Naomi could still remember the first time she had stayed at the Royal Palace right before her 16th birthday.

She, of course, had seen palaces before that time, coming in all shapes, styles, and colors. Some had been made out of shining white marble while others had been daunting gray bricks; some had tall spires that touched the sky, and others had brightly painted domes.

No matter where Naomi had traveled to though, they all shared the same idea of being the most enviable place in all the Kingdom. The place where little kids, and even adults, fantasized about living in their daydreams as they slogged through their hard labor. However, Naomi had always been content with her life of traveling aboard a ship, that her mind never really dabbled in those fantasies. Though, looking at it now, perhaps it was partially because she hadn't known any other way of living.

So, at the time, Elena had had to practically beg her to come stay at the Palace when Naomi revealed that both her parents would be gone for a week. And in all honesty, her rooms, or Royal apartments, as Esteban had corrected her, had been very overwhelming at first, with way too much space for her liking.

She was someone who had been able to sleep in hammocks, a top of crates, in the sand on beaches, sitting upright during Council meetings, and even against a park wall with some adorable piglets. She had also just spent the last few years living on a small schooner for EverRealm's sake, she could live downsized if she needed to.

So, did she really need a huge four poster bed, writing desk area in the corner, a living room area with multiple couches, a fireplace, and a large mostly empty wardrobe?

The only real comfort right now was that these were the very apartments Naomi had stayed in during that very first visit, and every time she had stayed after.

She readjusted her lounging position in the window sill nook that overlooked the sea. She was also currently reading through the first draft chapters for Dr. Mendoza's newest book on Ancient Maru that was scheduled to be coming out in a few months. Reading them brought her back to the time when she was her sort-of kind-of unpaid-research-assistant, which helped in creating a sense of normality and distraction to Naomi's world. Considering that every day since her and Esteban had returned from Norberg had been anything but.

There was then a knock at the door.

"It's open!" Naomi called out in reply, not bothering to take her eyes off the pages to see who entered the room.

Part of the reason for this being that there were only a few people that she saw and really interacted with nowadays that there was no reason to be on such high alert. And, the other part being that if it was someone like one of the staff, she didn't want to eye contact and therefore by social protocol have to make stiff small talk; all the while they tried desperately not to ask what had happened in Norberg, and why exactly Naomi made such a sudden move to the Palace. That seemed to be the newest mystery around here that had everyone enraptured based on how many no to subtle whispers the staff made to one another.

"Ahoy Captain."

Naomi immediately sat straight up and twisted her body around so that she could face Elena as the Queen used her foot to close the door behind her.

"Did you receive any letters today?" Naomi asked, not caring how desperate she may have sounded.

Elena and Esteban had wasted no time in writing out secret letters to their most closely allied Kingdoms, and had them sealed and securely tied around the various Jaquins legs that would be taking them there. They may have not been the most stealthy mode of delivery, but being intelligent, speaking, powerful creatures would certainly make them hard to intercept.

"You sure you don't want a nice cup of Champurrado first?" Elena asked, raising two red mugs up with a large, cheesy, and fake grin on her face.

Naomi only cocked an eyebrow up in response.

Elena sighed and took a seat on the large trunk that sat at the foot of Naomi's bed. A trunk that Elena had kept safe in the palace and had held the few simple dresses that Naomi owned, including the one she was wearing now, since they hadn't had a purpose during her time as an explorer.

Elena sighed again and put the mugs down next to her. "I did, but it's not with any good news."

"Any news is welcomed by this point," Naomi egged on, wanting her to get to the point.

Elena nodded her head in agreement. "So far, from our friends close by: Cordoba, Paraiso, Cariza, and Galonia, no one has seen or heard anything from Chloe. None of them even knew the situation that was going on in Norberg."

"How is that possible!?" Naomi asked, absolutely astounded. It was one thing for one kingdom to not be in the loop, but practically every Kingdom in the Eastern Hemisphere? Not that was getting dicey.

"That's what I want to know, myself. Especially about that Oswall guy." Elena grabbed her chin in contemplation. "He just shows up out of nowhere to help Shuriki take over Avalor, and then, according to Esteban, just as suddenly disappears from the kingdom 20 years ago, and now reappears in Norberg. He certainly sounds dangerous."

"Well, now that your allies know they're dangerous too, they can help at least slow down any progress, and prevent Oswall and Edward from fully taking over Norberg for good, right?"

"Even I know that it's not that simple, amiga," Elena said pensively. "Monarchs are supposed to be servants to the people of their kingdom. And that means cutting ties with Norberg would also be considering terminating trade deals, not having the prestigious and famous Norberg Navy ships in times of crisis, and also putting the lives of their Ambassadors that are traveling abroad in danger."

That response certainly revealed a more mature and different Elena that only a few years ago had made up the position of Supreme Commanding Master Chief Admiral of the Avalor Coast Guard for Scarlett and suggested freezing the entire Kingdom's harbor just so Naomi wouldn't have to move away from Avalor.

But, Naomi was both happy at her friend for having such a clear mind through all this, and annoyed that she herself was being incredibly rash and impatient right now as she scratched the back of her bare neck in agitation.

"Hey, we still haven't heard back from Maarswik, Napurna, Satu, and even Hectoria. King Hector and Queen Abigail had seemed to be making progress, granted very slow, progress according to one of Chloe's more recent letters." Elena then perked up. "I could even send a letter to King Pescoro in Coronado! He might have heard something or being a Sirena, he might even run in the same circles as Maliga as they're both underwater creatures."

"Maliga? The sea nymph you wrote to me about?"

Elena nodded. "Her and Chloe had been growing closer ever since Chloe's...unpredictable birthday party a few years ago, and Maliga was making pretty regular trips to Norberg to visit her. They even had this way of communicating with shells." Elena tugged at one end of her bangs in agitation. "Oh! I hope I have that letter saved somewhere!"

Naomi didn't get too excited at this idea, as she wasn't too ready to put her own trust in a sea creature helping out, hard to easily stamp out what were once considered the watery 'monsters' of her childhood, even if Elena had made an official peace treaty with them. But by this point, maybe Chloe had turned into a nymph or even a Sirena as Queen Camila had. It certainly seemed like she had vanished into thin air.

Naomi pulled herself back though before she could start exploring too far down the conspiracy theorist hole, and focused on the facts. And the fact remained that Elena was right, there were still plenty of letters to receive and good news that could fly in at any moment. And there was no point in stressing out her friend who was already doing so much for her.

So, Naomi put on a smile and stuck out her hand. "I'll take that Champurrado now, your royal, joyal majesty."

Her plan worked as Elena's mood instantly got brighter, with no need for the magic dress to show it, and passed a cup to Naomi.

The girls clinked their mugs together, and tipped back their drinks. Naomi was instantly flooded with the sweet taste of chocolate and cinnamon, and wondered how she could have gone this long being back in Avalor and not had a cup of Armando's famous and award winning Champurrado until now.

"You said you were unpacked all the way," Elena then said as she reached behind her and pulled up Naomi's still very full knapsack.

"Oh, I always have that thing packed and ready to go, in case I needed to hit the ground running," Naomi explained casually. "Grew up making sure I could have my whole life ready to go in a day and move to the next port."

"Well, you're home now."

Naomi put on another smile for her and nodded.

"Great, so let's unpack it." Elena pulled the strings of the knapsack, opened the top, and began to carefully pull out the contents and lay them gently on the bed.

It wasn't entirely necessary to have this much care as it only held the essential things that had seen a lot of worse days: an extra shirt and breeches, two pairs of thick socks, a fire making kit of flint and tinder, a cheap compass, and her lasso.

Elena froze though when she pulled out the wedding dress.

Naomi had completely forgotten about that thing.

She hadn't even had a full conversation with Esteban since moving to the palace, both of them keeping to the agreement that they had made on their wedding night. Such as today, she had only seen him at breakfast, where they sat at opposite ends of the table and didn't say a word to each other beyond pleasantries in passing as he was suddenly pulled out of the room at Luisa's behest.

Elena rubbed a piece of the lace sleeve between her forefinger and thumb. "I still can't believe-"

"Elena," Naomi cut in sharply.

"Right. Right. I know we're not talking about it," Elena said waving a hand. She did move to shake out the dress and carefully fold it back up into a neat pile.

"How are your parents by the way?" She asked, giving the wedding dress pile one more smoothing out. "I've wanted to give them space and not bombard them with questions. I know it's been a hard couple of days and a lot has happened."

Naomi instantly avoided Elena's gaze, and instead became very interested in the flower pattern on her dress's skirt, tracing the yellow stitches with her finger.

"Have you talked to your parents at all?"

Naomi swallowed hard. "No."

"You shouldn't be angry with them."

"I'm not angry with them...or maybe I am a little...I'm just, I'm just..." Naomi then threw a hand up in the air in exasperation. "I don't fully know what exactly. Betrayed? Sad? Confused?"

Naomi gripped her mug tightly. "Maybe all of the above."

Elena's sisterly instincts immediately came out as she came over and squeezed herself in the nook, before putting an arm around Naomi's shoulders and pulling her close into her side.

"Would you have preferred that they didn't tell you the truth at all?"

Naomi shook her head. "No, we've always been open with each other. So much so that it hurts...it hurts because it feels like they lied to me by waiting to tell me so long and only because they had to."

"I'm sure they didn't mean it that way," Elena said, rubbing Naomi's arm. "Shouldn't you go down and talk to them, give you a chance to fix this."

Naomi sighed. "I don't know if it could be that simple."

"But they're your parents-"

"And what would you do if you found out that your parents killed innocents or did something to that extent?" Naomi sharply turned her head to Elena, holding back the tears that stung her eyes. "Could you forgive them?"

Elena was taken so aback by the question that her mouth hung open and she was stunned into momentary silence.

Naomi wasn't trying to sully or bring any ill-will to the memory of not only Avalor's last King and Queen, but more importantly, Elena's parents. However, Naomi also felt like she needed to grab a hold of any kind of life line right now.

And even as Elena tried to subtly wipe a single tear that was sliding down her cheek, she still cast her eyes upward, giving the question some serious thought.

In the end, she just shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. All I can remember them as the loving, forgiving parents and amazing rulers they were." Elena bit her lip. "If I were to choose, I would choose to forgive them since I know how unpredictable life can be and you could lose them at any time, most of the time, when you least expect it."

"And the fact still remains that in the end, they were wrongfully murdered by an evil witch. And I've had to make peace with the fact that I may never know how she got past our guards and Alacazar." Elena reached up and delicately traced the swirl design of her crown. It had been modeled after the crown that her mother had worn since the original had been obliterated into nothing by Shuriki's deadly spell, just like everything, everyone, it had touched. "And I have a kingdom and a child to consider now anyways, and they are my present and future."

Naomi let a real smile tug at her lips as she wriggled out her arm that was crushed against Elena's side to move it to put around her shoulders. Elena was always so strong, filled with so much fire, whether Naomi always agreed with it or not, that kept her moving forward.

"I appreciate the support, I always do, Elena. But you have to let me do this my own way." Naomi cleared her throat and pressed the side of her temple against Elena's. "What's more important now is Chloe, you said she's our top priority, and that should be it."

Elena nodded her head, one of her styled curl's tickling Naomi's cheek. "If that's what you've decided."

"It is."

"Alright! Then come on," Elena said, jumping to her feet. "I've got something to show you."

"What?"

"You'll see," She said with a sly grin on her face.

She kept that sly grin on her face all the way to the Palace's library, and more specifically, the Royal Wizard's Workshop.

They entered through the open grand painting door to find Mateo sitting on a stool at his stone work table. He was hunched over in a way that couldn't be great for his back, and seemed to be wearing a pair of goggles.

"Mateo!" Elena exclaimed.

He jumped slightly and turned his attention to them. The goggles he was wearing had a magnifying glass fixed over one eye, so his left hazel eye looked extremely enlarged and a little grotesque.

"Well this is a surprise," He said cheerfully as he lifted the goggles up and rested them on top of his head. "How is the Queen and her advisor?"

Naomi refrained from snorting. It was kind of Elena to call her an advisor rather than a lady-in-waiting, it had a bit more credibility to it, but she hadn't been able to really help "advise" Elena on anything when Naomi hadn't left the palace.

Instead, the only real help she had been able to offer was sorting through an alarmingly high amount of copies of receipts and orders from Nueva Vista. True, Elena had given Duke Cisco a generous amount of gold, thanks to her cashing in her favor with the noblins for it, so that he could start to rebuild Nueva Vista after Cristobel had spent almost every penny of it in his effort to bring Shuriki back to power.

Still, even if the unofficial motto of that place was 'spare no expense,' there had to be no conceivable reason for an order of 100 pink silk ribbons.

Mateo's smile then dropped a little. "Wait, I didn't forget anything did I?"

He began furiously looking around the table on empty beakers and the covers of closed books. "I know I would have left a note to remind myself if there was some visiting Royal or some function we needed to go to."

"Don't worry, mi alma, this is an impromptu visit to show Naomi what you and Isabel have been working on," Elena said as she patted his shoulder. Her hand then reached up to grab his chin and move his face to reveal a long scratch that was along his cheek. "Although, I did remind you that I wanted you to be careful since you are playing with this dangerous stuff."

"Says the girl who used to leap off balconies and onto flying Jaquins," Naomi cut in with, but was promptly ignored.

"I am being careful," Mateo mumbled back as best he could as his cheeks were a little squished from her hold. He pointed to his head. "I'm even wearing the hairband Isa gave me so I can see."

"I'm glad you two are getting along really well, especially with this project." Elena wiped a smudge of dirt off his forehead with her sleeve. "But I also can't tell which of you is the worst influence on the other."

"Are you really going to sell your own sister out like that?" Isabel said, coming into the workshop right on cue with a crate full of odd looking tools with many gears and knobs, and placed it on the other side of the table they were gathered around.

Isabel had certainly grown up the most from the little 11 year old that had followed around their Los Cuatro group. Now at 17, she was the same height as Naomi, but still petite. And although she had lost her rounded baby face, there was still something soft and sweet about it, much like the woodland nymphs Naomi often saw in paintings from the Northern Kingdoms.

"I was not 'selling' you out if I was stating the facts," Elena said as she motioned to the chemical burn scar that was peeking out from underneath the rolled up sleeve of Isabel's lab coat.

Isabel just waved off her older sister. "We're taking all the precautions with safety gloves, aprons, and protective eye gear," She said, pointing to the matching set of goggles that she wore on her head. "Which is more than I can say for you, especially when you used to barge in very loudly when we were in the middle of working on some of the more delicate and volatile items."

Elena actually pouted at that accusation. "I've gotten better at that."

Isabel didn't look convinced as she then turned to Mateo. "Did she yell when she arrived here?"

"Hey, put your goggles on and take a look at this-this fragment on our newest exhibit!" Mateo said as he quickly got off the stool and offered it to his sister-in-law, who took it, though it was obvious to her and everyone else that he had mainly done it to dodge the question.

"What exactly is all this anyways?" Naomi asked, gesturing around the room.

Mateo's workshop was probably the room Naomi had visited the least in all of the palace over the years. Not that it wasn't impressive, as it looked exactly like the stone chambers that she had seen inside the Maruvian temples. Which wasn't much of a surprise, given that Royal Wizards had been around since Ancient Maru, and was a position that had survived even after the Maruvians had abruptly disappeared and old Avalor had emerged from it.

However, while there had always been shelves of different colored potions and old spellbooks, there seemed to be an over abundance of them now. Along with scattered papers and a blackboard with equations that Naomi had no idea what they meant. But what really caught Naomi's attention was the numerous miscellaneous items laid out on a back table. They all looked like they had been dipped in liquid silver and had little cards in front of them that said Exhibit A, Exhibit B, and so on and so forth.

Isabel must have noticed Naomi take particular interest in the collection as she said, "Those are items we've been dipping into the Crystal Well in Takaina."

"We're experimenting to see if depending on what items that you put down, what powers they will get based on different variables. And in turn, if we can then control what the powers the item will get," Mateo added.

Naomi retreated a hand back just as she was about to touch what looked like had once been a frying pan, not wanting to get any unexpected magic backlash that could spring out, as she knew could happen from personal experience.

"Interested in magic now, Isabel?" Naomi asked now fully intrigued.

"More like she's enlightening me to the 'magic' of science," Mateo interjected, writing something down on a clipboard that Isabel mumbled to him.

"I am the one with the bachelor's degree in physics," Isabel said, lifting her goggles back up on her head. "Besides, everyone should be at least knowledgeable in the basics like control variables and stimulus."

"Are you sure this is what we should be working on right now?" Naomi asked, not that she wasn't impressed with the interesting mashup of science and magic.

Mateo's face went a little crestfallen. "Well, none of the location spells I found worked, no matter what I tried," He said in a defeated tone, leaning against the table as his leg began to bounce. "It's like something is clouding Chloe. Which, there are cloaking spells, but that would mean she would have to have a wizard with her. But of course, I don't know who that could be since Norberg is a Kingdom that doesn't have a Royal Wizard. There are wizards for hire, but that doesn't narrow it down as we still don't know if this disappearance of hers was entirely consensual."

Before Naomi could get ready to sit back and get prepared for more of his long winded rambling, Elena came over and put a hand on the back of his head and buried her fingers in his curly hair, quieting and calming him down instantly.

"What he's trying to say," Elena translated. "Is that we're hoping that maybe something more powerful can be created by the Crystal Well to help and find Chloe."

"And you guys really think this will work?" Naomi asked, taking in the pile of items with a new sense of interest.

"Hoping so!" Isabel said, pushing back a lock of her short, thick curly brown hair. "I want to help as much as I can before I have to leave for Satu. But Takaina is like a whole other world, almost separate from Maru."

"Full of hidden chambers?" Naomi finished.

"Yes!" Mateo said brightly. "So you've read Dr. Mendoza's notes?"

"Haven't finished, just got through her chapter on the pottery shards she found and her hypothesis on how they may have been used for some kind of ritual to bless the crops for a good harvest."

Mateo looked slightly confused at that. "She has?"

Naomi lifted up an eyebrow. "Have you read her notes?"

Mateo tugged at his Wizard robes collar. "I...may have skipped ahead to the chapters dealing with magic."

"Isa?" Elena then asked.

"I may have also only read the section on irrigation and aqueducts," Isabel admitted. "It's a great read though! You should check it out."

"Noted," Naomi said. She then glanced around the room again. "I'm surprised you haven't tried a tamborita."

"We did," Mateo said, crossing his arms and looking like he had had his favorite toy taken away by his mother. "It turned out to be similar to the Crystal Tamborita Quita Moz has. It is more powerful, and the location spell was able to reach farther out, but the cloaking spell still blocked us from exactly seeing where she might be."

Mateo then pointed to Elena, "And as much as I would love to try and put Elena's scepter in next time, since I know the jewel on it is from the Crystal Well, and therefore could be an incredibly powerful tool, I also don't know what it's side effects could be. It could sap her strength and energy even faster."

"So, until then, we're trying a new approach!" Isabel said, the failure not keeping her down. Though, given her profession, that was to be expected. "We pulled from the library and found stories from other Kingdoms of items, like Mirrors, that could see anywhere in the world or answer any question you ask them."

"Which reminds me," Isabel dug through the crate she had brought in and pulled out a book. "I just got a book on Agrabah and the history of magic lamps. I think we should start moving to dipping containers next."

Elena pointed to the book. "Where in the EverRealm did you get that? I know we certainly didn't have that or I would have read that one in preparation for last year's Royal Retreat."

"From Esteban's private collection," Isabel said. "He said I could even take a few more books with me to Satu."

"How did you convince-?" Elena narrowed her eyes. "You used the look on him, didn't you?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Isabel said in a tone saturated in sweetness, with her brown eyes seemingly getting rounder and bigger. "He just gave it to me."

"And yet when I ask him to do the simplest thing, it's like trying to pull teeth out!" Elena exclaimed, and Naomi smiled at how true that was.

"But you two have always been like that," Isabel said matter-of-factly.

"I know, I know," Elena said as she stuck up her chin slightly. "I think he's just bitter because I could always beat him in every challenge we did together since we were kids."

"Which I can get confirmation on when I see him at lunch, which should be right about now." Elena stomach then let out a loud gurgling sound to prove her statement. "Mateo, you coming?"

Mateo shook his head. "Not now. I have a few more things I want to check out. I think the mirror we dipped during nighttime rather than during the day might be stronger, but I want to make sure first. I'll grab a sandwich from Armando later, promise."

Elena seemed okay with this answer as she kissed his forehead and then turned to her sister.

"I'll get a sandwich later too," Isabel replied, flipping through the books pages rapidly. "After this, I need to finish packing up another crate of books."

"And who do you think is going to carry all 12 of those crates to the ship for you then?" Elena asked.

"Gabe said he would carry as many as I needed," Isabel said, shrugging her shoulders.

"Then Gabe's being too soft for you, as usual," Elena said, turning to Naomi for wordless confirmation, which she gave, reminded of all those hikes he had been dragged on by her.

"Well, she's going to have to be the one to carry them to her dormitory in Satu," Naomi noted as she and Elena exited the workshop with great alarm suddenly growing on Isabel's face, as if she was realizing this fact for the first time.

The two of them were still laughing about that look as they left the library, and Naomi ran right into Esteban in the doorway.

She was just about to say something along the lines of, 'woah, couldn't see us down here with your nose stuck up so high, Chancellor?' But as soon as they made eye contact with each other, they stiffened.

Quickly seeing that Luisa and Francisco were behind him though, as well as Elena still standing next to her, Naomi at least had to say something.

She settled on, "Esteban."

"Naomi." He replied back just as stunted, followed by an uncomfortable pause.

"Esteban has something to give you," Luisa quickly cut in.

Naomi raised her eyebrows in surprise. "He does?"

"Yes. Yes, I do." Esteban said hurriedly, but didn't immediately continue as his eyes went over to his cousin.

Elena picked up on this glance. "Oh! Uh...I will meet you guys outside then," She said awkwardly before leaving the group.

Naomi expected for the abuelos to follow, but they stayed right where they were, looking mighty pleased with themselves.

"I just wanted to give you this," Esteban said abruptly and pulled out a hand from behind his back to present something to her. It was a ring.

And from just the look of it as Naomi gingerly took it, it was not a cheap ring. It was a gold band that had a small sliver of silver wound and knotted together with it that joined together in the middle of the ring, where a perfectly round white pearl sat on top of it.

"Wow. You didn't have to give me something so...so..." Naomi couldn't even think of a word, and was only able to stare at the small, but valuable piece of jewelry that sat in the middle of her palm. "We already have the marriage certificate."

"Well, you still deserve to have one," Esteban said softly, and Naomi looked back up to meet his eyes. "And it will make it more believable should people actually find out."

"Right, believable," Naomi repeated, moving to look back at the ring. "You should have said something though as I could have gotten one for you as well if we were going through the trouble."

"I appreciate the sentiment, but I already have one." Esteban said as he brought out his left hand. And sure enough, on his fourth finger was a ring made of silver with a strip of gold through the middle of it and engraved with the same knotted design that Naomi's ring had.

"It's your rings matching pair," Luisa then said, startling Naomi as she had almost forgotten they were there. "Esteban spent all day all day in the Royal Treasury picking it out."

"Abuela, please," Esteban said sheepishly.

"This is a family heirloom!?" Naomi said, sticking her hand out farther from her. "Then I really shouldn't have this."

"Nonsense! You've always deserved to have something from the treasury," Francisco interjected boisterously. "And regardless of the circumstances of this marriage, you're his wife, and you deserve to be treated as such by the example Luisa and I have led for him."

"Well, maybe not all of the examples, mi amor," Luisa added. "Such as that chivalry is nice, but not always needed."

"Oh, but he should already know that," Francisco said, patting Esteban on the back. "Remember when he had that crush on that kitchen girl when he was a little boy."

"And so he tried to carry all those bags of flour, which of course he couldn't," Luisa tittered. "And so he tripped over his feet and caused a bag to break and cover that poor girl in flour from head to toe."

Esteban then actually groaned as he hunched over a little and put his head in his hand, hiding most of his face, but Naomi could still see the bright blush that was on his face. It made him look less like the dignified, older Chancellor that he was, and more like when a teenager is having their embarrassing naked baby portraits shown.

And before Naomi could stop herself, she started laughing at that idea, and being reminded that Esteban was still as much of the flamboyant, and even slightly awkward man that he had always been. She tried to stifle the laugh even more by pressing her hand to her mouth, but her obvious shaking shoulders quickly gave it away.

Esteban looked even less amused at her laughter, but she didn't pay much attention to him as she finally picked up the ring in her palm and slid it onto her left hand ring finger. It fit perfectly.

She held it up to the light to get a better look. She hadn't ever worn a ring in her entire life, so this was quite beautiful to receive as her first one. And it was kind of him to spend so much time picking it out, even if she realized now that this is why Luisa had dragged Esteban off so quickly this morning.

"Hey, just so you know, I don't hate you," Naomi then said, causing Esteban to raise an eyebrow at her. "Well, I guess hate is a strong word. You're annoying for sure, but dislike wouldn't be right either-"

"The feeling is mutual," Esteban interrupted her with, but there was a small smile on his face. "I can assure you."

Naomi smiled again and gave him a nod in understanding.

"Well, now that that's settled," Francisco said, taking his wife's arm. "I believe I can smell the tamales from here, and we shouldn't have Elena eat by herself."

The couple both gave one more glance at Naomi's ring, this extremely soft expression on their faces, before leading the way down the hallway.

While Esteban didn't put out an arm for her to take, which Naomi was grateful as she wasn't sure she would have wanted that anyways, he did raise an arm in the direction of the dining room and politely ask, "May I escort you?"

"You can, sir," Naomi said, raising a hand to her forehead to salute him. Which he did roll his eyes at, but all with the air of good natured humor behind it as they fell in step with one another

"So," Naomi then whispered and she nodded up to Luisa and Francisco. "I'm guessing these first few days of marriage have been just as much fun for you as they have been for me."

"Fun wouldn't be my first choice word," Esteban replied back flatly. "Since my abuelos are traditional, and have been nagging me constantly that since I'm the mature one, I should strive to take care of you at all costs."

"Rather than mature, I think the word they were looking for is old. In which case I should be the one taking care of you," Naomi said, relishing in how natural it felt to have that quip roll off her tongue.

Especially when she could see Esteban look down at her out of the corner of her eye with that expectantly annoyed look on his face.

He then straightened back up. "Then I will take having seniority in this relationship, if that means you'll finally start listening and doing what I say."

"Hmmm, don't count on it. You have more of a chance of becoming King of the World than that happening," She replied with, this time looking to meet his eyes after she said that comment.

Instead of continuing the back and forth though, they settled for smirking at one another, content with having a resemblance of their banter back after these last two weeks of painful awkwardness and dancing around.

So, with that foundation relaid, they were able to move on to making small comments about blasé subjects like the great weather conditions on the harbor and the delivery of the seasonal spices that would come with it.

And if just perhaps things stayed like this for the next 351 days, then it just might be bearable.