The Prince of Ilios

Thirty-Five

Her head was blazing and her lungs were burning. She gulped in huge breaths of air, coughing and sputtering as her throat refused to calm and do its job. Alyn hit her back. Nicola knelt beside her on the other side. She looked back and forth between them.

Alyn hugged her immediately, "You're back!" His face relieved.

She nodded, still trying to regulate her air.

"Breathe. You're safe now." Nicola placed the blanket over her shoulders.

Ellora looked up at him. His green eyes were constantly moving, searching her, searching her face, for any sign of damage. A vein stood out in the middle of his forehead. Her throat burned and she couldn't really speak, but had to settle him somehow. She touched the back of his hand. A spark shocked her, and she withdrew.

He glanced down. Her delicate hand was purple with bruising. She had moved to touch him and he shocked her. He grimaced.

"What are these marks?" Alyn gestured to Ellora's hands.

She hid them under the folds of her skirt-like pants and avoided looking him in the eye.

"Ellora, tell me." Alyn felt like they were children again. When the bullies in the village would beat up Ellora he always had to force it out of her. She often tried to hide it from him, but there was no hiding this. It was there for all to see.

Nicola looked him in the eye, "Mrs. Brooks hit her with her fan."

"She did what?" He must have had water in his ears. He forced her hand out into the open so that he could see the bruises. Two straight lines cut across the skin of his baby sister. Anger rose inside of him, "Prince, this is unacceptable."

Nicola held his hands up trying to placate Alyn, but Ellora interrupted in a scratchy voice, "Alyn, it's fine. I'm fine."

"It's not fine! You came to negotiate, not be beaten by some instructor. If this is the way that Ilios handles things then I do not think that we even want to be a part of the Union. It doesn't seem so great after all." He turned his attention to Nicola standing and ready for a fight, "And you, did you know about this? Know that it was happening and do nothing to stop it?"

Nicola gave the slightest of nods, I deserve whatever comes next.

Alyn pulled back and threw a punch, landing right on Nicola's jaw. Nicola did nothing to block it or move to retaliate. The guards moved in to seize Alyn and he waved them off, "Leave him." They looked wary, but backed off anyway.

Alyn knelt back down next to Ellora, helping her stand, "I think that we have seen enough of your Union." He spat, "We will be leaving as soon as we dock."

"No!" Ellora croaked, "No, we can't leave. Our people, if we don't continue, our people will suffer. We cannot even try to stand against Ilios as we are." She pushed away from Alyn, stumbling, but standing in front of Nicola, "Stop, Alyn. Do not carry on this scene any longer. Let me do this for our people."

Alyn hated that idea, but had little choice against anything else. So he stalked off.

Ellora turned back to Nicola, "I'm sorry about him. He's a lot to handle. Are you hurt?" She moved to touch his abraised cheek, froze.

Nicola chuckled to himself, she is so honorable that she comes to check on me, even though I am in the wrong. He knocked her hand away, he'd rather have been beaten up by Alyn than face her soft touch, "I'm fine. I will speak with Mrs. Brooks. It is not good for us to be dealing with inconsistencies this way. I was wrong to let her continue in our service." And he also stalked away. Jude followed him, throwing a blanket over his shoulders.

Ellora gathered her own blanket closer to herself. Then she realized that she was not wearing the restrictive corset. Nothing could be done about it now, but she was sure that she would be hearing about the whole thing from River and Ava later.

Nissa came up to her with Janel, "River is helping take care of Kendall. She seems to be sea sick."

Ellora nodded, "And Ava, is off with the prince. I didn't expect much else. It's alright."

"That was really something." Nissa complimented her, "I thought for sure you were going to leave. Well, I thought you would have gone a long time ago."

Ellora nodded once, "I would have once." She was such a people pleaser that at one time she would have bent over backward to do what anyone asked. She would not have gotten the welts on her hands because she would have cared deeply about using the correct forks. She would have appeased her brother and followed around the Prince as though she were a lost puppy. She would have come here, to be turned away only minutes later. But not anymore. Not, when so many people were counting on her. "I don't have the luxury of being able to leave."

Nissa smiled, "You would do anything for your people. Even sacrifice your own happiness and physical wellbeing?"

Ellora looked her straight in the eye, "Yes."

The little red head seemed taken aback by that, "Anemos was the first province to unite with Ilios. Sometimes I forget where the good for their people begin, and where ours ends. It is hard not to imagine them being united."

Janel shifted her weight uncomfortably.

"But if we had been in the Southern Isles instead, I imagine I would have turned out something like you. I need to remember the loyalty to my people." Nissa smiled, "I like you, Ellora. Let's be friends."

Janel nodded next to her.

Ellora took in the odd pair, "Sure."

"Alright then," Nissa rubbed her hands together, "Now, that that is all settled. Let's do something about your soaking clothes." She waved her hands.

A gust of warm wind washed over Ellora, drying her clothes and heating her chilled body all at the same time. She smiled to them, "That was amazing! It would have taken me twice as long to dry my clothes."

Nissa shrugged, "Now, let's go get some tea from River. I think she is worried about you. For one whose element is water, you do end up in it an awful lot."

"Sure, give me just another moment." Ellora glanced over to the stern, where her brother was sulking, "I have something to take care of."

They split paths and Ellora headed over to Alyn. She touched him lightly on the shoulder. He looked down at her, still frustrated with a pinch of anger for good measure. He picked up her hands to inspect them again, "Do they hurt?"

"Well, yeah, it's a bruise." Ellora muttered, letting him look them over, "But they are not life threatening and will heal as soon as I go talk to River. She has an amazing plant that wraps around your wounds and heals them. She told me about them once."

He dropped her hand, "I shouldn't have brought you here."

"You couldn't have stopped it. The King blackmailed me. And it sounds like he is blackmailing Nicola as well." A determined look spread across her face, "But no matter what we have to do what is best for our people right?"

"Right." He felt like a child getting scolded again.

"Right." She nodded, "Which means continuing the competition. There is to be a ball tomorrow night. Mrs. Brooks announced it this morning. Nicola is to present his favorite competitor to everyone there. While that is happening, we simply find a way to speak with the King. Arrange a date to negotiate and make up a treaty. We will be back on our beaches before you know it."

"Lor, I don't think it is that easy." He pushed his hands through his hair. Pulling on a braid that laid against his shoulder.

"Well, we will have to make it that easy because I don't see many options, do you?"

"No."

"Very well, until then, keep your hands to yourself and your temper below heated."She turned to leave, "I'm going to get some food. Please come and get me when it is time to go back. I would like to try my hand at the currents again."

Alyn knew he shouldn't try to stop her. She was determined once she set her mind to something, but he would be sure to take on more of the load this time so that she was not tired when they returned.