Past is prologue: chapter 9

Elena and Esteban Spill Tea

"I suppose I viewed Queen Shuriki's reign as a force of nature one must survive – like a hurricane. I know far too many people who suffered under her harsh laws to say she was good for the kingdom, but if one were clever enough, she could be managed. There was always a way to maneuver around the Queen. I became quite good at it, perhaps only equaled by Chancellor Esteban himself." – Doa Paloma Bringas, proprietor, Emporium de Riquezas. A People's History of the Reign of Queen Shuriki, compiled by Professor Catalina de Torres

Esteban idly perused the books in the library, as he often did when he couldn't sleep. None of the book called to him this night; his mind was awhirl with the knowledge that he had a son! He had thought fatherhood had passed him by, but apparently no. Now if only he could meet Davíd! Naomi had told him that the boy had no interest in speaking with any of his new family. Esteban supposed he couldn't blame him. The nobleman knew his reputation preceded him. Also troubling was the news that his son was keeping company with the Delgado girl, of all people. That did not bode well. But there was little Esteban could do about it.

He took a book of poetry from the shelf and sat down on the divan to read it. But no sooner had he opened the book that he heard a rattle outside of the library door and his cousin's soft murmur. He rose as the Queen of Avalor entered the library, pushing a cart with a tea tray in front of her.

"Elena," he greeted her with a small smile. He'd suspected she would want to speak with him.

"Don't be silly, cousin. Please, sit!" She turned to ask the guard accompanying her to wait outside. The guard bowed and did as he was bidden. Esteban remained standing. He would not sit before his queen. Elena sighed, and sat down on the divan, patting the space beside her. Only then did Esteban join her.

"So," Elena began, "I understand congratulations are in order?" She poured tea into two cups and placed one before Esteban. Té de manzanilla. Their abuela had always brewed that when any of her grandchildren were in need of something. It was sweet of Elena to think of it.

"It would seem so. Our family is growing," he noted wryly. "You heard the story from Naomi, I take it?"

His cousin nodded. "You and…Scarlett? I never suspected."

Esteban smiled. "Just think. Two years later and you and Naomi could have been familia."

"And how would you have felt then, primo?" Elena teased. His arguments with the young chancellor when they'd both been on the Grand Council were legendary.

"I would have been proud," he answered quietly.

"Now you have a son."

"Who wants nothing to do with me," Esteban observed sourly. "Not that I blame him."

"He just doesn't know you, Esteban," Elena replied, placing her hand on his arm. "He's lucky to have you as a father."

"Thank you, Elena." He appreciated her kindness, but found it hard to credit that she truly believed that.

"I can't understand why Scarlett would keep such a thing secret for all these years," the young queen continued. "It just seems so…"

"Selfless," the ex-chancellor interjected. "I do not reproach Scarlett. She did what she thought was best for her – our – son."

"But how could it be best to deprive a child of his familia?"

"I had no family in those days," he reminded her. "Shuriki would have been delighted to hold of child of mine to keep me in check. You have no concept what it was like." He fell silent, as he always did when the dark days were brought up. By tacit agreement, it was a subject he and Elena avoided.

Thus, he was surprised when she said, "So tell me."

"You –" Esteban floundered in confusion. He didn't know how to answer, or if it was even safe to do so.

Elena continued gently. "It's all right, cousin. I'm long past judging you. Scarlett's actions just seem cruel to me, and I'm trying to understand. Look, the tea kettle and cups aren't floating to the ceiling, and I'm not glowing orange, so you have nothing to worry about."

The last had been said in a teasing tone, so Esteban smiled back. "It is not you who glows orange, but your dress. The burgundy gown you're wearing doesn't have that same ability."" Since becoming queen, Elena seldom wore her magical red crystal dress. Sensible, since while that garment afforded her magical protection, it also broadcast her emotions, which was a liability in and of itself. In truth, though, Esteban did not fear that Elena would harm him – those days ended two years ago – as he was that he would hurt her emotionally, something he never wanted to do again.

"We don't talk about the past and that's largely because of me, but I've been questioning that lately. If you're willing to talk, I'm ready to listen."

Esteban took a deep breath and stroked his beard as he thought about where to begin. "There were … differing stories about me in those days. To some, I was a royal hostage, a tragic figure. To others, I was a tyrant's ruthless enforcer. None seemed to realize that both could be true. But either way Scarlett would not want to risk her child being brought into Shuriki's orbit."

"Was she afraid Shuriki would be a bad influence?"

"I suppose that was part of it. But Scarlett is a woman of the world. She most likely guessed I was not as loyal to the Queen as one might assume, and Shuriki had a reputation for cruelty. Also, there were attempts on my life. It surprises me not at all that Scarlett would wish to keep her child as far from the Avaloran court as possible."

Elena put her hand over his and squeezed. "I hadn't realized it was that bad for you."

Esteban felt his heart brim with gratitude…and guilt. "I was hardly an innocent."

"Still, would Shuriki truly have needed to hold your child hostage to gain your cooperation? I thought you sought the chancellorship…?"

Esteban disengaged his hand from Elena with the excuse of lifting his teacup to see if it was cool enough to drink. "The situation was…complicated. Yes, I sought the chancellorship as a way to gain power, or at least a voice in the running of the kingdom. It's also true that our interests often aligned – I wanted to make Avalor a safe and prosperous kingdom, and Shuriki wanted that as well." He looked down, ashamed to meet Elena's eyes. "We sometimes differed on tactics." When Elena nodded grimly, he knew he didn't need to go into details. "Sometimes, I could manipulate Shuriki to take another course of action. Other times, the dark Queen would have reason to suspect my loyalty." He looked directly at his cousin. "I wasn't lying when I told you she would threaten to destroy the painting. Her magic had no effect on it, but it could still be burned, as she once showed me." The current Queen of Avalor put her hand over her mouth at that.

Esteban had lost count of the times Shuriki had held a torch to the portrait prison of his family. He sometimes still had nightmares of Shuriki's mocking voice chiding him, "Don't forget to say goodbye to your familia, Esteban," as she had done before every single trip he'd ever taken outside of Avalor.

"Maybe I can kind of see why Scarlett did what she did," Elena admitted.

"And I begin to have a taste of what it was like for you and Isa, and our abuelos, to find everything so dramatically changed when you suddenly woke up to discover 41 years had passed."

Elena sighed and put her own teacup down. She seemed to be deciding whether or not to speak. Finally she did so. "It wasn't like that for me."

Esteban cursed himself for his thoughtlessness. "Forgive me, Elena. I did not mean to minimize your experience…"

"It's not that." Elena hesitated, and then seemed to gather strength. "I never woke up." Seeing the confusion on Esteban's face, she continued, "When I went into the locket I never went to sleep."

"You were conscious in the amulet?" Esteban was appalled. "The whole time?"

His cousin nodded. "Alacazar was the first amulet bearer. I would have gone mad in those early years if it hadn't been for him. He found a way to communicate with me. He comforted me and kept my spirits up as he searched for a way to free me. He even discovered a way I could have at least a modicum of control. I began to learn how to occasionally – manage – the magic of the amulet, if not truly wield it. It grew harder when we reached Enchancia. Alacazar had grown old on his quest to find a way to break the curse, and was desperately afraid he would die before doing so. In a last-ditch effort to leave me with at least a faint hope, he transformed himself into a book with the hope someone would read it and be able to help me. It was decades before Sofia finally did." Elena looked so haunted as she related her tale.

Esteban had set his cup down while listening and now reached out to grip her shoulder in comfort. "I am so sorry, prima," he whispered. "I had no idea."

Elena leaned her head against him. "The hardest part, aside from believing my whole family dead, was the lack of sensation. I could feel nothing. I could touch nothing. And once Alacazar was gone, I could communicate with no one."

The ex-chancellor put a protective arm around his cousin who was as a sister to him as well as his queen. His mind reeled from the implications of what Elena had just said. During the dark days, Esteban had witnessed horrors, knowing he was at least partially to blame since he had helped bring Shuriki to Avalor. Elena, though, through no fault of her own, had experienced the unimaginable. And how old was she, really, if she had been conscious the whole time? Was she the 22-year-old she appeared, or was she, as her birth date would indicate, in her sixties as Esteban himself was? She was neither, he realized, but something else, something entirely unique to her.

"You never talk about your time in the locket," Esteban commented softly.

"Naomi knows part of it. Mateo knows part of it. And now you know part of it." Elena sat back to look her cousin in the eyes. Esteban's breath caught as he realized the full impact of the trust she was placing in him.

"You never told our abuelos?"

"They were already dealing with so much. They'd just lost a daughter, all of their friends, and the kingdom they knew had changed dramatically. I couldn't add to their burden."

"Oh, Elena." He could only think of the burden Elena herself had borne.

Then something occurred to him. "That's why you have an accent!"

"What? I don't have an accent," Elena said defensively.

"You do!" he insisted. "Growing up, you sounded like me. But when you came back you spoke with an almost…" he snapped his fingers as it came to him "…Enchancian lilt!"

"I don't have an Enchanchian lilt!" Elena contradicted. "That's ridiculous!...Oh, I guess I do." She looked put out.

Elena and Esteban sipped their tea in silence for a moment. "So…back to our earlier conversation," Elena said, deliberately trying to sound more Avaloran, "is that why you never married? To not give Shuriki more hostages? I always wondered."

Esteban nodded. "In part, yes. In large part, in fact. But there were other considerations." He supposed Elena had a right to know, if she hadn't guessed already. "You know that during Shuriki's reign I amassed a fair amount of power. I did not dare court a woman of Avalor because I could never be certain she would know that she could tell me no." Outside of Avalor, where he was less an object of fear, was another matter entirely, but he had no intention of sharing that with his perhaps younger and certainly more innocent cousin.

"So it's not because Shuriki objected?"

Esteban raised an eyebrow. "Why would Shuriki object?" He knew exactly what Elena was implying, but if she wanted to go there she would need to say it.

"It…well," Elena floundered, uncomfortable. "You know what, I'm just going to come out and ask. It wasn't because Shuriki would have been jealous?"

"Certainly not!" At least not in that way.

"Then you and Shuriki were never…together?"

"Never!" Perish the thought. "Of course, I can't speak for Armando's puppets," he sniffed, still a bit miffed about Armando's puppetteering propaganda while he'd been on the run. He saw Elena try – badly – to hide a smile at that. It was not amusing. "But in real life, no."

There had been rumors, of course. When he and the former queen first heard of them, Shuriki had burst into laughter and had taken to calling Esteban "lover boy" for a month afterwards. Esteban, however, had been outraged. It had taken the combined efforts of both Shuriki and Armando to keep him from demanding satisfaction from those who would dare spread such scurrilous lies. At last they'd convinced him that such an action would only confirm to Avalor City that the lies were true. Years later it became something of a private jest between him and Shuriki – the affair that wasn't. But it pained him to think his own cousin could imagine he would sink so low. He may have committed treason, but he still had standards.

"Shuriki did once try to marry me off –"Esteban waited until his cousin began sipping her tea, "-to doa Paloma." As Elena choked and sputtered on her own beverage, Esteban calmly sipped his. Once Elena had gotten herself under control, he added, "Our first scheme together was finding a way to avoid wedded bliss to one another."

"So you and Paloma were never, well, actually together either."

"Oh, there was the odd moment here and there over the years, but nothing ever came of it." He glanced at the queen to see if she would choke on her tea again, but she was expecting him to try to shock her now, and she very carefully set her cup down. "And in case you wonder if I begrudge her upcoming nuptials, I most heartily do not. I wish Paloma and Julio all the happiness in the Everrealm, and Julio all the luck in Avalor, for he will most assuredly need it."

"This is true," Elena responded in a perfect imitation of him. Both girls were doing that now? He shook his head and glared at Elena, who looked smugly back.

"Did Shuriki really try to marry you off?" When Esteban nodded, Elena pressed, "But I don't get it. What would Shuriki stand to gain from that? Another hostage, as you said?"

"Most likely," he mused. "But I believe she also thought I could bring our once and future magister of trade to heel." As Elena's peal of laughter he replied, "My thoughts exactly."

The truth was a bit more complicated. Shuriki did care for Esteban in her own odd way, though it didn't stop her from routinely threatening to kill him. Esteban had been prone to melancholy, which Shuriki had called his "black moods." She thought marriage might cure him of that. The dark queen never grasped the depth of Esteban's grief and guilt. The power he'd gained as Shuriki's chancellor could never make up for the loss of his family, nor for the realization that their assassin was the closest thing to family he was ever likely to have.

He still remembered Shuriki's voice, uncharacteristically serious and even gentle as she told him, "You have served me well, Esteban. You deserve some happiness. Besides, as you know, as you alone in the Everrealm know, I will outlive you and all currently living in Avalor. It would be nice to have a little Estebanito or Estefanita to serve me after you're gone." Esteban had promised to consider her words, but privately thought there could be no greater inducement to remain childless.

"Thank you for sharing, cousin," Elena's words broke into his thoughts. "I know it's not easy for you."

"And I thank you, prima, for the same reason," he told her sincerely. Come to think of it, though, Esteban had answered Elena's questions about his love life or lack thereof. Was not turnabout fair play?

"I've been meaning to ask. How is the royal master wizard these days?" he queried slyly.

"Busier since the news of today. Naomi told you about Cristóbal's escape?" Esteban nodded grimly. "My scepter showed me nothing when I tried to locate him. He's protected by some sort of cloaking spell, different than the one Ash," Elena stumbled as she came to the name of Esteban's former ally, "used. Mateo doesn't know how to penetrate it. He and Olivia have been doing research to try to find the source. Olivia was going on and on about wave theory – I didn't understand a word of it. When she gets going, she's as bad as Isa describing her latest invention."

"This is true," Esteban replied.

"Well, she wanted to actually go to Nueva Vista to examine Cristóbal's cell to confirm some idea or other, and of course Mateo forbade it."

"Naturally."

"She wasn't too happy about it. I get the feeling the girl wants to go out and have magical adventures of her own, while Mateo wants to keep her safe."

Esteban gave his cousin a side-long look. "I can't imagine what it must be like to try to keep a teenager bent on adventure and disinclined to listen to the wisdom of her elders safe from danger." Elena took the pillow behind her back and threw it at her cousin, who deftly caught it before it could knock over his tea cup and chided, "Some decorum, please, your grace."

"And yet you're still holding the pillow," Elena pointed out with narrowed eyes. Esteban made a big show of graciously returning the pillow, which Elena shoved safely behind her back.

Elena was dodging the question. As they were being so uncharacteristically honest with each other, Esteban decided to push. "With Cristóbal on the loose, have you given thought to strengthening the Castillo line?"

His cousin caught his meaning and groaned. "Not you too." So Elena was being pressured. Esteban wondered who had broached the subject with the queen. Certainly not Mateo. His courtship, if one could call it that, was proceeding at a glacial pace. Esteban thought he knew the problem. No doubt the poor boy assumed he was too far beneath the Queen to be worthy of her. It was complete rubbish, of course. A master wizard might not be the most traditional of mates for a queen, but it was still a respectable rank. And as Mateo didn't come from a noble family, he would not presume to the Crown Matrimonial. He would be prince consort, not king. He was no threat to Elena.

More importantly, the young wizard was clearly devoted to Elena, who in turn showed a marked fondness for the boy. Esteban wanted to see his cousin happy.

"I hope you realize, prima, that in these enlightened times you do not need to settle for a politically advantageous match. You may marry for love. Of course, since you are queen, it falls upon you to make the first overture." "Shy" and "reticent" were hardly adjectives that he would typically use to describe Elena, but matters of the heart could make one behave uncharacteristically.

Esteban had meant to be reassuring and so was surprised when Elena rose and began to pace the room. "Forgive me, cousin. I did not mean to upset you."

"You're not saying anything the rest of the kingdom isn't thinking," the queen replied ruefully. "What if…what if I don't want to get married?"

Esteban hastened to reassure her. "You are still young, at least by some counts." That earned him a smile from the woman who was almost a twin to him. "You do not need to marry yet if you are not ready."

"What if…what if I'm never ready?" Elena said softly. "What if I came out of the locket…wrong?"

"Nonsense! You are the picture of health!"

The young queen smiled wistfully. "You know, when I was first released from the amulet, I had to relearn how to walk? It's not just Avalor that changed. I did as well."

"I had no idea," Esteban whispered. "I am so sorry, Elena." The old guilt threatened to overwhelm him. He shoved it back down to better focus on the queen.

"What precisely concerns you, if I may ask?"

Elena sighed. "My concerns aren't exactly precise. Why can't I just be queen and leave it at that?"

Esteban thought for a moment. "You could, you know. Rule as a maiden queen. Some of the greatest rulers in Avaloran history remained unwed all their lives."

"But they were legends," Elena objected.

"And you are not?"

"I guess I see your point," the queen admitted with a slight laugh. "I could really do that?"

"If that is your wish, of course. You are queen. No one can force you to wed – ever. If you do, it will be your choice. Of course," he cautioned, "it means that the continuation of the Castillo line will fall to Isa."

"I don't want her to be pressured either." Elena sat down facing her cousin. "What happens if she doesn't have children?"

"Then the crown passes to Countess Delores and her son after her." Esteban smiled wryly. "But I don't think that will be an issue. It seems Isa already has a suitor."

"You mean Prince James? I can't believe Isa invited him to the wedding without asking me first." Elena shook her head. "But 'suitor' is a strong word. They're just kids!"

"Prince James was her escort at her quinceaera," Esteban reminded her.

"That doesn't necessarily mean anything," Elena scoffed. "I mean, my escort was Victor Delgado, and there was certainly nothing between us."

"Victor was everyone's escort back in those days," Esteban grumbled. Including Feli's, even though Victor had known how Esteban felt about her. Esteban should have taken that as a warning about the type of "friend" Victor really was. Still, he had to suppress a smile at Elena's blithe dismissal. Victor did have designs on Elena when they were both teenagers, but Elena had been gloriously oblivious. It had been delightful to watch.

"Be that as it may," the nobleman continued, "the tradition behind a quinceaera was to announce to society that a young woman was of marriageable age. It does not surprise me in the least that the people speculate on the prospects of the crown princess." Elena rolled her eyes. "Still, we are in agreement that Isabel is far too young for marriage, are we not?"

"Oh, yes. We are in agreement about that," Elena adamantly assured her cousin.

"I must concede that in five year's time Isa could do worse than Prince James of Enchancia," Esteban mused.

"I can't believe the King and Queen of Enchancia. What could they be thinking? Sending James to cross the sea twice in one year." The queen shook her head.

"No doubt they're thinking Prince James could do worse than the Crown Princess of Avalor," Esteban noted wryly. The ex-chancellor could see how it was a sensible match. But Isa was still a child! Nonetheless, he was certain Isa wouldn't be ready for marriage until she completed her degree at the Avaloran Science Academy, at the least. And perhaps he should have a private conversation with young Prince James…

"I can't believe we're even having this discussion," Elena sighed. "Wasn't it just yesterday that Isa started her first day of school?"

"I'm afraid not, cousin. Time…" Esteban's voice trailed off. He'd been about to say, "Time stops for no one," but that wasn't precisely true. Not in his family.

"Time." Elena shook her head. "I don't see how anyone expects monarchs to marry in the first place. It's not like we have the time to be good spouses. Ruling a kingdom is a full-time job."

"Is that why you don't wish to marry?" Esteban asked shrewdly. "You worry as queen you won't make a good wife?" Oh, Elena.

His cousin shrugged. "I suspect relationships are tough enough without adding a crown into the mix."

"And yet it has been done." Elena opened her mouth to protest, so Esteban hastened to add, "as has remaining unwed."

The queen sipped her tea and grimaced. Esteban picked up his own cup and realized it had gone cold. "The hour grows late. Perhaps we should both turn in for the night." When Elena rose, he did as well. "Thank you, cousin, for the tea and the conversation."

Elena came around and gave Esteban a quick hug which he returned. "I've missed our late-night chats, primo."

"As have I, Elena." When Esteban had been chancellor, he and Elena had spent many evenings in the library or kitchens discussing matters of state both great and small. Of course, Esteban could never be completely honest in those conversations lest he inadvertently reveal the treachery committed in his youth. It seemed Elena, too, had been keeping secrets. Since returning home and being pardoned, Esteban was banned from taking a formal role in Elena's administration. That naturally had cut into their free-wheeling discussions. Esteban didn't realize how much he had missed them until this evening.

"And I look forward to meeting your son." She bopped him on the nose.

"As do I," he responded drily.

"It will happen, Esteban. Just be patient." She knocked on the library door to not startle the guard standing outside when she opened it. "Good night, cousin."

"Buenas noches, prima. Sleep well."

AN: A story cannot contain a song, of course. But if you would like one, imagine this – a sad merengue, sung by Elena alone in her room, entitled "What If I Have No Love to Give?" Elena loves her family, loves her friends, and loves her subjects. But she doesn't think she's ever been in love. She knows others have been attracted to her, but she never felt the same, not for Alonso, or Gabe, or Marzel, or Naomi, or Marisa, and even though she felt they were soul-mates in magic, not even Mateo. Elena wonders if there's something wrong with her because she was in the amulet so long, and has considered exploring a relationship with Mateo, although she suspects it might be unfair, and Mateo might be better off with someone less complicated, less magical, than her.