Hey everyone, sorry it took so long. for the next few Chapters I've decided to take a break from Carla and focus on Elena and Esteban and their backstory together. Remember this is about Elena, Carla, and Esteban. Enjoy!

WORK IN PROGRESS

The next morning, Elena went to Gabe and Mateo to check up on Carla after she had a traumatizing encounter with her mother.

"Is Carla okay?" said Elena.

"She's still trying to cope with her situation." said Mateo.

"Ash has got some nerve showing up to see Carla, I could've arrested her right then and there." said Gabe

"I still can't believe she would do this, after she turned Victor into stone, she tried to force Carla to leave with her when she doesn't want to. I cant imagine any mother who would do that to their own child!" Elena was infuriated. "and Esteban helped her! The nerve of him! helping Ash taking back her broken daughter, especially after what he did to our family! Elena was enraged at her own cousin. "I can't wait to have him exiled to the island!" Elena's dress started lighting up.

"Elena calm down!" Mateo warned.

Elena saw her dress light up and she started to keep her cool.

"Im sorry, I'm just so overwhelmed by this." Elena apologized.

"Don't worry Elena, we'll find them." said Gabe.

"But most importantly we have to help Carla get through the trauma she's in, especially after she lost her father to Ash, she'll need our help more than ever." said Mateo.

"You're right, just make sure she's okay, help her in any way you can." said Elena

"What about you? aren't you going to help her too?" asked Gabe.

"I will, but I need to think first." said Elena

as Elena was walking through the hallways of the castle she was very irritated with Esteban, he put Elena through a lot after learning that he betrayed his family to help Shuriki take over Avalor, and what made her more angry is that he escaped from the dungeon and helped the Delgados escape as well, then he joins Ash on the path to evil, and to think she was willing to excuse his exile. but escaping the dungeon made it worse for Esteban.

"How could he do this, How my own cousin who I've grew up with for so long betray our family?!" Elena felt sad and angry she knew a part of her wants Esteban out of her life but another part of her misses him, and she hates herself for that. then she remembered what Esteban said at the council as to the reason why he betrayed his family.

After I lost my parents I felt like i no longer had a place in the palace i felt like an outcast... I felt like I no longer mattered, no one even listened to me, not like they listen to Elena, it's if i were invisible... I needed to be seen to be heard, Shuriki offered me the power I always dreamed of, and because I was young, foolish, and angry, I said yes...But no one was supposed to get hurt, I realized I had made a terrible mistake but it was to late.

As Elena remembered what Esteban said about not feeling important, she almost found it believable. She never thought that Esteban could be left out, that wouldn't they listen to him as she were listened to. Elena always thought that Esteban was apart of this family, But can she really believe it? After over forty years of lies and deceit, how can she know he's telling the truth?

Then it hit her, her scepter, she can use her truth vision to reveal the truth but was she ready to see it, she wanted to know if Esteban was telling the truth and if she wasnt lying to him she was afraid that if she saw what Esteban's life was like with Shuriki she would probably regret it, she needed some wisdom and she knew who to call.

"Zuzo!" Elena called.

"Hey princess" said Zuzo "Need some guidance?"

"More than ever." said Elena.

Zuzo noticed Elenas sad look on her face.

"What's wrong?" asked Zuzo

"Zuzo I'm about to look at Esteban's past, but I don't know if im ready to see it" Elena said as she held her scepter.

Zuzo's concerned look shows that this is a serious situation.

"Why do you even want to see it?" asked Zuzo

"Because Esteban's reason for betrayal at the grand council meeting has playing in my head for quite sometime now, I want to know if he was really telling the truth, but im too scared too see it." Elena felt fear down to her feet.

"I can't make your life choices for you princess." Zuzo said. "but what I can tell you is that you have to be sure if you're ready to put yourself in a position even if it makes you uncomfortable, and sometimes the truth can hurt"

"That's what I'm afraid of, if what Esteban said wasn't true then... Elena felt sadness and anger as she thought about Esteban. "I just don't want to be lied by my own family again."

"Well, you'll never know what is true until you find out for yourself. Zuzo advised as he pointed to her scepter. "It's your choice Elena."

As Zuzo dissapeared she knew that she had to be strong to know how Esteban was telling the truth.

As she grabbed her scepter she asked what happened in Esteban's life and his story was revealed.

...

Meanwhile while Ash was still resting from her late night failed mission to free Carla, Esteban got up early and looked outside from hideout as if he were looking at the castle. as he was watching the sunrise he wondered how Elena is doing, she is probably mad after what she had heard about Ash and Esteban trying to break Carla out. He thought about all the terrible things he had done, he betrayed his own family, helped Shuriki take over Avalor and kill Elena's parents, escaped freed the Delgados, teamed up with Ash, and now he was involved with the murder of Alacazzar. As he thought about his actions he felt more worse then ever before.

"Im sorry cousin, I wish I could change the past. I pray you'll find it in your heart to forgive me. Buenos diaz, prima." Esteban said as he looked at the morning sunrise.