DISC: I DO NOT own any of the characters from Elena. They belong to Craig and Silvia. I own whoever you don't recognize, along with the storyline for this.

Enjoy!

"Sanctuary in Avalor"

Chapter 25

"What happened to her?" Elena demanded, glancing up expectantly at Mateo.

Mateo shook his head.

"I'm not sure."

Elena watched as Mateo took his tamborita and scanned Sofia's body."

Does she still feel warm?" he asked.

Elena checked her chosen sister's temperature.

"Yes," she replied. "We have to help her!"

"We will," Mateo assured her. "First we need to figure out what caused this,"

"I should never have asked her to help me," Elena shook her head.

"You're not responsible for that creature's actions," Mateo told her. "We need to focus on helping Sofia."

"You're right. Does the codex maru have any answers?" Elena desperately asked.

"I could check."

"Gracias," Elena said gratefully. "Could you get me a basin full of cold water and a wash cloth, pore favor? I wanna see if I can bring her fever down." Accepting the items, she prepared to help the pre-teen. "Here we go, Sof," with that, she draped the wash cloth across her chosen sister's forehead. She repeated the action for the next ten minutes until it started to work.

"We're going to need some more help if we're going to figure this out," Mateo declared.

"What kind?" Elena asked.

"I might be able to help you out."

"Zuzo!" Elena cried in relief upon seeing her spirit guide appear.

"What happened here?" Zuzo asked.

Elena quickly explained the situation.

"Pore favor, say you can help?"

"I sure can," Zuzo assured her.

"Thank goodness. What do we do first?" she asked.

"I'll be right back," Zuzo disappeared briefly.

"This is all my fault!" Isabel's tearful voice made Elena look over to her left. In all the chaos, she had forgotten her little sister was still there. Reaching out a hand, the sixteen-year-old rested it on the ten-year-old's shoulder.

"Isa..no, it's not. If anyone's to blame, it's me."

"Yes it is!" Isabel left before Elena could say anything else.

"Isa!" Elena was torn. She wanted to go after her, but Sofia needed her too.

"I'll go talk to your hermana," her mother volunteered.

"Isabel will be okay," Mateo assured Elena. "Right now, we need to focus on Sofia. She needs you more."

Elena sighed. She knew her friend spoke the truth.

"And for the record," Mateo added, "it's neither of your faults."

Elena nodded halfheartedly just as Zuzo reappeared.

"Okay, I got some info that will help us. I talked to Sofia's spirit guide. She told me that the only way-"

"Wow, wait a minute," Elena interrupted him, "Sofia has a spirit guide?" Her eyes widened.

"Of course, princess! Everyone does. Not everyone can talk to us like you and Mateo can. Sofia's the only other person with that ability."

"Why?" Elena wondered aloud.

"Because she has magic from the amulet," he explained."

"That makes sense," Elena nodded. "So who is it?"

"Her name is Sheara. She's a spirit horse," Zuzo answered. "But you and Mateo are the ones who can help Sofia."

"How can we help her if we don't know how this happened in the first place!" Elena gritted her teeth in frustration. "Blazes!"

"Wow! Princess, Calm down. I know you're worried, but in order to help Sofia, you need to relax. Take a deep breath for me. In and out, slowly," the spirit fox requested.

"Zuzo, we don't have time for this!" Elena insisted.

Zuzo shook his head.

"There's always time for a few deep breaths," he countered. "Ready? Deep breath in slowly, then out."

"Fine," Elena huffed. She did as Zuzo instructed.

"Again?" Zuzo requested.

Elena did so.

"One more should do it," the spirit fox said.

Elena obeyed.

"Good. Now how do you feel?" Zuzo asked.

"Better. I'm less tense," Elena realized. Then something else occurred to her. "Sofia's relaxed too. A few minutes ago she was tense in my arms. She never tenses when I hold her."

"That's because you two have a stronger connection than you realize. Sofia's sensitive to your moods and emotional responses when you're in close proximity to one another. You'll both learn more about it in time. Now we need to get her better."

"What do we do?" Elena asked.

"You need your scepter."

Elena stood and retrieved the magical object. Returning to her bed, she resumed her spot.

"How will the scepter help?" she inquired.

"It's one of the most powerful magical objects between you. You'll also have to use the amulet."

Elena shook her head.

"No way! Not after what it just did to Sof," her voice was full of fierce protection for her chosen sister.

"You don't have to put it on her again," Zuzo assured her.

"Good," Elena sighed with relief. "Now what?"

"Put the scepter against the amulet," Zuzo instructed.

Elena did as Zuzo instructed. She gasped when a golden beam shot out of the scepter straight into the amulet without her having to say anything. It turned the jewel a bright shade of violet before it went back to its normal shade of pink.

"What just happened?" Elena raised her eyebrows.

"The scepter cleansed the amulet of any residual evil," Zuzo explained. "That's why Sofia felt strange when she put it on."

"Wait a minute. What do you mean evil? I don't remember any evil being inside when I was trapped."

Zuzo nodded.

"Think back to something that happened a year ago," he instructed.

Elena shook her head.

"It's hard enough for me to remember what happened forty one years ago, let alone something that happened a year ago while I was trapped inside the amulet," she admitted.

"Try," Zuzo encouraged.

Elena sighed. Closing her eyes, she tried to concentrate. A few minutes later, she opened them again.

"Anything?" Zuzo asked.

"Nada," she shook her head.

"It might help if you put on the amulet," he suggested.

"No way! Are you loco?" Elena vehemently shook her head.

"Do you trust me?" Zuzo asked.

"Of course," Elena answered without hesitation.

"Then do this. I'll be here in case you get in to any trouble. But nothing bad should happen to you."

Elena nodded. Taking another deep breath, she lifted the amulet over her head. Closing her eyes again, her mind suddenly filled with images of the past. She saw princess Ivy emerging from the amulet, followed by the evil princess being defeated by Amber. As Ivy was sucked back inside, Elena gasped.

"Elena?" Mateo gasped.

"Don't touch her," Zuzo firmly instructed, "she's fine."

Opening her eyes a minute later, Elena gasped.

"Are you okay, princess?" Zuzo frowned in concern.

"I'm…fine," Elena answered.

"I'm glad. Did you find what you were looking for?" Zuzo asked.

"You were right. Some of Ivy's evil particles were left behind after Princess Amber defeated her."

"Exactly. They've been building up all this time. That's why Sofia felt strange when she put the amulet on earlier this afternoon."

"So when the scepter did whatever it did a few minutes ago, it removed them?" Elena asked.

"Yup! The amulet is safe for Sofia to wear again. It wasn't just what happened with Cedric that was causing her apprehension towards it," Zuzo explained.

"it makes sense. Now all we have to do is-Hey, how do you know about what happened between Sofia and Cedric?" Elena raised her eyebrows.

Zuzo shrugged.

"I'm friends with Sofia's spirit guide," he answered.

"Right," Elena rolled her eyes.

"Now Sofia just has to find the strength and courage to take it back. But she's gonna need your help. First, we gotta get her better."

"How do we do that?" Elena asked.

"Remember how we used the scepter and amulet to heal the cut on your leg?" Mateo grabbed Elena's attention.

"Yeah," Elena nodded.

"Well, we're gonna do the same thing to help Sofia. Take the pendant of the amulet and hold it to the scepter. Then rest the scepter against Sofia's chest," mateo instructed.

Elena nodded.

"I hope this works," with that, she followed Mateo's instructions. When nothing happened after a minute, she glanced anxiously up at Mateo, then locked her worried eyes with Zuzo.

"Just be patient, princess," Zuzo encouraged.

"Right," elena took a deep breath, followed by another. No sooner had she done that, a beam of light shot out of the scepter. Racing around, it hung in mid air.

"That's strange," Elena mused aloud.

"Try saying heal," Zuzo suggested.

"Okay. Heal," Elena made sure her voice was soft while still using a commanding tone. A thinner beam shot out of the scepter, joining the first one. Both coiled around one another as they raced around Sofia's head. Entering, they disappeared.

In response, Sofia started to thrash.

"Elena! Elena, help me!"

Elena's eyes widened.

"You didn't hurt her," zuzo assured her.

Elena obeyed.

"Heal."

Once again, Sofia cried out for her.

"Shh…Sof, esta bien. I'm right here, sweetie. Yo te tengo. You're with me," she soothed. She hoped her words of comfort and truth would register in her chosen sister's brain before the eleven-year-old really worked herself up. Glancing up at Mateo, she shook her head. "We need to help her, now! It sounds like she's having a bad dream of some kind. Can I get inside her mind and help her? Maybe I could bring her out of it that way," Elena suggested. She glanced at Zuzo upon suggesting this.

"It's worth a try," he encouraged. "You need to lie down for this to have any chance of working."

"Okay," doing so, Elena concentrated on joining Sofia, whereever she was. She almost let the scepter fall to the bed, but Zuzo stopped her.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you princess. You might need it."

Elena nodded. She closed her eyes. As her grip on Sofia tightened, she concentrated harder than she had in a long time. She just prayed it worked.

****

Opening her eyes, Elena found herself on the ground. Standing, she gripped the scepter tighter in her hand. Feeling her grip on the amulet slip, she got an idea. Grasping the family heirloom in one hand, she pressed it against the scepter. Not sure if it would work, she said in a clear, strong voice, "Reveal." To her surprise, the scepter shot a beam into the space in front of her. It formed into a screen. IN the middle was Sofia. She was in what looked like a wizard's workshop. She looked terrified. Elena's stomach clenched at the sight. "I'm coming, Sof," she softly declared. Aloud she tried something else. "Lead me to her." She gasped for the fourth time that day when the scepter shot another beam out. It destroyed the screen and formed a path on the ground. The amulet did the same, joining the scepter's light. It made a purple and gold ribbon. The light stretched out in the distance. Following it, Elena prayed she was going in the right direction. Not long after she had started walking, the sixteen-year-old came upon a castle. Not wasting any time, she entered. It was strange to her, but she had a feeling it was a figment of Sofia's real home back in Enchancia. Continuing to follow the purple and gold light, Elena soon found herself at a door. Opening it, she burst inside. "Let my chosen sister go!" she commanded. To her surprise, nobody but Sofia was there. The other thing that brought the sixteen-year-old up short was that this wasn't a wizard's workshop. It was a room with a pool in the center. She could see Sofia sitting with her back against the wall, staring into the cyan depths. By the way her shoulders were shaking, Elena knew she was crying.

****

"Elena!" Sofia jumped to her feet. Whirling around, she faced her chosen sister. Wiping at her eyes even as more tears fell, she asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I came to bring you back home," Elena explained. She approached the girl. Kneeling down, she made herself comfortable on the floor next to the eleven-year-old. "What is this place?"

"It's called the pool of hidden secrets," Sofia explained, her voice shaking on the answer. "This is where I found out about what Mr. about…what he was trying to do to me. I didn't believe it, but Mr. Merlin told me this pool doesn't lie…" her voice trailed off as more tears flowed. "My dreams have been bringing me back here every night since it happened. I don't know why."

Elena nodded. She suddenly understood.

"Bente aqui, Sof. I need to tell you something." Elena pulled Sofia into her lap.

"Why are you wearing that!" she demanded, pointing to the amulet.

Elena brushed her rudeness aside. She knew the eleven-year-old wasn't angry with her. She had gotten good at it ever since Isabel had been freed from the enchanted painting.

"It's fixed now," Elena explained. She locked eyes with Sofia to drive her point home.

"I don't care!" she declared.

"Pore favor, déjeme explicar," Elena softly implored, "let me explain."

"Okay," Sofia softly replied.

"Gracias. Do you remember when princess Ivy came?" she asked.

Sofia nodded.

"What does that have to do with-" she started to ask, but Elena interrupted her.

Pore favor, just listen to me. you'll understand soon."

Sofia nodded.

"After Amber defeated Ivy, some of Ivy's magic got trapped in the amulet. That's why you felt strange after you put it on today. It's also part of the reason you've been avoiding wearing it since you got out of the hospital."

Sofia shook her head.

"I don't want to wear it because it betrayed me!" she angrily shouted.

Feeling Sofia about to spring off her lap, Elena held fast.

"Elena, let go! Let me go!" Sofia demanded.

"I can't, at least not yet," Elena explained. "I would ordinarily, but not this time."

"Porque!" Sofia shouted.

"Because you need my help, whether you believe it or not. That's why my scepter allowed me to join you here," Elena answered in an even tone.

"You don't understand what I'm going through! Just leave me alone! Let go!" Sofia commanded.

It was Elena's turn to glare now. She understood Sofia was angry, but her chosen sister was walking a fine line. She didn't tolerate disrespect from Isabel and she wasn't about to let Sofia get away with it either. Before Elena knew what she was saying, words came tumbling out of her mouth in a tone she had only used with Isabel once before and certainly never had used with her chosen sister. "Sofia Faith I don't EVER want to hear you use that tone with me ever again. Am I understood?"

Sofia nodded.

Elena shook her head. That wasn't good enough for her.

"I want to hear you say it," she ordered.

Sofia gulped.

"Ye-yes, Elena," she softly but clearly answered, "I understand. I'm sorry I yelled at you."

Elena nodded. Taking a deep breath, she started calming down.

"Gracias. I accept your apology. I forgive you. Now, I have a story I need to tell you. It's a real one. Then we'll find a way out of here."

Sofia nodded.

Sighing, Elena gently kissed the eleven-year-old on the head.

"I love you, Sof. That will NEVER change. I didn't mean to scare you a few minutes ago. I would never physically discipline you, just like I would NEVER use that form of punishment on Isa. While I know you're angry about what happened, you need to be careful who you yell at. I don't deserve it. And not because I'm going to be queen someday. I don't deserve it because I'm your sister. We're familia and familia treats one another with respect and kindness. All I've done is help you ever since you showed up here two weeks ago."

"Elena, I'm really sorry."

"I know. Will you try your best not to take your anger out on me in the future?" the sixteen-year-old asked.

"I'll do my best," Sofia promised.

Elena smiled a little.

"That's all I ask," she planted another kiss on the girl's head.

"What's your story about?" Sofia asked.

"My father's murder," Elena answered, the smile gone.

"Oh," Sofia frowned.

"Before I tell you about it, you need to understand something."

"Que?" Sofia asked.

"You told me I didn't understand what you were going through. That's not true. I understand what you're feeling because I feel the same way every day."

"How?"

"You'll find out in a few minutes. Also, the amulet didn't betray you. Cedric did," Elena lovingly, but firmly stated.

Sofia sighed.

"I know it feels like one in the same, but it's not. The amulet isn't at fault. Cedric is. Remember what I told you a few days ago?"

Sofia nodded.

"The amulet isn't responsible for "his" actions," she recalled.

"That's right," Elena nodded. Sighing, she began her story. "I think I know why your dreams are taking you back to this place."

"You do?" the eleven-year-old said.

Elena nodded.

"How?" she repeated.

"Because something similar started happening to me right after you freed me from the amulet," Elena touched the jewel around her neck for emphasis.

"They sent you to this place?" Sofia was confused.

"Not exactly," Elena hedged. "I started having nightmares about the day Shuriki killed my father. A few days after being freed from the amulet were the worst. I fell asleep easily enough, but I always woke up in tears, shaking all over, desperate to change things…" her voice trailed off as tears welled. Blinking, she managed to fight them back for the moment. "One night a month after being freed, Naomi heard me cry out. She was sleeping over. She comforted me, we talked for a while and she stayed with me until I fell back to sleep. I told her about my nightmares. I explained how they always brought me back to the same place every time. Right outside the palace where Shuriki…where it happened. She told me there was a reason for it. That I had to accept what happened and forgive myself for what I perceived as my inability to save Papi," she explained.

"They wouldn't blame you," Sofia softly assured her.

"I know," Elena softly agreed, "Mami already told me several times that she doesn't blame me. She assured me Papi wouldn't either. But I blame myself."

"Porque?" the eleven-year-old asked.

Elena shook her head, blinking hard again.

"A few days before Shuriki… attacked, I got sick. I ate something that didn't agree with me. I was fine until later that night. I woke up around midnight or a little after feeling horrible! I was about to call for Mami, but she came to check on me before I could. Somehow she always knew when Isa or I needed her. I never understood how she did it. She stayed with me all night and the next day. She and Papi had a conference to go to, but Mami refused to leave me. I assured her it was okay. I reminded her that abuella and abuelo could take care of me. Mami told me she knew. Then she took me into her arms, kissed my cheek and proclaimed softly, Oh, mi Elenita, Usted me importa más que algo más en el mundo…" Elena let out a soft sob despite her efforts to stay strong.

"Esta bien, Elena…" Sofia comforted. "What does that mean?"

Elena took a shaky breath.

"You mean more to me than anything else…anything else in the world," she shakily translated.

Sofia nodded.

It took me a week to recover from the food poisoning. Two days before I felt fully better, Papi was gone and I ended up trapped in the amulet. I hated just standing there! I should have been able to do something to save him!"

"You weren't feeling well. You couldn't have done anything," Sofia gently pointed out.

Elena nodded as the remaining tears fell.

"Mami and Naomi said the same thing," she revealed. Wiping at her eyes, she continued to speak. "I know they're both telling the truth. It's just hard to accept. I miss him every day, so does Isabel. I have a feeling the one reason my nightmares keep bringing me back to that day is because I feel guilty for what happened," she admitted.

"You shouldn't," Sofia countered.

"I can't help it," Elena sighed. "I'm trying to work on it. I'm having them less often which has to be a good sign. I had one in the hospital, but I think it was due to stress."

"Maybe," Sofia mused, "why did you tell me this story?"

"Because just like I have to stop feeling guilty for Papi's death, you need to accept the fact that you weren't at fault for what happened back home. It was Cedric's choice and actions, not yours."

Sofia nodded.

"It's hard. I should have noticed something was wrong. I shouldn't have trusted him!"

"Sof, Escúchame con atención. Yes, you need to be careful who you trust, but one of your many amazing qualities is you try to see the good in everyone. You just need to be cautious sometimes. You didn't do the wrong thing by befriending Cedric. He's the one that took advantage of you," Elena explained. "Don't EVER stop trying to see the good in people. It'll come in handy one day when you need it the most."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Sofia softly declared.

"Yes it does," Elena countered, "you need to forgive yourself. You're not to blame."

Sofia nodded, tears welling.

Elena just hugged the young girl as she broke down in her arms. Softly comforting her in Spanish, she started to hum. It wasn't long before she felt Sofia relax.

"Como esta ahora?" Elena softly asked.

"Better," Sofia admitted. "I still feel hurt."

"You'll heal eventually. It'll take a long time, but it'll happen. I'll make sure it does. But you need to trust me. We need to work together."

"Okay," Sofia agreed as her eyes started to close.

Just then, a door opened behind them.

"Well, well, my plan worked after all," a male voice familiar to Sofia stated.

*****

Lifting her head from Elena's chest, Sofia locked eyes with the last person she expected to find in her dream.

"Grimtrix! What are you doing here?" she shivered as Grimtrix smiled.

"I'm the one who lured you here. Now that I have you, I'll finally get what I want."

"What's that?" Elena challenged. She stood, pushing Sofia behind her. Raising her scepter, she glared at the stranger.

"The amulet of Avalor of course," Grimtrix's eyes locked onto the jewel, "Cedric wasn't the only one after its power."

"Who are you?" Elena demanded. She had a fleeting memory of meeting this person somewhere before although she wasn't sure where.

"I'm sorry. Where are my manners? My name is Grimtrix. I'm headmaster of Hexley hall. It's a school for witches and wizards. Speaking of which, I have a meeting in an hour, so let's make this confrontation as short as possible. Sofia, you aren't going to come out from hiding and say hello?"

"If you touch her, you'll regret it," Elena threatened.

"I'm not leaving here without the amulet. So we can either do this the easy way or the hard way. The choice is entirely up to you."

"You'll never get Elena's amulet," Sofia declared.

Elena sighed inwardly. It looked like she still had some work to do. Focusing on the task at hand, she faced Grimtrix head on.

Grimtrix did a doubletake when he saw the amulet around the teen's neck instead of Sofia's.

"No matter. It'll be much more rewarding when I win against you!"

"Blaze!" Elena commanded. Staggering backwards as the scepter obeyed, she ignored the dizziness. She would do anything to protect Sofia-no matter what the cost.

"That's a neat trick. I have some tricks of my own," Grimtrix waved the wand in a circle. Ropes flew out of it, heading straight for the girls!

Suddenly, the amulet started glowing red. As the glow continued, it shot a red hot streak directly at Grimtrix.

"Wow!" Sofia gasped. "I never saw it do that before."

Elena was too busy keeping a firm grip on the scepter to catch what Sofia had said. As Grimtrix attempted another spell, the sixteen-year-old commanded once again, "Blaze!"

"Elena, no!" Sofia cried.

At the same time as Elena's scepter's beam made contact with Grimtrix's wand, she felt herself falling to the ground. As a pair of smaller arms grabbed her at the last minute, the crown princess felt a force pulling both of them backward. Not being able to fight, she let whatever it was have its way. The last thing she heard before everything went black was Mateo's voice encouraging both of them to come back. Or maybe she was feeling so dizzy her mind was playing tricks on her. Whatever the case, Elena was soon engulfed by darkness as everything around her started to blur…