36: Standing at the Top of the World

That night, Aurora assembles every castle mirror around the statue of the Sun and the Starmaker, aiming to project its image into the heavens. She reassures Ina of her stability and declines Frederick’s offer to take the risk for her, determined to reach the Sun before Caspian’s burial the next day.

After meticulous measurements, Aurora assigns Ina to place and light the first mirror in the hall and takes the second on a volatile sled that can only move vertically. Strapped in and pulled by wolves, she speeds into the woods, reflecting on grief and Caspian’s steadfast acceptance of her. At the mountain’s base, she releases the wolves and begins the perilous climb as the sled shoots straight up the rock face.

Ropes strain and one snaps, but Aurora holds on, reciting her wedding vow to stay conscious until the sled finally tops the peak. On the summit, awed by the star-filled expanse, she secures the mirror against a boulder and waits for Ina’s light to appear from below.

When the distant glimmer blooms, Aurora hauls her mirror into the precise position, anchoring it so the statue’s reflection sits centered in the glass. The image leaps skyward, carrying the Sun’s human likeness and her beloved Starmaker beyond Reverie’s peaks, where the Sun can see it.

As the night lightens with the Sun’s return, Aurora understands this act honors Caspian, the first Starmaker, and every love the mountain has held. Settled on the sled beneath her cloak, she begins to speak into the vastness—retelling the Sun and Starmaker’s love story—to restore the Sun’s empathy and secure Reverie’s protection.