The horrible smell of singeing hair wafts in the fresh sea air as Nalani shoots another golden lightning bolt (this time on purpose), singeing a few more strands of Morrigan's wonderful dark red curls in retaliation. Though with her gift she contains the lightning every time she strikes, willing it to not burn the boat itself - it is a credit to her gift. Even though she is still injured the brief rest she had been given and the sheer determination makes Nalani's gift flare back to its power.

Morrigan seethes with fury, her whole body shaking with rage, as she throws an object directly towards Nalani's head which the queen misdirects calmly with wind. 

Sighing in frustration, Morrigan runs and punches Nalani's jaw, causing her to grunt in pain.

Nalani moves her hand to her jaw as she sends a strong gust of wind to knock Morrigan off balance so much that she nearly falls over. 

Using this to her advantage, Nalani punches Morrigan as hard as she could, earning no noise from Morrigan, but her eyes flash in pain for a moment as she regains her balance and sweeps her leg under Nalani's, causing the young queen to fall onto the hard wooden deck, bruising her back and the back of her head quickly. Her bandaged wounds sing in pain at the impact but luckily none of her injuries were that severe in the first place since she was saved by the elementals.

Quickly, the Fire Queen gets back onto her feet as she calls for fire and creates a fire ring around Morrigan; wherever Morrigan steps, the scorching flames grow taller, burning her hands slightly. Nalani wills the fire not to burn the boat and it obeys her, but she'll let it burn Morrigan. That little trick of hers only works with her magical flames that she herself creates, not the ones she takes from candles and torches to manipulate.

Sweat trails down Nalani's forehead, not from the heat of the flames but from the energy she is putting into keeping the flames contained to their ring, to not burn the boat to cinders and not allowing them to flare out of control. The flames have wind, oxygen and elemental magic, so they thrive and growl menacingly at Morrigan like a fierce lion. Nalani feels the flames longing to break free and it takes all of her control and energy to keep them contained into a small fire ring but fire is hot tempered and powerful, it is not meant to be mastered.

They both hear shouts from that other girl Nimue and a boy, Kaiden, she thinks his name is, who have finally come on deck and yells from Rowan, but not one of them tries to intervene, for fear of getting incredibly hurt themselves. They know better than to interfere with a queens business.

Suddenly Morrigan braves the flames, as she puts her arms up to cover her face and she jumps straight through them, the heat burning her sleeves off completely and her arms slightly. Screaming in pure fustration, Nalani calls another lightning bolt which Morrigan dodges easily.

"Again with the lightning," Morrigan says, smirking while getting into another defensive stance, "don't you have any other tricks?" 

This fills Nalani with more rage as she tries to control the hardest element, water. It is unpredictable and erratic but her rage fuels her power and she manages to control it successfully as she calls for gallons of water that rise out of the sea under her control and gather overhead in a large sphere and for a moment it is beautiful and majestic, a calm fluid mix of white and blue - the true beauty of an elemental queen's gifts.

It is a demonstration of her unchecked rage, she normally cannot control water. Not to that extent.

Then in relief she lets it go and it drops onto Morrigan's hair, her dark red hair sticking to her body and arms, making it darker and look like small tendrils of thick blood.  And she even falls over, sliding because of the force of it.

As Nalani's rage takes over her body and mind and she raises her hand up, ready to call another element, Rowan can finally get close enough and he grabs Nalani, knocking her out with the butt of a weapon. Nalani can only blink once before she tastes the sweet salvation of darkness once again.

  - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 

Rowan paces the deck anxiously as he waits for Nalani to wake up. He did not want to hurt her but he knows how bad Nalani's temper and gifts can be when she's full of rage. He witnessed it before in his childhood. She once nearly destroyed Vivianne's home with one of her temper tantrums, she could've burned the whole house down if left unchecked.

He did not knock out Morrigan because he knew that it would only take a few seconds for her rage to calm down, not fully but enough so that she doesn't try and hurt Nalani again.

Both Nimue and Kaiden had gone below deck a minute ago, to escape the bubbling tension between Rowan and Morrigan and to prepare as Sand Harbour, Rolanth's biggest port was incredibly close to them, so they had nearly reached land. Morrigan leans on the side of the ship, staring at Rowan, 

"I cannot believe that we, have to protect and teach that little elemental brat," she scoffs, "she bloody burnt my hair without provocation, I hope she doesn't become queen crowned." 

Rowan's calm sea green eyes turn stormy as he turns his head, his voice dangerously low,  "What did you say?" He asks. 

Morrigan shakes her head at him in cold defiance and stands her ground her tone cold as she says, "You heard me, she has no control over her emotions clearly. As simple as that. Even though me kissing you on the cheek is a casual friendly thing." 

It takes all of Rowan's self control to stop himself from going over to Morrigan and pressing a knife to her throat for those words 'I hope she doesn't become queen crowned.' 

"You want Nalani to die," he whispers, suddenly filling with a dangerous cold rage himself. He ignores her other words about Nalani overreacting and focuses in on what she said specifically. 

"She tried to kill me!" She shouts, throwing her hands up in absolute frustration and scowling furiously.

Rowan turns away from her answering, "Nalani has not had years of training in both fighting and controlling her emotions and she wasn't trying to kill you don't be a bloody fool!" he pauses, listening to the seagulls crow before he continues, "You are older and you have had years of that training yet you still lack a certain self control when it comes to your temper.I've seen her at her worse and trust me, she wasn't trying to kill you. She's the damn Fire Queen, if she wanted you dead then you would be." 

Morrigan snarls, "I didn't realise that after that I would receive such a scolding from my fellow warrior, I know that queens are sacred but she started this conflict and besides, we only need one queen to prevail after all." 

Everything on the boat starts vibrating as Morrigan's temper builds back up again and the strength of the war gift is shown. 

"Stop this Morrigan," Rowan sighs, regaining control over his temper in a few seconds, "you're behaving worse than your little brother, Ares." 

The hot tempered warrior turns her head away from Rowan and looks over the side into the sea, watching the rhythm of the waves calms her down slightly. 

She stays like that for a few minutes more, ignoring Rowan completely.

"Alright I apologise? I shouldn't have harmed her, I let my temper get the best of me," Morrigan says begrudgingly, repeatedly throwing and catching one of the little knives she retrieved from her side.

"Yes you did," Rowan agreed. He suspects she's only apologising to get back into his good graces but he accepts it nonetheless. They won't be able to train efficiently together if there is everlasting tension.

"I know she is a queen, one of their sacred line but I still don't like her," Morrigan murmurs, spinning more knives effortlessly between her fingers. It is a marvel to watch, Rowan would never dare use that many knives, although he is trained he doesn't have the war gift. The way Morrigan handles weapons often reminds him of a dance, a deadly dance of cool precision.

"Good thing I don't care about your opinion then isn't it," Nalani's voice calls out mockingly from behind them as they turn around to face the elemental queen.

Morrigan only cocks her head to the side slightly like an assessing animal, her green eyes studying Nalani's every moments with cold amusement.

After a while of them both staring at each other to Nalani's surprise Morrigan eventually only laughs,

"It's going to be entertaining training a hellcat like you," she says, the amusement not reaching her eyes as instead of catching her little throwing knives she drives them deeply into the wood of the boat using her mind. Almost like she wishes it was plunging into Nalani's heart instead.

If the sound and action is meant to unnerve Nalani then it does. Slightly. But she is not scared of Morrigan. Not truly. The only person she is truly scared of is herself. If Morrigan wants to try it with the knives Nalani will burn her and her knives into ash without a second thought. Her fire is incredibly strong, her favourite part of the elemental gift. She can control fire and air with the most ease as they go hand in hand, water to a small extent although it takes concentration but not earth. Still, she is a powerful elemental queen for the island to have with multiple elements at her disposal, people can believe in her. A bright light amongst the darkness and poison of Arwen and Carina.

Nalani decides to only give the redhead a wink in reply, not trusting herself to utter any more words to the warrior and turns away from Morrigan, not objecting as Rowan approaches her and puts a black cloak over her shoulders. Queens blacks. Always.

Her face softens a little as she thanks him which he accepts graciously with a small smile dancing on his handsome tan face.

But the moment is interrupted as another voice calls out,

"I'm assuming this stupid spat is finished," a girl says as she walks towards them all with a confident stride.

"For now," Nalani instantly replies, a wicked smile forming at her lips as she looks over to Morrigan who now holds a similar expression. There is bound to be another brawl between them at some point and the fire in Nalani's veins spark at the challenge.

It makes the girl chuckle as she continues to make her way over, a tall boy following behind her.

"I like you already your majesty," she says as Nalani takes her in and she almost snorts at the "your majesty". That's not her title yet. She is not Queen Crowned. Not yet. But she will be.

The new girl is slim yet tall but she clearly has muscle even on those lithe limbs. She is reasonably pale for a woman hailing from Bastian City where they trained outside for long hours in the sun. She has a sharp angular face, a slender nose, small lips.

But the most stunning thing about her are these brilliant bright blue eyes, sparkling with amusement. Such a strange shade of blue, almost violet in appearance and similar to blue bells Nalani remembers that grew at the Black Cottage. What an odd memory for her to have when she barely remembers her childhood there.

The girl has this long wavy black hair that flies back in the wind, untamed and wild - similar in colouring to Nalani's own hair. She is of reasonable height although not as tall as her companion, another boy around Rowan's age with sun kissed skin and wavy dark blonde locks. He has the look of a naturalist, not quite a warrior. He doesn't have the typical build.

Rowan smiles at the two who both instantly return his grin. They're all friends then clearly. It makes Nalani feel a small surge of jealousy and it surprises her. They're clearly close, a group. But then curiosity takes over.

"Lani, this is Nimue Murtra and Kaiden Milone," Rowan says, introducing them both.

Nimue flashes Nalani a grin which Nalani returns, there's something instantly likeable about Nimue that even Nalani can't deny while the other one, Kaiden, gives her a curt nod in acknowledgment.

Suddenly Nalani feels something touch her leg and nearly jumps off the edge of the boat in surprise as she sees a large silver wolf walk past her, walking to Nimue's side who strokes the wolf's head lovingly. Then moments later another animal comes, a fox this time and scurries over to Kaiden Milone's feet.

"This is my familiar," Nimue explains, looking down at her fierce wolf, "her name is Nox and the fox is Kaiden's, his name is Sven."

Nalani observes how big Nox is and is surprised. It marks Nimue as a very powerful naturalist considering she has the same familiar as the great naturalist, Queen Bernadine whose wolf ripped one of her sister's throats to ribbons. But then she has the surname of Murtra which is a warrior's family.

Then she looks at the red sleek fox at Kaiden's feet. Sven. And how tiny he is compared to Nox. It is surprising that even though Kaiden is a Milone so probably a powerful naturalist that Nimue has the bigger familiar so therefore the stronger gift. Even more strange that instead of bearing the surname of Milone or any other strong naturalist family, she bears the one of a line of powerful warriors.

"How are you both a Murtra and a naturalist?" Nalani enquires curiously which earns her a glare from Morrigan as if to say 'that's none of your damn business' which Nalani swiftly ignores.

"Well I'm not a real Murtra but they didn't know what other surname to give me, my real mother died but she was good friends with Pele Murtra so they took me in at her will. She was the only one left of her family so I didn't have any naturalists who could raise me, so instead I was raised by warriors," Nimue says, surprisingly cheerily as she shoots a smile at Morrigan who returns it, "and I wouldn't have it any other way, I have been lucky in my upbringing. Even though I'm a naturalist, I have a warrior's heart. Why else would I have a familiar this fierce and strong? My Nox was made for battle."

Nox lets out a triumphant bark at that and Nimue laughs and Nalani smiles though she isn't fooled as she spies the twin daggers strapped to Nimue's side and the gleaming fangs and claws on her wolf. They both appear harmless enough but getting on the wrong side of Nimue might result in a throat being torn out by Nox or a dagger in the side from Nimue.

Nalani knows how well trained the people of Bastian City are, war gifted or not, they are all lethal. Though not to Nalani, the only people allowed to be lethal to her at her delightful sisters.

At that Nalani suddenly remembers all that has happened and suddenly blurts out, "what of Vivianne and the other elementals? They must be worried sick."

Rowan laughs at that which makes Nalani raise an eyebrow in confusion and he hastily explains himself,
"The elementals were the ones who helped us reach you in the water and we have already sent word to them, while you were asleep a messenger came out in a fast little boat and he returned to land, telling them that you are fine and just resting. We wanted to wait till you woke up before docking at Sand Harbour."

Nalani nods, heaving a sigh of relief. The last thing she needs is Vivianne making a fuss, drawing the attention of High Priestess Corra and the Black Council. Her face burns as she remembers how she fell. How embarrassing. She only fell because she got too wrapped up in her gifts and used too much of her strength.

Luckily where she stood was over water and not sharp rocks. On most days she would've been fine but on that particular day because she was exhausted and had used all of her strength she nearly drowned. It's quite laughable to Nalani, an elemental queen nearly drowning. Must be the Goddess' idea of a joke.

"Speaking of Sand Harbour, we're here," Rowan says with a large smile as for the first time in quite a few years he sees the beautiful city of Rolanth.

They all look ahead at the busy port of Sand Harbour, filled with many fishers and merchants, both on their small boats and land. And at the charming white city of marble that lies ahead in the distance.

Nalani goes up on her tip toes, stretching to reach Rowan's ear as she whispers,

"You are finally home Ro."