Title: Nothing but a Memory

Summary: He'll watch Gabe with disdain and hope. He'll watch Naomi as she is only a memory to him. He'll watch Isabel and Elena as if he was missing out on something wonderful. He'll watch Mateo and see himself in some ways.

Spanish notes:

Libro= book

La política de Avalor= the politics of Avalor

Tia= aunt

He'll watch Isabel and Elena as if he was missing out on something wonderful.

"So what did you and James do on your outing?" squealed Elena as she bounced a baby on her leg. "Tell me everything." Esteban only watched as Elena and Isabel squealed about some kind of outing she went on with Prince James of Enchancia. He tried hard to listen in to hear how it went. So far nothing until he heard them start to giggle.

"Can I hold him?" asked Isabel as he finally got a look into the room. Elena handed over her baby to the younger girl. They didn't look like they were talking about the outing. "Lorenzo looks a lot like you." Oh great, they were talking about the baby. How soon they had another, who he looks like, yada yada, he listened to hear the topic switch. Sometimes he wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. He finds himself thinking of a memory.

"Isabel a cookie, me a cookie, Isabel a cookie, me a cookie," said Elena as she divided out the cookie jar between them. Esteban watches from the corner to where they can't see him. The eight-year-old has divided the cookies between them. Sometimes he wonders what would happen if he asked for a sibling. Then thinking that it couldn't happen now anymore. He glares at the stuffed toy in his arms before a smile graced his face.

"You'll be my friend, right Mr. Bear?" asked Esteban as he looked at his stuffed toy making it nod. Esteban didn't have any friends at school. He takes one last look at his cousins sitting on the kitchen table. For only being eight, Elena wasn't the shining example like everyone thought she was. They were the ones setting an example for him? Yea right, he thinks as Esteban thinks about what adventure he would go on next. "Mr. Bear, we're going to look for maruvian ruins. Won't that be fun?"

Esteban thought for a moment wondering if his cousins heard him. Instead, he heard the girls laugh about something as he went back to the kitchens to see what was so funny. Two-year-old Isabel was peeled off her diaper and waved it around like a flag. "We surrender to you pirate captain Isabel-"

"Can I play?" he asked as both girls looked up at him. Elena bites her bottom lip before brightening up at the idea. "We can go outside and dig and look for buried treasure."

Isabel's eyes even light up. "Tweasure!" He straightens up as they march out of the kitchen area to the gardens. Maybe he didn't really need a sibling. Maybe he didn't need friends. At least he had cousins to play with him.

He'll watch Mateo and see himself in some ways.

Esteban only looked at the wizard with an eyebrow raised. They were in the library looking for something to read. Mateo and Isabel pouring over some technical book that he could not understand. Naomi working on some homework she had brought with her. Then Elena and Gabe in the stacks looking for something to read. He had focused on Mateo as he read his letter from the older friend. One that he forgot he even had after aunt Lucia had married uncle Raul. In some weird way they were a lot alike.

"Hey the rain stopped," said Elena from inside the stacks. "We could go outside and play now."

"Isabel and I are going to finish our book," said Mateo as he pointed out a diagram to the younger girl. Naomi flipped her book over before announcing that she would go with Gabe and Elena to find the jaquins. Esteban rolls his eyes as he finds himself remembering.

Esteban was only four when his parents died. He as supposed to have a brother when his mother died and his dad died around the same time. For what reason he wasn't entirely sure. Since then he had found himself in the comfort of his imagination and the written word. With no real friends of his own they were his closest thing that he had. Elena and Isabel were always off together. Even at 6 years difference those two were inseparable.

"Esteban is that your third libro today?" asked tia Lucia as he got a new one from the shelf. She was studying something about politics in Avalor. If he had to guess tia Lucia was reading up on how to help the king.

"It is," he said proudly looking at her book with interest. La política de Avalor read the title as it sounded interesting. "Can I read that when you're done?" Lucia looked over at him with a playful smile on her face. She wiped a stray piece of dark hair from her face as she smiled at her nephew.

"Why don't we read this together? I know you're just as interested as I am in the subject." At this Esteban looked at his aunt before looking at the shelf wondering if he wanted a different book. Then agreed to study the same material. Smiling at each other they started the book together.

He'll watch Gabe with disdain and hope.

Gabriel Nunez, it said on his application as he handed it over to his grandfather. He could only roll his eyes as yet another kid was coming in next. Esteban skims the background information when he sees the striking resemblance. Then a young man comes in with a contagious smile on his face. Something that Esteban knows that he couldn't pull off.

He looked at this Gabriel Nunez and saw what he wanted to be. At 18 and ready to prove himself, to set himself apart from the rest of the boys. He had his whole life ahead of him of adventure and mystery. Why is he wasting it being here in castle cooped up; he wonders for the both of them. Gabriel is confident and enthusiastic about the job. Something he doesn't really understand. Every answer to the questions sometimes better than the other. He hopes that Gabriel proves something for the both of them.

Esteban remembered when he used to look like that. He finds himself suffocating.

Esteban looked around the room before sneaking out into the training ground. At 13-years-old Esteban liked to examine his options. He had thought about joining the military. Captain of the royal navy. He liked that title, Captain Esteban Santos Flores of the Avaloran royal navy. Then again, he wanted to be a mariachi band member last week. Then last month he wanted to be an architect.

"What are you doing here Esteban?" asked Captain Moreno. He looked up at the captain of the royal guard with a stern look on his face. The thought of a royal guard only made him frown. Esteban hated that he couldn't go anywhere without one. Just because auntie Lucia was a queen now, meant that he had to have a guard go with him.

"I'm just watching the boys train," muttered Esteban as he saw them doing push-ups, kicking things, and swords to dummies. He wanted to try doing that. "Is this the royal guard, army, or navy?"

"Guard," he said with a tiny smile on his face, although doubt also there. "I thought you wanted to be a part of a mariachi band last I checked."

"Maybe, I have a lot of options," he said with a devious smile on his face. "Maybe one day I'll have your job."

Captain Moreno suppressed a smiled as he looked down at the young teen. He only chuckled a bit. "If you can down a 100 push-ups in less than an hour. You might have a chance at my job." Esteban only looked at the hefty man believing he could do that in less than a half hour. Maybe he was better off being a chef instead.

He'll watch Naomi as she is only a memory to him.

He looks at her credentials seeing if there was any way he could show Elena she wasn't worthy to sit on the council. He knows that Armando would be okay. He knows that her guard would be a good choice, Gabriel had some experience in law school. He had to think of some way to get her out of there.

Esteban looks at Elena's friends wondering if they were messing up. Half impressed he sees Mateo doing magic for some royal children. Impressed, he sees Gabriel making small talk with a couple of kings. Unimpressed he sees Naomi just talking with her father with two other men. Putting a fake smile on his face he walks over to Naomi to see her also talking to Dona. He dances into a memory.

"You stepped on my foot, twice," said Nelia Mendez with a fake smile on her face. The sixteen-year-old looked at her with an equally forced smile. He eyed his cousin as she flirted with some prince. Elena was feeling his muscle, she always seemed to like muscly men. His fifteen-year-old cousin should not be flirting at all!

"I deeply apologize senora Mendez," he said as they danced near his grandparents. "I'm just distracted by your beautiful dress." Not that green in your teeth he thought as she proudly showed off her overly embellished dress. Nelia was only invited to these parties because she was friends with Galena Perez. Galena's father is captain of the royal navy. She had no other special reason to be here. It had to be luck Nelia was invited.

"Oh I know, everyone is, after all its hand stitched," said Nelia as she tossed her short blond hair. Esteban had to admit the girl was confident and had a great attitude. She had moved her elbow to reach for a drink but instead knocked the glasses over from the table. "Oh, Esteban why did you do that?"

She had announced that loudly that Elena even looked over from her friends. He had eyes on him as a blush crossed his face. "I did no such thing."

"Oh Esteban, you're such a klutz," said Nelia as she saw Galena come over to them before whispering. "No royal education can even fix you." What? That girl went to the village school. She was just jealous, at least he hoped. Esteban tried to straighten himself out as he saw Galena, smiling awkwardly. He liked Galena for a while now. Her dark hair swept up into a braid and her simple frock made her radiate across the room.

At this thought Galena came over to gather her friend. They had giggled before chasing after the man with snacks. He hated that blond. Esteban spied him before hearing Galena saying something, "Esteban's just a dork." He felt his heart break in two.