Chapter Text
"(Urgh…….W...Where I am ? I….I...I…)"
Bruno half-opened his eyes, but all he saw was total darkness.
He tried to move, but realizes he was tied up, hands behind his back, and gagged, a black blindfold on his eyes to prevent him from seeing.
"(W...Why… I’m...tied up ? What… happened…?)"
Touching around him, he sensed a rough surface… What was that ? It was like… hessian ? Yes…
He was locked in an hessian bag, with only a hole to let some air enter the bag, preventing him from dying of asphyxiation.
It was hot, the atmopshere was suffocating and oppressive…
He needed oxygen, he had to breathe !
His blinded eyes desperatly searched their way throught darkness, begging for light. He slowly moved, trying to approach his head next to the hole. Trought the blindfold, he discerned a faint glow…
And then, he remembered…
Some days sooner…
The village was really quiet during that evening. Farmers were bringing back their donkeys and other animals to the barns ; merchants prepared to pack away their goods, and Osvaldo was doing his last deliveries of the day.
In the middle of this quiet landscape, Bruno came out from Casita ; he stretched his arms and every muscle of his body, and yawned. The day had been long and difficult for him ; he first helped every member of the family with their chores. And when he tought he could finally have some rest, it had only been to be sollicited by a queue of people asking him visions !
The end of the day had been really testing for his poor nerves ; so, for now, he only needed to relax, and rest.
He was just going towards the village when he suddenly heard his favorite sobrina Mirabel running toward him (he knew it was her because of her way of running, and the sound of her shoes on the ground).
« Where are you going Tío Bruno ?! »
« Just… walking a bit. Relaxing, after all those visions… I was really requested today. Wanna go with me ? »
« Of course ! I won’t miss an opportunity to spend time with my favorite Tío ! »
« Hey, just don’t tell Félix about this. He’s gonna be mad at me because I stole the « favorite tío » title he kept so much time. »
« Haha, don’t worry about this ! I love every member of my family. »
Bruno remembered patting his sobrina on the head. He was so proud of her. So proud of what she accomplished.
That feeling came back while he was struggling to keep himself alive , alone in the bag. Tears dropped in his eyes. It was the last time he had patted his favorite sobrina.
What a shame for a seer, not having been able to see what would happen!
… but… Thinking about it…
He saw what happened… Yes! Yes he saw it! But he hadn’t been able to warn the family… Why?
Think, Bruno, think…
….
Slowly, his memories came back…
Doing their way to the village, Bruno and Mirabel saw a crowd was formed, at the village’s central place. Apparently, there were people at the center, who were talking.
They found a way throught the crowd, and stood in the front row.
They couldn’t believe what they were seeing.
Two strangers were standing in front of them.
Two tall strangers, with a deceitful look, an imposing build. They wore some unknown clothes, mostly green, and one of them had some wounds on the right arm, as if he had fought recently. Seeing them together, they mostly looked the same.
"Twins..." Bruno whispered to Mirabel.
"Yes, but... real twins" she said with a mocking smile, teasing Bruno about how different he and his sisters looked like despite the fact that they were triplets.
Bruno gently patted her shoulder with the same mocking smile.
Those two strangers were talking to the crowd, which seemed litteraly hypnotized by what they were saying.
"Who are they?" asked Mirabel, intrigued.
"I don't know... They seem to come from the outside of the Encanto… I never saw them, neither in my visions…" said Bruno, as curious as her.
Julieta was already there, carefully examinating the wound of the man, her thin and accustomed fingers slowly touching the injured arm.
It didn't take too long for Abuela (warned by Dolores) to burst into the crowd, followed by the rest of the family. Everyone stepped aside respectfully, letting her pass.
" Welcome, strangers " said Alma with a bit of mistrust in her voice, looking at them directly in the eyes.
" Hola, Señora " replied the scarred man.
Without letting him a chance to continue, Alma went on:
"I’m Alma Madrigal.Matriarch of the Madrigal family, and leader of the Encanto, our little village.
Who am I speaking to?"
She was delimitating their power, showing them that she was the one and only leader here, and wasn’t afraid of two males, even if they were tall and strong.
"I’m Laureano " said the wounded man, "and this is Roberto."
"Roberto" made a quick "hola" with his hand, not saying anything.
" Lo siento, he’s not talkative at all ".
Alma continued starring at them, while asking some questions (how they found the Encanto ? Where they came from ?).
" We’re… well… explorers. We travel trought the world in search of old civilisations, and other incredible treasures !
We were exploring that part of Colombia, were almost nobody never went. And we found that… strange broken mountain. "
He showed the mountain with his mouth.
" We were curious about what could have caused such an immense mountain to break so easily, so, we approached the crack, and we saw your little town, carefully protected, lost in the middle of nowhere… Argh ! Please, be careful with my arm, Señora... "
He was talking to Julieta, who had touched his wound a bit too hard.
" Jaguar scratches, right ? You’re lucky it’s not infected. And most of all, you’re lucky to still be alive"
" Y...yes, well... "
" Please, eat. "
She gave the man an arepa con queso (no, she just put it in his mouth), ignoring Abuela who was telling her not to do that. Immediatly after he gulped, the wound disappeared, and his skin was healed, as if nothing never happened.
During the next seconds, the two men looked successively at Julieta, and then Laureano’s healed arm, not believing what they just saw.
" H...how… How did you…
Y..You just… It’s just… an arepa con queso…
H...how... "
Abuela was angrily starring at her older daughter.
" Please, come with me, strangers. " she immediately said, trying to change the subject of the conversation. « We’ll be better to talk in front of a cup of coffee, or tea. »
" It’s an honor, Señora ".
" Call me " Doña Alma" please. Now, follow me everyone."
Julieta was going to join Agustín behind the group, but Alma called her back.
"Were do you think you're going? Come back here. We need to talk".
Not understanding what she did wrong, and why her mother was suddenly so cold, Julieta joined her ahead the group after taking a last look at Agustín.
Bruno and Mirabel looked at each other, and with a sigh, they followed the family as they were doing their way to Casita, while the crowd was slowly dispersing.
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" You mustn’t have healed him. They’re stangers ! We know barely about them, and we don’t even know if we can trust them ! "
" But… But it’s my duty to heal people ! He was suffering, I just couldn’t let him... "
" Your duty is to heal and help people of THIS town. Not random strangers who just came from nowhere ! "
" But they’re human beings ! I can’t just let someone suffer in front of me, knowing I have the power to heal and doing nothing to help ! It’s totally… against my own nature ! "
Alma sighed, putting an hand on her face.
" Now, what I am going to do, Julieta ? How do you think I’ll justify with a rational argument that my oldest daughter ‘s cooking can instantly heal wounds ? "
Julieta gasped… Of course she hadn’t tought about that.
" I...I...I’m sorry… I... "
" What is done… is done. Now… We just have to hope those strangers are good people. Because they will surely discover our gifts. There’s no doubt about that. "
Of course, they soon discovered about the gifts and the magic of the family. They were surprised at first, and asked questions about the Encanto, the magic…
But as they quickly understood that Alma would never answer, they just stop asking.
They spent one month in the village. Growing closer to la Familia Madrigal, they helped the members with their chores, the villagers, the farmers…
They were kind men, so kind that Alma soon recognized that she had judged them a bit too quickly, and apologized to Julieta for having been so rude with her some weeks ago.
Everyone in the family liked them, even Alma, who was thinking they were « polite, altruists and kind ».
Everyone… except Bruno.
Why ?
He didn’t even know.
He just… couldn’t trust them.
Something inside him was telling him not to trust those strangers.
On the other hand, everyone liked them… In almost one week they had already won the trust of almost everyone… except him. Their smile, charisma, altruism...
Even Mirabel loved them. And Bruno would never do something that could sadden Mirabel, or disappoint the family...It happened too much time in the past. The scars let by the family’s attitude torward him weren’t completely healed.
So… he did his best to do as if he appreciated the two men.
Those last monthes were… difficult for him, and he had some problems talking with people outside of his family. In the village, many forgave him, but other always hate him, so he wasn’t really confortable when talking to others.
That’s why the smile on his mother and sister’s face when he finally had the courage to talk to the strangers made him think he could finally try to learn more about them…and maybe apreciate them...
After all, they did nothing wrong. They were helpful, altruists. Maybe he was just anxious for nothing.
Nevertherless, there was… those strange headaches he get, as soon as the strangers had come into the Encanto. And it never let him since. Everyday he had at least one, and frequently when the two men were next to him, or talking with him. But maybe it was just a coincidence ?
The future never showed him something wrong. Everytime he asked to see the two strangers and they future in the Encanto, he always saw good things happening during the month. Nothing worrying…which was, well, unusual.
" You really need to stop stressing yourself ".
" I know Hernando. I’m stupid. "
" You just followed your intuition. There’s nothing wrong with that. Intuition is what lead us when brain cannot."
" Hmmm…. "
Suddenly the bag and cart shook, and his head violently hit the tough wood. More tears dropped in his eyes.
Then ? Why couldn’t he warn his family ? Why couldn’t he… be useful ? Just once ?
It happened some days before the « departure » of the two men.
As they were about to go, Laureano and Roberto invited the family to a picnic, a last moment together, the day before, to celebrate their freindship.
When they invited the Madrigals, everyone was dining together, not thinking about the future… not even Bruno.
The dinner… was so good. Everyone smiled, even him, Bruno.
Well… he smiled, until he saw the two men…
Sat in front of him, they were looking… no, they were glaring…
They were glaring at his sisters, making some movments, as if they wanted to communicate without talking.
Did they fear Dolores could ear them ? What were they saying ? Why were they looking at his sisters like this ?
He frowned, carefully watching the two men, trying to understand what they were saying with their sign language.
Then he looked at his sisters, an anxious look on his face… They were talking with their husbands, laughing happily, as if nothing bad could never happen.
Suddenly, as if she sensed that someone was gazing at her, Julieta turned her head, looking at Laureano…
" (Yes… She’ll understand… She’ll ask why he glares at her so weirdly...) "
But unfortunately, Julieta only gave to Laureano her most beautiful, angelic smile, and raised her hand, waving at him. He waved at her in return… No, no, something was wrong… he felt it… but nobody seemed to notice it ! Or was he just… crazy ?
Raising his eyes, he met the gaze of the two men. Now they were glaring at… him ? He quickly looked down his plate, but he could always feel their gaze on him, like a cold breath, a scary presence.
He… had to do something… He knew it…
Suddenly he stood, and ignoring the gazes of the family members (almost all of them stopped eating when he stood), he went directly to his sisters.
« Juli, we need to talk... »
« What ? Now ? But… we’re… »
« I...I… It’s… important… I... »
He was feeling so bad all of a sudden… Why was he feeling so bad ? His head hurt so much… Everything began to turn around him… He saw the worried look of Julieta and his mama, the concerned gazes of the other members of the family… Everything became blurry, and then…
He heard voices. It was Laureano and Roberto, along with other men. Talking.
Those… those… traitors…
He felt so angry ! And scared at the same time…
He really wanted to knock on wood, but his hands were carefully tight together.
Were were his sisters ? What happened ? Were they alright ? He couldn’t remember everything… As if there was a big blank in his head.
His mouth was dry, his throat hurt him. He needed to drink something.
His stomach growled… Of course he was hungry too. How much time has he spent in that bag ? He was so thirsty… He tried to lick his lips, but it didn’t really work.
He woke up in his room, with Julieta close to him. He was laying in his bed, totally weakened. As soon as she saw him opening his eyes, Julieta gave him an arepa.
" Here, hermanito. Eat, you’ll feel better ".
He ate, wishing the pain could go quickly. But it didn't.
" Is he okay ? I don’t understand how it happened… He seemed good when we talked, this afternoon... "
The sweet, honeyed tone of the voice froze Bruno, as the pain still didn’t stop, even after eating.
Laureano was standing next to Julieta, his concerned look over Bruno.
" It’s him ! "
Suddenly Bruno woke up, ignoring the pain in his head.
" He’s dangerous ! Julieta ! Don’t stay here ! He’s dangerous ! "
As soon as he said this, Julieta shifted a bit from Laureano, who was really close to her.
" Shhh, hermanito… Lie back… Dios mio, this fever won’t stop… I think I have to cook something more powerful. "
" Juli...He...D...Don’t...stay close... "
Worried, she looked back at Laureano, who was patiently waiting, trying to understand what Bruno reproached him.
" Please, señor. Could you… go out ? I need to talk with my hermano. "
He looked sad, but understood.
" Of course Señora. I’m sorry if I’m the one who cause this… I understand your hermano can be… mefiant. We’re stangers, but, I swear we would never harm you. You have such a cute, loving family. Only monsters would break such a beautiful harmony. "
Julieta smiled…
" Thank you, Señor. I’m sure Bruno has an explanation. I’ll talk with him. "
" Okay. I hope this won’t… affect… what we planned. The picnic... "
Once Laureano left, she looked back at Bruno, truly concerned. She gently stroked the top of his head, and then under his chin. He sighed, slowly relaxing. He always loved those affectionate signs of brotherly love.
"Have you seen something Hermanito? Please, tell me...If you saw a danger..."
"No...I saw nothing...
But...
Laureano...He was...looking at you... with a kind of weird glare. As if he was...plotting something. And then he looked at Pepa, and then at me..."
Julieta gave him a tea, with infuzed mint leaves. He slowly drank, the warmth of the liquid relaxing him. His headaches healed, but he wasn’t sure it was thanks to Julieta’s gift...
"Shhhh...Calm down...
Tell me more...""I...I don't know...
I never thought I could trust them.
But then, I thought I was wrong about them. I tried to..to befriend them...
I didn't want to... to disappoint the familia...not another time..."
"Hermanito..."
"There's those...headaches...everytime I'm close to them...I never really understood why...until now...
I think it's related with them..."
He drank another sip of tea.
"Juli...I...I'm scared...I think those men are dangerous...Please, please, be careful..."
Her look became anxious... and she jumped when a rat ran into Bruno's ruana, squeaking.
"I...I'll talk with Mama...about what you think."
"Thanks..."
She was about to go, but Bruno called her again.
"Juli...Do you...trust me?"
She turned around, facing him. Her gentle and angelical glare reassured him.
"Of course I do. You know I would always trust you hermanito."
"Thanks...Dios mio...
I...think it would be better...if we canceled the picnic."
She came next to him, and kneeled. Then, she put her hand on his forehead.
"Fever...always... I'll prepare you another tea"
"J...Juli, I'm serious! I...Aaaaah..."
He grited his teeth in pain, as the headaches came back.
With a concerned look, she took his hand.
"I'll see what I can do. But I can't promise you anything. You know how Mama is."
"Yes...I know…"
“ For now “ she said, gently putting an hand on his cheek, “you just stay here and rest.”
“O....Okay “
The night had been terrible for Bruno. He barely slept, woken by headaches and horrible nightmares featuring the two men torturing him and his sisters.
His mind was blurry when he came down for breakfast. Everyone had already began, and when they saw him, they smiled reasuringly. Mirabel had kept him a seat next to her, as always.
He gently gave her a little pat on her shoulder, ans she did it too in return. This was a way to say hello, a kind of ritual they had together, every morning.
"Familia! Today is a sad day for us, because as you know, our two « friends »Laureano and Roberto were supposed to leave us soon. They initially said they would leave tomorrow, as soon as the sun wokes up.
But today I talked with them, and they said they were going to leave today, quickly.
That means there won't be any picnic today."
Bruno looked at the family, surprised. But they seemed to already have faith of this.
"I'm surprised too. I really trusted them. They were such kind people. But who knows what hides inside someone's mind? Anyway, don't be sad. As long as we're together, nothing can break us. You'll forget them quickly."
As the family gave him sweet glares, Bruno gave everyone an embarrassed smile, before looking at Mirabel.
She gently took his hand.
"You should have told us before, Tio. We're a family. We may have had some communication problems before, but now we're united. If there's something you need to talk about, we'll listen to you."
"B...but...I...I saw nothing bad...just an intuition... I...didn't want to...deceive the family...one more time..."
"You deceived nobody, Brunito"
He jumped on his chair as his mother put a confort hand on his shoulder.
"I was too blinded by my fear of losing the miracle...that I couldn't see all the efforts you were putting to make me proud. To make the family proud.
My apologizes won't erase what I did to you...but I can do my best to not repeat the same mistakes as before.
That's why I'll listen to you now."
"You...You talked? To everyone?"
She smiled, putting another hand on her elder daughter's shoulder.
"Julieta explained. And then I talked to everyone. And we all agreed to follow your advises."
"But...you were so close of those men...The family...loved them...They always played with Antonio, helped Julieta, and Agustín, and Félix too... and...and..."
"Brunito...I would be a terrible mother if I trusted some strangers instead of my own son. And I'm sure your intuition was good. Now, you can relax. They're gone, for everyone's sake.
Bruno suddenly felt all his body relax. It was as if he was finally free from an heavy burden he carried for two monthes. His headaches disappeared. He felt so good!
He gave everyone an embarrassed smile, and they all smiled in return. Mirabel took his hand and gave him a little pat on the shoulder, congratulating him.
He was so happy everyone trusted him! This was one of the things reminding him that he really was part of the family, now.
Alma kissed his forehead, and he thought he was going to die with all the love suddenly overwhelming him.
"Thanks everyone. For trusting me.
And thanks Juli. They would never knew if you haven't talked to them. I’m so glad I have you as a sister."
Julieta patted his arm gently.
"You know you can always count on me. I love you and Pepa so much. I would do anything for you".
Alma continued her speech, her smile never disappeared from her face.
"Today, it's vacation time!"
"YEAAAAH" shouted Luisa, not measuring the intensity of her voice, causing Dolores to squeak in pain and everyone to look at her weirdly."S...Sorry... Sorry everyone, sorry Dolores..."
"Well... hm... I was saying... Today it's vacation time..." continued Abuela. "And... we may not organize a picnic with those strangers but we can do it together as a family! . La Familia Madrigal!"
"La Familia Madrigal!" they all proudly repeated together.
Bruno groaned and tried to move, trying to unleash the ropes attaching his wrists.
Suddenly the char stopped, and he heard the cold and mischevious voice of Roberto :
" Looks like the runt is awake. "
" Julieta is too. Let’s gave them something to drink ".