The New Solare - 7. Chapter 7- The Crowning

The Gallants (and Visionary) made quite the picture as they sat in pairs for lunch that day. For the first time since they arrived at Middlemost, there was no trace of awkwardness as they ate. Sindri's final decision had lifted the weight off all their shoulders.

Solare Vitara was treated to the sight of this pleasant lunch amongst companions as she sought out the Gallant of the desert, or was he perhaps a Gallant no longer? "Have you already made your decision, Representative Sindri?"

Sindri was glad to see everyone getting along. There wasn't a trace of awkwardness, much to his enjoyment. He looked over to Solare Vitara, a small smile forming on his face. "Yes, I have. I have chosen Gallant Gonuret to be the new Lunare as well as my lifemate." He said, taking the sky blue dragon's hand into his.

"Then, tonight shall be your crowning and my transcending," She concluded with a smile. "Soon, he will be addressed by Solare Sindri." She reminded everyone. "Treat him well and with his due respect."

Sindri nodded, gently squeezing Gonuret's hand. He looked over at him then smiled. "I feel like I'm a bit more ready to be Solare now…" At first, he wasn't entirely sure if he was right for the job. He barely accepted it. But, things were different now that he had so many friends to count on and a lifemate to lean on.

Gonuret couldn't have been more pleased. He returned the squeeze and leaned over to whisper into Sindri's ear. "I will always be right here by your side, beloved."

The apricot dragon was glad to hear those words.

"I suggest that we all stay here in the fortress until a decision has been made on the weather and tectonic shifting that has been affecting the planet," Gallant Emyve stated. He sent Ruthed a little smirk. "With better room assignments, of course."

"Good idea," Sindri agreed, "I'd feel much better if you all stayed nearby until it calms down. All of you can lend a helpful perspective on this..."

"Agreed," Solare Vitara conceded as she left the group to begin the preparations for Sindri's crowning and to gather all of the Sentains.

Ansar placed his elbows on the table as soon as she left, resting his chin on his hands. "Now, I heard that the Solares keep their staffs as Sentains, but isn't there a special goldsmith that personalizes the crown of each Solare? I wonder if he's an ancient dragon or if the craft gets passed down, as well."

"The goldsmith certainly couldn't have outlived a retired Sentain," Kelius pointed out with a laugh.

Sindri glanced at Ansar and laughed a little. "I'm sure that the craft gets handed down...Think of how old he would have to be if he was still around from the beginning!"

An embarrassed blush streaked across Ansar's nose and cheeks. "W-well didn't dragons live longer back in the day? I mean the goldsmiths are just about the only ones with any magic left in them to form things like that, aren't they?"

A strange look came across Emyve's face at Ansar's comment. He turned slightly to look directly at Ansar, and then shifted to peer towards Sindri. "Your friend can be quite clever at times." He concluded. "I think that I may have a theory upon the theory that I spoke to you about."

"That is a good point..." Sindri said when Ansar explained himself. He looked at Emyve when he spoke again. "Well, we have a feeling that the source of this shifting lies upon the opposite central point of the planet…" He informed the others. "Other than that, I haven't a clue as to what you could be thinking."

"I will go into more detail after the ceremony," Emyve explained. "For now, I propose a toast." He added as he lifted his glass, prompting the others to lift their glasses. "May we continue to keep the balance during our term and help protect the future generations of Visionaries and Gallants to come."

"Let's all do our best," Sindri added.

"I can toast to that," Ruthed said as he touched his glass to Emyve's. The other Gallants, along with Ansar, touched the glasses of their neighbors and they all took a sip of their drinks.

After lunch, they were free to do as they wished until sunset. Madhal and Ilohir paid a visit to the library. Ruthed managed to convince Emyve to join him on a stroll outside. Kelius and Ansar moved into their re-assigned room. And Gonuret moved into Sindri's room.

The white-haired dragon stared in awe at the size of Sindri's chambers. "I thought that the Gallant Hall had excessively large rooms. I was wrong..."

Sindri came with Gonuret to get his things from his room before leading him to his room. He opened the door and watched as Gonuret's mouth dropped in awe. The smaller dragon reached up to close the other dragon's gaping mouth by putting his hand under his jaw. "I'm just glad to finally have someone to share the room with. It's been a bit lonely in here."

A blush rose to Gonuret's face as his mind subconsciously tossed him a few naughty thoughts upon hearing Sindri's words. But, he merely cleared his throat and glanced towards the indoor spa. "Would you like to take the first turn? I could unpack while you relax in the water."

Sindri looked at him and smiled a little. He shook his head. "I have a better idea. How about I help you unpack then we can both relax in the spa? I mean, if you want."

Gonuret nearly dropped the bag of clothing he held in his hands at Sindri's open invitation. The blush on his face spread right down to his neck. He forced himself to take a deep breath and think logically. They weren't officially Solare and Lunare just yet. The blonde had to know that Gonuret wouldn't dare compromise him before the ceremony, which meant that the invite simply was to relax side by side. "Yes," He replied calmly. "I would like nothing more than to join you."

Sindri was amused when he saw the white-haired dragon's face and neck turning red. He let out a light laugh. "Looks like I'm not the only one that blushes easily here." Though, the blush was more noticeable on Gonuret's skin than his own, since it was fair. He helped the sky-blue dragon unpack his bag and put his clothes up. He couldn't help but shake his head seeing that, even with both their bags unpacked, they still had much more space to place clothes and other objects in the closet and drawers.

"Hmm, perhaps if we ever decide to adopt, we could make more use of the closet," Gonuret pondered aloud.

Sindri nodded before smiling a little. "We could try filling it ourselves. But, I do like the idea of adopting one day."

When everything was sorted, Gonuret pulled out two soft towels from the rack on the wall and headed towards the spa. He set the towels on the counter and reached behind him to undo the tie from his hair. "Set the water to the temperature you prefer," He said as he pulled his shirt over his head. "I'm not picky."

Sindri went over to fill the jacuzzi with water. "I'll set it to warm to relax our muscles. But, not hot." While it filled up, he let his hair down and started to undress. He looked over at Gonuret, blushing as he saw him take his shirt off before quickly looking away so that the dragon wouldn't catch him staring.

Slate grey eyes were drawn to Sindri's hair when it was released. The golden locks were a stunning sight trailing along the apricot dragon's back and wings. He was so lost in gazing at the other dragon that he forgot what he was even doing. With a shake of his head, he removed his remaining clothes and carefully stepped into the tub until he was waist deep in the warm water. Only then did he let out the breath that he didn't realize he was holding. "The water's just right. The warmth is very soothing."

"I agree..." Sindri said as he removed his clothing and settled in next to Gonuret. "I feel better already."

Gonuret completely submerged himself underwater and swam to the other side of the immense tub to retrieve one of the many bottles of shampoo and conditioner that were lined up along the side. As he held one to his nose, he noted that the scent was similar to one of the many flowers in the gardens. He made his way over to Sindri. "Would you like me to help wash your hair?" He offered.

Sindri watched as Gonuret swam over to the shampoo bottles. "You looked like a fish just now," He admitted with a small laugh. "And, sure. You can if you want." He closed his eyes as the other dragon lathered the shampoo, looking entirely content and relaxed. The sky-blue dragon had already found a weak spot. Sindri enjoyed having his head rubbed. "You're going to put me to sleep at this rate...that feels good."

The sky-blue dragon enjoyed the sensation of Sindri's hair in his hands as he carefully cleansed the locks. A smile formed on his face when the apricot dragon admitted to enjoying it. Emboldened by the comment, he began to gently massage the back of Sindri's neck and shoulders as well. "We can't quite have you fall asleep before the ceremony," He whispered. "But, a small nap could be arranged should you want to rest."

"I can survive until it's time for bed. I just enjoy getting my head rubbed a little too much…" Sindri admitted to him. "If someone does it for too long, I fall asleep." Though, with the way Gonuret was massaging him, he might be too relaxed to even get up and move during the ceremony. "When you're done, I want to do this for you as well, Gonuret."

When he finished rinsing out the golden hair, Gonuret placed a soft kiss on Sindri's cheek and handed him the bottles for him to return the favor. "Thank you."

Sindri's hair and entire body felt so much better after that. The apricot dragon blushed when he felt the kiss on his the cheek and smiled. He then took the shampoo bottle and lathered it up. At least the other dragon's hair wasn't as long as his own. "Does this feel alright?"

"Sindri, that feels wonderful," Gonuret practically purred. When they were finally through washing up, he left the tub first to retrieve their towels. The white-haired dragon dried himself and tied the towel around his waist before coming back to wrap Sindri into his own towel.

"That's good to hear. I've never done something like this before…" Sindri sighed in relief, glad to hear he could help the other dragon relax as well. When they were done, a blush returned to the blonde's face as he got an eyeful of Gonuret's bared backside. 'I need to exercise more...I really am scrawny compared to most of them' he thought to himself.

Gonuret took the apricot dragon's hand and led him over to take a seat as he rubbed a scented oil into the blonde locks and combed it through. "They say that sometimes when a Solare is crowned, the magic used to form the crown awakens the dormant magic in your genes. The same could be said about the Lunare's gauntlet."

The blonde closed his eyes in contentment as his hair was combed, feeling the oils already having an effect on his scalp. "Dormant magic? I never even considered that we could tap into such power." He smiled, looking up at Gonuret curiously. "What kind of magic do you think we'd get if that does happen?"

"Solare Vitara was rumored to have been able to make her voice carry across from one side of the fortress to another and to make the sound of her staff hitting the ground many times louder than usual," Gonuret commented. "I wonder if it's different for every dragon." He moved to sit in front of Sindri, handing him the brush and comb. "As for me, I would prefer any power that would further help to protect you."

"That's amazing..!" Sindri blinked, grabbing the comb and started to gently comb Gonuret's hair as well. He then laughed. "You do know that if you get powers of ice, I'm going to be asking you to make it snow, right?" He was half joking and half serious. He hoped that one day they could show each other their home biomes. When he finished, he hugged Gonuret from behind.

Gonuret couldn't help but laugh as he pictured Sindri's ideal powers in his mind while they switched places and he sat down. "When winter hits, I will be sure to sneak you out to one of the nearest snowing biomes." He promised. His hands reached up to rest on the blonde's arms when he was hugged. "Come," He said with a sigh. "If I don't help you prepare for the ceremony now, I'll be tempted to simply keep you to myself until the sun rises."

Sindri couldn't help but laugh hearing Gonuret's own laughter. "I like your laugh..." He admitted with a smile. He nodded as he was reminded that they had to get ready for the ceremony. "Good point. I can't very well miss it, or go in just a towel strolling down the hall..."

"If you went in just a towel, I don't believe that I would be able to focus on the ceremony at all," Gonuret admitted as he stood back up and pulled Sindri along with him. He planted a gentle kiss on the apricot dragon's lips before leading them back to the bedroom. Two sets of clothes were set on top of the bed that weren't there before. "Hmm, I wonder if one of the maids dropped them off while we were in the spa."

The soon-to-be Solare shook his head upon hearing that. He blushed when he felt the kiss on the lips, but nothing could make him stop smiling. "Oh, yeah, the maids seem to come in and drop things off when I'm out of the room. I've rarely seen them."

The clothing was traditional and elegant, each with colors that represented their home biomes. "They must be our ceremony ensembles," Gonuret mused as he began to change into his. The pants were tight and dark, in stark contrast to the embroidered tailcoat that was the same sky blue as his very tail. The coat was lined with a dark grey that brought out the color of his eyes. The blouse underneath was white, but barely visible. The buttons down his jacket were silver. He chose to wear his hair loose and out of its usual ponytail for the ceremony.

"It would appear so...I don't know what else we'd be wearing these for." Sindri said as he began to change. His pants were tight and dark brown. His tailcoat was the same apricot hue as his tail and was lined with a golden yellow. The blouse underneath was a ruby red. All of the buttons on his jacket were gold. He looked over, seeing the white-haired dragon fully dressed. His eyes widened, and he felt his face turn red again. Funny how Gonuret could do that to him without even meaning to! He smiled seeing the other look his way. "That looks stunning on you. Blue's a good color on you."

The barest of smirks tugged on Gonuret's lips. "I will have to remember that." If it caused Sindri to look at him in that manner, he would wear blue clothing every day. "You look quite stunning yourself." He said as he circled the blonde to see him at all angles. "Shall we?" He asked as he held out his hand.

"I like blue and red, so that's a bonus for me," Sindri added. He was glad to hear that he looked alright. "Thank you, Gonuret." He took Gonuret's hand in his. "Let's get going then."

::::::

As Kelius took a closer look at Ansar's rabbit, he felt rather pleased. Why, the little thing shared a lot of his colors. When he read the nameplate under its bed, he was even more pleased. 'Kinky Kit' indeed. He was about to say as much to Ansar, who was shifting his clothes aside in the closet to make room for his when a white rabbit hopped closer to Kinky Kit. Kelius's red eyes narrowed. "Why do you have two rabbits? Where did this white one come from?" He asked dryly.

"The white one's Sindri's," Ansar replied without looking around, as he was busy hanging up Kelius's clothes. "I've been taking care of it while he went on his dates and haven't been able to give it back yet with all the commotion. His name is Astral."

"Astral?" Kelius confirmed. Well, at least it wasn't Gonuret. "Then his nickname from me will be 'Asshole.' It's close enough to its real name."

"Hey, you shouldn't take it out on the rabbit just because of his resemblance to someone you don't like," Ansar chastised.

"Says the dragon who named his rabbit 'Kinky Kit' in vengeance," Kelius muttered.

Ansar finished up hanging up the last of the copper dragon's clothes and walked over to the sulking form in front of the rabbits. "Are you...sulking?"

"That pale punk didn't try anything with you when you two were alone, did he?" Kelius wondered wearily.

"What? No," Ansar replied incredulously. "I mean, I knew he was following me from a distance, but he didn't say a word."

"Good," Kelius stated firmly as he pulled Ansar's form flush against his own and glared down at the white rabbit. "Tell your counterpart that I may have let him have Sindri, but he'd be dreaming if he thought that I would ever let him even touch my Ansar."

Ansar burst out laughing even as his cheeks became pink. "Threatening Astral won't accomplish anything, you know."

"As far as you believe," Kelius countered. "If I convey my warning hard enough, I'm sure that Gonuret will get the message even through little 'Asshole.'"

"If you say so."

A devious glint formed in Kelius's eyes as he maneuvered them towards the bed. "We still have some time before the ceremony, don't we?"

"Yeah," Ansar replied warily. "Whoa!" He gasped when he was suddenly lifted and tossed onto the bed.

Kelius crawled over Ansar's form, grinding his lower half against the beige dragon while keeping the weight of his upper half on his elbows. His red eyes seemed to turn a shade darker as he peered down at his prey. "Why don't we pick up where we left off earlier?" He suggested in a low rumble as his copper tail swished from side to side.

"Hah," Ansar gasped and bit his lower lip as the pink hue spread over his face. "I-If you want to." He replied breathlessly.

A predatory grin formed on Kelius's face shortly before he dove down to kiss the Visionary. His tongue greedily stole its way inside his mouth to lay claim to every surface it could find. He sucked on the brunette's tongue until it began to move against his own and Kelius reveled once again at Ansar's taste.

The beige dragon had become a mess of whimpers and moans that were muffled by their fervent kisses. Kelius's hands tugged up the smaller dragon's shirt high, and they began to explore his skin, trailing fingers along dusky buds when a loud gasp was heard from the doorway. The growl that escaped from Kelius's lips was reminiscent of the pure dragons as he turned to give the full force of his glare to the maid that stood at the door.

"Forgive me! I knocked, and no one answered, so I thought..." The maid trailed off. "I-I just came to drop off your clothes for the ceremony!" She squeaked as she left the clothes on top of the cabinet and ran away.

Kelius let out a long sigh. "...Damn it."

Ansar smiled sheepishly up at him. "The sooner we get the ceremony started, the sooner we can get back?" He suggested.

"That better be a promise," Kelius whined with a half-pout.

Ansar couldn't help the chuckle that bubbled up from his chest. "Yes, if nothing else happens by then."

"I will barricade the door if I have to."

::::::

Madhal and Ilohir had gone to the library to brush up on their knowledge of how the crowning ceremony played out. According to the information they found, the Gallants stood on either side of the new Solare as he was escorted by the new Lunare towards the 'throne.' In the past, the Solare really did have a traditional throne to sit in, but as the fortress evolved, the throne room became more like a reception hall. Though there was no longer a throne, the forefront of the hall was where the Solare would be crowned. The goldsmith would then have the new Solare choose a long, wire-like metal from his hand that varied from silver, gold, copper, platinum, and even pewter. From that long 'wire,' the goldsmith would then fashion a unique headpiece for the Solare to wear during his term. The goldsmith would then give the remaining option of metals to the Lunare and fashion him a unique gauntlet. Afterward, the old Solare would hand the new Solare a staff with a color that corresponded to the new Solare's home biome. And then, all of them would bow respectfully.

"Sounds simple enough," Madhal commented as he walked with Ilohir down the Gallant hall to their newly assigned room. "I think the most complicated thing will be to figure out how to put on the different parts of our ceremony clothes."

Ilohir nodded hearing Madhal. "Looks like all we really do is stand there and give support by our mere presence." When Emyve brought up the subject of their ceremony clothes, he spoke again. "Y-yeah, I saw the maids dropping off everyone's clothes earlier. I've never seen so many buttons on one outfit!" Everyone's clothes had buttons all over them."

Madhal smiled down at the blue-haired dragon. "I could help you fasten all of those buttons if you like," He offered. Though, somewhere in the back of his mind, he would prefer to help Ilohir un-fasten the buttons.

Ilohir looked up at Madhal, making an angry looking pout. "Something tells me you're thinking something else in the back of your mind..." He shook his head. "B-but I'll help you button yours if you help me with mine."

"Agreed," Madhal replied, a smirk sneaking onto his face at Ilohir's sharp senses. As they walked into their room, they caught sight of the last maid running for dear life out of Kelius and Ansar's room. How curious.

"I have a feeling we're better off not knowing…" Ilohir commented a bit nervously as the maid rounded the far corner and kept running.

Their ceremony clothes were set on the bed. The deep greens were surely meant for Ilohir's smaller frame. Madhal's had violets and deep blue. He was pleased to note that Ilohir had some of the same deep blue color on his outfit, as well. "It seems like our ceremony clothes were meant to match."

Ilohir smiled when he noted that their outfits had a matching element, the deep blue. "You think so?" He asked. "We should start getting ready. We spent more time in the library then I thought," The Taiga dragon suggested. He didn't want them to be late.

Madhal shamelessly began to change before Ilohir even finished his sentence. He was vain enough to be proud of his body, so he didn't fear showing it off as he changed. The indigo dragon managed to button up his inner blouse without difficulty, but he only shrugged on the jacket and waited for Ilohir to help him as promised. "Just think of me as an oversized doll and button me up with your tender love."

Ilohir's face turned bright red seeing Madhal starting to undress before quickly turning away and began to change his clothes as well. He managed to get the pants on fine but was having trouble with his inner shirt. He blushed even more at Madhal's over the top statement. "Oh, r-right," He replied with a small laugh, having a far easier time buttoning up Madhal's jacket than his own shirt. "There we go." He finished with an accomplished smile.

Ilohir was quite a sight to behold layers of unbuttoned clothing. As soon as Madhal was free to move, he sat on the edge of the bed and tugged Ilohir to stand between his legs as he helped him with his inner shirt, sleeves, and the blasted jacket. His azure eyes were half-mast in concentration until Ilohir was absolutely perfect. "There. Gorgeous." He stated proudly, standing up and extending his elbow for Ilohir to take.

The blue-haired dragon let out a surprised little noise as Madhal tugged him over. "S-sorry that you're doing all the buttoning for me...these little buttons are a pain for me to get." Though, he liked watching the look on the other dragon's face as it set into such deep concentration. When he was through, he smiled and grabbed his arm as they both walked out.

::::::

Ruthed had dragged Emyve outside for a stroll. They walked around the border, far enough to get some fresh air, but not too far. The burgundy dragon was rather content holding the aquamarine dragon's hand as they walked and took turns carrying his rabbit counterpart. He felt rather honored to have such an adorable creature named after him. Rabbit Emyve flopped on top of his head as they walked. He was a clever rabbit to be able to balance his entire body so well. "The sun is getting ready to set," Emyve told his partner. "We should head back."

Ruthed grumbled as he realized that they had to go back. He was rather enjoying his time alone with Emyve. "I guess you're right. We shouldn't be late for this." But, that didn't mean that they had to stop holding hands, at least. He looked up at Rabbit Emyve, who was making himself comfortable on the red hair. "Heh, he looks pretty cozy up there."

When the two of them reached their room, Emyve carefully lowered the rabbit and placed him in his corresponding bed with a soft pet. "Will you guard our room while we're gone, little one?" He asked him whimsically. With Ruthed and his pet for company, Emyve felt as if he had a small family unit away from his family. "Ruthed," He began as he approached the teal-haired dragon. "Thank you for choosing me."

Ruthed was glad to see that Emyve liked the rabbit, as well as the fact that it was named after him. He was relieved that Emyve didn't find that to be weird. "I bet he won't even let a bug get away with slipping inside here," He declared with a grin, petting the bunny too. He looked over at the redhead upon hearing him say his name, and he blushed at what he had to say. "Is it bad for me to say that I'm glad Sindri didn't choose you?"

"I'm grateful that he didn't choose me, as well," Emyve replied as he reached out a hand to gently lift Ruthed's chin, gazing into the honey-hued eyes. "And I would very much like to kiss you. Will you permit me to?"

Ruthed's cheeks burned an even darker hue, but he managed to summon up a smile for him. He wrapped his arms around Emyve's neck. "Permission granted."

Emyve met Ruthed halfway and pressed a chaste kiss upon the Gallant's lips. With a soft sigh of content, he kissed him again and again. Simple kisses closed mouth kisses. He gave him one last lingering kiss and shifted closer to pull him into a warm embrace. "I would like nothing more than to hold you like this always."

"Well, if that's the case," Ruthed started, reaching up to kiss him once more. "You're stuck with me for good, lifemate." He hugged him again, not wanting to let go just yet, either. He enjoyed just being with him.

After a peaceful moment, Emyve reluctantly pulled away. "Alas, but we must prepare for the ceremony for now. Afterward, I will look forward to us sharing our lives together."

::::::

In the reception hall, the Gallants lined themselves up on either side. Solare Vitara gave special permission for Ansar to be among the Gallants so that it would be an even number. She certainly liked her uniformity. She stood beside the goldsmith, who was a grey female dragon with long pale green hair and eyes of the same hue. In her hands, she held the strands of different metals.

Behind them stood the Sentains, the Sentain of the mountains waiting for Vitara to take over her position so that she could retire. And seated on the sides of the reception hall were musicians of all kinds. They played an intricate song reminiscent of the desert in honor of Sindri's crowning.

As Gonuret walked Sindri towards their fellow Gallant friends, he realized that these were the last few moments that Sindri and himself would be referred to as 'Gallants.' It was a bittersweet feeling.

Sindri took a deep breath before he and Gonuret went into the ceremony room. He had to admit that he loved the music, though it made him miss his home even more. He focused, instead, on the other Gallants and Ansar. It was nice to see their familiar faces for such an event.

The Lunare of the sea, Mavius, pulled up next to Vitara in an electronic wheelchair. He had fallen ill during the week of the Gallant summons and was contagious, so, this was the first time that he would see the new Gallants. His body was still weak and recovering, so Lunare Mavius was forced to remain in the chair until he was stronger. He was a bright blue dragon with lilac hair and brown eyes.

"My right hand has not been able to approach our new Gallants until now, but I will speak for the both of us by stating that this group certainly shows promise." Solare Vitara began. She took off her customized crown and set it onto a velvet pillow that was on a table behind them along with Lunare Mavius's gauntlet. The items would be placed in a museum as relics.

The goldsmith approached Vitara and hooked a pendant around her neck, a symbol of her new status as Sentain.

"Everyone, show your respect to the newly transcended Sentain Vitara," Mavius announced as they all bowed.

Sentain Vitara was all smiles as she took the hands of the former Sentain of the mountains that was to retire. "I free you from your responsibilities as Sentain. Go in peace."

"May you work hard to keep the peace of the people." The old Sentain replied with a smile of her own. The Gallants bowed once again as the old Sentain walked between them and out of the door at a leisurely pace. Sentain Vitara stood amongst the other Sentains as the ceremony continued.

"Come forth, Gallants Sindri and Gonuret," Mavius called.

When the two Gallants were at the forefront, the goldsmith approached Sindri with the different metals. "Choose a metal, whichever one is to your liking." She said.

Sindri nodded serenely as he looked them over. "I think...that I'll choose gold." The color reminded him the most of his home.

The goldsmith took the gold strand into her hands, setting the other metals aside on the table for the moment, and concentrated hard. As she closed her eyes, the strand in her hand began to glow and shift in shape. The gold lengthened and formed itself into an intricate headpiece with dangling red-orange gems. "Close your eyes," She whispered. As she placed the crown onto Sindri's head, the glow seemed to seep through him until his entire body began to glow instead of the crown itself.

Sindri watched in amazement as the gold strand began to glow and form into something else entirely. "That's incredible..." He said quietly, closing his eyes as he was instructed to. He began to feel a warmth taking over his body, starting from his head and spreading down.

Leaving Sindri to his meditation, she showed the remaining metals to Gonuret. "Choose a metal, whichever is to your liking," She stated. When Gonuret chose silver, she once again closed her eyes as she concentrated on forming the glowing metal into an intricate chain cuff that attached from the rings to the wrist with small blue gems. "Close your eyes," She instructed as she slid the gauntlet onto Gonuret's hand.

The moment that Gonuret's eyes closed, he felt a cold sensation seep into his hands through the gauntlet. The cold seemed to spread all over him like an icy wind. When he opened his eyes, the glow seemed to simmer back down.

"Everyone, show your respect to the newly crowned Solare Sindri, and the new right hand, Lunare Gonuret," Mavius announced as they all bowed once more.

Gonuret placed his right hand on Mavius's shoulder, gauntlet and all. "I free you from your responsibilities as Lunare. Go in peace."

"May you work hard to keep the peace of the people," Gallant Mavius replied before driving his chair off the platform.

Sentain Vitara then walked over to reach behind the table, presenting Solare Sindri with his golden staff of the desert. Her pale blue eyes regarded Sindri with warmth as she placed the staff into the desert dragon's hands and closed her own hands around his.

"I free you from your responsibilities as Solare. Go in peace." Sindri stated with a slightly hoarse voice, as it was difficult to speak with a throat that was constricted with emotion. More than ever, he wished his mother would be able to see the ceremony with her own eyes.

"May you work hard to keep the peace of the people," Sentain Vitara replied before taking her place back in line with the Sentains. "Oh, and Solare Sindri?" She called over her shoulder. "Rest well. Tomorrow is the first meeting with the Sentains. In fact," She turned to focus her icy blue gaze on the Gallants. "ALL of you should rest well. You will all be summoned bright and early for the first meeting with the Sentains; all except for Visionary Ansar."

A chorus of "Yes, Sentain Vitara" and "Certainly, Sentain Vitara" followed her statement. Afterward, Gallant Kelius let out a groan of despair while Ansar rubbed his back in, what the hoped, was a soothing manner.