Song of the Sun

What does it mean to become a knight? For some it means charging into battle fearlessly, clad in armor and driving a lance into their enemies. For some it may mean simply keeping the peace in their hold and feigning a smile for their liege. For Girss it means finding his grandfather, Sir Oben, who disappeared seventeen years ago in the mountains with twenty knights of his mysterious order. Girss and his family sail to the capital for his final trial before he can be accepted by Beldea as a knight. He holds onto a small broach, a Griffin, the symbol of his family. A gift from his grandfather when he was young. It brings him peace of mind when he is troubled, but a trinket won't impress the king, and his father and brother, already knights, won't talk about their trials...   What does it mean to be a knight? Rodias has many opportunities to be a hero in a world filled with beasts and hostile neighbors. Should he strive to become one of the Kingsworn and stay in the Sunspire beside the king, guarding him day and night? Or should he focus on his new wife and bothering his father about a keep of his own on the mainland? His brother Girss will certainly need some help if he is to attain knighthood. The politics of Beldea bore him, and sucking up isn't one of Rodias' skills. He prefers swinging his axe and riding to distant cities to experience the world beyond the capital. Perhaps his order will send him to the deserts of the Tourniquet where cragdrakes are hunted for their rock-like hides, or to Sarshasa, the City of Jewels where one can buy anything and morals are in short supply. The world is open to Rodias and he thirsts for heroic deeds to restore glory and honor to his house. After all, his uncle murdered the heir to the throne all those years ago...   What does it mean to be a lord? It means everyone bothers you with their problems, relevant or not. It means you have to listen to the city guilds bicker and fight about the daily running of the country. It means owing your life and all you have to the mercy of a king who can't lead men and can't inspire the populace to any greater action than throwing a Harvest Banquet. Lord Areg knows such troubles. His father: missing. His wife: dead. His brother: imprisoned. His youngest son: a coward. Only his dear Rodias has made anything of himself. The house of Torian will never rise unless the status quo changes in Beldea. Areg can see the storm clouds forming; hear the dissent in every "My lord". His dreams are dark and forbidding of late. And there is much of the wider world that Areg has not told his children...   Song of the Sun is a low fantasy (with hints of grimdark) story where being brave makes you dead and making the right friends could save your life. The Beks are a nation of refugees that escaped a destructive civil war on their home island. They sailed to the mainland and started a new nation called Beldea. Here, they cultivated a solid life on the eastern coast, helped out by friendly giants, and harassed by the Gavarr, a beast-race that claims Bek land as their own. Beldea is a relatively new nation and looks to make a name for itself with the help of its knightly orders. The story will follow the Torian family: Girss, Rodias, and their father Areg. With more than a few bumps in the road, the family is at the capital to stay. But when a haunting mist begins to swallow the countryside, their sun-worshiping culture begins to fracture. With darkness looming and enemies approaching, what does it mean to be a knight?