The Past Is Prologue: Chapter 25
The Queen and the Wizard
People talk about the resistance in general and the Nightsingers in particular in romantic terms, as if it were some grand adventure. But living in Avalor during the reign of Queen Shuriki was awful. I don't remember a time before Elena's return when I could just sing or listen to music without fear. Yes, we sang at night to discomfit the tyrant and told ourselves we were noble for doing so, but the truth is we never really accomplished all that much. Our incursions always left me depressed afterwards. It's often said that forty one years wasn't really all that long, and that Avaloran culture is recoverably, and I'm so grateful to all who are doing that work. But so much has been lost – so many songs and dances that have only been imperfectly remembered. Two generations grew up under Queen Shuriki's rule, and it's Elena's reforms that seem foreign to them. – Marlena Rodriguez, flower vendor and member of the Council for the Preservation of Avaloran Culture under Queen Elena Castillo Flores, former Night Singer. A People's History of the Reign of Queen Shuriki, compiled by Professor Catalina de Torres
Mateo stood before his friend – no, his queen, he reminded himself grimly. Elena's dress still glowed orange. He'd always loved seeing Elena in that gown, ever since he and Sofia had freed her from the amulet. Then she had appeared as a true fairy-tale princess, in a dress from a bygone era, brave, fierce, gracious and oh, so beautiful. She'd made him believe the evil Shuriki could be defeated, and then she did it. Mateo had fallen in love with her on the spot.
Of course, he'd known he'd never see the Crown Princess again. He was a nobody, she had a kingdom to rule. But then, wonder of wonders, she'd come to his home seeking his magical expertise. Not that Mateo had been a great magical expert. He'd merely taught himself a few things from the magical tomes hidden in his mother's basement which had once belonged to his illustrious grandfather, Alacazar. But after forty one years of the brutal repression of wizards, Mateo was all that was left.
Mateo had suspected that Elena must have known how truly inadequate he was, but to her credit the Crown Princess never let on and in fact often encouraged him. Nor was she distant, as he would have expected. Early on when she'd spontaneously waved him over to share a batch of cookies with her and her little sister Isabel and he had tried to demur, thinking she was just doing so out of a sense of obligation, she'd said drily, "We saved a kingdom together. I think it's okay for you to break bread with us." So the shy, friendless boy learned what it was to have friends for the first time. He, Naomi, Gabe, and Elena soon became inseparable, and many an evening found him playing chess with Isa or Esteban, or listening to Francisco try out a new song he'd written, or sample some treat made by Luisa. None of them had looked down on him (except sometimes Gabe.) And at the center of it all was Elena.
Mateo nursed his crush in secret, knowing he was far beneath a princess, no matter how kind and down-to-earth she was. But then Elena's own powers began to manifest and she turned to Mateo to help her understand them. It was the first time Mateo had ever been able to discuss magic with someone else. They learned together, both growing in their power. Elena had even called him her magical soul-mate. Despite himself, Mateo had dared to hope…
Truth be told, though, Elena had never shown the slightest romantic interest in anyone. Mateo didn't know if that was for diplomatic reasons, if she'd never been in love, or if she just didn't care for him in that way. Mateo had always been too afraid to ask.
There had been times the young wizard had tried to move on. First there was Rita. He'd been so flattered that a pretty girl would show interest in him that he didn't question her inconsistencies. When her true identity as Shuriki's spy Carla Delgado was revealed, he realized she'd just been using him. He should have known.
After Elena's coronation, he had tentatively asked the now reformed and pardoned Carla out, and just as tentatively, she accepted. Theirs was an odd relationship – he'd been her mark, her nemesis, her guard, her reluctant ally, her tutor, and then her friend. It had only taken a month for both to realize that their personalities were just too different to be anything more. It was a relief for both of them when they'd ended things, and remained on good terms.
Then there were the odd occasions when some young woman of Avalor City or other would seek to spend time with him. He'd been flabbergasted at first, but his mother wryly pointed out that as a young royal wizard he was one of the most eligible bachelors in the kingdom. Then she'd licked her finger to wipe a smudge off his face. But he never made it past a second date with anyone. He would start talking excitedly about magic and his partner's eyes would glaze over; and when he asked them about their lives he never had any good follow-up questions. Mateo lacked the requisite skills for courtship.
Both Gabe and Naomi had carried their own torches for Elena at one time or another, and who could blame them? But they were able to put those torches down and find love with each other, whereas Mateo just felt stuck.
And now he'd let her down.
"Master De Alva," Elena began coldly. The royal wizard winced. He wished she wouldn't call him that. "Do you understand what you've done?"
He nodded. "I took a risk by trying to turn Ash to our side and…it didn't pay off."
"You once told me Ash was the most powerful malvago you'd ever seen. And yet you let her go after capturing her. Why? Just to try to capture Fiero?"
"Not – just. Fiero had already committed murder. For that matter, so had Cristóbal. Ash had made an enemy of both of them, and I thought the enemy of my enemy is my friend –"
"You wanted revenge on Fiero," Elena stated flatly.
"No!" Mateo protested, stung. The real reason he'd let himself be persuaded was because he hadn't wanted to disappoint Olivia after he'd already failed her. She'd been convinced that since Ash had saved her, she had to save Ash. Of course that reason wasn't any better. Mateo was supposed to be the voice of reason.
"And how did that work out for you?" Elena continued. "Ash, once released, almost immediately attacked your apprentice and my cousin."
"I know," Mateo ground out. "I know I made a mistake."
"A mistake?" the queen spat. "Do you even realize what you've done?" She began pacing, then took a deep breath and turned to face her royal wizard. "You usurped my authority. I wear the crown, remember? Exercising the Queen's Justice is my responsibility. You know me, Mateo. Do you honestly think I wouldn't have listened to your idea? To Olivia's testimony?"
Miserably, Mateo hung his head. "I'm sorry, Elena. I mean, your grace. I just wasn't thinking…"
"That's your excuse for betraying me?"
The wizard looked back up in shock. "I never intended to betray you!"
"I know," Elena sighed. "If I thought you'd intended it we'd be having a very different conversation in a very different location."
A sudden chill ran through Mateo. He'd felt terrible that he'd disappointed Elena, but the way she was talking…
Wait – was he in danger? From Elena?!
"What – what do you mean, 'a different conversation in –'" he couldn't finish that sentence.
She looked at him steadily. "You know what I mean." Mateo swallowed nervously, visions of the royal dungeon dancing in his head. Could his best friend really have him thrown in the dungeon? Elena was always so compassionate, always wanting to save everyone, quick to sacrifice to help her friends, family, and even strangers. Then again, as Crown Princess she'd ordered the imprisonment of both her cousins and a childhood friend, and left the latter as a statue for months. She could be quite ruthless when it came to protecting the kingdom. Mateo clasped his hands together to keep them from trembling. He'd never been afraid of the queen before.
Elena saw his consternation and bit her lip. Mateo knew that gesture well; it was a sign of Elena's concern for someone. Her dress faded to teal, and she reached out to take his hands. Hers were so much warmer than his.
"Mateo, I know you're not a traitor. I know you weren't deliberately collaborating with Ash against me." He looked up, hopeful. "But the fact remains that you usurped my authority. You presumed on our friendship and on your status as royal wizard to take on decisions that weren't yours to make." When Mateo opened his mouth to protest, Elena dropped his hands and silenced him with a look. "I know you didn't mean to do it, but it's what you did."
"I'm sorry, Elena," he said quietly. If he had to do it over again, Mateo suspected he would have made the same call, but he could see the queen's position. She couldn't have courtiers undermining her.
"So what happens now?" he asked hesitantly.
"You mean are you still the royal wizard?" Elena returned. Mateo felt a jolt in the pit of his stomach. He actually hadn't gotten there yet, but it made sense that Elena had. "Tell me, Master De Alva, if I were to dismiss you, or if you were to become incapacitated, or even if you simply decided to quit, who would replace you? Olivia? Victor? The Great Bronzino?" Mateo barked out a laugh at the idea of that pompous charlatan serving in Queen Elena's court, and Elena cracked a smile. But it was a small smile, and her dress hadn't turned back to red.
"I … don't think any of my apprentices are ready yet," he said slowly. Olivia was still a year and a half younger than he'd been when he'd been appointed royal wizard, although he realized with a start that she'd been studying almost as long as he had when he received that appointment. Victor hadn't been studying as long as Olivia, but his main impediment was his dark past. When Mateo was named royal wizard, it was because he was technically the most powerful wizard in the kingdom despite only being a boy not quite seventeen with maybe three spells to his name, since Shuriki's purges and persecutions had driven out all wizards of any real talent. While there were many who doubted Mateo's abilities at the time, though, at least his character was beyond question. No one would assume that Mateo de Alva was anything but good, and that was helpful in a society that had come to distrust anything magical. Victor, who had once been an actual malvago, would receive no such grace. Carla would face the same impediment, besides which Mateo was fairly certain she wouldn't want the responsibility.
"When will they be?" Elena asked bluntly.
He stared at her, hurt. Did she really not understand how hard he was working to bring back the study of magic from the scraps that had been left behind from Shuriki's reign? "I'm training three apprentices every day, even though in your grandfather's and father's time it was unusual for a wizard to have more than one apprentice at a time. I've taught enough of the guards basic defensive spells so they can help in case of magical attacks. I'm working with Olivia to develop a curriculum for elementary magic for children who show magical talent. And that's in addition to my own studies, since I'm still trying to live up to the title you bestowed upon me. I promise you I'm not holding anyone back, and I'm working as fast as safety allows. Of course, my word may no longer be any good to you," he added bitterly.
"I know you would never hold anyone back, Mateo," the queen said quietly. Abruptly the teal of her dress glowed blue. Sadness. Reflexively Mateo ducked and looked up, bracing for indoor rain, but nothing happened. Elena briefly flashed a knowing smile. "You don't need to worry about that. I learned years ago to control my emotion magic. With your help."
She took a step towards him. "Of course I want you to stay on as royal wizard. You were the best person for the job when I appointed you and still are. The kingdom needs you. But you must agree not to take the law – my law – into your own hands."
"I promise, your grace." He had never wanted to make Elena sad.
"Then you may remain my royal master wizard." Mateo's heart beat faster. Had she forgiven him, then?
The queen moved towards the door. "But Mateo? You should know that you have lost my trust." And with that she left him alone, closing the door to the council chamber behind her.
It was only then that Mateo allowed his tears to fall.
AN: A story cannot contain a song, of course. But if you would like one, imagine this: An angsty telenovela duet, "The Burden of a Wizard/The Burden of the Queen." Mateo and Elena sing on opposite sides of the council door. Both sing that they are responsible for the safety of the kingdom, and that it is a heavier burden than they let on. Failure, for both of them, could mean doom for Avalor. Mateo sings that he loves Elena, but knows she will never be his. Elena sings that she must hold herself apart from everyone, even her family, even her closest friends. It is the only way to protect everyone.