Athena Elessedil

Chapter Three: The Ellcrys

The three Elessedil siblings walked into the throne room and bowed low in front of their father.

"My children!" he exclaimed and walked towards them. He shook both Arion and Anders hands before walking to his daughter and kissing her atop her head.

"You are looking more and more like your mother every day." He muttered, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She smiled and stuck her tongue out at him and the old king chuckled before doing the same.

"You called us father?" Arion asked, interrupting the father-daughter moment that was taking place before him.

"Yes, yes I did." Eventine said, turning and walking back to his throne, where he sat with his staff in his hand. "I called to remind you that this is the last ceremony I will be taking part in, other than your birthday Athena and Ander, before I abdicate the throne and you, Arion, become king." He stood again and walked towards his children once more, looking them all up and down individually. "So, don't screw anything up." He finished, glaring at the twins as he said those words. The twins looked at their father innocently, earning a chuckle from his lips.

"Alright away with you, the race has already started, we must take our places for when the stand before the Ellcrys. Athena, help an old man, why don't you?" the king said as he walked towards his only daughter. She curtsied low and linked her arm with his before walking out of the grand hall and down to the sanctuary, Arion and Ander close behind.

"Has it spoken to you since last we spoke?" Eventine muttered so only Athena could hear. She nodded her head subtly.

"yes, once more last night and I fear that it still has more to say." She replied

"fear?" Eventine questioned. Again, Athena nodded.

"I have been living in this palace for close to thirty years, and not once has the Ellcrys spoken to me, until last week." She said, "It can only mean that something bad is about to happen." Eventine nodded sadly.

"What did it say to you?" he asked, she bit her lip softly and looked over her shoulder at her brothers who were bickering about one thing or another.

"Athena?" her father said, drawing her attention back. "What did it say?"

"It kept repeating a name." she said "Allanon."

'Allanon?" Eventine said loudly, stopping in his tracks.

"Father are you well?" Arion asked, running towards his father but the king just waved him away.

"Are you sure?" he asked and his daughter nodded. "Then we have some dark days ahead my dear." He muttered, walking towards the sanctuary door. Arion and Ander both looked at her strangely but she shook her head and walked into the room behind her father. Inside the sanctuary, there was already a crowd of people, who upon their arrival, quietened down and bowed low. King Eventine walked up the steps beneath the tree and stood there, overlooking his subjects. His three children stood on his right, Arion on the step below his father and Ander and Athena on the step below him. In the distance a horn sounded, signalling the race had come to the end and the twins looked at each other nervously.

"Let's see if our gamble has paid off." Athena muttered

"She will have made it, she will have made it." he muttered quietly, more to himself than his sister.

"I hope you're right."

The door closed behind the seven chosen that had entered the room, escorted by guards. Athena gripped Ander's hand in anticipation as they started to remove the blindfolds, before sighing in relief upon seeing their niece standing before them unharmed. They smiled widely at each other, contrasting to the fathers look of outrage and shock, plastered across his face.

"It's a girl." A woman said as several members of the gathering gasped loudly

"Look."

"I can't believe it."

"Is that the princess?"

"I thought you were teaching her how to fence?" Arion growled from behind the twins. Athena smiled innocently at him.

"We were." She tried. He raised one eyebrow at her.

"were?" he questioned darkly

"She was a quick study." Ander chimed in, not even looking back at his brother as their father began his speech

"Congratulations. As king, I welcome you to the Order of the Chosen." He started, only to be interrupted by cheering and applause "At the dawn of every new year, we gather in this sacred garden to recount the story of the Ellcrys. Thousands of years ago... our Elven ancestors fought a war against an army of Demons. The Elves were at the point of annihilation, when their elders turned to magic. Using this powerful gift, they managed to imprison the Demons in a realm known as the Forbidding. The Ellcrys was created to stand sentry. As long as it lives, the Demons are locked up for all eternity." He explained, walking down and standing before the chosen, directly in front of his granddaughter. "Now, I realize that for some of you, this is merely... folklore. But in no way, does this diminish your responsibilities." He said raising his voice slightly, whilst glaring at Amberle, before smiling softly and stroking her cheek. "And you are now its protectors. Now step forward, place your hands on the tree, and be accepted by the Ellcrys."

"I can't believe you let her embarrass our father like that. It is his last ceremony before he abdicates the throne." Arion growled once more as Eventine climbed the stairs again.

"we didn't let Amberle do anything. Okay, this was her idea. we just aided and abetted." Ander exclaimed, earning a chuckle from Athena.

"She could have seriously hurt herself. I thought for Aine's sake that you'd want to keep her safe." Arion hissed and Athena turned to look at him in shock.

"Arion!" she hissed

"Invoking our dead brother, that's very subtle. You should work that into your coronation speech." Ander retorted and Athena turned to face him.

"Don't you start." She growled at him, but like Arion he just ignored her.

"We made a pact to protect her, remember?" Arion scolded once more.

"Well, at least you'll know where she'll be for the next year" Athena defended, looking fondly up at the Ellcrys.

"yeah... locked behind these walls, watering an old tree." Ander muttered lowly, earning a smack from both Athena and Arion.

"Do you have any respect for Elvin traditions?" Arion hissed at him.

"Only the ones with parties." Ander whispered back.

"Alright cut it out both of you." Athena whispered. "Arion, we did what we thought was right and what Amberle wanted and you know as well as I do Aine would have been all for it." she said, glaring at Arion who had the decency to look at the floor. "And Ander, show some respect this is a sacred celebration." She finished as her father walked over and pulled her up beside him and away from her brothers.

"I am guessing you had something to do with this." Eventine stated, pointing at Amberle who stood at the back of the line to touch he Ellcrys. Athena smiled innocently at her father and he chuckled lightly.

"She is just like you." He muttered and Athena nodded in reply as Amberle approached the tree. She reached out and placed her hand upon it and almost instantly her head was thrown back, eyes rolled into the back of her head as she groaned loudly. Similarly, Athena whimpered and clutched onto her father's arm tightly. Eventine looked at her.

"What's wrong with her?" he asked worriedly as both Arion and Ander ran to help their niece.

"The Ellcrys..." she gasped through the pain of experiencing Amberle's vision. "Its speaking to her."