Reign of Embers

Chapter 23 - Introductions

The next day
Elide

Huddled before me now are 17 children aged between 5 and 16. Out of all that Armetis picked out, only three turned down the offer. The 17 children we have here are a mix of fae, demi-fae, and human - Some with magic and some powerless. I recognise a few of them from when they come to play with my court's kids.

Stood in the training courtyard, the children all peer up at me from where I am stood on a block to be able to see them all. I clear my throat and begin to introduce myself and the programme.

"Good morning everyone, as you may know I am Elide, behind me is your Queen Aelin, and Yrene. You're here today because we decided a long time ago that all children should be trained to be able to defend themselves, not just those with magic or those who are in power. This has become even more obvious with the current situation, and we have began to find ways to make this dream a reality. Some of you may have attended magic classes or training sessions before, but these have not been as widely publicized due to the long recovery process of our kingdom." I pause to see if everyone is still listening. Only the younger ones appear to be struggling to hold concentration. "Today will be mainly about getting to know each other and learning what your strengths and weaknesses are. Can everyone please stand in a circle."

All the kids rush to stand in a huge circle, and I notice that some tend to stick together - obviously friends already. Aelin comes over and helps me off the block, my leg still causing me difficulties.

"You really should let Yrene fix that Elide." Aelin whispers .

"I know but there's never the time. I would need a whole year where there are no threats, and now I have Orion it's just not possible to go through that."

" Elide, if you wanted to have your leg mended, then we can help you, you could even stay here if you wanted and have everyone care for you. "

"Thank you."

Me, Aelin, and Yrene join the circle, and everyone's eyes turn to me. My palms are sweating from the nerves of having their undivided attention, my heart pounding.

"Ok so we are going to go around the circle and you need to say your name, age, and something about yourself, e.g. What powers you have, where you grew up, or what pets you have. I'll go first. My name is Elide, I am 29, I'm of ironteeth witch descent, and I have a son called Orion who is 4." I say, then point to Aelin who stands on my left.

"My name is Aelin, I'm 29, and I am expecting twins in a few months." Everyone grins at this, some shouting congratulations , then the journey around the circle continues.

"My name is Melanie, I'm 10, and I have ice powers. I also love cats, and the other day my kitten Sophie, went missing and I don't know where she is." Says a demi-fae girl with shoulder length dark brown hair, sapphire blue eyes, and freckles covering her pale skin.

"My name is Esme, I'm 8, and I have water powers." Another demi-fae girl with rich chocolate brown skin, deep brown eyes, and a brown afro pulled into a ponytail.

"My name is Emberly, I'm 15, Esme is my sister, and I also have water powers." She has the same features of her sister, but both her hair and skin are a shade darker.

"My name is Aeryn, I'm 16, and I have air powers. This is my little brother Elijah, he's 5, and his favourite animal is a monkey. He's also deaf but can understand what you're saying most of the time so don't be mean, but also allow for a bit of a struggle with communication." Both siblings have dark onyx hair, and deep tanned skin. While Aeryn has brown eyes, Elijah has a shade of blue so dark it's nearly purple. They are human and I recognise them from where their family works in a bakery in the upper town.