Elven Chronicles Book 3: Life and Adventure

We have been here for three days now and it is amazing. The sisters that are here are really nice and are teaching me some of their langauge, while I show them my bending. Aaron and Elendil stay out of the water for the majority of the day, and Alia is in the water all the time. She is glued to her father's side.

"Alia, why does your father call you Rikay?" I asked while we were finding seashells.

"It means riptide. He thinks like everyone else that I am like one. Riptides seem harmless and gentile on the outside, but are really swift and deadly."

"That is a perfect match."

"I know," she responded with a smile.

"Elendil! Aaron! Get your asses down here!" We called to them. They did, and we continued to pick up some seashells. I still wore shorts and a light shirt because I was scared to wear the bikini.

"Let's go swimming Kida," Alia said to me.

"I'll stay here."

"Listen, you will look fine in your suit. You are beautiful and a scar is not going to change that. Now, go and put it on."

I listened to her and had a great time. We actually swam with dolphins. These creatures were amazing. They were like the wolves in the way that they can communicate with the sea people. I loved them. Her sisters seemed amused that the dolphins responed to me as well. They loved telling me everything about the sea, and I found them to be so amicable.

I had noticed some changes in Alia since we came to the sea. First of all, her sunset eyes were out of their disguise and they just made her look radiant. She seemed to glow and hum with power here at the sea, and she walked with such a commanding air around here. I liked the changes and she was a more relaxed person here.

That night, I sat up late on the beach with Aaron. "That suit looks amazing on you," he said.

"Thanks," I said looking down. One of his hands traced my scar up and down my body. It was trembling.

"What?" I asked him, knowing full well what it was.

"This makes me furious that something would do this to you. I just wish I was there to kill it," he answered, the look on this face a little frighting.

"Thanks for the offer, but I already did. Besides, it does not bother me so much anymore. I have gotten used to it.

"I never will. I cannot stand the thought of you being ripped up like this." He grabbed me and held me close. His body was warm from his anger, but it could not hurt me because I could bend too.

"It really wasn't that bad, I mean compared to being tortured it was not so bad."

That made him flinch and we both fell silent for a while, watching the waves hit the shore. I felt that there was nothing really to say as we both fell asleep on the beach.

"Rise and shine," Alia said as she blasted water in our faces. We woke to the sun and salt in our faces as Alia and Elendil stood over us.

"Sleep well?" Elendil asked with a smile. Aaron just returned the smile as my cheeks turned red.

"Nothing happened," I mumbled.

"I know that, or Aaron would be dead," Alia said with a laugh. We cleaned up and joined her family for the day.

Later that day I sat with Alia's closest sister, Laya. We were talking about her and Alia when suddenly she said, "You are a little sister to Alia. You know that, right?"

"Yeah, she is like a big sister to me. I love her. I don't know that much about her though. She is not open about her life before becoming an elf."

"I can tell you some things. What would you like to know?"

"More about her growing up please."

"Well," Laya began. "Alia has always been father's favorite. It has never bothered any of us except for Pearl, which is why she doesn't like Alia. Alia joined the army after about two hundred years and excelled. She could beat any man who challenged her, and she had any creature on her side. As you can see, the dolphins love her. She is the most out-going and least princess-y of the ten of us. We joke that she was found one day rather than born"

I laughed at that one, and realized that I had a good question for her. "What did you wish for when you asked your mother for one?" I wanted to know Laya better.

"I wished for the ability to have a child. Before the wish I had discovered that I could not concieve a child. I asked for just one and was able to have my son ten years ago. I am in love with him." Her son was about as old a one year old human.

"Do they all take so long to grow?"

"He will start to grow faster now. The first ten years is slow as hell." We both started laughing until Alia came over and swore in all three languages she knew. Laya did not know much english or elven, but she knew the sea language.

"What is wrong?" I asked.

She replied in one word, "Pearl."

"Behave when she is here Alia. Mother will be furious if you two spend the week fighting," Laya warned. Alia just rolled her eyes and sighed. As we watched some guards came onto the beach followed by a man and woman and what looked like another royal man and woman.

"The first two are Pearl's children. Pearl and her husband are behind them," Laya explained to me.

Pearl hugged her parents and came over toward us. I had no idea where Aaron and Elendil were. I was astonished to see that she looked more like Alia than the rest of their sisters.

"Little sister, it has been too long since I saw you last. How are you?"

"Fine. The kids are all grown up now. I do not think I have met your daughter before," Alia looked like she was trying to be nice.

"No, she was born ten years after the fight with father. Now who is this young elf?" She turned and looked at me like she was talking to a five year old.

"I am Kida, Princess of the Air kingdom and High Queen of all the elves."

Pearl looked stunned. "You're only a child."

"A very powerful one," Alia answered with smile.