A single tear sparkled in the candle light as it trickled down the crown princess's lovely cheek. Elena was numb with shock–– it was inconceivable that she was sitting beside her royal wizard who was lying unconscious, completely motionless aside from his faint shallow breaths, on a bed in the palace infirmary.

All Because of her.

Her worst nightmare had become reality that day–– someone close to her had been hurt because of the target that seemed to be permanently etched over her back. There had been an attack on the palace, compliments of Victor and Carla Delgado, who had finally come for their revenge–– armed with dark magic. Elena still couldn't figure out the why or how, but the petty thieves that she thought she had known had returned as malvagos and had come to take what they believed to be theirs–– her throne.

Elena sniffled as she leaned forward and buried her face in her hands, thinking about how very much she owed to Mateo de Alva, the Royal Wizard–– to her best friend and one of the most devoted and loyal protectors of Avalor–– of her.

Her heart clenched as she thought about the countless little things he'd done over the past few years since he'd accepted his appointment to the post. He'd cast enchantments over the guard's swords that allowed them to block magical attacks, provided a variety of potions to enhance their strength and stamina, and fortified the palace with every protective charm he'd ever read about to ward off magical attacks.

Though she'd teased him for worrying too much–– Shuriki was gone after all–– he'd been diligent to look out for her safety, and had worked tirelessly to magically prepare them all for such a time as this.

She stifled a sob as a recent memory floated to the forefront of her mind.

Elena had teased him about it just the previous day when she'd found him casting yet another new protective spell over the palace gates. He'd just shrugged as he looked at her with those warm, kind eyes of his and said, "I'm just doing my job, Elena. Royal wizards do more than just hide in their workshops all day, acting quirky, you know."

And for that, they all owed him a great debt.

She looked him up and down, from head to toe, trembling from the overwhelming waves of emotion that washed over her as she noted each and every injury her poor friend had suffered. Many guards and servants had been injured in the attack that day and it hurt her heart to see even a single scratch on any of them, but this? On him? It crushed her to see the bruises and scratches on his good and kind face–– and the–– she swallowed hard as she saw the bandages peeking from under the sheets. The bandages she knew to be covering severe burns that spread up his left side and arm and across his chest–– burns that would leave scars no matter what the royal physician did because they had been created by the touch of dark magic.

Dark magic that had been meant for her.

Eyes stinging with fresh waves of tears, Elena folded her arms on the side of the bed and laid her head just beside his as she allowed the memories leading to that moment to flood her mind.

It had all happened so quickly.

Something Victor and Carla had done triggered one of Mateo's spells and tipped him off that there was trouble at the gate, for he had come running out of his workshop before the guards even began shouting about dark wizards from the courtyard. Had it not been for all of the protective enchantments, the battle would have been over much more quickly and almost half a century old history would have repeated itself.

But, no, they were able to defend against the malvagos. Elena had the time she needed to get her family to safety before grabbing her scepter and joining the fight. She had known that had Mateo needed her–– they were a team. They had trained to fight magic together and together they would fight this magic.

Smiling in spite of herself, she remembered the way he'd groaned when she showed up ready to fight. He hated it when she put herself in danger, but he was also one of the few who truly understood that much of the time it was necessary–– it was her job, her duty to protect the kingdom and she was uniquely equipped to do that in a way no one else was, thanks to her magical gifts. And this time, well, he knew that her magic would make a difference in the fight.

That was yet another thing she loved about her royal wizard–– he cared for her safety but he fully supported her when duty called her to run headfirst into danger.

Together, the pair of them were a force to be reckoned with. All of their training had paid off as they worked seamlessly, like two complementary parts of a single well oiled machine. The two of them together were able to turn the direction of the fight in their favor as the malvagos went on the defensive.

Elena remembered the torrent of emotion that flowed through her as they fought–– that was still flowing through her. She was angry they had attacked her home and fearful that they would win and she'd lose everything all over again. But then there was the exhilaration that flooded her senses as she and Mateo fought side by side, each perfectly complementing the other's moves–– it was as easy and natural as breathing.

But one wrong move later and she found herself knocked to the ground, both malvagos closing in to finish her off. Mateo had paused, his initial reaction to see to her immediate needs but he seemed to realize that she needed him to remove the threat to her life more than she needed someone to pull her to her feet.

A thrill had run up her spine when she saw the ferocity burning in his eyes as he faced the malvagos intent on ending his crown princess–– in that moment, he looked more like a truly dangerous wizard than than she'd ever noticed before, and she couldn't help but feel intrigued. She could almost see the magic crackling from his fingertips as he shouted with rage, leveling his tamborita at Victor and Carla and ran to block her from their attack.

But he hadn't been quick enough.

Tears poured freely down the princess's cheeks as she watched her royal wizard lying there, that horrible moment replaying in her mind over and over again–– the moment she'd watched helplessly as Mateo was struck down by the malvago's spells.

Because of her.

She'd screamed his name and scrambled to her feet, rapidly firing "blaze" spells at Victor and Carla. She'd already been angry at their attack, but the pure undiluted fury that swelled within her once they'd hurt her Mateo was a force to be reckoned with.

They had started the fight and she was going to end it.

She had fought to near exhaustion before a contingent of royal guards found her and managed to overwhelm Victor and Carla. The fight finally ended when Carla panicked and fled as her own misfired spell took down her father.

Everything after that was a blur— checking on her family, the staff, the guards, and finally she was free to take up her vigil at Mateo's side. The royal physician had managed to stabilize him, though he was in critical condition. The trauma from the spells had taken a toll on the young wizard's body, and the physician said that he could still go either direction. Elena insisted on remaining by his side, determined to see him through those critical hours and hoped that he would wake simply because she so desperately wished it.

Sitting up, Elena reached for his hand–– clutching it in her own shaking hands, marveling at how solid it felt though Mateo, himself, felt so far away.

"Mateo?" she said in a small, raspy voice, "I–– I don't know if you can hear me, but I just wanted you to know that I'm so sorry. I'm sorry that I couldn't stop this from happening. I'm sorry that you had to fight. I'm sorry that you had to sacrifice yourself for–– for me." Her voice broke on those last words but she continued, her chin wobbling and her voice thick with emotion, "You're my best friend and you've always been here for me–– no matter what, just like you promised so long ago."

She reached over and softly brushed his unruly chocolate curls away from his forehead. "Please wake up, Mateo. I–– I really need you to wake up. A world without your gentleness and your kindness would be unbearable. I can't imagine life without your smile or your laugh–– without you."

Taking a deep shuddering breath, she pressed a gentle kiss to his knuckles and continued, "The world needs you–– I need you. That hasn't changed. Please, I know it might be hard, but you know I've only ever asked you to do your best–– do your best to come back— please, for me? Because I need you by my side."

Her shoulders shook with repressed sobs as she remembered the night she'd first spoken those words to him–– the night he'd taken his place in her court as the royal wizard. She'd meant those words then, but they had somehow come to mean even more in the years since. She needed his magical expertise, sure. But she needed his friendship even more. She needed his presence in her life.

She gasped slightly, her tear-filled eyes widening as the realization struck her. That what she needed— what she so desperately wanted was–– him.

She loved him.

She thought this was something she'd secretly known for a long time–– she wasn't completely shocked by the epiphany. Truthfully, it felt a bit like finally coming home. Though she thought that this new understanding would crush her–– as unbearable as it had been five minutes before, the thought of losing him had become exponentially more unbearable.

Squeezing his hand, she looked at his sweet face, taking in every precious detail.

His eyes.

Her gaze settled over his closed eyes and she couldn't help but think about how much she really loved his eyes. Her friend was so expressive without even saying a word, thanks to his hazel green eyes that were like a key to the door of his thoughts for anyone who understood their secret language— Elena would be forever grateful to be one of the privileged few who did.

What if he never opened his eyes again? What if he never looked at her with that sparkle of joy or that flash of intuition? Or, Elena choked on a half sob, what if she never got to discover what it felt like for him to look at her with love?

A world without those eyes would be a terrible place indeed.

She reflected on how peaceful he looked in spite of the horrors they'd been through that day. She memorized each detail around his eyes— the baby soft skin of his eyelids, his thick dark eyelashes, and his oh so expressive eyebrows.

Reaching out a tentative finger, she gently smoothed one of his eyebrows, tracing a soft line along his temple, pausing at the dark, purplish bruises under his eye. Gritting her teeth at the bruises, she vowed once again to do everything in her power to find Carla Delgado and hold her and her father accountable for everything they'd done that day.

Her finger traced the line of his nose, his perfect nose and paused at his cheeks. Her lips twitched into a tiny smile as she thought about how often they flushed with color. He had the most adorable blush.

His lips.

She brushed her finger ever so softly over the gentle curve of his lips. She loved the way they curved up into his special, crooked smile. Or how he pursed them when he was thinking or annoyed. She thought about the fascinating way that they moved when he talked–– she wished he was awake so she could watch them move.

Who was she kidding? She wished he was awake so she could tell him everything she'd thought and felt for the last few hours. She wanted–– no, needed–– to tell him that she loved him. She wondered if there was a chance that he could someday feel the same way? About her.

Leaning a little closer, she placed her hand gently against his cheek and pressed a feather light kiss to his lips.

"I love you, Mateo de Alva," she whispered softly, "I just thought you should know."

Exhausted from the events of the day and the warring emotions raging within, she took his hand and laid her head on the bed beside his. Closing her eyes, she drifted off to sleep with the wonder of this new discovery of her love for him warming her from the inside out— filling her with hope.

Just as she was at the cusp of sleep, she smiled subconsciously, as she was surely already dreaming of his hand squeezing hers as a pair of lips kissed her hair and the softest, most precious voice in the world whispered, "I love you too, Elena."

A/N - In case you were wondering why Shuriki wasn't involved in this battle, this story is written in a world where the Delgados become a bigger threat than Shuriki once they unlock the secrets of dark magic and defeat her before turning their attention on conquering Avalor for themselves. So, I suppose that makes this an AU of sorts :)