Part 1 | Part 6

So... It's been quite a while since I posted the last past of this story - Time flew by fast! Anyway, I hope you're all doing well and are ready for the next parts of Belatos' journey in Solunara.

In this part, Belatos writes his conversation with the two kings in full: A recount of his first experience with the Diurnal Crown.

There are a few more parts waiting to be posted, so hopefully, I won't be too long posting them XD. If you have any ideas or topics for Belatos to explore, my notes are open for suggestions.

I hope you enjoy the reading.

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Excerpt from ‘The Realm of the Diurnal Crown - Uncovering the Myths of Solunara’ by Belatos Inkwood

Part 7 - Conversation with the kings

This part will serve as a recollection of my conversation with the Diurnal Crown. As such, it will be different from the other parts of this journal as this will not contain much analysis of the realm and its people and rulers. It will, however, provide an image of the characters of the Diurnal Crown and may serve as a first hand encounter of these rulers in the future.

Reaching the spot before the kings, I bowed and uttered, to the best of my ability, the Solunaran words I had been instructed to say as I was presented to the sovereigns:
“Bow once, serve twice.”
As I stood upright, Kalior, the Day King, smiled and said in fluent Inivari:
“You pronounced that quite well”
I was surely surprised to hear my mother tongue in this distant realm, and tried to determine if I should try speaking to them in Inivari, or if I should converse in the language of the Olyssari. The kings were both visibly amused by my perplexity. We stood in a moment of silence. The kings seemed to be waiting for me to speak, so I eventually spoke to them in our tongue:
“Thank you, Your Majesty. Yours is eminent as well.”
The Day King smiled.
“You speak my tongue?” I asked.
Selanor, the Night King, answered for them, speaking in flawless Inviari as well:
“We speak in whatever tongue makes your guests feel at ease. In most cases, that is their mother tongue.”
That statement made me ponder just how many foreign guests they receive: The fact that they speak the mother tongue of their subjects is hardly a surprise, and they might speak the languages of their neighbouring realms rather fluently as well. That is often a sign of close collaboration between the realms as it eases the communication between them. Speaking languages of realms that are not immediate neighbours are often only required for alliances, but speaking the language of an unknown realm is questionable. Especially when the sovereign speaks it fluently.
Such a knowledge is only obtained by studying and practicing the language minutely, requiring extensive knowledge of the realm itself. Thus, the Diurnal Crown must have had either an interest in our own realm, or one of their neighbouring realms speak Inivari as well. Based on the phonetic and grammatical composition of the Solunaran and Olyssari languages, as well as their Inivari being identical to our own language, including our regional phonetic variations to the old tongue, the latter would be highly unlikely.
I bowed my head to show my respect for the kings:
“It is an honor having you speak my tongue.”
The Diurnal Crown acknowledged my pleasure of speaking my mother tongue, and Kalior, the Day King, turned to the matter at hand:
“We hear that you are here to explore our realm.”
“I am here for purely academic purposes, Your Majesties,” I replied: “In my own land, we know only but legends of Solunara, so I took upon myself to gather some formal knowledge of the realm.”
“You come from a people of academics?” Selanor, the Night King said.
“In my land, knowledge about the world is a virtue. We have taken it upon ourselves to gather knowledge of the world for the future to use and build upon. Knowing all realms and their customs will enlighten us to new ways of living as well as respecting and conserving all foreign cultures.”
The Day King asked:
“Are you aware of the concerns this kind of operation may arise? Especially when it is unannounced?”
“I am, Your Majesties. My land has no militaristic intent, I assure you. I came here by personal means to learn about your realm.”
“Taking upon the task of building the knowledge of your realm is admirable,” Selanor, the Night King, said: “Have you written about many realms in your past?”
“I have, Your Majesties, and read about just as many. I will gladly share with you the knowledge I have, of my own land in particular, in return for letting me write about your realm.”
“A fair trade,” Kalior said: “You may write about our society and customs…”
Selanor continued, almost in the same breath as the Day King:
“... And geography, languages, and culture. But we will not share with you the intricacies of our military institutions.”
I replied:
“Your military is of no interest to me, Your Majesties: Only to the extent that it influences your culture and society. Before I make my journey home with written knowledge, I will let you read my findings. In my experience, it can be a revelation for the ruler, and I will leave with the knowledge that you allow us to keep. To reiterate, my business here is not of malicious intent.”
“We know,” Kalior said: “Your work is truly noble.”
Selanor said: “The Diurnal Crown welcomes you to learn our realm, as long as the findings remain purely academic. We will help you in the ways you require. You are welcome to approach us or our heralds for aid in your work.”
I bowed my head before the sovereigns:
“Thank you, Your Majesties: I am truly honoured by your trust.”
Kalior spoke:
“We suggest you speak with the members of the Council of Horizons as a start. That should be a good foundation to learn about our society.”
“Indeed, Your Majesties,” I said: “But I will need to travel across your realm as well. In my experience, the most useful knowledge is found among the people in everyday life.”
“We will arrange transport for you should you need it,” Selanor said: “We look forward to reading what you have learned.”
With that statement, I sensed that the audience was at its end:
“Thank you for such generosity, Your Majesties. I will start my work immediately.”
I bowed before the Diurnal Crown and went back to my seat amongst the spectators, from where I witnessed the rest of the Horizonfire Audience.

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