Maylin/Pele Exalts

Pele shifted with the energy of too much youth with nothing to do. She tugged at the sash that wrapped around her entire torso.

“Don’t do that, Pele,” her uncle smiled, taking her hand gently. “You look so pretty and you don’t want to ruin the dress now, do you?” His gray eyes were warm as he looked at the little black haired girl with bright green eyes. His gray beard and mustache were nearly perfectly white and had been for as long as Pele could remember. He had a blue tinge to his skin that made him look sick, but to the little girl, it looked normal.

“It’s uncomfortable,” Pele pouted, swinging her legs off the edge of the bed. The dress, in truth, had not been designed for a girl, but a woman. The tight silk of the dress was white, with a gold surcoat over it, also of silk, with images of suns, moons, and stars sewn into the silk. The white sash covered Pele’s torso from just under her buds of breasts, to her hips. It gave the illusion of a waist that was not really there. Pele, being only eight years old, was not really ready for such a grown up dress but it was Calebration, and some things needed to be done.

“Formal wear always is, Pele,” Zephyr told her with a sigh. He turned to his mirror and adjusted the half cloak around his shoulders. “Just be glad I decided against trying to keep you still long enough to have someone do something with your hair. I don’t know where you get this energy from, my dear. Your mother never minded getting dressed up."

“Well I’m not her now, am I?”

Zephyr sighed,

“No, you’re not.” He turned to her. “Ready?”

“I guess so,” Pele replied. She slid off the bed and walked daintily to Zephyr, who took her hand and lead her out of his room and into the polished corridors of his tower. Bright decorations covered the keep and the sound of music and people echoed up from the ball room and into the residential floor.

“Uncle,” she asked. “What’s going on?”

“It’s Calebration, Pele, you know that,” Zephyr replied, making sure that his steps did not force Pele to walk too fast. She would tear the dress in her haste.

“Yes,” she replied slowly. “But why are we making a big deal about it this year?”

“Because this year one of my friends could make it to our home. It’s rare that he can get away from his duties, so when he can, I tend to make a big deal about it.”

“Oh. Who’s your friend?”

“We are just all questions tonight, aren’t we? My friend’s name is Dra-” Zephyr paused for a moment. “Drallion. He and I were friends in school. I think you will like him a lot. He’s got a little girl too, but I don’t know if he was able to bring her.”

“I’ll be good,” Pele grumbled. “Are Momma and Papa going to be here to see me?” her uncle stopped and knelt, stroking Pele’s cheek.

“No, Pele. They got held up by a sandstorm and can’t make it in time. I’m sorry. They want to see you, but things keep getting in the way.” Pele sighed sadly and looked at her feet.

“I don’t even know what my own parents look like. How come they don’t try to visit more often? Don’t they like me?”

“Pele!” Zephyr said shocked. His hands tightened around her ribs before he pulled her close for a tight hug. One of his hands cradled the back of her head. “Oh, Pele, your parents love you very much. They don’t visit because they don’t want to interrupt your training. Don’t ever, ever, think that your momma and papa don’t love you, Pele. They would give up the world for you. They would risk death to keep you safe. They did risk death to keep you safe.” Pele sniffled and Zephyr held her shoulders as she wiped her eyes.

“I’m sorry, I just want to see them.”

“I know. How about this, tomorrow you and I will sit down and we will write a letter to your mom and dad and tell him how much you miss them and how you’re doing in your studies? After we write it I will send it to them, and I’m sure they will write back to you.” Pele instantly perked up, smiling widely and nodding. Zephyr ruffled her hair and picked her up to carry Pele down the stairs to the ball room.

Pele’s jaw dropped as she looked at all the people around her. The clashing of colors and perfumes made her dizzy at first. From the crystal globe lights, gems and shimmering silks bounced off one another to create a flittering rainbow around the room. When she looked up at the faces of the people, they were smiling and laughing. Men kissed the backs of women’s hands gallantly, some older women talked in a circle, their sharp eyes glancing over at one young couple or another. A few men laughed as one of their members told a story.

A man that could have been twenty or thirty broke away from the crowd and approached Zephyr and Pele with a grin. He was tall, like Zephyr, and he was dressed just as richly, but his hair was blue-black and his eyes, as he got closer, looked purple, and they did not seem to have pupils to them. His suit was purple, white, and gold, and he lacked a lot of jewelry. Zephyr dropped Pele’s hand to embrace the man.

“It’s been a long time, Drallion,” Zephyr said. Drallion’s smile faded briefly, then returned.

“A little too long, I think, Zephyr. This place is wonderful! I didn’t think you still knew how to throw a party.” Drallion’s strange eyes turned on Pele. His smile faded again and his eyes widened as he looked at her. Pele cocked her head to the side as she met his gaze fearlessly.

“That isn’t who I think it is, is it?” Drallion looked at Zephyr.

“Yes, this is my niece, Pele.” Drallion whooped out loud and picked up Pele in a fast hug. The little girl shrieked briefly, shocked at the sudden hug. He spun her around and set her down.

“Pele! I’ve waited a long time to see you. She’s grown up well. She has her mother’s eyes.”

“You know my Momma?” Pele asked in shock. Drallion grinned and nodded,

“I knew your mother, but it’s been a long time since I’ve talked to her.”

“Better than me,” Pele said. “I’ve never spoken to her.”

Drallion ruffled her hair, then scowled. “Pele, I think you forgot to wash behind your ears!”

“No I didn’t!” the eight year old protested.

“Then what is this doing here?” Drallion asked, drawing a golden hair clip from behind her ear. A great golden dragon with rubies for eyes held a sunburst in its talons. A thin chain let stars drip down.

“How did you do that?” Pele asked, more interested in the trick than the trinket. Drallion and Zephyr laughed.

“Don’t worry about that, Pele. Look at what he found,” Zephyr said gently. Pele looked and the trinket and smiled,

“It’s really pretty. Thank you for finding it.”

“Turn around and let me but it in your hair. Such pretty black hair like that should be decorated properly.” Much to Zephyr’s shock, Pele turned around and held very still as Drallion carefully pulled her long hair into a half horse tail and clipped it. Pele reached back and touched it before she grinned up at him.

“Thank you!” She turned around and bowed. Drallion bowed back.

“All right, stop that Drallion, you’ve always been too good at making girls smile.”

“I don’t think I could take this little one away from you, Zephyr.”

“Pele,” Zephyr said. “Why don’t you go find where you’ll be sitting at dinner.”

“Yes Uncle!” she replied before hurrying to the large table at the end of the hall.

“So,” Zephyr’s friend looked to him. “ ‘Drallion’, huh?”

“Shut up,” Zephyr replied, watching Pele rush around the table and look at the gold foil place cards. “I told her that Dragoon Cindertind was her father, and that her parents could not make it. She may only be eight, but she’d figure that out really fast.”

“I figured. She really is pretty. She’s going to be a little heartbreaker though, I can always tell. Especially with that smile of hers. You better teach her to handle a weapon, she’s going to have to beat them off with a stick.”

“She’s not allowed to court until she’s married. How’s yours?”

“She’s already marked for my line of work. I think it will be a great shock to her mother, but that poor woman is used to a lot of shocks. She got her mother’s looks though.”

“Lucky her, you ugly mug. If she had been born with your face, they would have killed her for a demon,” Zephyr replied with a grin. Dragoon laughed as well and looked at Pele as she came rushing back to them.

“I’m sitting next to you again, Uncle Zephyr! And your across from me, Drallion!”

“I am honored beyond belief.” Dragoon bowed with a flourish and took Pele’s hand, kissing the back of it. Pele’s cheeks turned bright red and she snatched her hand back, rubbing the spot where his lips met. Zephyr laughed and took Pele’s hand as the gong rang for the guests to take their seats.

Pele had eaten her fill of the wonderful food. She had not even known what was in most of what she ate, but Pele had never been a picky eater. She had tried to convince her uncle, then Dragoon, to let her have wine, but both had refused her pout. As the guests around her finished, Dragoon stood up and tapped his crystal goblet with the side of his fork. The ringing sound brought everyone’s attention to him.

“I would like to personally thank Lord Zephyr for his generosity and his wonderful kitchen.” There was an applause of approval at his opening statement. He gestured with his hands for silence, and when the Hall’s attention was on him again. “Zephyr and I have been friends since he was a pimple faced brat that didn’t know his ass from a hole in the ground. Fortunately though, he met someone that would give him the right directions, me.” Again, he waited for the laughter to die down. “Still, since he and I have left school I do not get to see my friend very often, un fact the last time I did, his niece Pele was a very little child in her mother’s arms. Thank the Dragons she turned out to look more like her mother. As such, I have a lot of birthdays to make up for on both sides. I know that Calebration is not the best time to be celebrating birthdays, but I don’t know when I will get the chance again.” Dragoon snapped his fingers and two servants entered. The first carried a gold astrolabe decorated with emeralds and sapphires. The second carried a large silver necklace with a white jade dragon as a pendent. Zephyr looked at his friend impressed.

“I thank you very much, Drallion, for these auspicious gifts.”

“Believe me,” Dragoon replied. “It was nothing.” Dragoon looked to Pele. “I have known Zephyr my whole life so his gifts were simple. Pele though, I knew very little of, but could think of no gift more fitting for a little girl trapped in the middle of a desert than this.” Again he snapped his fingers and another servant entered leading a white pony mare.

Pele gasped happily and hurried over to the pony. She offered her hand to the mare to sniff. The pony did, and lipped her hand. Pele grinned and looked at Dragoon.

“She’s beautiful.”

“What are you going to call her?” Dragoon asked kindly, a grin spreading across his face.

“She’s all white, like a cloud. I think I’ll call her Stratus.”

“A good name,” Zephyr agreed. “Now, Pele, let her get comfortable in the stables. You can see her again later.”

“Bye,” Pele said to the pony, kissing her nose. Stratus snorted in reply as she was lead out of the dining hall. Pele returned to her seat under the cooing voices and the smiling eyes of Zephyr’s court.

“Thank you very much, lord Drallion,” Pele said, bowing before she sat down.

“That was a very generous gift, Drallion,” Zephyr seconded.

“It is the least I could do for all the kindness you have shown me these past years.” Drallion raised his glass and toasted Zephyr. “To Lord Zephyr Veridonis, the greatest sorcerer I have ever known.”

“To Zephyr Veridonis,” the court echoed, raising their glasses to him.

“To Uncle Zephyr!” Pele said, raising her glass of milk. Zephyr smiled widely to her.

“I think you all from the bottom of my heart,” Zephyr said, standing. “And now I have a gift for all of you. When you leave this dining hall, you will find seats provided for the firework display. That is my gift to you as my guests.” The gusts smiled to one another and applauded. Zephyr took Pele’s hand and helped her down, leading her down the many flights of stairs to the ground level of Zephyr’s tower. Drallion and the court followed.

On the outdoor ground floor many of the menial tasks that kept the keep running were performed. The laundry, livery, blacksmith, tannery, and masonry were all silent now. Even Zephyr’s servants were allowed to join in the celebrations of Calebration. Their children played with Pele when she was not at lessons or when they were not on duty. In the middle of the court yard, as Zephyr had said, were seats arranged in a semi-circle that faced the gates of the tower’s walls. Slowly each guest and courtier took a seat, facing the desert’s cool ebony sky with anticipation. Pele was seated between Drallion and Zephyr.

“Uncle?” she asked softly, looking up at him. “May I go watch the fireworks with Stratus?”

“Why?” Zephyr asked with a raised brow.

“Because, she might get scared and I can calm her down if she does! Please, Uncle?”

“Let her go enjoy the pony, Zephyr. She’ll probably out grow the pretty creature soon,” Dragoon put in. Zephyr smiled and kissed the top of Pele’s head.

“All right, but be careful.”

“I will!” said Pele over her shoulder as she ran off to the stables.

“A stick,” Dragoon commented. “A big stick.”

The desert was not an ideal place to raise anything, in truth, but the winds and sands aided in creating some of the finest horses in the world. Zephyr was not a horse master, but he received some funds for selling his finest studs and mares for breeding. Pele stepped cautiously by her Uncle’s big blood bay stallion, Azrecki. The sheer size of the horse made Pele nervous around it. It snorted at her as she passed.

Stratus was at the very end of the row of mares. The tips of her white ears were the only things that peeked over the edges of the stable door.

“Stratus!” Pele whispered. “It’s me, Pele!” the little girl opened the door and stepped into the stable. The mare stepped back as the little girl entered.

“It’s okay,” Pele said, holding out her hand. “You know me, remember?” The pony sniffed her hand and her ears slipped back as she stepped forward. Pele smiled and petted the mare.

“You and I are going to get along great! I can’t actually ride, yet, but I’m going to learn. You’ll help, right? Don’t worry, they’re going to be lighting fireworks soon, but the fireworks can’t hurt you. I won’t let them.”

Pele climbed up onto Stratus’s manger, pulling herself up to sit on the divider between Stratus’s stable and the hay bin. Sitting there, she could see out the wide doors to the night sky. The fireworks began to go off, slowly at first. Twisting flecks of colored lights that danced briefly before they faded into the night sky or that bloomed into fiery flowers and lit the grounds up. Slowly they increased in frequency and in grandeur as Pele watched, spell bound as the golds reds and oranges of the fireworks reflected off the sands and the gold hay of the stables. Pele’s green eyes moved across the sky in rapid flickering movements as the display came to a grand finale.

A great red dragon wove its way through the night sky, passing over the crowd, looking down at all of the guests. Pele gasped as she saw it. It was the most beautiful firework she had ever seen, it sparkled as if made of rubies and its eyes flickered with orange light. She watched it, her mouth slowly falling slack. As the dragon wove and danced around the crowd, it stopped and looked at her. A great toothy smile spread across its fiery face and it raced for the stables.

Pele screamed as the dragon burst into the stable and swallowed her. She was tossed and turned as the dragon swirled through the stables and into the sky.

“Hello, Pele,” a deep growling voice said. Pele turned and looked behind her. Standing there was a tall, muscular man with glowing white eyes and a trailing black beard. He stood in front of her naked, and Pele felt herself blush.

“Who…who…?” Pele found she could not speak.

“It is time to make you one of mine, Pele. I’ve been watching you, and you’ve got what I need in one of my kind.”

“Your kind?”

The man reached out and touched Pele’s forehead, sending the little girl tumbling back screaming as she saw her skin light on fire and gold, orange, and red fireworks swirled and shot off of her body. The man laughed as he watched her struggle.

Pele screamed as she ran out of the stables. She swatted at the fireworks that lit off her skin as she fled into the courtyard. Her screams were joined by the whinnies and panicking of horses as the fire of the stables reached into the night sky. Pele did not hear the horses, nor saw the fire, in her panicked flight from the stables.

“By the Dragons!” Dragoon gasped as he and Zephyr ran to see the fire at the stables. Zephyr’s jaw dropped as his servants ran in to get the horses out, his eyes fell on the tiny figure that tripped on her dress and fell into the sand of the yard. Pele’s face was red and wet from crying and when she fell she simply curled into a silken ball to avoid getting stepped on.

“Pele!” Zephyr shouted. He ran into the chaos, distinct with his whipping white and blue robes, and servants cleared the way for him. He wondered why no one had stopped to pick up Pele, but as he approached he realized that orange, gold, and red sparks were still swirling off her. Suddenly he understood why no one had helped her up, or gotten her out of the way; few had the courage to touch an Exalting Dragon Blooded. Zephyr, however, was not afraid and he knelt down, running his fingers through Pele’s hair.

She gasped and looked up, tears trickling down and her sobs so heavy, she struggled to breathe.

“Pele,” Zephyr whispered. He gathered the little girl in his arms and held her tight.

“I didn’t mean to! It was the red man!” Pele sobbed into his shirt.

“Shh, Pele. I know…I know. You poor thing.” Zephyr picked her up and carried her back into the tower as the fireworks faded off of her.

“What happened?” she asked in a tiny voice as a servant set the tray of two glasses of milk and two chunks of chocolate on Pele’s bed. Pele was in her night gown and Zephyr was pulling the covers up over her stomach.

“Thank you,” Zephyr said as the servant left. He looked at Pele. “You remember how I told you that I am a sorcerer?”

“Yes,” she nodded. “And you’re going to teach me to be one too, if I have the skills.”

“What I never told you was how I can do magic. I’m a Dragon Blooded, a chosen servant of the Elemental Dragon of Air. You, kiddo,” he tapped her nose, “have been chosen as well. Only you serve fire.”

“What about the fireworks from my skin?”

“Those fireworks can’t really hurt anyone, but you can all kinds of things as Fire’s Chosen.” He smiled as Pele yawned. “You’ve had a big day today. You met Drallion and got your first pony, and on top of all of that you Exalted.”

Pele sat up and reached for her glass, drinking half of the milk, then biting into the chocolate. “Is Stratus all right?” she asked around chewing.

“All the horses are fine. They were retrieved well enough, and they are being taken care of as we speak.”

“Are we still going to write Mama and Papa in the morning?”

“The very first thing. Telling them you Exalted is a fine thing to write home about, and I’m sure they’ll be very excited.”

“Drink your milk,” Pele said, pointing to the second full glass.

“Oh, yes, of course.” Zephyr picked up the glass and drank as Pele finished the comfort meal.

“So you’re not mad at me?” She asked quietly as she lay back down on her pillow.

“Of course I’m not!” Zephyr replied. “Something very wonderful has happened at a time that normally is considered unlucky. I’m not mad and neither is anyone else. Now go to sleep. You had a big day today and tomorrow is going to be busy too.” Zephyr cleared off the tray.

“Kiss!” Pele demanded with a smile. Zephyr grinned and leaned down to kiss Pele good night before leaving the room.

Pele was seated on Zephyr’s lap as she wrote very carefully. He rubbed her back and smiled as she slowly wrote the words. Dragoon sat across from them, smiling as well as he looked at the little girl. The tips of her bangs and the ends of her hair were red, and neither Zephyr nor Dragoon was sure what that meant.

“Done!” Pele announced, signing her name with a flourish. She set the brush down and read the letter out loud:

“ ‘Dear Momma and Poppa. Happy Calebration! Uncle Zephyr tells me that this is a time of bad luck, but I’m not so sure about that. I miss you very much and I wish you would come see me so I can show you my new pony that Uncle’s Zephyr’s friend Drallion give me. I can’t really ride her yet, but Uncle Zephyr is going to teach me. Maybe if you came down, we could go for a ride together! There’s a very pretty oasis not too far from here.

“I hope you are both okay. I don’t hear from you except what Uncle Zephyr tells me about you. He says you’re doing fine and I hope that he is right. If you ever need a place to stay, I hope you come here. The rest of the tribe can stay in the tower too and you’ll be able to see me. I’ve grown a lot and Uncle Zephyr says that I’m going to start having more tutors. I don’t like tutors, but Uncle Zephyr makes me go see them. He says it’s for the best.

“Last night something scary happened to me while I was watching the fireworks. Uncle Zephyr told me that I have Exalted. I don’t really know what that means yet, but he says it means that I can learn to be a sorcerer like he is! I know you’ve been staying away because you don’t want to interrupt me, but I want to see you again. I hope I hear from you really soon. Your daughter, Pele.’ How did it sound?”

“Very good,” Zephyr replied. “I think your parents will be happy to get that letter from you. Go out and play now, I’ll make sure that it is sent.”

“Okay!” Pele scrambled off of his lap and ran out of the study.

“What did you tell her?” Dragoon asked as soon as she was gone.

“I told her that her parents are a desert Prince named Dragoon Cindertind and my wife’s sister. They tour around the desert and take care of the things that their tribe needs. They gave her to me to take care of and educate. That’s all she knows.”

“What are you going to do if she ever finds out the truth? How do you think she’ll react to finding out that the people she’s wanted to see her whole life don’t exist, or not as she would like them to?”

“I’ll just have to hope that she can come to understand.”

The night was cool and the stars were tiny pin pricks of light far above Zephyr as he walked around the outside of his tower to a shed in the back. He entered the old shed and opened a trap door on the sand covered floor, descending a few stairs and coming to a tomb.

On the walls starmetal lanterns cast a soft glow. There was nothing truly elaborate about the tomb, but the woman that lay inside had wanted it that way. The walls of the tomb had been smoothed out and on them were painted scenes of when the woman was alive. She was short, with a petite figure that suggested strength more than grace. Her bright green eyes reflected the smile on her lips. In one scene she was dressed for battle with a great war axe in her hand and silver tiger strips tattooed into her flesh. In another she was holding a white dragon close and smiling happily, and in the final panel she was perched on a plush chair, listening patiently as a young boy spoke to her, a moonsilver tiara in her ebony hair.

In the center of the tomb was a sarcophagus made of black granite. A giant tigress with two cubs playing on her was carved and inlaid with moonsilver into the side that faced the entrance of the tomb, and on the top was a gold plaque that read “Beloved Mother and Queen, she watches over her children in spirit”. Zephyr approached the sarcophagus and kissed the lid.

“She’s beautiful, Tigress,” Zephyr said softly. Even with a lowered voice it rolled through the cavern. “She has your eyes, and your smile. The poor thing got my nose though. She Exalted yesterday, she’s like me, only fire. Everyday she reminds me more and more of you.” He opened Pele’s letter and read it out loud to the tomb, his voice tightening with the threat of tears.

“I hope you too can understand why I can’t tell her about her real mother. She found a picture of you, remember the sketch I did? She found it and asked who it was. It was the first time I could tell her the truth and say it was her mother. She wouldn’t let me put it back. You’d be so proud of our little girl, Tigress. She’s going to make us both proud.” Zephyr kissed the cover again and knelt in front of the carved tigress, one hand pressed against it and cried softly.