My first work of Art

Hi, I worked so hard on this. It took weeks of planning and brainstorming.. please give honest feedback and if its worth continuing:

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CHAPTER ONE

THE SOLIS GAZETTE
By decree of the Crown

ROYAL CONTINUITY MANDATE — UNION DECLARATION

It is hereby announced that the Crown of Solis shall enter into lawful union within the current solar cycle under the Civic Continuity Directive 4.1: Preservation of the Line of Radiance.

This action is enacted to maintain structural stability across all rings of the Republic.

The selection process has been completed under authority of the Solarium Council and the Registry of Civic Continuity.

The chosen citizen will be notified under sealed writ and transferred under Solarium Escort Protocol.

Preparations for the union ceremony are to begin immediately.

Compliance is required across all rings.

The system remains continuous.
The Crown remains in place.

REGISTRY OF CIVIC CONTINUITY — SUBJECT RECORD

NAME: CALLOWAY, WREN
RING: THIRD RING
MARK CLASS: C
STATUS: ELIGIBLE — UNMARRIED

BEHAVIORAL INDEX:

• Stable under structured authority
• No recorded resistance incidents
• No ideological alignment markers across Rings
• Low civic visibility profile

SYSTEM OBSERVATION NOTES:

Subject demonstrates predictable compliance response under authority escalation conditions.

No deviation patterns detected during monitored civic cycles.

COMPATIBILITY STATUS: ACCEPTABLE
POLITICAL RISK: LOW
CROSS-RING DISRUPTION POTENTIAL: NONE DETECTED

APPROVED FOR: Crown-adjacent evaluation protocol

The holo-display in the main hall shuffled through its usual rotation of ads and announcements.

I never paid attention.

Nobody did.

Not until the familiar regal tune tore through the hallway at a volume far louder than anything the holo-display normally played.

The bustling crowd slowed. One by one, heads turned toward the screen.

My stomach tightened.

Usually, when this happened, it meant something bad. A notice of execution. A ration cut. Another district restriction disguised as civic protection.

So I looked up.

In large gold letters, the display read:

BY DECREE OF THE CROWN

This was different.

This did not come from the Ministry of Civic Order. This came from the Solarium Chancery.

Anything from the Solarium meant there was going to be a very big change within the Republic of Solis.

Then I saw the next line.

ROYAL CONTINUITY MANDATE

I kept reading.

The announcement stated that a candidate had already been selected to marry into the royal family.

A few people gasped. Some looked excited. Others could not have cared less.

I was one of the others.

Why did this have to be broadcast? How did this directly affect me or my peers? We were Third Ring citizens. There was no world in which the Crown would consider one of us.

I adjusted the strap of my satchel on my shoulder and headed to class.

By the time I got there, it was all anyone seemed to be talking about.

“Do you know what this means?” Tessa Harrow squealed.

Tessa sat beside Mara Pike, like always. The two of them spent most of the time before class gossiping, and today, the marriage announcement had become their chosen obsession.

“That means someone was already chosen,” Tessa said. “It could be anyone right now, and we won’t even know until we get home and check our inbox. I wouldn’t be surprised if I got that gold-sealed envelope.”

I rolled my eyes and dropped into my chair, placing my worn green satchel on the desk.

That caught Tessa’s attention.

She glanced at it, then at me.

“And then there’s the possibility of... that receiving the envelope.”

The class snickered.

I did not engage. I did not make eye contact.

I simply did not care.

Like clockwork, the instructor walked in.

The next hour was spent learning about herbal remedies, emergency medical procedures, and first aid.

When the bell finally rang, I was relieved. It was the final class of the day, and I was out the door before Tessa could make another comment.

Lira and I walked home together every day after classes.

The University sat in the nicer part of the Third Ring, which only meant it was closer to the Second. The farther you moved from the inner rings, the less flattering the scenery became.

“Did you see the holo?” Lira asked.

She fidgeted with the blue crocheted sleeve on her arm, her fingers stained with ink from the records department where she practically lived.

“Yeah,” I said. “I saw it. So did delusional Tessa. It was all she talked about.”

Lira snorted. “She’s been insufferable ever since she won Top Scholar in Upper School.”

It was true.

Tessa had developed a permanent ego after that.

Lira and I laughed and continued through Town Square.

The streets there were wider, lined with small shops and merchant stands. Soldiers stood posted at corners and between stalls, watching everything and everyone.

Lira and I lived on Tallow Lane, near the outskirts of the Third Ring. It was a long walk.

Unfortunately, we were not afforded the luxury of an accessible travel system like citizens in Ring Two or Ring One. The only transportation available to us was the train, and it only ran during certain times and for certain purposes.

University classes were not one of them.

As we neared Tallow Lane, the streets narrowed. The shops thinned. The stands disappeared.

The soldiers increased.

Finally, we reached our neighborhood.

My family owned a small apothecary shop called Calloway Apothecary. We lived right above it.

The best part was that Lira was my neighbor.

After classes, she would usually come over and we would study or talk about the most ridiculous things.

But today was different.

Today, the shop was closed.

We were never closed.

We could not afford to be.

If we ever closed, it would have to be for some extravagant reason.

When Lira and I walked into the apothecary, my parents were acting strange.

My mother was usually cheerful. My father could never resist making some awful joke.

Not today.

Today, they looked nervous.

Unsure.

Afraid.

I turned to Lira.

“Today probably isn’t a good day.”

She looked from me to my parents, then nodded.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” she said softly.

Once she left, I turned back to my parents.

“Is... everything okay?”

My mother said nothing.

My father stepped forward.

“This came for you today.”

He held up an envelope.

It was not plain white paper. It was thick, cream-colored, and textured. Expensive.

The kind of material no one in the Third Ring ever got their hands on.

My name was written across the front in beautiful black calligraphy.

In the upper corner, the sun of the Solarium had been embossed in gold foil.

On the back was a gold wax seal stamped with the official crest of the Solarium.

The seal was unbroken.

Perfect.

My heart dropped.

Especially after what I had seen on the holo-display at the University.

The odds of this happening to me were slim to none.

Nothing interesting ever happened to me.

“What is this?” I asked.

I could have opened it, yes.

But part of me was too nervous.

Too anxious.

I just could not.

“It’s from the Solarium, dear,” my father said carefully. “I’m sure you saw the Gazette today.”

Never in all my years had we received a letter from the Solarium.

And somehow, coincidentally, we received one today of all days.

I swallowed hard and took the envelope.

Slowly, I broke the perfect wax seal.

It snapped the second I touched it.

Whatever was inside, I could feel the weight of it.

I removed the letter and took a deep breath.

My parents looked just as anxious as I felt, if not more.

BY DECREE OF THE CROWN
UNDER AUTHORITY OF THE SOLARIUM COUNCIL
CIVIC CONTINUITY DIRECTIVE 4.1

CALLOWAY, WREN ELEANOR
RING: THIRD
CREDENTIAL: CLASS C — PENDING
REGISTRY NUMBER: 47-8832-T

You have been selected under the Civic Continuity Directive for union with the Crown of Solis.

This selection is binding and non-negotiable under Republic law.

You are hereby summoned to the Solarium on the third day following receipt of this writ at the twelfth hour for transfer under Solarium Escort Protocol.

Failure to comply will result in enforcement action under Section 9 of the Civic Order Act.

All arrangements for your departure have been made.

You are permitted one personal bag not to exceed standard carry dimensions. All other belongings will be provided.

Your family has been issued compensation under Civic Continuity Clause 6.2.

No further correspondence is required.

The system remains continuous.
The Crown remains in place.

Issued by the Office of the Solarium Chancery
Sealed in the name of King Archer of Aurevale

I set the letter on the counter.

I was too stunned to comprehend what I had just read.

Slowly, I glanced at my parents.

They looked ready to support me in any way they knew how.

They always had.

“Well,” I blurted, “this is obviously a mistake.”

It had to be.

I lived on the outskirts of the Third Ring. I was far from eligible for something like this.

Surely, if the Crown wanted a bride, they would choose someone from the First Ring. Maybe even the inner skirts of the Second.

Not me.

“The Solarium doesn’t make mistakes, dear,” my father said. “I’m afraid this is legitimate.”

My parents looked at me with concern.

If this was legitimate, then everything could change.

And change was rarely good.

I could not get married.

I had plans.

I wanted to become an apothecary and open my own shop.

And my husband would not just be anyone.

It would be King Archer.

A tyrant.

Before King Archer’s reign, there had been King Elias, his father. King Elias was the one we all feared most. Nobody wanted to anger him, so we stayed quiet, worked hard, and kept out of trouble.

Especially Third Ring citizens.

We were given the least grace out of all the rings.

Most public execution victims came from the Third Ring. A man from the Third could commit the same crime as a man from the Second, and the Third Ring man would be hanged while the Second Ring man would be detained.

Then there was the Annual Review.

That was when the Solar Guard Force reviewed the Registry of Civic Continuity and removed anyone deemed “non-contributing.”

That included citizens with long records of compliance issues, disabled citizens, and the elderly.

Again, mostly Third Ring citizens.

Nobody knew where they were actually taken.

Some said they were quietly executed.

Others said they were sent to the Outerlands.

King Elias also used citizens for science in the labs.

If you were a prisoner, you ran the risk of being used for testing. It could range from medical research to combat enhancement for the military.

You can guess which ring they pulled from most.

After the King’s passing, many thought those cruel practices would end.

They did not.

King Archer was presented with a formal petition from the Second and Third Rings asking for a review of the policies King Elias had enforced.

Both rings followed proper protocol.

It was a lawful petition.

King Archer had every government official who approved the motion arrested.

They were charged with conspiracy and given no trial.

Ten officials were executed. The rest were sent to a labor camp.

After that, it became very clear that we were not to ask anything of him.

I stormed off to my room.

I needed to get away.

I needed to think.

When I reached my bedroom, I threw my satchel onto the bed and sat down beside it.

The mattress squeaked beneath me.

The room was so quiet.

My thoughts were not.

I rummaged through my satchel and pulled out my tablet.

I was going to message the Solarium directly.

I needed to alert them of their mistake.

An hour later, my Solar Link lit up.

I had received a message.

A message I wished I had never opened.

⚠ PRIORITY MESSAGE ⚠

SUBJECT: RESPONSE TO INQUIRY — REGISTRY CASE #47-8832-T
TO: CALLOWAY, WREN ELEANOR | REG: 47-8832-T

Your selection has been confirmed under Civic Continuity Directive 4.1.

The writ issued to CALLOWAY, WREN ELEANOR is accurate and binding.

Registry verification complete:

• NAME: Confirmed
• RING: Confirmed
• CREDENTIAL STATUS: Confirmed
• BEHAVIORAL INDEX: Acceptable
• BOUND VOW DESIGNATION: Active

No errors have been identified.

Your selection is FINAL and NON-NEGOTIABLE under Republic law.

Compliance is mandatory.

Escort arrival remains scheduled as indicated.

Failure to comply will result in enforcement action under Section 9 of the Civic Order Act.

No further correspondence will be issued.

The system remains continuous.
The Crown remains in place.

— Solarium Chancery, Office of Civic Continuity

It was not a mistake.

Compliance was indeed mandatory.