Not only is this my first Elena of Avalor fic (obviously) but this is actually my first fic that doesn't have a power rangers, ninja turtles, or supernatural basis to it. Reviews would definitely be appreciated so I know what I should, or shouldn't, do from here.
As the sun rose over the horizon Crown Princess Elena Castillo Flores let out a small sigh. "Oh, forget this." She said to herself as she threw her covers back and got out of bed; sleep had not come to her that night at all.
"I suppose it's to be expected, I've been trapped for forty one y ears, I guess I've forgotten what it's like to have nights like that." Elena commented and shook her head. "And who am I talking to anyway?" She wondered.
"Ah, I assumed you were talking to me." The spirit animal Zuzo replied evenly from his position hovering by her mirror. "But I guess not."
Elena laughed just a little. "At least I feel less loca now." She admitted and then shook her finger at him. "You stay there for a few minutes while I freshen up." She chided.
Zuzo rolled onto his back, at least as best as he could while hovering. "I'm not going anywhere." He waited patiently and after a few minutes Elena returned and sat at her mirror to start brushing her hair into her customary ponytail. "So restless night, princess? Think there's a reason for that?" He asked.
"Heavy the head wears the crown?" Elena commented wryly, thinking of the line that she had heard her father the previous king use on a couple of occasions. She wasn't entirely sure what it meant or if it was true. Then she sighed. "I just assumed it was because of being trapped like I was for so long. I mean the same thing has happened with Isa."
"Piece of advice princess." Zuzo said and she gave a slight nod, too distracted as she was by getting her hair done so she could join her grandparents, sister and older cousin for breakfast. "You might have only just become the crown princess but don't underestimate your connection to your kingdom or your people."
Elena paused as she bit her lip in thought. She wondered if he was telling her something had or was going to happen. "I'll keep that in mind." She promised Zuzo as she finished up her hair and stood up, smoothing the front of her red dress experimentally. "I want to go see if Isa is up."
She left her room and went to her sister's room, knocking on her door. It took a moment but her little sister Isabel opened up. "Morning Elena." She said cheerily, perhaps just a bit too cheerily for her older sister's preference considering her restless night. She cocked her head as if she had noticed that too. "Did you sleep okay?" She asked now.
"Not really." Elena admitted as she placed her hand gently on her little sister's head. "But I'll be okay after we've gotten breakfast." Isabel nodded and stepped out of her room, closing her door behind her. Together the two sisters headed toward the small palace dining room.
"Are you going to be okay for the council meeting?" Isabel asked her curiously as they walked down the stairs.
Elena repressed a sigh, she had forgotten all about that through her sleep haze. "Yeah, I'll be fine." She promised. "Maybe it will help wake me up." She added with a small smile and Isabel giggled just a little, which made Elena feel a little better.
The two entered just as some of the kitchen staff had finished setting up the table. Their grandparents Francisco and Luisa were at their customary places talking quietly among themselves while their cousin Esteban, who also happened to be a Chancellor and royal advisor, sat among a couple of pages as they all waited for the sisters.
"Ah Elena, Isobel. Good morning mi nietas." Luisa said with a smile. "Did you sleep well?"
"I slept alright." Isobel answered and was about to add that Elena had not but something told her not to mention it so she let the thought go as she sat down.
Elena knew she should respond as well but couldn't really muster one as she reached for her glass of orange juice.
"Elena?" Francisco prodded his granddaughter gently. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine abuelo." The crown princess answered with a small smile. It wasn't as bright as her family was used too though. "I slept alright, but it could have been better. I've forgotten how it feels to not get a full eight hours."
"It is something you will get used to, rather you like it or not." Esteban cautioned his cousin as he set the papers aside. "There will be days that you will feel that way as full queen of Avalor."
Elena couldn't help but laugh a little bit. "Thanks Esteban, that's so reassuring." She teased him with a small smile. Elena and her grandparents listened throughout breakfast as Isobel talked about her latest invention that sounded very much like a metal detector except it would have a special switch on it that would allow it to track more thoroughly like silver, copper, or gold.
After breakfast Elena, Esteban and her grandparents headed toward the grand council room. Even as her grandparents and Esteban sat down Elena stood by the window and looked outside. It was perfectly bright and sunny which seemed to be a contradiction to how worn out she felt today.
"You know I think when we have meetings scheduled we should just invite Naomi over for breakfast." Francisco commented with a chuckle. Naomi Turner, Elena's best friend, was the only member of the grand council who was not also family.
"Hmm." Elena mused as her grandfather's words penetrated. "That's kind of odd. Naomi has never been late." In truth she barely knew the short haired blonde but from their time together she had learned that her friend was rather punctual.
"Perhaps we should start without her." Esteban suggested. "We do have notes taken for our meetings after all, and nothing on the agenda today is extremely important."
Elena shook her head as she stood up. "No, I'll go out to the city and get her, make sure that everything is okay." She announced.
"But Elena..." Esteban started.
"It shouldn't take long." She replied and then gave Esteban a wink. "Besides you said it yourself, there's nothing extremely important on the agenda. We can postpone it for a little bit." She started toward the door. "I'm sure that Gabe will be more than willing to accompany me into town." She gave a wave of her hand as she left and headed toward the front of the castle.
As she got outside she was surprised to see Isabel by the fountain with what looked like a fishing pole. The end she was holding had a small crank attached to it that she kept turning as she explored the fountain. Just above that was a rotating switch with buttons. Elena was willing to bet that was what her little sister had put on to sort through the different metals. The opposite end of the fishing pole had what looked to Elena like a few pieces of cobbled together metal but she was sure did something more.
"Elena." She turned to see Gabe Nunez running up toward her. He seemed in a rush but stopped as he noticed what the crown princess had been looking at. "I buried one of my gold coins so that Princess Isabel could test out her invention." HE noted.
"That's so sweet of you, thanks." Elena said with a smile. She saw Gabe practically beam under her words and for reasons she wasn't entirely sure of that reaction seemed to make her feel happier too. She then remembered his initial rush to get to her. "Is something wrong Gabe?" She asked now.
Gabe had to shake off his elated rush at Elena's smile but when he did so his face went grim. "I received word from the constable in town. There has been a rash of theft at the docks. I on my way to report it to the council." He told her.
That reminded Elena of why she had come out here. "Let someone else know and come with me," She ordered Gabe, which reminded him that regardless she was the crown princess of Avalor. "I need to go into town for Naomi." She had a horrible feeling that the theft and Naomi's lateness might be related.
Gabe turned to address another guard and to order a carriage to be readied for the princess while Elena turned to see Isabel coming up to them with an old but shiny gold coin that might have been worth at least half the treasure in the castle. "Hey I found it. It works." Isabel said excitedly then noticed what was going on. "Is something going on Elena?"
Elena hesitated and then answered, "I don't honestly know Isa. Gabe heard about something at the docks and Naomi hasn't shown up yet. I have a bad feeling that they might be related."
"I'm coming with you." Isabel said simply.
They heard the carriage coming up to them. Rather than argue she turned to the carriage as Gabe opened the door and offered his hand to help Elena inside. She accepted it with a small smile and then turned to help Isabel into the carriage, Gabe holding her invention. A moment later she had it back and Gabe was in the carriage and they took off.
It only took about a half hour to get to the docks but to Elena it seemed to take significantly longer. When they stopped it was pretty obvious what was going on as most of the people near the docks had gathered around and were halfway between discussing the situation and accusing each other.
From the outskirts of the scene the three saw Naomi. The carriage had barely stopped before Elena jumped over and landed on the ground, hurrying to her friend. "Naomi, are you alright?" She asked as ran over to her. "Can you tell me what happened?"
"I'm okay Elena." Naomi answered. She could see Gabe getting out and helping Isabel out of the carriage. "Last night someone broke into a bunch of the houses and took things. Mostly small things like rings, necklaces, bracelets, tools, that kind of thing. It went on all of last night."
"A reason for your restlessness perhaps?" Elena heard Zuzo suggest but as a spirit animal no one but her could hear him and even though she thought it might explain that she decided it best not to say so out loud.
Elena blinked just a bit. "Wait, what?" She questioned. "Expensive jewelry and tools?"
Naomi nodded. "It doesn't exactly make sense I know." She agreed. "Whoever it was stole my mother's platinum ring." She looked to the sea for a moment. "It was supposed to be passed on to me by my dad on the day I get married."
"We'll find them all." Elena vowed.
"What's with the crowd?" Isabel asked now.
Naomi turned toward the center now. "Dad didn't want to take the chance that thief might flee Avalor, and so since he is the harbormaster he's stopped boats from coming and going until it's been resolved. Some of the people are livid at that; others are convinced that it had to have been someone who lives here and they want to know who it is." She answered.
Elena turned to look at the crowd. They all seemed normal enough as far as she could tell, for what it was worth none of them screamed 'thief' to her. But she supposed that was the point. "Even if the thief is here they're not going to be carrying the stolen objects on them." Gabe pointed out.
"Elena, platinum is a pretty rare substance around Avalor." Isabel started.
"True but how does that help us?" Naomi asked.
Elena smiled as she got what her sister was saying. "So odds are if a platinum signature is detected, then we've most likely found the thief." She concluded. "Great idea Isa." She said as she hugged her sister softly.
"I still don't get it." Naomi interjected. "I mean I get the logic but how are we supposed to detect platinum?"
"We'll do that thanks to Isa and her invention." Elena explained to her friend. "A multi detector that Isa invented."
"It's so sensitive that it can detect specific types of metal, including platinum." Isa added as she held the fishing pole like device up a little. A slight shimmer of doubt crossed Naomi's face but she had very quickly learned about Princess Isabel and her inventive skills.
"Think your dad can handle things for another few minutes?" Gabe asked Naomi.
She nodded. "He'll be okay. Plus not all of the people disagree with my dad's decision either." She answered.
"The sooner we find these items the sooner we can end this debate once and for all." Elena said. She looked to Isabel. "Do your thing Isa."
Isabel nodded and twisted the dial a couple of times. It made Elena wonder how her sister knew what setting she needed to find which element but knew now was not the time to ask her how that worked. She waved it around and the object vibrated in her hands as it moved before focusing on Naomi.
"You stole the items?" Gabe asked, making both girls give him a slightly annoyed glare.
"No." Naomi said icily. "It's got to be reacting to my platinum necklace." She lifted the small object from around her neck and the hem of her top. "Dad gave it to me a few years ago after...well; let's just say it was meant to comfort me."
"Did it work?" Elena asked curiously.
"As well as could be expected." Naomi replied softly.
"Okay, you just stand behind Isa then." Elena said. "That way your necklace won't be in range of the detector." The blonde nodded and did as the crown princess said. "Now let's try that again."
Isabel nodded and, making sure she was not facing Naomi at all, activated her tracker again. To the three of them while the distinct lack of reaction now was obvious it didn't really seem to be helping them at all. But the young princess didn't seem deterred at all. "I think I got something, come on follow me." Isabel stated and started off with Gabe and the two girls behind her.
Soon Isabel was leading them out of the town proper and toward the outskirts that lead into one of the larger forests of Avalor. By this time it was hard not to notice that Isabel's device was starting to get a stronger reaction, almost like it had when detecting Naomi's necklace.
"We must be getting close." Gabe said. "What do we do when we find the items, and you know presumably the thief too?"
"You're the palace guard." Naomi teased him with a smirk. Then it faded. "When we find out who it is I'm going to give him, her, or them a piece of my mind." She said.
"Let's hang on a second." Elena said. "Let's find out what it's about first." She still remembered the conclusion she had jumped too about the magic shape shifting Noblins, small purple creatures that were just trying to make their way home after they had been freed from captivity when Elena defeated Shuriki.
Isabel's device led them to a hollowed out section of a large tree and where they found the stolen items. "They're all here," Elena noted as she reached down to pick up a silver bracelet, "but where's the thief?" She wondered.
"Hey what are you doing near my tre…tree?" They heard someone demand to know. The four turned to see a creature that was about the same height as Isabel coming their way, he had brown hair, a brown mustache and beard and was dressed in very light brown clothing. Elena also saw he carried what she thought of as a very 'conspicuous' burlap potato sack.
"I didn't think anyone could claim a tree." Gabe noted dryly.
"Are you sure you don't mean treasures." Naomi added pointedly.
"What is that?" Isabel wondered softly.
"A Duende." Elena answered softly as he started toward them. "I remember seeing it in one of Mateo's books." What she didn't recall was the details about it. "Why are you taking all of this stuff?" She now asked as she moved some of the shrubbery around the hollowed out portion to reveal the treasures he had taken from Avalor.
"It's my job." The Duende stated simply. "I like shiny things, and as they say; want, take, have."
"Who are they?" Isabel wondered.
"These things already belong to other people." Naomi said as she reached out and took her mother's platinum ring. "Like this for instance, which you stole from my house."
"She's right; you can't just take objects that belong to others. That's called stealing." Gabe added.
"Maybe we can make a deal of some sorts." Elena proposed now.
"What kind of a deal?" He questioned now.
Elena scrambled to come up with something even as the small creature shoved his way past the four of them into the hollowed out part of the tree where the stolen treasures sat and began to rummage through them. Then she had an idea. "We'll let you have some golden objects that we have lying around in exchange for letting the townspeople have their items back."
He laughed somewhat rudely. "You just happen to have random gold objects lying around and yet you're worried about this stuff?" He questioned.
Normally it wasn't quite that simple but a search of the lower portions of the palace had revealed the items Shiriki had forced the Noblin's to turn into gold during their imprisonment at the evil sorceress's hands. "It's kind of a long story, but the point is they don't really belong to anybody. These items do. We're only too happy to make the trade." Elena replied.
The Duende took a bit more time to respond than Elena felt comfortable with but he finally nodded. "Alright deal. Bring me these free gold items and I'll return the stolen merchandise." He agreed.
"Great." Elena said. She looked to Naomi and Isabel. "Contact abuelo and have someone bring them out here, and let the townspeople know they'll be getting their possessions back." She looked to Gabe. "You and I will stay here and wait, as a gesture of goodwill."
Naomi sure hoped that was code for the crown princess not really trusting this thief. By all counts she thought he should be locked up but she wasn't sure how they could really keep him locked up, he was taller than the Noblin's but also more spry. "Come on Isabel; let's get this taken care of." She said.
The young princess nodded, but as she glanced back at Elena, Gabe and the Duende she couldn't shake the feeling that the little creature was looking for something in particular but she couldn't understand what.
A half hour later Isabel and Naomi returned with a dozen of the palace guards with the unclaimed objects that the Noblin's had been forced to make. "These will do nicely." The Duende said simply. "You can take back your subjects possessions."
"Thanks so much for that." The blonde couldn't help but quip sarcastically as she crossed her arms over her chest in annoyance.
Elena completely understood how her friend felt. "There is one more thing." She said now, her voice taking on a slight edge of steel. "If you ever sneak back into Avalor unannounced to steal from anyone again we will have to charge you for that crime and take the appropriate actions."
"Oh, I promise that you that I'll never be coming back to Avalor unannounced again." The Duende declared as he used the burlap sack to take up the items he was going to take with him.
"We're holding you to that one." Gabe said.
"Come on Gabe." Elena said as she nudged his shoulder gently with her own. "Let's give the others a hand to getting everyone's stuff back into town." He gave the crown princess a smile and then the two of them moved to help the others.
Isabel watched basically unnoticed as the Duende gathered up the stuff he was taking and the young princess swore he said something to the effect of his mission failing but at least he was getting some kind of reimbursement for it.
She was about to ask him what he meant when Elena called out, "Come on Isa." She turned to her older sister. "We better get this stuff back and then go back to the castle." When Isabel turned around the Duende was gone. "Okay, coming." She called back to Elena.
The people were more than happy to have their stolen possessions returned to them; Naomi gave her father her mother's ring. "Don't worry Naomi." He said to her. "It will be yours someday."
"Your invention really saved the day Isa." Elena said as gave her little sister a hug.
"Thanks Elena." Isabel said happily as she returned the hug. "You were great today too."
"I don't know if I really was great today abuelo." Isabel said to her grandfather later that night after telling him of the day's events as Isabel was helping their grandmother Luisa to make enchiladas. "Was I right to let a thief just go like that?"
"A queen must always follow her heart and her intuition." Francisco said to his granddaughter softly. "Compassion is never a bad thing to show. He did wrong but no one was harmed in the long run by his actions, and everyone deserves a second chance."
"He's right Elena." They turned to see Naomi come in. The blonde placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "You did the right thing. I wasn't happy at first about the fact you let him go on his way, but my mom's ring is back where it belongs. All of us have our things back, which is really all that we wanted, and we've gone about our day as normal. Life goes on."
"I'm glad to hear that Naomi." Elena said as a smile crossed her lips and placed her hand over Naomi's.
"Excuse me, but dinner is ready." Esteban said to the three of them. "And I suggest not long after you try to get some sleep Elena. We missed out council meeting today and we're going to have to make up that time tomorrow."
"Somehow I think you'll have an easier time sleeping tonight." Zozu commented as he appeared right beside the crown princess.
Elena let Naomi, Esteban and her grandfather get ahead of her. "I think you're right." The crown princess agreed softly.