Madrigals leaving Encanto? It's more likely than you think.
"You have got to be kidding me!"
"But Abuela, the library here doesn't have the resources we need, and Tío Bruno needs to rest after the last vision he gave us!"
"Do you have any idea how dangerous the world beyond our Encanto is? I cannot allow my grandchildren to go wandering out there alone! There's no telling what could happen to you! You don't even know if our magic extends outside the Encanto!"
"We'd be super careful, I promise! But if we're going to find the resources we need to control Isa's vitiligo so it doesn't lead to worse things, we need to expand our search area. Bogotá is our best bet right now! For what it's worth, Tío Bruno did see that Isa lives to be at least his and Mamá's age, so if nothing else, she'll come back, at least."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better? What about you? No, I won't hear of my two young granddaughters traveling through conflict areas, jungles, mountains, and a big city, potentially unarmed and completely unprepared for what you could encounter!"
Isa sighed as she listened to Mirabel and Abuela argue. She knew this wasn't going to go anywhere and wondered why Mirabel was even bothering to try. Abuela had been overprotective of her family from the moment their miracle had been granted to them, and that probably wasn't going to change even after the family had learned to work through their stresses and insecurities together.
"Mira, just forget about it. We can just wait until Tío Bruno is feeling better, then explore more options. It's not like I'm in a hurry to get rid of this stuff."
"But we're closer than we ever thought we'd be!" Mirabel whined. "We just need a little more information. What causes vitiligo? How is it treated? The answers just might be in a big city like Bogotá."
Abuela raised a hand to object again, but was interrupted by another voice.
"I can take them."
The three ladies turned to see Agustín approaching. "I still have family in Bogotá," he explained. "We can get in touch with them, and arrange to stay with them. Give us three days in the city, and we'll be right back here. We can take plenty of Julieta's food in case of injury or illness."
"And what if the magic doesn't work outside?" Abuela said. "Julieta's food would just be normal provisions."
"We'll take Luisa. Even if she doesn't have her super strength outside of Encanto, she is still much stronger and more imposing than the average person. And we'll bring things we can use for weapons, just in case."
"And bandages, in case Papi tries to use said weapons, or just chop firewood," Mirabel teased, receiving a jab in the ribs from her father in retaliation.
"You know I'd protect my girls with my life," Agustín said to Abuela. "I wouldn't dream of letting them fall into danger."
Abuela sighed in resignation. "Alright. But please use the utmost caution! Take Isabela and Luisa down to the river and perhaps a few yards beyond it, and test their powers. If they work, all the better, but if they do not, you will need more security for the journey. Three days in the city. That's it. And if you encounter any trouble on the journey, return to Encanto immediately!"
Isa and Mirabel smiled and rushed in to hug their grandmother. "Thank you, Abuela!" Isa said.
It was the first time Isabela and Luisa had seen the colorful river outside of their valley, and Isa was enraptured by it.
"Look at all this algae! I've never seen so many different kinds at a time before!"
Mirabel snapped her fingers in her sister's face. "Isa, focus! We have some tests to run."
"I think she's already running one," Luisa said, observing how Isa was drawing the flora in the river to her, encouraging it to bloom and recede.
"It loves me," Isa said giddily.
"Well, that answers that question," Mirabel said. "The magic works at least as far as the river." She nodded her head in the direction of the far shore. "Come on, Luisa, let's go play with boulders."
The two waded across the river and Mirabel scrambled up to perch on top of a sizable boulder. Luisa squatted and hefted the large rock up with ease.
"Ooh, I like this view," Mirabel said, now more than a dozen feet above the river and able to enjoy quite a bit more of its rainbow splendor.
Luisa set the boulder down with a chuckle. "You're welcome, sis. So now that we know our gifts still work out here, I guess all that's left to do is pack."
"Well, that and bring a tragic end to a beautiful new friendship as we tear poor Isa away from her algae friends," Mirabel said teasingly, watching as Isa continued to experiment with the river's source of color.
Luisa laughed and joined Mirabel in literally pulling their older sister out of the water.
"Weird to think that's where Abuelo Pedro died," Luisa said somberly, glancing back over her shoulder at the river.
"Yeah," Mirabel agreed. "And this is the first time our family has crossed it in half a century."
"It'll be weird leaving, that's for sure," Isa said. "I wonder what awaits us out there?"
The morning of the travelers' planned departure was abuzz with anticipation and nervousness. Pepa couldn't stop creating wind and snow, despite Félix's reassurance that their nieces would be fine. Antonio clung tightly to Mirabel, begging her in vain to let him and his jaguar go with to protect her. Julieta was overloading the wagon with foodstuffs that she'd injected as much of her healing power as possible into. The girls had never seen their mother so nervous. She chewed vigorously at her lower lip; the only outward manifestation of her anxiety.
"Your lip is raw, querida," Agustín gently chided, wrapping his arms around his wife's waist and pulling her close. "We'll be okay, I promise."
"No offense, but that's a hard thing to promise," Julieta replied.
"Not as hard as you think," Agustín said, leaning in for a kiss.
"Wait!" came another voice. "We wanted to see you off!"
The group turned to see Señora Guzmán and Mariano jogging up the path to the house. Dolores appeared and quickly rushed to greet her boyfriend with a chaste kiss on the cheek. Señora Guzmán exchanged a warm hug with Abuela.
"I brought the item you requested," Señora Guzmán told Abuela, handing her a vial of some sort.
"Thank you so much, Gloria," Abuela said. The two had adopted more familiar terms since agreeing to allow Dolores and Mariano's relationship to develop much more naturally than Isabela's relationship with Mariano had.
"What's that, Abuela?" Mirabel asked.
"Something for Isabela," Abuela replied, beckoning her eldest grandchild over. She held the vial up to Isa's face. "Yes, this looks like it should match your skin just fine."
Isa pulled back to get a look at the object. It was a vial of liquid makeup; much more expensive than the powders she used. It did appear to match her natural skin tone quite well.
Abuela handed the vial to her. "Put some of this on once you get to Bogotá. I can send some money along if you end up needing to buy more. In fact, it would be best if you try it now. Just to make sure it adequately covers those patches. Hurry, mija, you'll be leaving shortly."
Isa studied the makeup, her stomach twisting a bit as she tried to think of something to say. "Um...thank you, Abuela. Señora Guzmán." She nodded to both women. "But...well, I..." She turned and looked to Mirabel to support, who smiled and nodded at her. She turned back to her grandmother. "I'd rather not cover my skin. Except to keep the sun off of it. And I can use a hat for that."
"What?" Abuela cried. "But your skin condition! People will talk! Do you know what they would say if they saw you like this in the city? The stares! The whispers! What if they decided to make an issue of it?"
"That's why we have Luisa," Isa said, a little more firmly than she intended. But she wanted to make it clear that she was not changing her mind. "I don't mind how I look, Abuela. I know my skin isn't perfect, but it's mine. I don't..." she sighed. "I don't ever want to have to cover up who I am again."
"Isabela, be reasonable. This...vitiligo...isn't normal. It shouldn't be part of who you are."
"Abuela," Mirabel interjected, stepping up to Isa's side. "I know you're worried about Isa and whether she'll be accepted if she's not Señorita Piel Perfecta. But in my experience, people accept you better if you're confident in who you are, no matter what you look like or what talents you have. Isa's made it pretty clear that she won't let anyone make her feel insecure about her skin. Her plants and Luisa can take care of anyone who tries to make a big deal out of it."
Concern seemed to pass across Abuela's face for a moment as she searched for a good response. Finally she relented, her face relaxed, and she gave the girls a small smile. "I suppose you're right, Mirabel. I've got to learn to let my eldest grandbaby be the mature adult she's become." She embraced Isabela in a manner meant to be as teasing as it was affectionate, holding her tight for a moment before pulling Mirabel in. The two girls giggled and returned the hug.
"Luisa, why are you just standing there?" Abuela called. Luisa laughed and joined the group hug.
After releasing her granddaughters, Abuela brushed a hand across each of their faces. "Take care of each other, and especially take care of your father."
Agustín rolled his eyes and chuckled as Julieta bumped his hip.
With everything packed, Julieta hugged each of her daughters tightly for a solid minute apiece. "Please, please please be careful out there," she said. "Please come home to me."
"We will, Mamá," Luisa promised.
After one last kiss with his wife, Agustín joined the girls in the wagon, which was hitched up to Luisa's personal draft mule. The four of them waved their goodbyes to the family, and Luisa raised the reins to signal the mule to move forward.
"Wait! One more thing!" Bruno came rushing out of the house, waving a green tablet.
"Tío!" Mirabel said. "We tried to wake you, but..."
"I know. I'm sorry. But last night, I pulled this out of our vision. It's your contact in the city." He handed the tablet to Mirabel. She saw the bespectacled young man etched into it. "Travel safe," Bruno said, stepping back and waving them forward.
"What's that?" Agustín asked as Mirabel passed the tablet to Isa.
"Someone who might be able to help us when we get to Bogotá," Mirabel said.
The wagon and mule began their trek down the path. The travelers departed to the goodbyes and well wishes of not just their family, but most of the town, who had turned out to see the first Madrigals to depart their Encanto since its creation 50 years prior.
There were practically no paths connecting Encanto to anywhere in the outside world. Travelers to Encanto were rare, even after the pass had been opened. Isabela and Luisa had to clear a road through the jungle, often lifting the wagon over various obstacles, until they arrived in the nearest town and were able to connect up with the highway to Bogotá.
"This is where your mother was born," Agustín said of the town they passed through. It looked none the worse for having been attacked 50 years ago, except for a few burned out buildings that were now fenced off.
The girls didn't have much to say about the town, other than commenting on the looks they got from locals who could tell they were outsiders. They passed through quickly and were glad to get on the main road to the capital.
The rest of the trip was uneventful. Boring, even. Isa and Luisa exchanged joking whispers about almost wishing some highway robber would try to mess with them, just so they'd have something to do. Mirabel spent her time embroidering something or other, and Agustín took turns with Luisa in driving the wagon. Each night, the family set up a campground with a perimeter of huge boulders and thorny vines. They slept peacefully, secure in one another's presence. Only once were they disturbed, when the mule alerted them to a puma stalking nearby. The cat heard the mule braying and quickly left the area.
On the fourth day of their travels, they finally arrived in Bogotá, the third highest capital city in the world. It looked almost like an alien world. The city was wired top to bottom. Automobiles that the girls had only read about puttered along cobblestone roads. Horses and wagons were still more common, but the sounds of car horns were more prevalent despite the self-propelled machines being in the minority. Police with whistles tried to tend the traffic, with mixed results. Newsboys ran up and down the streets selling papers, shouting the day's headlines. People of varying classes went about their business, distinguished sharply by their clothing.
Agustín was driving. He knew the way to his relatives' home. It took them longer than they anticipated to find the place, and once they did, Agustín parked outside the building and hopped out. It was an apartment complex with some shops on the ground level. Agustín turned to his girls.
"Stay with the wagon," he instructed. "I'm meeting my tío inside, then I'll be back for you and our things."
As their father disappeared, the girls hopped out and stretched. "That was way too long of a trip," Luisa said, rubbing her sore backside.
"It's so smoggy here," Mirabel commented. "And I've never seen a place so...devoid of plants. It's probably worse for you, Isa." She turned to her eldest sister, who was fixated on something across the street. "Isa?"
Not wanting to be rude or overt, Isa pointed her lips in the direction she was looking. Mirabel followed her gaze and resisted the urge to gasp. Across the street, sitting at a table outside of a cafe and looking directly back at them, was the young man from Bruno's vision.
AN: Apologies for the wait. I had some writer's block to work through. Hopefully it's gone for a while.
So I've been spelling Agustín's name wrong this entire time. From now on it will be correct.
The time in which Encanto is set is unclear, but the creators have said they intended it to be sometime around the turn of the 20th century. I've kept the exact year vague, so whether or not the Thousand Days' War is still going on is up to you to decide, but it will be, at most, only referenced in passing and won't otherwise figure into the story. I want to keep the focus purely on Isa and getting people to accept her for who she is, vitiligo and all. The young man they're about to meet will be important in that. Who is he? Well, if you've read the Art of Encanto, you can probably guess.