The sun shone in Elena's eyes as it streamed through the window. She took a moment to stretch before rolling out of bed, feeling more refreshed than she had the day before. "I guess the town wasn't robbed last night." The crown princess joked. "Right Zuzo?"
"And what would you have done if I didn't respond?" The spirit animal questioned as he appeared in the doorway despite the door itself being closed.
Elena laughed. "I guess I would have looked loca after all. But then again no one would have been around to see it, so that would have been alright." She replied.
"Well at least you seem to doing a lot better." Zuzo noted as Elena sat down to bunch her hair up in a bun.
"Well yesterday was neat." Elena replied as she reached for her hair brush. "But exhausting and I hadn't slept well before, for obvious reasons anyway." She stopped as a thought crossed her mind. "Um, how often do rulers know when something is wrong in their kingdom?" Elena didn't ever remembering that happening with her father, or he had hidden it well.
From the mirror she noticed Zuzo's face grew serious. "Well princess we still don't know the full effects of you being trapped in that amulet for forty one years." He reminded her. "It could be some kind of side effect, like you being able to see me on your own."
"More magic." Elena mused softly. "Maybe I should talk to Mateo about that."
There was a knock at her door, which was opened immediately afterwards. Elena knew there was only one person in the castle who would do that without very good reason. "Morning Elena, did you sleep well last night?" Isabel asked as she poked her head in.
"Like a rock." Elena replied. "Come on in Isa, you can give me a hand here. How did you sleep?"
Her little sister strolled in and came up behind her, taking the brush and helping her smooth her bedraggled hair. "Okay until about dawn." She answered. "Then I couldn't fall back asleep again. I had this idea that just wouldn't go away, so I went to the kitchen to borrow some cooking oil."
"And how's that coming?" Elena asked her.
"It's going to be a while before that's ready." Isabel answered with a bit of a dismissive gesture despite being busy with Elena's hair. "Abuela was up already, I saw her making tea. It looked like she hadn't slept well though."
That brought a frown to Elena's features now as she reached for a clip to keep her hair in place. "I wonder why. Where was abuelo?" She asked. From the mirror view she saw her little sister frown with uncertainty. "Alright, we're going to go down to breakfast in a minute here and find out what's going on."
"No argument from me." Isabel promised. As soon as Elena fixed the clip in place the sisters headed downstairs as quick as they could without running, something that their cousin Esteban had already proverbially clucked his tongue at them for earlier.
To their surprise the room was empty; no grandparents, no Esteban. Nothing. "What's going on here?" Isabel asked, her voice growing worried.
"I don't know." Elena replied softly as she placed her hands on her little sister's shoulders. "I don't like it though. Let's go to our abuelo's room and find out what's going on." While she moved one hand, the crown princess took used her other hand to grasp Isabel's hand and they started down the hall. Unlike the girl's, her grandparents and Esteban had their bedrooms on the bottom floor.
As they drew closer they saw Esteban coming toward them as if he heard the two girls coming. "Elena, Isabel." He said as he stepped up to them. "I'm afraid I can't let you go any further right now."
"And why not?" Elena questioned a bit hotly.
"Abuelo…has a guest. Doctor Martinez is in there with him right now." Esteban answered somewhat reluctantly.
"What? Is abuelo alright?" Isabel asked with her voice full of worry.
"I'm…I'm sure he's fine Isa." Elena tried to reassure her though the doubt in her voice was pretty evident. "It's just probably a checkup or something."
Isabel looked up at her older sister. She appreciated her attempt to try to protect her but a girl her age who made the kind of things she did was pretty hard to fool. "Nice try Elena." Isabel granted. "But if it were a checkup abuelo would have gone down to the infirmary."
Elena sighed. "Yeah, I know. Sorry. I just don't want you to worry any more than you're already going to do." She said gently. Then she squeezed Isabela's hand and looked to Esteban. "We have to see abuelo Esteban." She told him determinedly.
Their cousin sighed in annoyance and a slight shake of his head but he recognized the stubborn tone of the crown princess's voice. There were times to try to fight her in vain and there were times to save himself the headache. This was one of the latter. "Very well, follow me." He said.
The sister's followed Esteban to another door and he knocked softly once before the three entered. The view made Isabel gasp and Elena's heart skip a beat. Their grandfather Francisco lay in bed, his eyes barely open. He seemed very pale and it seemed as if he were having a hard time breathing.
Sitting beside him was their grandmother Luisa. She had one hand on her husband's shoulder and didn't seem to know what to do with the other.
Doctor Martinez sat opposite him on a chair and he seemed to be measuring his pulse.
"What happened abuela?" Elena wanted to know even as she released Isabel's hand. The younger princess promptly went over to give her grandmother a hug. As Luisa hugged her back the young crown princess wondered who was comforting whom. "Abuelo seemed just fine when we talked last night."
"I don't know nieta." Luisa answered softly. "He woke up early this morning with the labored breathing and he looked very pale, though not like he is now."
"What can you tell us doctor?" Esteban questioned the man.
"His pulse is steady." Doctor Martinez answered in a professional tone. The future ruler in Elena admired his ability to keep calm even as it warred with the freaked out granddaughter who resisted the urge to question if he really cared. "I believe it to be Iverson's flu."
"What does that mean?" Elena asked now. "Will he be okay?"
"For the moment yes." The doctor answered. "In time it could weaken his lungs to the point that he might not be able to breathe."
"You mean he could…" Isabel started as she unsuccessfully fought back tears.
"No. That won't happen." Elena said firmly. "What do we have to do to help him?"
"I need an herb from the Bosque Mountains called the Green Seta." The doctor answered. "In the heart of the forest."
"What makes this herb so rare?" Esteban wanted to know. "The infirmary should be well stocked with everything."
Isabel spoke up now. "It's because while it's an herb, it grows like a fungus." The princess explained softly. "It only grows in dark areas, the forests in Bosque Mountain are the most well-known but it's a dangerous place."
"That's right Chancellor." The doctor said. "The forest in the mountains is also home to the Night Serpent, a large snake."
"I've never of that." Isabel said. She had read about the place but that wasn't in anything she had read.
Esteban seemed almost embarrassed. "Yes, well…it is rumored to have been a magical creation of Shuriki's, though no one knows why she would have done such a thing." He confessed.
Something in the back of Elena's mind made her wonder why she hadn't heard about this until just now but that thought vanished because she still had one other thing on her mind. "I'll take Gabe and Mateo and go after this Green Seta fungi herb thing." She decided.
"That is a very dangerous proposition Elena." Esteban reminded her.
"I don't care." Elena replied. "Abuelo needs this." She looked to Isabel. "Stay here with abuela and do whatever you can to help Isa." The young princess looked like she would rather go with her sister but only gave a resolute nod. "I'll be back, with the Green Seta." And without another glance the crown princess left the room, though she caught the annoyed yet resigned sigh from her cousin.
Elena found that Gabe had just let Naomi into the castle and she remembered they were supposed to have a council meeting today. "Gabe, come on. We're going to get Mateo." She said to the new royal guard. "I'm sorry Naomi but abuelo is sick. There will be no council meeting today."
Naomi gasped and then shook her head. "Sorry to hear that one. Is there anything I can do to help?" The blonde asked.
Elena stopped to look at her. "Princess or not, I can't order you do this Naomi. But I'm going to the forest in Bosque Mountain for the Green Seta, and truthfully I could probably use the help." She admitted.
"The Night Serpent has made its home there." Gabe noted with concern.
Naomi shook her head. "You do like living dangerously, don't you Elena?" She questioned rhetorically. "Okay, let's go get Mateo and get this over with then." She just hoped they wouldn't regret this quest.
"Thanks Naomi, Gabe." Elena said. "Now let's go get Mateo."
"Elena…Princess Elena." Gabe started and the crown princess looked at him. He could see behind her brave demeanor how scared she was for her grandfather. "It'll be alright. We'll get what we need and bring it back in plenty of time to help you grandfather, and he'll be recover just fine. You'll see."
Elena was speechless for a moment. Then she reached out and placed her hand on Gabe's arm. "You're right, it will all work out." She said softly. "Come on, let's get going." She released her hand and started off with her two friends behind her.
The three made their way to Mateo's house. When the wizard in training answered he was surprised to find the three of them there. "What's going on?" He asked.
"It's Elena's grandfather." Naomi said so that way her friend wouldn't have to force the words out again. "He's sick and we need to get some Green Seta from the forest in Bosque Mountain and we might need some magical assistance."
Mateo looked between the two girls and then headed down to grab his tamborita. "Okay then." He said, though he understandably sounded nervous about it. As most everyone knew going up there meant dealing with the Night Serpent. "Let's get a move on then."
A carriage caught them as they were leaving town, having been sent by Isabel once she realized that Elena had been moving too quickly to think about how far the distance really was, and they were on their way to Bosque Mountain.
Naomi and Mateo exchanged glances, both of them could tell Elena was eager and one might even say restless, to get to the mountain and get the Green Seta for her grandfather. They could understand the feeling but they didn't want the crown princess to get hurt in the process herself.
The carriage arrived at the mountain too slowly for Elena's preference and as soon as it slowed she was off and starting to climb the mountain. Naomi and Mateo ran to catch up with her and Gabe brought up the rear though not necessarily by choice.
"Elena, have you considered how we're going to find this Green Seta herb in the first place? Or what we're going to do if that Night Serpent thing finds us before we get out of the forest?" Naomi called out the crown princess as she struggled to keep up with her. The boys had fallen a bit behind.
"It's a green fungus; I think we can figure it out." Elena replied simply. "As for the Night Serpent, if it won't come out of a dark forest then we can light our way with a spell." She had to raise her voice a little to inquire. "You can do that, right Mateo?"
"Um, yeah. I think so." Mateo said with more confidence than he felt. He even said in a much softer voice that he hoped no one could hear. "If I can get the words right."
"If not I'll fight the Night Serpent off myself." Gabe declared with bravado that quickly turned to slight embarrassment as he missed a foothold on the mountain and almost fell.
Naomi saw that and had heard Mateo's softer words. "I feel so much safer now." She drawled with a roll of her eyes.
Halfway up the mountain it smoothed out and it was obvious why as they came across a forest several acres wide and deep. It was very dimly lit as the sun barely touched it and it only seemed to get darker the further they looked in.
"Okay, we have to find a green fungus." Elena said. "We'll probably have better luck further in the forest but the less we have to journey in the better." With that the crown princess headed into the forest with her friends only a step behind her.
"Uh, Elena." Zuzo said. "Before rushing in there really is something you should know." Because no one else could see him Elena didn't respond to him, not that she would have listened at that point anyway.
They entered the forest and Gabe called out, "Hey this was easier than I thought it would be." As he stooped down to pick a couple of green mushrooms with brown stripes.
"Wow hold on." Mateo said to the royal guard. "Those are mushrooms and they're poisonous." Gabe blanched just a bit as he dropped them.
"What about this one?" Elena asked as she picked a light green mushroom with white spots on them.
"They're not poisonous." Naomi supplied with a small smirk. "But I don't think you really want that unless you want to make a flavorful stuffed mushroom." When they looked at her she shrugged. "What? We get them at the docks all of the time and my dad likes them."
"I'm sure they'd be right up abuela's alley, but that doesn't help us right now." Elena replied as she stood up and continued on.
They found a couple other types of mushrooms that Mateo was able to quickly dismiss as not what they were looking for because they were instrumental in magic but useless in medicine. Elena sighed and leaned against a tree. "What are we doing wrong?" She asked herself. "My abuelo might be running out of time here."
"Care for that word of wisdom now?" Zuzo asked her now.
She glanced around to see that her friends weren't close enough to see her seemingly talking to herself. "Yes please." She said. "Tell me what I'm missing here."
"That's simple enough." He replied. "You see despite the name Green Seta , remember what Doctor Martinez said. It's an herb."
Elena sighed. "Dios mio." She commented. "Of course. Thank Zuzo." She started over quickly to her friends. "We're not looking for a mushroom," She announced. "We're looking for a plant or more accurately an herb."
"That would have been nice to know." Gabe said with a small shrug.
"That gives us something more to work with." Mateo said with some excitement. He took out his tamborita. "It would best grow near a water source."
"Isa would probably have some kind of invention to track bodies of water in a forest." Elena said fondly despite the situation. Then she got back to business. "But that doesn't help us now. What do we do now?"
"I'm going to cast a spell." Mateo answered a bit nervously. "One that should help lead us to water."
"I hope it works." Naomi said dubiously.
Mateo shushed her and then said to all three of them. "I need as much concentration and quite as I can get." He warned them. Elena remembered him saying much the same thing when the two of them had been on the Santalos Island when he was getting the flower needed to bring get Esteban to his proper age.
A moment passed and then Mateo's arms and his tamborita started to glow a light blue before it pulled him rather forcefully to the left and all but dragged him. "Is that supposed to happen?" Gabe asked as he and the girls followed the wizard in training.
A few minutes later the spell led the group to a small lake, among the trees. At the end of the lake they could see the water was coming from a waterfall that seemed to originate from somewhere inside the mountain. "This is so pretty." Elena noted.
"Or it would be if there wasn't supposed to be some weird snake here." Gabe replied.
"Hey, look at this." Naomi now added as she approached some bushes surrounding the edge. They could see that the lake created its own waterfall, though none of them could see where this one ended at. "Looks like a long way down."
"I'll say." Gabe agreed.
"Good thing we don't plan on taking that way down." Elena said and then she looked around. "Okay, so where's the Green Seta."
It took a minute of looking around but then Mateo called out, "Hey I think I found it." The two girls and Gabe joined him as he held up a few green but oddly leafy mushrooms among a small patch of them. "This has to be the Green Seta."
Nothing else seemed to qualify but still Elena had to force down the fear that somehow this was the wrong herb. If they were wrong she wasn't sure they would get a second chance at this. "Okay, then let's get this back to the castle so we can help abuelo." She said.
"Hey, this is good right." Gabe tried to say encouragingly to the crown princess. "We got here, we found the Green Seta and we can get back to the castle, and we did all that without ever seeing this Night Serpent."
Through the last half of the declaration Naomi's eyes had widened slightly and had tried to shush him but to avail. She sighed and shook her head. "You do realize you probably just jinxed us right?" She asked.
Gabe looked ready to wave off her question when they heard a deep hissing. The four turned to see a large, thin and black scaled snake descending from the trees. It had five spikes on its head that sliced through some of the branches as it descended. The eyes seemed to glow an angry red.
"Do I even need to say I told you so?" Naomi asked Gabe rhetorically.
"Maybe it's friendly?" Elena suggested dubiously. Of course the same question had existed with the Noblins and Charoca, a rock creature that lived above a volcano in Avalor. She took a tentative step forward. "Um, hello." She started.
The Night Serpent hissed and uncoiled from the tree, landing on the ground causing a slight tremor as it did so. Then its tail shot out and tried to hit the four of them, Naomi and Mateo hit the ground as they dodged even as Elena and Gabe dodged a little neater.
At least until the crown princess got her feet twisted in one of the newly fallen branches and ended up tumbling over the cliff with a startled scream.
"Elena!" Naomi exclaimed in fright, but not even Gabe could have gotten there quick enough to save her.
"Oh no." Mateo whispered.
Night Serpent hissed and Gabe turned to the black scaled creature and drew his sword.
Elena was not looking forward to finding out where that waterfall ended at when she noticed three figures flying up toward her. A moment later she hit something solid yet soft and a familiar voice said, "Looks like we got here just in time." Migs, one of the three flying Jaquins said.
"You have no idea how happy I am about that." Elena replied with a relieved laugh. "Naomi, Gabe and Mateo are up there. We have to get them."
"We're on it." Said Skylar. Together the three of them headed back up.
Gabe moved to try to stab Night Serpent but the large snake creature lashed out and caught the sword between its teeth before flinging it into the lake. "Okay, plan b." The royal guard wondered sheepishly.
The three Jaquins appeared over the cliff edge as Elena said. "We get out of here as fast as we can." Elena declared to her relieved friends. "Everyone hop on." The three ran over, Gabe getting onto Skylar's back as Mateo got on Luna's back. Elena helped Naomi onto Migs.
"Time for a fast getaway." Luna said "Hang on." The three Jaquins turned around to fly down from where they came but Night Serpent had moved very quickly and was in their way. "Okay, through the trees then." She amended.
The three Jaquins flew into the forest with Night Serpent behind them. He lashed out and nearly snapped Skylar in its jaws, only avoiding that fate by an angle through the trees.
"Mateo, I think it's time for that light spell." Elena said to her friend.
"Yeah, sure, on it." Mateo said uncertainly. He didn't know if he could have cast it even if they were all standing still and being quiet and this situation was basically the exact opposite of that. He raised his tamborita in one hand while holding onto Skylar with the other. "Let the light flash."
A burst of light left the tamborita and exploded in front of them all like a firework. Night Serpent let out a hiss and flinched, stopping in the process. The three Jaquins were lucky not to get blinded even as they blinked stars out of their eyes. The four humans did as well but they weren't the ones who had to watch where they were going.
But it was enough for them to get down the mountain safely. They didn't know if Night Serpent had just given up after the bang of light or if it just never caught up again but no one was complaining about the outcome.
"Great spell." Naomi said to Mateo. "Was that supposed to happen?"
The wizard in training shrugged. "Well no, not exactly. But we got out." He replied.
"How did you know where we were anyway?" Elena asked Migs.
"We stopped by the castle to make sure everything was okay and Princess Isabel told us where you had gone and why. We hoped we could make it in enough time to help you out somehow." Migs explained.
"And it looks like we did." Luna added. "Unless you wanted to go cliff diving princess."
"That wasn't my intention at all." Elena replied. "Now let's make sure the carriage knows to get back and then we'll fly to the castle so we can help abuelo."
Thanks to the Jaquins they got to the castle faster than they had left. Mateo ran ahead to give the Green Seta which he had miraculously held onto despite all that to Doctor Martinez. Naomi had to return home but she promised Elene she'd come by first thing and wished her grandfather a speedy recovery.
Elena returned to her grandparent's room where she greeted and was greeted by her sister with a hug. "I guess you found a way to help us after all Isa." Elena said to her little sister. "In more ways than one."
"Did you find the Green Seta?" Isabel asked.
"Mateo is taking it to Doctor Martinez right now." Elena replied.
Thirty minutes later, as the sun was setting, Doctor Martinez brought a bowl of something for Francisco. He was able to drink it before falling asleep. When Luisa suggested the girls head up and try to get some sleep they both declined, wanting to be there when he woke up.
During the night though they fell asleep, Elena in a chair beside her grandfather and Isabel with her head on her older sister's lap. The next thing Elena knew she had two things in her eyes; one was the sun and the other was the tired but smiling face of Francisco. "Have you two been there all night?" He asked her.
Elena smiled softly, unshed tears in her eyes. "Yes." She replied softly. She saw Luisa had fallen asleep on his other side. "How are you feeling abuelo?" She now asked.
"Better." He answered. "And something tells me I owe it all to you."
"I had a lot of help from my friends." Elena said. She shifted just a bit it was enough to wake Isabel. She opened her eyes and she when she saw her grandfather awake she smiled happily and all but threw herself at him with a happy laugh.
Elena sat up. "I'll get something light for us to eat." She said and left the room. She stepped out and headed toward the room to find her friends waiting for her.
"How is he?" Naomi asked.
"Getting better. He's awake now." Elena answered her. She smiled at them all. "Thanks for helping me out yesterday you guys." She said and then looked to Gabe. "And thank you for all of your encouragement. It means so much more to me than I could ever express."
She walked over and gave each of her friends a hug, though only Naomi seemed to have expected that and returned the hug. The two boys looked surprised and the blonde couldn't help but laugh a little as she swore Gabe had a blush on his cheeks.
None of which Elena noticed as she walked off to find something for her recovering grandfather, her grandmother and her little sister. She just knew her family was as whole again as it was ever going to be.