Contents
10: An Amusing Plight
Overview
Aurora wakes regretful after snooping but is comforted by Ina and the castle’s quiet magic. At breakfast, teasing exposes the Starmaker’s human flaws before they depart to train. On the glacier they argue, then Aurora endures agonizing heat to call the Sun and light Reverie. Afterward, the Starmaker pointedly withdraws, though his private thoughts reveal reluctant concern.
Summary
Aurora wakes burdened by guilt for entering the Starmaker’s preserved childhood room, its loneliness haunting her. Ina offers kindness, shares her family’s long service to the castle, and outfits Aurora in Sun-provided clothes, underscoring how the palace’s magic anticipated Aurora’s arrival.
At breakfast, Constance the immortal rabbit sits by the Starmaker. Aurora’s laughter at his confession that he detests mornings briefly humanizes him and restores a sliver of her old self. They depart by sleigh; he admits he favors the darkness for solitude, refuses to name the deer to avoid grief, and confirms Constance will never die.
On the glacier by a lone golden lamppost, their frustrations erupt. Aurora demands compassion for the life she left; the Starmaker insists urgency matters more than comfort and pushes her to act like a Starmaker. He frames their magic as a personal tether to the Sun born of love and survival.
He takes Aurora’s shaking hand to moderate the Sun’s heat. As sunlight rolls over the valley, unbearable fire tears through her; she collapses into the snow while he anchors her and silently rubs her back until the pain subsides. He then hangs the light in the lamppost, securing daylight over Reverie.
Shaken, Aurora protests returning; he warns noncompliance means death. They trade barbs about costs and sacrifice, ending with his cold dismissal: “I do not think of you at all.”
In a brief shift to the Starmaker’s perspective, he recognizes the cruelty and falsehood of his words yet chooses distance to spare them both from deeper attachment, even as their impending marriage threatens to complicate his resolve.
Who Appears
- Aurora FinchNew Starmaker; homesick yet wry. Clashes with the Starmaker, endures agonizing first sunrise training, and sees glimpses of his hidden gentleness.
- The StarmakerImmortal mentor; curt and guarded. Guides Aurora through calling the Sun, quietly comforts her, then distances himself despite private regret.
- InaCastle attendant; kind and steady. Outfits Aurora, shares family ties to the castle, and announces the sleigh’s readiness.
- ConstanceImmortal rabbit; sits beside the Starmaker at breakfast. A constant from the first Starmaker, subtly revealing his softer side.