Sun Queen Trials

**The** **Sun Queen Trials** were a series of trials specifically designed to test Rielle Dardenne. The goal of these trials were to determine if Rielle was one of the Queens of Prophecy and, if so, if she was the Blood or Sun Queen. Though seven trials were originally planned, five were ultimately performed.

## Trials

### Earth

Rielle is taken into the mountains where the earthshakers try to kill her. They start and avalanche. Rielle makes an outcropping of rock shoot up to protect her and stop the avalanche. Suddenly, a strange voice speaks to her in her mind. She passes the trial.

### Water

The water trial takes place in the ocean. It requires Rielle to find all three pieces of a trident hidden in the water. The waterworkers make the ocean roil and toss as if a storm is happening. Rielle finds the head of the trident quickly. She finds the sapphire in a sunken ship full of jellyfish. Last, she finds the pole of the trident and assembles it. By now Rielle barely has the energy to surface, but with words of encouragement from Corien, she does so. She doesn't have the strength to get herself out of the water, but suddenly Audric is there to help her. She passes the trial.

### Metal

The metal trial is a maze. The metalmasters have built a cage that forms a maze with obstacles Rielle must get through. Corien tells her to leave this place and come to him so they can get started. Suddenly, Rielle sees that they have put three orphans in cages within the maze. She must choose to save herself or them. Rielle refuses and is determined to save the children and herself. She makes her way through each part of the maze, rescuing the children one by one. The final obstacle is a thousand swords flying at her and the last child. She is able to stop them with a thought. The people in the stands are ecstatic. She passes the trial.

### Shadow/Sun

The shadow trial involves Rielle fighting off shadow animals. They attack her and soon she is lying helpless. But Rielle is only pretending, and has a plan. She calls every ray of sunlight in the area to conquer the shadows. The crows cheers. Rielle has passed. She snatches the defeated shadows, forms them into a dragon, and sends it toward the Archon. At the last moment she disperses them. Later, she claims that she did this only to demonstrate the strength of her control, not in anger at the Archon.

### Fire

The Archon announces that Rielle will not need to complete the remaining trials. Rielle thinks it's acceptable to count the shadow and sun trails as one because she used both powers during it. She counts the wind trial as surviving being throw over the cliff. But she believes she must prove herself in the fire trial. She wants to show her father, herself, and everyone else that she can master fire since her mother died in a fire she started.

The fire trial is a recreation of her childhood home, and Tal is inside. As Rielle pushes her way through the house, memories of her childhood resurface. She eventually rescues Tal and gets them both out safely by dousing the flames using her powers. Suddenly, she hears screams from the audience and wonders what has happened. Lord Dervin's men are attacking the audience. Corien tells Rielle that he won't stop the attack until Rielle comes to him. She saves Audric and Simon by having Atheria fly them away. Rielle sees Ludivine get knocked over the edge of the cliff as she fights off the soldiers. Then Rielle makes her way to where Corien is. At the end of the fire trial, Rielle ends up killing her father Armand and King Bastien.

## References

1. ↑ The name for this event is unofficial, as there was no name given within the books.