Gabe arrived back at the village after yet another trip to the market place. It had been a few months and The Beast had decided that he finally trusted Gabe enough to accompany him. He figured he wouldn't try getting away without Elena and with him there as well, there wasn't much trouble Gabe could get into. While outside of the village, Gabe took every opportunity that he could to gain information about Avalor. When he did learn something new, None of it had been good. He walked with a heavy heart towards Elena's tent that particular day, knowing that the news he had to relay to her this time was going to crush her already diminishing spirit.

Gabe peaked inside Elena's tent and tentatively stepped in. He never knew what sort of mood Elena would be in anymore. At first, she had shut him out. She would barely speak with him. He understood why and wasn't offended much. They had to keep their distance. After time went on though, they slowly started to converse again. Small things, nothing of any great secrecy or importance. Mostly Gabe just liked to check up on Elena and make sure she was OK or if she needed anything. She'd smile bravely and gratefully at him, tell him that she was fine, then return to her duties. Her expressions, voice and demeanor lacked any sort of emotion or energy and Gabe could tell that she was losing hope and fading into the routine of her confined life. When Gabe had told her that he had been given responsibilities that would take him into the marketplace, her state of mind was lifted. There was hope of reaching out to somebody, anybody outside of their new home. That hope didn't last very long however. Each time Gabe returned with no new information and no trustworthy contacts to help them, Elena grew more somber. She felt the need more often than not to lie in her bed to "rest" as she would claim. She just didn't have the energy to do much else. There wasn't much she was allowed to do anyways.

That's exactly how Gabe found Elena. She was lying in her bed, staring off into nowhere in particular. Gabe's couldn't help but pity her as he wondered what could possibly be going through her head. She had always been strong, full of life, full of love. She was the first to jump into action in any situation. She was fearless. She believed that she could do anything and she inspired others to be that way too. The woman he saw now was none of those things. She was stuck, just frozen and listless. Her eyes glanced in Gabe's direction but she did not move. Her face remained vacant.

"I ummm just got back from the market place" Gabe said nervously as he set down some goods he had picked up for his queen.

"And?" Elena asked coldly, still not looking at Gabe.

"I do have some news... I mean... still no contacts in Avalor but... I did hear something you should know..." Gabe told her.

Elena finally turned her gaze on him and raised her eyebrows in curiosity. "Anything about my family?" She asked, sitting up.

"Umm yeah..." Gabe confirmed but his tone told Elena not to get too excited. He stepped over to stand by her side. "well first of all... Esteban is King. He is ruling by Shuriki's side"

"What?!" Elena said softly but with much surprise. She was confused.

"Yeah... I don't know how that came to be but... It's true... Victor and Carla Delgado helped during the invasion too. They have plans to take over Cariza and Cordoba too" Gabe said, pausing a moment before continuing on with his news. "Most of the staff has remained in the palace under Shuriki's rule. They are loyal to her now. but... It gets worse..."

Elena silently motioned for him to continue. He could see that her mind was already in agony over anticipation about her family's fate. There was no use prolonging her pain.

"Shuriki had your grandparents killed" Gabe said bluntly. There was no other way to say it without dragging it out. He could sense that on some level she already knew anyways and her response to his news told him that he was right. She nodded, eyes wide, not knowing what else to do. She then took a deep inhale and froze as her next thought came upon her. Her breath became short and shallow. She looked up at Gabe with fear and he knew exactly what she was thinking. He bit his bottom lip and his eyes filled with tears and pain as they sympathetically stared into Elena's.

"Isa?" Elena managed to ask in a choked up voice.

Gabe opened his mouth to respond but nothing came out. He simply shook his head, letting her know that Isa didn't make it. Elena's heart seemed to stop and she dropped her head into her hands. She wanted to cry but she was too drained of any emotion. Gabe watched her in horror. His own lip began to quiver. He didn't know what to do or what to say. He stepped closer to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. She quickly shrugged it away. Gabe pulled back and didn't attempt to try again. He just continued to watch her.

"Please leave me alone. I just want to be alone." Elena demanded, throwing herself down, hiding her face in her pillows and curling up as tightly as she could. Gabe did as she asked. She had told him the day of the invasion that if anything had happened to Isa it would be on him. He certainly felt that way now and he knew that he would carry that guilt around with him until his dying day.

When Gabe was outside the tent, he stood at his post but he was distracted. He certainly wasn't standing at attention and because of this he was startled when he was approached by The Beast.

"Is she going to be OK? That couldn't have been easy to hear" The Beast asked, sounding completely sincere which left Gabe feeling a bit dumbfounded.

"You were listening?" he asked.

"No" The Beast admitted. "But I know that you have been listening to the conversations at the marketplace. I had no doubt you'd share the information with the queen"

Gabe looked at The Beast, trying to figure out his game. If he had known Gabe was gathering information, why had he allowed the trips to the market place to continue? Why had he allowed Gabe to share his findings with Elena? Why was Gabe not not being punished for his crimes right now?

The Beast read Gabe's confused expression. "Just stand attention at your post and listen" He ordered. Gabe did what he was told, taking his place to the left of Elena's tent entrance. The Beast stood attention on the opposite side.

"First off, My name is Gervaso. Prince Gervaso to be exact. My father was king of the Fuerza. He died two years ago and my brother has taken over. Do you know anything about the history of The Fuerza people Lieutenant?" Gervaso asked. Gabe shook his head that he did not. "Well The Fuerza lived on this island in isolation for many generations. My father however, began to venture off the island, he learned from others. New and better ways to live. As we became less primal and more civilized, we began to prosper. Our village was growing and thriving. We had great ties with Cariza and had hopes of finding a place of importance in the world around us. My father was murdered though. By a man from Cariza that we had welcomed into our community. When my father died, my brother put an end to everything we had worked for. He vowed to return Fuerza to isolationism and he is willing to destroy anything or anybody that gets in his way. He didn't like that there were new faces among us. Strangers. He felt like they were untrustworthy. He is a strong warrior but he lives in fear. It is a foolish fear. He punishes all for the evil deed of one. My brother has never been a good man. Even before what happened to our father. He is cruel and filled with anger. His reign needs to end."

"Why are you sharing all of this with me?!?" Gabe asked, still confused.

"We want the same thing. We both want Galtero dead" Gervaso explained. "I can't be the one to kill him. If I get caught, The Fuerza community won't trust me. They will kill me. I will never be King and I will never be able to continue the progress that my father had made."

"So you want Elena and I to kill him?" Gabe asked, trying to piece everything together.

"Yes" Gervaso confirmed. "If you can kill him I will help you both get back to Avalor. You have my word that The Fuerza warriors will fight for you."

"Why should I trust you?" Gabe inquired, narrowing his eyes on his perspective ally.

"Without me, you have no way out of your situation. Without you, I have no way to get what I want. We need each other. I have access to Avalor. The King likes his fine silks and materials, fine wines and other goods that he can only get in Avalor. I travel there every few weeks. I am the only one he trusts to do so. I can help you communicate with those inside the city. If I can do this, do we have a deal?" Gervaso offered.

Gabe thought about it for a moment. He wasn't sure yet if Gervaso could be trusted but he had no other choice. It had been months and he wasn't even close to figuring anything else out.

"And if Elena and I get caught and accused of his murder? What then? Won't they try to kill us?" Gabe wondered.

"Yes" Gervaso answered plainly. "But I promise you that if you are caught I will do everything in my power to vouch for your innocence. The community trusts me. As long as I am not suspected of anything, they will listen to me"

Gabe nodded and considered Gervaso's proposal once again. "If you can find me a trustworthy contact inside the palace, then you have yourself a deal. Elena has a scepter and I need to get it here."

"A scepter? What's so special about her scepter?" Gervaso asked, intrigued.

"We just need it. That's all you need to know for now" Gabe replied. "If you can get it here, then we have a deal"

"Good" Gervaso said as he grinned and walked away.

"Gervaso? Wait!" Gabe called out. He had one last question. Gervaso stopped and turned to face Gabe. His expression became as he glanced around to make sure no one was paying much attention to their interactions.

"Did you let me win our fight?" Gabe asked.

One corner of Gervaso's mouth turned up into a sly half grin. "Of course. You'd be useless to me if you were dead. I made it look pretty good though didn't I?"