The Steamland Chronicles

The Intoxicating Allure of Steam Power and the Future of Avalor

No one on the Grand Council could believe their ears. Crown Princess Isabel Castillo Flores regaled them with tales about a land she had visited, by accident. This far away kingdom was technologically advanced beyond anything she thought possible and all powered by steam! Elena remained attentive, as did Francisco and Luisa, and even Mateo, who had long since replaced Dona Paloma on the council. Naomi, Elena's wife, and Chancellor, remained inquisitive, asking Isa questions about her journey.

"You mentioned that steam powered everything in this...place you visited. Can you describe more about that? I mean, what technologies could they have which you found...so amazing that you had to tell us all about it?"

Isa scratched her chin and thought about Naomi's question. She wanted to explain what she saw in a way that those on the council could understand. She sighed and formulated an answer. She didn't always like the formality of the council, as she would rather refer to Naomi by her first name, but she got around these pesky rules by not calling Naomi "Ms. Turner," as it seemed awkward to her.

"It was...ALL so...amazing! There were these flying blimps with something that called 'propellers,' horses with wheels which people rode on, sounds that moved through the air with something called 'speakers,' and pictures which projected on some sort of surface. At one point, went into some storefront and asked a person in there the knobs on a wall were, telling me they were 'buzzbrighters,' automatic electric-powered lights...I never thought something like that was possible, at least not on a large scale."

The other council members sat attentively, wondering what Isa would reveal next about this mysterious country. Mateo, of all people, posed a question, surprising Elena, Luisa, Francisco, and Naomi, as they did not expect him to ask a question about this, since they thought he was interested in magic, rather than technology, since he was the royal magician of Avalor after all.

"You've talked about the technology in this place...whatever it is called...were there any magicians or use of magic? Do you think it is worth mounting an expedition to explore it?"

Isa, again, did not want to disappoint the council, and Mateo's question had put a lot of pressure on her. She breathed deeply and decided to give him the most honest answer she could.

"Well...I never saw anyone use magic, at least not openly. In this place apparently named 'Steamland,' they used science as the basis for everything. I mean, there were machines that flew through the sky, moving motorized walkways, bicycles which hummed, and these machines with expandable metal arms, with their heads in-cased in a glass surface and light coming out of them, chasing this one white-haired girl all the way to the docks. I followed her there and..."

Elena immediately interrupted Isa as she was surprised her sister would do such a thing. It wasn't the way they operated, at least not anymore. "You followed her? Why? You shouldn't be doing..."

Isa cackled and continued. "Elena, I had to...she appeared to be so out of place, with a round nose and freckles, buck teeth like a rabbit, a cyan-colored tunic which had white sleeves, brown boots and leggings, and a belt with a silver buckle. She was like someone from Avalor...who had...bad fashion sense...I wish I had my presto-changer with me to give her a better outfit."

Intrigued, Elena pressed her for further explanation. "Did this...girl...as you call her, have a name? And...why was she there?"

"I overheard someone calling her 'Bean' when she went into some building, I think to save her friend...I later saw her with this greenish elf who she called 'Elfo'...I was about to say hello to her, but an electric charge came out of her fingers and caused the whole city to go pitch black. I thought she would come for me next, so I ran back to where I had come through this portal or dimensional drift, whatever you want to call it, grabbing some stuff along the way, stuffing it into my bag...and now I'm here, before you all...and yes, I think we should explore it further, but cautiously."