The Prince of Ilios

Eleven

Ten days after receiving the King's message, Ellora and Alyn had safely docked on the Mainland. The siblings had been training in currents on the way, which made the boat sail faster than it would have on its own. Alyn could nearly snap his fingers and make a current, while Ellora still struggled.

The people around them stared at their attire. They were still dressed for the Island. Ellora heard a woman mutter "gypsies?" as she passed, and a man offered up "pirates." She rolled her eyes. Her formal blue skirt and corset were all that she needed to meet the Prince. Alyn had already given her plenty of information about what would be happening and who everyone was. Her flat shoes were held on by a ribbon. They made a scuffing sound on the cobblestone street below her. Everything was so much noisier here. Giant furry beasts led fancy looking wagons. Some even carried people on top of them. The women had enlarged skirts, making Ellora wonder if there was something wrong with their legs or feet. The men in the wagons wore funny hats on their heads, tall and flat. Sometimes adorned with decoration, but mostly black with a satin ribbon. She leaned over to Alyn, "Which province is this again?" She looked around for a flagstone, but there wasn't one in sight. Even if there were one nearby, the crowds would have covered their view of it. So many people flowed about them that Ellora felt like she was in the middle of a school of fish.

"This is Ilios. The Light province." Alyn stated. They had followed the coastline as it curved inward. Ilios was in the middle of all the other provinces, but also had an inlet with a port. They had access to land and sea.He grabbed their bag, slinging the duffle over his shoulder, "Let's not get separated. We have to find the Capital Palace."

Alyn tried several times in vain to get someone's attention and ask for directions, but each time they passed by, not wanting to associate. He grimaced. They were getting nowhere quick.

"Let's just follow the crowd for now. Perhaps when it gets less busy we can find someone to direct us." Ellora offered.

Alyn shrugged it was as good as a suggestion as any. They moved in with the surging crowd, making their way slowly along the streets.

Ellora looked around in amazement at the buildings. Some were made of wood like their homes, others out of stone. She wondered how they got them to stay together to make a structure. There was so much that she did not know. The streets seemed to be an intricate maze. They wandered them for the better part of the day, often stopping to ask for directions.

The sun was high in a cloud covered sky when they stopped to eat the last of the provisions that they brought with them. Everything seemed so complicated. People were even living on top of more people. She saw men and women stopping at curious stalls along the way. They seemed to be trading goods. Children ran and played in the streets, chasing a ball. Ellora mirrored their smiles, happy with the similarities of home. Ash and Lilly used to play like that too, full of hope and abandon.

---

It had been five days since his chess game with the King. Nicola had met all but two of his potential brides to be. Both were from the Islands. All of the other women had responded excitedly and quickly, showing up at the Palace almost the next day. They had formed smaller groups of two and three, laughing and skipping about the palace. Whenever he went out, one or two of them clung to him, begging to go with him. He obliged them, trying to remain calm and courteous throughout the whole ordeal. Some were silly, others were a little too full of themselves and still others barely spoke a word to him, but sat on the fringes timid.

Today, he found himself at the market. Nissa, Janel, and Kendall wanted to go shopping. They had rode in on the same coach and had bonded on the trip. Nicola found it easy to be with them because for the most part, they left him completely out of the conversation and just talked amongst themselves. Nissa was from the Wind province, Anemos. Janel, the Earth province, Zemlya. and Kendall, the Darkness province, Dlam.

Nissa was a spunky sort. Anemos was the first province to join with Ilios. He had met Nissa a few times when he was younger. She proved to be just as loud as she was then. Her bright red curls framed her face in the afternoon breeze, her loud voice carried across the wind, "I wish it weren't so cloudy here!"

"Nissa, if you were better with your element, you could just blow the clouds away." Janel said plainly. Janel seemed to be the kind that you could never tell if she were truly enjoying herself. Her face often remained stoic. She had dark, smooth skin, dark hair, and dark eyes. Her hair had been braided into very small braids with feathers and ribbons woven into it. Although this was Nicola's first occasion for meeting the daughter of the Earth province, he was almost certain that she was not a good match for him. They would both let their sour moods get the better of them and Ilios would be the most contradictory province of all. However, he was not allowed to turn anyone away. He had to wait for them to win their place next to him, which put Nicola on edge. He hated the idea of leaving the decision of his wife up to fate.

Kendall looked over at Nicola, "We promised that we would not use our powers until the competition though." He found her to be a silly sort of girl, naive, and young. Her hair was brown and braided into one long braid. a set of crystal combs adorned her head, near her ears. They were pointed at the top, a trade mark symbol of the Darkness province. They were rumored to be elves. Nicola shrugged to himself, there had been stranger things. Her stature was certainly short. She was the youngest in the whole group, merely fifteen. Whenever Nicola looked at Kendall, all he saw was Nadia. They had the same disposition. He had already decided that whenever he hung around Kendall he would watch out for her as much as possible.

"Look at these beautiful fabrics!" Nissa exclaimed. She rushed over to a stall and pulled Janel with her. The two had a good mix going on. Nissa brought fun and excitement into Janel's life and Janel brought Nissa back down to earth.

Nicola smiled pleasantly at the three girls. Kendall was still standing next to him, "Aren't you going to join them?"

Kendall gazed up at him. A blush formed on her cheeks just from talking with Prince Nicola, "Oh, yes, of course, Your Highness." She skipped over to be with the other two.

Nicola kept one eye on them and the other out for a young man named Peter. Peter had been extremely helpful within the past week. As soon as Nicola got free he met up with the lad to give him a list of supplies that needed to be gathered and sent to his troops. They were supposed to meet today so that Nicola could pay Peter for his work.

Peter peeked out from behind a farmer's stall, "Sir!" He bowed his head reverently and removed his cap.

"Peter." He smiled and discretely handed the young man what he was due, "Here are your wages."

Peter opened the pouch, his eyes wide, "There is more than double that we agreed upon, Your Highness."

Nicola nodded his approval and walked away, "No one ought to know about these supplies. Have a good day, lad."

The girls laughed and giggled as Nicola approached them again. Well, two of them did. Janel smiled a little, which Nicola took as enjoyment. They continued perusing, their eyes only on the stalls and Nicola.