The Chanul Chills- Chapter 2
Okay, let's try to pick up where we left off.
"Good morning, Abuela, Abuelo, what's for breakfast?" Isabel asked as she entered the dining hall with Zuzo trotting in just behind her. "Good morning, mija, I see you've met Zuzo. Today I've made something quick as we still have a lot of party planning to do." The servants entered the room with several silver platters and set them on the table.
Isabel's smile faltered a little as she took her seat, Elena's chair, next to her was still empty. Indicating the crowned princess must be sleeping in. "Oh, right," Isa said, nodding her thanks as a servant placed her breakfast in front of her. "I almost forgot." The cover was removed and the smell of bacon wafted up into her nose. She looked down to find a sunny side up egg resting atop a bowl of chilaquiles, a glass of horchata rested next to her bowl.
"It looks delicous, Abuela," Isa said as she began eating. Zuzo wished he could say the same for his breakfast. A servant placed two bowls in front of him, one full of water, and the other an assortment of grasses and berries. It was suitable for any sick mortal fox, but not for a sick spirit fox. His cramping stomach gave him no options though. Mindful that he was now a 'normal' fox, Zuzo caustiously dipped his head and lapped up some water, quenching his thirst. Though he was loath to do so, Zuzo finally dared to take a bite of his food. He tried not to make a face as he swallowed the grass and berries. Definitely not something to eat when you were sick. His stomach growled again, demanding sustenance, and he let his eyes wander the room in search of alternatives. He wasn't about to beg for table scraps like the family dog. There had to be something around here he could make a quick meal of.
It was then another servant came out of the kitchen on the opposite side of the dining hall. Deciding his chances were better off there, he quickly made his way over, careful to avoid detection by the royal family. Once beyond the kitchen door, Zuzo began his investigation, never minding the servants who were too wrapped up in their daily chores to notice a fox at their feet. Zuzo preferred to serve himself anyway.
He poked around the shelves and low cabinets, but most of the things he came across was vegetables, eggs, and various types of grain and bread. There had to be some meat around here somewhere...Zuzo sniffed determinedly, grinning when he finally picked up traces of poultry. The scent led him straight to the garbage can. He shouldn't and he normally wouldn't, but he was going to anyway.
"Zuzo, are you in here?" Isabel called to him as she came through the kitchen door. Her brown eyes found him almost immediately. "What are you doing? You weren't going to eat from there were you?" Isabel's nose crinkled as she motioned to the kitchen spoils. "Maybe," Zuzo said and Isa's expression morphed from disgust to outright scolding. "Okay," he relented, "So I was. But," he cut across her as the princess opened her mouth to speak. "You would too if you tried that sorry excuse of a salad they tried to feed me."
"Salad?" Isa tilted her head, "you're sick. You need to be eating lots of proteins."
"You wanna tell them that?" Zuzo asked nodding to the busily working servants. Isa bit her lip in thought and then nodded decisively. "Tell you what," she said, "I'll give you some of my breakfast. That way you'll get all the nutrients you need." Zuzo sighed in relief, "Thank you, Isabel." The fox followed Isabel into the dining hall, slipping under the table without her grandparents noticing, and emerging on the other side to sit by the legs of her chair. Isabel had just slipped him a bite of pork when Elena came into the room looking a little bedraggled.
"Has anyone seen Mateo?" Elena asked skipping over her usual good morning, though she did take the time to kiss the top of Isabel's head. "Oh, we've seen him alright!" Fransico said his eyes twinkling with amusement. "He came in very early this morning, arms loaded down with plants of some sort. He startled one of the servants so bad when he entered that she accidentally burned a whole chicken. I didn't think we would ever get the smell out!" Luisa nodded her head in agreement, "I asked if he'd like to join us for breakfast, but he said he had something important to do. He's down in his workshop now," Luisia polaused and wagged her finger at the crown princess. "I don't know what you two are up to, but you need to take care of yourselves. I won't have anyone going hungry in my home."
"Yes, Abuela. I'll take breakfast down to the workshop so we can eat while we work. Will that be alright?"
"So long as you're eating, mija," Luisa smiled. "Great!" Elena boasted as she dialsapeared into the kitchen, emerging seemingly seconds later with two trays of food. "I'll see you guys later!" she called over her shoulder as she disappeared behind the dining hall door.
It burst open again as Zuzo was munching on his fifth price of bacon. He was really starting to like this little princess. Zuzo's cyan irises peered up at the squat little man as he entered the room. Armando, if he recalled correctly. He'd seen him around a few times.
"Your majesties! Your majesties! The Enchancian royal family is arriving. They're pulling into the harbor now. "Oh?" Luisa said as she stood, "they're early."
"We should hurry if we're going to greet them. Are you ready Isa?"
Isabel had slipped a bite of egg down to Zuzo and was grinning as she watched him eat it, but jerked in surprise when her grandfather addressed her. "Me?" She stumbled over her words, "you want me to come?"
"Of course! They're your party guests, you should be there when they arrive."
"Oh," Isabel's eyes fell to her nearly empty plate, "okay." Her grandparents exchanged worried glances. They had been so sure she'd love to have Sofia over, they had seemed to get along so well last time the Enchancian royal family was here. Isabel felt Zuzo's stare on her and let her brown irises drift over to meet his, forcing a smile as if it would ease him in some way.
"Can I bring Zuzo?" Isabel asked suddenly, eyes lighting up like she'd just had the best idea. "Please? I'm sure he'd love some fresh air." Zuzo didn't know where she was going with this, but he was bound and determined to help this little girl. "I'd love to go," he spoke up. In truth he was excited he'd met Sofia before and thought she was a sweet little kid, there was no reason why those two couldn't be friends. And he was going to make sure this was the best birthday Isabel ever had, sick or not.
Meanwhile, Elena had just managed to bring Mateo his breakfast only to see the royal wizard had his hands full measuring herbs and other odd ingredients for the incense needed to cure the Chanul Chills. His own spirit guide, Cacahuate the sloth, was telling him how to put it together: "Next, we'll need a small handful of copal resin from the torchwood tree… no! No! I said a small handful, Mateo. We don't want to overpower the compound. That's more like it. Now add three tablespoon's worth of Palo Santo—"
"Hey, Mateo, I brought you breakfast!" shouted Elena, startling the young wizard into almost… ALMOST ruining the compound, but thankfully that didn't happen, "Sorry. Wow, you weren't kidding, you really did get Cacahuate involved. Although," she looked towards the spirit sloth with a bit of concern, "I am a little surprised to see you'd show up. Zuzo said he might cause an epidemic if he spread the illness to the rest of the spirit world."
"Hey, don't worry about me if that's what you're feeling," said Cacahuate, "the Chanul Chills may be contagious to our kind, but it's not that contagious! From what Mateo already told me, Zuzo probably wants to heal where he feels safe. I mean, really, ever since the incident with Orizaba he's been tripling his workload just to avoid going into his own den… it would do him good to take a break or at least take it easy; too bad he had to get sick for that to happen. Anyway, as long as his collar is on loose enough for him to breath yet tight enough to not fall off, his condition will run its course without causing trouble or spreading to anybody… um, you DID find the collar, right?"
"Don't worry," said Elena, as he and Mateo started to eat, "I got it on him, thanks to abuelo."
"Good," said Mateo, gulping down his horchata quickly, "the instructions for the Incienso Curativo we need is more complicated than I thought. I'm glad Cacahuate is able to help, but it might still take a while longer then we had in mind to get it done and get it done right."
"Hey! I keep telling you I'm a sloth, Mateo," stated Cacahuate, "we are known for our precision, but not for our speed."
"Alright," sighed Elena, "I will just have to tell Zuzo that he'd have to avoid straining himself during Isa's party if he insists on going at all… and knowing Zuzo he would insist not only because he hates missing out on fiestas, but also because he loves being a spirit guide, and since he and Ovia switched to-do lists, he wouldn't have to go much farther than the palace as he watches over Isa, right?"
In that moment, Armando barged into Mateo's workshop, "Princess Elena, there you are!" the chief of the castle stated, catching his breath, "The royal family of Enchancia has arrived early, and your sister and grandparents are already in the carriage to the harbor! If you are not going to greet them, could you at least sign this royal proclamation announcing their arrival?" he pulled a scroll out of his coat.
"What? Seriously?! Why am I the last to know?" Elena huffed, cursing herself for oversleeping as she fetched a quill and some ink to sign the proclamation, "Never mind. Just let the rest of my family know I will be at the harbor a little later. Naomi and I have a little surprise in for my sister's party."
Of course, as Elena had said that, Isabel and her grandparents had already left with Zuzo in tow. The carriage ride to the harbor was harrowing for the young princess, of only for the fact that she'd eventually have to leave its confines and face the Enchancian royal family. It wasn't as if Isabel didn't like Isabel, far from it actually, but she hadn't seen the girl in well over a year. The two had begun a delicate friendship while Sofia's family had been there, staying several days after Shuriki's fall to actually enjoy their vacation, and they had exchanged letters after Sofia's family's departure… but to see her again face to face, after all this time? Isabel's stomach knotted up uncomfortably.
Zuzo rested in the seat next to her, keen cyan eyes studying the princess as she wrung her hands anxiously. He wanted terribly to ask her what was wrong, counsel her, and give her advice, but somehow he knew that this wasnt something she wanted to discuss in front of her grandparents. Instead, he reached across and laid his head against her leg, hoping the contact would give her some comfort. It seemed to work, within moments he could feel her small hand brushing through his fur. They sighed in unison, but for completely different reasons. Isabel's agile mind chased down several paths of thoughts as she worked her fingers through Zuzo's fur. What if Sofia didn't like her anymore? What if she had changed since last time they had seen each other? Had she outgrown the sense of wonderment she'd had when Isabel had shown off some of her inventions to the girl? What she was the same as all the other girls now? Isabel bit her lip, mind spiraling dangerously.
Why do you bother with such nonsense? If you want to act like a peasant why don't you go live with them?
Tears brimmed in Isabel's eyes, nails unknowingly digging into Zuzo's back, earning a grunt of discomfort from the fox. Zuzo turned his eyes up to meet hers, they were overly bright and glassy, was she going to cry. Zuzo fought off the urge to growl in frustration, if only he were in his spirit form. He could speak to her freely then, without fear of being overheard. Instead, he was forced to keep his muzzle shut and wait for a better opportunity. One he hoped would present itself soon, Isabel seemed to be getting worse as the day dragged on. Zuzo offered her the most sincere smile he could muster and rested his head back on her leg.
Finally, the smell of sea salt filled the air and faintly burned at their eyes. Grand ships and ship docks filled all the eye could see. The moment had come. Taking a deep, steadying breath, Isabel took hold of the end of Zuzo leash, the only term of his being on this outing. The coachman came around and opened the door and she and Zuzo, and her grandparents all climbed out.
The Enchancian royal ship wasn't hard to find for a couple of reasons. One, while the merchant ships were impressive, they paled in comparison to a royal vessel. And two, the Enchancian ship was the only one there with a team of flying horses harnessed up to it. Isabel tilted her head at the sight, curious.
Up on the rooftops, the jaquins looked on the scene with equal curiosity. After a moment's speculation, Skylar turned to his friends and spoke with a grin. "Kind of makes you think, doesn't it?" "Yeah, it sure does," added Migs, "and I am just glad we never have to do that for anybody, royalty or not."
"Amen to that." said Luna.
Zuzo overheard the conversation from the carriage, but was barely surprise. Despite the forty one years without the respect of being the national symbol of Avalor, jaquins were a very proud species, and tend to think themselves better then flying horses. Still, this whole ordeal seems to be livening the mood for the humans, as several of the harbor masters and local stable keepers tended to the weary equines, especially the one which was small enough to be considered a pony yet had the kind of face you'd expect on an adult horse. Maybe he could explain what all this is about, Zuzo thought, before asking Isabel, "Do you mind if I take a few moments with the horses? I want to congradulate their efforts getting the visiting royalty here."
Isabel hesitated, but then smiled. She figured time with other animals would offer Zuzo some comfort. "Okay, but don't stay too long," she said, "I want you by my side when Sofia and her family gets off the boat, and besides, I don't want your cold spreading to any of the horses."
Zuzo sighed, knowing he shouldn't bother to explain his kind of cold wasn't even contagious to mortals, even while he's in mortal form. None the less, he gave an understanding nod, and approached the flying horses hurriedly, knowing he only had a few minutes before he needed to be back at Isabel's side. Truth be told, he had intentions to do a lot more than say thank you to the horses, he had a feeling Isabel's anxiety had something to do with Princess Sofia. He wasn't sure in what way, but finding the horse closest to Sofia seemed like the best place to start.
The fox scanned the three long rows of horses, apparently Enchancian flying horses came in a vast array colors, and they all stood proud and tall. Of course they did, they were royal horses, they were high bred animals… and yet, finding that horse may be easier than he expected. Zuzo's focus zeroed in on a smaller horse in one of the outer most rows. He was a great deal shorter than his companions, thicker built, and sturdy. His pleasant expression gave away his kind demeanor and he grinned crookedly as Zuzo approached. This was definitely Sofia's horse. Zuzo cleared his throat, both to get the horse's attention and because it tickled a bit from his illness. It didn't take long for the miniature flying horse to notice.
"Oh, um, hi," the smaller horse said, "Can I help you with something?" he gasped, and whinnied, "Did I step in something when I landed here?"
Being unable to understand the horses, the stable boy tending to the visiting equines could only make a wild guess as to what was upsetting him. "Easy, Minimus, it's only a fox. It won't hurt you. I'll be right back with your oat-bag."
Zuzo could barely hold in his chuckles upon learning the small flying horse's name as he watched the stable boy run off to tend to his duties. Minimus, Zuzo thought to himself, what a strange and degrading name for a horse like this, but I better not let him hear me laugh about it or he might not react too well when and if he learns my own name. With that thought in mind, Zuzo took a deep breath to regain his composer before speaking. "No, you didn't step in anything," he said, "I just wanted to congradulate you for you efforts in pulling that ship here. The whole team must have worked very hard at it... you most of all."
Minimus neighed modestly, scuffing a hoof, "Yeah, well, the royal family of Enchancia was excited about the party and wanted to arrive as soon as possible, and I suppose I should have seen this crazy idea coming," he explained, "King Roland the second is a great king and an even better father, but he isn't the sharpest tool in the shed, you know what I mean?" Minimus looked both ways before whispering to the fox, "I even heard it said among the animals back home that, when the royal family took up the peasant lifestyle for a day... oh, don't ask how it happened... Roland actually ordered a cow to milk itself."
Zuzo's chuckle really escaped him this time, but he controlled himself a bit longer. At least the horse took it upon himself to say a bit about the royal family on his own, and to Zuzo, that would make getting answers easier. "Really? Tell me more."
"Don't get me wrong," Minimus continued, "I like Sofia. She is and always has been the sweetest girl I ever met, princess or not, and her mother, Queen Miranda, she's practically an angel in a crown... she brings us carrots every so often while talking to the stable masters about her old, simple life working at the village shoe shop in Dunwitty before she met and married the king. Yep, those two know from experience that, royal or not, it's what's inside that counts... if not for that, Sofia wouldn't have never helped me find my potential for the flying horse derby at Royal Prep... but the kings blood-related kids... uh-oh."
"Uh-oh?" Zuzo mused, "What do you mean 'uh-oh'?"
"Those royal twins are a couple of disasters waiting to happen. Prince James is a full blown thrill-seeker who likes blowing things up, pulling pranks, and breaking the rules... his favorite catch phrase is 'Boom goes the Cannon' for crying out loud! Bad as he is, though, he is nothing compared to his twin sister, Princess Amber... a royal spoiled brat who usually puts style over common sense, and doesn't always think before she opens her mouth," Minimus sighs and shook his head, "but I'm probably overthinking this. I mean, Sofia claims that her siblings mean well, and I trust her, yet I just know that something might go wrong at the upcoming event with those two, so keep your eyes open for trouble and be ready for anything."
Zuzo nodded in understanding. This horse seemed a bit paranoid, but he could sense the truth in Minimus' every word. "Thanks... don't worry, I will. I should get going now. Bye." With that said, the spirit fox in mortal form rushed back to Isabel's side. He wanted to see for himself what that flying horse was talking about, and if there was anything he could do to keep things from going wrong. Zuzo made it back to Isabel in record time, which proved to be a very good thing as the royal family was making they're way over from getting off the boat. The royal children were leading the way with eager smiles and hurried steps. "Isabel!" Sofia called out excitedly, rushing to hug the princess as soon as she was close enough.
"It's so good to see you again!" Isabel tensed at the feeling Sofia's arms wrapping around her, but loosened up enough to awkwardly return the gesture, "Bienvenidos al Reino de Avalor, Sofia, to you and your family. My sister had made a lot of changes since you were here last… and all for the better after, well, you know."
"So long as everyone in the kingdom is happy again," Sofia stated, "that's okay by me."
Zuzo smiled at the girls, relieved to see that Sofia really hadn't changed a bit since he had last seen her, and the fox could tell that Isabel was feeling much the same way as she loosened up and grinned at the blue eyed girl. In that moment, a rabbit bounced up close to them, but upon seeing the fox close by, he hopped behind Sofia and trembled. "You said that there'd be food, Sofia," the rabbit yelled, "you never said that I was on the menu!"
Sofia looked at the oddly familiar looking fox, and she smiled at the rabbit and loosened one arm to pat him on the head and whispered to him, "It's okay, Clover. Something tells me that he won't eat you."
Zuzo didn't know what to make of this. Had started his spirit guide career as the advisor of a royal wizard, he knew that the Amulet of Avalor—along with protecting a princess from harm—offers blessings to the wearer for good deeds, and he already knew one of those blessings was the ability to talk to non-magical animals whenever the need, but actually seeing it happening was a whole other experience to the now mortal fox then just simply knowing about it. He had to shake himself to his senses, though… he might have to talk to this bunny later; right now, he had to stay focused on helping Isabel, and he had this gut feeling that she'll need all the help he could give when he noticed that the twins came bounding up as the girls parted their embrace. "James, Amber," said Sofia, "you remember Isabel, right?"
"Yes, of course," Amber spoke up, "she was the princess trapped in the painting… with your grandparents, right?" Zuzo grimaced, that was one way to break the ice... or walk off a cliff. A shadow cast over Isabel's eyes, but she forced a smile, knowing her grandparents and Sofia's parents were close by and watching the scene. "Yes, that's me." Sofia, much to Zuzo's relief caught the unsteadiness of Isabel's tone and made an attempt to amend her sister's social blunder. "Isabel's not only a princess," Sofia said, "but she's also her own royal inventor. She has a lot of big ideas!" She grasped Isabel's hands, giving them a reassuring squeeze. "Why don't you share some of them with us, maybe the ones you mentioned in your letters?"
James was practically bouncing in his place, "Cool do any of them involve cannons, or blowing stuff up!?" Amber flapped her fan gently, rolling her eyes at her brother. "Ugh! James." Isabel fidgeted a bit under their eager eyes. "Well," she began, "I do have things explode from time to time, but never on purpose. Right now I'm working on a portable arctic wind machine to keep the guests from further north comfortable during their stay." Zuzo's eyes lit up with realization, so that's what had exploded while he was with Elena and Mateo… what a clever girl. Amber chuckled at the girl, "I'm afraid that's already been invented, dear. It's called a fan," the blond fluttered her own once more to emphasize her point.
Zuzo's frown deepened, uh oh was right.
Anxiety twisted in Isabel's gut and she fiddled with her hands nervously. "Well, that one hasn't been perfected yet anyway," she said recalling the minor explosion the previous day. "The presto changer turned out really well though. It got first place at the invention fair."
"That's great!" Sofia praised, "What's it do?"
"It's a wardrobe that changes your clothes for you," Isabel said excitement bubbling in her voice as it always did when she spoke about her successful projects.
"Don't you have servants to do that?" Amber inquired looking bored. Isabel's smile was lost almost as quickly as it appeared and her gaze refocused to her shoes. They needed polishing, she noticed. "There's also my guitardian," she said halfheartedly. "I invented it and played it at my cousin's birthday party. It's like a cross between a guitar and an accordion, it's really fun to play."
Amber scoffed, "that sounds like the most ridiculous instrument I've ever heard of." Tears brimmed in Isabel's eyes and she turned abruptly from the three children to keep them from seeing. Zuzo noticed though, he had to talk to this kid, his eyes drifted over to Amber who was now giving her siblings a puzzled look… maybe two of them.
"Abuela, can I take Zuzo for a walk, please?" Isabel requested, "I really want to go to the park." Luisa and Fransisco exchanged another loaded glance, but didn't stop her. "Of course, mica, but don't take too long, alright?"
"Okay," Zuzo had the leash snapped back around his collar and found himself walking off with her before his clouded senses could really register it. As they left, the jaquins… who saw the whole thing… discussed what just happened and what they should do about it in whispers. Before long, Skylar and Luna had flown off across the sea, and Migs followed the little princess and her fox to the park. The walk to the park was filled with a pregnant silence that both girl and fox wanted to break, but were still too much in the public eye to do so. The whole time, the princess sniffed quietly and kept her eyes low, not really having to look to know her way to the park. It was a special place for her. Finally however, they found themselves surrounded by more trees than people. They could speak more freely now.
"That wasn't the first time my work has been insulted," Isabel spoke up before Zuzo could ask. "The royal girls, they don't really like me very much." Isabel lifted her eyes from the ground and looked around the park, refusing to meet his eyes. "They said my hobby was better for peasants and that if I continued to act that way, then I was no better fit to wear crown than any other villager." Isabel's tawny eyes landed on one tree, situated behind an old cement bench, and made her way over to it. She sat on the grass, resting her back against the tree's broad trunk. It had only been a sapling when she and her father had planted it there, so long ago. I was almost hard to believe how big it was now. "I tried everything I could to fit in with them, I tried to reinvent myself Zuzo; I really did!" Tears spilled freely down her cheeks now and her lip quivered when she sobbed. Zuzo's eyes widened in alarm, he hadn't ever had to console a crying girl before.
The fox carefully came to sit by her side, nearly eye level with her now that she was sitting on the ground. "Just, breathe, princess, let it all out." The child hiccuped a sob and lifted a hand to wipe her eyes in a vain attempt to clear the tears away. "Last time, though, last time was the worst." She sniffled again, trying to compose herself a little before she continued.
"It happened here, in this very park, over forty-one years ago. I was building a theatre and a feeding system for the jaquins, when a noble girl saw me. She scoffed at me and told me someone with my title shouldn't be working in the dirt like a lowly peasant. Asked me what a bunch of animals were going to do with a theatre anyway, besides wreck it. When I tried to defend myself, she pushed me down in the mud, said if I knew what was good for me I'd just stay there."
Isabel paused briefly to wipe her eyes again.
"I ran home, wanting to tell my parents what had happened, but as soon as I got there Elena asked me to change my dress. She didn't ask why I was so dirty, she just learned to expect it, you know? Anyway, Elena was busy cleaning my hands and face when they pulled up. That's when...that's when Shuriki-"
Isabel cut herself off as another sob bubbled up out of her throat. Zuzo could plainly see her body trembling with the effort to keep everything locked in, and waited patiently for her to compose herself so she could speak again. "I'm sorry," she whimpered, "I don't guess you wanted to hear all of this, but I really needed to get that off my chest."
At this point, Zuzo was wishing he could conjure her up a handkerchief or stuffed animal or something. Limited as he was, however, he had to settle with gently swiping his tears away with one of his paws. "Vas a estar bien, Isa; it's alright," he said affectionately… he rarely ever resorted to speaking Spanish if he could help it, but it seemed to get her attention, "there's no need to apologize. Let's just calm down and see if we can talk this out, okay?" Hearing a male voice call her Isa was different, sure her grandfather did it sometimes, but Isabel was reminded strongly of her father who had often called her that when trying to soothe her too. "Okay," she mumbled wiping away the last of her running tears.
"Good. Now, what happened with that girl was a long time ago, right? Surely today's royal children aren't that bad, well, Amber maybe, but..."
"No," Isabel spoke when he trailed off, " a lot of today's princesses act a lot like her... honestly, even Cat has been acting stuffy lately… that's why I didn't want to have a birthday party, because I don't have any friends. Not many of them, anyway. I tried to make friends in school, but I had to reinvent myself… joining in on their games that involve stealing rocks from sacred grounds, changing up my hair and habits, all trying to act just like them… just to get them to like me, and now they've neglected me and I have to do it all over again just to befriend these royal guests!"
"Hey now, that's not true. You've got your sister, and Sofia, and you've got me now. You have plenty of friends, and none of us want you to reinvent yourself." Zuzo paused turning his head away from her to sneeze, using his tail as a handkerchief and… unknowingly… blocking the frost. "'Excuse me." He sniffled, "Where was I? Oh, right. Look, Isabel, you're a unique kid, and that's got nothing to do with being stuck in a painting for forty years, but that doesn't mean you can't have friends. In fact," his tail gave a happy swish behind him, "I'm going to help you make some." Isabel's eyes brightened a little. "Really?"
"You bet! But first, you gotta help me sneak into that party."
"Thank you Zuzo!" Isabel wrapped her arms around the fox's neck, hugging him close. "You're the best!"
"Hey! Not so tight!" Zuzo said with a smile, as Isabel almost knocked loose his collar, but as he gently pulled away and attempted to straighten it he ended up sneezing again without covering his mouth. Thankfully, his young friend didn't see the frost on the tree she was sitting against before it thawed out in the heat of Avalor, but he feared the worst… if he is showing supernatural symptoms with the collar on, then that means that it isn't on tight enough, which could only lead to some kind of disaster! Another sneeze escaped him… no ice, which means something else is bound to happen and it would be his fault! He looked around, trying to feel the energy of the environment itself for any other ghostly mishap that is to be caused by his illness. Finding an imbalance through a twinge in his stripes, he looked towards the Polo Volador close by… he recalled how Isa's previous spirit guide had a little trouble warning her and Cat to stay away from that flying pole before Ovia took over the job… and he noticed it was glowing just as the entire gaggle of jaquins were coming their way, but before he could shout to tell them to look out it was too late. The ropes on that contraption grabbed the jaquins and pulled them around like a merry-go-round pulls around wooden horses until they all got their paws on the ground! That much Isabel did see.
"Oh my—!" she said, "How did that happen?! Come on, Zuzo, we got to go over there and see if there's anything we can do to help."
The fox's ears folded to the back of his ears in regret and fear… he could've sworn that he heard the word "cobarde" echoing in his heart… but he quickly shook himself back to his senses. "No, no!" he told himself, "None of that, Zuzo… just breathe." With that said, he followed Isa to the Olaball Court, where the jaquins were in a tangled mess… well, most of them. The cubs were on the top of their elder's shoulders, laughing as though they were still riding that supernatural carousel before they jumped off and rushed to the young princess.
"Feliz duodécimo cumpleaños, Isa!" sang the young jaquin triplets, rushing up to their favorite babysitter, "Happy birthday to you!"
"It's good to see you again!" Isabel smiled as she cuddled the baby jaquins, "You're speaking and singing in full sentences already, and in two languages too? Wow! You three are growing up fast."
"Can we play 'tortillitas' now," asked Mingo, "like we did when we were hatchlings?"
"Maybe later, Mingo," Isabel giggled, "right now I think your mommy, daddy, auntie Luna and uncle Skylar are a bit tied up… I could use the help to figure out how to untie them if the whole family is to show up at my party." She pulled her multi-tool out of her pocket, "I was beginning to worry that you wouldn't want to come… not with all the other guests being foreign royals."
"What? Are you kidding, princess?" said Luna, "I know that we aren't humans, but we jaquins are entertainers."
"Yeah, we'd never miss you party for anything," said Skylar, "We might even be able to loosen things up a bit."
"Speaking of loosening up," said Migs, clearing his throat, "you can get started with these ropes at any time! Honestly, why do they start every Olaball season with this stupid thing anyway?"
"Excuse my mate," said Dulce, "he gets a little cranky when he's worried."
"Yeah, I run into that type a lot," mutters Zuzo, his guilt getting the best of him for a moment before he tried centering himself and observing the situation his sneeze accidently caused, "Um, Isa… doesn't that tangle behind Luna's ear look like a double fisherman's knot to you?"
"Hmm, it kind of does, doesn't it?" Isabel pondered as she climbed up on the tangled jaquins with her multi-tool, "That'll take forever to untie by hand, and Naomi is doing a sailor's cook off today so I can't get her to find the time to help me with this. It's a good thing I brought the right tools; I hope. Now, let's see… the scissors are too dull, and it'll take forever to file the ropes… better use the mini-saw."
"Just be careful were you are sawing, young lady," said Luna, "I need both my ears to listen with, and besides, I just got my fur groomed this morning!"
"Don't worry, Luna," Isabel reassured as she got straight to work, "I'll be quick yet careful."
"Yes, but… mostly be careful, alright?" Zuzo gulped, putting his paws over his eyes. He could give advice in any form, and he knows that Isa heard him in his mortal bonds, but outside of the spirit world there is a lot less of a chance of being listened to. Thankfully, as he peaked, he noticed that his efforts to guide her wasn't in vain, and in a matter of seconds she got the jaquins out without causing any harm to them.
"Phew! Thanks, princess," said Luna, as she and the others righted themselves and stretched their wings, "I was getting a cramp under all those ropes."
"You're welcome." Isabel said with a smile.
"Can we play our game now?" said Estrella.
"Yeah," said Zoom, "we hadn't seen you since the Jaquin Festival!"
Isabel giggled at that. "Okay, but just once today," she said, "it looks like it's about to rain, and I got to get myself and my friend home soon. Lift you paws up!"
The three little jaquins raised their paws, and joined in with Isabel in her little clapping game, "Tortillitas de manteca Para Mama' que esta' contenta, Tortillitas de maiz Para Papa' que esta' feliz!"
Zuzo smiled at the little princess, "That was really impressive, Isa."
"Oh, it's just a simple clapping game," said Isabel, "I should teach it to you sometime."
"Not that!" the fox stated, "I was talking about how you managed to finish a job without hurting anyone… how come you've been having trouble doing that with your inventions lately?"
The young princess shrugged her shoulders, "I don't know," she said, "I guess I was so worried about making a good impression on Sofia's friends that I keep forgetting what each of my inventions are supposed to do, then things get a little… well, you know."
"Form over function, huh?" said Zuzo, "We might need to work on that." He didn't know what else to say… he wasn't sure if it was because he was overworking himself or because his head cold kept him from thinking straight, but he felt like he was running out of good advice to give. Before he could figure out how to fix that, however, the sky started to get darker, and lightning flashed across the sky three times in a row, causing everyone's eyes to widen, especially Isabel's.
"Quick!" Isabel told the jaquins, "We all have to get back to the palace, now! I have to stop Armando from freaking out about the chonopos… again!" She slumped in annoyance on that last part, which caused Zuzo to tilt his head and raise an eyebrow; she's acting a lot like he does whenever that boy Gustavo makes an attempt to steal his brother's cookies!
"What's a chonopo?" asked Mingo, "Is it something to eat? Does it taste like Anoki berries?"
Isabel giggled as she loaded Zuzo and her go-pack onto Skylar's back before mounting him herself. "Let's just get to the palace, okay?" she said, "I will tell you all about the chonopos when we're safe in my room."
As the jaquins were flying to the palace, back at the harbor Elena had just rode in on her horse Canela, where Naomi was waiting for her.
"Sorry I'm late." Elena said, dismounting her horse.
"I'll say," said Naomi, "You missed the royal family of Enchancia by a long shot… they had just headed to the palace on the other road with the rest of your family by now… and the Sailor's Cook-Off had to be postponed on account of rain," three bolts of lightning (the same ones that Isa saw earlier) had flashed over the sea, startling the two teen girls, but they quickly laughed it off, "and Armando is probably driving the palace staff crazy by now, so you better not stay at my place very long anyway; unless, of course, you want to miss out on the fun of his rainy-day chonopo hunt."
Elena shook her head with a smile, "I told Esteban all about that right before I left when he was fussing about me going out in the rain," she explained, "knowing how much my cousin used to love snipe hunts when he was young, I am sure that he and Armando would keep each other busy for a while… hopefully, long enough to help with your entry for the cook off."
"Right," said Naomi, as she leads her royal friend into her house, "because along with first place being two pounds of gold, you made the surprise arrangements stating that the top three contestants get to cater for your sister's party, and I really want my mother's recipe for caldo de mariscos to make it into the buffet table, even if it's only good enough for third place."
"Nothing in the rules stating that a member of the royal family can't make any input on any of the entries," Elena smiled, "though with Doña Paloma as one of the judges and most of the other sailors being native to countries all over the world, the competition is going to be pretty stiff… but I am sure there is nothing to worry about. You make great seafood soup!"
Meanwhile, Sofia and her family… including her pet bunny Clover… was at the Castle of Avalor. She was wondering where she had seen that fox before, and had just unpacked her things on the other side of the guest room from Amber and James, who were having a serious twin-to-twin talk.
"I didn't mean to insult Isa and her inventions," said Amber, straightening her tiara in front of a mirror, "I was just stating some facts of royal life."
"No, what we said about her being stuck in that painting was a fact," said James, "you were voicing opinions, and you hadn't been very nice about them. Doesn't it say in your favorite book… 1001 Tiaras… that a princess should always be polite?"
Amber thought it over, "Well, me that you put it THAT way, I suppose I could've worded a few things a little better… come to think of it, I had not even seen her projects when I opened my mouth." she sighed, and turned around, "You're right, James. As future queen of Enchancia, I have to do more then simply tell her that I'm sorry… or whatever it is they say here in Avalor… I have to make amends to the birthday princess somehow."
"Well, you're in luck," said Queen Miranda, coming into the room, "I couldn't help overhearing your little talk, and I will have you know that… since we arrived early, the dowagers King Francisco and Queen Louisa had asked our family to help with the preparations for Isabel's party." she leaned over and whispered to her children, "Just don't let your father near the kitchen. You remember what happened the last time me tried to bake a cake?"
Sofia couldn't help but giggle at the memory… a magic mirror turned the royal family into bakers for a day, and her step relatives didn't take well to peasant life… the cake was terrible and the pastries tasted like glue! Amber was exasperated by the same memories, bad hair day and all, while James sighed longingly for the fun he had playing with the batter.
"Can I at least help with the cake?" the young prince pleaded.
"Well, a long as you follow the directions and keep your father from helping, " Queen Miranda said with a smile, "I don't see any harm."
"Great idea, James," said Amber, "you and Sofia handle the catering, while I take care of everything else. A princess with big ideas deserves a big party… believe me, I know… so we are going to round up the most elaborate decorations in the land, and there will be a bonfire and fireworks and-"
"Amber!" said Sofia, "You're not going to overdo it again, are you?"
"Sofia is right," said James, "I love explosions, but I don't think Isabel would feel the same way. It might remind her of her failed experiments."
"Oh, don't worry, you two," said Amber, "I'm cutting way back from the last party I threw. Oh! I should add a stilt-walker dressed as a chicken! I don't know why, but the concept just feels like and Avalorian fiesta to me for some reason. Now, off with you all, I have a party to plan!"
Sofia shook her head carrying Clover in her arms. The bunny looked rather annoyed. "She's going to go overboard again, is she?" he asked.
"Big time," said Sofia, "but at least her heart is in the right place." She sighed and shook her head, "I just hope she doesn't get too carried away… I had already invited Lucinda, Lily, and Indigo to the party to provide the entertainment."
"Sofia, you are the only princess I know who'd invite witches to a royal birthday party," Clover sighed, as he was lowered to the floor, "one out of three being a young WICKED witch, dare I point out."
"It'd be even worse not to invite at least one of those types," stated Sofia, "and besides, next to Shuriki, Indigo isn't really that bad."
"Why couldn't you have asked your royal wizard or the court jester to provide the entertainment?"
"Cedric the Sensational is at Mystic Meadows visiting his parents, and court jester couldn't come because he gets seasick and hates flying. We had to use someone."
"Well, suit yourself." Clover sighed, hopping away, "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to see what is in the local kitchen… not just for me, of course, but also for that fox we saw at the harbor. I got to see if there is anything good enough for me to bribe him with to insure he keeps rabbit off the menu."
"Clover, I told you, I seriously doubt he'd eat you." Sofia sighed, "Actually, now that you bring him up, I have to admit he does look familiar, like I seen him somewhere before… but it couldn't be what I think it is."
"Which is…?" Clover asked, waving a paw for Sofia to continue.
"Well, the last time I saw a fox in Avalor, it was when Mateo summoned Alakazar's chanul… um, spirit animal… and it turned out to be a fox named Zuzo, but I'm not sure if it could be the same fox or not. THAT fox was much taller, and he had blue fur, and was, well, ghostly like… well, like a spirit. Odds are, I could be mistaken."
"Hmm… stranger things have happened, princess. Perhaps when I chance upon him again, I can find out who he really is… that is, if you are right about him not eating me."
Sofia giggled at her bunny… this wasn't the first time he struggled to befriend a predator. He acted in a similar manner around Crackle, Princess Vivian's pet dragon, and now the two of them are good friends. Remembering that, Sofia had her hopes up that Clover could find that same kind of friendship with this fox… whoever he is.
In that same moment, the jaquins managed to get Isabel and her fox friend back to the palace, and just in time, for just as the little princess was closing the balcony doors behind them it started to rain.
"So, your name is Zuzo, huh?" asked Skylar, as he lowered the fox onto Isabel's bed, "Well, that is some coincidence… Princess Elena has an imaginary friend by that name."
Zuzo rolled his eyes as he pulled up a pillow. Since Elena was the only one who could see his true spirit self without a summoning, it often looked like she was talking to herself… and yet, somehow, in all those moments, Skylar was the only one among the jaquins who had been around during most of those "one sided" conversations. The fox recalled his lessons from Chanul School stating that animals are often more attuned to sensing the presence of those from the spirit world then humans are, but that usually works if said animals are quiet and still, and as far as jaquins go Skylar is the biggest loudmouth that Zuzo had ever seen.
"Isabel, when was the last time you cleaned your room?" asked Migs, pushing several of the half-baked inventions towards the wall, "My kids could hurt a paw on all these loose pieces."
Isabel looked embarrassed, "Sorry," she stated, "I was so upset about having strangers for guests at my upcoming birthday that I got a little engrossed in my hobby… and with no luck inventing anything useful."
"Luck has got nothing to do with it, girl," said Luna, "you got the skills and the touch; you just need to get your head on straight."
Zuzo nodded hearing that. Couldn't have said it better myself, he thought.
"Well, at least there is enough room here for us to be comfy until the rain stops," said Dulce, rounding up the young triplets close to the edge of the bed, "in the meantime, Isa, I believe you had promised my babies that you would tell them a story."
Isa nodded, and pulled her portable fireplace out of the pile Migs made and turned it on in the middle of the room for effect. "The chonopos are these mischievous, demonic creatures that are said to have plagued Avalor many ages ago," she said, reciting the basics of these fictional creatures, "The reason as to why varies from storyteller to storyteller, but the chonopos have a strong dislike for human beings… they steal our food, put rocks in our pillows; stuff mud in our socks. Sometimes, they are even said to cause misfortune on animals that help humans, and make it look like it happened by accident, often for no reason at all. The chonopos normally live underground, to stay out of the sun, and only come out during thunderstorms. It is said that when lightning flashes three times in a row… that's when they emerge!"
"The lightning flashed three times while we were at the park!" Mingo stated, as he and his brother and sister trembled in fear. Zuzo, however, shook his head and leaned over the edge of the bed to comfort the younger jaquins.
"Calm down, you three," the fox told them, gently patting each of them on the head, "it's just a scary bedtime story humans made up to scare naughty little kids into behaving… like when someone forgets to close the doors and windows when it's raining. Right, Isa?"
"That's right," said Isabel, as she turned down the flames in her portable fireplace, "the chonopos aren't real at all… but… Armando seems to believe in them. I would've corrected him sooner, but Elena said it's much more fun watching him freak out. Then again, he has been right before… like when I laughed at his tale of Orizaba before she appeared during the eclipse. Who knows? Maybe he might catch a real chonopo someday, and then I can get a closer look at them and ask them why they hate us humans so much… if they are real, of course."
"Maybe," said Zuzo, as he sunk into the pillow… he really wished she didn't bring up Orizaba at this point, "just be careful when and if it happens. Not every creature out there can be reasoned with."
"What do you mean?" Isabel asked.
"I don't want to talk about it…" he responded, when his nose started to twitch, and his eyes, which almost drooped close with an unexplained fatigue, widen with alarm, "Isa, are you sure that thing is meant to be an indoor invention?"
It was only a matter of seconds before everyone noticed what Zuzo was talking about… despite Isabel's best efforts to shut it off, her portable fireplace was bursting out a thick cloud of smoke! The jaquins wasted no time helping her push it out onto the balcony where the rain put out the fire completely, and they flapped their wings to clear out the smoke before closing the door… but the smell of it still lingered, causing Zuzo to feel very dizzy. "What did you fuel the fire on that thing with anyway?" he asked.
"Nothing much," Isabel answered, "just a set of bellows, an automated fire piston I put together, some enchanted volcanic gas I borrowed from Charoca, and plenty of sandalwood."
"Well, you might have gone a little overboard with the gas on that setting," Zuzo yawned, struggling to keep his head off the pillow, "but… sandalwood? Are you serious? You don't know this but…" another yawned escaped him, "incense makes me… sleepy… if I… if I hadn't noticed it was going to be a problem when I did, I might've past out and you… you could've been…"
"Shh, it's okay," said Dulce, gently stroking the fox's fur with her wing, "it's alright. The worst of it is over."
"Yeah, it's not like we wouldn't have noticed on our own anyway." Skylar stated, earning a whack on the head from Luna.
At this point, Estaban had rushed in holding a vase and tossing the flowers in it aside, "Isabel! Get out of here!" he yelled, as he threw swung the vase around, splashing Migs in the face with water before realizing that everything is okay, panting as he struggled to calm down, "Huh… I could've sworn I smelled smoke in here. Little cousin… what happened? More trouble with your inventions?"
"Well… sort of…" Isabel said, hesitating to tell the truth, but knowing that it would be foolish to lie to her stuffy yet well-meaning cousin, especially after this ordeal got him worried sick, and she knew if she didn't tell the truth someone else in the room would, and she'd get into a lot less trouble fessing up herself, "I was telling the story about the chonopos to the baby jaquins, and using my portable fireplace for effect, but I turned the heat too high, and if my fox friend didn't warn me and the elder jaquins hadn't thrown it out into the rain… I would've burned the whole palace down. Lo siento mucho, Esteban… I am so sorry."
Esteban shook his head and got on his knees to look his younger cousin in the eyes, "Oy! Isabel, this is what I was talking about this morning." He said, placing a hand on the tearful girl's shoulder, "Thank goodness you are alright, but you really need to be more careful with some of your inventions… that's why I suggested that we should move some of them to a proper workshop instead of working on them in your room; so you can work on them safely." Esteban then pulled her into a hug, "Now, I am not going to yell at you… I'm just glad that you are safe. However, in addition to relocating your inventions, I will have to arrange make arrangements for a fire safety course in your school so this doesn't happen again… you're more than old enough to know that a flame isn't a toy."
"I didn't play with it on purpose." Isabel said, "I thought I could control it, but I couldn't."
"All the more reason you got lucky… this time," Esteban stated, "to think, if the door wasn't cold to the touch, I wouldn't have worked up the nerve to come in here." He pulls away with a sigh, "Now, as I said, we shall discuss this tomorrow… after your birthday party. Until then, I trust that you can use better precautions with your inventions from now on?"
"Si, Esteban."
Zuzo felt a sneeze coming on, and when he ended up letting it out, he noticed that… just outside… Isabel's portable fireplace had practically turned into an ice sculpture and shattered into several pieces. In a sense, it was a blessing and a curse that little detail came in late, as Isabel and the jaquins didn't see that happen, but it was clear that Esteban did, for the grand chancellor shook his head as he stood up, and muttered on the way out as to whether or not an exorcist was really necessary at that point. "Will you excuse me, Isa?" Zuzo stated, struggling to wake himself up and get onto his feet, wiping his nose with his tail, "Mateo had promised to make me some medicine for my condition… I want to see if he had finished it."
"Oh, so that is what he's been up to," said Esteban… thankfully still none the wiser to the fact the fox was causing some supernatural problems (actually, he felt compassion for this little red animal, but he knew better then to show it), "well, little one, I shall personally escort you to his secret workshop to see what is taking this remedy so long—" In that moment, a flash of lightning streaked across the palace, and just outside the door Armando and Private Higgins ran passed the door as they rushed down the hallway screaming about chonopos. Esteban shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, right between the eyes, "—just as soon as I do something about those two. Oy!" It was then he eyed the baby jaquins, with an almost mischievous look on his face, "Hmm. Small, fangs, a lot of energy… how would you three like to help me with a little joke? It'll help pass the time until the rain stops."
Isabel shook her head and whispered to Zuzo, "Cousin Esteban had this thing for snipe hunts when he was younger… or chonopo hunts as the case may be."
At this point, however, Zuzo was too overwhelmed to care much. He's just glad Esteban didn't see through the "disguise" of his mortal form as of yet, especially since it's clear that he needs to get his collar tightened, and he was sure that things will be much easier from here on out once that is done… but little did even he know how wrong he actually was.
Several different groups planning Isabel's party at once… all without talking to each other about it… is practically a "too many cooks in the kitchen" ordeal waiting to happen. I look forward to reading your reviews, as I wonder what you think will happen next.