The sun had set in Avalor the next evening. Elena had managed to find a way out of that night's dinner and was now standing in front of her mirror, trying on different outfits. Naomi, who had flown in on Luna's back, was sitting on the bed and giving her opinion on each combination of clothing that Elena put together. The princess did not find the advice particularly helpful, for her friend liked everything she tried on.
"You're not helping, Naomi," Elena said, checking her reflection from every angle.
"Sorry, but all of your outfits look nice," Naomi replied.
"Thanks, but I don't want to look just nice; I want to look amazing."
"Mateo will love anything you wear. You could show up wearing an old rug and he'll still think you look gorgeous."
"While that is encouraging to hear, I still want to look my best."
"Fair point."
The princess smiled. "If you had to pick a favourite," she said, "which would it be?"
"Hmm…" Naomi deliberated for a moment before pointing. "The blue dress."
Picking up the dress in question, Elena held it against her body as she looked in the mirror. She gave a satisfied nod and quickly changed her clothes once more before fixing her hair. Once done, the princess turned back to her friend, who gave her the thumbs up.
"Perfect," Naomi said. "You're ready to go."
"Thanks," Elena replied, smiling. She looked down at her dress and smoothed out the creases and brushing away invisible dust.
"Everything okay, Elena?" Naomi asked.
"I'm just… nervous," Elena admitted. "This is my first date ever. Being stuck in that amulet for forty-one years didn't exactly give me many dating opportunities."
"Hey, it'll be okay. Everyone's nervous on a first date, especially when it's the very first time you go on a date. I'm willing to bet that Mateo's just as nervous as you are right now. Knowing him, probably even more so."
"Really? Everyone's nervous at first?"
"Of course. It's totally normal."
"That makes me feel a bit better."
"Good. Now, you really ought to be going; you don't want to be late."
Elena nodded. Both girls made their way to the balcony, where Luna was waiting for them. The jaquin got on her feet at the sight of them and stretched.
"Oh, princess, you look beautiful," Luna said. "Mateo's going to love it."
Elena stared at her in astonishment before glaring at Naomi. The blonde girl put her hands up in defense.
"Don't look at me, I didn't tell her!" Naomi exclaimed.
"We jaquins have excellent hearing," Luna said casually. "I heard everything you said while you were in there playing dress up. But if you want to keep this date a secret, princess, then I won't tell a soul about it."
"That would be really great, Luna. Thank you," Elena said. "Would you mind taking me to the beach and Naomi back home?"
"Not at all. Climb aboard."
"Thanks." Both Elena and Naomi climbed onto Luna's back and they took off. They flew over the kingdom and landed by the beach. The princess slid off Luna's back and turned to her friends.
"Good luck, princess," Luna said.
"Yeah, good luck. And let me know how it goes: I want to know all the details," Naomi added.
Elena chuckled. "Of course," she said. "Well, goodnight."
"Goodnight," Luna and Naomi said in unison before taking off. Elena watched them go before walking along the beach.
It did not take long to find Mateo: Elena discovered him hidden behind some large rocks, waiting for her with a smile. A blanket was spread out on the sand and several plates of food and a few candles were placed on top. The princess smiled as she came closer and gave a small start when the air suddenly turned warm and soft music began to play. She looked around for the source before turning her gaze towards Mateo, who approached her and took her hands.
"You look beautiful," Mateo said, smiling gently.
"Thank you," Elena said, squeezing his hands. "You look handsome yourself, but it's a little strange to see you out of your wizard's robe."
Mateo chuckled. "I figured that thing wasn't exactly a date outfit."
The princess giggled before looking around again. "Where is the music coming from? And this heat?"
"I performed a bit of magic before you arrived. We're the only ones who can hear the music while we're standing on the blanket. I also thought it was a bit chilly tonight so I created this bubble of heat around us. Is it too warm? I can tone it down a bit."
"I'm impressed. This is perfect, Mateo. Thank you."
"You're welcome. Shall we sit?"
"Yes, please."
The young wizard smiled and motioned at her to sit first. Elena kissed him before sitting on the blanket, smoothing out her dress. Mateo sits next to her and pours them each a cup of juice, giving one to Elena. The princess thanked him and took a sip as she admired the various plates of food.
"This all looks really good, Mateo," she said.
"Thanks, but I can't take all of the credit," Mateo replied. "Naomi helped quite a bit with making all of this. I hope my mom won't mind the sudden disappearance of food too much…"
Elena giggled. "She'll be asking herself a few questions," she said cheerfully.
"I'll come up with some type of explanation if she traces the disappearance to me."
"Who else can she trace it to?"
"I have no idea."
The princess giggled again as Mateo gave her an empty plate. She thanked him before piling some food on it, taking a bit of everything.
"Hungry?" Mateo asked as he helped himself to some food as well.
"Starving," Elena stated. "I skipped dinner for this."
"How did you get out of that?"
"I told everyone that I had a headache and needed to sleep."
"Won't they check up on you at some point?"
"Nah, I made sure to mention that I didn't want to be bothered. Abuela will make sure that no one goes near my room."
"I'm sure Esteban was pleased that you got to leave from dinner."
"I heard him complaining about how irresponsible I am. He said that if I cannot attend to my family duties, then how can they expect me to fulfill my royal ones?"
The royal wizard rolled his eyes. "That's Esteban, all right. You know, sometimes I think he wishes that he was the one ruling Avalor," he said, a hint of annoyance in his tone.
"He hates being told what to do, and he must hate even more taking orders from a sixteen-year-old girl," Elena replied, shrugging. "I bet he thinks that being a ruler means complete freedom. Not from my end: I can't make a decision without the approval of the Grand Council."
"For now. Once you're queen, you'll be able to rule without them."
"True… It would definitely make changing the marriage law a little easier. I'd still have to fight the Grand Council, though: they could still attempt to delay any change I try to make."
"At least they'd be forced to revise the law under your orders. That's better than nothing."
"Yeah…" Elena looked towards the water, sighing quietly. How was she going to change that law? Her grandparents might consider revising it but Esteban would be adamant in keeping it and would present several – and unfortunately convincing – arguments to get his way. How she was going to appear more persuasive than her cousin, Elena did not know.
A warm hand covered hers and the princess looked at Mateo, who was gazing at her with a concerned expression.
"Hey…" he said gently. "We'll get through this somehow. We'll find a way to make this work."
"It won't be easy, Mateo. Changing that law is next to impossible and me giving up my crown would create a scandal of epic proportions," Elena replied solemnly.
"I know, and I would never ask you to give up your crown. You know that, right?"
"Of course I do, and I really appreciate that."
"Good. Now, let's forget about this for just a little while and enjoy our picnic."
Elena smiled. "I couldn't agree more."
Mateo returned the smile and they both began to eat. Once they were finished, the royal wizard cleared a space on the blanket and got to his feet, offering the princess his hand. She blinked and took his hand, letting herself be helped onto her feet. Mateo smiled and pulled her close, placing one hand on her waist and keeping hold of her hand with the other. Realising what his intentions were, Elena returned the smile and placed her free hand on his shoulder. They began to dance, following the rhythm of the music.
"I never knew that you were such a romantic," Elena said.
"Thank Mom for that. She made sure that I knew how to be romantic with a girl," Mateo replied.
"I would if I could," Elena stated, resting her head on his shoulder. Mateo kissed the top of her head in response.
They danced for a long while before Mateo noticed it was getting late. Elena reluctantly began to pull away but the young wizard stopped her by pressing a kiss to her lips. The princess's eyes fluttered close as she returned the kiss, a small sigh escaping her. Mateo broke the kiss and rested his forehead against hers.
"I love you…" he whispered gently.
"I love you, too," Elena murmured. "I'll help you clean up."
"There's no need." Mateo took out his tamborita and performed a spell. The candles snuffed themselves out and flew into a nearby basket along with the plates, utensils, cups, and what was left of the food. He then performed another spell and the music and the heat vanished. Elena shivered at the breeze.
"Oops, sorry. I forgot how cold it actually is," Mateo said, hunching his shoulders in an apologetic manner.
"It's okay. Come on, let's fold up this blanket," Elena said kindly.
She took one end of the blanket and Mateo grabbed the other before folding it. When that was done, Mateo took the blanket and the basket with one hand and held out the other for Elena to take. Elena took his hand and they walked along the beach at a leisurely pace. When they reached the town, they found Luna waiting for them.
"Luna?" Elena said in mild surprise.
"Hello, princess. I figured that since you needed a ride here, you'd need one to go home," Luna said, smiling. "Hey, Mateo. Did you both have fun on your date?"
"Um… yes…" Mateo looked at Elena. "She knows this was a date?"
"Uh, yeah… She overheard me and Naomi talking while I was getting ready but she promised not to tell anyone. Right, Luna?"
"My lips are sealed, princess."
"Well… okay," Mateo said. "Thanks, Luna."
"It's my pleasure."
The royal wizard smiled at the jaquin before turning to Elena. "Well, I guess this is goodnight."
"I guess so," Elena said. "But we'll see each other again soon, right?"
"Of course. I often swing by the palace: we'll be able to see each other plenty of times."
Elena sighed and shook her head with a fond smile.
"Uh, Mateo? That's not what she meant," Luna chimed in helpfully.
"What?" Mateo paused for a moment before a look of dawning comprehension came over his face. "Oh! Yes, of course we'll have another date soon!"
Both Luna and Elena giggled as the latter gave the royal wizard a kiss. "Great. I'm looking forward to it already," the princess said. "Goodnight, Mateo."
"Goodnight, Elena," Mateo replied, smiling softly.
Elena blew him another kiss before climbing onto Luna's back and taking off towards the palace. The princess sighed happily as they flew over the kingdom.
"So you had fun tonight, princess?" Luna asked.
"I sure did, Luna," Elena replied. "Mateo's such a great guy."
"There's no doubt about that. How important is it for your relationship with him to be a secret?"
"I can't describe in words how important that is."
"Okay. I was just being curious."
The princess nodded and remained silent for the rest of the ride, trying to keep her mind from imagining what might happen if her secret was discovered.