The elder man had been courteous to every regard to the women. He had waved his staff over some of the collected piles of wood to burn for the women to settle around. The fire licked the flames and caused shudder from several of them. The passengers of the Wishing Star were still recovering from the fire's memories. As they all sat, warming themselves, the kindly wizard joined them, giving them hollowed out coconuts filled with tea.
"So, there's no way to escape this island," A princess with golden curls asked.
The man nodded sagely. "Even the smoke from this fire gets lost in the rain." There was no threat of a storm now, but everyone else was on edge at just the mention of the storm.
"But we have to get home. Mi Familia," lamented a girl with dark skin. Her red dress was smeared with mud from the beach.
A woman with a green dress resembling water lilies placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Sweetheart, we're all royalty. We can't sit and wait for a man to save us."
This prompted a snort from the accented redhead. She poked at the fire with a stick. "Men. All of you are married! I defied marriage. I be ruling without the help of a man by my side."
A young girl who was somewhere between the ages of fifteen or so, looked over. Her sandy blonde hair reached her waist and a small ball of light flitted on one shoulder. "She didn't say that we were waiting for men."
"But still…" a brunette woman glanced out to the horizon, "letting people know we're still alive is more important."
The gray eyed man was staring at each woman as they spoke. There appeared to be a divide amongst them. Some were perfectly content sitting and waiting was the best choice of action. Others argued the time to escape while they still could was now; they could look for supplies and be off before they knew. Some brought up a point that a storm could come back worse than the one that destroyed their ships. He stood before them, holding aloft a pearl.
"If it will ease your worries. I have my own tale." He knelt down before them. "I realize I should have introduced myself. My name is Prospero. I have been stranded alone here for nearly fifteen years. Fifteen years I've stayed on this island."
"And you didn't ask for help because…?" a plucky raven haired girl with ornaments in her ponytail arched her eyebrow.
Prospero looked down sadly. "I was confident I could escape the island on my own terms. Unfortuantely, I was proven wrong. The rules of this island change with every season. One moment, the waves will be as smooth as silk. The next, they are too rough to even swim in. But then one day, I found this." He held aloft the large pearl on his neck.
"Did the ocean give it to you?" an island based girl asked. She had a hand on her own pendant. The lone abalone shell was encrusted with pearls.
Prospero nodded. "In a way. But when I held it aloft, it seemed everything was going right for me. I started calling it the Heart of the Island. I've had it long enough. You seem to need it more than I. So, I have a task for you." He removed the large shell from around his neck. He murmured soft whispers in a language neither of the women could speak. The shell faded until there was nothing left. The stone disappeared. He rose from his seat and reached into the sleeves of his robe. In one hand, he held ten sparkling blue orbs. The other hand held ten pink roses.
"I see there is a divide of opinions based on the course of actions. You," he pointed to a woman in fine seafoam silks, "what is your name?"
"Um, I'm Jasmine, Princess of Agrabah," he answered with refinement.
"Jasmine, what is your opinion? Do you wish to wait for someone to rescue you, or do you wish to escape on your own?"
Jasmine pursed her lips. "I…I'm not sure."
Prospero nodded sagely. "There is no wrong answer. You," he pointed to the small girl that had been rescued by the former mermaid, "what is your name?"
"Sofia," she answered shyly.
"I will ask you the same question."
"Um," Sofia stroked her hands over her skirt. Tiny grains of sand fell. "This island is a stranger to all of us. It could be dangerous taking things without thinking what it could do. Waiting would probably be best." As she finished her answer, Prospero handed her one of the blue orbs. Sofia looked at him, confused.
"Who else agrees with Sofia's sentiment? That waiting for help is wiser?" Nine women held up their hands, a few of them – Jasmine, a woman with an auburn ponytail, and a platinum blonde woman with snow motifs – were hesitant to agree. As they saw them do so, he handed each of them a blue orb.
Now holding only the roses, Prospero cast his gaze on a woman with jet black hair and stroking a beautiful hair comb. "My dear, what's your name."
"Mulan. I don't…really have a title. I guess you call my royal status…honorary," she answered.
"Mulan, you did not agree to the idea of waiting. Why?"
Mulan looked from Prospero to the fire. "Waiting could mean letting people get hurt. Help could arrive, but at the cost of us being sick and injured by the time it does come."
"I agree with Mulan," a white haired woman with a crystal around her neck chimed in. "we are all outsiders. Waiting can only do so much. Yet we must work for our survival."
Prospero stroked his beard. "My lady, what is your name?"
"I am Kidakagash, Queen of Atlantis."
"Um, do you have a name that's not so much of a mouthful?" the auburn haired woman sneered. This warranted a few snickers.
"Kida." The queen answered coolly, unphased by the insult.
"Kida. You are absolutely correct. My island is not built for a settlement. You must learn to survive here. I may help you, if you wish. Yet, there are rules here. I cannot simply gift you the items. No, you must show me that you can work hard. Some of you," he looked at the women, "have only worked using politics and your appearances. Others have worked hard to ensure your titles. As such, you will be tested almost every day you are on this island.
"The orbs I have given you," Prospero nodded, "have united all of you as one tribe. You are now the Estrella Tribe. As for the rest of you," he handed out the roses to the women left, "you are now the Rosado Tribe. Now this is where it becomes difficult. The Heart of the Island will only aid the tribe that possesses it. It will make your tests easier to bear. Fail the test, and you will be exiled from my island."
Everyone turned pale. If a test was failed, they were exiled? It was cruel.
"Do not be saddened. Exile does not mean anything awful. I will simply send you on a vessel for home, so perhaps you may send fleets here. And do not despair if you do not find the Heart. There are small tokens throughout the island. If you find one, it will grant you immunity from being exiled. I should also add that the Heart will go to the next tribe should you choose to use it in a test. Now your true test begins; should you find the Heart first, your tribe will keep it. But, I know food is scarce."
The fire flickered up. Several women backed away as it did. From the flames emerged a bundle of net, a pole, and a large basket wove from fronds. Next to it was a small rod of flint. He gestured to the offerings, which everyone stared at.
"Your choices are…keep the Heart for the test…or give it to the other tribe in exchange for fire and needs to catching fish. The choice is yours. The Heart is waiting somewhere on this beach."
As he said these words, the fire engulfed him, leaving Rosado and Estrella alone. Everyone looked at one another. Acquaintances was the only way they could describe one another. The two sisters were on rival tribes. If they were going to find this heart and make a choice, the would have the search quickly. A few Rosado members began overturning rocks. Jasmine was climbing a tree. The youngest members, both on rival tribes, were ahead of everyone rushing behind to keep them from getting hurt.
Only one person dared to go in the water. The salt of the ocean was in her veins and she already knew her dress was ruined, no need to cry over it. Ariel dipped one toe in the water, feeling the surf rush over her ankles. The other tribe members were too fixated on rocks and tide pools. They wouldn't notice her diving away. She went out further. The Heart had to be close. By the time the water was up to her waist, she dove.
Under water, the lagoon was a washed green color. Sand was mulling over from the storm, still a mess. She smoothed her hands over the grooved lines. The Haert of the Island was huge, she knew they much. The only shells she found were bits of mussel. But as she looked to her right, something glinted. Her lungs were beginning to burn. Ariel desperately wished for her fins. But she had given them up for a life on land. Yet she could at least grab the shell. Diving down, she swam towards the silver sheen and snatched her prize to resurface.
The Heart of the Island was hers.
Laughing, Ariel returned to the beach. When several members of the Estrella tribe saw the shell in her hands, they cheered. The glittering crowd rushed and embraced her. It was a victory The power could be theirs.
"But, wait…" piped up the small pale girl with black hair, "if we keep it, it could hurt the other tribe. I don't want to accidentally cause more trouble."
"What kind of trouble? Our boats are gone," Jasmine huffed. "It can't get worse."
The Estrella tribe looked over the second offering. It was when they did that the snow princess suggested, "Well, most of Rosado has women who seem to have fished for years. They don't need the fishing gear. We do."
With that point made, Ariel approached the offering. Laying the Heart of the Island down, she picked up the fishing box. Jasmine followed behind with the flint. Something was tucked within the kit. It was a hand drawn map leading from the beach to a small lagoon. It must have been a meeting point of some kind. After making sure everyone with an orb was set, the Estrella Tribe left the beach.
The Estrella Tribe's lagoon lived up to the star shaped orbs. Bright orange starfish decorated the tide pools close by. Flowers bloomed in star shapes, their ripe scents heavy with the smell of sea salt. Everything was empty. The women set the fishing gear in a crevice on the rocks. Names were exchanged amongst themselves. The blonde curled princess, Aurora, went to the shore to talk with the silver gowned Cinderella and the fast talking Latin princess Elena. Jasmine started to collect kindling. Sofia followed her, as did the snow…queen, Elsa.
"Fire is the only way we can keep ourselves comfortable," Jasmine remarked.
"That and it'll be a good beacon for camp," Elsa said. She took a quick scan at the other tribe members. Eilonwy, the girl with the light, was attempting to uproot a tree. The raven-haired girl, Snow White, was using a palm frond to sweep a section of sand away. Megara, the auburn-haired princess, was squeezing water out of her sandals. "So…what do you think?"
"What do we think of…?" Sofia prompted.
"Of our situation," Elsa said. "Prospero is…an interesting host."
"I agree," Jasmine murmured. She set up a ring of stones as they others put the kindling down along with some dry grass. It appeared that Elsa's pieces had some sort of mysterious frost. The island's magic perhaps? She began shaving sections of flint onto the wood before setting sparks to the wood and grass. The tongues of fire lapped up, and she sat back on her haunches. "We should stay close together."
"I think those three," Sofia pointed to Aurora, Cinderella, and Elena, "are suggesting the same thing." The other four were simply mingling. There was no sense of wanting to work or even talk.
The Rosado Tribe was surprised to see the fishing gear was taken by the Estrella tribe. Kida shrugged it off, telling the others that with experience in fishing, there was no worry. Mulan picked up the shell, gasping as it showed an overhead view of the island. A flower blossomed in a corner. A pink rose. The tribe took it as a clue that was where would be staying before leaving the beach.
The pink rose was not just a beacon of where they would stay. It was also part of many bushes growing around their designated campsite. Rapunzel, the princess with the long hair, took everyone's pink roses and arranged them to sit in a small tide pool.
"Um, those are gonna wash away," the oceanic tribal girl, Moana, pointed out.
As they discussed flower arrangements, the fiery redhead Merida rolled her eyes. Some people were going to get under her skin fast. All these froofy princesses in their dresses and nails. Most members of the Rosado tribe, like Kida, Moana, and the tattooed Pocahontas, had come from environments of adventure and excitement. She was walking around the beach with Kida and, much to her surprise, a princess in a yellow ballgown. The brunette introduced herself as Belle, and the three of them sat by one of the bushes.
"So long as we have what we need, we will make it through," Belle murmured.
"Don't tell me you're switching opinions on needing' to be rescued!" Merida cried out.
Belle held up a gloved hand in protest. "No. I'm saying that we work quietly on getting off the island. Charging in with guns blazing makes us look dangerous. Especially if these tests are dangerous."
"Our first test was a treasure hunt," Kida pointed out.
"Which we lost. The Estrella tribe found it first but chose the reward Prospero gave us," Belle argued.
"Speaking of Prospero, what are your thoughts?" Kida asked.
Belle answered very honestly, "While he has magic, it's best to be smart about what we do."
As they were talking, the plucky raven haired girl, Vanellope, was dashing off. Behind her trailed the 'frog princess Tiana – a nickname she got from diving into a tide pool during the hunt for the Heart – and Mulan. The three of them appeared to be thick as thieves already. Meanwhile, Rapunzel and Moana seemed to stop fighting over arrangements and were weaving something from plant fronds together. Pocahontas and Anna, the ginger haired princess, were lining up rows of bamboo, which were being chopped down, to seemingly make a shelter. Well, so long as conflicts could be resolved it would be easy to get along.