Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“I knew you could do it! A gift, just as special as you.” Abuela cheered, cupping Antonio’s face in her hands.

The village surrounded them and spoke excitedly of the new gift in the Madrigal family. He could talk to animals! Mirabel was happy for Antonio. Happy for the family. She knew that if this day had gone pear-shaped everything would have gone down-hill very quickly for the Madrigals. But that didn't stop the slip of jealousy in the back of her mind. That could have been her. Why wasn’t it her? Why was she the only Madrigal who the candle thought wasn’t worthy enough of a gift? Abuela stood up and looked around at her family.

“We need a picture! Come come!” She suggested. A slither of hope still stood in Mirabel's mind, that someone would pull her in for the photo. But of course, she watched from the back as her family stood in the spotlight. Time seemed to slow, and it seemed like it was just her at that moment. Her and her future. Every gathering was like this. Every time she was pushed to the back like she was just another villager. And it would always be like this, no matter how hard she tried. She walked up and stared around at her family. They didn’t want her. Better yet, they didn’t need her.

She didn’t need them either.

Mirabel sat on her bed with her bag, packing in everything she would need to take with her. If she wasn’t needed here at the encanto, she would find somewhere she was. She packed a dark shawl, an embroidery needle and some thread. She didn’t want to take too much, or her family would most likely dub Mirabel a thief. She went for the door but had a thought. She turned to the cupboard near the door and picked up a family portrait, the only one with her in it. She wasn’t doing this for attention. She wanted them all to forget about her. She didn’t want to dampen their perfect lives anymore. She shoved the frame in her bag and traveled quietly downstairs and into the kitchen, double checking her Mamá wasn't there cooking. There was a plate of Arepas on the counter, which Mirabel scooped into her bag. They’d be cold by the time she ate them, but at least she wouldn’t starve. She also grabbed a kitchen knife, just in case. Though she had no plans to actually use it.

Sneaking out of the house was rather easy, as everyone was partying and drinking up in Antonios new room. Antonio. Hopefully he'll forget about her soon. He was only five, and the only memories she had from when she was five was her gift ceremony. Once she was out, Mirabel decided on a route. Though the mountains around the Encanto were pretty tall, she was able to spot a part that was much less steep than the rest, allowing her a sort of passage. Though she would still have to cut through the deep forest, and she knew nothing about what was on the other side- but that didn’t matter. She was doing this for her family. She was going to fix the only flaw.

She pushed through the bushes and low hanging branches, rethinking her choice to leave in the dead of night. Every snap of a twig could have been a wild animal, ready to pounce at its prey. Mirabel wore the shawl for not only protection against the cold, but to blend in with the night. Eventually, she reached the top of the mountain. She looked back across to her village, to the lit up casita, to the village she had spent her whole life in. But it had never felt like home, not since her gift ceremony at least. She turned and looked over the other side, at the vast world, dotted with hills and lakes. Somewhere out there she would belong, even if it wasn’t with the Madrigals.

Chapter Text

Julieta walked around with a platter of food, smiling and chatting with the guests. Now that the stressful part was over, it was time to party!

But she couldn’t help but worry about Mirabel. She knew tonight would have been hard on her either way, and she just didn’t know how to comfort her. It had always been that way. Ever since she hadn’t been given a gift, her efforts of support failed. Mirabel was such a lively gorgeous girl; good with all the kids in town and always tried to help out around the Casita. Julieta had a feeling her Mamá didn’t see Mirabel the same way though. No one in town really did. They would joke and laugh about Mirabel's lack of gift, and she would smile and laugh along, but Julieta knew how much it affected her. How many nights she had spent crying in her room. She thought nobody had heard but Dolores always told Julieta. She just thought Mirabel needed to get it out of her system.

Julieta looked around Antonio’s room, but there was no sign of her daughter. “Have you seen Mirabel?” She asked, sliding up next to her husband who was busting a move on the dance floor. He shook his head and looked around as well.

“I haven’t seen her since the music started, maybe she went to bed?” He pondered. But Julieta felt something was wrong. She handed the plate to Augustine and left the room, heading for the nursery.

She knocked on the door and slowly opened it. “Mirabel…? You in here mi vida?” She looked around. Her bag was gone, along with a large portion of her sewing materials. Julieta felt anxiety rise in her stomach and she rushed out the door and ran down the stairs.

“Mirabel?! Mirabel where are you?!” She called, looking around.

She ran to the kitchen to find the plate of spare Arepas she had cooked in case they ran out was empty. She shook her head and backed out, running back up the stairs and into Antonios room.

“Mirabel! Has anyone seen mi hija?!” She cried, looking around wildly.

The music stopped and Augustine ran up to his wife. “Was she not in her room?” He asked, looking back at the approaching family.

Tears ran down her face. “She wasn’t in her room, or the kitchen, and her bag’s gone and her sewing supplies, and the spare Arepas and-” Her memories flashed back to the kitchen and her eyes welled with fresh tears

“And there was a knife missing- Augustine where’s Mi bebé?!” She sobbed, falling to the ground. Thunder rumbled up ahead and Antonio held onto his Mamá’s dress and looked up at her.

“What’s happening Mamá?” He asked her. Abuela came up and put a hand on her daughter's shoulder and looked up at the town. “We might have to stop the party here everyone- I’m sure Mirabel’s just gone off somewhere quiet for the night and should be back by tomorrow!” She announced, smiling around at them all.

Once everyone had emptied out of the casita, the family gathered in the kitchen. Julieta looked distraught well Augustine rubbed her back.

“When was the last anyone saw her?” Félix asked.

“During the family photo! She was standing at the back of the crowd.” Camilo piped up from the back. Everyone turned to face him. “She wasn’t in the picture?” Pepa asked wobbly, and Camilo shook his head.

Julieta broke down once again, covering her head and sobbing into the table. That's when Abuela spoke.

“Well, it’s too dark to do anything tonight. Let’s all get some rest and we’ll search for her in the morning. Like I said, I’m sure she’s just off getting some fresh air and she’ll be back by the time we wake up.”

Julieta wanted to protest but knew that her mother was right.

Chapter Text

Mirabel pried her eyes open to drops of water on her face.

She sat up and looked around, trying to remember where she was.

The previous night, Mirabel had found a large tree with a nook in it, big enough for her to squish herself into. Though it seemed she had slid out in the night.

She gathered herself up and threw her shawl over her back. She was still far too close to the encanto, and she would be found easily if searched for.

She turned around and began to carefully work her way down the hill she was on. Unfortunately, she didn’t see the root sticking out of the ground.

Her foot caught on it and Mirabel let out a sharp breath, tumbling down the hill, twigs and leaves flying past her.

She yelled out in fear, watching the world zip past her with such speed.

She grabbed at the ground, attempting to slow herself down.

Mirabel also needed to make sure that none of her things came out of her bag, well at the same time keeping her distance from the sharp knife that could easily penetrate her skin if she landed on it.

She dug her fingers into the soil and slowly came to a halt, listening only to the warning calls of birds up ahead.

“Ay… I’m just like my pa…” She said groggily, looking up. She slowly sat up and checked her bag. The food was a little squashed and one had been impaled by Mirabel's sewing needle, but other than that everything seemed to be in okay shape.

Except for her leg.

Once the adrenaline died down, she felt the sharp pain from her knee, and she looked down to see it was bending the complete wrong way.

She screamed in pain for a couple of seconds before the scream developed into a groanish cry. Sure she’d had a scraped knee here and then, but nothing this bad.

It made her miss her mother, remembering how she would carry Mirabel into the kitchen, sit her on the counter and wipe away her tears, telling her how brave she was well she cooked-

Her cooking!

Mirabel reached back and pulled out one of the Arepas she had taken from the kitchen. She wondered if it was still work even though she wasn’t in the encanto.

She took a bite from it and she felt strength flood back into her leg, straightening it and clearing away all the bruising on her body.

Apparently the powers still worked even outside the encanto.

She stood up and began her journey. She looked around in awe at all the tall trees and wild birds. The encanto was beautiful, but a lot of it was man made, dotted with paddocks and houses.

It was nice to see the world all natural, with no interruptions from people.

But eventually, Mirabel reached a river. No, not like those peaceful creaks back home. This river had fast moving rapids, preventing her from crossing.

She looked around, for maybe a log, some rocks, anyway for her to get across.

That's when she laid her eyes on a vine caught on a branch.

It was dangerous, but it was the only visible way across.

Mirabel made sure her bag was secured by threading some yarn around the opening and pulling it tight.

She clenched her fists around the vine and took a deep breath.

She backed up, then ran full force and the rapids.

As soon as she got over the water, the vine snapped under the pressure, and she was sent plummeting face first into the icy water.

Chapter Text

None of the Madrigals really slept that night.

Their heads were running through all the possibilities of what had happened to their dear Mirabel.

Dolores was listening out for anything, anything that could lead to the whereabouts of her prima.

Isabela thought about what she would do if her sister never returned home, if the last memories she would have about her would be sour.

Julieta and Agustín held each other through the night, comforting the other if their mind started to wander.

Nobody had told Antonio. They thought it would be easier for them to find Mirabel and pretend it didn’t happen. But they knew he would eventually start asking questions.

The next morning, the Madrigals split into pairs. Dolores and Félix, Agustín and Julieta, Pepa and Camilo and Isabela and Luisa. Abuela stayed at the Casita and looked after Antonio.

“Abuela, where’s Mirabel? I promised her I would show her around my new room today!” Antonio asked, sitting at the table with Abuela.

How was she supposed to get around this question? Telling him would break his heart.

He was 5, he didn’t need to deal with this!

Abuela laughed nervously “Mirabel is… out helping the town! I wanted to make sure she wasn’t sitting at home all day.” She told him wearily. He looked doubtful, but let it slide.

“Mirabel? Mirabel!” Luisa called, pushing aside bushes. Isabela followed close behind, but with less calling and more searching. “What if someone took her?” She mumbled, looking at her feet. Luisa paused and turned around to look at her sister. “You don't really think so, do you?”. Isabela looked away and laughed. “I guess it is a silly idea…Who would want to take the giftless Madrigal anyway..” She joked. Luisa didn’t think it was very funny, and neither did Isabela really. They stared at each other silently before continuing the search.

Pepa and Camilo walked silently around town, checking under carts and behind houses. They could feel the towns worried glances, but that was the last of their worries. If they didn’t find Mirabel- their whole lives would fall apart, and who knew what would happen to the miracle.

Julieta and Agustín searched high and low for their hija, but to no avail. And even worse, they didn’t know if she had walked out, or if something had happened to her. They didn’t know if she was safe, if she was happy- only that she was gone, and their greatest efforts were not succeeding in bringing her back.

Chapter Text

The water was freezing.

The water was all around her, in her nose and eyes.

She couldn’t see. She couldn’t breathe. All she could hear was the rushing of the rapids around her.

At first, now and then she could push her head up, just far enough to get a gasp of air. Only to be pulled back down by the fast moving water.

She tried to peak out at where she was, but the water blurred her sight.

She was completely helpless.

She felt her bag slip off her shoulder and get flushed away. Mirabel reached out randomly to try and snatch it back, only to silently cry out as the knife penetrated her hand.

The bluey gray flooding her vision turned a dark blood red.

And her vision went completely black.

Voices. She could hear voices.

Mirabel pried her eyes open, only to close them to wince in pain. A bright light shone in her eyes, and she raised her arm to block it out. She saw a tight bandage was wrapped around it, turned slightly pink from what she assumed was blood.

“Good to see you awake girley!” Said a man standing on the other side of the room. Mirabel watched helplessly as he approached her and sat down in a chair. She was in a bed, in a room. But nothing like the rooms she had seen back home, this room looked like a kitchen, but it ofcourse had a bed in it, which was almost like a crib for a baby.

Mirabel sat up and blinked at the man, looking around for her glasses. But they weren't there. She reached up to scratch her head, only to wince in pain at her own touch.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You took what looks like a nasty hit. Should heal easily enough, no real brain trauma.” She blinked back at him. “Where are my glasses?” She asked in a raspy tone. The man tilted his head. “You didn’t have glasses on when you arrived-” He told her. She must have looked panicked because he quickly shook his hands and responded “Oh, but don't worry! We can get you a new pair!”.

“Where am I…?” Mirabel asked. The man straightened up and cleared his voice.

“You are currently in Filandia-Quindio hospital mi amiga!” He announced. Mirabel threw off the blanket to gasp in shock at the sight before her.

One of her legs was missing. From the knee down, there was nothing.

Chapter Text

It had been almost a week without Mirabel.

The only Madrigal still using their gift was Julieta, and only because it was a necessity for the town.

It had rained nonstop since the child had disappeared, thanks to Pepa. Even with Félix by her side constantly, everyone's mood was still low.

And it very quickly came clear that they had to tell Antonio.

*2 Days after Mirabel's disappearance.*

Dolores creaked open the door and slid in, looking around at the inside jungle. She was still amazed by the size of her little brother's room. Antonio popped up from his hammock and jumped down to give Dolores a tight squeeze.

“Hey Dolores! Do you need something?” He asked. She sighed and sadly smiled at the young boy. He shouldn’t have to deal with this, he’s 5! Dolores kneeled down and looked him in the eyes. “Toñito…There’s something you need to know. About Mirabel.” She sighed, looking away. Antonio’s face dropped a bit and he tilted his head. “What about her?” Dolores couldn’t keep up her smile anymore and she looked down. “She’s…She’s gone missing. We don't know where she is.” She held his hand and rubbed her thumb across the top of his hand. His smile quickly faded and he tensed up. “But- But Abuela said she just went to get some herbs from the edge of the Encanto- She was supposed to be back today!” He stammered, his eyes welling with tears. Dolores let a few of her own tears roll down her cheeks. “Abuela didn’t know how to tell you- She wanted to just find Mirabel and pretend it never happened- but she’s not back yet and-” A small sob escaped her and she pulled her brother into an embrace, resting her head on his shoulders. He held her back and they both began sobbing.

*Back to present*

The Madrigals ate dinner in silence. Abuela had announced Mirabel's disappearance to the town and they had all begun searching. The townspeople convinced the Madrigals to take the night off for themselves to regather, saying they would continue the search.

The family had taken the chance to have the first family dinner since Antonio’s ceremony. They all looked extremely tired, the only sound being the occasional clink of a fork against a plate or an awkward cough.

Though the silence was interrupted by a knock at the door.

“I’ll get it.” Luisa said, rising from her chair. She walked out of sight towards the door and the rest of the Madrigals listened for voices, though the only one who could understand was Dolores.

Luisa soon came back, her eyes wide with fear and tears welling in her eyes. Julieta rushed out of her seat to take a look at what the villagers had found and delivered.

It was bloody and tattered. But there was no mistaking it.

Mirabel's bag.

Julieta cried out and dropped to the floor, Agustín rushing to her side. The mother brought the bag to her eyes and cried into it, the rest of the family and the deliverees surrounding her.

Félix scooped Antonio into his arms and held him tight, letting the small boy cry into his chest and Pepa clung to his shirt.

Abuela stood at the back of the crowd, eyes filled with fear.

What would become of her family-their miracle-the town-if they lost one of their youngest members to death?

Chapter Text

Mirabel screamed and scrambled back, pressing herself against the bed frame.

“What happened-?!” She cried, looking at the man.

He stood up and placed his hands on her forearms. “Calm down please- You’ll hurt yourself even more!” He told her, keeping a tight grip.

She stopped thrashing but she was still shaking. The man sat back down and took a deep breath.

“When they found you… A Jaguar had found you and was sort of- Gnawing on your leg. I tried to save it but the wound was infected, I-I had to cut it off!” He sighed, looking at his feet.

“But fear not, for I am the great inventor, Orlando Muñoz!” He announced, standing up dramatically.

Mirabel just stared at him blankly. She had never heard of this man.

He stood there for a moment before coughing awkwardly and sitting back down.

“Suppose my reputation doesn’t exceed the walls of the city, heh. But, I do have blueprints for a sort of fake leg? It’s still a prototype but atleast I have someone to test it on now!” He said.

Mirabel was picking up some clues. Even though she couldn’t see, this man seemed less like a man and more like a boy around her age.

“She's awake!”

Orlando and Mirabel turned to the door, where what looked to be a much older man stood. He approached the bed and handed Mirabel a pair of black glasses.

“Tío- how did you know?” Orlando asked, standing up.

Mirabel slipped the glasses and blinked to adjust. These were better than her old ones! She could now clearly see that Orlando was in fact, closer to her age then she had previously assumed. His hair was up in a bun and he wore a sort of robe. His “Tío” on the other hand was much older, looking to be around his late fifties-early sixties.

“Have we got a name yet Orlando?” He asked, looking back at the boy.

“I’m Mirabel.” She told him, shaking the man's hand.

He smiled at her. “Well Mirabel, My name’s Hugo. And I see you’ve already met my sobrino?” He put his hand on Orlando’s shoulder.

Hugo took the boy’s place in the chair by the bed and his face turned more serious.

“Now, Mirabel, care to explain why you decided to take a nice float down the river?”

Mirabel looked down. She explained to the two the backstory of her family, about the death of her Abuelo, and the magic candle, about the powers given to her family members, and her lack of powers.

She didn’t know if they would believe her, but lying had never gotten her anywhere.

Chapter Text

The town was so quiet. Much quieter than it had ever been before.

Sure they had dealt with loss, people die all the time.

But this was a Madrigal. Not just that, but the youngest Madrigal.

Julieta had always been able to heal injuries and sickness, so nobody had died young in the village before. They had all lived long, happy lives.

Not her though.

Nobody had spoken her name since she disappeared. For the chance that Dolores would hear.

The Madrigals were shattered.

Even Félix couldn’t keep spirits high. But he was by Pepa’s side 24/7, holding her close when she needed him.

Camilo didn’t come out of his room anymore. Julieta delivered food to his door, where it would eventually be slipped inside. Nobody intruded, he needed time to grieve. Mirabel was his best friend, and in one night she had been taken from him.

Dolores and Antonio were closer than ever. He had been sleeping in her bed at night and clinging to her side during the day. They both barely spoke a word.

Luisa on the other hand was completely different. She would burst into tears at the thought of her baby sister, and everything reminded her of her. She could barely lift anything because her body was so exhausted from all the crying.

Isabela started having nightmares. Bad ones. Ones that would cause her to scream in the night. She wouldn’t tell anyone what they involved, but the family could only assume. Agustín slept in her room so he could wake her before she woke anyone else.

Julieta spent her days in the kitchen. Cooking endless amounts of food for anyone who needed them, because she wouldn’t let anyone else die. The only foods she made were the ones Mirabel loved.

Even the members who were vocal never spoke to Abuela. Sure they all blamed themselves, but they all secretly blamed her too. For the constant annoyance she expressed towards Mirabel. But Abuela blamed herself too. At night, Dolores could hear her talking to Pedro. Talking about her regrets, things she would’ve changed, asking herself if the family would ever forgive her. But she didn’t deserve forgiveness. At Least she didn’t think so.

The candle burned weaker, but still burned (To Abuelas delight). Gifts were still available, just not to the extent and power to before Mirabel disappeared. Luisa was still strong, but weaker then before. Pepa’s moods were greatly under exaggerated, causing a constant cloud over the Encanto. Isabela could still produce flowers, but they were all wilted and gray. Antonio didn’t bother speaking to the animals anymore. And Julietas food, well still healing, tasted flavorless and dry. Camilo only shapeshifted into her.

He didn’t want to forget what she looked like.

Chapter Text

“Alright, do it slowly…don’t make sudden movements.” Hugo said, resting his hand on Mirabel’s back. They were trying to turn her around so that she was sitting on the side of the bed, but it was a little more difficult with her head, hand and leg injury.

Eventually they got her up though, letting her toes brush the cold tiled ground. She brushed her hand over the end of the nub on her other leg. It was weird, it felt like her leg was still there.

Orlando re-entered with something wrapped in a towel in his arms. He placed it on the bench and unfolded it to reveal a metal leg.

“Are you sure I should be doing this yet?” Mirabel asked nervously. It had only been 2 weeks since she had woken up, and Hugo and Orlando were trying to get her back on her feet- well, foot. Orlando had been perfecting his fake leg for her, and decided that it was finally ready, and Hugo had informed her that her leg was healed enough for it to be safe.

Orlando sat next to her on the bed and sat the leg down on the ground underneath her amputation. He gently wrapped the straps around what was left of her leg and tightened them. Luckily, she still had her knee left, so she was able to bend it.

“How does it feel Mirabel?” Hugo asked. She stared at it for a moment. She bent her leg slowly, so it sat on the ground with her other foot. She took Hugo and Orlando’s arms and slowly stood up.

It felt wobbly. Like any sudden movement could throw her over. Orlando had told her it would be hard to get used to, that it would take months of practice to make it feel natural.

But anything was better than being bedridden for the rest of her life, depending on others just to stand up straight.

Orlando would take her for little walks around the hospital, introducing her to other patients. Everyone there was so kind to her, it was honestly a little off putting.

She was so used to snide comments and mockery from people of the encanto, but here… here she felt welcome. She felt wanted. These people put in effort that her family never bothered with, and they didn’t even know her! It made her angry. Angry at her family for putting her through that, but also at herself for never realizing what terrible people they were. What they all were. Every man and woman in that damn paradise.

At first, she’d been a little regretful about leaving. But now? Now she never wanted to return.

Chapter Text

There was no body, so the Madrigals had plenty of time to mourn before the funeral.

But they all knew eventually, they would have to accept what it was and get it over with.

Abuela called a family meeting to discuss it. It was the first in a long time.

They all sat silently, nobody locking eye contact. Until Abuela eventually spoke.

“I know times have been difficult as of recently-” She began.

“Hard?! My-” Julieta hesitated and looked away. “Sorry. Continue.”

Abuela cleared her throat and continued. “But we cannot let this loss poison our lives and the lives of the village. They are struggling enough as it is without the help of our gifts-”

Isabela stood and slammed her hands on the table “Would you stop making this about the gifts? ‘Ooh Miracle this, Gifts that-’ Mirabel is dead. She’s gone. She’s not coming back, and all you can think about is the village? Take some time for yourself- and if not for that, for Mirabel. The young girl killed because nobody took the time to acknowledge her existence and her worth.”

The Madrigals watched in stunned silence as she stormed from the room. Julieta began sobbing into Agustín’s chest, well Luisa followed her sister in tears.

Antonio too got up and ran off, climbing the stairs and going into Mirabels room. He squeezed himself under the bed and curled into a ball. He just wanted to go back. Back to when he didn’t have a gift. Back to when Mirabel was around. Back to when everyone was happy.

“Antonio.”

“Antonio?”

“Wake up!”

Antonio sat up, smashing his head into the underside of the bed. He had fallen asleep, for how long he was unsure of. He turned his head to see a rat.

“Were you the one who woke me?” He asked.

“Yeah, sorry. Probably could have been a little more soft about that.” She responded.

Now, Antonio was used to the animals speaking to him. But the rats? They had never conversed with him. He had never understood why, but they always either ignored him or left when he tried to talk to them. So this was surprising.

“C-can I help you?” He asked, crawling out from under the bed and sitting up properly.

The rat turned to the door. “I need you to follow me.”

Antonio followed the rat out of the room and down the hall, to a painting on the wall. The rat jumped up and squeezed himself between the portrait and the wall, revealing a hole.

Antonio pulled himself up and tumbled through the wall. He continued to follow the rat along a path of foundation and dust, eventually reaching a door.

The rat squeezed under, well Antonio reached and turned the doorknob, revealing a hidden room inside the walls of the casita. In the room, stood a man. He wore a green ruana, and had messy dark brown hair. He turned, and Antonio finally recognised him as the man in his Tío Bruno’s door, which meant-

Which meant that this man was his Tío Bruno.

Chapter Text

hi there if ur reading this

last night it was 2am and i was struggling to sleep and i remembered this fic
i read through it and honestly
i was invested

i found the doc i have planning out the entirety of the story and i personally would like to see it come to life

i know that most previous readers would definitely not remember this and would not care about seeing it finished and most of the hype from encanto is gone but like idk i guess it would be good practice writing narratives.

so uh yeah would u guys like to see this story like 6 months later
if not i can totally write a summary of the planned story and post that for u guys but i had so many plans for this and i think when i started school again it totally slipped my mind so
yeah

lemme know in the comments
cya

Chapter Text

Mirabel rolled over in bed, groaning. Since she had recovered enough to be discharged from the hospital, Orlando and Hugo had allowed her to stay in their spare room at their home. Their house was similar to the ones in the encanto, though it was obviously much smaller than casita. 

She reached over and grabbed her glasses, slipping them on and swinging her leg over the side of the bed. She strapped on her prosthetic, got dressed and traveled downstairs.

Orlando was in the kitchen frying eggs. They had a chicken coop behind their house, which Mirabel thought was very cool.

“I’ve gotta head over to the hospital to help Tío today.” He said, sitting a plate of scrambled eggs in front of her. “You’re welcome to come, or you can do your own thing. Up to you.” He said, grabbing his poncho off the kitchen bench. 

“Wait- Isn’t there stuff to be done in the village?” She asked him. He looked a little surprised. 

“I mean- go ahead if you wanna help out around town, but you don't have to.” 

He approached her and placed his hand on her shoulder gently. “You’re not there anymore- you don’t have to be thinking of everyone else. Do something because YOU want to do it for a change, y’know?” He said. He then turned and marched out the door. “Adiós amiga!” He called, shutting the door.

Though Orlando and Hugo’s home was quite small, the town itself was massive. Almost 3 times the size of the encanto, with bustling streets filled with stalls and people. Mirabel walked carefully through the streets, making sure not to bump into anyone. She thought about what Orlando said. 

She enjoyed helping the villagers back home, Orlando must have been mistaken. But the more she thought, the more she realized she never had much free time to be on her own, to be herself. It was always orders from Abuela, or her parents or anyone else in the family- hell, she even took orders from Camillo, who was a mere couple of months older than her.

Even when she left, she hadn’t been thinking about herself, only that life would be better in the encanto without her in the way.

She had never really had her own life, and it had taken her 10 years to realize that.

But from now on, it will be different. It would be her life. Not Abuelas, not Orlando's, but hers. 

From now on, it would be Mirabal's life.

Chapter Text

“Hey there kid.” Said the man, scratching his neck.
“You probably don’t know who I-” He started, but Antonio cut him off.
“Tío Bruno?” He asked in shock. Bruno looked surprised as well. “How’d you know?”
Antonio shrugged. “Guessed. Why did you come back?” He asked, looking around. Bruno’s shoulders sagged and plopped himself down in an armchair. “Technically I never left..” He admitted.
Antonio blinked at the man. “So- so you’ve been in here. The entire time? All 10 years?”
Bruno smiled awkwardly.

“So why did you call me in here?” Antonio asked. Bruno frowned and looked down. “I just- look, I never properly met you. You weren't born when I left but-” Tears welled in the man’s eyes.
“I loved that kid. She was the whole reason I chose to leave the family and I-” A small sob escaped him as he placed his face in his hands. Antonio felt tears of his own begin to form in his eyes. He got up off the ground and hugged his tío tightly.
Bruno sniffed and wiped his tears. “I’m sorry- I didn’t want you in here for me, I wanted to check on you really.” He said, looking sadly at the kid. “You’re what, 5? And from what I’ve seen nobody's exactly asking how you’re doing.
Antonio looked down. It was true. Well Dolores had been taking care of him, nobody had actually talked to him about how he was feeling about the situation. He had been the closest with Mirabel, a result of their shared room.
Antonio’s lip quivered and tears began to stream from his eyes. Bruno pulled him onto his lap as he cried into his chest.

“Can I make a small request that you don’t tell anybody about this?” Bruno asked, placing Antonio back through the hole in the wall. Antonio nodded and looked around, making sure nobody was watching. Bruno smiled and ruffled his hair. “Well, if you ever wanna talk about anything, I won’t be going anywhere anytime soon.” He said, smiling.
“Stay safe kid.”
And with that, Bruno slipped back into the wall and closed the painting.

“Antonio? Antonio Oh my god!” Pepa cried, running and scooping him into her arms.
“Where were you?” Félix asked, checking him over.
Antonio had lost track of time, he must have been gone for hours talking with Bruno. He felt bad, his parents must be so on edge with what happened. The family couldn’t lose anyone else.
“I was taking a nap.”
“Where? We checked your room!”
“I was in the nursery.”
Pepa sighed and kissed his head softly. “Just- please don't run off like that again. Alright?”

The adults were all gathered in the kitchen, after the children had all gone off to bed.
“We need to begin memorial preparations. After that, we will have all the time we need to mourn. But she deserves a good place to rest.” Abuela said somberly. “Julieta? Do you have anywhere in particular you wish to put the headstone?”
Julieta looked up and thought about it.
“She did enjoy sewing underneath that big tree behind the casita. She would spend hours out there.” She replied shakily. Agustín held her tightly. Abuela smiled and took her daughter's hand over the table. “Good. I’ll go speak to the lapidarist tomorrow.”

Chapter Text

Weeks passed, and Mirabel got more and more acquainted with the villagers of Filandia Quindio. Almost everyone knew about her and her story, thanks to Hugo getting a little tipsy one night and spilling it to an entire tavern of people. Luckily nothing bad came of it and half the people didn’t even believe the story!

Mirabel would help around the town, with assisting overworked shop owners and helping with the farming. She would also help out at the school house, teaching the children to sew. Everyone in town appreciated her help and had welcomed her as part of the community. She began wearing her hair in a low ponytail and had been gifted a beautiful dress from one of the local seamstresses.

“Thanks Mirabel- that should be it!” one of the shopkeepers told her. She had been helping him unload stock from the horse carriage and bring it into the store.
She turned to leave when a loud bell chimed near the front of town.
Everyone in the streets began to panic as they all fled into the buildings. Shop owners shut their doors and windows and women grabbed their children to pull them into hiding.
The shopkeeper Mirabel had been assisting too grabbed her shirt and pulled her into the store, shutting out all the light and locking the doors. He ushered her behind the counter and motioned for her to stay quiet.

Mirabel peeked over the counter to look out the tiny slip in the windows. A group of maybe 7 men on horses dressed in all black moved through the town, not speaking a single word. They tried to look into houses and shops but eventually gave up and left town swiftly.

Nobody stirred for the next 30 minutes, making sure the men were gone. Then people began emerging from the stores and fled to their own homes. Mirabel too made her way back to Orlando and Hugo's house.

“Mirabel thank god!” Orlando jumped up and ran to her, hugging her tightly. Hugo lay back in his chair and sighed in relief.
Mirabel sat at the table with Orlando. “We heard they snatched some girl from the south side of town, we were worried it might have been you.” Hugo told her.
“Who were they- I’m sorry snatched? Like they took a girl?” She asked in shock. Hugo nodded somberly.
“They’re bandits. They roam towns looking for people to rob. But these ones must have just wanted to cause some mayhem since they didn’t try very hard to get into the buildings.” Orlando said.
Mirabel thought about the girl. “So is someone going to go save her? The girl they took?” She asked.
Orlando and Hugo looked at eachother, then back at her. “No?” Orlando said, confused. Mirabel stared at him. “Are you serious? Why the hell not?” She said. Orlando flinched at her raised voice. “Nobody here has any sort of fighting skills except for Señor Gabriel and he’s sure as hell not in- Mirabel?” Mirabel had stood up and was storming out the door. Hugo and Orlando chased after her, watching her climb onto one of their horses. “Where are you going?” Hugo asked. Mirabel stared ahead of her and jumped the fence into the street. “I don’t know you people are standing here without a second thought, well this girl is in danger.” She said. She kicked the side of the horse and it galloped down the street in the direction of the bandits.

Chapter Text

Funeral preparations were a difficult task. 

Agustín did a large percentage of the tasks, getting the right flowers and setting up the headstone, and as much as Julieta wanted to help, it was just too hard for her. 

Camillo was slowly but surely leaving his room more. He could often be seen sitting on the roof of the casita, watching the sunset like he used to do with Mirabel when they were younger.

“Camillo, could you go pick up the wreath I ordered? The florist said it’d be done today but I need to prepare the site for tonight.” Félix asked. Camillo was sitting in the dining room eating his breakfast, alone. He didn’t like to be around the whole family much anymore, so he would wait for them all to finish then go in by himself. He nodded and stood up, placing his plate by the sink.

Camillo could hear the town's whispers, but he hardly cared. They could talk all they wanted. It was nothing bad, just random rumors and observations. 

The boy entered the florists. The owner turned in surprise to Camillo and his face turned sad and pitiful.

“You’re here for the wreath I assume?” He asked. Camillo nodded and looked around the room with his hands in his pant pockets. He didn’t feel much like talking. The shopkeeper went to the back of the shop and came out with a basket that held a woven wreath made of black lillies. He took the basket and left the shop without a word.

Well working back, he overheard a conversation some men were having behind him.

“Thank god it wasn’t him, or one of the other kids.”
“Right? What are the chances that the one that gets picked off is the giftless one.”

“Pretty slim I’d say. We’re pretty lucky.”

Camilo whipped around to look at the men. 

“What do you mean by that?” He asked, dropping the basket at his side and approaching the men.

They looked a little startled and took a step back. “Well we were just saying- Y’know- the town probably do so well with say Luisa or- or you going and dying on us, you know what we mean?”

“What, and Mirabel passing doesn’t mean anything?”

“We didn’t say that! It’s just- she didn’t have a gift or anything, she didn’t really… Do anything for the encanto, she was just sort of-” 

“In the way” the other man finished.

Now, Camillo wasn’t a violent kid. He shushed babies, he helped out with building and parties. He was a very lighthearted person with a good sense of humor. 

But he also wasn’t the kind of person to sit in his room all day, so times were changing.

Camillo raised his fist and punched the man square in the nose, full force. The people around them gasped as the man fell to the floor, clutching his face.

Camillo froze and backed away, staring at his hand, covered in the man’s blood, his own knuckles bruised. He turned and fled, grabbing the basket on his way back well the town surrounded the man behind him.

Chapter Text

Dusk probably wasn’t the best time to go after the bandits.

It got dark very fast so Mirabel was relying purely off of the horse to not let them both fall off a cliff.

She hadn’t really thought about how she planned to save the girl, given she had zero fighting skills and wasn’t exactly the master of stealth with a big piece of metal attached to what was left of her leg, though she had gotten pretty nimble on it after using it the past few weeks.

It was around 1am when Mirabel caught sight of some light in the distance. She tied the horse to a nearby tree and creeped up on the light.

She sat in the bushes near the camp. There were 3 tents set up, with a fire burning brightly in the middle.
A man sat by the fire, drinking some soup, and across from him was a girl around Mirabel’s age, gagged and tied up at the wrists and ankles.
Mirabel thought about how to get the girl away from the camp.

She grabbed a large rock from beside her and through it as far as she could from the camp. The man dropped the soup and grabbed the hatchet from his side.
“Who’s there? Show yourself!” He said, standing and moving towards the sound.

Mirabel took her chance and ran to the girl, un-gagging her and using one of the hatchets on the ground to cut the ropes.

As she was doing that, another one of the men emerged from the tent, and they locked eyes.

“Hey, what are you-” The man was cut off by Mirabel shoving back into the tent and pulling the girl to her feet. The two fled well the rest of the men awoke.

“Thank you!” The girl said. They could hear the men shouting behind them, gaining ground. Soon they would reach them and they’d both be killed.

Mirabel spotted the horse and grabbed the girl's hand, pulling her towards it. The two jumped onto the horse and it galloped back towards the town.

The girl tapped Mirabel’s shoulder. “Uhm… Bad news…”
Mirabel turned to see the bandits on their horses, getting closer and closer to the two of them.

Mirabel made a sharp turn, almost throwing the girl off the horse. On her way to the camp, she had spotted a creek that up stream turned into a massive waterfall. The horse she was on was quite small, well the bandits' horses were bulky and heavy. If she got enough of a run up, she could jump the waterfall and let the bandits either think it through and leave them alone, or attempt the jump and fall off.

The waterfall was in sight, and the girl finally caught sight of what was happening. “We’ll never make it!” She cried, trying to pull on Mirabel's arms and slow the horse. “Not with that attitude we won't!” She said, shaking the girl off. The bandits were too close for comfort now, and one began reaching out for the girl on the back of the horse.

“Hold on!” Mirabel yelled over the thrashing water. The girl wrapped her arms tight around Mirabel’s waist and the horse launched itself over the waterfall.

Mirabel and the Girl screamed as it looked like they weren't going to make it.

Then they touched down onto the other side.

The closest 2 bandits were sent tumbling into the water and over the waterfall, well the other horses reared up, sending the riders off.

“That was amazing!” The girl cried, lurching forward and hugging Mirabel tightly. She laughed and turned to the girl, holding out her hand. “I’m Mirabel.” She said. The girl took her hand and smiled. “Veronica.” She replied, shaking her hand. “Thank you for saving me… I know nobody else in town would’ve.” Veronica said. Mirabel frowned and looked forward. “Why…why does your town just let people like that just waltz in? How could they just let someone get kidnapped, and not do anything about it?”
Veronica sighed. “In case you haven’t noticed, we’re not a very violent town. Staying low and not fighting back has always worked for us.”
“Well clearly not.” Mirabel said snidely.
Veronica chuckled. “Well, for the ones who don't get taken it has. Almost everyone has lost their fighting skills, so even if they wanted to help, they’d have no chance!”

She looked at Mirabel. “But you didn’t even have to fight them!”

Mirabel looked away. “I got lucky. I went in there with no plan and it was 50/50 that I didn’t make it worse. I could have gotten us both killed.”

The two arrived back at town in the early morning.

Orlando rushed out of his house and onto the street, embracing Mirabel in a warm, tight hug. “Thank the stars! I was about to start planning your funeral!” He cried, burying his face into her shoulder.

This wasn’t like the hugs she received back home. This wasn’t a pity hug or a forced hug, this was a real hug that had emotion, meaning behind it. Orlando had truly been worried about her. Mirabel wrapped her arms around him tightly.

Chapter Text

Camillo sat in the kitchen, his head in his hands, well Julieta cooked up some Arepas. He had arrived home crying, and locked himself in his room once again. Pepa had tried to coax him out but eventually decided to let him be. He came out a little later for some healing from his tía.

Julita handed him the plate and turned to wash dishes.

“I’m sorry tía. I know now isn’t the time to be-”

“Don't be sorry.” 

Camillo looked up at her, though her back was still turned to him.

“I don’t believe you wouldn’t have done that without a valid reason too. And with what’s going on right now, I can only imagine.” She told him.

Then, Pepa entered the room. “Abuela says it’s almost time. You two might want to get dressed.” She said. Julieta put her head in her hands and lent on the counter. “Just give me a minute. Camillo, you go get dressed.” She said shakily.

One by one, the villagers filed into the church. The madrigals obviously sat at the front, with the rest of the town filling up the rows behind them. At the front, a portrait of Mirabel had been painted and framed, and sat in an easel with the black wreath Camillo picked up hung at the bottom. Once everyone had taken their seats, the ceremony began.

The priest began his eulogy and the town listened respectfully.

But the Madrigals’ were barely listening.

“Does anyone have anything they want to say about Mirabel Madrigal?” The priest asked, looking to the Madrigals. And to their surprise, Isabela stood and made her way to the stand. 

“So uhm…” She started looking down at the stand.

“You know me, I’m Isabela- I was- I am Mirabel's older sister.” She continued wobbly.

“Our family’s pretty large. With 3 generations, it’s easy for people to get lost in it and I think that’s what happened to Mirabel. As soon as that door disappeared, she became…irrelevant in the family.”

She looked up at her family, looking at her with wide eyes.

“We’ll never figure out why Mirabel didn’t get a gift. And it’s weird because out of all of us-” A small sob escaped her throat.

“-Out of all of us, she probably deserved it the most.”

Isabela then looked up at the stained glass roof.

“I never told her I loved her. Not once. And I hate that it took her death for us all to really think about her. But I’m saying it now. I love you Mirabel. I’ll love and miss you every day. And I’m sorry we couldn’t protect you. I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.”

Isabela looked down and quietly cried as she returned to her seat. Now a large percentage of the town had tears streaming down their cheeks and quiet sobs could be heard throughout the crowd.

After the ceremony, the family went alone to the grave site. They stood silently, sending their own prayers to Mirabel. 

Then it was done, and they all went to their rooms to grieve.

Chapter Text

Hugo, Orlando and Mirabel sat around the table eating their breakfast. Mirabel thought about the possibilities, if she hadn’t remembered the waterfall. She wouldn’t have been able to defend herself, let alone Veronica from the bandits.

“What’s up Mirabel?” Hugo asked. She looked up and tilted her head, confused.

“You looked like you were thinking pretty hard.” Mirabel frowned and looked down at her breakfast. “Just over-thinking. Hey Orlando? before I left you said something about some guy being the only one who knew how to fight left in the town?”

Orlando looked up, mouth full. “ Señor Gabriel, yeah. Why?” He responded, swallowing.

“Why is he the only one who can fight?” She asked.

Then Hugo piped up. “ The Sánchez familia were the protectors of the town way back when. But slowly, the rest of the town began to frown upon their violent ways. So they asked them to stop, and they did. Which was clearly a mistake, because some bandits snuck in and set the Sánchez casita a-blaze. Señor Gabriel was 12 at the time, and the only one who survived. Already being a skilled fighter, he continued to train, and planned to get revenge. And he did, at a cost.”

Mirabel and Orlando stared at him with wide eyes. “What was the cost?” Orlando asked.

Hugo smacked him over the head. “You already know the story.” He then looked over at Mirabel. “He lost his leg fighting off some bandits. And still fought them off in the end too!” He added. 

Mirabel looked over at Orland, tilting her head. “I thought you ‘finally had someone to test the leg on’ when I got here?”

Orlando chuckled “Trust me, I tried. But he said he was ‘too old’ for that kind of thing and that those days were behind him. Wouldn’t even let me try it on him.”

Mirabel slammed her hands on the table.

“Take me to him.”

Orlando knocked cautiously on the door of the rickety old shack. There was movement inside, then the door cracked open.

“Who is it?” Said a gruff voice.

 “¡Hola Señor…!” Orlando responded.

“Oh for christ sake- I said no Orlando! Stop coming here-” He said, attempting to shut the door, but Orlando blocked it with his foot.

“I’m not here for that. I have a friend who’d like to talk to you.” he said, pushing the door open to show Mirabel standing beside him.

The man stood there for a second before gesturing for them to come in.

The 2 of them sat in the kitchen, well Señor Gabriel got them some water. He returned and handed them both glasses. 

“So, what do you need, kid?” He asked, gesturing to Mirabel. 

She cleared her throat. “I want to learn how to fight. Like you did.” 

“You what?! You didn’t tell me-” Orlando gasped, but he was cut off by a hand raise from Señor Gabriel.

“And why do you want to do that? ‘You in trouble?” He asked.

Mirabel adjusted her glasses and looked down at her glass of water. “I only arrived in town recently from a…less than ideal living situation, and I really do like it here. I don’t want it to be taken away by some bastards just trying to start something. I want to be able to protect the people I care about.”

I want to be able to do something useful for the town.

Señor Gabriel smiled. “You’ve got guts kid. But in case you can’t tell, I’m not exactly fighting fit.” He said, showing off his leg.

Mirabel stood up and pulled up the side of her skirt, showing off her metal leg. The man blinked and looked over at Orlando. “Finally found someone to test it on, aye?”

Mirabel sat back down. “No real fighting, just practice and demonstrations. You can do that, right?”

Señor Gabriel blinked and looked down and grinned, holding out his hand. “That I can.”

Mirabel took his hand and they shook on it.

Chapter Text

The town didn’t get back into the spring of things for a long time.

The streets were silent, and many of the Madrigals were not seen for a long time after the funeral.

The sky over the Encanto remained gray. No rain, but no shine either. Completely still.

But like all mourning, it eventually takes its toll, and the show must go on.

“Morning hermana.” Pepa mumbled, pouring herself some coffee. Julieta stood in the kitchen preparing breakfast. Though it would not be eaten all together as a family like it once was, slowly everyone would take their share to start their day, whenever that would be.

Julieta and Pepa’s gifts were obviously the most necessary to the economy of the Encanto- so they were the only ones who had gone back to work, but the other madrigals could be seen wandering the quieter parts of town.

And Luisa and Isabela were finally speaking.

Isabela lay on a blanket of flowers she had thrown over one of the benches in Luisa's room, well Luisa lay in her bed.

“Do you think she left on her own? Like she ran away and got into trouble?” Isabela asked, staring at the roof.

“I wouldn't blame her if she did, nobody in town was very nice to her- but that doesn’t sound like something she’d do. I always got the idea that she loved the family, with or without a gift.” Luisa responded, sitting up.

“I would have left if I were her as well. Her life must have been brutal.” Isabela whispered.

Luisa lay back down and they slipped back into silence.

Chapter Text

Mirabel flopped down onto the bed beside Orlando with a groan.

“How’d it go?” He chuckled, patting her head. 

“How’d what go?” She mumbled.

“Training, Tonta! What else have you been doing for the past like, 2 months?” He responded, pulling up her head by her hair.

“Ack, sorry! I’m just exhausted.” She said, shooing him off and sitting up. 

“It’s so tiring- and after a while my leg starts to rub, but it’s worth it to be able to protect the town.” She sighed.

Orlando blinked at her. “Hm. Anyway, you know what today is?” He asked.

Mirabel thought about it for a second. “Tuesday?”

He scoffed and whacked her in the back of the head, standing up. “No, doofus, it’s exactly 1 year since you got here! And I want to show you something special.” He said, holding out his hand.

“Where are we going, Orlando? We’ve been walking for like, an hour!” Mirabel groaned, trekking behind him.

“Just a little bit longer! We’re almost there!”

Eventually, the two reached one of the tallest buildings in the town. 

Which Mirabel was then prompted to climb.

“Remind me to never let you surprise ever again.” Mirabel croaked, crawling the last step of the building. Orlando followed with a huff.

“Yeah alright, but we’re just in time. Look!” He said, taking her hand and guiding her to the edge.

The two watched in awe as pink, yellow and orange flooded the sky as the sun set behind the far mountains. Birds silhouettes slowly disappeared as the sky darkened, and so they watched as all of the lights of the town lit up the darkness.

“You can see the whole town from up here!” Mirabel giggled, leaning out over the edge and looking down on the streets.

Orlando smiled warmly at her. “Before they-uhm…B-before mi tío started taking care of me, my parents would bring me up here as a reward, and after my pa left, my ma told me that every noble person who passes on, is made into a star in the sky, and that when the stars were out, anyone I’d ever lost would be looking over me.”

Mirabel stared at him and looked down. “If it's…not too hard to answer-

What happened to your Ma & Pa?”

Orlando sighed and looked away.

“I think I was around five at the time. A group of raiders had come through during the day, and picked me up from our backyard well I was playing. My father chased after them, and eventually caught up to them. He fought 8 bandits at once, but was shot in the process. He managed to get me home safe, but the wound was already infected by the time he got back.” 

“He went peacefully in his sleep, with my ma by his side.”

“Then, a couple years later, famine ravished the town. My mother gave all the food she could to me, and ended up half starving herself to death. Then she got sick, and her body didn’t have the strength to fight it off. She passed in the exact same spot my father did, and now, they’re together in the sky, always looking down at me.” He said, looking up at the stars, his eyes twinkling with tears.

“Tío never married or had any kids of his own, and he never planned to, but he stood up to take care of me without question.” He finished.

“And what a damn good job raising you he did.” Mirabel said, placing her hand on his shoulder and smiling softly.

Orlando smiled at her and placed his head on her shoulder, staring over at the town.

“Love you, Mir.”

“Love you too Orlando.”

Chapter Text

“Mir.”

“Mira.”

“MIRABEL WAKE UP.”

Mirabel jerked up in bed, panting from the shock. Orlando had his hands firmly on her shoulders, as if he had been shaking her.

“Dios mío, I thought you were dead! When did you get to be such a deep sleeper?” He asked, backing away and handing her her leg as she rubbed her eyes.

She groaned and swung her leg over the side of the bed. “I got in late last night, like 2am. But we got the cattle back so it’s all worth it.” She explained.

The young man stood, and held out his hand to help Mirabel up. “Well, don’t forget you’ve got to help prepare for the festival. You promised Señora Paula.”

Mirabel sighed. “That I did. I’ll see you out there in a bit.

Every year, the town held a festival in celebration of the banishment of one of the most brutal bandits in the area. It’d been at least 30 years since he was killed, but before then the town had practically been a ghost town, with everyone being far too scared to come out of their homes, so cleary they’d come a long way since them, so it felt right to celebrate with a massive fiesta, with banners, confetti and stalls lining all the streets.

“Mirabel, help me put this up!” A man yelled out to her across the road.

The streets were bustling with people preparing their stalls for the festival, so Mirabel was going through, seeing if anybody needed a hand.

Mirabel spent all day helping people prepare, and when the sun finally began to go down, Orlando and Mirabel went back home together.

She stepped into her nightgown and sat on her bed, brushing out her hair, when she saw her calendar in the corner of her eye. She glanced over to see today's date marked with ‘6 years since left encanto’

Meaning today was her little cousin's birthday. He’d be 11.

“Happy birthday Antonio.”

Chapter Text

“Happy birthday Antonio!”

Antonio blew out the candles on his cake and the family cheered around him.

“Man, how are you 11? I think you’ll always be 5 in my mind.” Camillo said, ruffling his hair.

Abuela clapped her hands. “Time for your present! Luisa, would you go grab it?” She said, turning to Luisa.

Luisa left and returned shortly after with a small box in her hands. She handed it to Abuela, who then sat it on the table in front of Antonio. He lifted the lid of the box and pulled out a beautiful carved wooden jaguar.

He smiled and turned to his family thanking them. 

Camillo, now 21, was now the tallest Madrigal, just a bit taller than Luisa, who was now 25.

4 years back, Isabela had told Abuela about her true feelings for Mariano, so their engagement plans were canceled, or rather switched to Dolores after she told Mariano of her true feelings. So 2 years back, they were wed, and Dolores was now pregnant with their first child.

Antonio sat the wooden Jaguar on his shelf in his room, but when he turned around, he accidentally knocked it off. He got down on his knees to reach for it, only to find something tucked behind the shelves.

He reached his arm in, and pulled it out, shaking the dirt from it.

It was the Jaguar toy Mirabel had gifted him for his 5th birthday.

He held it gently and went to lie down in his hammock, looking at it sadly. That was the same day she’d gone away, wherever she was.

Everyone thought she was dead. They had a funeral and everything. There was a grave out by her favorite tree. But Antonio still liked to think she was still out there somewhere, even though everyday it got harder and harder to believe that. 

“Tío? Tío Bruno!” Antonio called, walking through the walls.

“There he is, the birthday boy!” Bruno laughed, scooping him up from behind and throwing him onto the armchair he kept in his little wall-room.

Antonio regularly visited his Tío in the walls ever since he learnt of his presence, but Bruno was still too anxious to show himself to the rest of the Madrigals, let alone the village. 

“Tío? I believe I was promised something special this year?” Antonio said, crossing his arms.

“Were you? I don’t seem to remember that!” Bruno replied sheepishly.

“Tío! You said last year that this year you’d give me a vision for my birthday.” He insisted.

Bruno sighed and drooped his head. “You’ve refreshed my memory, and I can't deny the birthday boy. Meet me tomorrow at midnight by my door.”

Chapter Text

Mirabel and Orlando continued to assist the townspeople set up for the upcoming festival, though it was a large task given the size of the town itself, but they made do.

“Mirabel, hand me that hammer would you?” A woman asked her. As Mirabel handed her the hammer, Señora Paula came up behind her and tapped her on the shoulder.

“Hey Mirabel, see those men?” She said, pointing out a group of men walking along the sidewalk, looking around.

Mirabel nodded. “Well, they came in around 15 minutes ago, and you have to admit, they look a little shifty.” Señora Paula expressed.

They did look shifty. In fact, they were basically the definition of a bandit gang. 

Bandanas tied around their faces, long black coats, very big and buff, and seemed to be led by an even larger man with hints of red in his outfit.

“They definitely do. Do you want me to keep an eye on them?” Mirabel responded.

The old woman smiled. “Would you? I’m just worried they’ll cause issues during the festival.”

Mirabel nodded and slipped in behind the men, making sure she was out of sight as she followed them.

Mirabel had been following the men for almost 6 hours, and all they’d been doing was walking around town, looking at the decorations. It was the most boring day she’d had in a long time.

Eventually, she gave up and returned to find Señora Paula.

“Señorita, I followed them all morning and they did nothing. I think they’re just shifty looking travelers.” She informed.

Señora Paula sighed. “Thank you for doing that for me cariño, I’m just a little on edge during this time of year.” 

“No problema Señora, It’s my job to put your mind at ease. I’m gonna keep helping with preparation. Adiós!”

Mirabel continued to assist with setting up until the evening, when she was approached by the brigade.

After Mirabel had finished her training and begun protecting the town, a few other townspeople expressed interest. So they were also trained, and Mirabel and them formed a brigade to help protect the town.

“Hey Mira- Some of us are going to go get some drinks. Wanna come?”

Mirabel nodded and looked back at Orlando questioningly.

He shook his head. “I’m exhausted, I'm going to get an early night. You have fun though!” He said, leaving for home.

Mirabel shrugged and turned back to her friends. “Sure, let's go!”

Chapter Text

Antonio creaked open his door and shut it quietly, looking around to make sure nobody had heard him.

He crept towards Bruno’s tower, making sure to be extra quiet when passing Dolores’s door.

He reached the steps and climbed them quickly, slipping in through Bruno’s unlit door.

Bruno’s room was very tall, with rocky stairs running along the walls. Which he had to climb.

Antonio reached out weakly for the last step, where he was met with Bruno’s hands pulling him up.
“You really drew the short end of the stick, didn’t you Tío…” He panted. Bruno pet him on the back and turned around facing the massive cliff that stood in front of them. Antonio stared at it in horror. “You’re joking. We came all this way- and we can't even get to the cave?” He collapsed onto the sandy floor. Bruno signaled for him to watch, as he scooped up a handful of sand and through it off the cliff. But it didn't fall. Instead, the sand began solidifying, and eventually turned into a long bridge across to the cave. Antonio looked in wonder, and the two of them crossed.

The pair squeezed past the large stone circle, and so they stood in a large room, with carvings covering the walls, with a lot of sand on the floor. Bruno walked to the middle and scooped up fragments of what looked like a prior vision, throwing them to the side. He signaled for Antonio to come sit in front of him.

“Now… It's been a while since I’ve done this…” Bruno said, sitting down. He pushed the sand into four mounds in front of him, with little dips in the middle of them. He took some leaves from a bowl to the side of the cave and placed one leaf in each of the dips. He then took a handful of leaves and placed them in the middle. He then threw salt over his right shoulder and lit a match, using said match to light the leaves in the sand dips in an anticlockwise motion. He paused "I think I usually did it clockwise… Oh well I don't think it matters." he decided, and held out his hands for Antonio to hold. As he took his Tíos hands, the sand around them began to swirl and the lighting began to turn red. "I was under the impression it would be green.." he noted, looking back at Bruno, but Bruno looked worried. "It is supposed to be green… somethings wrong." He said nervously.

Chapter Text

Mirabel entered the tavern with her friends and they sat down at the bar.

"Aha, there she is! Magic Mirabel!" The barkeep exclaimed, sliding them all a beer. Mirabel pulled out some coins but the barkeep shook his head.

"On the house for my favourite ass kickers! Least I can do."

Mirabel smirked and nodded to him, slipping her coins back into her pocket. She took a big sip of her beer and turned to the others.

"So, you lot manage to keep those fellas from the other day at bay?" She asked them, slamming her jug onto the bartop.

One of them rolled their eyes. "Cmon Mira, let's not talk about work! This is a personal get together, not a professional one." He said nudging her playfully. 

Mirabel gave them a suspicious side eye and smirked. "What do you want?" She questioned. 

The man grinned. "We just wanna know….what's going on with you and Orlando…?"

Mirabel spat her beer out all over the bar and the man leant back so far he fell off his stool.

She coughed and spluttered well another woman in the brigade pat her back.

"Absolutely… nothing is going on with me and Orlando." she assured them. "1, He's my brother, 2, we all know he's only got eyes for Veronica!" She reminded him, shoving him playfully. They all laughed.

It was probably around 1am, the bar had completely cleared out, and Mirabel was the only one left. She was only a little tipsy, and was chatting quite happily with the barkeep.

Then, they heard the doors swing open, and they both looked to see who was coming in at such an hour.

It was the leader of that suspicious group that'd been hanging around earlier in the day.

Chapter Text

Bruno pulled Antonio close as the sand blew wildly around them. “What’s happening Bruno?!” Antonio cried over the roaring winds. Bruno shook his head, looking around. An image began to form in the flying sand.

It was the familia, at Antonio's gift ceremony, posing for the picture. Then the image spun, to show…

Mirabel.

She turned, and her image morphed into that of the mountains around the Encanto. Antonio turned around, and pulled on his Tío’s arm to point out Mirabel's return, as she walked through them into the mountains.

The sand the settled, and Bruno was left with a rectangular ruby plate with the image of Mirabel walking away into the forest.

He stared at it in shock. "I…I did the ritual backwards…and it showed me the past. It showed me what happened to Mirabel-she…She wasn't taken. She left. She chose to leave." He said, looking down at Antonio.

"Does this mean she could still be out there somewhere?" Antonio queried. Bruno shook his head. "I suppose there could be the slightest chance-but Mirabel had no survival skills. Chances are she either starved to death or was killed by something or other." He responded, leaving Antonio to place the plate on a nearby table. 

"You should go back to your room now, Toñito." Bruno said, looking back.

Antonios head snapped up. " What? No way! I haven't got my future read yet. You promised I'd get it on my 11th birthday, and here we are. I'm not gonna let you back out Tío!" He demanded.

Bruno sighed and re-entered the sandy circle.

They repeated the ritual, but the right way this time. The sand began flying, and as green light illuminated the room, pictures began forming.

It looked like a battle.

In town. 

Buildings were up in blaze, and the villagers were running and screaming. They could see their family assisting their escape.

Then the image twisted, and it was Abuela! She lay on the ground, clutching the miracle, and as a bandit readied to strike down a blow on her, a figure appeared in front of Abuela and blocked the attack. The figure had long, curly hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and her right leg seemed to be made out of metal. The figure blocking the attack seemed to send a shockwave through the town that put out all the fires, fixed the houses, and ridded the village of their attackers. 

Then, the sand settled, and Antonio and Bruno stared at the plate in pure shock and horror.

Chapter Text

The man approached Mirabel and sat down next to her, which was weird since the whole bar was free, and signaled the bartender to get him a drink.

Mirabel glanced at him as he took his bandana off, revealing his extremely disfigured and scarred face. He turned towards her and she looked away, scratching the back of her head.

“It’s not a crime to look.” He said. “And anyway, I see you’ve got your own…” He gestured to her lower half. “...Differences.”

Mirabel looked down and laughed nervously. “I suppose so.” She took another sip of her beer. “So uhm- where’d you get it?” She asked, nodding towards his face.

“Bullet shot. Went through another guy in front of me, so it wasn't as bad as it could’ve been. Still messed me up though.”

Mirabel stared at him curiously. “Bullet shot? Like from a gun? I thought those were only in the south.”

The man shrugged. “We get around.”

“We?”

“Me and my gang. I know you saw us, I saw you following us today.”

Mirabel turned a little redder than she already was from the alcohol. “Ah, it wasn’t my first choice of activities, I can assure you. Señora thought you looked shifty, wanted me to keep an eye on you.”

The man laughed and took a swig of his beer. “She wouldn’t be wrong to think that-We are bandits after all.”

Mirabel froze and gave him the side eye.

He raised his hands. “No intentions of robbing this place though, let me assure you. Just passing through this time.” 

He held out his hand to Mirabel. “Vicente.”

Mirabel took his hand and shook it. “Mirabel.”

She turned her stool towards him. “So, your gang- are they your familia?”

Vicente seemed to think about it for a moment. “Found familia I suppose. Real family’s a shit show.”

Mirabel raised her glass. “I hear that.”

“I’ve heard, about your magical upbringing. Word seems to get around here fast. ”

“Hard to believe though. Magical generational candle from your late Abuelo.”

Mirabel laughed. “Hey man- You don't believe me? Head south! It’s massive, you can’t miss it. Give them my best wishes.”

She thought about it for a moment.

“Actually if you do end up seeing them, don’t mention me please”

The man laughed. “Will do.”

Mirabel put her empty glass back on the table and stood up. “Well, it was nice meeting you Vicente.”

The man waved as she exited the tavern.

Chapter Text

The family sat around the table, peacefully eating their breakfast. Julieta stood at the sink, washing dishes. Antonio peaked at them through the door. "Okay, they're all in there. Now's the best time to do it." He whispered, turning to Bruno. He was shaking, twiddling his thumbs. "Y-y'know Antonio, maybe this isn’t such a good idea- Antonio!" He whisper-shouted as Antonio walked into the doorway. 

"Uhm- guys? everyone?" He said loudly, causing his family's heads to turn to him. He took a deep breath. "I uhm..have some..thing I need to show you-” He stuttered. Camilo laughed “Damn Antonio, you kill someone?-” but he shut up real fast when Dolores elbowed him sharply in the chest. Antonio looked at the floor and tilted his head towards Bruno, shuffling to the side. 

The rest of the family sat silently for a few moments, before becoming still at the sight before them. Bruno emerged from behind the wall. 

“Hola…” he said quietly, looking away from the family. 

Julieta dropped the glass she was holding, and Abuela stood up as it smashed onto the ground.

“Bruno…?” She whispered, approaching her son. Bruno looked at her as she stood in front of him. “...I-” he started, but was cut off from an embrace from his mama, closely joined by Julieta and Pepa. 

After a moment, they all backed off, with Abuela holding him tightly by his forearms.

“I don’t understand-where have you been? How did Antonio know?” The questions spilled out of her mouth, Bruno could barely get a word in.

“I’ve uhm…I’ve been- around? I suppose?” He muttered

Antonio laughed. “Around the house, you mean.”

Abuela took a step back and glanced at Antonio. “What do you mean? What does he mean, Bruno?” She asked.

Bruno looked away shamefully. “Look I- I know everyone thought I just brought bad omens and struggles, and I didn’t want to keep putting everyone through that, but I didn’t want to leave! So I just sort of…” He nodded towards the family tree painting on the wall. “...Hid.”

Julieta took a sharp breath in. “For 16 years?! And why come back now? Not when your family needed you most- when I needed you most?!” She yelled, but Bruno grabbed her by the shoulders. “Julieta, I wanted to. More than anything, I wanted to- but it was a battle in my head if it would really be better for the family, or if the knowledge that I chose to hide from you would just be putting salt in an already gaping wound.” He explained.

She thought about it for a moment, and wrapped her arms around her brother, holding him tight. “Thank you…For coming back.” She whispered. 

That’s when Camilo spoke: “Why did you choose to come back now anyway?”

Bruno sighed, and Antonio handed him the emerald plate, who then handed it to Abuela. They had chosen not to show the family the ruby plate, for fear of it reopening those memories and giving people false hope.

Abuela studied the plate, with Julieta and Pepa at her sides.

“This cannot be true.”

Chapter Text

the drawing

is done

https://vt.tiktok.com/ZS8uhuphk/

https://www.instagram.com/p/Co9vb3DvivL/?igshid=NTdlMDg3MTY=

enjoy pookies

Chapter Text

Mirabel stood in her room, doing her makeup in preparation for the festival, doing an extravagant look on her eyes for the colourful aspect of the tradition. She leaned in close to get more precise lines on her eyeliner, when she glanced over at the photo stuck to the corner of the mirror.

She pulled it out and examined it. It was the portrait she had taken from the casita before she left, with all the Madrigals. She traced their faces with her finger. Though it hadn’t aged very well, a couple tears and the colour was a little faded, she could still make everyone out. 

Abuela in the middle, surrounded by Julieta and Pepa, and then their partners, and then their kids…and then Mirabel, standing off to the side.

Sometimes she wonders if they missed her. Or if they noticed she was gone at all. What had become of her room? Was it just storage, or had another Madrigal been born?

It only happened occasionally, but sometimes she wished she could visit them, one last time, just to see how they’d grown, emotionally and physically.

Antonio would be 11 now. He’d be going around, helping the village…however he could by talking to animals. Maybe politely asking the donkeys to go back to the stable?

Camillo would be 21, just like her…She imagined he probably didn’t grow out of his mischievousness.

Isabella would be 27, and would probably be wedded to Mariano by now, with kids…

She wondered about how her parents and her other older relatives were doing. Are they still healthy? She really hoped so.

She was lost in her thoughts and didn’t notice Orlando entering her room until he began shaking her shoulders from behind. 

She gasped and swung around, grabbing him by the neck and throwing him against the wall.

She screamed and ran over, to see him lying upside down against the wall.

“Orlando I am so sorry-! I didn’t see you, I didn’t know it was you-” Apologies spilled out her mouth as she tried to decide how she should help.

He groaned, rolling over to his front and crawling away from the wall. “Yeah, I should hope you didn’t know it was me.” He grumbled, taking her hand and pulling himself up. He brushed himself off and cracked his neck and back. 

“No harm done. Should’ve known not to approach from behind.”

Mirabel took a big sigh of relief and looked up at the clock. “Sorry- Are we late?”

Orlando shook his head, rubbing his arm. “Nah, we still got another couple hours. Just wanted to check on you. I’ll leave you to…do whatever had you so zoned out.”

She nodded as he left and scratched her neck as she looked down at the portrait on the ground. 

She picked it up, shoved it into the back of her drawer and shut it.

Chapter Text

Antonio sat around the corner, listening to the adults discussing their next moves after what they had just discovered.

"We could fight them off easily."

"But the vision had someone else in it!"

"So? We don't need an outsider to defend our home."

"Well, the vision says we do."

"Then we wait for her to arrive!"

Camillo stood up, slamming his hands down on the table and silencing everyone. 

"We cannot sit here and wait for those bandits to arrive. What if they get here and the woman has not? We'll be screwed. We need to search for her, because we don't know how long until they arrive." He stated, sitting back down.

The family sat in silence for a minute, before Luisa spoke. "I will go." She announced, but Abuela shut her down. "No, you are needed here, all of you are. I will go." "Mama, no! You are far too old." Julieta and Pepa exclaimed.

"I will go."

They all turned to Bruno.

"The townspeople don't know I'm back yet, and they don't need me. It's my vision, I should be responsible for it's outcome."

Julieta put her hand on his arm. "But we need you."

He looked at her lovingly, thinking about how much he had missed her touch, how much he had missed all of his family.

"I will be careful, I swear. I'll bring this woman back and she will save the Encanto." He said, looking down at the plaque.

Abuela nodded slowly, looking around at the family. "Then it is decided. Bruno, you leave tomorrow morning."

The family agreed, and all exited the room. Antonio pressed himself back against the wall and hid in the shadows. 

Bruno came out last, and Antonio grabbed his hand, pulling him down. 

"I'm coming with you." He announced.

Bruno looked at him in confusion. "No, you're not!" He laughed, pulling his hand away.

"Technically, it was my vision. You had it for me!"

"Tõnito, you're 11. It's not happening."

"But I can help!"

Bruno continued making his way up the stairs, with Antonio following close behind. 

"Antonio, who knows what's outside the Encanto. Wild animals? Bandits?"

"I can talk to wild animals though! You need me with you."

Bruno turned and leant down so he was looking Antonio in the eyes.

"Hmm..Let me think about it….

No." He said before standing up, and slamming the door in Antonios face.

Early the next morning, before the sun rose, the Madrigals gathered outside the casita to bid Bruno farewell. They all gave him hugs, even Antonio, though he was very quick and he ran back inside straight after. 

Bruno climbed onto the horse and waved to his family, before turning and trotting away. 

He headed for the flattest part of the mountains surrounding the encanto, travelling through dense foliage and trees.

The horse trotted calmly through the jungle, well Bruno ate some of the food Julieta had prepared for him. Suddenly, the horse froze, staring intently at a bush. It rustled a bit, and then suddenly at jaguar leaped out, running at the pair.

Bruno's horse reared, but somehow he held on. It galloped at full speed, attempting to outrun the beast. Suddenly, there came a large hill, and when the horse ran down it, Bruno got tangled in some vines and was pulled off.

He was left hanging, and in an attempt to twist his way out, he made himself hang upside down, and he watched in horror as the Jaguar approached him slowly. And just as it was about to lunge at Bruno like a piñata, a voice yelled out.

Both Bruno and the Jaguar looked around, where they spotted Antonio standing behind the Jaguar.

"Don't eat him. Trust me, he may look good, but he's been living in the walls for almost 2 decades, surviving off of leftovers. He's all skin and bone."

The Jaguar turned to Bruno and gave him a look of almost disgust, before turning and trotting back into the foliage.

Antonio approached Bruno as he cut himself down. He landed with a huff and scrambled to his feet, grabbing Antonio by his shoulders.

"I told you not to come! You could have seriously hurt yourself."

Antonio shuffled out of his grasp. "I saved your life. Without me, you would be Jaguar dinner by now, so, y'know, you're welcome? "

Bruno stared at him for a second, before dipping his head. "Thank you.."

Antonio nodded at him smuggly, before whistling for the horse, who quickly came galloping back over to them. 

Bruno sighed. "Well, we're too far to go back. But you have to promise that you will do everything I say, got it?"

Nodding excitedly, Antonio climbed onto the horse, with his tío climbing on behind him.

They travelled for a bit, with Antonio seemingly having a pleasant conversation with the horse, before they eventually reached a river.

"I think, if we follow the river, we'll probably reach a town." Bruno announced.

Antonio jumped off the horse. "We should make a raft! It'll be way faster."

His tío thought about it for a moment, before inevitably agreeing. The two of them pulled down largish saplings and tied them together with vines, and before long, they had a raft.

Bruno held onto it well Antonio climbed on, then Bruno leaped on, and they were quickly on their way downstream, with the horse following them closely on land.

Chapter Text

The streets were blazing with people, lights and music. Everywhere you looked there were vendors or dancers or little kids running along with sparklers.

It reminded Mirabel of the parties her old familia would throw for birthdays or achievements. She never got a party. Of course, she never achieved anything either, at least not in their eyes. Even her Quinceañera had been pretty tame compared to her sister's. But that didn't bother her anymore, and it didn't matter either. Because tonight wasn't about the 'Amazing Madrigals', it was about the town of Filandia-Quindio and how it and its residents had grown. 

Someone grabbed Mirabel's hand and spun her around laughing. She turned to see Orlando, dressed in a beautiful red charro outfit with gold lining. 

"This turnout is amazing, and the decorations look increíble! You really outdid yourself!" He laughed. 

"Come get a drink with me!" He demanded, pulling her by the arm. But she pulled back and laughed.

She pulled her arm out of his grip and looked towards the forest surrounding the town. She sighed. "I should probably do rounds around the outskirts, to make sure there's nobody causing trouble…" 

But Orlando was NOT having it. He stood in front of her, blocking her leave and grabbing her shoulders. "Mirabel. You promised you wouldn't work tonight. I know you're worried and I know you just want to help, but the town will be fine for one night without you parading around looking for trouble makers, okay? Tonight's about fun, so stop worrying so much and let's go get drunk." He said, pulling her arm back. 

She stared at him for a couple seconds before chuckling. 

"Well, you're not getting drunk just yet, you're performing in an hour. And…maybe I'll have one drink." She admitted. 

Orlando's face lit up and he took her hand and led her back into the crowd.

Chapter Text

"Antonio? Antonio, wake up kid!"

Antonio grumbled as he sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What is it…?" He trailed off, looking into the sky in amazement. 

In the distance, they could see bright fireworks dancing through the sky.

Antonio chuckled. "I didn’t think wild fireworks were a thing…"

"They're not Antonio, it's gotta be a civilization! ¡Vamos!" Bruno laughed, sticking his arm into the water and using it to push them towards the lights.

Bruno took Antonio's hand as he climbed off the raft, then made him hold onto the horse's reins well he grabbed the rest of their stuff off the raft, before letting go and letting it float down the creek. He turned around and lifted Antonio onto the horse's back, climbing on after him.

They travelled for a decent amount of time, maybe an hour or two? The fireworks had stopped, so they really hoped they were heading in the right direction.

And to their delight, they eventually reached a little path, which got wider and wider as they travelled and they eventually reached the front gate of a bustling town. 

A man looked over and grinned at them, jogging over as they dismounted their horse.

"Welcome! Are you passing travellers or newcomers planning on staying a little while? I highly recommend the latter, as we are in the middle of our yearly fiesta toda la noche! We've got food and discounted accommodation for travellers."

Antonio turned to his tío excitedly. "Please can we stay here tonight? Even if it's not where we're supposed to be, we've been travelling for days and I want a real bed!" He pleaded.

Bruno chuckled. "Suppose it couldn't hurt to stick around."

The man clapped his hands together. "¡Maravilloso! We can take your horse to the stable and I'll show you to your accommodation." He said, leading them through the gate.

"I'm Orlando, by the way."

Chapter Text

“Christ Orlando, where have you been? You need to be up there in like, 30 seconds!” Mirabel growled, dusting off his shoulders and shoving a guitar in his arms. 

Orlando adjusted the strap and tuned the guitar quickly, the crowd cheering his name. "I'm sorry- that kid who was on tour duty had to go to the bathroom, I didn't think he'd be gone that long!" 

Mirabel waved her hand to shut him up and pushed him up the stairs, where the crowd cheered at the sight of him. 

“Buenas Noches, Filandia-Quindio!” He yelled, working hard to get his voice over the crowd.

“How are we doing tonight, on this beautiful evening? I mean is this not just the most perfect night?!”

The crowd erupted with applause once again as Mirabel made her way back down in front of the stage.

“Now, tonight marks something very special. Tonight marks 30 years since we were freed from the bandits!” He announced, causing another uproar.

“How about that, aye? 30 years ago we were an absolute wreck, but now look at us! Bunch of absolute party animals! Now…How about we get this party started?!”

The band erupted into song and the crowd threw their arms up, dancing along and laughing.

Mirabel couldn't help but smile. This town had come so far, and it reminded her of herself, in a way.

 In a mere 6 years, she had grown so much from the person she was at the Encanto. She had gone from a little kid begging to be noticed by someone, to a young woman beloved by an entire town. 

This was the life she fought for, and she wanted nothing changed. Her perfect world was one where everhthing was just like this til the end of time.

Oh, how she prayed it to be true.

But prayers don't always get answered.

Chapter Text

Bruno and Antonio wandered through the lit streets, taking in the scene around them. They had seen parties before sure, the Madrigals were known for their spectacular parties, but this was on another level. There had to be more people on this street than everyone in the Encanto combined! 

They had made their way up to the room they’d be sleeping in to drop off their stuff, before Antonio dragged his tío out into the bustling town to explore.

“This is the coolest thing that I’ve ever seen! It’s like all of my birthdays combined, plus some!” He yelled. Bruno ignored the somewhat sad connotations of that comment, examining the surrounding stalls.

“I wish we lived somewhere like this…” Antonio muttered, but it was loud enough for Bruno to whip around.

“Are you joking?” He huffed. “We live somewhere exactly like this!”

“Nah, this place has more of a sense of community, I guess?”

Bruno couldn't believe what he was hearing. “What? We have a sense of community- our whole thing is community Antonio!” 

Antonio shook his head. “Is it? We help them with everything without a second thought, get nothing in return, and then invite them to our parties to make sure they still like us. I wouldn't call that community, that's just monarchy.” He said.

Bruno sighed, rubbing his head. “That's not what a monarch-” He was cut off by a loud cheering and the eruption of music from the other end of the street, and by the time Bruno looked back, Antonio was already making his way through the crowd towards the stage.

By the time Bruno had caught up to him, the band was finishing up their song. He reached down and grabbed Antonio's hand. “Don't run off, please. If I lose you in this crowd, I'm not finding you any time soon.”

The man on stage grabbed the mic, wiping the sweat from his forehead. 

“Alright everyone, my backup singer needs to take a quick break, so I'd like to take this chance to invite someone very special up on stage. The woman who made this all possible.” He holds his hand down and helps pull a girl up onto the stage. She had long curly hair tied back in a ponytail and a metal leg-

“Tío, that's her! That's the girl from the vision that's…it's…” He trailed off, dropping his uncle's hand and looking a little closer at the girl’s face, recognition flooding his senses.

“...Mirabel?!”

Chapter Text

Mirabel laughed as Orlando pulled her onto the stage. Once she's up, she smooths out her skirt and turns to the audience nervously.

“Ahem, thank you, Orlando, for this unexpected feature. Uhm, yeah, don't have a lot to say except thank you to everyone who helped bring this night to life. As much as Orlando might like to say otherwise, it couldn't have happened without all your help…”

As she continues her speech, she looks over at all the faces in the crowd-all these people who had gone above and beyond to make her feel welcomed in their community. All these people…

But her eyes settled on one face in particular, one that she was fairly sure she recognised, but definitely wasn't a town member…

The recognition hit her like a train. 

She knew who it was.

“Mira?” She heard Orlando ask, and she felt his hand squeeze her shoulder.

She realised she had trailed off her speech and was just standing on the stage, staring.

But she didn't continue. Instead, with a wobbly voice, she called out.

“Antonio?”

The crowd parted from her gaze, till there was a clear passage from her to the young boy. 

It was obvious now. Though he was a lot taller and matured, it was definitely him. The baby cousin she had left behind all those years ago in the Encanto.

He began moving towards her, and in response she hopped off the stage and returned his approach. 

Slow, hesitant walking quickly turned to full blown sprinting.

It was silent. She didn't hear, nor see the villagers. She only saw him. 

When they finally met, she held him. Grabbed him tight, didn't let go. She could hear his quiet, muffled sobs against her shoulder, but she just pushed her face further into his curls. God. Was she dreaming? Had she fallen off the stage and gone into a coma? Surely this wasn't real.

She opened her eyes, remembering she was in the middle of a very large crowd. She cleared her throat and stood up, keeping one hand on Antonio at all times.

“Sorry, ah, everyone-!” She laughed nervously, beginning to tug Antonio into a nearby building. 

“Family emergency!” She finished before turning around and pulling him through the doors.

She knelt down to his level the best she could and gave him another hug.

“What- how are you alive?” Antonio stuttered, his eyes wide and teary. 

“You were dead- We found your bloody old bag in the creek!”

Mirabel thought for a moment…So many years ago, she barely knew what he was talking about, but she didn't get the chance to ask before he backed away to get a good look at her.

“What the hell- Your leg?!” He gasped, examining the prosthesis.

“After all this mourning, we'd only lost about ten percent of you!” A man who'd followed them into the building commented. Mirabel looked up at him questioningly. 

“Who…?” She muttered.

Antonio grinned. “Remember Tío Bruno?”

She thought for a moment, before her jaw dropped at the recollection of her missing uncle. 

“No way! Man, we're all coming out of the woodworks, ay?” She laughed in amazement, giving him a tight hug. He smelt of dust, like the inner workings of a building.

“He'd actually been in the walls all this time.” Antonio announced.

Well, that'd explain it.

They moved to a seating area to further talk. 

“I don't understand.” Bruno started. “How are you here? Why are you here? Why'd you leave? And what happened to your leg?!”

Mirabel took a deep breath. This was going to be tough.

She took them through it. All of it. Her leaving, her injuries. The path she had taken to get her to this point of happiness with her life.

Partly to help them understand her choices, partly to help them understand why she couldn't go back. If they wanted her to go back.

They turned when the door opened again, this time Orlando stood in the doorway, narrowing his eyes to Bruno and Antonio. 

“You two need to leave.” He said roughly. This was the angriest Mirabel had ever seen Orlando. She stood up, putting herself between him and them. 

“Orlando, it's okay-”

“No.” He cut her off, pointing past her at the pair. “They're not from the village, meaning the only place they can be from is that asscrack of a community you came from, and they're not welcome here. I won't let them take you” He spat.

Mirabel shook her head. She'd never seen him this protective, never knew he felt so strongly about her past.

“Orlando, they don't want to take me back to the Encanto.” She assured him, rubbing his arms.

Bruno cleared his throat and she turned back to them. Bruno laughed nervously.

“Actually…”

Ah. There it was.