Powers

Chapter 20: Origins

Mark and I took our seats, preparing for a long day.
"What are the rules for us, then?" Mark asked.
"Right" Aeon stood. He brought out a chunk of paper. I lowered my head as I saw him. "After an marriage is in place, a coronation will be set. The true leader of the faction shall be named Chief, while the other shall simply a Leader. No such inauguration will be in place for such an individual. From then on, the faction will be assigned land where the Chief will be given a home. Most likely a large one. People's of the faction will build community around the main house. Then a biological family must begin in the Chief's home" Aeon stopped. He glanced over the two of us. "In your case, I do believe a family might be quite dangerous to pursue" he raised an eyebrow.
"Nonsense, Aeon. Families of two separate factions have been formed before. The boys will continue to follow such rules" the Fire Chief placed her hand on Aeon's shoulder.
"Alright, then wedding plans. I'd say, on this coming up Friday, I am due back to my faction land on Saturday." Aeon spoke.
"Friday? But that's in three days!" I brought up. Theres no way anything could possibly be done within that time.
"Yes it is, but we have a lot of people. Just write the names of your guests and our people will be more than glad to pick them up"
"Where will it be? And what about the coronation?"
"They will be kept up here, after all this building can be arranged to be a five star hotel. And the coronation is the day after the wedding. Things will blend smoothly, don't fret." Aeon shook his head as he went through a paper. "Now, here is your schedule, get to it" he handed the papers to us. First on the list was a traditional dressing, then directly after was dance lessons. It began in ten minutes.
"Traditional dressing?" I repeated it out loud.
"Yes. You will be dressed in traditional Chief clothing for the coronation, might as well practice moving around in them" the Fire chief waved us off then. Mark and I set off to find the elevator to the third floor where apparently this dressing was to take place.

The room's door didn't promise anything good, as there were symbols scribbled all over it. I sighed and proceeded to knock on the door. I looked over at Mark who shrugged. The door then squeaked open, revealing a small old woman. She was covered in various tattoos. She immediately bowed down on hands and knees in front of me, then raising to kiss my hand. I was uncomfortable with the whole thing, but then again, what did I know about my own people. I then got a good look at this old woman. Her green hair hadn't faded a day, while her copper set skin remained one of ancient times. Flower tattoos covered her arms, some coming to life, springing from her skin.
"Come in, Chief" she waved me in. She bowed once again as I ducked under the door frame to go in. The room she held was humid and hot as a rainforest. Which is what she had turned the room into. There were plants of many varieties, and I spotted a few lizards crawling around. I decided to not allow myself to get distracted by the scenery. Instead, I followed the woman into a makeshift shack she had made. How big was this room?
In the shack was a larger seat and two small stools. Immediately she went to take a stool, but I didn't allow her.
"No, you sit in the big chair" I took her by the arm and gently brought her to the chair. She thanked me for my kindness.
"Before I dress you, I must tell you the story of your people" I moved myself into a position where she had directed me to go. Directly in front of her. She was mixing something black in a bowl while chanting something I didn't know, but strangely, I could understand. As far as I could hear, in her language she was asking the creator to tell me the story and bring me through it.
"You understood my words, yes?" She then asked me. I nodded my head. She then nodded, and took the black substance, moved my hair out of the way, and drew something on my forehead with it. She chanted once again, asking for the creator to show me the way. She dragged her fingers over my eyes, telling me to keep them closed. And suddenly I wasn't in that small room. I was in a rain forest, the hotness all around me. In front of me, there was a village. Seven mud huts at the most. I approached it, then seeing dark skinned children running around. Their hair green as the leaves around them.
"Our people were not always white. We were created in the forests of Brazil, made from the trees and flowers. The creator gave us the power of nature, allowing us to nurture the land to its fullest potential. We were few, but we kept our bloodline strong. For many centuries, our small village survived on its own" the old woman's voice echoed around me. Around me, time seemed to have sped up. Things were whizzing by as I watched trees be ploughed, and crops raised. I watched children grow and new huts spring up.
"But one day, a white man showed up. Our people were kind to the man, seeing he had not been well on his journeys. As he had told our Chief, his crew had died. Of course, he did not have our language, but in the time he stayed, he learned. The white man never left. He learned our ways, even if he did not possess any type of power. Instead he tended to the plants with the others, earning his rightful place in the community. It was not long before the Chief's own daughter had caught sight of him. And as many stories go, they were wed. And so a baby boy was born with bright green hair and fair skin. But the white man took his kin and ran. Overnight he had took the child and ran off, never to be seen again"
I was in awe as I watched this man directly in front of me. I stared as he took the child in the middle of the night, running off into the forest. He had the survival skills at this point, so I knew he'd be able to run. Then he was on a boat, gone with the child off the island.
"The white man had returned to his family at home with the child. He claimed to have been lost, and found a child, and took it. The wife raised the boy to be a great man. He used his power to aid people through famine. And life went on. The boy wed, and got married as well, his wife giving birth to twins. Dangerous at the time, the wife passed during labour, but the children survived. Now this, was a time before this Jesus Christ, so you must imagine how long ago this was. Generations of this family went on, the Nature gene carrying through each descendant. It wasn't until the early 1500's when one of the boy's found out his true heritage. So he journeyed" The old woman stopped speaking for a moment. I was on a boat, with a man as white as can be. The generations of white genetics had wiped all traces of the black heritage. But this boy traveled, and I watched as he found these people. Not many were left. There was at best two huts left. Somehow they had died out. The boy found the Chief. He told him what he was, and the Chief believed him. He told the boy what happened.
"Before the Chief himself died from a mysterious sickness, he gave the boy one last thing. His daughter. A small copper toned girl with bright hair. Much as he had, she carried the Chief's gene. The one that held every single power a Nature can control. And so the boy brought his family to the place. Elders from the community that had survived taught the strangers the way of the land. The small girl grew up in this way of life. She learned of many things that happened. She learned there were other tribes. That they all lived harmoniously. One that held water, ice, fire, wind, and flight. Her adopted father was at risk, as he governed. She learned her sister was pregnant, and planned to run, as she knew the fighting would begin. And so her sister ran as it had begun. I chased her. I chased that girl down, but I never found her. Instead, I found a child. A child with blonde hair, that looked just as she had when she was a child. I was shocked that the child hadn't carried out the gene, but I took it and ran. I raised my sister's child, letting it live on. Many years later, as I grew old, the Chiefs, or what remained found use of me, so I was stuck as old as I am. I watched the family. I watched child after child of the branches and branches of family. I gave up hope. Until, the last true Chief, was born, unknown to me" I then saw myself. A blue eyed, green-haired chubby little child. I watched myself grow. It was astounding to see myself and how I've changed. I was then shaken out of the dream like state. The woman seemed to be struggling with her own emotions. I grabbed her hand and assured her it was alright.
"Either way, you need to be dressed and shown a traditional dance" she rushed out of the shack.
"What did you see in there?" Mark asked. I had nearly forgotten he was there.
"I saw everything. I saw the beginning of my people" I nodded.
"Chief" the woman ushered us out of the shack then, showing two mannequins with outfits on. A headdress made from tall slender leaves. However, the design from the dream was different. It wasn't a huge head dress as my ancestors had once worn. It had a golden leaf that would go from my ear across the top of my head. And that's all it was.
"Once worn, you are to grow the plants from the top, it is your design, and will be for the rest of time" she told me. She took it from the mannequin. I was looking at the other one which seemed to be a different design. Instead it was a wave, and was made from silver.
"Adjustments have been made according to the circumstances" the woman said as she placed the headpiece on my head. It fit well, the leaf going as thought. "You are to grow the plants after you are made Chief" she shook her finger at me as she placed Mark's on his head.
As we soon learned traditional clothing were very minimal. A belt around our waists with cloths to cover things. A bare chest then with a beaded necklace with a golden tiger Lilly on the end. I felt bare. Mark's clothing were very similar to mine, but with symbols from his own faction.
"I feel naked," he whispered to me.
"I do too" I whispered back. I felt like the belt would give way and let things fall.
"And of course, the pieces meant to actually be worn" the woman began laughing. She came with what looked like a shirt and shorts. I began to nervously laugh.
"I'd never make you two wear those to a ceremony" she chuckled and slapped her knee. I felt relieved, however, that she said it. We were then changed, into, again, slightly minimal, but at least this time, shorts were involved. Both the shirt and shorts were extremely tight against my body, but something to make me feel a little better. I had a piece made from gold once again that wrapped around my torso. Two strands came from either side to touch my core, while one touched my heart, went around my chest, and two that came around my neck. My torso was still bare, but at least this I could handle.
Once Mark had gotten put into his that was similar, the last piece was placed before she taught us our dances. Clear capes that reflected green and blue. Under certain lighting, they were green or blue, but otherwise, were clear.
Mark and I then spent what felt like hours learning the steps to this dance. It was a mess of twirling and dancing around one another. I even danced with the old woman. She seemed to be enjoying herself.
"Well I'm sad to say that my time with you boys here is over for today. Tomorrow I promise a bigger adventure" she smiled. She got all our pieces off and had us dressed before she pushed us out of the room. It was lunch. We had spent the entire morning in there with her, even if it had felt like only half hour.
"That was really interesting, wasn't it?" Mark asked me. He took my hand and began swinging our arms as we walked to the elevator.
"It was" I nodded.
"What was your favourite part?" Mark questioned as he allowed me on the elevator first.
"Dancing" I admitted. The story didn't even begin to top the magical feeling the dancing held. Just the movements, and the positions were of two people being united. I loved it so much.
"I'm glad you enjoyed my crappy dancing over that story. Which by the way, you still have that black stuff on your forehead" Mark was about to wipe it off with his hand, but I stopped him.
"It can stay there for now, I just want to see it" I told him. He shrugged