Chapter 1: Character Prologue
Queendom of Falena, 337 Solar Year (125 Falenan New Capital Calendar)

Main Characters

Lazlo En Kuldes: Bearer of the Rune of Punishment (aka. Rune of Atonement and Forgiveness), which is 1 of the 27 True Runes. He was living a secluded and tranquil life until he was secretly asked by Chairwoman Flare to join and protect two other diplomats being sent to establish formal trade ties with the Queendom of Falena, because it appears that dark and clandestine forces are working against such an alliance. He is 49 years old.

Olinda Falenas: Younger daughter of Elemark Falenas. Considered by many to be the most beautiful princess in the entire history of the Queendom. However, she is as curious as she is lovely. In fact, her love of trying new experiences without always thinking them through has gotten her in trouble on more than one occasion. She is 18 years old.

Cyrah Falenas: Older daughter of Elemark Falenas. Attractive, stubborn, and resilient, she always knows how to get what she wants from others. She is the first Falenan princess to be married to the up-and-coming prominent Godwin family. She is 20 years old.

Elemark Falenas: Queen of Falena. She is renowned for her beauty and wisdom. During her reign Falena had experienced a time of relative peace and stability until a recent war with the neighboring nation of Nagarea. Thanks to her clever workings, a temporary peace agreement has been made. And the lives of her people are starting to return to normal. She is 37 years old.

Alen Aethelbald: Commander of the Queen's Knights. He is famous for both his sword and pen, and is considered by most to be the quintessential warrior poet. He stands by his Queen's side with his years of experience both on the field of battle and on the field of politics. He is 50 years old.

Marcus Godwin: Winner of Princess Cyrah's Sacred Games and the next Commander of the Queen's Knights. His ability with a sword has been questioned by many, but his cunningness and magical prowess is considered unparalleled in the Queendom. He is 33 years old.

Ishaan Falenas: Older brother of Elemark Falenas and the current Oracle of Holy Lunas. Having lost both his wife and son at childbirth, he's now very protective of his two nieces. He is 43 years old.

Rose: The youngest Queen's Knight and Olinda's personal bodyguard. She and Olinda are closer than sisters. As such, she is highly protective and fiercely loyal to the princess. She is beautiful, but very dangerous. With her fiery red hair and deadly nunchuck skills, she is a force to be reckoned with. She is 19 years old.

Robert: Queen's Knight and older brother of Graess. He is brash, confident, and quite stern. His speed and accuracy with a halberd coupled with his fierce attitude has earned him the nickname Robert the Reaper. He has the ability to finish off a foe so quickly; seemingly in one touch, like Death. He is 31 years old.

Graess: Queen's Knight and younger brother of Robert. Formerly, the bodyguard of Cyrah until Marcus won the Sacred Games. His thoroughness and thoughtfulness on and off the battlefield are feared and respected by all. Always cautious and alert, he studies his opponent carefully before making a final move against them. He is 27 years old.

Tanya: One of the diplomats sent by the Island Nations Federation's Obel Maritime Council and Flare En Kuldes to establish formal trade ties with Falena. Tanya was chosen to help broker this formal alliance because of her in depth historical knowledge of other cultures as well as her keen tactical wit, which she has honed over the years. Also, she travels with a bookworm-type assistant named Daniel. She is 47 years old.

Desmond: One of the diplomats sent by the Island Nations Federation's Obel Maritime Council and Flare En Kuldes to establish formal trade ties with Falena. Having served for years under Lino, Flare, and many other political members of the Federation. Few have gained as much political savvy and insight as this aging statesman. Though recently retired, he is trusted by all sides within the Federation. Thus, he has agreed to this one last mission at Flare's request. He is 60 years old.

Nyoka: One of the Four Grand High Priest that rule over the Order of Tessares, which is the supreme governing body in the Nagarea Theocracy. This high priest, also, acts as the ambassador between the two nations when he periodically travels to the Queendom in order to inspect the military operations and weapon levels, per the tenuous peace treaty signed at the end of the last war. He is very quiet and mysterious. Also, he speaks in a very strange and old fashion way. He appears to be 45 years old.

Razi: The personal attendant and apprentice to Ambassador Nyoka. He is gifted with a very athletic physique and a strong magical aptitude. As such, this young man quickly traveled up the ranks of his Order. He completed a decade's worth of sword and magical training in less than a year's time. Because of his ability to learn new combat skills so effortlessly, he has become quite arrogant and overconfident. Despite his youth, he quickly caught Nyoka's attention, who brought the young man into his service. Razi is 22 years old.

Note to the Readers:

As of September 2022, this story has been updated for its third and final edition with many new changes.

I added a whole new side story in Chapter 15, featuring just one Queen's Knight. When I first wrote it, I had accidently deleted it and lost all desire to retype it, since it was not essential to the main storyline. However, I found a copy of it on an old flash drive during the Covid lockdowns. So, I tweaked it a little and have added it for your enjoyment. As such, I weaved a few key events from this new chapter into later chapters to help harmonize it.

Speaking of which, without giving any major spoilers away, I did retcon some of the details in the ending of Chapter 24. No dramatic changes, but I did try to make certain events more meaningful. Finally, I hopefully added a little more drama and conflict to Chapter 36.

Plus, several of the longer chapters have been broken up into new 'shorter' ones. While they have a few minor edits, the story is still essentially the same plot with a little extra backstory here and there.

Like before, this fanfiction is available in audio format on YouTube as well. You can find the entire story in its third and final version online. Simply type in: "Punishment of the Sun" on YouTube and look for the thumbnail of Lazlo standing in front of the Sun Palace to hear this latest and final edition.

I hope you enjoy my Suikoden story. I have worked very hard over the years to try and make it even better. Please, remember to leave comments below! Enjoy!