[center][img]https://fontmeme.com/permalink/231004/6681c15374d2378d63cb4102030f0223.png[/img][/center] [hr][hr] Sofia Gabriella Valier, a young girl of modest nobility, felt like crying. For reasons beyond her grasp, her parents had packed their estate in the Revidian countryside for a newly built manor in Ersand’Ernise. As if the crowds weren’t enough, their new home was situated in a section called Mudville that certainly lived up to its name. Her father must have been out of his mind, on the assumption he had any choice in the move. She bumped between an apathetic stranger and an apathetic stranger who lacked teeth, neither taking notice. Sofia longed for the long green fields of her old home, the one she had been at all her life. She missed the farmhands whom she had come to call friends after finally overcoming her anxieties, missed the chestnut mare she raised from a pony into her most reliable companion. Now she could only think about how much her father made over the sale. And yet, that wasn’t why her tears were beginning to well up, no. She had lost sight of her parents in the commotion of the Mudville town hub. It was a scary enough concept for any nine-year-old girl to go through, but she had only been in Ersand’Enise for a week and had no clue how to find the way home. Any calls were lost to the wind, drowned by constant commotion. The people paid little notice to her. Her status meant nothing. Did they not care about a lost girl on the verge of tears? For the first time in her life, Sofia Gabriella Valier felt truly alone. She listened out only to receive the distinct sounds of a hammer on anvil. Two to be precise. The cold heartbeat of a place she very much wanted to escape. Clank clank… … … clank clank… … … It was hopeless. [center][h2][url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjBTtNU27Ec]♫[/url][/h2][/center] A sudden flash of light from above caused Sofia to shoot their gaze skyward. It had not been a flash of light but rather a golden flare and one that was growing by the second. She had to avert her gaze, not just because of the flare’s candescence but also because of its position close to the sun. A mix of her existing fears and temporary blindness had her frozen in place while the others around her fled. The thud of a blade stabbed into the dirt as the dazzling flare landed not two metres away from her. With a quick look over her surroundings, the people who had once filled the town square had made a makeshift circle of ‘safe distance’ around the pillar of light. As if they all suddenly agreed that a solid ten metres was enough to evade anything that was about to happen. It was just her left to be judged by the alien presence. [color=fff200]“HA… HA HA HA!”[/color] a mirthful laughter carried throughout the town square and cut through any chatter in the surrounding circle. While it sounded human enough, the power was far from it. Perhaps to a practising mage, it would be apparent the voice was amplified. But neither Sofia nor most of the crowd were. The chime of a great, big bell rang and the pillar of light pulsed outward, quickly disproving the ten-metre safety rule as the light engulfed everything in sight. Many tried to run but could never escape it on foot, let alone having to push through the gathered crowds. But not a single person was harmed. It instead filled them with a comforting warmth that soothed the masses. They no longer looked on in fear but curiosity as the flash dissipated. Sofia was the first to see the figure beyond the shimmering wave. A spear stood with its tip planted into the earth, rising at least two metres to a hand that gripped the very end. The figure was performing a one-handed stand to a combined height of about four metres. Before she could make out any features, it released his grip and flipped downward. Its foot collided with the spear in a kick sending it spinning upward. The short acrobatic show ended with the figure, now clearly a masked man, having landed and the spear sliding gracefully into the holster on his back next to a lyre. Landed wouldn’t be the correct word, Sofia thought, because despite making similar motions, he was still floating a few feet off the ground. The masked man certainly encouraged the imagination in the way he dressed. His golden spear shone behind large, flowing robes of yellow silk with highlights of orange and black. Despite the quantity of fabric, it hardly looked like it weighed the man down. They instead looked weightless, as though the rules of gravity need not apply to them. But the most distinguishing feature was a gaudy sun mask that covered most of the man's face down to a bit below the nose. His mouth displayed a large, toothy grin. It looked as though the man could burst into laughter again at any moment. [color=fff200]“AH HA HAAAaaaa!”[/color] Still floating, he reclined into a laid-back position as he surveyed the crowd. [color=fff200]“Please, please there is no need to fear.”[/color] The man announced in a regal address. [color=fff200]“The apology is mine! I have travelled long to be here.”[/color] [color=fff200]“I come from the great belfry in the sky that counts each day. I seek to win the trials, so in this city, I shall stay.” “I am the Sun King, he who looks over all. And I serve you people, or so I recall.”[/color] Admiration and anxiety were both rife within the crowd. Everyone looked upon this ‘Sun King’ enraptured, some with joy and others with fear. Sofia was the latter on both accounts, which did not escape the monarch’s notice. She froze when his attention on her caused him to lose his smile. The Sun King had made the decision to grace the ground with his feet and close the distance between himself and the lost girl. [color=fff200]“A girl with no friends, no family can be ever so lonely.”[/color] He continued to address the crowd but then turned directly to her. [color=fff200]“How would you like your very own pony?” [/color] The smile returned to his face, but the confidence and honesty in his voice gave it a disarming quality. There was no way he could be hiding something like a pony given his bombastic entrance. She felt silly; she still hadn’t wiped away her tears from earlier. But Sofia believed him, at least enough to nod in reply. [color=fff200]“I am only as good as the people allow. Please, everyone, start a clap… … now.”[/color] There was a short moment of silence before one person started clapping. Then another started and another until only Sofia left yet to join. Once the rhythm of the claps picked up, Sun King put his hands together, one on top of the other. It seemed to be an innocuous and small gesture, but even someone uneducated in magic like Sofia could see incredible energy converging between his palms. Another flash of light flared out, signalling the group to stop. The Sun King held out his hand upon which pranced a palm-sized pony dressed in a royal purple mane. It trotted in a circle to the distant sound of the anvils. Clank clank… … … clank clank… … … [color=662d91]Trot trot… … … trot trot… … …[/color] Sofia was shocked in pleasant surprise. She had never seen a horse like this, or one even five times its size for that matter. But she gratefully accepted the Sun King’s gift anyway, letting the pocket pony jump into her own hands. [color=fff200]“She’s yours now, this stellar mare. So treat her well and give her care.”[/color] There was a calming conclusiveness to his words. And just then, all the day’s events caught up with the poor girl. More had happened to her in just the past couple of hours than in her entire life. At least it felt that way. She dropped to her knees and let the purple mare down to rest upon them. The time was well due for her to get some rest as well if only her parents could find her. But she lacked the energy to keep searching for herself. The Sun King continued some grandiose speech to the crowd, but her focus was on the little horse. [color=fff200]“Please, please there is no need for applause now. You may save it until [i]after[/i] I win the trials.”[/color] He carried on, outside of her focus. [color=fff200]“If you made bets already catch up with your bookie. I wouldn’t want any of you to make poor financial decisions. What king would I be then!?...”[/color] And he carried on. [hr] “Sofia? Sofia!” Sofia looked behind her to see that, because of the commotion, her parents were able to find her. She allowed herself a smile as her ordeal had finally come to an end. The Sun King gave a parting smile to the reunited family. And then, with another blast of light, he was gone again. [hr][hr]