"That's all of them" Naomi announced as she was the last to disembark her vessel at the island of Fuerza, just behind Queen Teresa and Princess Kat. They were all greeted by Gervaso, who had made his final voyage from Cariza earlier that day and Paola who was eager to meet the Queen. Together, they had all successfully evacuated the kingdom and Paola had been busy setting up housing and food stations in the village.
"Your majesty!" Gervaso welcomed the royals with a bow. "Welcome to Fuerza. This is Paola. She has been in charge of the refugees and organizing food and shelter for them." Teresa turned to Paola and greeted her with a wide sincere smile.
"Paola, it is an honor to meet you. The people of Cariza are forever grateful for your generosity" Teresa told her, bowing her head to the young servant girl.
"Paola is originally from Cariza your majesty" Gervaso told the queen, a look of pride on his face as he spoke about Paola. "Until recently she was enslaved on this island but she has always showed the strength and will power of a true Carizan. She is a survivor" He continued to praise.
"Oh! I apologize young lady" Teresa said "Your people will be forever grateful to you."
"Thank you so much Queen Teresa. It means a lot to hear that the people of Cariza are still my people" Paola replied, utterly honored. "I would love to show you all that we have set up and then I can escort you and Princess Katarina to your tent?"
"Yes. Thank you" Teresa agreed as she and Kat followed Paola into the village leaving Gervaso and Naomi behind at the shore.
As Gervaso watched Paola lead the queen away, the left side of his lip turned up into a grin and he tilted his head to the side, losing himself in his thoughts. Paola had a take charge, no nonsense attitude that he admired. She was also the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. She carried herself as if she were equal to all the royals she had served and worked with. To Gervaso, she was their equal.
Naomi stepped by his side and noticed the starry eyed look that had naturally taken over his expression. "Ha!" She laughed out loud, bringing him back from his day dream.
"What?!" Gervaso asked, looking at Naomi with annoyance.
"You like her don't you?" Naomi teased.
"Ugh! Don't you have anything better to do? We're going to war tomorrow!" Gervaso grumbled, avoiding the question.
"Well yeah! But don't you want to tell her how you feel before leaving? You know? All that 'come back to me, I love you and can't live without you' kind of stuff?" Naomi mocked.
"Stop! She was my brother's mistress. His slave" Gervaso told her and then turned and walked towards the army camps. Naomi followed.
"Yeah. And you actually love her! Did you feel that way all that time? It would explain a lot about why you hated him so much" Naomi said, continuing to push. She had hit a button with Gervaso though in mentioning his brother. He stopped dead in his tracks and looked angrily at Naomi.
"I have a lot of reasons to hate my brother. He was an evil man. A tyrant." Gervaso shouted in Naomi's face but she didn't flinch. She crossed her arms and stared him down, waiting for him to admit to her that she was right. Gervaso couldn't help but respect her perseverance and it surprisingly humored him. He rolled his eyes at her. "And yes, his treatment of Paola is also one of those reasons" He confessed quickly.
Naomi's lips turned up into a victorious grin.
"Seriously though, you should talk to her. She watches you too ya know. I've seen her" Naomi told him.
"Yeah? You have" Gervaso asked, truly interested now. Naomi nodded and Gervaso became momentarily pensive as he wondered if he should say something before leaving.
"So you gonna do it?" Naomi asked and Gervaso just grunted at her but also chuckled a little.
"You're a real annoying kid you know that?!" He told her.
"Eh. I've been told" Naomi laughed, not at all offended.
"You have confidence though. That's a good thing" Gervaso complimented and Naomi raised her eye brows in wonderment. Gervaso thought for a moment and then smiled at the young girl. "You're a warrior too. You don't ever give up. I'm betting that you're going to do just fine today in leading your navy into battle." He hesitated a moment before continuing. "I imagine if I ever had a daughter... she'd be a lot like you"
Naomi was surprised by his sentiment but touched. She had no snarky remark to make. She was actually speechless. Which took a lot. She returned his look of admiration and respect and just nodded in thanks, trying to hold back her emotions.
"SO! You going to rally your army or not!?" Naomi said suddenly, clearing her throat and breaking the intimate moment. "We need to get going if we want to sail into Avalor bay for a synchronized attack with Elena and Isa tomorrow."
"Of course Captain Turner" Gervaso said."Just make sure your Navy is ready to go when we are"
"Aye aye" Naomi replied with a salute.
Gabe's eyes fluttered open and shut in the early morning as he rolled over in bed and reached for Elena. His hand grazed nothing but bed sheets as he found that the space was vacant. Alarmed, he quickly forced his tired eyes to wake and he shot to an upright position. Elena was never awake before he was and his frantic eyes darted around the room, searching for her.
"Whoa!" Elena gasped as she startled a moment by Gabe's sudden awakening.
Gabe sighed with relief as he rested his sights on Elena sitting alone in front of a vanity in the room that they were sharing back at the palace in Cariza.
"Sorry" He told her as his heart beat began to slow back down and he allowed himself to release a big yawn. "You weren't in bed and I just thought... well I don't know what I thought .. but you not being there .. it's scary to me, that's all. When I wake up you're usually snoring by my side... and you weren't this time" He gave her a goofy grin and let out a small chuckle, trying to lighten the mood and hide just how worried he had gotten over her.
Elena returned his playful look and then smiled sweetly at her guard, friend, and now love. She had always admired the fact that he never stopped looking out for her. She knew that if she ever faltered or if her plans ever failed, he would be there to catch her. Usually it was a comfort to her but on that particular morning, it just wasn't enough. Her face turned solemn as she looked back towards the vanity. The fate of the Ever Realm was in her hands and she was feeling the pressure. She and her friends had come up with a plan of attack to take back Avalor and defeat Shuriki but if they lost the battle, there would be no hope for anyone. They needed Shuriki gone and most of all, they needed her wand. Isa and Mateo had explained to Elena about the artifacts and so she knew that without all of them, there would be no stopping the dark army.
Elena stared at her own reflection, wondering what it was about her that made others follow her lead. What it was about her that made her friends and family willing to risk their lives for her. She had lost so many people she loved because of Shuriki and now every person remaining that was dear to her heart would be headed into battle to fight with her. Including her younger sister.
Elena looked up as she felt Gabe's hand rest on her shoulder. She placed hers atop of it and then gripped it tight. He knew her best. He knew what she was feeling.
"You're our Princess, Elena. Soon to be Queen, already a queen to some of us. You were born to lead and people can see that. You're not going to fail and you're not going to let anyone down and you're not going to lose any of us. Especially Isa. I promise you that one" Gabe told her with unwavering confidence for such a large vow. He meant it though. He had already felt like he failed in keeping Isabel safe once, he wasn't going to do it again.
"Gabe..." Elena whispered softly and with a bit of a sigh, touched that he would make such an offer but not wanting him to carry that burden again. "You know you can't make that sort of promise" She told him as she met his eyes, reading them the way she always had. Seeing the determination behind his statement.
"I can." Gabe told her again. He wasn't backing down. "She has Mateo with her until they get into the city. She's safe with him. Then from the moment that Migs flies them in and we meet up with them, I will not let her out of my sight. You and Mateo can go and take care of Shuriki and she and I will lay low and do what we need to do"
Elena nodded gently at his offer, there was no use arguing with him now. He wanted to prove himself, to make up for what he considered to be a failure. Elena knew that none of it was his fault but she also knew that she needed to let him take on the task that he had set for himself.
"It's still early and we have a very long day ahead of us. You need your rest." Gabe ordered as he offered his hand to her, urging her to rise and go back to bed.
Elena took his hand and rose from her seat. The couple walked back over to the bed together. Elena climbed back under the covers and Gabe followed, wrapping an arm around her waist from behind and pulling her in close to him. Elena nuzzled herself against Gabe, wondering if it would be the last time she felt his body against hers, embracing her tightly. She began to think about how in a few hours they would be marching off to war together and she knew that Gabe was willing to die in order to keep her and Isabel safe. All she could do now was pray that it wouldn't come to that and savor the moment that she had with him now.
She turned her head slowly to look at him, her tear ducts beginning to swell. Her eyes squinted slightly as she fought back the tears and then finally just let go and allowed one to roll down her cheek. There was no reason to try to hide her feelings with Gabe. He was always her crutch, letting her admit her fears and show her weaknesses all while still seeing her strength and pushing her to be better.
"I love you Gabe" She voiced, more sincerely than ever before.
"Don't do that" Gabe told her "Don't act like this is our last time together" He shook his head in protest but really, he had been thinking the same exact thing. He just didn't want to make Elena more upset than she already was. She continued to stare at him though, not denying at all that that's what she was doing. He looked deeply into her eyes, unable to pull away from the force that seemed to always pull them together. The way she was looking at him, told him that she was saying goodbye and that she was begging him to return her affections. He gave in to his princess. The way he always did. He swallowed hard before he spoke, overcome with Elena's beauty, her strength, and the love that she gave to those who were closest to her.
"I've loved you since the day I met you, Elena." He admitted as he caressed her cheek and guided her onto her back. As he continued to speak, he became more and more impassioned. "There is no way that I'm letting this be our last time together. Saying goodbye to you is something I could never do!" He pressed his lips into hers good and strong, letting her feel that he meant what he said. He was going to do everything in his power to keep them alive. Elena wrapped her hands around his neck and pulled him on top of her, returning the strength of his kiss, equaling his promise. They would fight together and for one another and for the people and kingdom that they loved. Behind the main conversation of their kiss, a taste of vulnerability still existed but they pushed the thoughts aside for the moment along with all the other what ifs that came with the events that would follow that day. For now, they would simply lose themselves in each other and pretend that their actions weren't their way of saying goodbye.
"Your calculations look good Isa. We can get to the bridge at just about the same time that the ships will be hitting the harbor and hopefully Elena will have made her way through the north of Avalor by then. We'll have the city surrounded" Mateo said to the Cordoban Queen, confirming their battle plans.
"Mmmhmm" Isa mumbled as she stared out the counsel room window and watched as the Cordoban troops readied themselves on the front lawn of the palace.
"And I spoke with King Roland this morning to go over the role of the Enchancia troops. They have ships and cannons ready to battle at the river to make way for our invasion. The rest of their army will march with ours" Mateo continued and then trailed off when he noticed that Isabel was barely listening to him. "Isa? Did you hear me? This is important! This is no time to be off your game!" He scolded.
"I know the battle plan Mateo!" Isa replied as she turned away from her watch and back towards her friend. Her tone sang of frustrations. "I was there at all the meetings, I was there at the briefing with King Roland, I was there for all of it. A lot of it was my plan! MY ideas!"
"Ok! But we are heading out in just over an hour. It's not like you to be so unfocused" Mateo told her, growing a bit concerned for the young girl.
"You're right... I know that!" Isa admitted. "I just can't get the way Elena looked at me when she left yesterday out of my head. She just seemed so upset with me when I insisted that I had to go to battle with my people. Just the same as she does. Do you think she's angry with me? What if something happens? To her or me?! I can't lose her again and I certainly can't lose her knowing that she's mad at me! I need to see her one more time" Isa rambled before plopping herself down in her seat at the conference table.
Mateo let Isa vent a moment before sighing heavily. He felt sorry for Isabel. She was a Queen who was stuck somewhere between a child and an adult. Through her tragic experiences she had somehow been forced to skip her adolescence. She could handle ruling a kingdom. She was certainly smart enough and they all knew that. But between himself, Elena and the rest of their friends, there were still doubts about how she could handle the pressures of a grown up at such a young age.
Mateo walked over to Isa and took a seat beside her. He placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manor and let her calm down a bit as she collected her thoughts and he his own.
"Elena isn't mad at you. I promise. She just worries about you." Mateo said softly.
"Well she doesn't need to anymore. I think I've proven to everyone that I'm just as strong as she is. Why can't she see that?" Isa argued.
"She does see that Isa! If she didn't see that, there is no way that we would be sitting here right now having this discussion. If she truly thought you couldn't handle yourself, she would have fought until you left with her and were in a safe place until Avalor was secured. She's proud of you Isabel. It was written all over her face every time you opened your mouth at that meeting and presented everyone with your brilliant ideas and strategies." Mateo reassured.
"You really think so?" Isa asked, starting to believe it.
"Yes!" Mateo reiterated. "Elena loves you more than anyone else in this world. It doesn't matter how strong you are, how old you are, or how well you lead your own kingdom. She is always going to worry about you. But I guarantee you, that she is not angry with you. And I know that she would want you focused on the task at hand so that you can shine even more than you already have"
Isa looked down and thought about Mateo's words. "Thank you Mateo" She said sweetly as she looked back up at her friend and threw her arms around him. He reciprocated the embrace and squeezed her tightly, letting her know that he would always be there for her. They had formed such a strong bond over their experiences in Cordoba and working towards finding answers about the artifacts and dark army. Mateo had become Isa's most trusted advisor and in that moment she knew that he was right.
"Ok!" She said, with confidence. "Let's do this!"