Brighter Now
By Laura Schiller
Based on: Sofia the First/Elena of Avalor
Copyright: Disney
/
"Maybe you ran with the wolves and refused to settle down
Maybe I've stormed out of every single room in this town
Threw out our cloaks and our daggers because it's morning now
It's brighter now, now
(…)And I can still see it all (In my mind)
All of you, all of me (Intertwined)
I once believed love would be (Black and white)
But it's golden (Golden)"
- Taylor Swift, "Daylight"
/
"Pardon me, Señora, but your fur stole appears to be alive."
The fur stole blinked beady eyes and waved a sleek black-and-white tail from its place around the woman's shoulders. The gown she wore was black and white as well, and so was her coronet of braided hair. Dark glasses shaded her eyes. The only touches of color on her were her creamy skin and a single orange flower tucked into her hair. Standing alone beside the window, looking out into the cloudy sky, she was such a compelling figure that Esteban found to impossible not to approach her.
She smiled and reached up to pet the animal. "Don't tell me you've never seen a skunk before."
"I have, but never at a ball."
The royal ballroom of Enchancia Castle glittered and glowed in honor of Princess Sofia's thirteenth birthday. Guests had come from all across the Ever Realm and beyond, from the giant whose head brushed the tip of the chandelier to the groups of fairies fluttering through the air. The birthday girl in her bright lavender gown was dancing a lively folk dance with family and friends, all clapping their hands to the rhythm of drums and mandolins. Esteban could spot his cousin Elena in the circle, her ponytail swirling behind her, as exuberant as the rest. The solitary figure of the black-and-white woman and her skunk stood in sharp contrast to this joyful scene, and judging by the irony in her smile, she knew it.
"His name is Roamer. Don't worry, he won't spray unless he's scared. I've asked him to be on his best behavior tonight."
"You have the power to speak to animals, then?"
"No, but I can make them understand me."
So she did have magic, then, as he'd suspected. There was a certain charisma about her that reminded him of sorceresses he'd known. That didn't answer the question of what a sorceress was doing at Sofia's ball, but he had every intention of finding out.
"¿Que tal, Roamer?" He held out his hand near the woman's cheek so that the skunk could sniff his fingertips. "Please allow me to introduce myself: Esteban Flores of Avalor, at your service."
"Ivy of Monochromia. Pleased to meet you."
It was her turn to hold out her hand. He bowed over it. For all the elegance of her clothing, her skin was scratched with the thorn scars of a gardener.
Monochromia? So that explained her appearance, dark glasses and all. Generations ago, a fairy had cursed that island kingdom with a magical bubble that warped the sunlight, making everything appear in grayscale. Those who stayed had become so used to their condition that they could no longer tolerate colors, and the kingdom had become more and more isolationist over the years. But what was a Monochromian doing, so far out of her element? Unless …
The traitor princess.The one who'd tried to destroy the Amulet of Avalor with Elena's spirit still trapped inside. Esteban's whole body went into high alert, even as he remembered to keep a charming smile on his face. If this woman had any untoward intentions for Elena, Sofia or the jewel, she would have to go through him first.
As their hands touched, however, he hoped emphatically that he was wrong. What if, like him, all she wanted was a fresh start?
"May I have the next dance, Señora Ivy?"
"It's just Ivy. And yes, you may."
So she no longer called herself a princess, or even claimed the title of an adult. Was she still a teenager, or simply informal? Between the dark glasses, the white streaks of hair, and the slender, ageless body that might or might not be due to magic, he couldn't tell how old she was. Her self-assured manner did not seem to belong to someone young … Easy, Flores. You're here to investigate, not to flirt. But there was no reason he couldn't do a little of both.
The next dance was an Avaloran tango. He felt very much in his element as he placed one hand on the small of her back and held her hand in the other. She was tense and uncertain at first, not knowing the steps, but she followed his lead with grace and precision, warm silk as smooth as water to the touch.
"And what is it you do for a living, Ivy?"
"I'm a magical entomologist. You see this flower?" She tilted her head to show him the orange blossom in her hair. It had a vibrant, spicy scent that reminded him of the rainforests of home. "You're looking at the cure for the Deep Sleep. It's a wake-upsy-daisy. Ridiculous, right?" She giggled. "My colleague Miss Nettle named it, not me. She planted the flowers, I supplied the pollinators. That's her over there."
She looked up at a flock of fairies, who were having their own party over the heads of the human guests. One of them, a woman with a shock of orange curls and a dress to match, waved back gleefully. Ivy rolled her eyes, but there was a smile on her face, as if she liked the fairy in spite of her quirks.
"A remarkable achievement," said Esteban. "You must both be very proud."
"Absolutely," said Ivy, without a trace of humility. "We're the best."
The Deep Sleep was an insidious disease, despite how harmless it looked at first. Animals could starve to death if they didn't wake up in time. It had been a plague in Avalor ten years ago, and Esteban had done some very fast talking to get an indifferent Queen Shuriki to help. Only the prospect of no more meat for her table or horses to pull her carriage had finally convinced her to cast spells over some livestock. She'd made the farmers kneel at her feet to thank her. It had been painful to watch.
If these flowers were a cure, Ivy and her colleague had done the entire Ever Realm a service. But was their generosity real or, like Shuriki's, only a self-serving pretense?
"What about you, Esteban?" Ivy asked, before he could pursue the subject any further. "What do you do when you're not dancing?"
"Well, I am a diplomat of sorts, so in a way this is my job." They shared a smile. "Actually, I'm in the process of starting a school for magic in my home country. It's still in the developing stages, but we hope to admit our first students by the end of next year."
It had been Elena's idea at first. Worried about Royal Wizard de Alva overworking himself by training several apprentices in addition to his other duties, she had wished for more wizards in Avalor to take the burden off her friend's shoulders. Esteban, bereft of the Chancellor's office he'd held for over forty years, had jumped at the chance of something to do.
"It was a terrible thing, driving all the magic users out of Avalor like that," said Ivy somberly. "I hope they come back."
Was that an accusation he could hear in her voice, or was it all in his head? How much did she know about his own role in that tragedy? Helping to revive Avalor's magical community was the least he could do after helping to destroy it. "I hope so too."
"Are you also a sorcerer?" Ivy raised her eyebrows from behind her dark glasses.
"Only a minor one, but a fairly good administrator."
"What's your power? Your magic, I mean."
"Teleportation."
"That must be useful." For a moment, bitterness colored her tone. She squeezed Esteban's hand a little too hard, as if working off an angry memory. "If you were ever lost on a deserted island somewhere, it would be so easy to escape."
Lost? You mean exiled. Unexpected empathy stabbed him at the thought. This woman had suffered the same punishment he had fought so hard to avoid. The one time she had escaped, the extreme measures she'd taken to avoid being sent back – cursing Enchancia Castle with memory charms, even trying to burn the Amulet – spoke volumes for how desperate she must have been. Still, today she grew healing plants, kept a pet and worked with a fairy colleague. Could he have adapted to Soledad Island even half as well?
"I have been lost often enough, believe me." He spun her around in an underarm turn. "But you strike me as a lady who always finds her way."
He dipped her a full ninety degrees. She gasped, but didn't resist, resting her weight against his arm as if they'd done this move a dozen times. It was Roamer the skunk who changed position, climbing up from her shoulders to his.
"He likes you," said Ivy as Esteban pulled her back upright. "And he's a better judge of character than I am, so you should take that as a compliment."
"Tell him I am honored."
Thankfully, Roamer smelled like nothing worse than warm fur, and his little claws were surprisingly delicate when they came in contact with Esteban's favorite yellow dinner jacket. He was also very soft. His tail tickled. Esteban smiled.
Maybe Ivy really had changed, if she could care this much about a skunk. On the other hand, Chatana had kept creature companions too, some of them very cute until they tried to kill you.
Time to ask a few more questions. "Quite the party, isn't it? Are you acquainted with Princess Sofia?"
"Acquainted?" Ivy's mouth twitched into a sarcastic almost-smile. "Let's just say she's a very forgiving person. Sometimes too much so for her own good. How do you know her?"
Was that the self-deprecation of someone who didn't feel she deserved to be forgiven? Or was it the arrogance of someone plotting to use Sofia's good nature against her? He wished he could see her eyes behind those glasses. It was frustrating how little he could read her … but a little bit exciting at the same time.
"I am here with my cousin, Queen Elena. We owe the Princess a great debt for helping to free our country."
"Do you now? Some people don't like owing debts."
He stood in place and led her in a circle around him, like a jaquin chief daring a challenger to come closer. The black beaded dragonflies on her skirt rippled with every step.
"I generally do not, but Princess Sofia is one of the exceptions. May I ask how you came to find her so forgiving?" He reeled her in sharply, pulling her so close that their hips touched and one of his legs was between hers. This was traditional for a tango, but he'd forgotten how shockingly intimate it could be.
"You may ask, but I don't have to answer." Her face bloomed pink against her black and white outfit, either from anger, excitement or both.
The song ended in a drum roll. They stepped apart.
As the next song began, a peaceful Enchancian waltz, Ivy took several deep breaths and smoothed down her skirt, looking suddenly tired, as if her energy had drained away with the music. She pinched the bridge of her nose. "Goodness, it's bright in here."
It was, rather. Between the wood paneling that gleamed like gold, the sparkling jewels and shimmering clothes of the many royal or noble guests, and even the food – Sofia's birthday cake was frosted the same lavender as her dress – the place must look like a Monochromian's worst nightmare.
"It bothers you?" He looked down with some compunction at his yellow jacket, which hadn't seemed to bother her while they were dancing.
"Oh, yes. Even with my glasses, I'm finding it harder to manage than I expected." She looked up at him hopefully. "Would you be so kind as to escort me someplace a little more … shadowy?"
Now why would she ask for such a thing? There was one obvious reason, considering that tango earlier, but Ivy struck him as too clever for that. Her evasive answers made it clear that she didn't trust him any more than he trusted her. Was it really a good idea to be alone together?
On the other hand, the more her focus was on him, the less it would be on Elena or Sofia. Besides, he could easily escape in case of danger … and come to think of it, that gave him an idea.
"It would be my pleasure," he said, offering his arm. "Close your eyes and hold tight. You too, Roamer."
The skunk still perched on Esteban's shoulders dug in his claws as the three of them teleported away.
/
Ivy knew from the moment she opened her eyes that she had been tricked. It was shadowy here all right, but not in a way she liked. The light came from a few flickering torches, and the air smelled like tar and saltwater.
The first thing she saw was a closed door in front of her, with an iron grille at eye level. Esteban dropped her arm, disappeared, and reappeared on the other side of that door in less than a second. He watched her through the grille with folded arms and a smug grin on his face.
She shrieked with rage. He had the impertinence to cover his ears.
"Where the hell am I?"
"The Avaloran royal yacht. The brig, to be exact."
It was a tiny, windowless cabin with barely enough room for a bed and a chamber pot. Through the grille, she could see and hear that reinforcements were on their way; a clatter of army boots was followed by the appearance of two uniformed men, whose confusion turned to instant wariness as they caught sight of the odd-looking woman behind bars.
This was as bad as she had feared. Thankfully, though, he wasn't the only one with a few tricks up his sleeve.
"Roamer," she snarled. "Fire!"
Her little stink bomb didn't need to be asked twice. He jumped down from Esteban's shoulders, spraying in mid-leap. The stench was thick enough to cut with a knife, and that was only on the other side of the door.
At the same time, Ivy threw up her hands and conjured two memory dragonflies, which dive-bombed the guards at once. They crumpled to the floor with vacant expressions on their faces. The sight made her faintly nauseous, though perhaps it was just the skunk spray. She wasn't used to altering minds so casually anymore.
"What did you do to them?" Esteban knelt beside the nearest guard and took his pulse.
"They won't remember tonight, that's all." She conjured a third dragonfly and sent it buzzing toward him. "Now tell me what you were really after at my friend's birthday, or you'll be next."
He stood back up and recoiled from the magical insect, letting it back him against the wall, but even as he did, a peculiar look came into his face that was almost like a smile. He glanced from the dragonfly to Ivy and back again, then let out a short, breathless laugh.
"Unbelievable," he said. "I was just about to ask you the same thing."
"You first." The dragonfly hovered inches from his nose.
"I came to pay my respects, believe it or not. Princess Sofia is my friend also."
"Oh, really?" she retorted. "I know your history, Esteban Flores. The whole Ever Realm knows it. You talk yourself into the good graces of powerful women, make them think you're on their side, then turn against them as long as they're not useful anymore."
"This is true," he said with tightly controlled anger. "I am guilty of everything of you say. But only my familia has the right to judge me, and they pardoned me instead. I do not take kindly to any threats against my cousin."
"Elena?" she scoffed. "You may have fooled her, but you won't fool me."
"Elena knows exactly what I am – and you too, I'm sure, since you tried to murder her."
"What? I've never even met her!"
"Her spirit was trapped inside the Amulet when you tried to burn it with dragon fire. Or did you not know that?"
Ivy sat down hard on the wooden bed. The dragonfly vanished in a puff of silver smoke.
The day the Amulet had brought her to Enchancia was the worst memory of her life, even before the memory of being sentenced to exile in the first place. At least back then she'd had the illusion of righteous anger to sustain her, but her battle with Sofia and Amber had brought home to her just how wicked she had become. She'd been ready to do anything, attack innocent strangers and even children, to avoid being forced back into exile. But if she had known there was a person inside that necklace, a young woman as alone than she was, would she still have gone to the dragons?
She couldn't decide, and that frightened her more than anything else.
"No, I didn't know," she whispered, into a silence only broken by the ship's creaking timbers. "I … I'm not who I was back then. I swear. "
Esteban watched her for a long moment, his dark eyes piercing, then walked up to the barred door. "I want to believe you," he said, "But how do I know you are telling the truth?"
She was ready to scream again with frustration. Being wicked had been miserable, but at least she'd never gone through this. When you took it for granted that no one would trust you, it hurt less when they proved you right. He of all people should know that. She clenched her fists against the bars of the iron grille, ready to give him a piece of her mind …
And a dragonfly burst out of her sleeve.
It flew into Esteban's face and vanished in a puff of silver dust. He looked horrified as everyone did at first, but his expression didn't melt into emptiness. Instead, his wide eyes narrowed with a momentary fury before relaxing into something like understanding.
"You really are innocent," he said softly. "This time."
"It told you that?"
"I … saw it. Or sensed it, rather. As if I were you." He blinked and shook his head. "Most disorienting."
Ivy felt rather disoriented herself. She'd known that her dragonflies could steal memories since she was little, but sharing them was new. Then again, when was the last time she'd ever cared this much about communicating with someone? She couldn't remember. It must have been before her exile at least.
Esteban reached out carefully for one of her hands, which were still clasped around the bars. With the softest brush of fingers and a flicker of magical light, she was standing on the same side of the door as he was.
"I believe you," he said softly. "And I am sorry."
Roamer, who had climbed up the ladder that led to the ship's deck to get away from the fight, came back down and ran up to her with a squeak of affectionate concern. She picked up the skunk and cradled him in her arms, leftover stink and all.
"You, ah … you are free to go, for what it's worth," said Esteban, gesturing up the latter.
"It would be worth more if you hadn't locked me up in the first place."
"This is true." He lifted both hands in a full-body shrug.
Confound the man, there was something charming even in his impertinence. Ivy paused at the foot of the ladder, one hand on the rungs, the other arm carrying Roamer, and looked back over her shoulder. He made a compelling figure as he stood there, the torchlight casting flickering shadows over his sharp, angular face. Silver glinted in his hair, and his shirt and jacket glowed against his darker skin.
"Well, before I go," she said, trying for a casual tone, "Move over by that torch a little, will you please? I'd like to at least know what you really look like."
"So you can describe your abductor?" he teased. "Very well. It's not as if you don't already know who I am."
She pushed her glasses up onto her forehead … and stared.
Her relationship with color had been complicated ever since she'd learned that such a thing existed. She didn't simply dislike it as she sometimes pretended to do. It hurt her with its beauty because it reminded her of what she couldn't have. The colors of Esteban Flores were some of the most exquisite she'd ever seen.
"Goodness, that jacket," she blurted out, choosing the safest explanation for why she was staring. "It's so … yellow."
He did dress like some of the flowers on her island, with that yellow jacket, white trousers and blue-and-maroon-striped sash, but it was his face she couldn't look away from. The first colors she'd ever learned to love were the browns of soil and tree bark, subtle shades that warmed instead of piercing. Those were the colors of his skin and eyes.
"So it is." He straightened the lapels and smiled at her. "And your eyes are azure."
"They are?" She'd known they were blue, but never the exact word for it.
"You must be the first person who's ever been literally dazzled by the sight of me."
"Don't flatter yourself, sir."
She slammed her glasses back down, but the memory of those brown eyes would stay with her a long time.
"I … I really ought to leave, you know," she said. "Miss Nettle will be looking for me."
"Will I see you again, Ivy?"
It was a bold question, but one that secretly pleased her. He put his hand on her sleeve and, despite the gray she saw through her glasses, she could almost see the vibrancy of brown against white.
"Watch out for dragonflies," she said over her shoulder as she ascending the ladder.
Of course it was too much to expect a simple retreat. When she opened the trapdoor and climbed out onto the ship's deck, she found herself surrounded.
/
Miss Nettle had indeed been looking for Ivy, but the fairy hovering anxiously by the mast was not the only one. Elena of Avalor, still dressed in a ruffled ball gown as if she'd come running straight from the party, leveled the Scepter of Light at Ivy's chest. On either side of her stood a worried-looking Princess Sofia and another uniformed guard, this one wielding an Avaloran drum-wand instead of a sword.
"Where," the Queen demanded, "Is my cousin?"
Roamer's fur bristled at the sharp tone of the young woman's voice. Ivy ran her hands over his fur, anxious to soothe him. The sea breeze seemed to be carrying some of the smell away, but the last thing she needed was for him to spray again.
"He's fine, for heaven's sake," said Ivy, rolling her eyes. "Now stop pointing that thing at me, I was just leaving."
"You leave my student alone, all of you!" Miss Nettle squeaked, drawing her own wand and fluttering over to stand beside Ivy. "I'm sure there's a reasonable explanation."
"Look, Elena, I know her," said Sofia in her birdlike voice. "We made friends since you went away. Just listen to her, okay?"
The young man with the drum wand said nothing, but he lowered his weapon and raised his eyebrows at Elena as if to say, Calm down.
Ivy was unexpectedly touched by the vote of confidence from Sofia, considering everything they'd put each other through, but Elena's stern expression did not move.
"I know her too, remember?" said the Queen, with a dark glance at Sofia's Amulet. "The last time we met, she tried to roast me to cinders. You can't blame me for being a little bit suspicious."
"For the last time tonight, Your Majesty," said Ivy wearily, raising her free hand like a criminal under arrest, "I had no idea you were inside that necklace. And Sofia, you're more than welcome to keep the thing. I wouldn't go near it for a kingdom."
"You'd do a lot for a kingdom if I remember correctly, Princess Ivy." Elena made even the title sound like an accusation.
"I'm not a princess, I'm a scientist. And while we're on the subject, let me tell you, I didn't appreciate you using me. I know my life fits the role, but I'm a person, not a curse."
Sofia flushed guiltily. She had been the first to interpret Ivy's appearance as a punishment for Amber's theft of the Amulet. Ivy had felt bitter enough at the time that she'd decided to run with it, but in retrospect, it hurt. She'd felt like a curse upon her family for years and she was tired of it. For once in her life, she wished someone would simply accept her for who she was.
"She is right, Elena." Esteban's calm voice cut through the silence. "Please, listen."
Somehow he had climbed, or teleported, up the ladder without anyone noticing, and overheard enough of the confrontation to learn what was going on. Now he stepped right between Ivy and Elena, squarely within spell range, but standing so he could look at both of them. He held up his hands in a gesture of peace, one in the direction of each woman.
Even though Ivy's glasses were back on, she was convinced that she was seeing his true colors once again. She'd accused him of talking his way into women's good graces, but that one small action and those simple words did more to win her over than all his conversational gambits had done.
"Esteban," said Elena, lowering the Scepter at once with an aggrieved sigh. "There you are. You can't just disappear like this!"
"I thought I would be back sooner. I didn't want to worry you."
"Yeah? Well, now I'm even more worried." For all that she was younger, there was an almost motherly authority in the look she gave her cousin. She strode up to him and recoiled, clapping one hand over her mouth and nose, and shooting an unfriendly look at Roamer in Ivy's arms. "Ugh, that skunk really got you. What in the world have you been doing?"
"I had a suspicion. That suspicion proved to be unfounded. I will tell you the whole story in private, but for now, I must ask you to please allow Ivy to disembark."
Elena glanced from Esteban to Ivy and back again. Her eyes seemed to take in every magical detail of Ivy's appearance, from her domino hair to the dragonflies on her gown. Ivy could imagine how this must look from the Queen's perspective, knowing Esteban's past with sorceresses and the suffering it had caused.
"Prima," he said softly, without taking his eyes off Elena's. "Trust me."
There had to be years, even decades, of history in those words that only the two of them understood. Ivy could hardly imagine going back to her sister's court, let alone being welcomed there, after all the bad blood between them. For Esteban to go back to his cousin, apologize and be forgiven, must have taken a depth of humility and courage that left Ivy in awe.
Elena sheathed the Scepter in one smooth movement and stepped aside, clearing the way for Ivy to cross the deck and head for the gangway.
"I have a sister too, you know," said the Queen as Ivy walked past her.
"What does that have to do with … "
"Her name is Isabel, and she means the world to me. The idea of us ever being like Sofia and Amber or … or like you and your sister … scared me so much, I guess I lost my temper." She patted the Scepter ruefully. "I can be emotional sometimes."
There were several sarcastic things Ivy wanted to say, but this was probably the closest thing to an apology Elena was likely to offer, so she kept them to herself.
"I understand, Your Majesty," she said instead. "Oh, and … Sofia?"
"Yes?" said the princess.
"It's been a long time since anyone invited me to a party, let alone came to check on me. Thank you. And, uh … happy birthday?"
To Ivy's absolute shock, Sofia ran over to hug her. Over the smaller girl's head, she could see Elena roll her eyes, the young guard shrug, Miss Nettle clasp her hands like a pleased theatregoer, and Esteban smile.
"You know," Sofia whispered, in a voice too low for anyone but Ivy and Roamer to hear, "Tomato juice is good against skunk spray."
"I'll keep that in mind."
"And Roamer?" The princess gave him a stern look. "I'm sure you're right and Mr. Esteban will be polite to you from now on. But if Ivy wants a mate, you should really let her choose for herself."
The skunk looked up from Ivy's arms with what could only be called a smirk on his whiskery face.