Year: 1015
Place : The Solar dynasty
A colossal mountain pierces the heavens, its jagged cliffs veiled in wisps of golden mist. At its summit, an awe-inspiring copper fortress gleams like a second sun, its radiant walls shimmering under the sky’s embrace. The fortress, standing proud and untouchable, is the heart of the Sun Kingdom, an eternal testament to power, prestige, and the unyielding brilliance of its rulers.
Beneath this majestic castle, the kingdom unfolds in three concentric zones, each tier a delicate petal of civilization cradled at the mountain’s feet—like a lotus yearning for the Sun’s warmth and favor.
Far below the fortress, within the confines of a known hospital in the Second Zone, a girl stirs. The sterile scent of medicinal herbs and warm lamp oil lingers in the air. The weight of exhaustion clings to her limbs, her senses sluggish, her body foreign. As she shifts, a sharp sting flares from her wrist—a bandage tightly wrapped around it, a grim testament to despair. Yet, it is the searing ache in her skull that demands her attention, pulsing with a relentless, burning throb.
Then, like an unstoppable tide, memories flood in—disjointed, fragmented, yet impossibly vivid.
Sanjana. That was this girls name.
No—this was her name now. Along with these memories, these emotions, these burdens. The high and mighty Solar Kingdom, a realm forged under the rule of Great King Vivasvanthan, had stood for generations, guided by the wisdom and power of its founding Seven Horses—noble families entrusted with the kingdom’s vital affairs:
Administration
Law
Revenue
Food and Civil Supplies
Home Affairs
External Affairs
Military Affairs
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
Their heirs continued to serve as ministers, shaping the kingdom’s future. But history had its own way of shifting power. King Jothir Bhanu, the father of the previous king, once found himself at the mercy of assassins. Wounded and helpless, he was saved by a commoner family, who tended to his wounds and sheltered him from danger.
In their humble home, he witnessed the struggles of the lower zones, their hardships painted in every sunken face and weary sigh. But more than that, he saw something else—a fire, an ambition, a hunger to rise. Recognizing their potential, he established the Government Exams, allowing even commoners a chance to rise through merit.
His decision shook the foundations of the First Zone’s elite. Furious whispers spread, but the king remained steadfast.
"If you are a true Sun, prove it with your brilliance."
It took three generations for the Third Zone to carve a place in history. And in that time, a new figure rose from the dust of the lower ranks—Minister Arkan, the hero of the commoners.
But not for her.
For Sanjana, Arkan was the villain of her life. His rise to power cast her family into the shadows. Her father, once the son of a noble minister, had been subdued, humiliated, and laughed at. His marriage crumbled, her grandfather took her mother back to the First Zone, and she and her brother, Ishaan, were pushed into the Second Zone.
Yet, to her, the Second Zone wasn’t a curse.
Here, doctors healed the suffering. Merchants traded in rare goods, filling the streets with colors and scents from all over the kingdom. Soldiers trained with their gleaming weapons, their techniques sharp, their movements captivating. Life was lively, full of new wonders.
She and Ishaan made their own happiness.
Their father, however, never recovered.
He couldn’t fit in. He couldn’t shake the shame. He longed to reclaim their lost prestige—and when Ishaan refused to be his tool, he turned his gaze to her.
At first, he placed all his hopes on Ishaan, forcing him to study for the Government Exams. But Ishaan had no patience for books—his twin swords were his passion, and his hands, made for battle, rejected the pen. His master praised him, calling him the greatest duel swordsman since the legendary Blue Horse of the Military. Though no one had truly seen the Blue Horse fight, Ishaan carried his pride in that comparison.
"How could a hand that wields a sword hold a pen?" Ishaan had grumbled after yet another brutal beating from their father.
One night, he came to her, eyes gleaming with mischief.
"I’m leaving with a merchant caravan to the Moon Kingdom. I’ll bring back your sister-in-law."
She knew it was nothing more than another of his wild fantasies, but she nodded, waved, and smiled like she always did.
And so, Ishaan escaped.
But she was left behind. Caught in their father’s relentless grip.
He wanted her to become a doctor—no, he wanted her to find her way into the First Zone. He wanted her to marry a nobleman, a "true Sun," someone who could restore their family’s dignity.
But how could she find her Sun when even looking at the First Zone’s noble sons was rare as a rainbow.
That's why he finds the legitimate way - Becoming a doctor. As a doctor she could enter into zone 1 inorder to treat them.
So, she studied.
She memorized herbs and their uses, recited medical formulas, and endured sleepless nights filled with endless books. She learned to make medicine, to recognize disease patterns, to listen and diagnose. But medicine was not just knowledge. It required precision, patience, and nerves of steel.
She had none of these.
Once, she had fainted when a soldier was rushed into her teacher’s hospital—a young warrior whose arm had been severed in a "friendly" match. She had watched in horror as his dreams shattered along with his limb.
"You must remain calm in the face of agony," her teacher had said.
But how could she remain calm when confronted with suffering?
Still, she persisted. Through fear, through exhaustion, through tears. And one day, she finally became a doctor.
Was she truly worthy of that title?
Even after years of study, she wasn’t sure. She had knowledge, but did she have the skill? The strength?
But none of that mattered. She had done what her father wanted.
She had no idea that the real battle was only just beginning.
