Hi, everyone! This is our first fanfic. We're so excited to be starting off with Elena of Avalor, a show the three of us love! Just for some background, this story is kind of a "what if" fanfic that explores what would have happened if Esteban was actually exiled instead of escaping with Ash, Victor, and Carla.

We hope you enjoy!

Chapter 1: A Grim Goodbye

"No! Wait!" I wailed as my longtime friends Victor and Carla were dragged away by palace guards.

I reached out a hand—as if to somehow bring them back to me—as the heavy prison door slammed shut. All I was met with in return was the sensation of chilling air whooshing through my outstretched fingers.

My partners in crime, the only ones left who still even wanted to associate with me, were gone.

I was all alone now.

Stumbling backwards, I slumped down on the bench hanging from the frigid stone wall in disbelief. I attempted to count the number of stones on the wall in front of me, but the pangs of hunger stabbing at my stomach prevented me from accomplishing my task.

And the thought of hunger reminded me…of dinner.

The cracks separating the rocks in front of me began to blur.

All I could see now was Elena's angered face that tried desperately to mask the hurt stinging her heart.

Nearly twenty-three hours had passed, but I could still envision her horrified expression perfectly.

It would have been impossible for me to eat after viewing the gut-wrenching sight.

As I pondered my cousin's reaction to the secrets of my past for what must have been the hundredth time, I shook my head vigorously to remind myself of my new resolve.

I made my choice, and now Elena has made hers. I am done caring about her. I am done caring about anyone.

Just as I began to contemplate the validity of my statement, the royal guards burst through the door. My eyes scanned the room for their intended target, but I was met with intrigued stares from the other prisoners. I paled as I realized I was the target.

"We've finished taking care of your little friends," Gabe sneered. "Now it's your turn."

I began backing up slowly, as if to avoid my fate. "Gabe, please," I begged. "Give me another chance! I-I did not even get to explain myself!" I pleaded, eyes widening in despair. "Please. Let me out…y-you can say that I escaped—,"

"And commit treason like you?" he snapped.

I jerked back at the sting of his words.

Gabe's eyes softened slightly at my stunned response, but he set his lips in a firm line. "I am loyal only to the Princess. And she has given me strict orders to keep you where you can't hurt anyone else."

I lunged forward and seized the bars. "You do not have authority over me! I am the chancellor of Avalor!"

Gabe looked off to the side gruffly. "You were the chancellor of Avalor."

"What?"

"You didn't hear from Higgens? Princess Elena revoked your title this afternoon."

"T-this is impossible! I-it cannot be true! She is not…she does have the power to…,"

"I'm sorry," said Gabe icily, turning back to face me. "It's too late for you, Esteban."

"You mean…?" I held my hand to my neck.

"No!" Gabe slapped his hand on his forehead. "Princess Elena…wouldn't want to lose anyone else. You are to be exiled tomorrow."

My eyes widened. All thoughts of renouncing my feelings for my family vanished, and I gripped the grainy iron bars for support. Would Elena really exile me? After all we've been through?

The next morning, I awoke from a restless, dreamless slumber as the sound of footsteps clomping in the corridor reached my ears. Rising gingerly from my bench, I combed through my hair with my fingers, wondering if my brief time in the cell was up.

Gabe fished the cell keys out of his pocket and inserted one into the lock of my cell. He creaked open the rusty metal door, rapidly seized my arms, and cuffed me.

"You will not get away with this! I have been in thousands of dangerous situations. I will find a way to escape!"

"Not this time, ex-chancellor."

"How will this time be any different?"

Gabe placed a forceful hand on my shoulder. "You'll see. Now start walking before I make you."

I rolled my eyes and sighed, but I complied.

I was eager to see the faces of my familia—though I knew they'd be crossed with pain.

I plodded through the Avaloran street, Gabe and Rico's arms hooked through mine. My wrists began to sting from the biting metal of the handcuffs.

As we trudged through the village, the townspeople's vibrant Carnival decorations contrasted with my sullen mood. Doña Paloma turned up her nose at me from behind her fan. I hung my head in shame. We were once good friends, bonded by a shared love of—well, fame and wealth.

It didn't stop there. All of a sudden, everyone looked down on me, as if I was some sort of monster. Children hid behind their parents. A woman carrying a basket of fruits dropped her goods and hurried away at the sight of me.

People used to revere my name. Now, I was convinced that the only spectacle in the town that day was me.

"I have gotten myself into some deep doo-doo."

"What?!" inquired Gabe incredulously.

"Nothing!" I screeched.

Suddenly, I was aware of something other than the disgusted stares of the passersby. A whiff of salty air tickled my nose, alerting me that we were nearing our destination.

I could make out the figures of Elena, Isabel, my abuelo, and my abuela in the distance. My heart welled with looming dread at the sight of them, and I was overcome with an all-consuming urge to flee.

Defiantly I dug my heels into the sand. "I will not go through with this! I will stay at the palace! I have worked so hard for the people of my country. I-I have never failed Avalor a day in my life!"

"But, what about the day you betrayed—," asked Rico innocently.

"Stop conversing with the felons, Rico! Now get ahold of him before he gets away!" Gabe commanded, jabbing a finger in my direction.

The men seized me by arms and hauled me off to the pier. They proceeded to escort me onto my mode of transportation—Naomi's barge.

"Wait!" said my abuelo.

The guards halted at the sound of his gentle voice.

"At least allow us a moment to say goodbye."

Upon hearing his voice breaking, I turned to face him despite my shame.

The world seemed to stop as I looked at my abuelo. Tears brimmed in his kind, wrinkled eyes. I had not seen his eyes so soft since…

My eyes darted to my two young cousins, and my throat tightened as I recalled with crippling regret the day their parents had been stolen from them.

Elena's voice—carrying an unusual, sharp tone—startled me from my thoughts. "I don't need to say goodbye."

My eyebrows furrowed at the harshness of her words, and I shook my head beseechingly, but I was unable to speak.

"And I don't want to. He decided years ago that he was going to abandon our family—after we did everything we could possibly could have for him. We treated him just like one of us. You and Abuela raised him in the palace, gave him all he needed to get by and more—even let him have a title!"

A flaming orange slowly replaced the red hue of her dress, and a colossal wave began building up on the sea before us. All of us looked on in terror as it curved, appearing as if it would soon break and crash over us—instantly drowning us all. I knew any defense of mine would be hopeless, but I shielded my face and braced for the impact regardless.

Immediately, the wave came crashing down, but not on us.

It receded and crashed far out into the ocean.

I uncovered my eyes to find that Abuelo had placed a comforting hand on Elena's shoulder. She buried her face into his chest. "Mija," he said soothingly, "What Esteban did was very, very wrong."

I clenched my fist and glanced away.

"But is this not punishment enough? He will already have to live with what he has done forever."

Elena swallowed and looked at me distantly. "You're right," she said.

I raised my head hopefully. Would she…let me go?

"He will have to live with what he has done forever. In exile." She folded her arms decisively.

I dropped to my knees. "Please, prima, you must understand—I was so young and stupid when I committed those actions."

Elena narrowed her eyes. "I'm twenty years old and ruling a kingdom."

"You have the benefit of wise council! I had nothing of the sort!"

"I like to think that we counseled you, Esteban—," interjected Abuela sternly.

"Even if my actions cannot be blamed on my youth, I could not have possibly known the cost of what would happen that day. I begged Shuriki not to harm anyone. She said she would not, but she lied to me. Use your scepter! You will see!"

"I've seen plenty," Elena snapped. "Guards, seize him!"

Gabe and Rico pried me off of the ground, dragging me up the ramp into the boat. They tossed me onto the deck, and I scowled, scrambling to my feet to glimpse my family as the vessel began drifting away from the dock.

Elena, stubborn as ever, held her angered gaze as I drifted farther and farther from her. Abuelo's eyes shone with tears underneath his bushy eyebrows, and his lips twisted into a desperate frown. Isabel clung to him, weeping. Abuela's expression, however, I could not quite discern. She appeared frustrated, but her frustration seemed insincere, as if she was holding back a hidden sadness.

And all I could do was watch helplessly as the entire life I had worked so hard to build was snatched from me in a single moment.

I shielded my eyes with my hand as the dawning sun reflected off of the rolling ocean waves. I had spent most of my journey below deck—avoiding everyone—but after I heard Naomi shout "Land!" I decided I might as well see the place I was going to spend the rest of my life.

In the distance, I could make out the silhouette of a jagged shore. Puffs of fog hovered over what appeared to be a small, tree-filled island. We were still quite far away, but I was fairly certain there wasn't a single dwelling in sight. My eyes yearned for familiar scene of the castle that had long been my home.

How would I learn to fend for myself after being catered to by servants for so long?

Hands clasped behind my back, I ambled over to where Naomi was steering the ship and cleared my throat. "Is there any chance I could have some of the food below deck? I have not eaten since lunch yesterday!"

Naomi shot me a stony glare. "You can get have some food when we get off. You're not welcome to indulge yourself on my ship anymore."

I hung my head. "But, we used to always…you and I used to get along so well! I cannot imagine that you are not at least a bit sad that you will…that you will never see me again."

Naomi pursed her lips and stared unwaveringly ahead, but I thought I glimpsed a hint of remorse in her eyes.

As the rocks became increasingly closer, one of Naomi's crewmen dropped the anchor into the ocean. I grasped onto the rails of the deck as the ship slowly ground to a halt. One of the crewmen propped up a ramp for me to descend. I gazed up at the boat one last time as the crewmen began filing out of the vessel, towing crates of food and drink for me.

I plodded onto the shore and took in my surroundings. There was nothing but an endless landscape of rocks and trees.

Most people dream of islands as paradisal places to get away.

All I could think about was how much I wanted to get away from that island.

Still, I realized that my situation could have been far worse. At least I was in a warm climate, one that I was used to. My cousin could have exiled me to Freezenburg.

I recounted all I had lived through. Here, at least, I thought, I will have nothing left to lose.

The crewman finished unloading the crates and hoisted the ramp back up onto the ship. I saw Naomi grip the deck, watching me closely. I could not see her very well, but I knew my previous words rang true.

She would miss me.

Suddenly Mateo emerged from below deck, bearing his tamborita and a somber expression.

"One last thing we meant to tell you," said Naomi, clasping her hands behind her back. "Elena asked us to make certain that there'll be no escaping for you this time. She wants you to know what it's like…to feel trapped."

My eyes widened as Mateo raised his tamborita.

"CLAUSANDA!"

"NO!" I lurched forward and thrust out my arm as a blue streak of light came whizzing toward me.

I stumbled backwards and tripped over a piece of driftwood, toppling onto the sand beneath me. The flashes of magic branched off from the straight blue line and began to wrap their ugly arms around the island, quickly encompassing me in a dome-like shield.

I ran up to the dome and began pounding it with my fist. Eventually, I progressed into slamming into it with my entire body weight. It was no use.

I was trapped.

"NAOMI! MATEO! GABE! R-RICO! PLEASE, HAVE MERCY!

The dismal bunch did not turn back as the ship slowly reversed direction and began its journey back to the ports of Avalor.

Doing everything in my power to avoid collapsing onto the sand and weeping uncontrollably, I sat down and snatched up the piece of driftwood I had tripped over. I began etching my name into it with a rock I had scavenged from nearby.

Like me, it had drifted far from home.

Well, that's it for chapter 1! We would appreciate any reviews, but should you choose to give criticism, please do so kindly! We plan to return with a second chapter ASAP.

Oh, and about that "I have gotten myself into some deep doo-doo" line...well, we initially put it in as a joke, and then we actually debated forever on whether or not including that line was classy enough. We concluded that it was not, but that it was way too funny to delete. So, no regrets.