Chapter Text
Elena felt relieved. The battle had ended. Zarya and Kitty had the Arch-Druidess on the run, thanks to the efforts of herself, Isa, Adora, Catra, her allies from neighboring kingdoms, and farmer-soldiers of Avalor. Even so, the inferno, caused by the incendiary devices dropped by the steam bombers, consumed much of the city center, and even reached the water’s edge. Smoke filled the air, and flames billowed higher than what anyone had seen in the past. Elena turned to the assembled forces spread across the city. She yelled as loud as she could.
"Can you hear me?" she asked.
Cries of "yes!" and “definitely” rang out across the city.
She started speaking. "We have won. Avalor stands strong."
She sighed. She continued her speech. "Before leaving to your homesteads, I'd like your help...with putting out this blaze."
She added, "all flames near the water will be taken care of by the Sirenas…so don't worry about that."
The soldiers put down their swords, spears, and other weapons, and grabbed buckets, wherever they could find them. Each bucket was filled with ocean water. Carts were used to bring buckets to the raging inferno. Paraíso Mounted Brigade used their horses while hydro-gondolas moved soldiers. Those in Enchania's unit of winged horses grabbed buckets so they could approach the blaze from the air and drench it from above. Isa, Catra, and Adora helped in whatever way they could. Naomi and the sailors from Norberg promised to greet the Sirenas and tell them what needed to be done to put out the fires. In the thick of it all, Elena surreptitiously snuck through the city and back to the royal palace.
All the emotions she had been holding in, everything she had seen during the fight, came pouring out.
"ZUZO!" she said in a hushed tone.
He appeared in a flash. "What can I do for you, Elena?" he asked politely.
Breathing in deeply, she checked to see if anyone was around. She proceeded to yell angrily.
"I wish that fucker, Alva Gunderson, were dead! He has to pay the price for what he did to Avalor!"
Zuzo was confused. He never remembered her acting like this, even when she struggled with her enhanced powers before becoming queen.
"What do you mean? What did he do?"
She showed him the city, where the blaze continued to rage and smoke billowed into the sky, even though water had begun extinguishing the fire storm.
"Yikes, that’s gonna leave a mark!" Zuzo snarkily remarked.
Elena rolled her eyes. "Can you do this for me…NOW!?”
He shuttered. He did not want to make a mistake.
"Are you sure? This isn't something you can go back on."
She took out her scepter and pointed it at him. Stamping her feet, she moved closer and became more agitated.
"I've sent people to the spirit world for their crimes, like Shuriki and Orizaba…and faced down Ash…how is this any different?"
Zuzo could see her point. He thought convincing her had little choice of succeeding. Even he made one last attempt.
"…this person won’t go the spirit world…he’ll go somewhere else."
Elena continued to be cross with him. She scowled. "I DON'T CARE! DO IT!"
He realized that while Elena did not have the right state of mind, he had to obey her commands. That's what it meant to be a spirit guide.
"Your wish is my command," he said solemnly, and disappeared.
She walked off in a huff. Not looking where she was going, she accidentally bumped into Naomi who had been looking all over for her.
"Nena, there you are! I am really worried about you. Are you ok?"
Elena tried to push her off and go back into the palace's royal quarters. She came with an excuse.
"I'd like to get some rest…I'll…be fine…don't worry about me."
Naomi patted her on the head. "Sweetums, come to me if there's anything…you'd like to talk about," she said in the gentlest voice.
Walking back into the building, Elena started to walk up the stairs. Not thinking straight, she went to the quietest place she knew: the royal library. She sat down on one of the plush couches. In no time at all, she fell fast asleep, snoring loudly. Her noise filled an, often quiet, room with sounds that may have annoyed some people. Even so, Naomi would probably have found it cute. While the scepter, at its current power level, ensured she did not get tired from its use, she did not have superhuman strength. She could still suffer from fatigue and physical injury.
Some time later, she stretched and yawned, opening her eyes bit by bit. She saw two yellowish eyes staring at her inquisitively. She rubbed her eyes to see if someone’s there or if she had been dreaming. The bluish purple-haired woman waved at her. "Hi, Elena! How are you doing?"
Groggy, she didn’t know how to answer. "Uh…Marisa…nice to see you," she said sheepishly.
Her friend was glad to see a woman she called her "land-sea girlfriend." She squeezed her tightly and grinned happily. Pulling herself up, Elena began to wake up a little more.
"Where's Nomes? I'd like to talk to her" she asked.
"In the council chambers," Marisa answered matter-of-factly. Elena gulped. She hoped the council wouldn't discipline her for authorizing final preparations prior to the armada's arrival without meeting with them first. She told Marisa to walk with her as she sauntered over the council chambers. On the way, she explained how the Sirenas had used their abilities to create a huge tidal wave, dousing the blaze in the part of Avalor City near the water.
"Thanks for doing that, Marisa."
She giggled. "It's my pleasure, Elena," she said. "I will do anything for Avalor…and for you," she then told her.
While Elena accepted the praise, she did not want to make Naomi jealous. she treated, Marisa as one of her good friends, and nothing more. Marisa thought of her as something more than a friend. When walking into the chambers, she awaited the worst and hoped for the best.
She opened the doors, unsure of what she'd find. The dark room had the shades drawn. After she and Marisa had entered the room, the door closed behind them. She heard Isa, Naomi, Francisco, and Luisa shout "SURPRISE!" and someone pulled up the window shade.
"We want to congratulate you, mija, on winning over those steam-powered machines," Luisa said.
"Thanks, Abuela," Elena remarked.
"I knew you could do it," Francisco and her sister said in unison.
After thanking her abuelo, she tussled Isa's hair. "It is thanks to those automatic cannons and system you created, sis, that we won."
She put her arm around her wife and raised a glass. "A toast to all of you, soldiers from nearby kingdoms, and my newfound friends, Catra and Adora…we did it!"
Everyone cheered. With all the commotion, Elena grabbed her wife’s arm, and no one even noticed.
"Nomes, I have to talk to you."
She was confused. She thought their troubles had ended, at least for now.
"About what?" she said innocently.
Elena whispered in her ear, "it's important. Let’s talk in the library."
Naomi agreed. Both slipped away silently. Marisa became the center of attention instead. She stood near the window, with her moderate orangish brown shining in the sunlight. She excitedly chatted with Catra and Adora, always excited to meet new people, especially those from a faraway land.
A short while later, Naomi sat beside her wife in the royal library. It was one of the only quiet places in all Avalor, including in Avalor City, not bustling with people.
"Nomes, I…did something terrible."
Putting her hand on her wife's shoulder, she tried to reassure her. With everything that had happened that day, she couldn't think of one thing her wife had done wrong. She began to say something, but Elena spoke first.
"I ordered the death of…someone."
Naomi scratched her head. It seemed out of character for her wife to do that. "I'm sure you were under so much stress that you…"
She hesitated before saying the next part: "Hallucinated it."
This made Elena feel better. She cracked a smile.
"You are probably right, Naomi."
Even so, part of her believed it had happened.
"If I did order an assassination, then I hope that Zuzo didn't take me seriously."
Not wanting her wife to worry anymore, she thought up an obvious solution. Elena could ask her spirit guide.
"Nena, why don't you ask Zuzo about it?"
Elena nodded. It seemed like the best way to put herself at ease.
"ZUZO!" she yelled at the loudest decibel. He appeared in a flash, even faster than she had expected.
"What do for you…" he began, seeing their stern faces. He didn't know why they were looking at him like that.
"Uh, what is it?" he asked.
Elena pulled out her scepter and held it in face. She smirked.
"Tell me the truth. Did I order someone’s execution? If you don't tell me, I’ll blast a hole in this damn wall."
While he knew that her scepter couldn't hurt him, he decided to comply with her request. He snickered.
"Why, of course you did…can't you remember? Alva Gunderson…will be killed by the best in the business…and you will have to live with the consequences."
Zuzo disappeared in a flash, leaving Elena to contemplate her decision.
What happened next would be up to Elena and the killers she "accidentally" hired to kill Alva. As the sovereign of Steamland, the steam-powered country, he had ordered a fleet to attack Avalor, claiming he had to "liberate" it from a "tyrant". Bombers from that fleet had, only hours before, ravaged Avalor City. Whether she had been right or not, his death would have ripple effects on Steamland, Avalor, and on people such as Elena and Naomi.