Planetary Kings 7: Saturn

King Titan of Saturn

The King of Saturn was a slender, soft-spoken man, but his eyes seemed to pierce everything around him.  Few of the servants had the courage to meet his eyes, even though he never raised his voice to any of them.  As he glided down the hallway with a rustle of his dark purple robes, that unnerving gaze sweeping the area in search of his quarry, the servants kept their own eyes looking at almost anything else.  King Titan paid them no mind, for he was used to it, and he had more important matters to attend to at the moment.
As King Titan passed by one of the large windows, one of the curtains quivered slightly.  He paused in mid step, a smile touching his lips.
“Now, where could she be?” he mused aloud, and heard a tiny, muffled giggle.  “I've searched everywhere, and there's no sign of Rhea!  Has she vanished completely?” he continued, causally stepping back toward the window, and heard another quiet giggle.  “Or could she be. . .here?” he said with a dramatic flourish as he pulled back the window curtain to reveal his three-year-old daughter.
Princess Rhea giggled loudly and ran into her father's arms, meeting his eyes without a trace of fear.  “You founded me!” she proclaimed happily.
“Indeed I did, but now it's time for little princesses to go to bed,” he said gently, and Princess Rhea pouted.
“No!  Wanna play more!” she said with a quiver of her lip.
“We shall play again tomorrow,” her father said firmly.  “Now it is bed time.”  
“Awww,” Rhea sulked as her father carried her away down the hall.  Most of the doors were shut, but one large door stood open.  The room was spacious but unlit, and when Rhea realized they were drawing close to that room, she gave a frightened gasp and hid her face in her father's shoulder-length black-blue hair.
“Whatever is the matter, sweetheart?” King Titan asked in surprise, stopping in front of the large open door.
“Don't like it,” Princess Rhea said, burying her face against her father's shoulder.  “Too dark!”
“Too dark?” King Titan repeated in surprise, looking at the room, then smiled.  “But it doesn't have to be.  Look,” he said, and walked into the dark room.
Princess Rhea squirmed in his grip and whimpered unhappily, until the room began to fill with soft light.  She dared a glance upward and saw numerous crystalline lamps spread throughout the large room, each one creating a pool of light.  The room was, in fact, King Titan's study, and had a large desk with a computer and piles of papers on the left side, a large, plush chair next to it.  A couch was against the right hand wall, and a small table with two more chairs took up a corner.  
“You see?  It's like walking through a night sky, isn't it?” King Titan said with a warm smile as he walked around the room with her.  “There is beauty in darkness as well as light, my little one.  Our family knows this better than anyone.”
Princess Rhea looked around the room and giggled in delight.  She reached out with one chubby hand and touched one of the lamps for a moment.
“So pretty, Daddy!” she said happily.  She bravely looked at the still shadowy areas for a moment, but the darkness still seemed unwelcoming, whatever her father said.
King Titan watched her expression and smiled gently.  “You'll understand one day.  All in good time,” he observed, and then continued his journey to the royal nursery to put her to bed.