"He was useless! Always was! I never should have left Cariza in his hands!" Shuriki complained. "Now she has Cariza and Fuerza! This is unacceptable!"

The Queen paced back and forth in her throne room, trying to figure out how it all went so wrong. It was Elena. If Elena had been properly dealt with in the first place, Shuriki wouldn't be having any troubles keeping her kingdoms in tact.

"You did take all the soldiers my Queen" Esteban told her, rolling his eyes at her as she turned her back. He was trying his best to keep a cool head as he stood off to the side watching the anxiety build inside of his wife. "No one could have held off Elena's army"

Shuriki scowled at Esteban. This was his family threatening her power and she wondered now if he would betray her again. As long as he had thought Elena was dead, she knew that Esteban would stay close to her, close to where the power was. Now though, his allegiance to her could change at any moment.

"If you send troops to Cariza now, you can without a doubt take it back! Many of their ships have sailed back to Fuerza, they are evacuating the people of the city due to the rumors of the spirit army. They are vulnerable, you will win." Esteban suggested.

"OF COURSE I WOULD WIN!" Shuriki shouted as her pacing came to a halt and she stared at Esteban. "But sending an army to Cariza would leave us open to attack from Cordoba. Your cousins have me surrounded and I'm growing tired of their persistence. Something must be done. I can not let them live. If only I had more time"

"They are the true heirs to Avalor. The people will follow their lead and help them reclaim what is theirs" Esteban said. Still, trying to remain calm.

"I am the true heir to this kingdom! This land was once mine! Long before Avalor EVER existed! What right do these brats have to take what once was mine?!" Shuriki again, shouted. Esteban stared at her confused, he was completely ignorant to Shurikis past. "That spirit army is MY army Esteban! I summoned them here from the spirit world. My army is coming Esteban and not even Elena will be able to stop it. No one will. They answer to me and me alone. Her scepter will not save her and her followers will not save her. They will show her no mercy just as the rulers of the dark magic had no mercy on all of my people, the Maruvians."

"My Queen?" Esteban questioned "The Maruvians were completely wiped out hundreds of years ago. How are they your people?"

Shuriki's secrets could no longer stay hidden and the grin that spread across her face revealed that her intentions for the world around her were nothing but evil.

"I survived Esteban. I survived and I fled North and taught myself the ways of dark magic so that I could take back what I had lost. I used the power of Maruvian jewels to keep me young until I was ready to return to my land. By the time I was strong enough to take back Maru, I found that the Avalorans had built atop my city's ruins. They destroyed it and since then I have vowed to destroy them. Now what do you have to say KING Esteban? Where does your loyalty lie now that you know who the TRUE ruler of this land is?"

Esteban's jaw dropped. He was speechless. He wasn't sure if he should believe her or not but it definitely made sense. The way she shriveled up into an old woman the last time Elena had defeated her, it must be true. But still, she was no longer a leader. The years (hundreds of them) had turned her bitter and vengeful. She didn't want to just take back her kingdom, she wanted to destroy lives. She cared only about the control she had gained and wanted to take over the rest of the Ever Realm as well, making sure there was nobody left to ever oppose her again. She was mad with power and she was dangerous. Esteban knew that Elena and Isabel were the only ones who would bring peace back to the crazy world they were living in. He wanted his cousins to succeed. Of course though, he was Shuriki's King. "My loyalty is with you as always. Maruvian leader or not" he proclaimed, holding his head high as he lied through his teeth.

"Good" Shuriki said finally calming herself, satisfied that she had frightened Esteban enough to not betray her. "All we can do is wait this all out. When my army gets here, they will take care of Elena and her Fuerza warriors and then I will send them North to Cordoba and Isabel and all her people will be taken care of and the world will know what happens when I am opposed. They will see that no one will dare threaten my reign without meeting dire consequences.

She let out a devilish laugh that gave Esteban a chill.

"I'm tired now Esteban. These mortal princesses have given me a headache. I'm going to lie down. Please find Armando and have him bring me my dinner in my room this evening."

"Yes my queen" Esteban obeyed, bowing to Shuriki as they went their separate ways.

Esteban made his way into the kitchen and upon entering, the staff became suddenly silent. They didn't dare speak in his presence. Most of the whispers that occurred between the members of the palace staff would be perceived as treasonous and they knew the punishment for disobeying their queen would mean death for them and perhaps even for their families.

"I am looking for Armando" Esteban stated.

"I believe he brought food down to the prisoners, your majesty" One of the chef's spoke up timidly.

"Thank you" Esteban said with little emotion or sincerity. Before turning around to leave he let his eyes settle on each member of his kitchen staff and studied their expressions. They did not respect him and they were not truly loyal to him as they had been to Elena. They obeyed him out of fear while secretly hoping for a savior. They wouldn't mourn for even a moment if he met an untimely death. He didn't blame them one bit. His stomach turned as he internally faced the truth about his rise to power. He had earned nothing and he deserved nothing. He had always thought that if he had ever ruled Avalor that he would stand tall and proud and the people would praise all that he did for him. It would all be very gratifying. Being King was nothing like that though. He mostly walked around with his head hung low in shame and nobody praised anything he had done. He was once good at his job as Chancellor, he had kept Avalor peaceful and prosperous for many years and he was respected throughout the Ever realm. Now, he was a useless human being, known only for betraying his family in order to gain a title. It was all very unsettling to him. He sighed heavily as he walked towards the dungeons, his arms and shoulders drooping lifelessly by his side and looking weak from the weight of the guilt that he had been carrying around for far too long.

"You have to eat Mrs. Nunez" Armando urged the baker's wife. She had grown so thin and was now nearly frail.

"I try" She admitted. "I just can't stomach anything anymore. I worry too much. I don't know how much longer I can take it in here"

Armando's heart ached for the woman. She had lost her freedom after Shuriki's invasion and her only crime had been the fact that she was the mother of Elena's Royal Guard. She had little to no contact with her husband and wasn't allowed visitors. Shuriki didn't want to take a chance on her conspiring with anyone in the city. All Blanca wanted though was to know that her son was safe and that her husband was surviving on his own. She was completely harmless and she was possibly one of the sweetest women that Armando had ever had the pleasure of knowing. He just wanted to help her and to reassure her, even if it was only for a short amount of time. Just enough time for her to get some food in her and start to rebuild her strength. Armando looked around. There was no one else in sight. He knelt down next to the imprisoned woman.

"Gabe and Elena are alive" He told her. She immediately perked up. "They just took back Cariza from Shuriki's rule and they will surely be heading to Avalor very soon. Elena will beat Shuriki. She has her scepter now and she has an army. She's coming and then you will be free! You will be with your family again!"

Blanca looked to Armando and reached out her hand. He took it and she squeezed tightly with both hands. It was the only way she was able to convey her thanks to him. She had no words. Only tears, gratitude and hope.

"Armando!" Esteban said, loudly addressing his cheif of the castle and interrupting the moment.

Armando quickly rose to his feet and stood in front of his king. "Yes, sir! What can I do for you, your majesty?" He asked anxiously, hoping Esteban hadn't noticed or overheard anything.

"Queen Shuriki is tired. She would like her dinner brought to her room tonight" Esteban relayed.

"Yes sir. Right away sir" Armando said. He glanced down at Blanca who had picked up a piece of bread and taken a small bite. Armando smiled at her, happy that she was at least trying to get some nourishment. He then hurried off before Esteban had a chance to reprimand him.

Esteban's eyes rolled down towards Blanca Nunez. He watched as she averted her gaze from him and tried to discreetly wipe the tears from her eyes. Esteban knew why she was crying. He had heard all of it. He pitied her. He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Gabriel has kept Princess Elena alive all of this time..." Esteban began, much to Mrs. Nunez's surprise. "Because of him, she is able to come back and free all of Avalor from the reign of terror it has been under. The entire kingdom owes him their gratitude. Your son is a good man and a true hero Senora. You should be proud." Esteban's words were honest and although he couldn't bring himself to look her in the eye, he hoped that what he told her might bring her some comfort. It was the absolute very least that he could do.

"Thank you, your majesty" Blanca told him.

"No no. Do not thank me. I have done nothing but aid in bringing your family pain and suffering" Esteban said in a pained voice. "It will all be over soon."

Esteban walked away in the same manor in which he had entered. As he exited the dark dungeons he wondered if reassuring Blanca that her son and the princess were coming to free them was just a selfish act disguised as a good deed. It was news that she had been longing to hear but Esteban was trying to prove to himself that there was still some good deep down inside his cold heart. He needed to convince himself that it wasn't completely frozen just yet.