The light of the morning sun shimmered on the surface of the river that meandered through the valley of Encanto. Colourful birds perched in the lush green trees, giving their own natural concert.

Mirabel was sitting by the river bank, her feet dangling in the cool water. Tonight would be her little cousin's gift ceremony. She looked over at Antonio, sitting in the patch of grass next to her.

"A penny for your thoughts?"

He looked at her and sighed with a little shrug. "Just wondering… What if I don't have a gift either?"

"Hey." She shifted closer, putting an arm around him. "You have nothing to be nervous about. I know you're special. Your gift will be the coolest of all. Trust me."

He smiled lightly. That's when he sat up straight. "What is that?"

She looked in the direction he was pointing to. She squinted, nestling with her glasses as she spotted a dark lump on the other side of the river, just washed up on land.

"Is that… a person?"

She got up. "Quick, go and get Luisa!" She said and as Antonio hurried back to the village she made her way across the water. She knelt beside the body.

"Hello?" She carefully rolled the body over. It was a woman, maybe in her early 30s. She was unconscious, but Mirabel felt a pulse and shallow breathing. There really was not much she could do until Luisa hurried over, picking the woman up.

"Mother will be able to help for sure."

Mirabel nodded and together they made their way back home. Upon entering Casita, Mirabel called for their mother. Then turned to her sister.

"Take her to my room."

Luisa went upstairs as Julieta poked her head out of the kitchen.

"What's the matter, honey?"

"We found a woman by the river. She's unconscious. Luisa brought her to my room for now. Can you come? Maybe your food will help."

Mirabel almost stumbled over her words. Her mother grabbed a jug of water and some bread rolls and followed her upstairs to the nursery.

" Did you check if she's still alive?" Julieta asked upon entering the room.

"Yes, she is alive." Mirabel answered and watched concerned as her mother began checking on the woman. "Mirabel, go find dry clothes. Take some of mine or Pepa's."

Mirabel hurried outside. Meanwhile, Julieta grabbed a towel and dried the woman's long, chestnut colored hair as best as she could. Then she gently patted the woman's cheeks.

Suddenly, the woman gasped, eyes wide. Julieta leaned closer.

"Hush, it's alright. You're fine."

She panted a little, a cough took hold of her for a moment before she finally spoke. "Who…who are you?"

"I'm Julieta. My daughters found you by the river. They brought you here."

She offered her a piece of bread. Carefully she took a bite. A surprised glimmer flashed in her emerald eyes as she seemed to feel less exhausted.

"What's your name?" Julieta asked just as Mirabel returned with a pile of dresses.

"You're awake! Hi, I'm Mirabel. I found you. Well, my cousin and I did. Here, I brought dry clothes."

"I'm Nora. Nora Moreno. Thank you for helping me."

"You should change into something dry and rest for a while. I am sorry, but I have to leave for now. We have a big celebration tonight and there are still lots of preparations." Julieta said. "Eat, drink and rest. You should be as good as new soon enough."

"Thank you. Really, this means a lot." Nora sat up slowly and emptied a glass of water.

"We'll give you some privacy now." Julieta said and shooed Mirabel out as well.

Nora chuckled lightly. After everything she's been through the past months it was quite a miracle that she had washed up at this seemingly safe place. After she finished her bread rolls she got up and stripped out of her wet clothes. She then browsed through the pile of dresses and picked a pretty blue one, ornate with colourful flowers and patterns. It fit well enough as she stood in front of the mirror, smoothing the dress a bit.

Voices began drawing her attention and she stepped towards the window, overlooking the front yard of the building. She spotted all kinds of people carrying decorations. She wondered what kind of celebration would take place tonight. A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts.

"Yes?" She called, turning away from the window and sitting back down on the bed. The door opened and a little boy, maybe 5 years old, poked his head inside.

"Hello…I just wanted to see if you are OK." He said and stepped inside. "I'm Antonio."

She smiled at him. "Hi Antonio, I'm Nora. My, you have quite pretty hair."

He giggled shyly. "Thanks."

"Say, can you tell me what is being celebrated here tonight?" She asked.

"It's my gift ceremony. It's a big thing in my family."

She furrowed her brow. "It's your birthday? Is that what you mean?"

He shook his head, his curls bouncing. "No, we have gifts. All of us, except Mirabel. See, my mama can control the weather with her emotions. My sister Dolores can hear everything within a mile no matter how quiet it is. My brother Camilo can shapeshift into anyone he wants. My aunt Julieta heals people with food. My cousin Isabela can create flowers. Her sister Luisa is super strong. I have an uncle who sees visions of things that will happen to other people, but we don't talk about him. And all that because of my Abuela."

Nora stared at him for a moment.

"You… Your family can do magic?"

He nodded. "And tonight we find out what my gift will be."

"That must be exciting. How come Mirabel can do no magic?"

"I don't know. But Abuela is very nervous too. She was shocked when Mirabel didn't get her gift ten years ago."

"I see. Well, from what I could see so far I think she is quite a gift in herself. She saved my life. And I'm sure your gift will be amazing. Is there anything you wish you could do?"

"I like animals. Something with animals would be great."

"I hope you get exactly what you wish for."

"Will you be there too?"

"Oh, I don't know. It sounds quite personal. I'm a complete stranger."

"Encanto welcomes strangers if their intentions are of good nature." An elderly woman's voice suddenly sounded from the door. "Antonio, go get ready."

He waved goodbye to Nora and weasled past his grandmother. She cast another glance at Nora. "I'm Alma Madrigal. If you feel well enough you certainly can join us for the festivities tonight."

Nora smiled lightly. "Thank you. I'll think about it."

With a silent nod Alma left, closing the door behind her and leaving Nora alone with her thoughts.

And from everything she had just learned in this short amount of time at this new place she had a lot to think about.


This was the little introduction chapter for my OC Nora. I hope you enjoyed this so far. If so I'd love to receive likes and comments.

Again, this will be a slowmance, so bear with me. 😉