Elena was sitting on the edge of the fountain in the royal garden, absently running her fingers through the water. She had been thinking long and hard about what Naomi had told her and while she was quite tempted to tell Mateo how she felt, her mind kept returning to that law and doubts would resurface. It was difficult to decide what to do: her heart said one thing while her mind said another. The princess could not recall ever being so torn.
"Why so glum, princess?"
Elena looked up. Zuzo, the spirit animal, was floating in front of her with a kind smile. The princess weakly returned his smile and took her hand out of the water.
"Hi, Zuzo," she said. "I just have a lot on my mind, that's all."
"Does any of it have to do with a certain young royal wizard?" the fox enquired.
"Of course you would know about that."
"Hey, I'm a spirit animal: I know everything."
"I don't know what to do, Zuzo. I want to be with Mateo more than anything but as crown princess, I have to respect the law. Do you have any advice?"
"Of course I do. Why do you think I'm here?"
"What is it? I could really use it."
Zuzo watched her closely. "Follow your heart," he said simply.
"Zuzo… that's much easier said than done," Elena replied. "The law –"
"Just because something is turned into a law it doesn't meant that it's right. You won't be able to deny your heart forever, Elena, and your heart is telling you that you love Mateo and that this law needs to change."
"But the Grand Council would never allow that."
"Then you'll need to stand up to them. It won't be easy, but you can do it."
"You really think so?"
"You bet I do, princess."
Elena smiled. "Thank you, Zuzo."
The fox returned her smile. "You're welcome," he said. "Now, I suggest you compose yourself."
"Why?"
"Because Mateo is about to appear from right around that corner."
The princess's eyes widened. "What?" she cried. She looked at the water and checked her reflection, tucking strands of hair back into place and straightening her dress. "How do I look?"
"You look beautiful. Good luck, Elena," Zuzo said before vanishing.
"Thanks…" Elena whispered nervously.
"Elena?"
She looked up. Mateo was approaching her, wearing the smile she loved so much. Elena returned his smile as she got on her feet, her heart pounding against her chest.
"Hi, Mateo," she said, a little breathlessly. "What are you doing here?"
"Hey, Elena. I came by to talk to you about something. Is this a bad time?" Mateo replied.
"Not at all. What did you want to talk about?"
It might have been her imagination, but Elena thought that her friend suddenly looked nervous. Mateo rubbed the back of his neck and bit his lip.
"Um… Is there somewhere we can go that's private?" he asked quietly. "I don't want to be overheard."
"Well, the only place we're guaranteed any privacy is my bedroom," Elena said.
"I normally wouldn't ask this, but can we go there?"
Elena raised her eyebrows. "You really don't want anyone to hear what you have to say, don't you?" she said.
"You have no idea," Mateo answered awkwardly. "You'll understand once I tell you everything."
"Okay. Well, let's go."
Mateo nodded and Elena led him across the garden and into the palace. The princess kept glancing at her friend as they walked. There appeared to be something that was weighing quite heavily on the royal wizard's mind: he kept fidgeting with the sleeves of his robe and continuously glanced around them, as if he feared that someone would see them. Elena made no remark of this and continued their journey to her bedroom.
They soon reached their destination and they both stepped inside her bedroom. Elena closed the door behind them and turned to Mateo, who was looking even more nervous than earlier. The princess slowly approached him.
"What did you want to talk to me about?" she asked gently.
"You might want to sit down first…" Mateo said.
Feeling fairly confused and a little worried, Elena sat at the foot of her bed and watched as Mateo paced back and forth in front of her with nervous energy. The sight was starting to make the princess feel anxious as well.
"Is there something wrong, Mateo?" Elena asked.
"No…" Mateo replied slowly. "But I probably shouldn't be telling you what I am about to say."
"That doesn't exactly sound good…"
"It's not bad! Well… I guess it depends on how you look at it…"
"Mateo, the suspense is killing me."
"Right, sorry…" The young wizard took a deep breath and Elena was surprised to see him blush.
"W-Well, you see… The thing is, Elena…" Mateo began hesitantly. He took another deep breath before continuing. "What I'm trying to say is that… I... I-I'm in love with you. And have been for a while."
Silence followed his words as Elena stared at Mateo in shock, uncertain as to whether she had heard him correctly. Perhaps this was a dream she was having; if it was, she did not want to wake up. But when she saw Mateo's blush deepen as well as the worried look on his face, the princess knew that she was not dreaming at all.
"Oh, Mateo…" Elena said, her voice trembling a little with emotion.
"I-If you don't feel the same way, I completely understand. I don't know why I hoped that you might return my feelings, especially with that law," Mateo said, looking crestfallen. "And now I'm rambling… I'm sorry, I'll just go."
The royal wizard turned on his heels and made his way towards the door. Elena jumped onto her feet and ran after him.
"No, Mateo, wait!" she cried. Mateo paused and slowly turned around. Elena threw her arms around his neck and kissed him. She felt her friend stiffen in surprise but he was soon returning the kiss, slipping a hand into her hair. The princess smiled against Mateo's lips, feeling elated.
They pulled apart for air after a while and they gazed at each other breathlessly, eyes bright and cheeks flushed. Elena smiled gently as Mateo looked astonished.
"I'm in love with you as well, Mateo," Elena said, stroking the royal wizard's cheek.
"Really? You are?" Mateo asked hopefully.
The princess nodded. "Yes, and I have been for some time."
Mateo grinned and hugged her tightly, lifting her off her feet and spinning her around. Elena laughed as she held on, feeling as if a large weight had been lifted from her shoulders.
The royal wizard put her down and kissed her. Elena kissed him back but abruptly pulled away as there was a knock on the door. Both she and Mateo stood very still, listening intently as they stared wide-eyed at the door.
"Elena?" came Isabel's voice.
"Isabel!" Elena whispered frantically.
"What are we going to do?" Mateo murmured.
The princess looked around and ran towards her closet. She opened the door and motioned at Mateo to come forward.
"In here, quick! I'll get rid of her!" Elena said.
Mateo rushed inside the closet and Elena closed the door behind him before hurrying across the room. She paused, took a deep breath, and opened her bedroom door, revealing Isabel. The princess smiled at her sister, who was gazing at her a little questioningly.
"Hey, Isa. What can I do for you?" Elena asked in what she hoped was a casual tone.
"I was wondering if you could help me with my latest invention for a minute," Isabel replied. She tried to look around her older sister. "Is someone in there with you?"
"What? No, of course not. Why do you ask?"
"I heard whispering."
"You must have imagined it. I'll gladly come help you with your invention. Just give me a minute and I'll come join you in your room, okay?"
"Okay." Casting one last glance into Elena's room, Isabel left. The princess closed the door and hurried towards her closet. She opened the door and found Mateo gazing at her clothes.
"You have a lot of dresses. And shoes," he said teasingly, flashing a crooked grin as he turned to face her.
"I'm a princess, remember?" Elena replied, playfully rolling her eyes as she pulled the young wizard out of her closet.
"I haven't forgotten. I guess Isabel's appearance is my cue to leave?"
"I'm afraid so. But I would like to see you again soon."
Mateo pulled her close. "How about tomorrow? We can have a late-night picnic on the beach," he suggested.
"That would be perfect," Elena said, smiling.
"Great. I'll take care of the details and ask for Naomi's help. She'd never forgive us if she wasn't involved."
"Naomi? Wait, did she talk to you?"
"She did. She told me to tell you how I feel."
"She told me the same thing yesterday!"
"Did she?" Mateo looked surprised. "Well, she wasn't wrong with her advice, was she?"
"No, she wasn't, and I'm glad we listened to her. You really ought to go; Isabel is waiting for me. I'll call Skylar from the balcony."
"Thanks. I just want to do something before you do."
Before Elena could ask what that something was, Mateo leaned forward and kissed her again. The princess smiled and returned the kiss, wrapping her arms around him. They soon broke apart and Elena led Mateo to the balcony, where she called out to Skylar. The jaquin appeared from around the corner and landed in front of them.
"Hello, princesa!" Skylar said cheerfully. "And hello to you as well, Mateo!"
"Hi, Skylar," Elena said as Mateo waved to the jaquin. "Can you please take Mateo home? He needs to leave discreetly."
"No problem," Skylar, replied. "Hop on, Mateo!"
"Thanks," Mateo said. He turned to Elena. "I'll see you tomorrow night."
"Definitely." Elena smiled.
The royal wizard smiled and climbed onto Skylar's back. The jaquin then took off and Elena watched them fly over the kingdom before going back inside. She closed the balcony doors and went to join Isabel in her bedroom, feeling lighter than she had in a long time.