The Past Is Prologue

Chapter 14: Mateo Confronts Olivia

I was fifteen years old when Shuriki murdered King Raúl and Queen Lucía, and when my father fled Avalor. (Note: See chapter on Master Alacazar Hechicero, Royal Wizard under King Raúl Castillo.) Some have criticized my father for abandoning my mother and me, but they shouldn't. My father had discovered the Amulet of Avalor and realized that Crown Princess Elena was trapped inside. He came to see me before he left to tell me about the amulet. My father had to leave Avalor at once to keep the Crown Princess safe and to find a way to free her, since the magic of the amulet did not come from Avalor and my father did not know how to break the spell. He told me that he had hidden Elena's sister and grandparents in a painting and gave me the spell to free them. If he could not return, then it fell to me to find a wizard who could cast the enchantment after Shuriki was defeated. Neither of us knew that the evil queen would rule for 41 years. Nor did either of us suspect that Shuriki would, on pain of death, ban all wizards. I realized as the years wore on that the only way to find a wizard was to raise him myself. And so I very reluctantly allowed my son Mateo to study magic in secret, although he never suspected I knew. The only way to ensure his safety was to make him so cautious he even hid his studies from me.

My father never returned.

-Rafaela Hechicero de Alva, leader of the Night Singers during the reign of Queen Shuriki, and mother of the Royal Wizard Master Mateo de Alva under Queen Elena Castillo Flores, A People's History of the Reign of Queen Shuriki, compiled by Professor Catalina de Torres

Olivia sat quietly on a barrel listening to Rico, Antonia, César and Ixlan congratulate each other on the battle. Ixlan had even commended Don Esteban for some maneuver Olivia had missed, to which he'd responded with a satisfied, "This is true."

But she couldn't seem to want to join in the celebration. Oh, they'd all congratulated her on the shield and driving Fiero from the boat, but the apprentice wizard didn't feel the elation she'd always assumed she would. What she actually felt was drained. Victor was the only one who noticed that she was shaky, though she tried to hide it. He'd asked her sharply, "Do you want to sit down, Olivia?" That had sounded like a good idea, so she did. They still weren't speaking to one another, but he'd brought her water twice and she nodded her thanks.

The older apprentice still seemed annoyed with Olivia, but there was also a protective edge to his attitude. He kept the others from bothering her, even Don Esteban when the Queen's cousin had tried to scold her for revealing her name to Fiero. "Not now, El Segundo," the ex-malvago had growled. Olivia couldn't understand why it was even a problem – introducing herself to her foe was the honorable thing to do.

Olivia was surprised that Victor wasn't celebrating with the others. He remained vigilant with his tamborita in his hand. He looked dangerous. With her fellow apprentice's easy charm and sly humor, she often forgot he had once been a malvago himself. Olivia didn't think she'd forget again.

As they approached the harbor of Nueva Vista, the apprentice wizard felt more like herself. She hopped off the barrel and stared in awe at the harbor. She was on the other side of Avalor! She'd never before been more than 20 miles outside of Avalor City.

Rico had been there before, and was happy to point out landmarks to her and César. Don Esteban and Victor, both of whom usually dominated conversations, were strangely quiet. Olivia suspected they had memories of the place that weren't entirely pleasant.

"This is a much prettier view than from the back of a speeding jaquin," Antonia murmured to her wife.

"But that was a fine battle," Ixlan declared. "We so easily defeated the enemies we were sent to capture." Don Esteban coughed awkwardly from the helm. "Oh, I forgot you were one of those enemies," the Lightening Warrior said imperturbably. "I apologize for my lack of diplomacy." She didn't seem all that repentant to Olivia.

"And you were an adorable peabunny," Antonia teased Victor. He looked at the guardswoman with a sour expression, but Olivia saw his lips twitch. She couldn't imagine him as a cute tiny animal.

"If we are all done reminiscing," Don Esteban put in acidly, "could at least a few of you trouble yourselves to help with the sails?" Contritely Olivia reported for duty, as did the three guards.

Ixlan stayed by Victor's side, and Olivia heard him mutter something about "Ash." Oh! That was Victor's wife and Carla's mother, who lost her life on the day of Elena's coronation. Olivia had heard the rumors that Elena had killed Ash Delgado, but she found that hard to believe. Ash was said to have died in Nueva Vista. Maybe that was why Victor was on edge.

The apprentice wizard focused her mind on the tasks at hand. Olivia felt a sense of excitement as they were guided to the dock on at the Nueva Vista port. She'd done it! She'd made it to Nueva Vista, and had even helped. No, more than helped. She'd saved everyone on board the ship! She imagined telling Mateo all about her adventures when she got back to Avalor City – and then saw Luna. The big orange-red jaquin was hard to miss. Olivia felt the first stirring of butterflies in her tummy. Luna moved her head and Olivia caught sight of her mentor and friend, Mateo, who at least from a distance looked quite grim.

Her heart began thudding as she disembarked with the others. Why was she afraid? This was just Mateo, the kindest person she knew and the person she trusted more than anyone. Sure, he was probably annoyed with her, but it wouldn't be the first time. He'd scold her, they'd talk things out, and then since she was already here she'd be able to stay and prove herself. Right?

"Ready to face the music?" Rico asked sympathetically.

"Hey, I faced down a malvago. How hard can this be?" Olivia answered with a bravado she did not feel.

"Mateo!" Don Esteban called out. He strode forth to speak with the royal wizard. "We ran into trouble at sea. We were attacked by Fiero."

"What?" The master wizard was clearly upset. Olivia winced. She would have preferred to break that news to him herself, preferably after making sure he was in a good mood. She collected puns for exactly that reason.

"He is working with Cristóbal Castillo," Don Esteban continued. "Olivia and Victor managed to fight him off, but not before Olivia introduced herself as your apprentice."

In a voice colder than any in the Everrealm had ever heard him use, Mateo snapped, "Olivia Madeline Herrera. Attend me. NOW!"

"Three names," whispered César. "That's never good." Rico elbowed him to shut him up.

Olivia went forward, ignoring the others' looks. Okay, so Mateo was going to scold her. It wouldn't be the first time, and probably wouldn't be the last. Only – he'd never used that tone of voice on her before in the six years she'd been his apprentice.

"Mateo," Luna said in a low voice. "Remember what we talked about. Don't lose your temper."

"Thank you, Luna," Mateo responded coolly. "That will be all."

"You did not just dismiss me!" the jaquin responded hotly. "Not after I flew you all the way to Nueva Vista and even let you cast that speed spell on me. You can find your own way back to Avalor City!" The flying cat raised her powerful wings and alighted. Olivia raised her hand in farewell, while Mateo, too late to be heard, tried to stammer out an apology. He sighed, and for a moment he was the old Mateo again.

Then his expression turned cold again. "This way," was all he said as he led Olivia to a shady spot under a building out of the way of the hustle and bustle of the port.

"I had plenty of time to scout out all the nooks and crannies of Nueva Vista while I was waiting for your ship to arrive," the royal wizard remarked.

"So…" Olivia began nervously, "what brings you to Nueva Vista?"

"You. Explain yourself."

Olivia had been prepared to apologize but Mateo's tone made her bristle. "I defended the ship when it was attacked by the malvago Fiero and his crew."

"I suspect Victor, Rico, Antonia, Esteban and Ixlan had a hand in that as well," Mateo remarked drily. "What were you doing on that ship in the first place?"

"Going to Nueva Vista?" Mateo looked at her, unimpressed. "You were never going to let me go out in the field. I had to prove myself to you, to show you I'm capable…"

"Capable of what? Stowing away? Disobedience? Yeah, you're capable of that, all right."

"Capable of performing magic," she snapped back. "Capable of defending myself. Capable of making a difference. I defeated Fiero!"

"Oh, really? Then where is he? Is he in a Nueva Vista dungeon? Did you turn him to stone? No, I didn't think so. He just retreated to come up with a new plan. And now he knows who you are." Mateo began to pace.

"So what?" Olivia demanded. "Are you ashamed of me or something?"

"I wasn't before today." That hurt, a lot. Mateo was more than her teacher, more than her friend. He was her hero, and had been since she first heard stories about the royal wizard. It was Mateo who had guided her to the formal study of magic when she was nine years old. Before then it had just been an impossible dream. Mateo's respect meant more to her than anyone else's.

In a softer voice Mateo added, "How many times have we been here, Olivia?"

"Actually, this is my first time in Nueva Vista…"

"You know what I mean!" Mateo seemed unamused. "How many times have you disregarded my instructions to do something stupid or dangerous?"

"Stupid?" Olivia's voice rose. "I'm advancing the study of magic. You've told me that often enough. I'm doing things the books in the biblioteca don't even mention. And I haven't hurt anyone, myself or others. I take risks, sure, but they're not stupid risks."

"Do you even get how much trouble you're in right now?" Mateo shouted.

"I don't get why I should even be in trouble," she shouted back. "I'm not that much younger than you were when you became the royal wizard!"

"I…was…not…ready. Elena appointed me because after 41 years of magic being outlawed there was no one else." Olivia was shocked to hear the tremor in her mentor's voice. "I went from studying in secret, fearing for my life, to having to practice before the entire realm, knowing that if I failed, if I made a mistake, the whole kingdom could fall. What I would have given to have a teacher, to have been able to learn my magic in peace and safety before being expected to save everyone…"

"But you're a great royal wizard. Everyone says so. You didn't need to be afraid," Olivia said.

"I'm still afraid! Every single day. Magic is dangerous. And on top of that I have to worry about wayward apprentices…"

"No, you don't," Olivia insisted. "I told you I could fight monsters and I did! I fought off Fiero when he attacked our boat. Not Victor. Not Ixlan. Me! They would have been captured if it weren't for me, so it's a good thing I stowed away."

"A good thing." Mateo shook his head. "Do you have any remorse for what you've done?"

Olivia thought about that for a moment. She always tried to be as honest as possible. "I'm sorry for worrying you, but I'm not sorry I came. I've already made a difference, a positive one. This is what I'm meant to do!"

"You have no sense of consequences, do you? This is all just some adventure to you, a game. 'Take that, evil vase.'" Olivia gasped at Mateo's mockery. When she was ten, Mateo had shown her his grandfather's compendium, a magical tome that could trap troublesome magical creatures in its pages. He'd taught her the spell for it, which she practiced on vases and other inanimate objects. She'd said, "Take that, evil vase," to be silly. Mateo had laughed, and it had been a running joke every since. For her mentor to turn that on her now felt almost like a betrayal.

"Well, here are some consequences for you." Mateo closed his eyes and paused. For a moment he looked forlorn. But then he opened his eyes again and his expression hardened. "From this moment on you are no longer my apprentice."

"No, you can't mean that!" Olivia cried out. She felt as though the air were being drained from her lungs.

The royal wizard continued as if he hadn't heard her. "Your magic lessons at Avalor City Elementary School are cancelled, effective immediately. Furthermore, you are henceforth banned from the palace. You're never getting near my laboratory or biblioteca again."

"You can't do that! I'm friends with Princess Isabel…"

Mateo smiled thinly. "You'll find that the Queen takes my advice when it comes to magical matters. She will back whatever decision I make regarding you.

"I'll let you keep your tamborita, but only because I'm afraid of what you'd do if I don't." The day was warm, but Olivia felt chilled. She couldn't even speak anymore. Mateo would think of taking her tamborita? And what did he mean, "afraid of what you'd do?" Did he think she'd become a malvaga? Never! Didn't Mateo know her better than that? Her eyed filled with tears.

Relentlessly Mateo went on. "I'm sending you back to your parents overland with the guard. You'll never believe it, but I'm doing this for your sake. This is the only way I can think to protect you." He turned his back on her and began to walk away.

"Mateo?" she called after him, bewildered.

He stopped, but did not turn around. "Adiós, Olivia." His voice broke, but Olivia heard the finality of his words. He continued walking away.

Olivia did not follow. Stunned, she wrapped her arms around herself. If she wasn't Mateo's apprentice, who was she?

AN: A story cannot contain a song, of course. But if you would like one, imagine this: a bachata sung by Mateo and Olivia as they argue.