Shuriki paced back and forth in front of her lavish throne. She had been watching the invasion from a palace tower and grew more and more anxious as the Norberg ships continued to flow into the harbor. Her true panic set in as she watched her own naval fleet sink down into the waters. But it wasn't until the moment the Fuerza warriors hit the shores and began to effortlessly take out her men that she accepted that she would lose the day.
"Your majesty?" Esteban addressed as he entered the room and went to his wife's side. "Perhaps it is time you look for a way out of the palace?"
Shuriki stopped her pacing and glared at Esteban, clearly not keen on his suggestion. "I will NOT run from that ... That... Girl! I will not be run off by some scrawny little princess who did nothing to earn her power. Without her magic she is nothing and she only has that magic because of a mere accident!"
"This is true my queen" Esteban concurred. "However, she has allies and our forces can not stop them. We will lose today"
"Where is she?" Shuriki asked, seeming to ignore Esteban's analysis of the battle.
"The scouts in the north say she was there. She took out the army at the Cariza border and single handedly blasted down our barricade" Esteban reported
Shuriki's anger faded and she became eerily calm. She turned to face Esteban and walked over to him, looking him square in the face. "How is it again that Elena even has the Scepter of Light?" She asked with accusatory eyes. At first the thought of Esteban betraying her again didn't seem plausible. He liked to stay where the power was and in his older age, he didn't take many risks. That and she had been keeping a close eye on him. Or so she thought. She had no proof that Esteban had done anything treasonous but she also had no other explanation as to how the scepter had just simply disappeared one day. She began to keep closer tabs on her husband and found him to be simply going through the motions of the day. He no longer seemed to care about the power that she had gifted him He was simply dazed most of the time. He was checked out with little concern as to what his life had become. She could no longer use the promise of power or threats to control him and losing control was perhaps one of Shuriki's only fears.
Esteban said nothing to her question at first. His eyes met hers but Shuriki could read neither truth nor lies within them. They were simply empty tunnels into a soul that had died long ago. Shuriki grew frustrated by what Esteban had become.
Outside of the throne room door, Mateo and Elena had finally arrived.
"Reveal" Elena whispered, holding up her scepter, wanting to see what was happening inside the room before making a move.
"No!" Mateo told her as he pushed the scepter down, breaking Elena's concentration. She looked at him confused. "Haven't you used the scepter enough today? If you're going to face off with Shuriki, you're going to need your strength. We don't need to see through the door to know that Shuriki is in there. We'll just sneak in"
"Mateo, I'll be fine. This way carries no risk of being caught" Elena argued.
"Nobody knows this palace better than you do Elena" Mateo explained. "I'm sure you know a way into the throne room where we can go unseen"
Elena thought about it for a moment and then agreed to move on. "Follow me" She said, leading him down a different hall and into the room that was adjacent to the throne room. She found a vent in the wall and knelt down by it. "Through here" She said. "I used to sneak down here when I was just a kid and listen in on official meetings that my father had. Stuff I wasn't supposed to be hearing"
Mateo was humored and a bit surprised at the thought of Elena sneaking around and going against her father's wishes but then the more he thought about it, it made sense. She wasn't necessarily a rebel but if a rule didn't make sense to her, she had no problem doing what she thought was right or what she thought was best. He smiled at the thought of young Elena secretly trying to know all she could about ruling a kingdom. He then crouched down too and followed his queen. They crawled through a vent that led them behind a curtain in the throne room. Elena carefully tiptoed to the edge of the curtain and peered around, Mateo following closely behind, trying not to make the curtain sway in any way.
"It's just Shuriki and Esteban" Elena whispered to Mateo.
"No" Mateo answered, shaking his head and gesturing to multiple guards at the doors and two standing not too far from them on either side of the thrones.
"I can take them out with my scepter and then move in on Shuriki!" Elena determined.
"That's probably not a good idea Elena" Mateo told her "You don't need to rush this. Don't waste your energy on a fight you don't need to fight. Let's just take our time and get it done right."
Elena's face sunk as she knew that Mateo was right and that they'd have to wait to make a move until the guards were gone and they could get Shuriki alone.
The magical duo sat quietly and hidden, watching Shuriki and Esteban as they remained face to face in a silent stand off.
"you're no longer of any use to me Esteban" Shuriki finally stated rather blase. "Why don't you go take a seat upon your throne"
Esteban was a bit confused as to what Shuriki's intentions were but he did as she suggested anyways.
"How does it feel? To sit there? To be King?" Shuriki asked.
Esteban's eyes fell from her gaze and met the floor as he thought about it all. Meaningless He thought. Not worth nearly all that I've lost to gain this power He concluded. "It's what I always wanted" He said emotionless. It wasn't what he wanted to say but it was still a true statement.
"And you finally got it Esteban" Shuriki said in a flat tone. "I would hate to see you lose it all"
"My Queen?" Esteban asked, unsure of where Shuriki was going with the conversation.
"Fatisima!" Shuriki suddenly shouted as she waved her wand in Esteban's direction. A flash of green shot Esteban in the chest, he grabbed it with both hands and slowly slid off of his throne. His eyes widened with shock and fear as Shuriki stood over him and gave him a conniving grin. He knew what she had done. It was the same spell that Shuriki had used on his Aunt and Uncle so long ago. The same spell that she had tried to use on Elena, only to be blocked by the amulet. Esteban had no such amulet to save him. He was going to die. "Now you can die having it all my dear King" Shuriki laughed.
Mateo grabbed Elena and pulled her back. Her instinct was to run after Shuriki but he knew that her emotions were too high. She wouldn't be thinking clearly and was likely to do something impulsive. She had nearly screamed when she saw Shuriki cast her deadly spell but Mateo was there to keep her in check. She buried her face in his chest, trying to contain herself. He held her tightly, there for her as always. He watched as Shuriki left the room, along with her guards.
"Go to him" Mateo gently urged his friend.
When Elena reached her cousin, tears had already begun to flow down her cheeks. She knelt by his side and slid her arm under his neck, lifting him gently into her arms. He wasn't gone just yet. He weakly turned his head towards Elena and looked into her eyes. They rapidly filled with emotion for the first time in months at the sight of her.
"Elena..." He said in a raspy voice and with all the strength that he had left. "Do not cry for me...If you knew all that I've done... I don't deserve your tears..."
Elena took a ragged breath in, knowing all too well the details of everything that he spoke of. She knew it all. But she saw the pain and sorrow in his eyes. She saw the regret and loneliness. She had seen it all before. It was the same look Victor Delgado had worn before he threw himself out of his palace window. "I know Esteban... I know everything... But I know that without you I wouldn't have my scepter and without you Naomi never would have found me. Without you I wouldn't even be here right now. You can't change what you did in the past and you can't take back the moments that made you weak... but you took a big risk Esteban. One that's cost you your life... it cost you everything..."
"No..." Esteban softly interrupted "My family was everything... I know that now... It's something I learned far too late"
"It's not too late" Elena told him with conviction as she watched him slowly letting go. She wrapped both arms around him and hugged him close to her. "I forgive you Esteban. My dear cousin" Elena whispered in his ear.
Esteban closed his eyes upon hearing Elena's words. It brought a peace to him that even as he was dying knew that he still didn't deserve. "I love you Elena" He whispered in return before finally giving in to the inevitable.
Mateo gave Elena a moment but knew that they had to keep moving. He walked over to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. Elena knew that it was Mateo's way of telling her that they needed to go. She Laid her cousin's body back down on the ground, took one last look at him and returned to her feet to meet Mateo's comforting embrace. She dried her eyes, took a deep breath and with that, was ready to go.
Mateo and Elena ran out of the throne room and followed the direction of Shuriki's guards. They found two of them standing outside of the grand council room. Once they were in sight, Mateo cast a spell, freezing both of them in place before they could react. The pair stood in front of the door and looked in all directions to make sure all was clear.
"If there are more guards inside, I'll take care of them, you worry about Shuriki" Mateo told Elena. She agreed.
They looked to each other for encouragement one last time and shared a fierce look. They were ready. Together they kicked open the door and were instantly on the attack. Two guards reacted to their entrance and Mateo froze them the same as he did the others. Elena's focus went straight to Shuriki who looked almost pleased to finally be facing Elena. She raised her wand.
"Blaze!" Elena shouted, blasting the wand out of Shuriki's hand. Shuriki was surprised by Elena's quickness and accuracy and it was clear that she had been expecting quite a battle with the young Queen but now found herself unarmed. She dove for her wand.
"Canaza!" Mateo shouted, beating his tamborita and lifting Shuriki's wand just out of her reach. It floated over to Mateo and he grabbed it out of the air.
Elena stepped forward, never taking her scepter's aim away from her enemy. Shuriki sat helplessly on the ground but she had no fear. There was no sorrow or regret in her eyes. It made it easier for Elena whose heart usually won out over her head. There was nothing but hate inside Shuriki, there was nothing to redeem her from the evil deeds that would torture the kingdom and it's citizens for years to come.
"Do you have anything to say for yourself Shuriki?" Elena said with a strong and commanding voice. She was in control now.
Shuriki let out a chilling and villainous cackle. "You think you've won? You stupid girl! They're coming for you. My army of darkness marches here as we speak and they will kill you all. And they answer to me. Once you are gone I will once again rule this land"
"Well then I guess I better make sure that you can't ever come back" Elena stated powerfully and without any further hesitation she shouted "BLAZE!" striking Shuriki square in the chest with the scepter's beam of light, the strength of her magic sending Shuriki flying backwards and slamming her into the wall.
Mateo handed the wand over to Elena as she remained on guard and scepter ready. He then cautiously walked over to Shuriki who lie motionless on the ground. He checked her for any signs of life.
"She's dead" He confirmed but Elena kept her weapon high. She was in a state of disbelief over what she had just done. Mateo walked over to her and put his hand on the scepter, pushing it downwards, trying to coax Elena into relaxing. "She's dead" He repeated. "You did it. It's over. She's gone"
Elena finally broke out of her trance and let go of the deep breath that she had been holding onto. She met Mateo's concerned stare and her eyes lit up. A smile broke out over her face and she threw her arms around Mateo. "We did it!" She shouted with glee. "All of us! Together! Lets go find where everybody else is"
Mateo agreed and they left the council room, making sure to still stay on guard. They didn't know if the palace was truly secure yet.
"Someone's coming!" Mateo announced as he heard a host of footsteps charging down a nearby hall.
Around the corner came an army of warriors. They were headed right towards Elena and Mateo who raised their weapons, ready to battle what was left of the palace guards. It only took a second for them to realize that it was the Fuerza troops, with Gervaso leading them forward.
"Queen Elena!" He greeted her, eyes lighting up with joy that she was OK.
"Prince Gervaso!" She gleefully shouted, throwing her arms around him. He was surprised by her action and at first felt a bit awkward but Elena's loving embrace warmed his heart and he gave in, squeezing her close to him before releasing her and forcing a more professional and Fuerza like expression on his face. Elena smirked at him before straightening herself up as well. "What do you have for a report from the city?" She asked.
"The city is secure your majesty as are the surrounding villages. The Cordoban army has done their part and the Norberg navy took the harbor. We have warriors dispersed throughout to clean up and hold order. Entrance of the palace is secure as well. We are working on clearing all rooms" Gervaso reported.
"Happy to say that the Council room is secure" She told him, motioning to the room behind her. "Shuriki has been defeated. Can you spare a couple of warriors to take care of the guards inside as well as her body?"
"Of course" He replied and ordered some of his men to take care of the Queen's request. "Job well done Elena." He told her proudly. "I expected nothing less"
They shared a mutual look of respect and admiration for one another and then Gervaso continued on his way checking and securing every room in the palace.
Elena and Mateo, knowing the palace was mostly taken care of, headed towards the dungeons to find the rest of their friends. As they came to the foyer they ran into Isabel and Armando.
"Isa!" Elena shouted and ran to her sister. The two embraced in their usual way and then looked upon each other and just grinned. They were thinking the same thing, feeling the same thing. Relief, joy, pride. There was no need to say anything else.
"It's done." Elena told her sister. "Shuriki is gone. We've taken back Avalor"
"I know" Isa said. "We ran into the Fuerza while they were securing the palace. And we've cleared the dungeons. We got everyone out"
"Great" Elena responded and then turned towards Armando and hugged him as well.
"I know all that you risked to help me Armando. I am indebted to you for life" She said with much love.
"You owe me nothing Princess" Armando replied. "It was my honor to do what was right"
Elena then took a look around and grew concerned. She looked to her sister, "Where's Naomi and Gabe?" She asked. "Are they OK?"
"Naomi is perfectly fine" Isabel started and Elena's chest tightened when Gabe's name wasn't mentioned.
"And Gabe? What happened to Gabe? Where is he Isa?" Elena interrupted, now in a full on panic.
"I'm fine too Elena!" Gabe answered from behind her as he came hobbling in with Naomi by his side for support.
At the sound of his voice Elena immediately relaxed. She closed her eyes and thanked God that they had all survived. She then quickly turned around and began to run towards Naomi and Gabe. She gasped and stopped in her tracks when she saw the condition that Gabe was in.
"You are not fine!" Elena scolded him as she walked over to the pair.
"It's not that bad... really" Gabe argued, trying to keep himself composed despite how weak he was feeling. "I was just... keeping a promise" He explained to Elena, staring into her eyes. He gave her a wink and she couldn't help but smile back at him. She glanced over at Isa who wore an expression that confirmed that Gabe had indeed saved her life.
"You're really something you know that?" Elena said adoringly to her most beloved guard as she took Naomi's place as his shoulder to lean on. Naomi was more than happy to take the weight of her wounded friend off of her shoulders.
Gabe did his best to shrug nonchalantly at Elena's praise but the movement of his shoulder made him wince. "I think... I just need to sit a moment..." He said, starting to feel dizzy. Elena helped lower him to the floor, continuing to hold him as his eyes slowly began to close. He had lost too much blood and his adrenaline was beginning to wear off.
"Armando? Will you find some medical help please? As quickly as you can!" Elena ordered and then turned towards Mateo, Naomi and Isa. "Help me get him to a place where he can lie down"
Elena, back in her old room, placed her scepter upon the stand in which it always sat. Happy to feel safe enough to walk around without her weapon. She wouldn't be needing it anymore for the day. In fact, she was relieved to get it out of her hands. She was starting to feel the real effects that it had brought upon her throughout the day. She definitely needed a break from it to rest and regain her energy. She stepped out into her bedroom and glanced over to her right to see Gabe, resting peacefully upon her bed. A nurse was on one side of him, frequently monitoring his vitals and Armando sat in a chair on the other side, ready to aid in any way that he could. The doctors had reassured Elena that Gabe's wound would heal just fine, it would just take some time. Still, she wanted to keep him close and make sure he got the best help available.
She then joined Naomi, Isa and Mateo who were gathered in her lounging area.
"Are you sure you didn't see anything in your notebooks Isa? We should go over them again" Elena heard Mateo ask as she approached.
"I've read them at least five times Mateo. I'm telling you, there's no answers there." Isa explained to which Mateo looked defeated. She then posed the question, "What would Ataguchu do?"
"What's going on?" Elena asked.
"Well apparently the chosen one has no idea what to do with these artifacts now that we have all six of them together" Naomi stated. She had been trying to listen in on the conversation as well but she wasn't fully following it all.
The girls all looked to Mateo for answers. He was their only hope for defeating the dark army.
"Princessa!" A voice called from out on the balcony and Elena lit up upon hearing the voices of her jaquin friends. She opened the doors and stepped outside to greet Skylar, Luna and Migs.
"Congratulations Princess!" Luna greeted. "Avalor is yours!"
"Thanks Luna" Elena told her. "I couldn't have done it without the three of you"
"Well I hate to be the bearer of bad news..." Migs began "But we can't start celebrating just yet. We just got back from scouting out the position of the spirit army"
"What did you see?" Elena needed to know.
"The dark army has reached Cariza" Skylar reported "I figure it'll be about 4 days before they reach Avalor's border"
Elena nodded at hearing the news and then stepped back inside to her friends.
"Mateo?" Elena addressed. "I'm counting on you."
Mateo gulped hard. The pressure was really on him now.
"Ok" He responded, trying to sound confident. He became very pensive for a moment and then suddenly a thought came over him. "Isa, I'm going to need your help with a few things while I do what I need to do"
"Ok... But what do you need to do?" Isa inquired.
"Find Enlightenment" Mateo replied. "That's what Ataguchu would do"