The Prince of Ilios

Sixteen

"My name is Ellora, I am a water-bearer from the Southern Isles." She took a sip of her water, careful not to hit the crystal stem on any of the other tableware. She shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

Tiara interjected, "Your Highness, I think that if one has good followers, this sort of action would not be considered a sacrifice for a great leader. I was proud to serve my people."

It was a good compromise between their ideas. Ellora nodded her concession.

Nicola watched her as she smiled, smug.

Ava interjected, "My Prince, we all heard about your conquest of the fire province to the west. That was a day of great success. The old leader had been such a tyrant of his people. Or so I had heard."

"The people of Vatra were thankful to be given a new life." Nicola nodded, "I was grateful for my generals, without them, we would have never succeeded."

Ellora knew very little of the people of Vatra, but grimaced at the thought of a tyrant for a leader. She was not sure that Vatra's previous leader and its now King were all that different.

"Is the food not to your liking, Princess?"Nicola turned to Ellora, smiling that she might be having a bad time.

"The food is delicious. It is new to me, but I like to try new things. I am sure Princess Tiara would agree." She pointed the conversation back to the woman across from her. She was clearly raised to be a princess, whereas Ellora was not, by the standards of the room. Even hearing the word Princess come from Nicola made her cringe. She couldn't help but feel that Nicola was mocking her. Tiara and Nicola carried on mundane and safe conversation. Ava interjected as often as she could, and River tried her best not to.Tiara was agreeable, a beauty from the Northern Isles. Ellora wondered if she and Tiara were here under similar motives and obligations.

Ellora felt something brush up against her arm. She looked down to see the Prince grabbing one of her forks, and swiping it to the ground in an invisible movement. She glanced around to see if anyone else had seen.

"What are you doing?" She finally asked confused.

All he did was raise a brow in her direction and turn his attention back to Tiara.

River elbowed her.

"He knocked my fork off the table." She whispered to her.

"We weren't on that course anymore. He was probably just being nice." She whispered back, shrugging.

Why would he care if I picked up the wrong fork? Ellora wondered to herself. The rest of the dinner seemed to flow smoothly. The Prince rarely turned his attention to her, which she was grateful for. When he did, they traded barbs for a bit, Ava or River would interject and the conversation settled once again.

How could anyone be so disagreeable? They thought in unison. Ellora resigned herself to her assignment. She would have to negotiate with him eventually and wanted to be able to present a good front. No matter how hard she tried, he found new ways to get under her skin and irritate her, like poison ivy.

The King and Prince left the room after dessert. Miss Brooks announced, "The ceremony will be held in the ball room. There, you will receive more instruction and a welcome from the King and Prince. Please be sure to be on your best behavior." The severe woman eyed Ellora at the last sentence, her eyes drawn to her hemline, yet again. Ellora rolled her eyes.

"The Prince is so kind, don't you think, River?" Ava chatted excitedly next to her. She couldn't hold back the mocking laugh that escaped her throat.

River shook her head, "The only reason he was not kind to you was because you were being so disagreeable, Ellora."

The response astounded her, "Disagreeable, me?"

The girls filtered into the ballroom.

"What do you expect?" Ava shrugged, "You questioned his every word. It is clear that you don't like him much. It makes us wonder why you are even here. You didn't even try to put up a pretense of liking him."

The two were clearly shocked at the way that Ellora spoke to the Prince. She became self-conscious, re-examining everything she said to him. I was pretty harsh, maybe they're right.

As they entered the ballroom, Ellora's eyes took in every detail. Instead of white marble, the room was covered in warm sandy and golden colors. The rest of the palace seemed cold compared to this humongous room. Above giant gold and crystal chandeliers sparkled rainbows around the room. Great windows and glass doors lined the opposite wall leading into a garden where a great fountain stood. Her fingers itched to touch the water, as though her element were calling to her. The night was cloudy and dark. To combat the night the servants had lit warm candles around the room. She realized that each element was represented here, surprised at the thought.

The King cleared his throat and the room fell silent. Nicola was standing next to him. He scanned the room, looking at each of the girls faces. When the Prince saw Ellora he looked away quickly. Ellora stared down at her hands, slightly embarrassed. Her friends were right.

"Welcome." The King began an eloquent speech, "You have been gathered from each of the provinces, joined or unjoined in the Union to Ilios, in order to participate in a contest to be joined with my son, Prince Nicola." He gestured to his son, who bowed slightly, "Thank you for arriving so promptly. Miss Brooks will now fill you in on your daily schedules and details. We are looking for the best choice as Queen, not only for Nicola, but also for all of the provinces. For the best of the Union." He continued.

"The Union?" Ellora whispered to Ava.

"It is all the provinces that join Ilios. We call ourselves The Union. That way each province can remain distinctive, but with the same goals, under the guidance of one leader."

"Can anyone else be leader, or is it always Ilios?"

Ava raised a brow, "Naturally, it was Ilios's idea, but there is a council. All of the provinces have their element-bearing leaders, they make up the council, which comes together once a year to make the decisions for the Union. The King of Ilios oversees minor decisions."

The idea concerned Ellora, "Only once a year? and What exactly are minor decisions, when they concern all of the provinces?"

The girl with the raven curls and ruby dress glared at them over her shoulder, "Shh."

They quieted at once, turning their attention back to the King as he ended his speech on unity and what a special opportunity this was. He puffed up each province that was a part of the Union, calling special attention to them and speaking as though the Northern and Southern Isles were missing out.

Tiara clapped at the end of the speech with the rest of the provinces. Ellora grimaced, "Tiara, he practically said that we were uneducated, cave-dwellers..."

Tiara thought a moment, "I don't know about the Southern Isles, but the Northern Isles could use the stability that the King of Ilios and the Union offer. We do not have very much to give, but a lot to gain from joining them."

"Wait, you aren't here to negotiate the Northern Isles freedom?" Ellora had misunderstood her position.

Tiara shook her head, "We have been petitioning them to let us join for over a year now, but they kept saying that we had nothing to offer, and little resources to help us. The volcanoes had just started boiling at that point, but had not erupted yet."

Ellora swallowed hard, "I hope it works out." She blinked, her reply unenthusiastic. She suddenly felt very alone and began wondering where Alyn was and why she had not seen him. She would have to find him after the ceremony and relay everything she had learned. Hopefully, he had the chance to learn somethings as well.