Fire Hearts

Prologue

Long ago on a faraway island there thrived the city of Tabblore. Long forgotten by most, the island had mixed cultures and traditions. The dangerous waters that surrounded the Tabblore were not safe to travel by boat so most that ventured out seeking the mainland did not return. The island was not secret and was known to most traders and royal families but because no one got passed the treacherous seas, it came to be forgotten. Now fact was that if you did not live there you did not know that the island even existed. It was the best kept accidental secret of the century. Only one mainlander and his followers, knew of the island, Cyril was the brother of King Phillip and left for the main land on griffin back after his brother became ruler, with the king refusing to tell anyone why. Finally he arrived and his griffin worn out for none had ever flown that far and live to tell the tale. Jealousy began to rule Lord Cyril’s mind and hatred his heart. He sought to kill Phillip and rule his land himself. He began to breed strong dragons, and most mainlanders began to fear even his name. He trained riders that could make the long journey to Tabblore and once every few years he would send his dragon knights to kill King Phillip and take the kingdom. But the King sent his finest Griffin Riders to battle and he has never lost a battle yet. But still Cyril plans for the throne.
As the years passed Cyril hadn’t struck a blow to the kingdom in years and when many died trying to reach the main land the desire for adventure faded away. No one had ever spoke of ancient journeys anymore. So you can imagine the surprise of a small group of farmers when a rowboat washed upon the island with a dead woman and two small children. The children were hungry and frightened. The farmers came to the conclusion that they came from a recently wrecked ship on the rocks in the distance and that the woman took the rowboat and continued the journey with the children, who looked to be about five years old. She must have died just before the boat washed up on Tabblores shore. The farmers who found her thought that the children must be a gift from the sea itself if they were able to make it past the giant waves. Survivors of ship wrecks were rare in the occasions that they happened.
The first child pulled from the boat had golden hair and warm peach skin and looked at them curiously with her warm blue eyes. The second had white hair with piercing white-blue eyes and skin light skin as if she had never seen the warm kiss of the sun. Her white hair disturbed them and they realized that she was special when she opened her mouth and out came a snowy breath. The children were taken to the king to see what was to do with them and Kink Phillip could automatically see that the white haired child was no ordinary child, she was aPhenora. Phenoras were what the citizens called people born with extraordinary powers, they may could control the weather, elements or they could have the strength of ten men, but they were looked down upon and shamed for their powers. They were a considered a disgrace to the kingdom because they were different. The king asked who would volunteer to raise the small children, and had no responses. Since he could not assign them a place to live the king raise took them on himself.
The king raised them but not as his own, he constantly reminded them that they were not his and that his children were loved more. He had no way to know which was older so he declared them as twins and that the blonde haired child be older because the farmers told him that she was the first to be pulled from the boat. He made their birth date the day that they were found.
King Phillip was disappointed to learn that the child with the golden hair was a Phenora as well. When she turned eight years of age, she burnt down a market cart. Though no one was hurt but it made the king have second thought about keeping them, but he decided that he must follow through with his task. He kept them both disciplined and worked for this is how all of the gifted were treated and often reminded them that just because they lived with the royal family did not mean that they were different from the Phenoras out on the streets.
The golden haired child had a name embroiled on the corner of her blanket, Marena. She had a fiery temper, but her heart was full of love and compassion, she tried to keep her anger inside hidden from the rest of the world but it revealed itself through her fire. She was punished when she used her powers when she was vexed for she did damage like no other. The child with white hair the king named Isolde, he had no way to know what her birth name was so he named her the first thing that came to his mind. From infancy she could control and ice and make it out of nothing. She had fair skin and piercing, white-blue eyes. When the children grew old enough King Phillip sought out one of the mages who had similar gifts that lived in his kingdom and payed him to teach the girls how to use their gifts. But Marena could not control her power enough to have lessons so only Isolde was taught.