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achitka · 2 years

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Doors (Chapter 27) Into the Woods

Chapter 26: Into the Woods (Part 2)

I like Camilo such a fun character to write.

Into the Woods

Camilo edged out of the dining room through the kitchen and took the stairs two at a time up to his brother’s room. He didn’t knock but slipped inside to be greeted by Chipsi and her new set of pups.

“Hey, Chipsi, is Antonio up?” he asked the capybara. Chipsi blinked at him slowly then quite suddenly let loose a loud trilling chirp and a bark. This was echoed, probably by Pico and shortly after that Antonio appeared in front of him on Parce.

“Hey, Camilo.”

“Hey, hermano, nice relay system you got here.”

“Yeah then people don’t have to yell,” Antonio said as he climbed down from the jaguar.

“I got kind of a favor to ask,” Camilo said and shrunk himself down to his brother’s size, “Can I…borrow Parce?”

The jaguar chuffed and Antonio eyes went wide, and he asked, “Is it because egalida, I mean Mirabel wants to go into the forest?”

“I am not gonna ask how you know that, but kinda…”

“It would be better if I came too.”

“Probably but Pa would kill me, and I don’t want to think what Mamí would do.” Antonio pursed his lips, and Camilo could see that this reason was not going to be enough, so he added, “Truth is, Toni, we don’t know what we’re getting into out there. Dolores says there are people out there that could hurt us, and those people have a camp of some sort up in the mountains. Don’t know how many there are and don’t know which direction to start looking. I’m not saying this to frighten you, little brother, cause I know how brave you are. I’m telling you what I know so you can make a better decision. Never liked it when people would withhold information that’s important.”

Antonio nodded and Parce nudged him as he let out a low growl and Antonio looked at the jaguar. Nadia had flown down as well and screed gently. The two appeared to be in agreement with him as now Antonio’s arms were crossed, and he said, “I wish I were bigger.” Camilo relaxed, just a little as Antonio sighed and said, “Parce says he’ll go cause he can follow trail, and Nadia says the night birds will head out to the forest too.” An owl drifted down and landed in front of Parce, looked up at Antonio and hooted at him. “Good idea, Tina,” Antonio said, and the little owl hopped up landing on Camilo’s shoulder. “Tina said she’ll go too. She has really sharp night eyes and hears good too. So, once she knows what way, she’ll go look for the camp. Take this too,” he said as he reached into his pocket and handed him his aid tin.

Camilo blinked and again was impressed by his little brother’s thoughtfulness, and not just in using his Gift. He was just a touch jealous of his little brother in that moment, since he knew he would never have been that in control. He shifted back to his normal size knelt down and said quite seriously, “I wish you were bigger too. But this will help a lot. Thanks, Toni.”

“Yeah…just make sure you pay attention to them,” Antonio said in a way that made Camilo think his brother really didn’t think he would.

“I got it, Toni,” Camilo said and patted his shoulder, “I’ll make sure to pay attention.”

Antonio nodded, frown still evident on his face. Chipsi moved up and let out a soft chirp. Her pups surrounded Antonio then and Camilo was glad to see the smile creep back on his brother’s face as the pups romped around him. Chipsi turned back for a moment and chirped at him. Clearly dismissed, Camilo, Tina and Parce went into the hallway in time to see Dolores heading up the stairs to the tower. She turned as he started toward her. She raised an eyebrow and then he saw Isabela’s face appear behind her.

“Wow, good thinking primo,” was all Isa said before turning to go back up the stairs. Camilo’s whole relationship with his prima had been about her relationship with Mariano Guzman. Well, that was done with and now that guy was going to be his cuñado? Seriously Dolores? Just no accounting for taste. He shouldn’t complain, his sister was actually, finally happy about the future. Dolores came over to him and Parce came to a halt waiting. Dolores just waived at the animals and Camilo said, “Antonio has decided to stay behind but says the animals want to join in the search.”

“How did you know that? You wandered off before Papí could even tell us that.”

Camilo rolled his eyes and asked, “Does that actually matter?”

“No, I was just curious. Parce I understand but what about this one?” she asked, pointing to the owl on his shoulder. The owl turned its head and so did Dolores.

“Her name is Tina, and she wants to know what direction the men you heard were going. Antonio says she’s going to see if she can locate the camp.”

“Oh, that is helpful, only thing is I’m not sure what my range is anymore,” Dolores said and paused for a moment then pointed. “Tina, I think there may be a waterfall nearby, but I can’t be sure. Be careful.” The owl hooted as it bobbed its head once then took off in the direction she indicated. As they started toward the stairs, Camilo realized he hadn’t been up here since before Tío Bruno left when he was five. Since it had always been off limits, it never occurred to him to come up here once they moved back in. The door at the top stood open and he noted the only furniture was a long table with some chairs. It was brightly lit, and they came over to the table as Mirabel, Luisa, and her Tío Agustín were coming down the stairs. Tío Bruno was off with his sisters, his father was holding up the vision tablet to the light as Tío pointed at something off in the corner.

Abuela was sitting at the table, leafing through the sketches, next to her was Isabela. Isa was trying to studiously ignore her, but occasionally she would look over when Abuela would point at something and ask her a question. Abuela looked around and noticed everyone was there, so she stood up and called everyone came to the table. Isa used that distraction to join Dolores and Parce just laid beneath the table and closed his eyes. He was disinterested at best.

His father came over then and asked, “Where’s Toni?”

“In his room coordinating with Nadia,” While that was not specifically untrue, Camilo did not want to say that he’d actually talked his brother into not coming, so he added, “He sent Parce in case we needed to track.”

His father looked skeptical but since Antonio’s gift was so new, he did not question it further. He nodded and seemed to be waiting for more, and Camilo felt relief when Tío Bruno cleared his throat and said, “Before anyone heads out there are some things that need clarification.” Bruno took the sketches then and began to lay them out on the table. He walked around the table placing each in what appeared to be a very specific order with the vision tablet at the very end. “Now, I want you to look at them again in the order I’ve laid them out. Starting here,” he said and pointed to the one furthest from the vision tablet.

Camilo along with the rest of the family began the slow process of looking at each one in the order his Tío indicated. What the sketches, in Bruno’s ‘corrected’ order showed was not what they expected to see. They’d all heard the rumors from the newcomers that children as young as seven were being taken. Taken to camps to turn them into soldiers, slaves or worse.

“Now what?” Mirabel asked.

“I think,” Bruno said cautiously, “we’ll need to find the people in the camp first. Find out who they are and hopefully figure out why they are pursuing these women. Or split up and find them both at the same time.”

“I don’t like the idea of any of you going off to confront these people, but I do see the need,” Abuela said, “these children are clearly caught in the middle of whatever is happening. Mirabel, you mentioned you had an idea that might work.”

All eyes shifted to his prima and though she looked nervous, she nodded. Luisa put a hand on her shoulder. Mirabel seemed to untense a little and she said, “I went to my room to check to see if there were any random lights showing up on depiction of the Casita, or rather behind it. And there were, but only one group and they are pretty dim. Probably the women and kids Dolores heard.” She paused and looked at her prima saying, “Dolores, since we can see those lights, maybe you can help label which ones are Doris and Inez?”

Dolores nodded. Camilo was not aware that his sister had found a new use for her Gift, but it made some sense of the confusing talk during supper.

“Antonio had me send out an owl to see if she could locate the other camp,” Camilo said, “Parce is here too.” Upon hearing his name, the jaguar got up and moved closer to Camilo. “Antonio let me borrow him for this.”

Mirabel raised an eyebrow and nodded. It did not appear that she’d considered using Antonio’s Gift up until that point. She tapped the table with her fingertips, as she adjusted whatever it was she’d already planned and for a moment she closed her eyes and frowned. She looked up again and asked, “Are you thinking you should go with Parce instead of Toni?

“Do you really think we should involve him?” Camilo asked.

“I think we would be wrong to not include him,” Mirabel adjusted her glasses and said, “I agree that we shouldn’t send Parce out on his own. Whether it’s you that goes or Toni, it’s still his Gift we are relying on. He deserves to know what we’re doing with his friends.”

“Just like that, you’re gonna put him to work? You can’t just let him be a kid?” Camilo said harshly. His tone was sharper and more accusatory than he intended since his anger was more aimed at Abuela than his prima, but Mirabel didn’t know that. He glanced over to Abuela. She was standing off to the side near Bruno, who had a hand on her shoulder. His Tío didn’t look angry, just concerned but Camilo wasn’t sure if it was for Mirabel or for him. He wondered how many conversations like this he’d had with Abuela, only she was his mother. Camilo wasn’t so sure he’d be able to speak up if was his mother. Still the questions he’d asked were valid as far as he was concerned. He was looking out for his little brother. He glanced around and saw the concern brewing on some of the adult’s faces, this irked him enough that he ignored it.

He looked back at and saw the hurt in Mira’s face, She hadn’t actually said she would send Toni, but she did not say she wouldn’t either. In the past this would be enough to make his prima stomp off. Instead, she looked at all the information spread out on the table, then at him. He wouldn’t call what he saw in her expression anger so much as frustration because he knew she could be just as stubborn as him.

“You’re the one that brought Parce here, Camilo,” Mirabel said sounding just a little angry.

“Yeah, so you wouldn’t-” he stopped when Casita bounced the floor beneath him. “Really?” he asked her as the floor bounced again.

Mirabel sighed and said, “Casita, please don’t do that.” There was a short clatter near the door and Mirabel rolled her eyes. She was only a few feet away and came over to him and said, “Sorry, I keep forgetting…But seriously Camilo if you thought I wasn’t listening to you, I am. This got complicated really fast and the worst part is we can’t hide from this. That’s why we’re all here because none of us can do this alone. Dolores can hear them, but she can’t see them. Those people will land on our doorstep sooner or later so if you have a better idea, then just tell me.”

Camilo did not, he was hoping Mirabel would come up with something. She always seemed to be thinking of the next thing. Luisa, who was standing nearby cleared her throat and said, “Guys? What if when whoever goes, goes and Dolores talks to them the way she spoke to Mariano earlier. You said there were lights. What’s to stop us from using them to keep track of whoever goes out there?”

Surprised, Mirabel turned back to her sister and grabbed her hands saying, “Oh my gosh, Luisa, you’re a genius,” she turned back to Camilo and asked, “Well?”

Dolores and Isabela were watching him closely from near their parents. In fact, he realized, everyone was watching him. His mother and father, Tía and Tíos…waiting. While it did surprise him that none of the adults, especially Abuela were butting in as they normally would, it made sense since Abuela had put Mirabel in charge of all this. She was the source of the magic now, so they were waiting. Waiting to see if he would agree to Mira’s plan.

Camilo’s eyes scanned the sketches again and he knew Mirabel was right. While she would do her best to minimize Antonio’s exposure to the things happening, his brother would find out and didn’t he just tell him that he didn’t like it when people withheld needed information? And as if he’d not just said the things he said, Camilo put up his hands and said, “So are we setting off outside or upstairs?”

Mirabel’s appreciative smile made him smile as she said, “Outside, since we have no idea where that path upstairs leads.”

Tío Bruno began collecting the sketches, keeping them in the order he laid them down in, but he was moving rather stiffly. This made Camilo wonder why but he couldn’t ask him at the moment as Bruno was surrounded by his sisters and their husbands. Luisa came over then and Camilo said, “Thanks, prima, kinda talked myself into a hole.”

“No worries, Camilo,” Luisa said, “She probably would have remembered that on her own, but she was getting flustered, and I didn’t want you two to get into a shouting match,” she said as she watched Mirabel leave the tower with Dolores and Isabela, “I’m still in shock that Abuela literally said nothing, just watched the whole time.” She leaned down and whispered, “I’m glad you asked that about Antonio. I wanted to, but…I kinda chickened out,” she said and shrugged.

Camilo nodded and asked, “So, does this mean I’m going to be the Tío Bruno of our generation?”

Luisa smiled and let out a small laugh. “Maybe we can do it together, just without the angry backlash. Mira’s trying so hard to do the right thing, you know? I mean at least now we can talk through this kind of stuff.”

“Yeah, there is that.” Camilo said and jumped when he heard his sister’s voice right next to him say, (Milo, can you hear me?)

“Yeah…this is really weird, Sis.”

(Welcome to my world hermanito.)

Luisa was smiling broadly when she saw him jump and asked, “Dolores? Yeah, that kinda freaked me out too. It’s like she’s right next to you.”

Camilo nodded but felt just a little more secure knowing his sister would be right there with him. Tía Julieta and Tío Agustín came up. She handed him a small tin, she let her hand rest on top of it for just a moment and said, “Be careful Milo.” It had his name on like the one Antonio had given him. Then his mother and father came up, and his mother paused as she took a small bracelet with a green colored gem out of her pocket. “For luck, Milo,” she said and pressed it into his hand. Camilo wrapped it around the tin as his father handed him a small knife and also wished him luck. Camilo looked at it, he’d never been one for knives, he had one, but this one was his father’s. His family’s gestures made it settled in that this wasn’t just a game. It was no longer just about helping some random people in the woods. His sister had put names to some of the faces they’d been looking at in all these sketches and Tío Bruno showed them the likelihood that they’d discovered something really bad had increased exponentially.

“You okay, Cam?” It was Mirabel, she was back from her room, looking at all the stuff in his hands.

“Yeah, yeah. I mean it’s not like I’ll be trying to talk to them or anything.”

Mirabel nodded and pulled a rosary out from her pocket. It looked pretty beat up, but she put it over his head, tucked it under his shirt and gave it a pat. “Tío Bruno made this, he gave it to me when Abuela was really sick. I want you to take it with you, you know…”

Camilo nodded. He sat in front of Parce then and thought I know you’re going to tell Antonio what we said. What he was really doing was examining the markings on Parce’s coat. He was originally planning to just make himself smaller. More his brother’s size, but now a little stealth might be in order. He stood and said, “Mira, let me know when whatever I end up wearing matches Parce’s markings.”

“Oh, like the costumes…gotcha.”

This was actually harder to do than just changing his appearance to resemble someone that already existed…This stuff came straight from his brain. First attempt was a complete fail. Second he got the base right, but the jaguar’s rosette pattern was totally messed up. After ten more tries, Camilo sat down. He felt that hungry twinge and wondered if he should just give it up and go as he was.

“I see you’re trying something new with your Gift, Corazón,” His mother said as she sat on the floor next to him. She offered him a sweet cake which Camilo took and took a frustrated bite out of it.

“Sort of, I can see it in my head, like I was doing with the costumes, but” and he pointed to ruana, “it ain’t working.” Camilo was surprised to see he’d finished the bun already.

“Can I make a suggestion?” she asked and handed him another.

“Sure,” he said with a mouthful of sweet cake.

“Have you ever actually touched Parce?”

“What?”

“Touched him, you know like put your hands on him?”

Camilo looked at the jaguar, who had grown bored and laid back down nearby, “Maybe? I don’t see how that can help.”

“Hear me out, mi vida. You probably think our Gifts are completely different, but even though my weather is a product of my emotions, I can still make it rain whenever I want,” to prove her point a gentle rain started above them, “Trick is I have to feel it.” A gentle wind manifested, and she added, “My weather is never just one thing.”

“Okay, but still not seeing how this will help me.”

His mother waved to the jaguar and Parce came over and sat in front of them. She reached out a hand and moved the Parce’s fur so he could see the undercoat. “You see how it’s not just the one color, but several? You’ve seen the pattern but not the texture of it. Its all these colors together that make him look the way he does. I think that’s what giving you trouble. Not seeing the trees for the forest.”

It was an interesting thought. Camilo had never attempted to make realistic fur before. Just flattened versions on regular cloth because it was easier. He reached out and Parce moved forward to be within reach. Camilo moved the fur in different ways and was surprised how the patterns changed. Something clicked in his head and he thought, maybe it wasn’t as hard as he was thinking. So, Camilo stood up and so did his mother. She handed him one last bun which he ate and then held out his arms.

He made a jump and thought only about…undercoat…

Second jump…base color…

Third jump…jaguar rosettes…

“Oh my gosh, Camilo you did it!” Mirabel said excitedly.

Camilo looked down and was pleased to see the jaguar clothes he’d conjured up.

“Casita, we need a mirror, please,” Mirabel said as she appeared in front of him. “You look amazing, primo.” She spun him around to see himself in the mirror.

“Shut the front door,” he said and reverted back to himself. “I think I get it now, thanks Mamí.”

“You’re welcome, mi vida.”

Camilo focused on all three things at once and shifted. He gently touched his face, there was no fur, but the colors combined to look like fur. Even his hair had spots. The clothing looked and acted like real fur, and he turned to Parce, “Whatcha think, we ready?”

The jaguar chuffed.

“Guess I’ll take that as a yes.” He shifted one last time to a third of his normal size, climbed on Parce. "Kids first?" Mirabel nodded so they started for the door. “Dolores?”

(Waiting on you little brother.)

So out the front door they went.

“Good luck, Camilo!” he heard Isa and Luisa say from the balcony, but he couldn’t respond as Parce picked that moment to take off running and Camilo had to use both hands to stay seated as they entered the woods.

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#doors #camilo madrigal #encanto fanfic #encanto disney #mirabel madrigal #la familia madrigal #antonio madrigal

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jiubilant · 2 years

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Mirabelle Ervine, Master Wizard of the College of Winterhold, has long despaired of coaxing answers from Ancano. But after a whalesteak fried in butter and two cups of Colovy red, the Company clerk from far Haafingar proves chatty indeed.

“You want to know why I’m here,” he says, lifting a wobbly finger from his cup. He’s traveled through winter and war to sip watered wine in one of Mirabelle’s hard-backed chairs; he looks, she thinks, a bit like a wind-tossed crow. Lost. Ill-omened. Beaky. “The real reason, beyond, ah, threatening you all with litigation. Well.”

He fishes in his pocket—no doubt for his pipeweed-bag, Mirabelle thinks, resisting the urge to open a window. The man had puffed like a chimney throughout his first appointment with the Archmage, until Savos, coughing, had waved him out with the smoke. He’s making a nuisance of himself in the lecture-halls as well, if Colette is to be believed. What had she been sharpening her claws about yesterday? Something involving that raconteur, Mirabelle recalls, hearing the words in Mistress Marence’s characteristic yowl, that radical, that reprobate teaching my students to blow smoke-rings—

The clerk resurfaces with a diamond as big as his fist.

It is, thinks Mirabelle, staring, a monstrous thing: jagged and cold, like ice chipped from a gargoyle’s chin. But it shines like spellfire. Its facets catch the candlelight so that, when the clerk smiles at the look on Mirabelle’s face and spins the jewel on the table like a teetotum, it dances flamelike on her papers until it wobbles over.

Mirabelle, frowning, leans to examine it. Then she freezes. It’s not a diamond at all.

“Stalhrim,” she says carefully.

“Stalhrim,” says the clerk, and drily takes a drink. “Fashioned as a pick, I was told, for sampling more stalhrim. All but useless now, of course,” he adds with a tight, deliberate smile, “since the Company’s backed out of Solstheim.”

Mirabelle arranges her face. Stalhrim, the ice unmelting. Stalhrim, wrought with spells that wizardry forgot. Stalhrim, like the unbreakable swords of old Hirstaang. A chunk half the size of this one, she thinks, could buy a diamond mine.

And it’s not in a Company coffer, triple-locked, cushioned with silk. It’s not being fitted for a gem-encrusted hilt. It’s glinting in the firelight between herself—not the sort of person, she thinks with cold unease, with whom an East Empireman should discuss East Empire secrets—and a man whose thin, tired face betrays nothing but understanding of what he has laid on the table. His livelihood. Perhaps his life.

Mirabelle’s fingers curl, hesitating, over the jewel. “May I?”

The man gestures with his cup, affecting carelessness; he’s wobbly with nerves, Mirabelle understands, not with drink. She picks up the stalhrim. It sticks to her fingers, burning, like an icicle; she makes an academic noise and turns it over, then raises her eyebrows. Chiseled into one shining edge is a lightning-rune.

“S’Company property,” the clerk explains, then spreads his hands in helpless amusement. “Say someone steals it, or that I’m tempted to, ah, to sell it and retire to Stros M’kai. Well, if I don’t touch the thing every five minutes—zap.”

He’d had it in his pocket, wrapped in a kerchief. Mirabelle stares at him.

“What if,” she says, her brows crawling together, “you forget?”

The clerk, with a strained smile, pours himself more wine. “Zap.”

Turnover, thinks Mirabelle, must be high in the East Empire Company.

“Only stalhrim,” she murmurs, running a thoughtful thumb over the rune, “can scratch stalhrim. Or break it.” She looks up at the clerk, then, her eyes sharp as spelled ice. “You asked the Archmage if you could visit the Saarthal excavation site.”

The clerk raises his eyebrows and puts his nose in his cup. His eyes flash, full of meaning, above the rim.

And all of Mirabelle’s suspicions click into place with deadly clarity, like bolts into a ballista. Why this man and his stalhrim are here. Why the College is crawling with Thalmor. Why her palms, numbed through with the jewel’s eternal chill, are still sweating.

“Sirrah,” she says smoothly, setting down the chunk of ice, “you will find no stalhrim in Saarthal.” She lays the words like cornerstones, bricking up a barricade between herself and the clerk. When he writes to the Company about the Thalmor, and when Ancano’s own clerks inevitably intercept his correspondence—well. Her hand burns cold and red where the stalhrim touched it. “I understand, given the site’s history, why the Company thought the possibility of a mainland deposit worth exploring. But our excavators have unearthed nothing but a—a few trinkets of historical interest.”

So far, she thinks. She imagines Company cutters and Aldmeri warships flinging fire at each other on the sea. She imagines the College between them.

The clerk does not blink. He is, Mirabelle supposes, imagining it, too.

“Of course,” she continues, leaning forward in her seat, “you may survey the site with our blessing, if that will satisfy the Company’s curiosity. Perhaps you should pose as a visiting scholar. To avoid causing a stir among”—she hooks her thumbs together, unblinking, then wings her hands in the shape of the Dominion’s eagle-crest—“the student body.”

The clerk, his face taut with weariness and worry, stares at her.

Then he smiles as though he’s misheard a joke. “I don’t know any magic.”

“You needn’t,” says Mirabelle, reaching for the winejug. She’s already half-convinced. The idea unfolds in her mind like a dark staircase; she feels her way down with cautious enthusiasm, like she had felt her way down to the Midden as a prentice, kindling lights in the cobwebby air. “We’re jealous of our research, we wizards. If anyone asks you about yours, just—act nervous,” she says with a near-smile, thinking of Arniel, “or mysterious, and take your leave.” She fills the man’s cup to the brim. “You may find it diverting.”

And it may, she doesn’t say, keep you alive. She studies the man who has risked himself, for reasons she cannot guess, for the sake of her school: some silly old scribbler, his cloak patched in several places, looking unscholastic and somewhat sick. The Thalmor will kill him. Not even Phinis could conjure a creature less impressive.

Raconteur, she thinks, trying to believe it. Radical. Reprobate—

The man ducks his head and laughs.

“Diverting,” he says, sitting up straighter. His face opens like a boarded-up window. “Yes. Well. I’ve not—I’ve not done this sort of thing in some time, you understand.”

For a moment, Mirabelle is too surprised even to blink.

Then she raises her eyebrows. “Corporate espionage?”

“Pretending to be a wizard.” The clerk smiles. “Though I remember a card trick or two. And in a certain dive in Bravil,” he adds, straight-faced, “I may still be remembered as Barenziah—”

* * *

“Did you hear,” says a first-year apprentice of Restoration, “that some Synod mage is poking around Saarthal?”

Her friend frowns at his slate, on which he’s scribbled several equations, a hasty proof, and a drawing of a goose. The proof is correct, but something seems wrong with the goose. “Thought he said he’s from Shad Astula.”

“You’re both wrong,” says a third-year with poor form, her practice-ward wobbling at her fingertips. “He’s a Psijic. Isn’t he, Mistress?”

“He’s a no-good nuisance,” says Colette Marence with asperity, and prods her. “Elbows in—”

“But, Mistress,” the first-year pipes up, “have you seen his card tricks?”

#skyrim #microfic #mirabelle ervine #oc tag #ravi #this one's a scene from the old draft with some new polish on it. fixed it up to post because i think it's a decent establishing-shot for #the winterhold pieces

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brainrotfics · 3 years

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masterlist [08] stop the clock summary: In which (Name) Madrigal struggles with their gift of freezing time and their inability to talk to their own family. notes: (name)'s finally back :)) i feel like i could have made this chapter better tbh,,, warnings: unhealthy obsession (keeping track of time), mentions of death, hints at dissociation [prev] | [next]

Mirabel didn't know how long she could take it. She knew that her family had... issues. That much was already evident to her after Luisa, but she didn't expect it to be to this extent. It hurt her to know that her cousins and sister(s) were suffering alone all because of their gifts. But she knew it hurt them way more than it would ever hurt her.

She was already halfway down the list of people in the vision, prepared for her last "happy" trip until she had to face her eldest sister. Hopefully the time it took for her to talk to her cousins was enough for Isabela to calm down from the dinner.

Now that Mirabel thought about it, she had never really been in (Name)'s room after their gift ceremony. In fact, the party they had was the last time anyone except for (Name) and Abuela was in that room. Just like with Camilo and Dolores' rooms, Mirabel had a preconceived image of (Name)'s. She couldn't remember much but from the small fragments her mind held onto, she could envision a bright room with clocks all over, accents of gold sprinkled here and there. And for the most part, when she opened the door, she was right.

What she didn't remember was the ticking.

When she walked into (Name)'s room, she was immediately surrounded by the loud ticking of clock hands. Had it always been this loud in their room? Maybe this was why they never let anyone in, especially Dolores.

"(Name)?" Mirabel called out nervously, walking down the aisle. She passed by the hourglass pillars, shivering at the mere sight of sand. Strangely enough, when the sand emptied into one half of the hourglass, it began floating in the opposite direction. Right now, the sand was flowing upwards as if it were upside down. Mirabel passed in her trek, looking over the side of the pathway into the white sea of clouds. If she stared long enough, she could see gray clouds peek out every once in a while.

"Mirabel?!" (Name)'s voice echoed in response. From where she stood, Mirabel could barely see her cousin. They looked barely bigger than a speck, especially compared to the towering clock behind them. Was their room always this big? Sure, Mirabel remembered their room being spacious, but she always chalked that up to her small stature at five years old. (Name)'s room could rival Antonio's in sheer size.

"Why are you here?!" (Name) shouted, rushing over to meet with Mirabel on the walkway. In their hands were a few pens and calendar pages, carelessly ripped and scribbled with illegible calculations.

"(Name)..." Mirabel uttered, reaching over to grab their hands. "...Why are you shaking so much?"

"You... You can't just answer my question with a question!" (Name) responded, tearing their hands away from Mirabel's. They muttered something to themselves, one of their hands moving to fiddle with a pocket watch hanging from the unseen ceiling. They took a few moments before sighing and turning away, "You're already here, so there's no use in trying to push you out..."

They walked back towards the large clock, leaving Mirabel in her place at the aisle. Their cousin quickly shook her head before following after them, careful to avoid the dangling watches surrounding her.

When she arrived at the larger section of the room, Mirabel took a few moments to take everything in. At the center of the platform was a single bed, the sheets only slightly made. The blanket covering it was folded but Mirabel could see the places where the edges didn't meet. The pillow was scrunched up and tossed towards the headboard, the top half of it leaning against it.

The counters on either side were filled, holding several plates, bowls, and other sorts of utensils. Some crumbs still remained on the plates, looking as if they were old and untouched. Other than that, the platform remained void of personal items (Name) would own.

The grand clock that towered over the platform continued to tick, its sounds were louder than the smaller pocket watches littered around the room, yet it sounded more distant. The space below the clock face was covered with various calendars, a few flipped to future months with events scrawled in the dates. Mirabel carefully walked towards them, her eyes flitting over to (Name) every so often.

When she got closer, she could make out a few of the words scribbled on the pages. The future months were more legible than the current one, almost as if the recent notes were desperately written in an attempt to keep track of something.

5 minutes

9 minutes

33 seconds

1 hour

37 minutes

56 seconds

The list was neverending. The calendar's margins were filled with numbers and times, each one less legible than the next. The calendars that were flipped to future months lacked any sort of list and instead had organized dates.

"(Name)?" Mirabel called out, causing her cousin to pause in their actions. When she glanced over at them, she saw they had taken a seat on the ground, their back leaning against the grand clock. Their shoulders were hunched forward as they were writing something before Mirabel called out to them. "What are all of these notes?"

"Time," (Name) answered, returning their attention to the paper in front of them. Their legs acted as a makeshift desk as they returned to their writings, muttering to themselves as they hurriedly crossed something out.

"Well, I got that," Mirabel hummed, sliding down the clock to sit beside (Name). "But why are you keeping track of it? I mean, you have it in hours, minutes, and seconds!"

"It's just... something I do," they muttered back, keeping their eyes on their paper. Mirabel craned her neck to look at the page, watching as (Name) scrawled a handful of numbers and paused. They tapped each number with their pen before drawing a line under them and writing another series of numbers.

"You just... do math in your free time?" Mirabel assumed, earning a shrug from their cousin.

"Sure, I guess."

That was something Mirabel always noticed from their cousin, ever since they were small. They were never really sure of themselves, in both their decisions and existence as a whole. It seemed as if they were merely existing, waiting for their time to either begin or end. They weren't assertive like their older brother or more reserved like their older sister. They just... existed.

"(Name)..." Mirabel paused as her voice caught in her throat. This discussion was so much easier with her other cousins so why was it so hard to talk to the final one in the vision? Maybe it was because she was able to spot something that seemed off in Camilo and Dolores.

When she entered Dolores' room, she was immediately taken back by the emptiness in it. When she entered Camilo's room, she caught a brief look at the blank canvas it hid under bright colors. But, when she entered (Name)'s room, she didn't really have anything to go off of.

She wasn't really close to (Name) after they got their gift. They seemed to retreat immediately upon turning five, more so with their cousins than their immediate siblings. It was strange, considering Mirabel stayed somewhat close with Camilo. Her relationship with (Name) was something she used to dwell on, especially after her failed gift ceremony and her "banishment" to the nursery.

Mirabel used to dwell in the memories she had with her middle cousins, remembering the times when Camilo would wake the two up to try and sneak a few plates of arepa con quesos into the nursery. She remembered waking up to Camilo's loud voice and (Name)'s quiet whispers dragging her out of bed, ready to help with their parents' chores for the day. Those were the times Mirabel missed, the simpler times that held the trio together as the resident troublemakers of the Encanto.

"Mirabel? You wanted to say something?" (Name) called out, dragging Mirabel out of her thoughts. (Name) kept their eyes glued on their paper and their hands continued to move as they wrote more numbers, but from the way their eyes flickered up to Mirabel every once in a while, she knew they were waiting for her next words.

"Right, right..." Mirabel trailed off once more before mumbling, "When was the last time we hung out like this?"

"A while," (Name) immediately answered, their voice slightly shaking. "Why?"

"I don't know... I just always wondered why we never talked like this."

"To be fair, I don't talk to anyone like this. Maybe except for Papá."

"But why?" As that question left Mirabel's mouth, (Name) finally paused in their writing. Mirabel peeked over at the page once more to see the numbers completely illegible, reduced to nothing but messy lines.

"...Why are you asking?"

"You can't just answer my question with a question," Mirabel pointed out with a light chuckle. When (Name) didn't answer, Mirabel mumbled back, "...I just want to know."

"That's not it, is it?" (Name) hummed, placing their paper on the floor and holding their knees close to their chest. "There's something else you want to know, right?"

"How--"

"You wouldn't come barging into my room now of all times just because you "want to know," (Name) huffed, averting their eyes towards the ground. "If you just wanted to know, you would've come talk to me a long time ago."

Mirabel didn't say anything. In fact, she didn't even try to say anything because they were right. Had Mirabel wanted to mend this relationship in the first place, she would have come knocking and banging on their door demanding an answer.

"Just tell me what you want to know."

"...I talked with Dolores and Camilo a few minutes ago," Mirabel revealed, fiddling with her bag strap. "They told me that you guys share some "feeling" because of your gifts."

"...And?"

"I want to make sure everything's okay with you, (Name). Because I can tell it's not." Mirabel found herself remembering the proposal dinner a few hours ago. She had been distracted by the vision at the time, but she picked up the hints of her cousins' issues a long while ago.

She recalled seeing Dolores cover her ears in pain, and Camilo rapidly shapeshift into a strange amalgamation of baby and man, and (Name) panicking with their pocket watch in their hand.

In fact, that wasn't even the first time they saw these things happen. She had always seen these habits as they grew up. She had always seen Dolores shy away from large crowds and cover her ears during festivals. She had always seen Camilo shapeshift into other people in a panic, especially when he was surprised at something. She had always seen (Name) mess with their pocket watch and even...

She had even seen them spiral into a panic in front of their uncle's tower.

"...You can't stand these clocks, can you?" Mirabel assumed, already knowing the answer when (Name) stiffened beside her. "That time I ran into you in front of Tío Bruno's tower, you had your hand up with your pocket watch in it. You were about to break it, weren't you?"

"I..."

"I can't blame you if you were," Mirabel continued, looking up at the pocket watches dangling from the space above them. "I've only been in this room for a few minutes and these clocks are already driving me crazy. I can't even imagine living with them for ten years."

"...It's terrible," (Name) confirms, reaching up to yank a pocket watch from its chain. "You're right, Mirabel. I hate these clocks."

"Why not break these ones?" Mirabel pointed out, reaching up to grab another watch. "I mean, you looked like you were going to do it before, anyways."

"I've tried," (Name) muttered, their voice filled with hate and sadness. They reached up, just as they had done when Mirabel caught them in front of the forbidden tower, and tossed the watch a few feet. The sound of shattered metal filled the room and the ticking quieted down for a moment. That moment was immediately erased as the volume returned to normal, a new watch appearing in place of the old one. "This room just keeps making more if I do."

Mirabel followed (Name)'s action, tossing the watch only to have another appear in its place.

"It's all I can hear, Mirabel," (Name) sniffled, wiping their eyes with the heel of their palm. "All I can hear is the ticking and all it does is remind me of my gift."

"(Name)..." Mirabel cooed before hesitantly moving her arm around their shoulders, pulling them into a side hug.

"...I hate my gift," (Name) murmured, burying their face in their knees as best they could. "I have so much to keep track of... This might sound weird but I always keep track of my age now."

"Is that what the numbers are for?"

"I used to know my age down the second," (Name) replied, each sentence interrupted by a series of sniffles. "But the more I use it, the more I need to know."

"What do you mean?"

"I... I can freeze time, right? But time doesn't stop for me. These watches keep track of time, regardless of whether time is frozen or not. So if I use my gift, everything but the clocks stop. And I think it means that time still goes on for me. That's the reason I can't really tell time without a watch anymore..."

The sound of sobbing wasn't ideal, but it was a welcome change to the sound of neverending ticking.

"...I'm scared of the future, Mirabel," (Name) quickly continued, as if they were waiting for a chance to spill every secret they've been holding. "I think I was... ten when I first thought about this. About the future. If you think about it, if I age while time is frozen, does that mean I age faster than the rest of you?"

"...What are you talking about?"

"What if... What if I use my gift too much and... end up dying before the rest of you?" Mirabel freezes at (Name)'s question. It was an understandable conclusion, seeing as how time never stopped for them, no matter what they did. "I don't want that... I want to live with the rest of you because... I really love you guys. I know it doesn't seem like I do, but I do. I-I really love you guys and I don't want to leave before I can tell you all that."

"You won't," Mirabel reassures, despite not knowing if she was speaking the truth. "We won't let that happen, (Name)."

"How do you know that?"

"Because we're family." Sure, that answer didn't really hold much ground in terms of reality, but it seemed to reassure (Name) nonetheless. "We're not gonna let anything happen to you because of your gift, okay? You just... need to open up to us."

Mirabel stood up after a few minutes, leaving (Name) on the ground to sob to themselves. She didn't want to do this, but there wasn't much she could do besides offer comfort. And (Name)'s quiet words of "I'll be fine" seemed to urge Mirabel out of the room rather than plead for her to stay.

"Mirabel," (Name) whimpered as their cousin began to leave. "That... That feeling that Dolores told you about? She's right about that..."

"Huh?"

"I... don't feel like I'm here, in reality, that is... With no sense of time and my horrible memory... it barely even feels like I exist."

Once more, Mirabel had no words to offer in exchange. However, it seemed (Name) didn't mind that, as once Mirabel closed the door, (Name) allowed themselves to openly sob and call out for their siblings, hoping deep down that they would walk inside.

taglist: @alexloveskili @lolalee24 @mraes @crispycookiegiantpalace @thelovehashira143 @mythicalamphitrite @merymikey @sugarrush-blush @mikariell95 @vixilotl @grippleback-galaxy @skullydosestuff @arcadia-g

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parental-tendencies · 3 years

Note

Mirabel is canonically 5’2” so I think that makes Bruno around 5’4”-5’5” :D

That's so LITTLE. Tiny little wall tío, absolutely pocket-sized. Thank you for this delightful information Doc

#encanto #doctordiscord123 #ren talks

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oncexinxmyxdreams · 3 years

Text

OC Profile

Alejandra Cordova (Encanto.)

Bio

Name: Alejandra Graciela Salazar Cordova. (Alejandra Reyes as an alias.) Nickname is Allie.

Age: 30. People think she looks to be late teens-early 20s which kind of bothers her.

Ethnicity: Colombian.

Species: Human.

Height: 5"1'. She'd be just an inch shorter than Mirabel's canon height.

Weight: 115 pounds.

Hair color: Dark brown.

Hair style: Usually in a loose braid which has free hairs flowing around her ears. Hair is naturally curly mid-back and no bangs. Type 2B curls.

Eye color: Jade green like her mother.

Birthday: May 24th 1920.

Gender: Female.

Sexual Orientation: Its not the main point of her story, but she's asexual. She wouldn't mind a romantic relationship though.

Powers (if any): Hmm...shall I tell? OK. She does gain the gift of Pyrokinesis. She can create and control fire. She has the benefit of not getting cold easily and have fire immunity. She can't be harmed even by breathing smoke or ash. To handle the gift it takes discipline. If Alejandra's emotions are overwhelming the fire is uncontrollable. In that case, Alejandra's eyes glow golden-orange. Considering this poor gal is dealing with anxiety and grief it's going to be a challenge.

She does have the weakness that if her hands get wet, she can't make fire. Sometimes she gets too warm easily and that's what leads her to wearing light pajamas and clothes in a lighter fabric. Her symbol would be flames.

Distinguishing features (if any): Looks like her mother. The round face, small sized nose, full lips and arched eyebrows. Very faint freckles across her nose. She inherited her father's smile and shape of nose. Petite rectangle figure with toned arms and long, strong fingers due to her job. Skin tone like Luisa.

Blood Type: A+

Clothing

Day to day outfit: Sea green dress with scalloped neckline and sleeves. A lighter green petticoat. Dress has pockets for her mice, but has a narrow one they can't hide in. Dark brown alpargatas with a beaded design along top hem. If she had a power, her symbol would go around the hemline of her skirt in a lighter shade.

Pajamas/What they wear to bed: Plain white nightgown with her best attempt at embroidering a mouse design along the hemline. Eventually has one in lighter material with cut sleeves due to her gift.

Formal Clothes: Had a light pink Quinceanera dress and one formal dress that's yellow. She wore it to her father and stepmother's wedding. She'd like a new one someday in her favorite color.

Work/School uniform: Wears dark brown trousers, a simple shirt and a leather apron for glassblowing. Will wear boots though they're not her preferred shoes. (Based off of the Luisa concept art where she had pants.)

Other (glasses, jewelry, etc): She made all the jewelry she owns. Hoop earrings fully covered with green seed beads. Simple wooden brown bead necklace. Keeps a rosary from her friend Benecio in the narrow pocket of her dress or pants.

Health

Physical Illnesses: N/A.

Mental Illnesses or disorders: Anxiety disorder.

Medications?: None.

Addictions (Drugs, alcohol?): No.

General Health: Physically she's healthy enough. Mentally, she's struggling.

Life/Preferences:

Likes: Dancing, horseback riding, hiking, rainfall, watching a sunrise and playing with her mice.

Dislikes: Nosey people, arrogance and her father leaving. She especially dislikes seeing Francisca suffer from migraines and wishes her twin had it better. The one thing Alejandra dislikes most of all is having meltdowns to the point she's hyperventilating.

Career: Glassblower which has also become a hobby.

Hobbies/Talents: Jewelry making. She enjoys making trinkets out of glass and colorful stones like lampshades, windchimes and mobiles.

Habits (good or bad): Fiddles with her hands often and touches her left arm when nervous.

Family: Twin sister Francisca. They're 20 minutes apart since Alejandra was breech. Her deceased mother Mercedes and father Pablo Salazar. She doesn't know the maternal side of her family well and doesn't get along with the paternal side anymore.

Friends: Ramon Sandoval. A shy, but kind young man who lives nearby. Benecio. An older priest who helped her find work and some peace after her father's second marriage. Benecio sadly died in a case of protecting Alejandra in which she blames herself. Gets along well with her coworkers and boss Velasco.

Romantic/Love Interest(s): Other than an innocent crush as a kid, none at the moment.

Pets: Alejandra's horse, a dark brown Paso Fino breed, named Acosta. She bought him while on a trip along the Colombian coast. Three mice: Violetta (grey). Yareli (white) and Rodrigo (brown.) She calls the mice her babies.

Social Status: Middle class.

Favorite Food: Empanadas. Her favorite drink is Chocolate Santafereño (hot chocolate with a hunk of melted white cheese.)

Favorite Color: Sea green. It's her favorite with glass colors.

Favorite genre of music: Vallenato.

Favorite movie genre: She'd like adventure/fantasy movies.

Favorite Animal: She loves lots of animals, but she especially loves mice. She would rescue them from traps and set them free.

Degree of Education: Normal education.

What language(s) can they speak?: Spanish and English. She tried learning another language Francisca can speak but couldn't keep up.

Can they cook?: She's a decent cook.

Positive Traits: Friendly, warm, caring, creative and quiet.

Negative Traits: Easily stressed, disorganized, low self-esteem and a little bitter towards her step/half family.

Archetype: The Orphan like Oliver Twist, Luke Skywalker or Simba.

Way they interact with others: Friendly and sociable until she's tired. She doesn't give all the details about herself if she can help it.

Way of speaking: Voice inspiration for her is Sofia Carson.

Introvert or Extrovert?: Introvert. MBTI would be ISFP.

Backstory

Alejandra was a sweet and shy little girl being the opposite of Francisca. They were still close and remain that way as adults. They've had challenges, but the biggest was at 13 when their parents separated. Though it was amicable, Alejandra was conflicted. Later, she felt betrayed when Pablo remarried less than a year later. Her stepmother wasn't mean to her, and Pablo said he still cared for his twins, but that didn't help. She eventually had a meltdown at the wedding. When Alejandra found out she had a baby half-sister (and more siblings) she was angry. It felt like being replaced. The fact that Pablo didn't offer help when Mercedes died was more salt in the wound. Losing her friend Benecio added more weight to her soul. Everyone she cared for either abandoned her or died. So it's just Alejandra, Francisca and they're little group of animals.

Life Goals

Alejandra would like to feel peaceful again. Just have some peace about herself and her family. Maybe even feel parental affection again since she misses it. Oddly enough, she may find it in Encanto and through a particular seer.

#alejandra cordova #she and bruno will have the most dad/daughter feels #encanto #oc #fanfic #fanfiction #sofia carson has Colombian roots and a good singing voice which makes me imagine Alejandra doing her I Want song #encanto oc

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jacarandaaaas · 5 months

Text

this was everything to me

#encanto #encanto disney #disneys encanto #mirabel madrigal #mirabel encanto #isabela madrigal #disney’s encanto #luisa madrigal #dolores madrigal #madrigal girls comic this was literally made for me !!!#I manifested this #also yes dolores tell them!!!#luisa needs to stop suggesting overworking😭#I love themmm #pocket sized madrigals!!

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samanthachan · 3 years

Text

New mc

Name : Mirabelle perci

About : she has a curse that’s incurable where she will turn pocket size at random or for a multitude of reasons including being scared

More about her curse : she can chose to turn pocket size but can’t chose when she gets back to normal size

Age : teens

About again : is an orphan due to her parents dying and being abandoned by others because of her curse

Normal height: 4’9

Hair color: black

Eye color: purple

More about: easily makes friends with her happy go lucky personality

More about again : she scares and cries easily

Magic : magicless

More : Crowley had to move her to a dorms due to her almost dying multiple times in ramshackle. What would public say if he let a student in his care die . She has stayed in multiple dorms all the time because everyone fights over her so the dorms share custody of her

Some of her favorite food : sweets

#here’s a new precious bean #twst oc

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enchanted-encanto · 3 years

Text

La Canción de mi Corazón / The Song of My Heart—Chapter 21: The Proposal (Part 1)

← Previous Chapter | Next Chapter →

Read this story on AO3 here!

Fandom: Encanto (2021)

Overall Fic Rating: Explicit (for smut)

Relationships: Bruno Madrigal/Natalia Moreno (Original Female Character)

Characters: Bruno Madrigal Natalia Moreno, Original Characters, Félix Madrigal, Agustín Madrigal, Luisa Madrigal, Mirabel Madrigal, Camilo Madrigal, Antonio Madrigal, Dolores Madrigal, Isabela Madrigal, Pepa Madrigal, Julieta Madrigal, "Abuela" Alma Madrigal

Chapter Summary: The night of Bruno's proposal is finally here!

______________________________

Bruno took a deep breath, adjusting his tie in front of the mirror in his bedroom.

Tonight his world would be changing forever; tonight he would be asking Natalia to marry him.

His heart hadn't stopped racing since the moment he opened his eyes that morning from a very restless night of sleep.

He now had the box with Natalia's ring in it secured in his pants pocket, having made sure to open it one last time out of an irrational fear that it had somehow disappeared in the last 2 hours since he last looked at it.

He was wearing black pants, a black long sleeve button down shirt, and a thin emerald green tie. The tie took several attempts to get on correctly, as it had been well over a decade since he'd put one on. His hair was set with product and he put on the cologne he knew Natalia absolutely loved.

He exhaled deeply, attempting in vain to keep his emotions in check.

When he heard a knock on his door, he was grateful for the distraction from his racing thoughts.

He opened the door to see his niece Mirabel standing in front of it, smiling brightly at him. Mirabel was wearing a long purple dress with a purple flower in her hair to match.

"Hey, kid. You look very pretty, that's a nice color." Bruno said affectionately.

"Hi tío, thank you!" Mirabel replied. "I came to check on you, see how you were feeling. I know it's a big night."

"A very strange mix of excitement, terror, and nausea, if I'm being honest." Bruno chuckled.

Mirabel reached over to her uncle and adjusted his tie a bit. "You look great!"

"Thanks." Bruno said with a small smile.

"Oh wow, I can feel your heart racing just fixing your tie." Mirabel said, a look of slightly amused sympathy on her face.

Mirabel gave her uncle a tight hug.

"It's going to be wonderful, I promise." She said softly as they pulled apart. "It is truly inspiring how much you two love each other."

Mirabel's words warmed Bruno's heart. "Thank you. You know me, just being a nervous wreck as usual."

Mirabel nodded. "At least this is you being a nervous wreck over a good thing, right? It's okay to be nervous about wonderful things happening, that's just a different kind of excitement."

"That's true."

"Come on, Nati should be here any minute so you'd better get downstairs to greet your future fiancée. Got the ring?"

"Got it." Bruno said, tapping his pocket. He gulped and shook out his arms at his sides. "Alright, yes, okay, here we go."

Mirabel smiled and headed out the door with her uncle and down the casita's stairs.

The entire family was gathered throughout the lower level of the house, which was immaculately decorated for the holiday. A large, beautifully decorated Christmas tree sat in the corner of the living room. Underneath the tree was a pile of wrapped gifts in all shapes and sizes, and each of the family members had stockings hung on the wall (there were too many to fit on the fireplace mantle). Wreaths and garland provided by Isabela decorated the doors and tables of the home, and red, green, and white lights sparkled everywhere.

Félix approached Bruno as soon as he got to the bottom of the stairs, taking both of his shoulders and shaking them gently.

"Hermano, tonight's the night!!! It feels like just yesterday I was forcing you to meet Nati at that restaurant and now you've got a ring in your pocket! I'm so happy for you, bro."

"Thanks, Félix." Bruno replied with a nervous smile. "I really do owe so much of where I am now to that night, and to you forcing me to live a little. I really can never thank you enough for that."

"That's what family's for!" Félix exclaimed. "It's going to be an amazing night."

Bruno approached Julieta in the kitchen and she immediately wrapped her brother in a hug as soon as she saw him.

"I can't believe my brother is getting engaged!!! I love you so much and I am so happy for you."

Bruno hugged his sister tightly, a warm feeling in his chest.

"Thank you, I love you too."

"How are you feeling?"

Bruno shrugged. "Like I'm going to throw up, how else?"

Julieta laughed. "Here, eat this." She said, handing him an arepa. "It can't do much for the nerves but it may ease the nausea a bit."

Bruno took a bite. "I do feel a little better, thanks."

"We're all so excited for you, Brunito. Now go, go before Natalia gets here."

Julieta ushered him out of the kitchen and when he stepped into the living room he was stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Natalia being greeted by Camilo at the front door.

Natalia was dressed in a burgundy dress that came up to a bit above her knees in the front and just past her knees in the back. The dress was pleated near the bottom, snug in the middle, and the neckline was straight across with off the shoulder short sleeves. She had on a pair of glossy black heels, her hair was down and styled in long, loose curls, and her makeup consisted of a smoky black eyeshadow look and burgundy lipstick to match her dress. And of course, thanks to Isabela, she had perfectly manicured nails very much ready for the ring she had no idea she was receiving.

Bruno was absolutely floored watching her enter the casita, she looked like she'd been pulled directly out of a beauty magazine. A big beautiful smile grew on her face as she hugged Camilo. Bruno always thought she was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen, but everything about what tonight meant just made her even more heart-stoppingly gorgeous to him than ever before.

Maria was sitting alongside Natalia in a wheelchair, immediately greeted by Camilo and then Alma. Alma took Maria over to the dining room with her to start saying hello to the family and catch up.

Bruno approached Natalia and his nephew right as Camilo was taking Natalia's hands in his.

"A shame you just got here now tío," Camilo grinned. "I got to be the first person to tell Nat how absolutely gorgeous she looks tonight."

Bruno laughed. "Afraid I'll have to concede on that one, sobrino."

Natalia smiled. "Thank you, pequeñito." She leaned over and gave Camilo a peck on the cheek, attempting afterwards to wipe off the tiny bit of lipstick she'd left behind.

"No no, leave it there." Camilo said, holding her hand to his face. "A keepsake of this moment."

Natalia laughed, turning her attention to Bruno as Camilo and Antonio turned around to continue help the family set up.

Bruno took Natalia by the hand and twirled her around, ending the twirl with a kiss.

"You are the most perfect, breathtaking, impossibly beautiful thing I've ever laid my eyes on. Merry Christmas, sweetheart."

"Merry Christmas my darling." Natalia sighed joyfully, snuggling up into his chest. "Mmmm, you smell so good."

She stepped back and got a good look at him.

"You look wonderful, so handsome." She said to him, her heart racing a mile a minute.

"You just look that good that I look better by proxy."

Natalia laughed, gently smacking him on the shoulder.

"None of that. Hey, thank you guys so much for inviting my tía over too. I was honestly surprised she wanted to go, usually these types of parties are a bit much for her."

Bruno's stomach churned nervously, carefully choosing his next words.

"I'm um, yes of course! We're so glad she's here."

"Nati!!! Merry Christmas!" Mirabel cried as she ran over to hug Natalia.

Natalia held on to Mirabel's hands after they pulled apart, looking over her outfit.

"Merry Christmas!! Mira lo hermosa que eres! Absolutely stunning!" Natalia said, shaking Mirabel's hands for emphasis.

"You legitimately look like a supermodel Nat, it's not even fair." Isabela joked as she came up beside her younger sister. Isabela was wearing a long dark green velvet dress.

"First of all, thank you, second of all, excuse me forget about me look at you in that color Isa???" Natalia said, running her hand along the shoulder of Isabela's dress to feel the fabric. "And oh my gosh, so soft!!"

"Thanks!" Isabela said, sticking her hands in the sides of her dress. "It has pockets!"

"Perfect piece of clothing right there!" Natalia laughed.

"Isn't your girlfriend looking extra stunning tonight, tío?" Isabela asked her uncle, just a hint of teasing in her tone.

"She absolutely is." He said adoringly, taking Natalia's hand in his.

"I still need to make my rounds saying hello to everyone, can I meet back up with you in a bit?" Natalia said to Bruno.

"Of course, go be seen you supermodel you." Bruno said, making Natalia's face light up with a bright smile as she walked off with Mirabel and Isabela.

____________________

After a little while of Natalia greeting everyone, Bruno saw her being lead back into the living room by the hand by an excited Antonio.

Pepa smiled warmly at her son, walking up alongside Bruno.

"He's been talking nonstop about this all day." Pepa said with a laugh.

"What is he doing?" Bruno asked.

Pepa just nodded her head in Antonio's direction as a response.

Antonio took Natalia over to the wall of stockings, pointing at the one with her name on it that was next to Bruno's.

"You have a stocking this year!!!" Antonio cried. "I helped Mamá glue the snowflakes on it!"

Natalia was deeply touched and overjoyed to see the family make that kind of point to include her in their traditions like that. She got down on her knees to look at the stocking at eye-level to Antonio.

"Wow, this is the most amazing stocking I've ever seen!" She said, wrapping him up in a full body hug. "Thank you so much my love bug!!"

Antonio laughed joyfully at Natalia's tight hug. "We get to open the stockings in the morning!"

"So exciting!" Natalia replied. "Are you excited for Santa to come?"

Antonio nodded excitedly. "I asked for a camping tent!"

"And what a great thing to ask for!" Natalia exclaimed, standing back up.

Alma came up to Natalia and Antonio in the living room, wheeling Maria in with her.

"Antonio, have you met my tía?" Natalia asked.

Antonio shook his head, waving at Maria with a smile.

Maria smiled. "Hello there, Antonio! So nice to meet you! I've known your mother since she was as big as you."

"Really?" Antonio asked, intrigued.

"Maria!" Pepa cried out excitedly, reaching over and giving her a hug.

"You get more beautiful everyday, Pepa." Maria said affectionately.

Pepa smiled, picking up Antonio in her arms. "We're so glad you could be here tonight, Maria. Thanks for letting us steal Nati away from you so often, we just love her a whole lot."

Natalia blushed, happy to see the sweet interaction between the two.

"So happy to be here!" Maria said with a smile.

"Do you need anything tía? Alma?" Natalia asked, taking Maria's hand.

"I'm fine sweetheart, thank you." Maria said.

"It's been so wonderful catching up with your tía, Natalia." Alma said gently.

"It means a lot to me to have us both here, thank you so much for including us." Natalia said.

"Of course, mija." Alma replied. "We wouldn't have it any other way."

Alma and Maria continued to chat while Natalia found Bruno getting a snack off of the dining room table. She started to put her arm around his waist, accidentally startling him and making him jump a bit.

"Oops, I'm sorry baby!" Natalia apologized, giggling. "Worried about someone sneaking up on you tonight?"

Bruno was on edge with nerves for obvious reasons, but he couldn't help but laugh at himself for being startled by Natalia in particular.

"You are terrifying, what can I say?" He joked.

Natalia, with Bruno now fully aware of her presence, wrapped her arm back around his waist and ate a piece of food off of his plate.

"There is an entire table of food right in front of you." Bruno said with a laugh.

"I don't want that food, I want your food."

"I'm going to get your cooties all over me now."

"Aww, I thought you liked my cooties." Natalia pretended to pout.

Bruno leaned over and kissed her on her cheek.

"I do, you called my bluff."

"That is so unbelievably sweet that your family made a stocking for me, by the way!! I'm really touched."

"If you haven't figured it out by now, we all like you quite a bit."

Natalia gasped. "You like me?!"

"Yeah, most of the time." Bruno joked.

"Gasp." Natalia said the word, not the sound. "I suppose I tolerate you too."

The two laughed and shared a kiss, Natalia examining his face afterwards.

"Ha, success! No lipstick. I used a different kind tonight that should stay put for longer."

"Still looks perfect, amor. Want to re-test just to be sure though?"

Natalia grinned widely and kissed him a second time.

"Test results confirmed." Bruno said, nodding his head.

____________________

The evening progressed and Bruno felt more and more panic building up in his chest as the time to open gifts grew nearer. The family had all sat down to a lovely and only slightly chaotic dinner altogether, and afterwards Bruno found a quiet spot in the corner of the kitchen to try and compose himself before the next phase of the night set in.

"Hey." Dolores whispered as she appeared alongside him, startling him so badly that he yelped.

"Dolores, sorry! I just–"

Dolores rubbed her hand across the top of Bruno's shoulder, trying to comfort him.

"I could hear you panicking across the house. It's going to be fine, Natalia's having a great time and everyone is super excited. We're opening gifts soon, so get ready."

Bruno inhaled and exhaled deeply, looking over at his niece with desperate eyes.

"Like we said last night tío, you got this."

Bruno gave his niece a small smile and checked for the ring in his pocket one last time before heading back into the living room.

Bruno was attempting to not sweat profusely as he sat next to Natalia on the couch, his arm around her while the kids opened up presents in order of age. The Madrigals tradition was that each kid opened one present each on Christmas Eve, and then the rest on Christmas morning. The adults saved all of their presents for Christmas Day.

Bruno counted down the moments as his nieces and nephews opened their gifts, barely even able to process what was happening around him with how much his mind was buzzing.

Eventually, Mirabel came up behind Bruno on the couch and leaned over into his ear that Natalia was furthest from.

"It's time. Break a leg." Mirabel whispered encouragingly.

"Nati?" Mirabel asked, sitting down on the couch across from her.

Everyone in the family did their absolute best not to stare as Natalia looked up at Mirabel.

"Tío Bruno has something for you that we insisted he give to you tonight, it's over there under the tree!"

Natalia smiled and looked over at Bruno, who was fighting literally every urge in his body to look as nervous as he felt.

She stood up and headed over to the tree, bending over slightly to look for a package with her name on it.

From behind her after a moment, Mirabel said, "Oh sorry, it's actually back the other way! We moved it!"

Natalia turned around and saw Bruno in front of her, down on one knee and looking at her with all the love in the entire world.

She looked at him and then around the room at the sea of grinning faces surrounding her and quickly clapped her hands over her mouth in shock.

"Natalia," Bruno began, joyful tears immediately filling up Natalia's eyes.

"You are my world, my love, my best friend. You are the most beautiful and incredible person I have ever known, your love is truly the greatest gift I have ever received. I love you with absolutely everything that I have and I want to spend the rest of my life with you."

Bruno opened the ring box, revealing the ring in all its beauty to her.

"Natalia Moreno, will you marry me?"

"Yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!" Natalia cried out, tears running down her face. "Oh Bruno yes, of course I'll marry you!!!!"

Bruno was so happy and relieved that he couldn't feel any individual part of his body, every part of the moment feeling like an impossibly perfect dream. The entire family burst out into cheers, happy tears, and applause. Bruno slipped the ring on her finger and before looking at it for another second, Natalia leaned down to the level Bruno was kneeling at and wrapped her arms around him, kissing him excitedly over and over again. Their lips pulled apart and she got down on her knees to hug him tightly, crying and laughing into the back of his shoulder.

"I love you. I love you so much." She whispered into his neck, squeezing him tighter.

Bruno shut his eyes and ran his hands along her back, both of their hearts beating so fast that it was impossible to tell where one heartbeat ended and the other began.

"I love you, I always will." Bruno said back to her softly.

Bruno took her by the hand as both of them stood up and they kissed again.

Natalia looked over at the family, still in utter disbelief.

"You all actually managed to keep this a secret from me?!" She cried out, making everyone laugh.

Natalia took a moment to look down at the new piece of jewelry on her left ring finger, Bruno still holding her around her waist.

"Oh my god Bruno, this is the most beautiful ring I've ever seen." She said, turning her finger left and right slightly to see how the ring looked in all angles of the light.

Natalia kissed Bruno one more time before members of the family started to come up to them for congratulatory hugs.

Alma brought Maria up to Natalia first. Maria stepped up out of the wheelchair and her and her niece embraced tightly, overjoyed tears in both of their eyes. Bruno followed suit, his mother giving him a teary-eyed hug.

"I am so happy for you, mi amor." Maria said. "You make me so proud."

"I love you, tía." Natalia said softly, Maria wiping her tear off of her cheek.

From a few feet away, Félix and Camilo were standing next to each other with Félix's arm around his son's shoulders. Félix heard Camilo sniff and looked over to see him smiling with a few tears in his eyes.

"Aww, mijo. Are you crying because you're happy for them or because Natalia is officially off the market?"

"Both. Mostly the first one though." Camilo said, wiping his eyes with the edge of his sleeve. Félix laughed and hugged Camilo's shoulders, both of them waiting their turn to congratulate the happy couple.

When Mirabel approached Natalia she nearly jumped on her, throwing her arms around Natalia's neck, squeezing her extra tight and rocking her from side to side.

"Ahhhhhhhhhh Nati and tío I am so happy for you both!!!!!! Welcome to the family, tía!" Mirabel exclaimed, immediately turning to hug her uncle.

"Oh my god you're right!!" Natalia cried out, so much new and incredible information still processing in her head.

Mirabel laughed. "Only if you want to be called that, of course."

Natalia kissed Mirabel affectionately on the cheek. "You can call me anything you want, my love. I am...I am just so grateful for this, for all of you."

Bruno and Natalia turned to look at each other and Natalia gave him the biggest, happiest open mouth smile she could muster, making an excited squeaking noise.

"Oh my god I get to marry you!!!" She yelled out, taking Bruno's face in her hands.

"Felicidades!!!" Félix yelled loudly, walking alongside Camilo. "So excited I get a new sister out of this whole deal!" Félix said with a smile, giving Natalia a big hug.

"Congratulations to you both." Camilo said genuinely, hugging his uncle. "It's about time Nat officially became one of us."

"Thank you, Camilo." Natalia said, giving him a tight hug. "It means the world to me to get to be a part of your lives as much as I have, as much as I will get to be."

"So you really are going to be my tía now?" Natalia heard a small voice say coming up from behind Camilo.

Natalia leaned down to Antonio's eye level. "I really am now! I get to marry your tío and then I get the best job in the whole world of being your tía." Natalia said with a big smile, making Antonio, Félix, and Camilo smile brightly alongside her.

"Good that you're locking this one up bro, because you ain't gonna do any better than her." Félix teased.

"You're absolutely right about that." Bruno agreed.

Natalia laughed. "I have you to thank for introducing us in the first place Félix. So, thank you. Like, the biggest possible thank you ever."

Félix smiled, smacking Bruno gently a few times on the shoulder.

"What's a little matchmaking between hermanos? Welcome to the Madrigals, Nati!"

Natalia thanked him and then heard a loud squeal of "Congratulations!!!!!!!!" as Isabela, Luisa, and Dolores all approached her at once.

Luisa picked up all three of the other girls and hugged them at the same time, knocking all of the air out of their lungs.

When they were put back down, they each hugged their uncle and then Natalia kissed each of them on the cheek.

"Thank you thank you and thank you my sweet girls! I see now how very wonderful and sneaky you were making sure my nails were pretty yesterday. I really appreciate that." Natalia said with a big smile.

"My brilliant idea, thank you very much." Isabela bragged.

"Tío has been an absolute wreck for weeks, so thanks for saying yes." Luisa teased.

Natalia laughed loudly. "Wouldn't want to let you down, Luisa."

"Dolores was our resident 'for god's sakes don't let Natalia find out about this proposal' manager." Bruno told Natalia.

"And for that I am very grateful, thank you." Natalia said to Dolores with a laugh.

"I'm still shocked that you never found out beforehand. Everyone did good." Dolores said, putting her hand affectionately on her uncle's arm.

"So we get to help you plan the wedding, right?!" Isabela asked excitedly.

"Um excuse me, yes, of course!" Natalia exclaimed. "I would never dream of trying to do this thing without you all."

"My baby brother!!!" Pepa exclaimed, coming up with Julieta who both crashed into their brother to hug him at the same time, Agustín close behind.

Natalia's heart swelled seeing the giant smile on Bruno's face as he was crushed with love between his two sisters.

"Congratulations, amiga. Welcome to the family." Agustín said sweetly, hugging Natalia.

"Congratulations!! We are so happy for you." Julieta said, squeezing Natalia and kissing her on the top of the head.

"You are a ray of sunshine to this family, sweetheart." Pepa said at the end of her hug with Natalia, kissing her on both of her cheeks as they pulled apart.

"Thank you all so much, your words mean the world to me." Natalia said lovingly, Pepa still holding her around her shoulders.

____________________

Natalia's head was spinning from bliss and excitement as her and Bruno chatted with everyone and fulfilled their many requests for her to show off her ring.

"Hey, come here for a second." Dolores whispered to Bruno and Natalia as she appeared behind them, motioning for them to follow her.

Dolores led them over to a balcony on the other side of the house.

"Take a moment to yourselves. I'll make sure the family stays put for a few minutes."

Bruno and Natalia nodded at Dolores appreciatively as they stepped out into the cool night air and Dolores shut the door behind them.

Bruno took Natalia's hand and kissed it gently, tears filling back up in both of their eyes. "My beautiful fiancée."

"My fiancé!!!" Natalia exclaimed, tears falling down her cheeks again. "This is–this has been–you are…everything is just perfect. You're perfect. I'm so lucky. I can't thank you enough for this, for everything." Natalia was drowning in her love for him as she spoke, barely able to properly articulate how she was feeling.

"I am so lucky." Bruno said softly, kissing her deeply. This kiss felt different than all of the others they'd shared before. It was full of an entirely new level of love, a level of joy that neither of them could have ever imagined was possible.

Their kiss eventually made its way into becoming a slow, close dance with no music. They held each other the same way they had the day they shared their first kiss at the bakery, savoring this perfect moment before heading back to join the festivities.

"I love you, my queen." Bruno said, caressing her cheek.

Natalia beamed up at him.

"And I love you, my court jester."

____________________

End Notes:

Spanish translations for Chapter 21:

-Tío/tía: uncle/aunt -Casita: house -Hermano: brother -Arepa: a type of food made of ground maize dough -Sobrino: nephew -Pequeñito: little one -Mira lo hermosa que eres: look how beautiful you are -Mamá: mom -Mija: affectionate term for "my daughter" -Amor/mi amor: love/my love -Amiga: friend -Mijo: affectionate term for "my son" -Felicidades: congratulations

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