PROLOGUE:
Forty Three years ago, an evil sorceress named Shuriki had invaded the kingdom of Avalor. She killed the king and queen and claimed the throne for herself. The princesses of Avalor, Elena and Isabel, along with their grandparents had been protected by magic with the help of their royal wizard, Alacazar. Elena had been saved by but trapped inside a magical amulet and the rest of the family preserved in an enchanted painting. It took forty one years for Elena to escape the amulet, free her family and reclaim the throne that was rightfully hers. Because she and her family did not age while being magically protected, Elena had now been ruling Avalor for just about two years as the Crown Princess and only had two more years before she turned twenty years old and would became queen. With the help of her friends and the Grand Counsel, she had restored peace and vanished the dark reign of Shuriki. Her people loved her and she was completely devoted to each and every one of them.
There had been rumors across Avalor and the bordering kingdoms for nearly a year that Shuriki was alive and quietly building up an army. She was said to be hiding somewhere in Cariza, causing fear, chaos and rebellion amongst the people. The nation was divided and many remaining loyal to King Joaquin and his family were being targeted in the smaller villages. It was said that Shuriki supporters were threatening those who did not join the cause. The terror in Cariza was growing worse every day and the monarchy was slowly losing their power over the people.
Crown Princess Elena of the kingdom of Avalor was well aware of the situation their neighboring kingdom was facing. There was little that she could do to help her friends though as her royal guard and navy were already busy dealing with the beginnings of their own string of crimes, suspected to be in connection to the ongoings in Cariza. There were barely any military to spare and the security surrounding the royal family had been increased as the threat of an invasion was becoming more of a real possibility.
The royal guard had come together with the jaquins, long time protectors of Avalor, and had put an evacuation plan into place. It was something that they hoped they would never have to implement. If they did though, they would be ready. Or so they thought. When the day of the invasion finally fell upon them, there should have been more jaquins to help the royal family get to a safe spot. There weren't though. Only the three jaquins assigned to protect the crown princess showed up. They had always assumed that if there was an attack, they would somehow know that it was coming, they were wrong. They had never expected it to be so soon. It was always something that was thought to happen in the distant future, something they still had time to prepare for. The enemy ships sailed into the harbor in staggering numbers, far greater than any of the guard or navy had ever imagined possible. Invaders also attacked from the north, coming over the border from Cariza. Shuriki and her most trusted soldiers had gained access to the palace before the ships hit the harbor and were immediately on the hunt for the rulers of Avalor.
The Avaloran guards had to act fast, they were completely overwhelmed and many of them had to change their escape route. They all knew in their hearts that many, perhaps most, would not survive the night.
MATEO
When Shuriki and her army invaded, Mateo De Alva the Royal wizard of Avalor, was in his workshop. The workshop was a secret chamber with in the palace. He heard the canon fire first and rushed to a backdoor that led from his workshop to just outside the palace walls. He found himself on the cliffs overlooking the harbor. He saw a swarm of ships sailing into the harbor ready for war. Many had already reached the docks and soldiers were storming the city. The Royal Navy tried their best to defend but it was obvious that they were taken completely off guard. There were ships sinking down into the waters, mostly trading vessels never imagining what their fate for the day was going to be. Smoke began to rise from within the city. The intruders seemed determined to burn it down. Mateo knew at once what was happening. The rumors of Shuriki's plan for vengeance were true. He knew she would find and kill the royal family first and then go after those who were most loyal to them.
Mateo heard screams from above and as he looked up he saw his three jaquin friends fleeing Avalor with Princess Elena. Gabe, Elena's guard, was with them as well. Mateo could hear the distress in Elena's voice. They were going to lose Avalor. There was no way they could fight against these forces. At least Elena was out of the palace and hopefully headed to a safe place. He needed to get out of Avalor too.
He ran back into his workshop, a place where he had begun to gain confidence in his magical abilities. He had come so far but he still had much to learn. That refuge of his still held too many books yet to be read. They contained too many potions and spells he had not mastered and without them, he would never learn. There was no way he could save everything. He'd have to leave it all and pray that no one discovered the chamber. He grabbed his tamborita (a drum wand he used to cast spells), a few herbs and crystals he thought might come in handy and of course, the Codex Maru. The Codex was his most prized book of spells. It held beyond centuries of myths, magic and legend. It was simply irreplaceable. Mateo would die to keep that book out of the wrong hands. He stuffed everything in his satchel, discarded his wizarding robes for fear of being discovered and headed out.
It would be too dangerous to use his usual entrance / exit, that lead to the library. He decided that he would have to use the hidden tunnels that led into the mountains. He wasn't exactly sure where he would go, perhaps North East to Cordoba, an ally of Avalor. His first priority however was to get to his mother. She lived just outside the city in the old village.
Mateo started down one of the tunnels. It wasn't long before he realized that he wasn't alone though. He heard people up ahead. Someone must have had the same idea as he. He came to two intersecting tunnels. If he took a right he knew he'd end up at the bridge that lead to the city, just over the waterfall. He cautiously peeked down that way and saw two figures running down. A taller man and a young girl.
"We can get out this way princess" The man said. Mateo recognized the voice as Rico, one of the royal guards. The child must be princess Isabel, Elena's 12 year old sister. Mateo followed them and exited the tunnel where they had been just moments before. He stood on the cliffs directly under the bridge. He looked around for Rico and Isa and saw them climbing down the mountainside to his left, trying to make their way towards the water. He peeked up towards the bridge and could see soldiers storming the palace.
"Princess! Nooooo!" Rico shouted and Mateo looked back down to see a blur of a figure that could have only been Isabel fall towards the water. He then watched in horror as an arrow pierced Rico straight in the heart. Rico's face froze with a stunned expression before he tumbled forward off the cliff and into the water.
Mateo wanted to scream himself but he some how refrained. He went back into the tunnel and shut the entrance tight. His breath became short and quick and sweat began to pour all over him. His legs became weak. He leaned his back against the wall of the passage way and slid down. He curled his knees up close to himself and just hugged them. His mind raced but there was no finish line. He felt trapped. His head began to feel light and he felt like the halls were spinning around him. He closed his eyes and began to deepen his breaths. He needed to gain control of himself.
"You can do this Mateo... you need to do something... you can't just sit here." He told himself aloud. He took another deep breath to work up some courage and finally stood up. He stepped outside again and analyzed the situation. He couldn't climb down, he'd be seen for sure and end up with the same fate as Rico and Isabel. The waterfalls were directly below him. He needed to stay under the bridge, out of sight. He then came up with an idea. It would take a lot of concentration but he had no other choice. It was his only way to escape the palace.
He took out his tamborita and turned it towards himself. "Leviluq" He said as he beat his hand against the drum. His feet lifted off the ground and he floated up and under the bridge. He made his way across, keeping as close to the underside as he could, knowing that he couldn't be seen. He could hear war cries coming from both sides of the fight. He could hear agony in the screams of fallen soldiers. Mateo had to shut it all out though. If he lost his focus, his spell would fail and he would fall into the rushing waterfalls. He was relieved when he made it across. He lowered himself to the ground, staying close to the cliffs once again, away from the roads and into the city. He kept to alley ways so he could stealthily make his way through the chaos and towards his home.
Mateo picked up his pace when he saw smoke rising from where his house was located. He saw the actual flames once the gates were in view. He ran in screaming for his mother. He looked around the courtyard first and saw no sign of her. He lifted his tamborita once again, yelled a water spell and an abundance of liquid flew from the fountain that sat in the yard, dousing the home and extinguishing the flames. Mateo ran inside.
"Mom!" He yelled.
There was no response.
"Mom!" He yelled again, running up stairs, stumbling a bit as they crumbled slightly from fire damage.
Again there was no response.
Mateo could feel his anxiety rising once again. He remained in one spot, just turning in circles as his eyes scanned the rooms. There was no sign of her. He rushed back down stairs and out of the house. He headed towards the back of the house where the basement doors were. The basement had once been his magical sanctuary. When Shuriki had ruled Avalor, she banned all magic and Mateo's basement was the one and only place where he could practice spells from his Grandfather's old notebooks. His Grandfather was Alacazar, the former Royal Wizard of Avalor and Mateo aspired to be just like him.
As Mateo swung open the doors, smoke surrounded him. He coughed hard and his eyes burned. He cleared a path using yet another spell and hurried down the stairs.
"Mom!?" He yelled again
As the last of the smoke cleared, Mateo finally saw his mother. She was face down on the ground near his desk.
"MOM!?" Mateo yelled once more but this time in a concerned panic. He ran to her and knelt down by her side. He rolled her over and held her weakened body in his arms. Her eyes were barely open and she let out a feeble cough.
"Mateo..." Rafa De Alva said faintly as she lovingly looked into the green eyes of her sweet son. She knew she wasn't going to make it. She had inhaled too much smoke trying to get to the box her father had left for Mateo. She had to let Mateo know where he came from. Something she had never done. It was a complicated situation and she only ever wanted a simple quiet life with Mateo. She had always tried to shield him from the life of magic that now he seemed destined to have.
"Under... your desk...a box..." She told Mateo as her voice trailed off. She paused trying to gain strength to explain. "You must go north and find him... far north... the Freelands...he'll be there... I never told you... I'm so sorry..."
"Mom... I don't understand" Mateo said confused and scared. Why was she telling him all of this now? What kind of secret had she been keeping?
Rafa's eyes closed and she coughed again. She opened them once more, using every last ounce of energy her body would allow and stared at Mateo. She smiled at the young man that she'd raised on her own. He was smart, ambitious and had already saved the kingdom more than once with his self taught magic. He had been through a lot yet he remained sweet, innocent, and sometimes slightly awkward in character. She was proud of him in every way. She'd never get to see him grow old and wise but she knew with all of her heart that he would do great things. It was in his blood.
"I love you, my son" She finally said with her last breath. Her eyes closed and her body became limp in Mateo's arms. He didn't know what to do. He hugged his mother close to him, burying his face into her shoulder and sobbed, shaking his head and whispered "no" over and over again.
Mateo knew that he shouldn't have stayed in his home as long as he had but he didn't care if he was discovered or not. He had lost his mother in the midst of chaos. She was an amazing woman. She was the only family that he had. His entire life it had only been just the two of him. She deserved to be buried properly. Luckily for Mateo, his magic allowed him to do so by himself. He found a large stone and placed it over the grave and with a beat on his tamborita, he wrote, "Here lies Rafa De Alva, beloved mother"
He sat by the stone in a trance as the late afternoon turned to dusk. It was quite some time before he remembered her last words to him. He didn't understand them at all. He walked back into the basement and looked around. Most of his grandfather's notebooks had been destroyed by the fire. His heart sank knowing that it was all irreplaceable. He made his way over to his desk. "What box?" He thought to himself. He got down on his hands and knees and crawled underneath, He looked up to see a small wooden box nailed to the back corner. He pried it loose and just stared at it a moment. Sliding out from under the desk, Mateo sat up, bumping his head as he did but not caring much. He was too filled with wonder.
He took the top off the box and found a small vile, similar to the ones he stored his potions in. This one looked very old though. Ancient. Behind the vile was a piece of paper, on one side were six glyphs. Mateo wasn't quite sure what they represented. He turned the paper over.
It read: Ataguchu , Born of Maruvian Blood
"Go North" Rafa had told Mateo... so that's what he was going to do.
