Elissa stares at her hands, a slight lingering blue glow between her fingers as the orb winks into nothingness.
"You are the Light!" Celestia's voice breaks her reverie and she turns to face her grandmother.
She doesn't get the chance to formulate a response, when a familiar power signature slides sinfully around her and Morpheus appears next to them.
"Remind me sister, what are the words of the prophecy your mother made?"
Celestia gives him a fleeting look of peevishness and then intones, "A union of the noble houses of the north and the south will begat the golden one, to herald a golden era. The King of Avalon, Guardian of the Light of Elysium, will hold the Light to banish the darkness once more."
Morpheus does not say anything, merely looks at Celestia and raises an eyebrow.
"Regulus! My son is needed for the the prophecy to be fulfilled." Celestia blanches and places a hand over her mouth.
Elissa feels slightly queasy. "The gods have him."
Celestia goes even paler if that is possible. "Then we had better pray for a miracle."
Morpheus leans against a tree, one ankle casually crossed over the other. "Or perhaps Elysium just needs a king who is strong enough to face Hades."
Though his words are directed to Celestia, his gaze swings to Elissa, letting her know that he would be willing to stand against his own brother. However, she is not sure that she is willing to pay his price.
Deciding that now is not the time to think about such things, she makes the excuse of needing to sort out her Council. After promising Celestia to include Altair, she makes a quick escape.
The first person she seeks out is Darish, as she trusts him completely and gets his agreement to be her secretary. She wryly smiles to herself at how different the palace will find him compared with Lucifer's weaselly fellow.
Next, she enters the palace in search of the Dwarven King and bumps into the last dwarf she expected to meet.
"Dwin!" Surprise rings in her voice. "What are you doing here?"
Dwin is looking rather resplendent in a dark green velvet jacket, a clean white shirt and polished boots. His blond beard is combed and plaited and there is not a speck of dust in sight. It is a far cry from when she first met him in the mountains only days after arriving in Elysium.
He gives a low bow. "Your Majesty, I am here for your coronation."
"Is Garvi here too?"
"No." He guffaws. "He would never have made the journey. My father is part of the king's court."
She shakes her head in amusement, recalling Garvi's distrust of the 'outside'. I really must talk to the king about that tunnel. "So what does your father do?"
"He is the Royal Treasurer."
Ooh. Her ears prick. "So," she strings the word out and casually enquires, "Could you ever see yourself taking after your father?"
His friendly face falls and he pull at his starchy collar. "My brother is set to succeed him. I am just the second son."
Her heart goes out to him and unconsciously her magic reaches out to soothe him. Without meaning to, she gets a sense of the depth of his self-doubt, always trying to make his father proud, but never succeeding.
"Will you be my Treasurer?" she blurts out.
He looks at her as if she is just a shade short of crazy.
"Dwin." She touches his arm. "I have faith in you."
From his grin, the sparkle in his eyes and the way he puffs his chest out slightly, she can tell that he will give his all.
........
Elissa spots King Torbjorn and makes a beeline across the grass towards him. Having exchanged pleasantries, she asks for a favour or two.
He smiles amiably. "Ask away."
"Well, first I would like to borrow two people from your court; Bram for my Council as his words are always so sage and Tabbi as my lady in waiting, for Rowan is returning to the Rainbow Isles. That is, of course if it is agreeable to them and to their families."
"Only two?" His blue eyes twinkle with humour.
Her gaze gets drifts to another set of blue eyes; ones belonging to his youngest son Aren, who is stood a little way off with Tabbi, Drake and Belinda. She flushes slightly, realising that she is staring at him and turns her attention back to Torbjorn.
Torbjorn winks before turning more serious. "I am sure that they would be honoured. I know that they both regard you with great affection. What other favour may I grant you?"
"Well, I need to consult with Sirius too, but I would like to set up a meeting with the dwarves to discuss a tunnel under the Elemental and Animage kingdoms linking to the Kingdom under the Mountains." She bites her lip, not sure what his reaction will be to a highway right under his lands.
He pats her arm reassuringly. "What you ask is to the benefit of all, so of course I will attend."
Aren leaves his companions to join them. "What are you discussing?"
At his father's response of 'politics' Aren grimaces, causing Torbjorn to laugh, then not so discreetly make his excuses to leave them alone.
Aren smiles, flashing his dimples and making the butterflies in her stomach do a loop-the-loop. When everything is less hectic, I'd like to see if us is still possible.
His eyes widen at something over her shoulder, so she turns to find a slim, middle-aged woman in white robes making her way over to them.
The woman has white eyes and walks with the aid of an elegant white staff, tipped with a fist-sized diamond. Yet despite the appearance of blindness, the woman has a surety about her and people certainly scurry to get out of her path.
"By the grace of the Mother." The woman bows, placing both hands together as if in prayer and her lips twitch into a half-smirk at the irony of the greeting.
Aren bends toward Elissa and whispers, "Who is she?"
"I am blind, not deaf, boy. Though I see better than most. I am the High Priestess of the Crystal Temple."
Elissa can't help feeling unsettled by the Priestess, who seems to see through to her very soul.
The woman's eerie gaze then moves to Aren and she prods him in the stomach with the diamond-tip of her staff. "You need to master your vices, young man. Stay on this path and you will rue the day, but amend your ways and you will rule the day."
Aren swallows and turns a little green.
The Priestess turns back to Elissa. "My queen, may we enter your sacred circle? It has been over a hundred solars since the great Mother last graced Elysium with her presence and it would be an honour to worship her there."
At Elissa's nod, the High Priestess strides off and the other priestesses form behind her in a rainbow of colours. The eight women enter the circle and each sits cross-legged at the foot of one of the trees.
......
Elissa passes through the stone archway leading to the river with the intention of seeking the Atlanteans, when a voice calls out from behind.
Turning, she is confronted by the large body of the former Treasurer, who waddles towards her, his jowly face ruddy and beading with sweat. Unable to restrain herself, her lip curls in distain.
"What is this nonsense I hear about a lowly dwarf being Treasurer. I am the Treasurer," he insists with indignation.
"I am at liberty to select my own council. You are no longer required," she responds in a haughty tone, not appreciating his rudeness.
"My family has held this post for generations. You will not find it so easy to usurp me," he threatens, his face going even redder.
Anger burns through her and blue lightning arcs from her fingertips, smiting him. "You are nothing more than a walrus."
Her words are laced with power and he sinks to his knees. His moustache bristles; two tusks erupt from his mouth, his body becomes even more bulbous and the material of his clothes turns to blubbery skin.
"If you wish to remain, why not make yourself useful and guard the water gate."
The walrus gives a mournful bark and heaves his body into the river.
Soon after, the water foams and bubbles. A figure rises up, starting with metallic blue/green hair, followed by a bare torso which shimmers silvery-gold in the sunlight. The almost alien, dark eyes of the King of Atlantis stare unsettlingly at her.
She swallows and curtsies. "Your Majesty. I'm sorry to disturb you."
He makes a dismissive move with his hand, although the lethal indigo talons make the gesture less friendly than intended. "You were always a friend of Atlantis and now, our High Queen. How may I assist you?"
"I am selecting my Council and would very much appreciate a representative from your kingdom to advise on the health of Elysium's waterways."
"Then I propose my niece, Ianthe. Let us meet on the morrow."
Once the king has returned within the waters embrace, she ticks off her new council members on her fingers:
- Darish as her Secretary;
- Altair as the Elven representative;
- Dwin as Treasurer and the Dwarven representative;
- Dawn as the Queen's bodyguard and the Dragonite representative;
- Bram as the Animage representative;
- Garrett as Head of the Guard and the Rainbow Isles representative;
- Talia as the Elemental representative; and
- Ianthe as the Atlantean representative.
......
Waking from a delicious sleep, Elissa stretches, her limbs sliding against silken sheets. She refuses to open her eyes. It seems too early to wake after such an exhausting day. Warm lips ghost across hers, causing her to smile, until her brain catches up and her eyes spring open, bringing her face-to-face with golden-yellow eyes.
"Lucifer! You're here!" Her heart beats a little quicker, in a mixture of shock and delight at seeing him again; the latter emotion surprises her.
He grins salaciously. "How could I resist when you lay upon my bed."
She flushes. "Er, sorry I didn't realise you would be needing it and they insisted that I take this room. Where have you been?"
"I recall waking under the shade of a golden tree and dozing, lulled by the music of the breeze playing amongst the leaves and ..." his voice trails off and his eyes gaze into the distance.
At her prod, he blinks several times and resumes, "I think sprites fed me nectar, but I thirsted for water and wandered until I found a spring. The water froze and I was able to watch as Gaia crowned you." His voice takes on a wounded expression. "It seems too quick to have been replaced, I have only been gone a day."
She touches his arm and gently informs him, "You've been gone half a moon."
His features sharpen. "I have? Time must move differently there."
"But you're back now, right?" She is filled with relief. It will complicate things, but we need him.
"Alas, this is a dream."
"But the prophecy." Her heart plummets into her stomach. "If I am to defeat the Wraith King, then I need the Guardian by my side."
He cups her cheek. "I have seen our future. I will do anything to see it come to fruition. One way or another I will find my way back to you."
............
AN - the song is Friends by Eliza & the Bear.
Elissa is forming a group of friends about her, but as the Walrus is testament, don't cross her.