"Ok Isabel, today is the day, don't mess this up." She said to her reflection in the vanity mirror. Talking to herself sometimes helped her work through challenging mechanical problems, it didn't seem to offer much comfort on this occasion.
She examined herself closely. Her new dress was beautiful, Avaloran red like her sister's and very flattering. Her hair was done up in a fancy braid that required too many bobby pins to count. She was afraid of ruining it every time she moved her head.
She pulled the collar of her dress down… And immediately put it back in place, flushing at how daring she'd been even in the comfort of her own room. She was 16 now, and it showed, though she was still shorter than her sister.
"What's the worse that can happen?" She asked herself rhetorically. She couldn't resist answering anyways. "... He could reject you and never talk to you again, plus you'll be eternally embarrassed…" She sighed and fretted about her makeup. It was more than she'd ever tried before. Sure, she sometimes wore full face paint for Dia de Los Muertos but the fanciful skull motifs tended to hide the features rather than accentuate them.
She glanced at the clock she'd built, tiny wooden Jaquin's flew around it and put on impressive mechanical displays when the hour rang. It was getting late. The party had started over an hour ago and no one had come to check on her. She wished there was some sort of contraption she could create that would help... Maybe some sort of device that would show how much affection another person had for her. Or something to erase his memories if it went badly.
"You are a princess of Avalor and you are just going to go down there and ask a boy to dance with you and that's that!" She said with forced confidence and strode to the door. She stumbled on the tall heels and recovered as smoothly as she could.
There was a knock.
"Isa?" Her sister's voice inquired.
"Yes?" She replied with a squeak, she'd almost been caught tripping on her own feet and she was still nervous about the makeup situation.
"Is everything alright?"
"Yes, you can come in."
The door opened and the Queen of Avalor entered, resplendent in her ball gown and royal jewels, every inch as perfect as always. Elena looked shocked when she saw Isabel's face.
"Wow Isa, that's a lot of makeup."
Isabel's frayed nerves gave way and she burst into tears.
"Oh! No! That's not a bad thing! Oh, Isa!" Elena hugged her sister tightly.
Isabel tried to stop the tears and ended up in hiccups. Elena patiently waited her out, rubbing her back and whispering comforting nonsense.
"Sorry." Isabel said with a laugh, wiping her eyes. She saw a black streak on her hand and gasped, she looked in the mirror and a raccoon in a ball gown stared back in horror. "Ohhh…" She groaned and sank her head into her hands.
"Don't worry Isa, you've got your own personal stylist!" Elena propelled her to the vanity, sat her down and proceeded to wipe away all the makeup.
"You look beautiful like this." Elena said, both of them looking at her reflection. Isabel only saw a teenager with a face that was too round, lips that were too wide and breakout of acne on her cheeks. Before she had time to say anything to this effect Elena continued. "But today is a special occasion, so let's have some fun!" She then proceeded to apply a much more natural look than Isabel had been trying for, making her look her age. She had to admit that it was flawlessly realized.
"What do you think?" Elena asked in that enthusiastic tone that no one could refuse.
"It's beautiful, thank you Elena." She hugged her sister.
"Let's join the fun." Elena said, holding out her arm for Isabel to take.
The ballroom was crowded. Dignitaries from various of kingdoms mingled and talked business or gossip, often both.
"Isabel!" She heard Christina calling and found her friend with princess Sofia in a corner of the room.
"Christina!" She bent down to give the wheelchair bound girl a hug. "And Sofia!" She hugged the other princess enthusiastically.
"You look amazing!" Sofia exclaimed, taking her in. The princess was 2 years younger than Isabel but already as tall. Her ball gown was slimmer in the newest style of Enchantia but still her customary lilac colour.
"So do you." Isabel said, envious of the other girls flawless skin and rosy cheeks.
"Did you do it yet!?" Christina interrupted excitedly.
"Christina!" Isabel exclaimed, aghast. The memory of correspondence with Christina that she would never want falling into the wrong hands immediately came to mind.
"Do what?" Sofia asked curiously.
"Nothing." Isabel replied too quickly. Sofia raised an eyebrow but was too polite to press on. Christina on the other hand…
"Isabel has a crush." She said with a giggle. Sofia's eye lit up.
"Oh! That's exciting! Are you going to ask them to dance?"
Sure enough the center of the room had cleared and the band had set up, indication that dancing was imminent. Isabel could see her grandfather tuning up his guitar. He still had the same lively spirit as always but he couldn't move around as easily as he use to. He missed her grandmother on these occasions and let himself get lost in song to honor his dear Luisa.
"Welcome, everyone!" Elena had stepped onto the dance floor and the the murmur of the crowd died down. "Welcome to the 6th anniversary of Liberation! Six years ago today Princess Sofia…" Here she gestured for Sofia to join her before continuing. "Princess Sofia freed me from the amulet of Avalor where I'd been imprisoned by the evil pretender to the throne, Shiriki…" Isabel didn't hear the rest of the story because she'd caught sight of him.
He was standing near the main entrance, at attention as always. Hands behind his back, shoulders relaxed and smiling as he scanned the crowd for any potential threats. Gabe, Elena's personal royal guard. She heard herself sigh and hoped Christina hadn't noticed. Then, horror of horror, miracle of miracles, he looked straight at her. She felt an ecstatic shock run from her gut to her brain and forced herself to hold his gaze and smile. He gestured with his eyes to something on the dance floor. She cocked her head and raised an eyebrow in question. His gestures became more frantic, a full head and upper body movement. What was he trying to tell her?
"Isabel!" Christina hissed loudly beside her. It was enough to to snap her out of her trance.
"What?"
Christina gestured to the center of the ballroom where all of Isabel and Sophia's families, along with Mateo, had gathered as part of Elena's story. Slowly she realized that every single pair of eyes was on her. Her stomach twisted as reality hit her like a charging horse. She automatically put on a her princess smile and joined her sister in the center of the ballroom, forcing herself to pay attention this time. She didn't dare look at Gabe. Instead she gazed off into the middle distance, seeing nothing.
"Oh my gosh, that was embarrassing." She confided to Christina when the speech was over and the dancing had begun. Christina chuckled absentmindedly at the complaint. They sat on the sidelines, Christina staring longingly at the mobility of the dancers.
"There's no way I can talk to him now." Isabel was saying.
"Oh, it'll be fine..." Christina assured her by rote. She had bigger problems than a perfect princess with perfect legs could understand. She was only a girl from the village, invited to such a fabulous occasion by dint of being Isabel's friend. Generally she could set aside her own enviousness to be supportive of Isabel, and she did indeed want her to succeed, but right now she wanted nothing more than to be able to stand and dance with everyone else.
"Isabel, Christina!" Prince James had joined them and bowed politely to each as he said their names. Sophia's older brother had grown since Isabel had last seen him. His green suit fit well on his athletic build and his blond hair had been cut short which made him look much older. Isabel gave a small curtsy and Christina bowed from her chair.
"May I have this dance?" James asked. Christina looked see if Isabel would accept. "Christina?" He said, waving a hand at her. She looked back at him, mouth agape. Her eyes fluttered down to her wheelchair and back to him, questioning. He smiled and put a hand lightly on the handles. "May I?" He verified. Christina glanced at Isabel who gave her a quick wink and an encouraging smile.
"Yes!" She said over enthusiastically.
James laughed and wheeled her into the dance floor.
Isabel was alone now. She smiled at her friend being twirled and giggling excitedly. After a few close calls of almost hitting guests James seemed to be getting the hang of the turning radius and was able to weave them through the crowd in complex patterns, truly joining the dance.
Isabel wondered, not for the first time if there was a way to build some sort of mechanical leg that would allow her friend to stand on her own. She would have to have her over for an extended stay so they could try a lot of prototypes.
Her mind wandered as her eyes absently searched the crowd, recognizing many royals from previous visits. She was jolted back into the messy emotional reality when she spotted him again.
Elena, Naomi, Mateo and he were all chatting over by the throne. She plucked up her courage and made her way over to them. After all, it couldn't be worse than everyone staring at her.
"Isa!" Elena exclaimed, taking her sister into a one armed hug.
"There's the little daydreamer." Naomi said.
Isabel tried to laugh it off.
"Making any breakthroughs on your horseless carriage when you were interrupted?" The older girl inquired teasingly.
Isabel had her own shop set up on the castle grounds for her bigger contraptions, the latest of which was the horseless carriage. She'd seen examples of ships using steam for power and had wanted to try converting the idea to land. Her grandfather had laughed and told her it would never replace the reliability and speed of a horse, which was good enough for his father and grandfather. She'd decided to go ahead with the project anyways. A lot of her contraptions seemed silly, and she would be the first to admit some were more useful than others, but when ideas came to her mind she just had to get them out. Occasionally she would learn something on a frivolous project that would contribute to the more serious ones, so everything was worth doing.
"No… It's too heavy right now… and I need to find a way to get a steady supply of water to the boiler." She said with a sigh.
"You know, maybe we could use magic to make it more efficient…" Mateo said thoughtfully. "It's hard to set up a working spell without feeding it directly… Maybe some sort of potion, you don't have to be a wizard to use one of those!"
Isabel considered this. "It would be interesting to try something like that." The idea had captured her imagination, but she wasn't thinking of her horseless carriage project.
Elena decided that was enough shop talk and that her sister was still in need of a confidence boost "Doesn't Isabel look amazing?" She asked, placing her hands on Isabel's shoulders.
Isabel risked looking at Gabe for his reaction. He was smiling. "Sure does." He agreed with the others.
She took a deep breath to speak and they all looked at her expectantly. Now's your chance Isa, ask him to dance.
"I should go find Christina." She chickened out.
"I saw her dancing with James, she looked like she was having a good time! Don't you want to dance too?" Elena asked.
"Oh, uh… I…" She was interrupted by a throat being cleared.
"Pardon, your majesty, I was hoping we could speak about the mage issue?" King Joaquin inquired. Since Shiriki Avalor no longer had a set protocol for dealing with magic users. As more and more witches and wizards were returning the other kingdoms had begun to put pressure on Elena to implement a system to control them.
"Yes, of course." Elena said soberly. She forced a smile onto her face and turned to her friends "I'll see you all in a bit! And don't be so shy Isa, you could have your pick of any boy at the ball!" She winked and took the King's arm as they walked towards a group of nobles who all seemed eager to talk politics. Gabe made to follow but Elena signaled for him to stay where he was. He looked worried.
Did Elena leave him behind on purpose for her? Did she know? Elena had always promised to make time for her. She did whenever possible but now Isabel understood that her sister was busy and needed to put the kingdom first. As a good princess she would never monopolize the queens time with her petty concerns. She'd gotten use to dealing with things on her own. Since her grandmother had died her grandfather had become more sullen and reclusive. In the end she didn't have anyone but Christina to confide in and letters could only travel so fast even when they were by carrier pigeon.
"Well, we don't have any royal duties right now!" Naomi said before she twirled a bewildered Mateo out onto the dance floor. This left Isabel standing awkwardly beside Gabe. A familiar occurrence, everyone running off on their own and leaving the two of them to each other's company.
"It seems I've been dismissed, would you do me the honour, Princess?" Gabe said, extending his hand to her. She blinked in surprise.
"Of course." She muttered least her voice give her away. She took his hand lightly, not daring to believe this moment could be real. She'd held his hand before, though usually it was in death defying situations. She felt his other hand rest on her back and hoped he couldn't feel her pounding pulse. He smiled at her.
"You do look lovely tonight." He said suavely. She thought she might faint but kept her smile on. He must have seen her expression flicker because he continued "Er… Not that you don't always look lovely." She giggled appreciatively, unable to make herself say anything coherent. It was absurd, she saw him every day! They were friends. But here, all dolled up just for him, she couldn't bring herself to say anything. She was so afraid he thought of her as a little sister… A spare to the heir.
She was so focused on her internal monologue that everything in the room except Gabe seemed to fade into the background.
"Actually, Princess, I wanted to talk to you." He told her. Without her noticing they'd danced their way to the edge of the crowd. Her palms were sweating. She attempted to wipe them surreptitiously on her dress. "Oh?" She asked, trying to sound nonchalant. He opened the door to the music room and gestured for her to enter.
"Oh!" She exclaimed. There was already a couple in there and they did not look like they would want to be disturbed. She turned around and pushed Gabe back out of the room before he had a chance to follow her.
"Occupied." She said sheepishly.
"We can go out to the garden?" He suggested.
"Good idea." Boldly, she took his hand and lead him from the great hall.
It was dark out but the full moon and light from the windows were enough to see clearly by. They walked a little ways, Isabel trying not to bite her lip lest she ruin her makeup again. She could sense him glancing at her. They came to a bench and stopped. He seemed nervous, running his hands through his hair. He kept it slicked back now, which made him look older and more distinguished than his previous style.
"I, ah, trust you to be discreet about this…" He began. Isabel leaned closer, her heart beating in her ears. She longed for him to confess his love for her, to take her into his arms and kiss her passionately.
"Of course." She said softly. "What is it?" She dared to put a hand on his arm.
He smiled shyly at her, clearly embarrassed about what he was about to say. Her hopes soared.
"Is… Uh… Is Elena mad at me?"
Elena!?
Isabel retracted her hand as if she'd been burned. He'd isolated her from the party to ask about her sister!? She knew he'd had a crush on her but she thought it had long been worked out when Elena had turned him down.
"I wouldn't know." She said coldly. Then, cruelly, added "She never talks about you."
He seemed… Somewhat relieved.
"Oh, good, ok… That's good."
"What did you do that she should be mad about?" Isabel asked pointedly. He had the decency to look even more embarrassed.
"I… Well…" He started. "I thought she might be a bit… Jealous."
"Jealous? Of what?" She demanded in her most royal tone.
"Well… Since I started seeing Naomi's friend Desta…"
Isabel's world was turned around. She fought to keep possession of her composure. "I don't see why anyone would care who you were or were not dating and I'd advise you to try to be less self centered in future. Now, if you don't mind, I'm going to rejoin my friends." She turned on her heels without waiting for a response and strode away.
"Princess!" She heard him call after her, but he didn't give chase.
When she was sure she was far enough away she felt the tears starting. She opened the door back to the great hall and bumped into someone.
"Sorry." She muttered quickly.
"Oh, not a problem, don't mind me. Nobody ever does." He said sarcastically. Isabel glimpsed the purple of Enchantia's sorcerer's robe robes as she rushed past him.
She fled up the stairs. The rest of the castle was eerily empty. She was so sure no one was around that she slammed her bedroom door dramatically behind her.
"What did you expect?" She chastised herself. "That he would wait for you?" She hid her face in her hands and sobbed. Years of being thrown together in every sort of situation, saving each others lives and occasionally the entire kingdom and she was still just a silly little girl...
No, I'm not a child anymore. she thought and forced herself to stop. With deep shaking breaths she walked to her workshop desk to tinker, it always helped her think. She picked up her latest project and began working.
How had she come to this? It was ridiculous. She remember when she had thought he was a bit slow. Always eager to please Elena, like a well trained dog. He'd been vain too, self confident to the point of conceit. But the more she'd been left with him… The more she saw how endearing his loyalty was. That he wasn't slow, he just had a different way of looking at things. She'd come to appreciate that. Of course when hormones became involved his good looks certainly helped. Athletic build, easy grace and skill with a sword were quite attractive. As she became more self aware of her own shortcomings his confidence had become more alluring. She'd seen him grow as a person as well, trading some of his arrogance for modesty, his bluster for skill.
Eventually purely mechanical thoughts occupied her mind and allowed her to forget her troubles. Mathematics were so simple and true. Not like emotions. There was no magical fix for this...
Well, there was magic...
That was it! She laughed out loud at the very idea. It had been right in front of her all along! Naturally she could never ask Mateo to help her. That would be mortally embarrassing. But he had said that you didn't need a wizard to use a potion!
She quickly fixed up her smudged makeup and snuck down to Mateo's workroom. It was very different from hers. She had bits and bobs everywhere because inspiration could strike at anytime and leave before a project was complete which meant her room was usually a maze of half built contraptions. Mateo was meticulous, everything was in perfect order. She would have to make sure she put everything back in its place before she left.
She took down a promising looking book and began to scan its pages.
Two hours later she heard a noise and nearly jumped out of her skin. She slammed the book shut and dove under the workbench.
"Did you really forget something down here?" Naomi asked skeptically.
"I didn't 'forget' anything the First Wizard of Enchantia asked about my updates to the bestiary and I'd like to show him. Here it is!"
"Neeeeeerd." Naomi teased, but then she kissed him on the cheek and took his hand as they left. Oops, probably should not have seen that. Isabel thought.
If was getting late and she should really get back to check on Christina, the only person who would realize she was gone… Although if she was still with James even she might not have noticed... No matter, Isabel had found the spell she needed and tomorrow morning she would make Gabe hers!
The potion was simple enough. There were a few ingredients she had to look up in separate volumes but she was familiar with all the alchemic processes it described. Mateo had everything she needed except for the final touch: a lock of her hair.
She went out to the training ground with a skip in her step. Gabe was winning a practice match against a fellow soldier, Rico. She waited on the sidelines, admiring. It wasn't the first time she'd attended practice. Usually she had some sort of new device for them to test. It was always a good excuse to see Gabe in action.
He knocked Rico down and pointed his blade to his opponent's chest.
"I yield." Rico said, exasperated, Gabe put his sword away and helped Rico up.
"Good match, watch your feet next time." Gabe advised.
"Yes sir." Rico said sarcastically. Gabe was a year younger than him but his superior officer, he found that very annoying.
"Princess!" Gabe exclaimed when he saw her standing there.
"Hi!" She could barely contain her enthusiasm.
He joined her on the sidelines, leaning on his practice sword, as the next two combatants began their match.
"I'm a little surprised actually, I thought you might be mad at me, you ran off so quickly the other night..."
"Oh no, I was just worried about Christina. She's not really a noble so sometimes she feels a bit out of place at those things. Anyways, I brought you something!" She handed him a small bottle. He took it and examined the strange colour.
"Thanks, how come it's orange?"
"It's a bit of an experiment." She admitted. He was often her test subject so it wasn't uncommon for her to bring him random things. "I'm trying to make a formula that's more hydrating than water! You'll have to drink it all to get the effect though."
"Huh, ok, why not. If I get sick you have to look after me though." He said teasingly, unaware of how completely willing she would be to do that.
"It's a deal." She told him and he downed the whole thing. She watched him expectantly.
"A bit weird." He confessed. "Not in a bad way though!" He added, lest he offend her.
"Do you feel… Different?"
"Not more than after drinking water, I'll let you know later, I have to get back to practice."
"Alright... See you later then." She said, trying to keep the disappointment out of her voice.
Isabel felt defeated. She must have messed up the recipe somehow…
She returned to her room to mope. She could have sworn she'd done every step right! Maybe she was supposed to draw those weird runes she'd seen on the corner of the spellbook page on the water bottle or something…
She did see him later, but it was a brief encounter. He was on duty at dinner and pulled her aside as the meal ended.
"That stuff you gave me works really well, I haven't been thirsty since I drank it!" He told her enthusiastically.
She tried to keep the skeptical look off her face. Maybe there was some sort of placebo effect going on because there was no way the potion was intended to do that. "Oh! That's good!" she said with false cheerfulness.
"Do you have any more?"
"No, not yet. I was thinking I'd experiment with mixes for my boiler." She lied. The potion may not have worked as intended but who knew how the strange ingredients she'd used would affect a person in the long term, she wasn't going to keep making it.
The next morning Elena prepared for a busy day. After last night's talks with various nobles she needed to start making decisions about keeping track of people with powers. She was still brushing her hair when she opened her bedroom door.
"Good morning, Gabe!" She said in her cheerful sing song voice, she always tried to keep it light in the morning, but Gabe wasn't there. "Rico? Where's Gabe?" She knew he was scheduled to work that morning.
"I don't know your majesty, he left a note saying he was taking a day off so I was assigned in his place."
"Oh, that's not like him… Tomorrow was supposed to be his day off…"
"If I may, he's probably extended his vacation to go into town visiting his new sweetheart, If you know what I mean." Rico supplied with an inappropriate eyebrow waggle. Elena seemed to consider this without the intended crudeness.
"Yes, I suppose that must be it… Still unusual, he asked me everyday for a month whether I was sure I'd be fine without him, I can't imagine him just taking off… Maybe he got the days mixed up."
Isabel was dressed for a long day in her work room to try and forget her failure. She had her hair tied up and a blouse and pants that were already stained with grease from previous work. When she opened her bedroom door Gabe was standing there, holding a bouquet of flowers.
"Princess." He said silkily as he offered them to her.
"Oh! My favorite!" She exclaimed, taking the bright blue blossoms from him and smelling them.
"I know." He said proudly.
She gave him a dubious look "How?"
"I remember one time we went for a ride with Elena and you picked a bunch to make this super dark blue ink." He said with a self satisfied grin. Isabel blinked.
"Good memory." She said appreciatively.
"I thought maybe we could go for a ride today?" It was weird for Gabe to suggest the activities but Isabel shrugged.
"Sure, is Elena waiting for us?" She put the flowers in a suitable vessel and picked one to put in her hair. When she caught sight of herself in the mirror she wished she'd dressed a little nicer… Maybe Gabe would wait while she changed and tried to do something with her mess of hair.
"Oh, no, I was thinking we would go for a ride. You and I."
Isabel stopped mid motion.
"You… And I? Alone?" She repeated dumbly.
"If you want to." He said, though he looked a little nervous now.
Had her potion worked after all?
"I'd love to!"
His happy smile filled her heart.
Gabe had already packed a picnic so Isabel changed into her riding gear and they went directly to the stables.
They rode out into the jungle and found a clearing by the water. Gabe put down a blanket and served her a meal of cured meats, crackers and fresh fruit. They laughed and chatted the whole time. Isabel felt light and giddy.
"I can't stop thinking about you." He confessed.
"Me?!" She replied incredulously, her stomach doing flips. The potion must have worked! It has just taken some time to get into his system.
"Before the ball… You were like my little sister... But when I saw you, you looked so mature. I guess I didn't notice you growing up until that moment. Er, I mean I've always enjoyed spending time with you! I'd just never considered…" He left the rest unsaid but his expression made it clear.
She wanted to confess everything, admit how every time she saw him her heart beat faster, how entire sections of her sketchbook were dedicated to studies of his face, how she purposefully created inventions that needed a second person to test so she could ask for his help. It all stuck in her throat. She couldn't. What if this wasn't the potion, what if it was real and she scared him off? Or, worse, what if he was still in love with Elena and thought Isabel was just a substitute?
Gabe was starting to look a little uncomfortable with her simply gaping at him.
"You know, I'm not Elena." She said finally. Gabe frowned.
"Of course I know that, silly."
She didn't think that he did, potion or no. He'd had a crush on her sister for a very long time. She would never live up to Elena's example and she knew it. It broke her heart to think that she would never really be good enough.
"I'm not perfect like Elena always is, or as beautiful and I'm not going to be Queen." She said by way of explanation.
"Isabel," he said her name instead of his customary 'princess' and it brought a smile to her face immediately. "You are the most amazing girl I know. Elena is a great Queen but she can't draw as well as you do, or invent things. Plus, you are just as beautiful she is and I will personally fight anyone who says otherwise."
Isabel giggled nervously at the compliments. "You're sweet." She said bashfully.
"And you worry too much. You don't have to compare yourself to anyone else, you can be queen of my heart." He took her hand and kissed it.
"I'd like that."
Her day ended with a lingering kiss on the hand, his eyes on hers. She fell into bed with a blissful sigh. It had been a perfect, everything she imagined. She wondered briefly why Mateo didn't just solve every problem with magic, it was so simple! She didn't even have The Gift, she'd only followed a recipe. It was more like cooking than some sort of ethereal power!
She replayed every moment of the day in meticulous detail, committing each glance and phrase to memory until she slipped into a deep sleep.
The next morning Isabel found it inconceivable to stay in bed like she normally would. Her mind was racing with possibilities for the day. She knew she couldn't go wake Gabe up in the guard quarters, so she decided to head out to the garage and try to tinker with the axles of her project.
Besides, if she was out in the garage she would be less tempted to try anything she might regret.
Her grandmother had given her "the talk" before she'd passed but most of what Isabel knew came from the novels she borrowed from the library or bought in secret from the second hand shop. They didn't keep that genre of literature in the palace. She had a pretty good idea of how things went and was eager to find out.
Her modesty would never allow her to suggest such a thing though.
"There you are." Gabe said, leaning on the carriage shell in that graceful manner that never failed to make Isabel's heart beat faster.
"Just messing with the axles. Let me finish this." she said, telling herself to stay calm.
He sat down on a bench. She could feel his eyes burning into her.
She took a deep breath to steady her nerves as she finished tightening a bolt and walked over to him.
"Break time?" He asked flirtatiously.
"I think so." She attempted to reply in kind. Before she could over think it she sat in his lap. He wrapped his arms loosely around her waist. She leaned in towards him, his eyes closed-
"Isabel?" Elena's voice came from the garage door. Isabel jolted upwards in a panic, she motioned for Gabe to hide under a workbench. How could she explain this to her sister?
"Yes?!" She said loudly as she gave Gabe a push to show she was serious about him hiding.
She covered the table in a large blue print just as Elena came into view. "There you are." Elena said. "Hard at work I see."
Isabel tried to smile innocently, she knew her face was flushed and she was controlling her breathing by sheer force of will.
"Have you see Gabe?" The Queen asked.
"Nope." Isabel said quickly. "Been here all morning!"
"Oh, alright, can you let me know if you see him, please?" Elena said.
"Sure!"
She must have answered too hurriedly because Elena looked at her with suspicion.
"Is everything ok?"
"Yeah, sorry I'm just excited to get back to work!"
"I'll leave you to it then." Elena said, amused at her sister's enthusiasm.
Isabel strained her ears until the sound of Elena's footsteps disappeared.
"Ok, it's clear." She told Gabe. He rolled out from under the bench, covered in dust.
"What was that about!?" He demanded.
"Elena wouldn't understand… About us…"
"Oh, right, jealous." He nodded. "I knew it."
Isabel pursed her lips.
"Were you supposed to be on duty with Elena today?" She asked.
"I guess so." He replied with a shrug.
"You can't just take off, you have a job!"
He gave her the puppy dog eyes "But I wanted to spend time with you."
Under normal circumstances Gabe abandoning his post just to spend time with her would be extremely flattering… but she knew it was the effect of the potion causing this and she couldn't stand it if he lost his position because of her. Being a royal guard meant too much to him.
"Tomorrow you have to go to work." She told him solemnly.
"Hmmm…" He said, as if considering it. "I'll do it for a kiss." He told her with a mischievous tilt to his lips.
Isabel felt the the now familiar quickening of her heart beat. She'd daydreamed this moment so many times and prayed it wouldn't disappoint. She moved closer to him... and kissed his cheek quickly. She cursed herself silently for being so timid. He chuckled warmly at her terrible attempt and she felt her face flushing in embarrassment.
"I was thinking something more like this." He kissed her on the lips. Isabel felt herself melting into the embrace. Her arms came up around his neck.
He pulled away far too soon and looked her in the eye "Still want me to go to work tomorrow?" He asked.
She shook her head vigorously and pulled him closer for another kiss.
The next morning when Elena got up Gabe still wasn't at his post. He should have been back by now even if he'd mixed up his days.
"He probably stayed over at his girlfriends and slept in." Naomi said reassuringly.
"It's not like him to ignore his duties, I'm really worried about him." Elena countered.
"I hate to ask this... But are you sure you're not jealous?"
"Naomi! You know me! I'm happy for Gabe and Desta!" Elena protested. Naomi sighed.
"Well we can go over to Desta's and find out if he's there…" She suggested tentatively.
"Good idea."
Gabe had brought Isabel a fantastic looking star chart. She gasped as she unrolled it, it was the most detailed one she had ever seen.
"Where did you find this!?"
"A merchant. Actually I asked Naomi's dad to keep a lookout for a really good one about a month ago. I was going to save it for your birthday… but I couldn't wait! I thought we could check it out tonight?" He motioned to the giant telescope. Her room a work station spread over two floors, where the upper balcony had all her own hand drawn star charts and her viewing equipment.
"Of course!" she exclaimed, jumping into his arms. He twirled her around and she giggled excitedly.
When he set her down she noticed something seemed off about him. His hair which was usually meticulous was looking disorderly and there were dark circles forming under his eyes. He had a sort of waxy look to his skin.
"Are you feeling alright?" She asked, putting her for arm to his forehead.
"I'm fine." He assured her, taking the hand that was checking his temperature and kissing it. "What shall we do today, my lady?" He asked.
"Let's go by the kitchens and decide from there."
Gabe was definitely becoming more forward. He stopped her in the hallway and pinned her against the wall with a kiss. She giggled and pushed him away playfully. "Stop that!" she said "We'll get into trouble!"
"Who's going to get us in trouble? You're the princess, you can do whatever you want." He said breathily. Isabel smiled mischievously at him.
"Then I want to do this!" She said and kissed him. He pressed closer and she suddenly became very aware of their surroundings again.
"Ok, Ok stop it!" she laughed. He was kissing her neck and it sent a pleasant tingling sensation all the way down her spine. She surprised herself with a little gasp and that only made him more eager. "Stop it…" she said half heartedly.
Suddenly he was pulled away from her.
"Get your paws off my granddaughter!" Francisco demanded, incensed by this flagrant display. "Nunez? Elena has been looking everywhere for you!" He exclaimed.
"Well, here I am" Gabe said, unconcerned. He turned back to Isabel and put his nose against hers "With the most beautiful girl in all of Avalor."
She giggled in response
Francisco, clearly flustered, pushed Gabe away.
"Highly inappropriate Nunez, if you wish to keep your job then I suggest you report to Elena and leave Isabel alone."
"But Abuelo, we're in love!" Isabel protested.
Francisco was not amused.
"In love? Bah! You are too young for that sort of thing! I expect more professional behaviour from a royal guard!" He turned back to Gabe for further dressing down but Isabel spoke again.
"You wouldn't have a problem if I was Elena!" She said.
"Elena is older and she would have the good sense to reject his advances, which you, apparently, do not. Now go to your room."
Isabel bristled. "I'm sixteen, you can't tell me what to do anymore!" She said petulantly.
"I am your grandfather and you will respect my authority." He replied with such finality that Isabel knew she couldn't win this battle.
She stomped off. Gabe made to follow her but the old man was too quick, he grabbed Gabe's collar. "Not you, we are going to wait in the Grand Council chamber until Elena returns and consider yourself lucky I do not send you straight to the stocks."
The woman who answered Elena's knock had flawless dark skin, long crochet braids that were tied back in a large bun and a wonderfully sunny yellow dress. In short, she was beautiful. Naomi had met her while living in her home country for a few years. They'd kept in touch and when Desta had moved to Avalor they rekindled their friendship. Naomi had introduced her to all the sights of Avalor and Desta's favorite so far was the handsome Major Gabriel Nunez.
"Hello Desta." Elena's said.
"Elena, Naomi! Come in." She let them into her perfectly clean home.
"I was just wondering if maybe you've seen Gabe today?" Elena enquired politely.
The woman looked distraught.
"I have not seen Gabriel for three days. He was supposed to come visit me this morning… Has something happened?"
Elena and Naomi exchanged glances.
"If you know something, please tell me!" Desta begged. "My home is spotless now, it is only ever this clean when I'm worried."
"He's fine, we'll find him." Elena said confidently.
"Yeah Gabe is a big boy, he can take care of himself." Naomi added.
"Please tell me as soon as you find him! I will ask around town. I had thought maybe you just gave him extra tasks to keep him busy." Desta admitted.
"Why would I do that?" Elena asked curiously.
"Gabriel said you might be a little jealous."
"Whaaaaat! I'm not jealous! Why does everyone keep saying that?" She looked to Naomi for support but the other girl just shrugged.
On the carriage ride back they discussed options.
"I guess you were right." Naomi conceded.
"I didn't want to be… Maybe Mateo can make some sort of locating spell?" Elena suggested.
"I'll go to his workshop as soon as we get back."
When they arrived at the castle a servant told her that Gabe was being kept in the Grand Council room.
At sword point.
By her grandfather.
She sent Naomi to fetch the physician in case anyone was was hurt.
"Gabe!" Elena exclaimed when she saw him. He looked tired and sick.
"Your Majesty." He replied with a slight bow. Very slight, because Francisco's sword was pointed straight at his chest.
"What's going on, are you ok?" She asked, giving her grandfather a questioning look and motioning for him lower his sword. He complied, slowly, still eyeing Gabe suspiciously.
"Of course, everything is fine." Gabe said smoothly.
"Everything's not fine!" Her grandfather interrupted. "I caught him canoodling with Isabel, extremely inappropriate!" He was gesturing a little too widely with the sword and Gabe took a step back.
"Gabe was… Canoodling... With... Isabel?" Elena repeated to herself, as if she had to hear the words from her own mouth before she could process them.
"We're in love and it's none of your business what we do." Gabe said defensively.
Elena scoffed "In love... With my sister!? What about Desta?"
"Who?" Gabe said.
The doors slammed open as Naomi joined them with Mateo and the physician in tow.
"Where's he been?" Naomi asked quietly as the physician began his examination.
"With Isabel... Apparently... They're in love?" Elena's reply was more of a question than a statement.
Mateo and Naomi both stared at her, their expressions mirroring her own disbelief.
"That's… Unexpected." Naomi said.
"When was the last time you ate?" The physician was asking Gabe.
"Who cares." He replied. "There's nothing wrong with me."
"He seems to be quite dehydrated and doesn't seemed to have eaten or slept in a few days but otherwise he looks to be in good health. I'd prescribe water, a good meal and some rest." The physician declared.
"You know, not sleeping can make people delirious. I've heard of it happening to sailors in bad situations." Naomi suggested.
"I'm not tired." Gabe said.
"How about we go for a walk." Mateo suggested, he put a hand on Gabe's back. "A niiiice little walk and I'll get you something to eat and drink." Gabe let himself be lead from the room.
"Do not let him near Isabel." Francisco warned Elena.
"This isn't like Gabe at all, I promise I'll find out what's going on." Elena assured him.
There was a crashing sound from the corridor and the very distinctive wail Mateo made when he dropped something or messed up a spell.
Elena and Naomi raced out to see the wizard lying on a pile of what use to be a vase. "He went that way!" he pointed.
Elena took off after her wayward guard.
"Gabe! Stop!" she yelled when she caught sight of a flash of blue uniform ahead of her. She turned a corner and Rico was there, blocking Gabe's path, sword drawn.
Gabe unsheathed his own weapon in one smooth motion and without words lunged for Rico. The other guard parried easily but Gabe was already attacking again. Elena was shocked at the viciousness with which he was fighting. She'd seen him battle all kinds of enemies over the years and there was never this sheer animal determination.
Rico managed to trip Gabe and pointed his sword down at his former colleague. "Watch your footwork next time." Rico quoted mockingly. But Gabe snarled and slashed the arm holding the sword. Rico dropped the weapon and Gabe had already rolled away and was out the door.
"Rico!" Elena exclaimed. He was holding his arm, watching the blood flow between his fingers with incredulity.
"Get him." he said, pointing to his discarded sword.
Elena nodded and picked up the weapon.
But she was too late, there was no sign of Gabe anywhere. She called the guards and had them fan out around the castle and watch the exits.
It was hours before she gave up the chase. She asked the Jaquins to keep an eye from the sky. Mateo set warning wards all around the perimeter.
"He's sneaky when he wants to be." Naomi admitted.
"I think it's time to go talk to Isabel." Elena said darkly.
There was a knock at Isabel's door. She looked up from where she was lying on the bed. Maybe it was him!
"Isa?" Elena said. Isabel deflated immediately.
"Come in." She said despondently.
"Isa, what is going on." Elena asked, she sat on the edge of the bed.
"Abuelo is mad at Gabe but he didn't do anything wrong." Isabel said.
"He says you and Gabe were... kissing?" Elena said, her tone even now suggested she was still confused.
"Nothing wrong with kissing." Isabel said bitterly.
"Isa… Gabe has a girlfriend." She said gently.
"He's not interested in her, he wants to be with me!" Isabel said defensively.
"How did this happen so suddenly? Did you know that Gabe hasn't been eating or sleeping?"
Isabel's eyes widened. "N-no… Where is he? Is he ok?" She asked.
"He pushed Mateo into a vase and ran off. He fought Rico on the way out too. We don't know where he is but Abuelo is refusing to leave your door and we have guards looking everywhere."
"He wouldn't hurt me! Let me talk to him when you find him!" Isabel begged.
"No Isa, there's something really wrong with him. We have to find out what. It could be some sort of curse."
Isabel turned on her sister "You don't think that maybe he could just like me? It didn't cross your mind that maybe he doesn't just think of me as a little sister? That he could have feelings for me? Am I that unlovable in your opinion!?"
"No, Isa, it's not that-"
"Well maybe I'm not perfect like you but I'm not a baby anymore and I have feelings too!" She yelled, overriding whatever her sister was about to stay. "Get out of my room!"
Elena tried to say something again.
"OUT!" Isabel screamed. Elena left, looking hurt and confused.
Of course Gabe couldn't just genuinely like her. She'd had to resort to magic. She'd just had a temper tantrum and thrown her sister out of her room. She was a child. A spoiled brat. She tried to remember him eating in the last few days and she realized it was true he'd been packing lunches for her not actually eating anything. Was she really so self centered that she hadn't noticed?
Later that evening she heard a sound from her balcony.
"Isabel?"
It was him! She ran to the door and threw it open. He came in and swooped her into his arms.
"I was worried!" She said, pulling away so she could look at him.
"No need my love, I would never let anything separate us."
He looked pale, a sheen of sweat covered his skin and his eyes had a fevered intensity as they looked into hers.
"Come in." She said, leading him to a chair. He sat and pulled her down into his lap. He was twitching. "Are you ok?" She asked.
"I'm fine now that I'm with you." He said. She scanned his face, his sweet sentiments didn't work when she was worried about him. The dark rings under his eyes were worse than before. "Have you had any sleep?" She asked.
"Can't sleep." He replied.
"Food?" She asked
"No."
"Water?"
"Not since your wonderful drink."
She tried to stand but he held her tight.
"Please don't leave." He whispered, the desperation was palpable. She realized for the first time just how much stronger than her he was. If he didn't want her to leave there would be nothing she could do about it.
"I'm going to get you some water." She told him gently, this time he let her go. She hadn't touched her dinner the servants had brought her so it sat on her dresser. She tripped over a tool box.
"Isabel!" Gabe exclaimed, jumping up to help her.
Suddenly the door flew open and Francisco burst in, sword in hand.
"Nunez. Get out!" He yelled.
"I can't be without her!" Gabe said vehemently. He drew his sword.
"No!" Isabel cried. She knew her grandfather had been a great swordsman but he was old and Gabe trained everyday. They circled each other, swords ready. Before Isabel could decide what to do the weapons had clashed. Francisco had surprising agility, he parried a blow and returned his own. Gabe was faster, he moved aside and brought his sword down along the old man's upper arm. Isabel screamed.
"Gabe, stop!" She yelled, diving in front of her grandfather.
Gabe's blade stopped right in front of her heart. He lowered his sword.
"Isabel he is crazy, stay away from him." Her grandfather said, trying to move her behind him.
"He won't hurt me." She said confidently.
"I can't live without you." Gabe said quietly.
"You don't have to, it's ok, we'll work it out." She took a careful step towards him. He sheathed the sword.
"The only way we can be together is get get away from here." He said quietly and seriously. Before Isabel had a chance to respond he'd swept her up as if she weighed nothing and was off running.
"Get back here Nunez!" Francisco yelled after them while clutching his bleeding arm. "Bring back my granddaughter!"
The older man's shouts followed them down the corridors.
"Put me down!" Isabel demanded, pounding ineffective at Gabe's back.
"I have to." He said. "I'm sorry."
Guards were too slow to catch them and Gabe made it all the way to the stables, throwing her up into his horse, before jumping up behind her.
He took the back exit, making Fuego leap over the topiary rather than going for any main bridge. They raced off into the jungle.
"Where are we going?" Isabel asked. They had no supplies, no where to go.
"I don't know yet." He admitted.
"Gabe we have to go back." She said firmly.
He shook his head. "No, they'll never let us be together. They're all jealous."
"Gabe, you don't really love me, it's just magic! That drink I gave you, it was a magic potion!"
Gabe looked confused.
"You would never miss work, you would never attack my Abuello. The potion is doing something terrible to your mind. You're not yourself anymore! We need Mateo to break the spell."
Gabe shook his head. "But I… I love you." He said "I can't think of anything else."
"Because of the magic! We need to go back, please. Do it for me."
The horse slowed… But they heard the sound of wingbeats and Skylar landed in front of them, causing the Fuego to rear back in surprise.
"I think you had best let the princesa go." Skylar growled.
"Isabel, are you ok?" Elena called from the Jaquin's back.
Migs and Luna landed behind them with Naomi and Mateo.
"Yes, I'm fine!" Isabel said.
Gabe looked hunted. He'd unsheathed his sword and clung to Isabel's waist protectively.
"Gabe, let her go." Elena said firmly.
"I can't." He replied. His eyes were like those of a trapped animal. Being confronted had sent him into an instinctual mode where reason was useless.
Suddenly she felt Gabe tugged violently from the horse. When she turned Naomi had managed to lasso him perfectly and was struggling to tie him up.
"He's surprisingly strong for someone who hasn't eaten in three days." She said with a grunt as she tied the last knot.
"This has to be magic." Mateo said. He came nearer to observer better and almost lost a finger to Gabe's rabid bite. "Sorry Gabe." Mateo said as he brandished his Tambourita. "Nocturnia!" A light dusting of blue magic encircles Gabe's head, his eyes rolled back and he slipped into unconsciousness.
Elena had rushed over to Isabel and held her closely. "You're safe now." She whispered to her little sister.
"He wouldn't have hurt me." Isabel said quietly.
"We can't know that. Let's get him back to the castle. Mateo, do you think you can break the spell?"
Mateo frowned. "I'll try but it would be easier if we knew exactly what happened to him."
Isabel cleared her throat. "I know what happened…"
They set Gabe up in one of the palace guest rooms. His friends stood around him as Isabel shamefully explained what she'd done. Mateo fetched the book that the recipe was in.
"This is supposed to be a relatively soft spell, how much did you give him?" The wizard asked.
Isabel felt her stomach churn in guilty "The whole thing." She said quietly.
Mateos eyes widened. "See these numbers?" He said, pointing to the corner of the page.
"Those are numbers? I thought they were some sort of magic rune…" She admitted.
"No, it's the dosage. I guess it is written in Maruvian... there's no way you could have known… You're only supposed to give one drop every day. It's no wonder he's like this. The magic was so strong he couldn't think of himself enough to eat, drink or sleep."
Isabel gasped. "How do we break it!?"
"We don't have the time to wait it out, he's only going to get more violent. Lucky for us it looks like the cure is a classic: true love's kiss." Mateo said.
"I'll go get Desta." Elena said immediately.
"And I'll get food and water for when he wakes up." Naomi volunteered.
Isabel sat down at Gabe's side, sobbing quietly. Mateo kept flipping through books to search for other cures in case the kiss didn't work and giving Isabel a semblance of privacy.
Gabe was hardly moving. He looked like he was in the grip of some terrible fever.
Isabel held one of his hands in hers. She was so ashamed of her selfishness. She felt even worse that she had enjoyed their brief time together. It hadn't been him, it had been her own fantasy. Even if she'd done the spell the right way it still would have been a lie. How could she claim to care for him and then force him to do anything against his will? What kind of monster was she?
"I'm so sorry Gabe, I never meant for this to happen." She said between sniffles. "I love you, the real you, without any stupid magic potion. I don't want to change you, even if you don't love me back. I'm so so so sorry." She kissed his hand gently.
He stirred and his eyes opened, looking at Isabel's clasping his hand. He blinked a few times and focused on her face with a furrowed brow.
"Princess? What's going on? Where am I?"
"What did you do?!" Mateo demanded, dropping the book he was reading.
"Nothing! I just… Nothing." Isabel said, sitting on her hands innocently.
The door burst open and Desta ran to Gabe's side, kissing him passionately on the mouth. Isabel moved aside to give the other girl space.
"Um, hi." Gabe said, pleasantly bewildered.
"You're ok! Oh, thank goodness!" Desta exclaimed as she hugged him.
Naomi handed him a glass of water which he chugged gratefully.
"What happened?" He asked when he'd downed two glasses.
"You were under the influence of magic and Desta broke the effect with true love's kiss." Isabel said before anyone else could respond. She looked sharply at Mateo who seemed about to correct her but he closed his mouth and nodded.
"What, I got cursed or something?"
"No, I-" She began but Mateo cut in.
"I was trying out a spell and you got in the way. You oaf."
Gabe rolled his eyes "I swear Mateo, if I die because of one of your spells I'm going to come back to haunt you. That goes for you and your contraptions too miss." He told Isabel teasingly. She smiled but he noticed her red rimmed eyes.
"How long have I been out?"
"About three days, what's the last thing you remember?" Mateo prompted.
"Three days!? Wow… I remember looking forward to my day off. And… did we have a picnic?" He asked Desta. She shook her head negative. "It's pretty fuzzy… must have been a dream. But speaking of food, I'm starving."
Naomi presented the plate of food to him. "We'll let you take care of this." she said with a wink to Desta who had already started cutting it up for him.
"Isabel..." Gabe said suddenly. She stopped in the doorway but didn't want to turn to see the happy couple. "Thanks for taking care of me." he finished.
She smiled slightly and followed the others out.
When they got into the hallway Elena turned and was about to speak when Mateo interrupted her.
"I'd like to talk to Isabel about using magic." He said in a very serious tone.
Elena blinked "Oh, good, I was about to do the same thing. Come on Naomi, we have a few documents to go over before this afternoon."
As Elena left Isabel braced herself for a lecture.
"That was big of you, giving Desta the credit." Mateo said. Isabel waited for more but nothing seemed to be forthcoming.
"It was really the least I could do… The whole thing was all my fault. But you, you covered for me! Why did you do that?"
"One of the most important I've learned these past six years is that just because you have magic, doesn't mean you should use it. I think you learned that lesson and won't soon forget it. Besides, it'll be fun to remind Gabe that I can knock him out for three days with just a flick of my wrist!" He mimed using his Tambourita.
Isabel giggled at the thought but she sobered up again quickly.
"You and Naomi and Elena will know what I did though… You all must think I'm such a child." She said, sickened as the consequences of her mistake started to really sink in.
"Like I said, I think you learned your lesson. This is where your sister was six years ago when she first became Crown Princess you know. Remember how hard she had to fight to get people to take her seriously? She made mistakes too, but she always did her best to solve every problem and so do you." Mateo said reassuringly. "But… Naomi may tease you, about Gabe, a lot."
Isabel's look of horror made Mateo laugh. Isabel laughed too "I supposed that's the least I deserve." She gave him a hug "Thanks, Mateo."
"No problem. But… Next time you want to use magic, just ask first."
"Will do."
The End
Bonus
"Oh, I already knew." Naomi declared later.
Isabel and Mateo both gave her a skeptical look. "It was obvious really, the little looks, the sighing. At your quinceanera, you danced with absolutely everyone except him. Kind of hurt his feelings actually, he asked me what he'd done wrong, haha!"
Isabel felt completely mortified. She hadn't even been able to look at Gabe that day without blushing so she'd opted to ignore him altogether.
"Do you think he knows?" She said in a whisper.
"Naw, he's kind of slow." Naomi said reassuringly. Isabel gave her a disapproving glare. "Hey, I call 'em like I see 'em." she put her hands defensively.
"What Naomi means is that Gabe can be a bit… oblivious." Mateo said without realizing that wasn't much better.
"And full of himself." Naomi supplied.
"And sometime a bit suspicious." Mateo admitted.
"Oh, don't forget overbearing!" Naomi added.
"Well, he can be very thoughtful."
"When he wants to be." Naomi concluded.
Isabel rolled her eyes, "Thanks guys."