"With this ring, I thee Wed" Isabel repeated as she slipped a ring on Alonso's hand. She then looked at the Ruby ring that he had placed on her hand just moments ago. It was beautiful. She beamed at it and then met Alonso's eyes and gave him a victorious grin knowing that he had just handed her exactly what she had been looking for in the first place.
"You may kiss your bride" said the officiant and Alonso bent down and kissed Isa on her cheek. Isa hated Alonso yet she didn't even flinch because she knew that at that moment, it was all hers. She had the ring, she was Queen of Cordoba and Alonso's lies were all about to come undone. So instead, she smiled at her new husband. He looked confused and a bit nervous. Although, if he was being honest, he would never admit that a thirteen year old girl had made him feel that way. Isa loved the power that she was having over him.
At their reception, Isabel sat alongside Alonso and a few of Cordoba's government officials at a table facing a host of guests that included the most prestigious of citizens but also many of the more common citizens. Alonso had wanted to put his new bride and heir to Avalor's throne on display. Isabel scanned the crowd and finally rested her eyes on Mateo, doing his best to blend in with the crowd. He met her eyes and gave her a look letting her know that he was ready whenever she was. His look boosted her confidence and reassured her that it would all be ok. Their plan had to work, there was no backup if they failed.
Alonso stood up and raised his glass to make a toast, mostly boasting about himself to his people. Isabel looked to Mateo who was already stepping forward and pulling out his tamborita from his satchel. He approached the bridal party and stood directly in front of Alonso. Before the guards could even make a move he shot a spell towards the king that stunned him. Alonso was unable to move his body or fight back. His mouth still worked though.
"Guards! Seize him!" Alonso shouted but before they could jump into action, Isabel stood up.
"No! Stop!" The new queen commanded the guards and drew her dagger from the sheath she had hidden in her white Royal wedding gown. She stood behind Alonso, wrapped an arm around him and raised the dagger to his throat. The guards didn't know what to do. Their King and Queen were in a battle with one another and they were at odds about who to protect. They looked towards the governing officials who were all just as confused. Truthfully, they should all have been supporting Alonso since Isa technically had yet to be crowned. They felt zero loyalty to him however. He was near useless as a king and they had their suspicions about Carla's death. It was all exactly what Mateo and Isa had been counting on. The people of Cordoba wanted to see Alonso gone.
"Tell them what you did!" Isabel ordered Alonso.
"Or what? You'll kill me? Please! You're just a child. You don't have the guts!" Alonso taunted, completely unaware of Isabel's ability to seek and earn revenge.
"I will slit your throat" Isa threatened. She then leaned close to him and whispered "I've done it before and I'll do it again of I have to. Now tell them all what you did to Carla"
There was something in her voice that scared Alonso. There was truth behind her words. Still, Alonso refused and Isa pushed the tip of the dagger into the flesh just below his ear causing a droplet of blood to roll down his neck.
"Ahh!" Alonso screeched. "OK! OK! I did it. I pushed her"
"Louder" Isa told him. "So the entire kingdom can hear your confession"
"I did it!" He shouted "I killed Queen Carla! I pushed her off the balcony in order to marry the heir of Avalor!"
Isa looked to Mateo and they both relaxed immediately. The truth was out. They had done it and they had gotten him to confess without any blood being shed. Well, almost no blood. Isa put her dagger away and took a napkin and wiped the small amount of blood from Alonso's neck.
"Guards!" She ordered "please place this man under arrest for the murder of his wife. The Queen of Cordoba. He shall no longer serve this kingdom as your monarch"
Mateo unfroze the now former King's limbs and the guards took him by the arms.
"Oh!" Isa remembered as she placed herself in front of Alonso. "One more thing. Is there anything else you'd like to tell these good people? Any other confessions? I think you already know that we know what you've done"
"My father..." Alonso muttered, hanging his head and knowing that he had been defeated. He had underestimated Isabel's strength and now saw that she wasn't going to let him get away with any of it. He saw that Isa's actions carried her sister's influence. He wouldn't have ever messed with Elena and now he knew that with Isabel, it was probably easier to just confess and take the punishment that was inevitable anyways. He had dug his own grave and he knew it. "I murdered my father. King Juan Ramon"
The officials who were close enough to hear all gasped. They had never suspected any sort of fowl play at the time but looking back, it all made sense. They were furious. King Juan Ramon was loved by his people and losing him had been devastating. There would be no sympathy for King Alonso, he would pay the ultimate price.
The crowd watched their King be taken away and then slowly they all began to disperse. It had been quite an event, Cordoba would be talking about that day for quite some time to come. Mateo remained by Isabel's side, offering his support when needed and the government officials discussed amongst themselves what would happen next.
"Your majesty, may we speak with you?" Chancellor Tomas asked Isabel. He had worked in Cordoba's government since King Juan Ramon became king many years ago. During Alonso's short reign, he was the one who made most of the decisions and kept the kingdom in tact. "I think that we need to officially crown you as Queen of Cordoba and as soon as possible. What you did here today showed the people of Cordoba that you are willing to stand up to evil. No one here has ever been loyal to Alonso but we will stand behind you. Today you showed strength and leadership. We will fight with you against the evil sorceress that has taken your kingdom. We vow this to you"
Isa and Mateo exchanged a shocked look and they weren't sure what to do. It was all more than what they had expected. Isa never thought that they would actually want to keep her as their queen. True, there was no heir in Cordoba but she had just assumed that one of the governing officials would take over.
"You truly want me as your Queen?" She asked them. "But I've never had to be a leader before, I wouldn't know what I was doing"
"Anyone can learn how to govern a kingdom but not everyone has the true leadership that is within you. You are our Queen now" The Chancellor told her.
Isa looked to Mateo who was gazing proudly and confidently at her. He made her feel like she actually could do it.
"OK" She responded. "What do we do first?"
"Well, like we said, we have to have your coronation as soon as possible." Tomas explained. "And we have to talk about our defenses. Shuriki has to have learned about Carla by now and it's only a matter of time before she learns about Alonso and that you are now our queen. We need to be ready for when she attacks"
"Enchancia!" Mateo offered. "When I was there, King Roland said he was willing to do whatever it took to help in the fight against Shuriki"
"That's great!" Tomas added. "You should send for them at once. We'll need as many reinforcements and allies that we can get"
Isa and Mateo agreed. Tomas and the other officials left to get preparations ready for the coronation as well strategize with the military. They would meet with Isa in the morning to go over all the plans.
"So this is good. Once we defeat Shuriki, we'll have the wand and hopefully the scepter is still at the palace. Then we can figure out how to channel the magic of all the artifacts and we can defeat the dark army" Mateo excitedly told Isa once they were alone.
"Then what? I'm Queen of Cordoba and Avalor?" Isa asked, feeling a bit overwhelmed.
"Well... let's just take things one step at a time. First step is to defeat Shuriki... then we'll go from there." Mateo told her reassuringly. He then placed a hand on her shoulder, attempting to calm her and slow her racing mind. "You did great today. You should be proud"
"Yeah... I am..." Isa said truthfully. "And I didn't hurt anybody..." She trailed off, deep in thought. It felt good to be able to resist her urge to cut Alonso's throat. It made her believe that she could overcome what she had done in the past. She had lost control of who she was in the first few days that followed Avalor's invasion. She had done something she would never forgive herself for but through it all she had learned so much about herself. She had a strength inside of her that she never knew she had. She had the ability to fight for herself, fight for the people she loved and fight for what was right. She was finding herself and growing into someone she never thought she'd ever have to be. She was playing the role that Elena had always been meant for. She was proud to follow in her sister's footsteps and could only hope that she would be as good a leader as Elena would have been.
