Julio packs up his whole family to make the trip to Encanto in hopes to save his beloved and their unborn bebé.
A/N: Thank you all so much for the kind words!
I have enjoyed writing this fic so much so far, and your enthusiasm is a great help!
I have added a list of everyone's ages in the end notes (including the children's name meanings cause I have always enjoyed the symbolism behind names)
**Also special thank you to Nonchalantly44 who helped me fix a couple spots in the last chapter with the Spanish. I really appreciated the help!**
"Papí, where's Mamá?" Luna asked, clutching her mellizas hand as their father led them outside early the next morning.
Julio placed Aarón onto the cart, before helping his hijas onto the back as well. He placed a hand on each of the girls shoulders, he couldn't lie to them but he decided on just the basic facts. "Mamá is hurt right now. I need you both to be muy valiente. We are going to be picking Mamá up and we are going to take her to someone who I am hoping can heal her. I need you to be very brave. Can you help me take care of your brother on the ride there?"
The girls still clutched each other's hand tightly. They looked at each other, before turning back to their papá. "Si, Papí." Aleta said, agreeing. Luna just nodded her head in agreement.
"Gracias, mis amores. Sit with your brother okay?" Once they were seated back, their brother between them, Julio wrapped a blanket around them. "Alright, you three sit tight, okay? We have to go pick up Mamá, and then we have a small journey ahead of us. Los amo a todos."
"Te amo, Papí." All three replied softly, snuggling together.
Julio gave them a reassuring smile. "Esta bien vamos." He closed the back of the cart, and got onto the front seat. He had their horse Margarita moved as quickly through the quiet streets towards the small hospital. When they arrived, a nurse came out to greet him, agreeing to stay with the kids while he went to speak with the Doctor.
"Julio, I know you are going to do this no matter my advice. So I have given her a small sedative that should last about 6 hours. It will keep her asleep and from feeling pain."
"Gracias, mi amigo. I hope to arrive there within 4 to 5 hours, barring any issues." Julio shook the Doctor's hand.
"I hope for your family's sake you are making the right decision."
"If you had a chance to keep both your wife and unborn child safe and ensure both of them lived, you would do the same." Julio said.
"Cierto. La mejor de las suertes, mi amigo."
They wheeled the stretcher with Mirabel out to the cart, where between the Doctor, Nurse, and Julio, they managed to get Mirabel onto the back of the cart on the small mattress that Julio was able to fit onto the cart. The mattress belonged to their son and was short, but it was better than being directly on the wood. Julio tucked a couple blankets over his wife, and placed a kiss on her forehead. He gave his children another reassuring smile. "It will be okay, mis hijos. We're going to get Mamí help."
He again closed the back of the cart, and thanked the doctor and nurse, before they set out on the road. Julio consulted the map again, ensuring he was on the correct road that would take them most of the journey. He could only hope that Mira forgave him for taking her back to Encanto.
The family gathered around outside for an early lunch. The conversations were much more lively. Camilo was entertaining his sobrinas y sobrinos, by changing his face into outrageous combinations of their family members, causing squealing laughter from Eduardo, Sofía, and Pedro, while Adoria smiled and giggled into her hand.
Bruno was content to just tune into different conversations going around the table as he ate his food. Just as he bit into a still warm arepa con queso, he felt a sudden pressure in his head. He choked slightly as he swallowed the bite too quickly. His eyes were starting to glow as he hastily pushed his chair back, almost falling with it. "Not again…" he mumbled.
"Bruno? Are you okay?"
"Another vision?"
Bruno was only able to nod as he moved far enough away from the table. He pulled sand from his pockets, and it instantly lifted into the air, whipping around him. He saw a horse drawn cart with a young family approaching a river. He saw the despair on the father's face as he realized he couldn't get them across the river. The scene shifted slightly to show three young children huddled together, with slightly scared expressions on their faces as they looked at their slumbering mother. There was something about all their expressions and the bit of bruising on the mother that led Bruno to believe she was in trouble.
The sand formed into a glowing green tablet. The glow in his eyes faded back to their normal green colour, as he stared upon the frozen scene. Bruno sighed, before looking up to see his whole family eyeing him with concern.
"Brunito, is everything alright?" His madre asked.
He walked back and sat in his chair, that Luisa had kindly picked back up for him. He gave his sobrina a grateful smile, before passing the glowing vision to his madre.
Alma frowned at the scene of the family frozen in the memory. She recognized the river that ran along the other side of the mountain. "Refugees?"
Bruno tilted his head a little. "I-I think so?" He scratched his head nervously. "But it, well it looked like the mother was hurt. T-they are going to get stuck at the river, unable to cross with the cart."
Alma nodded, sadly. "Could you tell when this was going to happen?"
"No, no." He said, with a small shake of his head. "But when I get unexpected visions… Usually means it will happen soon. How soon… it's a little iffy. Sometimes within minutes, or an hour, other times a couple days."
"Alright. Dolores, keep an ear out for movement beyond the mountains." Alma passed the tablet to her second eldest nieta.
"Sí, Abuela." Dolores took in the image of the family, taking note of many things she may hear from the travelling family.
"Luisa, Isabela, Antonio we may need your help getting them across the river. Julieta, make sure there is always some extra food on hand. If the mother is truly hurt, like Bruno saw, then she will need healing. Agustín, would you make up the guest rooms? They can at least spend the first few nights with us until we can find a more permanent arrangement in town for them."
Before Alma could continue, Dolores let out a 'meep'. The family instantly quieted down, wondering if it was already happening. "I-I think they are arriving soon. We should probably leave now in order to meet them." She said, eyes wide.
At once, everyone was up and moving.
Antonio called over three of his horse friends. Dolores hopped on behind him, Isabela and Luisa getting their own. Dolores told him where to head, which he passed along to the three horses. They made it to the river in about 30 minutes, after going through a cave that Antonio's toucan friend, Pico, guided them too that led them through the mountain instead of over it.
"Over there!" Isabela called out, making out another horse across the river and around the bend a little.
They made it to the river's edge, across from the family. The image in front of them matched the glowing tablet exactly. But when the father looked up and his look of despair left.
Antonio let Dolores off, and guided his horse through the water. "Hola Señor. We are here to help you cross the river." He said as he approached.
"Gracias. My wife, she is hurt, and I wasn't sure how I would get her and our children across the river." The man said.
"Don't worry, we'll take her to my Tía and she will help." Antonio then spoke quietly with the travellers horse, so that it wouldn't spook with what Isabela was about to do.
After the signal from Antonio, Isabela called forth thick vines and roots to create a bridge across the water. Luisa walked across the bridge first and then stood behind the cart. She gave the two little girls a friendly smile, noticing a little boy beside them who had fallen asleep. Their mother was covered in a blanket, but Luisa could see the swell of her belly, and realized the situation was a lot more dire than previously thought.
Antonio guided the man's horse across the bridge, and Luisa made sure the cart didn't get stuck or bump around on the vines. Once across, Isabela dissolved the vines and roots; they didn't want a permanent bridge to the town after all.
Dolores hopped on behind Isabela this time, and Luisa's horse followed behind her. They guided them back through the cave, and soon they were on the other side. Luisa got back on her horse once they made it to the base of the mountain and the terrain was a lot smoother. The ride back took longer as they didn't dare go too fast with the injured woman.
When they finally approached the house, they saw Abuela, Pepa, and Félix outside.
"Welcome to la casa de Madrigal." Abuela said to the man.
He eyed her before nodding. "Gracias, Señora." He stepped off the cart, nodding his head to the elder. "I heard that someone is able to help out my wife? She is hurt badly, and is with child."
Just then Julieta came out of the house, a basket on her arm.
"Show me."
The man motioned to the back of the cart. He walked around, and opened the back gate of the cart. "Chicas, vengan aquí por favor." He asked his daughters, softly. They crawled to the edge and he set them on the ground, before pulling his sleeping son into his arms. "Here Señora Julieta." He backed up, giving the older woman room to work. The twin girls clung to their father's legs. No one noticed his use of her name.
Julieta approached and carefully climbed onto the back of the cart to kneel beside the woman. "What happened to her?" She asked, setting her basket of supplies down beside her.
"She fell down the stairs yesterday. It was a horrible fall. The doctor in our town said that he believes her hip is fractured, as well as her left ankle, and a mild concussion. He said it was unlikely she could give birth with a broken hip; that it would most likely come down to saving one or the other. I couldn't make that choice." His voice cracked a little as he was trying to keep his composure in front of his children.
"And you decided to travel all the way here? How did you know to come here?" Alma asked.
The man took a moment, before locking eyes with the elder. "I know all about this town, and the magical Madrigal's. I knew if anyone could save them, I knew it would be Señora Julieta."
Julieta, while the others were talking with the man, had not taken her attention away from the woman after hearing of her injuries. She took her pulse, and then lifted her head gently to feel along the back of her head to feel for the swelling. When she gently set the young mother's head back down, she moved some of the hair off her face. She was struck by how familiar this woman looked.
She took a calming breath and with shaking hands reached for the woman's right arm, that was closest to her. She turned the arm and saw a familiar birthmark near the inner elbow. 'Mirabel, you've returned to me.' Julieta held back a sob, mentally shaking her head to focus back on her task. She quickly grabbed the flask she had filled with a broth, and cupped the back of the young woman's - her hijas - head. Julieta tipped the broth into the open mouth, then set it down to massage her throat, forcing her body to swallow. Instantly, she noticed the bruises receding, and her breathing eased.
Suddenly the closed eyes began to flutter. Julieta felt tears spring to her eyes as she gazed into eyes that she thought she would never see again.
"Mamí?" The young woman frowned, her voice soft and crackly.
Dolores eeped at hearing this and turned startled eyes to her Tía and the young woman. "Mirabel?" She voiced softly, in disbelief at hearing her primas voice.
Julieta just smiled down at her hija. "Sí, mi niña querida. Ay Mirabel, te he extrañado tanto."
Casita decided to make her presence known, her shutters and tiles fluttered excitedly. This caused everyone to look up in amazement, except Julieta who could not take her eyes off her hija.
"Hola Casita." Mirabel whispered, before exhaustion claimed her once again.
Mirabel slowly woke, taking a moment to adjust to being awake. She reached beside her for her glasses, and picked them up off the bedside table. But when she put them on, she realized she was not in her home. She frowned, before she realized she recognized the room.
Her eyes widened as she recalled the fuzzy memories of being in pain, and then later seeing her mamá's face.
She took note of her body, but other than a small ache, she felt fine. She placed a hand on her belly and felt a responding kick, which filled her with relief. She sat up and prepared to get up, when there was a knock at the door.
Dolores entered. "Hola, Mira." Her prima said. "I brought one of your mamá's arepas with me when I heard you moving. It should help take any lingering pain away."
"Thank you, Lolo." Mirabel said, softly as she accepted the still warm arepa. She quickly ate it, realizing how hungry she was. "Do you know where Julio and the kids are?"
"Hmm." She nodded. "They are in the next room over. He wanted to let them rest after your early trip here. But it sounds like they are waking up too. Would you like me to take you there?"
"Sí, por favor." Mirabel accepted Dolores helping hand, and leaned on her older cousin as despite the arepa, she still felt a little tired.
She found Julio and her children in the next room, just as Dolores said.
"¡Mamí! You're okay!" The girls shouted as they raced to her. She felt her strength return at the sight of her hijas, as she stepped away from Dolores.
"Yes, cariños. But we need to use our inside voices okay?"
The girls just nodded and clung to her legs. Mirabel placed a hand to each of their heads, holding them close.
"How are you feeling, mi amor? You should be resting." Julio said as he walked over, placing a tender hand to her cheek.
"I'm fine, corazón. My mamá's arepa has helped a lot." She placed her hand over his.
"Lo siento for bringing you here without discussing it with you… I just… I couldn't lose either of you." He cast his eyes down, focusing on the swell of her belly.
"Hey, look at me." She moved her other hand to move his chin up, forcing him to look into her eyes. "You made the right choice. I am not angry or upset. Pones a nuestro bebé primero." One tear escaped his eye, and she gently swiped it away. "Te amo tanto."
He gave her a soft smile. "Te amo mas, mi vida." He leaned forward and captured her lips in a searing kiss. It only lasted a moment though, there were children in the room with them after all, and they rested their foreheads together.
A soft clearing of a throat had them looking to the door. Dolores stood there with an apologetic look. They had forgotten she was there. "Lo siento for interrupting, but dinner is almost ready. I am sure you are all hungry."
Mirabel's stomach growled loudly at the mention of dinner. She blushed as the girls and her husband snickered. Mirabel lightly smacked her husband's arm and rolled her eyes, but couldn't hide her own smile.
She realised she was still in her clothes from yesterday. Julio seemed to read her thoughts.
"Thank you, Dolores. We'll be there once Mira has had a chance to freshen up."
"Por supuesto. I will let everyone know, come join us when you are ready." Dolores said with a smile, before leaving the room.
Julio handed Mirabel her bag and she changed her dress, while he woke up Aarón. She ran her fingers through her curls, grimacing at the amount of tangles she came across. She decided to just tie it back and would deal with it properly later.
The young boy perked up once he saw his mamá. "¡Mamí!" He whined, holding his arms out to her. Mirabel took her son from his papá's arms into her own. His head instantly rested onto her shoulder, as she settled him above her baby bump.
"Are you ready, mi vida?" Julio asked, resting his hand on the small of her back.
"As I will ever be. I guess I always knew this day would come. I'm just glad I have you and our niños with me." She glanced over to their hijas, who were looking out the window to the town beyond the house. "Have you told them who everyone is to them?"
"I explained that we are with your family, but that is all. I pretty much sequestered them in here to nap once you were healed and resting."
Mirabel nodded. "Alright, vamos."
He kissed her cheek. "Juntos." He called to the girls who came and held their papá's hands. All together, they walked out of the guest room and across the courtyard into the dining room.
Mirabel smiled awkwardly at everyone who turned immediately at their entry. "Hola." She said with a small hand wave.
"¡Mira!" An older boy called out, and before Mirabel could blink, he was wrapping his arms around her.
She instantly knew who he was. He may be older, but his spirit was the same. "Toñito." She wrapped her free arm around him too, holding him close. "Look at you, so grown up! You're almost as tall as I am!" It wasn't hard to get taller than her, she was still 5'2 and had been for over 8 years now. Barring the new generation of children, she would soon be the shortest in the family.
"I've missed you so much!" He said, burrowing his face into her other shoulder. He was shaking slightly. Very quietly, that only her - and Dolores - could hear, he whispered. "I missed you Mamí."
Mirabel's heart squeezed painfully, and she pulled the boy closer to her. It had been so long since she had heard him call her what he would in private. For the first 5 years of his life, Mirabel had pretty much been his primary caregiver. Sure her Tía and Tío still spent time with him, and raised him well - but she was the most consistent presence in his life, as they had their chores that took them away from the house. Teaching him to walk, speak, read, and write; taking care of him while he was sick or had nightmares. She would reassure him when he was sad, and have fun with him when he wanted to play. Though she may only be 10 years older than him and he was not her biological child, he was her first bebé. Leaving him all those years ago was the hardest decision she had had to make.
She placed a kiss on his forehead. "Te amo, Toñito."
"Te amo, Mira." He pulled back and gave her a bright smile.
Aarón took that moment to peek up from her shoulder, but when he noticed all the stares, he quickly reburied his head. Mirabel took a deep breath, before holding out her hand to motion Julio and the girls closer. She then turned to address the family.
"I'm sure you all have questions, and I will answer most later. For now, I would like to introduce you to my own family. This is my husband Julio."
Julio gave a small, but reserved smile to the family seated before them.
"And these are our twin daughters, Aleta and Luna. They are four-and-a-half." The girls shyly moved further against their papí's side at the attention. "Lastly, this is Aarón, and he is 2." She motioned to the boy in her arms.
Julieta stood slowly, and approached Mirabel hesitatingly. "They are beautiful, mija."
Mirabel smiled at her mother. "Gracias. They are my joy." She turned to her girls. "Mijas this is your Abuela Julieta. She is my Mamá."
The twins stared at the new woman, before Aleta smiled. "You look like Mamí."
"Sí, we do look alike." Julieta smiled, with tears in her eyes. "It is nice to meet you both, and your hermano." She said, taking a moment to look over the shy boy in her hija's arms. She sniffed. "Why don't I introduce you to everyone?"
She went around the table introducing each person to the girls and Julio. Mirabel was surprised Mariano was with Dolores, and not Isabela, but she didn't let it show. She marvelled at the sight of her hermanas and prima's children, who were all similar ages to her own niños.
But when Julieta got to the last person, Mirabel interrupted. "T-Tío Bruno?" She stuttered, not expecting to see her Tío as last she knew, he had left Encanto, just as she had.
"Hola sobrina." He gave her an awkward wave.
**Edit 04/11/2022 - sorry I forgot to put the translations in, my bad!**
muy valiente - very brave
los amo a todos - I love you all
Esta bien vamos - alright let's go
Cierto. La mejor de las suertes mi amigo - True. Best of luck, my friend
Mis hijos - my children
sobrinas y sobrinos - nieces and nephews
chicas, vengan aquí por favor - girls, come here please
Sí, mi niña querida. Ay Mirabel, te he extrañado tanto - Yes, my darling girl. Oh Mirabel, I have missed you so much.
Pones a nuestro bebé primero - You put our baby first.
Te amo tanto - I love you so much
Te amo mas, mi vida - I love you more, my life
Por supuesto - of course
Vamos - Let's go
Juntos - together.
La Familia Madrigal's ages
Abuela - 83
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Julieta - 58
Agustín - 56
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Pepa - 58
Félix - 60
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Bruno - 58
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Isabela - 29
Christían - 32
Felipe (lover of horses) - 1
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Dolores - 29
Mariano - 30
Adoria (adoration) - 5 - her gift is being an empath
Pedro (rock/stone) - 2
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Luisa - 27
Diego - 27
Eduardo (guardian of prosperity) - 3
Sofía (Wisdom) - 2
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Camilo - 23
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Mirabel - 23
Julio - 24
Aleta (winged) - 4 ½
Luna (moon) - 4 ½
Aarón (light bringer) - 2
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Antonio - 12 (almost 13)
