Elena of Avalor S1 E15

## Plot

Elena is fencing Gabe and wins. He taught her how to fence sometime offscreen. It could be a hobby that she picked up because of her mother Lucia, who also fenced. Francisco, who is watching them, says that it's like watching his daughter. I should mention that the show-runners actually researched fencing, so the animation when people fence is amazing, and also pretty accurate, as far as I know at least. Gabe has to leave to help set up the Swordsman's Cup this year. Elena can't wait to watch it. Francisco walks Gabe out, but Elena notices that he left his gloves behind and goes after them. She overhears them talking, and finds out that Gabe has been letting her win all this time. It was Francisco's idea, because he didn't want her to get hurt. Her mother was the best fencer in the kingdom, but even she was injured. She made it to the final round in the Swordsman's Cup against a knight from Brazendell, but broke her wrist and had to forfeit. Elena points out that just because Lucia got hurt doesn't mean she will. Francisco doesn't want to take that chance though, and hopes that she understands. Gabe went along with it because, as Elena's guard, he has to protect her. Elena says that she doesn't need to be protected, and decides to prove to both of them that she can fence by entering and winning the Swordsman's Cup. She knows her grandfather won't let her do that, so she disguises herself as a knight from a faraway kingdom. In a case of reality ensues, Gabe points out that she still sounds like a girl, and more importantly, the crown princess. She doesn't need to talk though, just win. However, the competition is tough, and Elena can't even beat Gabe when he isn't letting her win. I just love the look on Gabe's face and tone of voice when he says that. It's like he's trying not to offend her, but is making a good point and knows that he can joke around with her. The other opponents have personalized helmets that represent the animal they embody. There's the Beast, a huge, hulking opponent who uses his absurd strength. Wouldn't his animal be a bull then? It also starts with a b, he gets angry when he starts to lose, and he charges at people. I'm just saying, it makes perfect sense! There's also the Viper, who moves really fast and strikes quickly. And then there's the Hornet, who has such graceful footwork, it looks like she's flying. And then there's the defending champion from Brazendell: Sir Cassius. The knight that Lucia dueled is his father, Lord Elrod. Cassius is humble, nice, and chivalrous, and his father is anything but. Cassius is also the only one wearing a modern fencing mask. I assume that Elena doesn't wear one because she has to keep her identity a secret, and the animal and knight helmets look cool on everyone else, so I'm okay with it. Elena pretends to be a male knight called Sir Elezar. She practices with Gabe, but she keeps losing. Gabe tells her that she's better than okay, but she's not tournament level yet. She wants him to coach her, since he's the best fencer in the royal guard and won their fencing tournament last year. Plus, he owes her, since she trained him in olaball (the episode and the sport). Gabe trains her the same way he was, *Karate Kid* style. She wakes up at five in the morning, has to run up pyramid steps to build up endurance, balance on a boat, and try to dodge mangoes to improve her footwork. The competition is in two days. When she finally gets to use a sword, she wants to try a move she saw Gabe do, called the Leaping Stag. It's a risky move though, and Gabe tells her that if she doesn't time it just right, her opponent has an easy opening. She tries it, but her timing is off and Gabe gets the point. They keep practicing the basics until it's time for the tournament. She has to duel the Beast first. Gabe advises her to use his slow speed to her advantage, by using her speed to strike quickly. Her grandparents are watching, so she has to be careful to hide her identity. She wins her first match, and Gabe tries to talk to her about her strategy for her next opponent, the Viper. However, she's getting cocky and riding high off the adrenaline from her first win. She isn't listening to Gabe, who tells her that she needs to use her footwork to dodge the Viper's strikes and wear him down. This almost makes her lose the match, until Gabe comes back down and tells her again. She's able to come back and win. The final match will be between her and Sir Cassius the next day. He beat the Hornet really quickly, and offscreen too. Francisco invites Elena to tea at the palace, and since she can't speak to him clearly, she has no choice but to go. She hides from some fans while Gabe brings the carriage around. While hiding, she overhears Sir Cassius and Lord Elrod talking about her. Lord Elrod wants Cassius to use a move he did to beat Lucia years ago. When their swords crossed, he hit the belgard against her wrist. The referee didn't realize that he did it on purpose. That's how Lucia broke her wrist. She was forced to quit, and Lord Elrod won by default. Cassius doesn't want to cheat, but he also doesn't want to lose. While having tea at the palace, Elena gets angry when Francisco mentions Lucia losing to Lord Elrod, and she declares that she'll beat his son. They realize that she's Sir Elezar. She tells them about what she overheard when she was hiding. Francisco is worried that she'll get hurt, especially if Cassius tries the same move with her. Elena assures him that she's ready for it, and wants to stand up for herself and her mother. Luisa is able to convince Francisco to let her do it. The match with Sir Cassius is tough, since he's a champion fencer, and he has no Achilles Heel like the other opponents. Elena is able to get in the lead though, at which point Elrod encourages Cassius to go for the wrist. Elena sees it coming and backs up, but she ends up tripping, leaving her wide open for an easy point. To make matters worse, she hurt her ankle. She's led to a tent for a quick break. The good news is, her ankle isn't broken, so she can technically still compete. She isn't giving up, and Francisco encourages her not to, saying that she's come too far to quit now. He came to give her a picture of her mother. She can barely walk afterwards, and doesn't know how she's going to beat Cassius. She decides to try Gabe's Leaping Stag move again. She times it right and is able to win. She unmasks herself to everyone. They're surprised and excited to see that it's their very own crown princess. Cassius, being a good sport and a graceful loser, gives the trophy to her, saying that she deserves it. Elrod leaves in a huff. Luisa and Francisco tell Elena that Lucia would be proud of her. Elena dedicates her win to her mother.