The Prince of Ilios

Twenty-Nine

A bell tolled in the hall.

Ellora shooed the maids away from her as though she were swatting flies. She grabbed a ribbon and braided it through her hair, half up. Her blonde curls fell in waves down her back. She hopped on one foot trying not to fall, while putting her shoes on and heading out the door at the same time, to follow Ava and River.

At breakfast she was seated by Nissa and Kendall. Across from her was a young woman named Derya. Derya wore pure white today, with a silver lace overlay. Her eyes as icy as her element.

Nissa's red locks were braided into an ornate crown around her head, small ringlets framed her face. She blew one to the side as she sat down. Ellora smiled, amused. Kendall sat perfectly upright, like a porcelain doll her dark gown with sheer sleeves glistened in the morning light as she elegantly reached for her napkin. Nissa and Kendall talked quietly to themselves, leaving Ellora to talk with Derya.

"I hear that today is an Element day."

"Yes, and Medical Aid."

"I am excited to practice my skills again. I have a lot to learn."

Derya sliced into her ham, lifting the smallest morsel into her mouth, "It will be nice to stretch my muscles again. I have been using my Element since I was three."

"Three?" Ellora's eyes widened in amazement.

"Of course, we've all had our abilities since we were young." The other girls nodded in response.

Ellora's face turned bright red, "Oh."

Nissa's accent came through with a thick dramatic flair, "I've had mine since the age of three."

Kendall nodded, "I was four."

"My family does not receive our abilities until we are teenagers." Ellora admitted, her embarrassment growing.

The girls gasped, drawing the attention of the rest of the table. Mrs. Brooks cleared her throat, "Girls, I trust you will not make a scene at a ball, or a ceremony." She passed by clearly directing the correction toward Ellora. Her black lace fan hitting the inside of her palm, keeping in time with her steps.

They all nodded in unison and continued with breakfast. Ellora was really getting tired of everything being a lesson. She never felt like she had time to have fun, or just be herself. She always felt as though they were trying to mold her into something she wasn't, not really preparing her to help lead a country.

Nissa quickly changed the subject, "The Prince started his training at the age of two. He was just learning to walk when his first bolt of lightning struck. Ellora tried to imagine the kind of tantrums that Lilly and Ash had along with an element, "I can just imagine my sister Lilly using water to get what she wanted. It would be awful when she threw a tantrum." She chuckled to herself. They would be a dangerous pair.

Kendall raised her brows in concern, "Oh we all started our training very young, with the strictest of teachers. He would not have stood for a tantrum." Nissa and Derya shook their heads.

She almost felt bad for all of them, starting their training so early would have started their journeys toward taking over for their parents, turning them into child-sized adults. At least her and all of her siblings got to run and play with the children in the village. They never had to worry about stains or rips that they would brandish to their mother proudly. She would just tousle their hair and repair the clothing or make them a new garment.

"My mother and father trained my brother and myself."

Derya seemed to take everything very seriously, "I am sure they did not have enough time to teach you all of the things you needed to know, especially starting so late. How did you even make it here?"

Minerva overheard Derya's direct, but honest question. She was two seats down, nose up at everyone, "Oh, dear, Derya, it seems they would accept anyone who could even pour a glass of water as long as she came from the Southern Isles. Even this backwoods, Islander." She smiled triumphantly to herself.

Ellora grimaced. She wasn't confident in her abilities, so she could not readily stand up for herself in this instance.

Tiara interjected, her silver hair shining in the light, her eyes glowering, "Are you implying that Islanders are uneducated?"

"I did not just imply it." Minerva giggled to her friends.

Tiara stared at the fork in Minerva's hand.

A sudden scream came from her throat, as she threw the heated fork across the table. It almost glowed red. Minerva stood, holding her hand, staring at the pink. She looked up at Tiara's smug face, "You will pay for this!"

"Give it a try. What am I to be afraid of? It is just light? Are you going to shine it in my eyes?" Tiara took a sip from her cup.

Mrs. Brooks cleared her throat again, and Minerva immediately sat down. She decided to turn her full attention to the other Islander, "Lady Ellora, I heard that you were caught out after curfew."

Ellora rolled her eyes, "Heard or reported?"

Minerva smiled, knowing that she had brought up a sore subject and continued eating. In order to win this kingdom, she had to play the game long and slow, making everyone drop out before her. And there was no one she would rather go after more than the Islanders. The Union did not even need them, so why were they even here? The kingdom would have already been hers had the King not suggested this ridiculous competition. Of which, she was sure she would be the winner. Although everyone had been trained by exceptional teachers, she was trained by the best, the same teachers as the Prince himself. And she was sure in the end, she would obliterate everyone who stood in her path.

Ellora had narrowly survived her first round of Element Bearing. All of the others were far more advanced than she. Even Minerva was able to show her abilities and talents. She had made a fireworks show of sorts happen. Beautiful colors of lights burst into the sky all around them, like fireflies dancing. One had singed Ellora's dress. When she looked at Minerva, all she saw was a smug smile. No one else suffered any effects from the little lights.

River had, of course, grown a beautiful flowerbed out of nothing but some seeds and a patch of ground. Everyone had thought it was brilliant, but Ellora's favorite part were the various herbs that sprung up and River's knowledge about them. How simple plants could save someone's life was beyond her comprehension, but it continually made her curious.

Ava recited a poem, which transformed the green yard into a brilliant rainforest with a waterfall and wildlife. The illusion was so beautifully crafted that the leaves felt real and even a toucan called in the distance. A happy little monkey sat on a tree branch plucking a banana. Ellora did notice some inconsistencies. The water was too slimy, to be as clear and blue as it was in the illusion. Had there been no water in the illusion, Ellora would have mistaken it for real life. She could definitely see how something like that could be used against a foe.

Derya had created an icerink to skate on. The whole yard turning into a glassy, ice surface. Great ice sculptures arose around the edges to look like huge maple trees. However, it was not strong enough to last. The Fire users had a hard time not slipping, and Ellora had the opposite problem. Once she touched the ice, she could not figure out how to manipulate the water enough in it to let her go. It seemed she was stuck to one spot, until the whole rink melted.

Janel had pressurized some coal together using her power, creating fine glass gems called diamonds. The beautiful rocks were rugged and clear. Minerva seemed the most enraptured by them.

Gem and Citrine tried to do some equally as impressive skills, but did not get very far. They turned to Minerva for encouragement, but she only sauntered away, ignoring them.

The others had varying degrees of success.

When it came to Ellora's turn, she had no idea what to do. She was so nervous that she could barely think, much less focus all her energies into creating something as huge as a landscape or scenery. She ended up trying to make a rainbow. Ellora focused all of her attention on the water, grabbing a large shaky blob. It was about the size of River and Ava put together. It wobbled its way through the air. When she tried to lift it high enough to capture the light, she caught a rainbow for a split second. Then the light hit her in the eyes, causing her to lose focus and soak everyone to the skin. Mrs. Brooks had scolded her soundly.