In the early hours of the morning, Mateo lay awake in his bed— his mind far too busy to sleep. He thought of the night before and everything that had happened, breathing a sigh of relief as he realized that overall the betrothal celebration had been a success— he had been well received by Elena's court, and, to him, that was nothing short of a miracle. He was still secretly unsure of his worthiness or ability to take any kind of royal title, but he felt a little better knowing that he was going to have Elena and Esteban along with the rest of the royal family to teach him everything he needed to know.

Smiling to himself, he thought about how Elena had clung to his arm, not allowing him to leave her side the rest of the evening. She'd been practically bouncing with excitement to introduce him to everyone in her court. Mateo had been surprised at how warm and accepting each noble Elena had introduced him to had been— well, almost all of them. Some had seemed less than enthusiastic but not bothered enough to actually make a big deal about it. Elena told him not to worry himself about those people, that it was impossible to make everyone happy all the time and sometimes you just needed to count your wins and move on.

Mateo rolled over, adjusting his pillow and remembered the pleasant turn the evening had taken when they'd finally made it to the dance floor.

—

Eventually, over the course of the evening, Elena had grown bored with the small talk and pleasantries— he remembered the way her eyes kept drifting longingly to the dancefloor. Mateo wasn't a huge fan of the waltz, the dance most often done at those formal functions when Esteban was in charge of planning the music. He just couldn't seem to get the hang of it— it just felt awkward and stiff trying to make his limbs move that smoothly. However, he would be more than willing to awkwardly dance the waltz all night long if it meant dancing with Elena in his arms, so— in an uncharacteristic moment of boldness— Mateo had turned to Elena before she could speak to the next person in the crowd and bowed, offering his hand as he asked, "Your highness, would you do your fiancé the incredible honor of dancing with him?"

She beamed at him, her eyes shining with pleasure.

How did you know?

Her gaze shifted as she looked coyly from beneath her lashes.

I just know that look in your eye.

He grinned crookedly at her.

Nodding, she had taken his hand and said lightly, "Well, I suppose since we are supposed to be celebrating our betrothal, we should dance, shouldn't we?" she called over her shoulder to the nobles she'd been talking with all evening, "Please excuse me, everyone!"

He remembered how the surrounding crowd of guests watched them closely as Mateo escorted Elena to the dance floor and twirled her around, catching her around the waist and pulling her close to him— perhaps a bit closer than propriety dictated, but the two of them had been through so much in recent months— both having come face to face with injury and death on multiple occasions— that neither of them really cared— they were just happy to be safe in each other's arms once again.

Mateo smiled as he recalled the flirty smile Elena had flashed him, "You're so good at this, querido."

Grinning crookedly, Mateo said, "What? Nearly stepping on your feet?"

Smacking his shoulder lightly, she said, "Hardly, you are a wonderful dancer— truthfully, you're my favorite dance partner."

"That's just because you never miss an opportunity to get your hands on me," Mateo deadpanned.

Elena burst out laughing, nearly losing her timing as she danced. "You know, there's probably more truth to that statement than you realize." She fluttered her eyelashes teasingly and continued, "You're just too irresistible for your own good, querido."

Pulling her a little closer, Mateo grinned, saying, "Like you're one to talk. You are overwhelmingly, heartbreakingly gorgeous tonight— more so than usual. I'm pretty sure every eligible bachelor in this room is plotting how they can get me out of the picture so that they might have a chance at winning your affection."

"Well, they should probably get used to disappointment then."

"Oh? Why is that?"

"They're not my type," she said simply.

"Then please enlighten me. What, exactly is your type?"

Elena had stepped back into a graceful twirl and as she spun back into Mateo's arms, pressing close, her mouth curving into a feline grin. Leaning in so that her lips nearly brushed his ear, she whispered, "You are."

—

Mateo smiled into his pillow at the memory as a soft knock sounded on his door, pulling him away from his early morning reverie. Looking out the window, he saw that the sun hadn't quite risen yet. There was only one person who ever visited him that early in the morning, and, sure enough, a soft, feminine voice called through the door, "Mateo? Are you awake?"

It was Elena. Early morning visits had become a semi-regular occurrence ever since they had returned from Malvara. Most of the time Mateo, being the early riser, visited Elena with a gift of coffee and pan dulce in her room, but occasionally— usually after a big night, Elena would rise first and pay him a visit.

Struggling to sit up, Mateo propped his pillows against the wall and leaned back, calling out, "Come in!"

The door inched open and Elena crept in, two mugs of coffee in one hand and a plate piled with pan dulce in the other. Nudging the door shut with her hip, she smiled shyly at Mateo sitting up in bed— clad in burgundy pajamas and his hair looking a bit like a birds nest with random curls sticking out from his head at all angles.

"Good morning mi querido, did you sleep well?"

He smiled warmly as he replied, "Probably about as well as you did."

"So not at all then?"

Chuckling, Mateo said, "I suppose so. We're a lot alike, you and I. Like you, I can't sleep when my mind is running full speed after a big night.

Elena set the plate of pan dulce in Mateo's lap and slid onto the bed next to him, kissing his cheek as she handed him a coffee mug. Plucking up a piece of pan dulce from the plate, Elena sat crisscross legged and took a sip of her coffee as she peered over at Mateo.

"So, what has your mind running on full speed?"

"Oh, nothing in particular. Last night was just— a lot."

Elena cocked her head to the side and quirked an eyebrow. "What do you mean? Aside from a few naysayers whose opinions matter very little in the grand scheme of things, I thought last night was a lot of fun," she grinned and continued, "I especially enjoyed getting to show you off to my court."

"Of course it was fun!" Mateo said quickly, "And I don't think there was a single moment that I didn't feel absolutely stunned at my good fortune to have you— the most beautiful girl with the most beautiful soul in the Ever Realm— all to myself."

Flushing with pleasure and flashing a small smile, Elena raised a questioning eyebrow,

"But––" she prompted.

"But, it's just— I'm not used to being the center of attention and I sort of realized that once we're married, that's going to be my reality. "

Elena peered at him, lips pursed in thought as she noted the uncertainty along with a hint of anxiety lurking in the shadows of his eyes. Nodding, she slid closer and slipped her arm around his shoulders as she said, "You've spent enough time at my side during my day-to-day life that you should know by now that I am not always the center of attention, and you won't be either."

Mateo smirked. "You're the center of attention wherever you go. Everyone notices you–– they can't help it. You're just too beautiful for your own good, mi amor."

Snorting, Elena retorted, "Maybe, but you have to admit, it's not the same. I don't walk around with crowds of people surrounding me all the time–– not like they do at court functions." She raised one hand to brush his untidier than usual locks from his eyes–– Mateo closed his eyes and leaned into her touch as she continued, "Now, I'll admit that–– whether I like it or not–– my family and I live in the public spotlight, but that sort of comes along with the whole royalty thing. You––" her eyes widened and she bit her lip with worry as she pulled back a bit to get a better look at Mateo's face, "––you're not having second thoughts, are you? About marrying me?"

A look of dawning horror slid across his features as he quickly said, "No!" he shook his head vehemently, "No! Of course not." Mateo hastily set his coffee mug down on his bedside table and took Elena's hands, looking earnestly into her eyes as he noted how they shone in the dim light. He worried that she was about to cry and it would be his fault–– an unforgivable offense in his opinion. Rubbing his thumbs soothingly on the backs of her hands, Mateo said, "Elena, I would do anything for you–– walk to the ends of the earth for you. I don't care how ridiculous the other nobles think I am or now uncomfortable being the center of attention makes me. I would rather face all of that than a single day without you."

He gently took Elena in his arms, pulling her against his chest. "I love you, mi amor," he paused, kissing her hair before continuing, "mas que mi misma vida," he murmured, holding her close.

Elena smiled and adjusted her position so she was snuggled against his side and–– still holding her coffee mug in one hand–– slid her other arm around his back. "I love you too," she murmured, pausing as she realized what he'd said before, "But wait–– what do you mean by the nobles thinking you're ridiculous?"

Mateo was silent long enough that Elena was about to ask again, but he said quietly, "Oh, you know. Just the fact that I wasn't born to this life–– I wasn't raised with all of the traditions and rules and etiquette that you grew up with. Like I said last night, I have no idea how to be a prince. I'm pretty sure that your court is going to have a lot to laugh about whenever I'm around."

"Now you're just being silly. We've been over this. You have nothing to worry about. Just be your beautiful, kind-hearted, caring and considerate self–– don't worry what anyone else thinks. Esteban and I will teach you everything you need to know. Don't worry!"

"Ok, don't worry. Got it." Mateo gave her a little squeeze and was quiet for a moment, still thinking over the many events of the previous evening.

"What is it, mi querido?"

"Are–– are you sure that marrying me isn't going to cause any trouble for you? I would never forgive myself if anything I did kept you from becoming queen. What if more in your court feel the way Doña Paloma felt?"

"Don't worry about what they think. There may be a few, but I trust my court. The majority of them trust my judgement and wish us all the happiness and joy in the world. The ones who don't? Well, leave it to Esteban. He's pretty good at convincing the others to see things his way, and you know that he fully supports our betrothal."

Mateo thought a moment and nodded, "True. Though if I remember correctly, he was less than pleased when we first shared the news."

"Oh, he was just taken by surprise. It didn't take much to convince him to see things my way."

Mateo thought for a moment before he said, "True, now that I think about it, I was actually surprised at how quickly he changed his mind. Do you remember that night?"

Laughing, Elena said, "How could I forget? You were so adorable and nervous that night and my family's reactions were priceless. That's one memory that I will always cherish."

"I'm so glad that you found my abject terror to be adorable."

"Abject terror?" Elena rolled her eyes as she giggled, "That's a little dramatic, don't you think?"

Mateo smirked. "Maybe. Just a little. But can you blame me? After the way Esteban reacted to you simply dancing with me months ago–– I was just so worried that you were going to be in trouble, and that it would be my fault! And what if your abuela didn't approve? She could seriously hurt me!"

"You're so silly," Elena snickered, "Of course abuela approves of you–– those were tears of joy, remember? I was afraid she was going to break your ribs, she hugged you so tightly. Abuelo immediately burst into song and Isabel squealed with delight that she was going to have a big brother. They all love you. How could they not? Even Esteban. Don't you remember what he said?"

"Which part?" Mateo snickeled, "The part where he threw his hands in the air and said, 'Aye, yi, yi, Elena! What are you thinking? You can't just decide to marry this boy!' or 'Hmm...perhaps this is a good thing. He is so much more level headed than you…'?"

Elena poked Mateo in the side, causing him to yelp as she grinned and said, "Or how about the part where he said, 'Yes, now that I think about it, Mateo has proven himself to be a hero to all of Avalor, which makes him beloved by the people and can be just as valuable if not more so than a political alliance.' See? He and I agree that you are what's best for the kingdom–– what's best for me. He knows how to handle the court, everything will be fine."

Mateo was quiet a moment as he gently rubbed his hand up and down Elena's back, thinking fondly of his new family-to-be. He was an only child and had been raised by his mother. Once his grandmother had passed away several years back, he'd only had a few aunts, uncles and cousins that he saw on holidays, but weren't terribly close to him. It warmed his heart to know that his family was about to become so large.

As these pleasant thoughts occupied his mind, a single dark thought crept to the edge of his consciousness–– the thought of a person that he tried very hard to avoid thinking about if he could help it. A person who Mateo hadn't seen in almost ten years whose parting words had echoed in Mateo's mind constantly until they'd become permanently etched into the young man's personal identity.

As Mateo wrestled with this thought, the hand on Elena's back subconsciously slowed to a stop and he became very still. Elena sensed his change in mood and craned her neck around to try and see his face.

"Querido?"

Mateo shook his head a little to clear it and said, "I know I've asked this before, but are you sure–– that–– that I'm worthy to stand beside you as your husband and a prince of Avalor?"

Elena sat up and turned to look him fully in the face, her eyes narrowing as she saw the dejection threatening to overcome him. "Mateo, I don't understand? Where is all of this talk of worthiness coming from? I've told you so many times that your good heart, gentle soul, sense of righteousness, and noble character are worth more than any inherited title. Why don't you believe me?" She gave him a long, piercing look and he felt as if she were peering into the depths of his soul.

Knowing that he had to tell her the words that had haunted his very existence for nearly ten years, Mateo took a deep breath–– steeling himself to reveal this bit information he had kept buried inside for so long. He looked down at his bedcovers, toying idly with the edge of his blanket as he said, "Ok–– so–– do you remember how I told you that my father had been captured by Shuriki's guards when I was eight years old?"

Whatever Elena had been expecting him to say, this wasn't it. Taken aback, she said slowly,

"Yes."

"Well, he actually wasn't my father— I mean, I though he was until that moment but it turned out he was just the man I had believed for all eight years of my life to be my father. I called him 'papi' and I had lived a relatively happy life with that knowledge. The night that he was captured my mother had told me to stay in the house, but I could see through the window— the guards were surrounding him and were trying to take him. I ran to try and defend him. I remember yelling at them to leave him alone––"

Elena stared at him, wide eyed, and said, "You–– you tried to physically stop Shuriki's guards from taking your father? At the age of eight?" She looked at him with a gleam of admiration in her eyes as she smiled sweetly, but he didn't see as he was still staring down at the blankets.

"Yeah, I didn't know any better. I loved my parents and it made me angry that the guards were trying to take my father. But then–– the guards grabbed me and tried to take me too."
Elena gasped, "What?! They didn't! You were just a child! How did you get free?"

"Well, the guard said something about them taking me because I was his son. And Nicolás, my–– er–– father, I guess–– looked at me with the coldest look I'd ever seen and told them to let me go. His exact words were, 'He's nobody but a bastard child with nothing to his name.' I–– I was stunned. I couldn't believe it. I didn't want to believe it. But then my mother nodded with tears in her eyes and I knew it had to be true," he sighed and continued, "Those words echoed in my mind for years. I struggled to reconcile who I'd thought him to be with what he really was–– it made me wonder who I was and who my real father was. I still loved Nicolás–– he'd been acting as my father for eight years, and he'd done it well. I felt guilty that I couldn't stop the guards taking him, yet at the same time I was angry with him for lying and for saying those things about me. And now–– it–– it's kind of complicated."

Elena stared at the precious soul beside her, tears glazing her own eyes as she searched for the right words to say. She was speechless. It made sense now. Mateo's obsession with his self-worth had been something she'd been trying to help him overcome for years, and it finally made sense as to why it was such a struggle. He'd been hurt. Deeply. By someone he'd trusted in the most emotionally traumatic way possible.

She reached out to cup his face in her hands, guiding his eyes to her own and looked at him in earnest as a tear trickled down her own cheek. "Mateo, please look at me," she peered deep into his eyes, as if trying to see the soul within. She could see the hurt and the anguish and wished there was something she could do to erase that pain from his past. "I–– I can't change what happened in the past. That man, father or not, never should have said something like that about his little boy. Especially since it's the most disgusting, horrible lie I've ever heard in my life. You are not a nobody. You are Mateo de Alva, the royal wizard of Avalor. You are talented, kind, loving, gentle, hard working, determined, noble of heart and good to the core. Do you understand how few people possess a single one of those qualities, let alone that many? You are so much more than those things that man said about you. Please believe me," she finished softly.

He stared back into her warm, chocolate-colored eyes, desperately wanting to believe her, but wondered how one went about disregarding ten years of belief about one's self?

"How?" he said in a hoarse whisper, "How can I just change this thing I've believed for so long? How do you just let it go?"

Still cupping his cheek with one hand, she brought the other up to softly brush his hair out of his eyes and across his forehead. "I will never stop reminding you of what you really are–– who you really are. Just believe me and take comfort that it's true. I will never lie to you. I promise."

Elena gently pulled his face to hers and pressed her lips to his in a slow, lingering kiss—allowing all of the love and adoration she felt for him to shine through. Pulling back just a bit, she whispered, "You, Mateo de Alva, are brave," and she kissed him again. "You are a hero to us all." She kissed him once again. "You, querido, are brilliant–– loving–– kind–– gentle–– considerate–– selfless–– good––" she punctuated each word with a kiss. "And you are everything to me. I love you."

She kissed him once more, putting every ounce of fervor she possessed into that kiss. Mateo could taste the truth of her words upon her lips and something inside him snapped as he responded with a desperate kiss of his own, sliding his arms around her waist and tugging her closer to him as she eagerly slid herself onto his lap.

Her breaths became uneven as she kissed him, her fingers knotting themselves in his already messy hair while his hands slid down her back, along the elegant curve of her waist and back up again. One hand slid up to cradle the back of her head as his lips moved from hers— leaving a trail of kisses across her cheek, against the sensitive skin beneath her ear until he found himself pressing a series of urgent kisses to her neck.

A tiny squeak of pleasure sounded from the back of her throat as she tipped her head back, jolting Mateo back his senses. He froze, looking slightly ashamed of himself as his princess grinned breathlessly at him from where she was still perched in his lap.

"I–– I'm sorry, I don't–– I think I got a little carried away."

Elena blushed as she caught her breath and smiled sheepishly, "Its ok, I think I did too." She grinned as she carefully took his face in her hands and leaned in for another kiss.

Reaching up to gently grasp her wrists, Mateo said, "We should probably stop before––"

Elena grinned mischievously as she stopped his words with yet another kiss. "You worry too much, querido," she whispered against his lips.

As Mateo was about to give in to her insistence, a sharp knock sounded at the door. The couple pulled apart as though they'd been electrified.

"I think it's Maria," Mateo whispered.

"The housekeeper?"

"Yes, I'm usually up by now, so she cleans early."

Eyes dancing with mischief, Elena quickly slid from the bed and grabbed her coffee mug and another piece of pan dulce as she sat herself in a nearby chair and nodded at Mateo.

"Come in!"

The door opened and the young housekeeper walked in, freezing at the site of the royal wizard sitting in bed and the crown princess lounging in a nearby chair.

"Your majesty!" she gasped, her eyes wide with panic, "I'm so sorry! I didn't know you–– I usually–– I'm––" the poor girl spluttered, trying to find the words to adequately express her mortification.

Elena stopped her with a raised hand and a smile as she stood. "It's ok, Maria," she said brightly, "Since we had a late night, I was just bringing my fiancé breakfast in bed. But I should go so he can get ready for the day. We have a busy schedule today!"

Maria still looked worried and said, "I'll come back in half an hour if that suits you Mr. Mateo, sir?"

Mateo smiled gently at the poor flustered housekeeper. "That's fine, Maria. Thank you." Maria curtseyed to Elena and made a hasty retreat.

Elena grinned and said, "Well, on that note, I really should leave you to get ready for the day. I'll see you at the council meeting, right?"

"That sounds right to me," he grinned as he kicked back the covers and stood up to see his princess to the door. "Thanks for bringing me breakfast, by the way."

"No problem. You are always trying to take care of me so I thought I'd do something nice for you for a change." Her eyes softened and she smiled, placing a hand on his cheek,

She slid her arms around him in a tight embrace as she whispered in his ear, "Don't forget, I love you, querido, and you are a true treasure."

She pulled back and smiled softly before slipping out the door, leaving Mateo smiling after her, thinking that— for the first time in almost a decade— maybe he was a somebody after all.

Authors Note: Thanks for reading guys! I wanted to apologize for the longer than usual wait between updates. I'll admit it, I had a bad case of writers block! But it seems to have passed now, thank goodness!

This is one of those chapters where the characters sort of took over and took the story in a different direction than I'd originally planned. (They can be sort of bossy sometimes, lol). Anyways, just in case anyone was wondering I wanted to point out that Elena and Mateo are both 18, pushing 19 in this fic and have been together for almost 2 years. Just some food for thought to help put the last half of this chapter into perspective. :)

As always, thanks for reading and I always appreciate your thoughtful comments and reviews. My inbox is open if you have any questions! Until next chapter!