The Prince of Ilios

Two

In the Lands of the Seven Stones there were nine provinces that functioned under the monarchy of the mainland. The other two provinces were made up of island tribes. The Northern Isles were under one jurisdiction and the Southern Isles were under another, where Alyn's Father was the Chief. He had a board of three counselors, who advised him, each were from a different adult age so as to add variety, innovation, and tradition. The monarchy of the mainland, had not taken over the Island provinces, yet. The relationship was tenuous to say the least.

Ellora stood next to her Father and Mother, looking out over the large tribe, her family. She hated being the center of attention, but her Father was hoping to add a seat to the counsel for her, so he threw a coming of age ceremony for her nineteenth birthday this year. Her brother Alyn was to take over the tribe when Father died. It was his greatest pride. Father had raised him especially for the people, and he excelled at it. Ellora had never really known where she fit. It had always been awkward in school because everyone thought that she was a goodie-goodie, and received special attention because she was the Chieftain's daughter. In all actuality her Father had made her work twice as hard and told the teacher to judge her harshly on all of her assignments. Although, they functioned as a tribe, they were incredibly advanced. Most of the members were fisherman and pearl hunters, always on the ocean, seeking out great treasures, the rest were farmers. They exported their goods to the mainland through the port, which was marked by a giant flagstone, carved out and inlaid with black opals that changed colors between black, blue, purple and green depending on the time of day you were looking at it. Each province had one of these with different inlays. They symbolized the foundation of their societies. Ellora gazed at it from the platform.

Her Mother handed her a bulb. At the coming of age ceremonies the Chieftain's children would plant various plants. Ellora was the fifth to plant a bulb at the base of the flagstone. In the past they had planted all over the Island, usually in the person's favorite place. Alyn had gotten to plant a Springfruit tree. Springfruit bloomed in the winter and fruited in the spring instead of the summer. The fruit was sweet and spicy at the same time. The outside coated in a firm green shell and the inside was a fleshy soft blue. It had many medicinal uses and only thrived on their tropical Island. Ellora walked out to the flagstone and planted the tropical flower bulb. It would come up tall and purple in the fall, spreading a honeyed scent into the air. She smiled at the thought. The hardest part was next though. She had not had nearly enough time to practice this portion of the ceremony. It was also the reason that she was late in having her coming of age ceremony.

The Chief and their family were imbued with special power involving the element of water. At the coming of age ceremony each member was expected to show off said power. Because of this expectation the children worked every evening on manipulation of their element. Powers became more prominent when each child turned thirteen. However, Ellora's powers had not manifested until last year and were more hit or miss. Alyn had begun manipulating water when he had turned ten, the youngest on record. Bracken had begun his manipulation on his Thirteenth birthday. Violet was already starting to show the beginnings of power although she was only twelve, making Ellora feel incredibly inadequate. It was a miracle that she had any power at all, but surely she could water a simple flower without messing it up.

She piled the soil over the bulb and turned toward the ocean. She needn't do anything incredibly fancy, just water the plant to symbolize how she would provide for the tribe. Ellora exhaled trying to calm her frayed nerves. She could not mess this up in front of the whole tribe and her Father and Mother. Perish the thought. She narrowed her focus. Her fingertips began to cool and tingle as she inhaled, gathering her manipulation skill. An elegant ribbon of bright blue water came to life. It wound and twisted its way in a sleek line through the air. The tribe silenced in awe. Ellora twisted her hands in the air and the water responded. She coaxed it forward, carefully to the bulb. It began watering the bulb, but its tail was shaky. Just a little more. She tried not to lose her concentration, but her energy was at its end. The last of the ribbon fell into the soil instead of on the bulb.

Ellora shook her head, disappointed with herself. Behind her the tribe cheered and clapped excitedly. Music began to play and drums beat as the Chief's wife invited everyone to eat.

Alyn tilted his head, giving her a consoling hug, "Why the long face, Loraby?" He'd been calling her that ever since she was born. It was a mix of her name and the word "baby."

"You saw, I did not get all of the water to the plant, much less do anything actually spectacular. Even Violet can do what I just did and she is a beginner." Ellora threw up her hands, covering her face in embarrassment.

"Violet barely knows how to make a puddle." Alyn looked at her skeptically, "You did your best and that is what is important. We'll train more tonight."

The idea of her being a helpless leader had taken root in her mind. The mainland was a looming problem for her family. If they ever decided to take over, the Chief and his family were supposed to help defend the people. Ellora knew that was impossible in the position that she was in, "What if one day my best is not good enough? I can't stand not being able to fulfill my role in the Chieftain's family. The honor of our tribe..." She trailed off.

Alyn knew that he could not cure his sister of her insecurities, instead he tried to distract her by teasing her, "Raven would never think that."

Ellora rolled her eyes and shook her head, "Do not even start today, Alyn! The boys already interrupted the whole ceremony. I am not going to reward him by giving him any attention." Although Raven was completely enamored with Ellora, she could hardly say the same about her kid-brother's friend, or enemy, she never really knew which. Her blue skirt billowed around her ankles. It was the same color as Alyn's sash, but was embroidered with silver thread, making it look like it was constantly moving, even when she was standing still. It reminded her of a school of fish in the ocean, flowing around her legs and ankles. She tried to stretch in the suffocating corset, over her white long sleeved top. Her mother had it made for her ceremony. It looked like the inlay of the flagstone, brightly colored blues, purples and greens with black lace over it. The front was decorated with pearls from their bay. Although beautiful, it was incredibly uncomfortable. Ellora knew that from now on she would have to get used to it. It was proper attire for a lady of age on their Island.

"At any rate, would you let me have the first dance?" Alyn gave her his goofy, big brother grin, and gestured toward the tribe. All of them were celebrating happily.

Ellora nodded, all she could do for now was participate. Tonight she would work harder on her manipulation skill and every night after. She did not want to be the weak link in the tribe. Also, she did not want to drag anyone down with her sour mood. It was their responsibility as the Chieftain's children to make sure everyone had a good time tonight. She took as deep a breath as she could manage and took her brother's hand.