow morning!