Contents
32: Darkness
Overview
On the day after Caspian’s death, Aurora keeps Reverie in ceremonial darkness and mourns amid tolling bells and closed markets. She wanders the grounds, keeps vigil near Caspian’s casket, and witnesses enduring magic in their blooming rose. Finding solace with Caspian’s stag, she names him Fate, accepting long years of grief and duty.
Summary
Reverie spends the day after Caspian’s death in deliberate darkness as Aurora declines to pull the Sun. Villagers recognize the custom, shutter shops, and gather in mourning while bells toll across the mountain. Aurora listens from her balcony, overwhelmed by memories of Caspian’s final moments and the peach roses she placed on his chest.
Alone in her room, Aurora cannot eat and leaves letters unread while Constance watches her. The gold handkerchief waits at her side, a small, constant presence. Seeking air, she dresses warmly and walks the grounds, moving from deer to rabbits to squirrels; the wolves’ howl joins the bells, blanketing Reverie in grief.
Aurora visits the greenhouse and the rosebush she planted with Caspian, now in full white bloom despite the darkness, a reminder of lingering magic. Restless, she goes to the sanctuary where Caspian’s casket lies, circling the stone structure with her hand on it, unwilling to leave him alone.
As she turns to depart, Aurora spots Caspian’s stag in the distance—the same one she once aimed to kill. She runs toward him and he runs to meet her, until they halt together. The stag presses his head to her chest, then curls in the snow; Aurora lies beside him, resting against his flank beneath the stars.
Reflecting on Caspian’s guarded heart and the long future before her, Aurora understands the cost of intimacy and loss. Looking into the stag’s star-reflecting eyes, she resolves to name the animals at last. She names the stag Fate, marking a quiet acceptance of grief and the path ahead.
Who Appears
- AuroraNewly reigning after Caspian’s death; declares a mourning darkness, keeps vigil, seeks solace with animals, and names the stag Fate.
- Caspian (the Starmaker)Recently deceased; laid in a marble casket in the sanctuary, the focus of Aurora’s mourning.
- Fate (Caspian’s stag)Caspian’s stag who meets Aurora on the glacier; lies with her as she names him Fate.
- ConstanceAurora’s companion animal, silently present as Aurora grieves in her room.
- Wolves of ReverieHowl in mourning, their chorus blending with the bells to echo the realm’s grief.
- InaDelivers condolence letters to Aurora, which remain unread in her grief.
- Palace staffPreviously bore Caspian’s casket to the sanctuary; their actions frame the mourning rites.
- Villagers of ReverieHonor the Starmaker by closing shops and gathering under the mourning darkness.
- Gold handkerchiefAnimated attendant trailing Aurora; pocketed when grief becomes overwhelming.