Featured song:
"True Love's Kiss" from Enchanted
Twenty-one-year-old Bruno lay fast asleep as the sun came to rise over the Encanto. It was gonna be a sunny day today, and at the moment Bruno was most interested in sleeping in.
Having visions of the future had its pros and cons.
Pro: he could warn people if anything bad was coming their way and give them a fighting chance to prevent it.
Con: his visions did not always show exactly how the outcome was caused.
Pro: if he saw something good, people praised him and usually gave him something nice in return
Con: if he saw something bad, and he was unable to prevent it, they pointed the finger at him.
Bruno wished he knew a way he could either control his visions or get rid of them completely, because even though he occasionally saw great visions, his gift was more of a curse than anything else, and although he couldn't see any foretelling for himself, he usually had a hunch of what someone's response would be.
But, Bruno did his best to just be happy. He always had his rats he could talk to and keep him company. And he found some interesting ways to entertain himself. Being stuck inside most of the time left a lot of time on Bruno's hands when he wasn't cooking or cleaning, and he taught himself how to make tiny clothes for his rats, and made an old puppet theater he and his sisters used to play with into a little theater for the rats to put on plays he wrote. The rats were the actors, and Bruno was the script writer, director, stage manager, and narrator.
Bruno's favorite kind of plays to do were romantic stories, stories of his dreams. But his favorite one of all was the tale of the Golden Dancer. This was a tale based on a dream Bruno had seen on many nights throughout the year since he was fifteen.
In his dream, Bruno was all dressed up in the fanciest green suit he'd ever seen, standing in a ballroom full of people, when all of a sudden, at the top of the grand staircase stood a gorgeous princess in a dress as gold as the sun at dawn. Bruno couldn't see her face clearly any time he had that dream, but he could tell she had a beautiful pearly smile, and lips as pink as a new spring rose. And then, to Bruno's great surprise, a spotlight shined on him, and the princess approached and asked for a dance. Bruno found himself unable to refuse, and together, he and the Golden Princess danced, and they danced so gracefully, so flawlessly. Not a single step was missed; without even trying, Bruno's dancing with this princess was just perfect, but the dream always ended just as he and the golden princess were about to engage in true love's kiss.
Hungry for their breakfast, the rats came to Bruno's room and started crawling around in his nightshirt, tickling the poor man.
"Stop! Stop it! Okay, I'm awake!" Bruno guffawed, getting the rats out of his pajamas. "Ratas, alright! You know I'm very ticklish."
Bruno got to the cupboard and filled a bowl with rat pellets for their breakfast.
"Pellets again?" one rat whined.
Call it a mind game if you will, but over time, Bruno learned to understand the rats in more ways than one
"Don't worry Ratoni. I'll sneak some arepas for you later," Bruno said.
Bruno then got to his wardrobe to pick yet another one of the green ruanas and brown pants he had to wear for his uniform. He sighed as he thought of the dream he'd been having before his rats tickled him awake.
"I only wish you hadn't woken me up so quickly," said Bruno. "I was in the middle of the most wonderful dream."
"The dream about a castle made of arepas?" asked another rat.
"No," chuckled Bruno. "The one with the golden princess. With her pearly smile and rosie lips."
"What is it with humans and lips?" said a rat named Ratford.
"Yeah, the ladies are obsessed with putting stuff on their lips and painting them." said Ratoni.
"There's more to human lips than lipstick and worrying about them getting chapped." Bruno chuckled.
Bruno:
When you meet the someone
Who was meant for you
Before two can become one
There is something you must do
Ratoni
Do you pull each other's tails?
Rattney:
Do you feed each other cheese?
Bruno (chuckling):
No, there is something sweeter
Everybody needs
As Bruno got dressed and brushed his hair, he thought of the dream he loved so much, and the part he so desired to experience in his waking life.
I've been dreaming of a true love's kiss
And a princess I hope comes with this
That's what brings ever-aftering so happy
That's the reason we need lips so much
For lips are the only things that touch
So to spend a life of endless bliss
Just find who you love through true love's kiss
Bruno looked at the time and saw that it was time to get to work.
"Looks like I best call everyone else." Bruno concluded.
Aaa, aaa, aaa-a
Animals:
Aaa, aaa, aaa-a
And soon, all of Bruno's rats and a few macaws and toucans flew in to help Bruno out with making his bed and dusting himself off before he got to work.
He's been dreaming of a true love's kiss
And a princess he hopes comes with this
That's what brings ever-afterings so happy (so happy)
And that's the reason we need lips so much
For lips are the only things that touch
Two macaws flew over with Bruno's apron and helped him as he tied it on. Finding true love would just have to wait for now. Today, he had lots of morning chores to do.
Bruno:
So to spend a life of endless bliss
Just find who you love through true love's kiss
Bruno exited his room with a sigh. First on the agenda, head to the kitchen to bring his mother and sisters their morning coffee. If he knew Pepa, she was always cranky before her morning coffee.
"Buenos dias, Anita." Bruno called, seeing the coffee girl getting the coffee ready.
"Buenos dias, Bruno. The cafe is ready to go." said Anita, pouring three cups of coffee and putting them on a tray.
"Gracias-" suddenly, Bruno's eyes flashed green as he had a vision. "Oh! Dress extra nicely for your next date. I see Jorge getting on one knee."
That got Anita excited. She'd been waiting months for her boyfriend to pop the question, and it appeared Bruno just confirmed it would happen on their next date.
Bruno took the tray and headed upstairs to deliver the coffee. But like a lot of mornings, he had occasional visions pop into his head. Namely stuff about the other staff who worked in the casita.
"Don't slip on the rug, Miko." Bruno said to a royal guard.
"What rug? Whoa!" Miko said, tripping on a lump in a rug seconds later.
Bruno winced at the sight. He probably should've seen that coming sooner than later. Sighing, he walked up the stairs to the second floor where down the hall were his sisters' rooms.
"Buenos dias, Pepa." Bruno said, opening the door.
Bruno placed the cup of coffee on Pepa's nightstand. Pepa yawned groggily as a cloud formed above her head. That was normal, as she tended to be cranky before her coffee.
"Bruno, how many times must I tell you not to wake me up so rough?"
Bruno resisted rolling his eyes and put up another pillow so his sister could sit up.
"Black with sugar, the way you like it." Bruno said.
Pepa took her cup and sipped.
"I have laundry for you to get done." Pepa said. Remember not to mix my yellows with the reds like last time!"
"That wasn't my fault!" Bruno said, then he sighed. "Yes, Pepa."
Even though Bruno normally managed to stay calm, occasionally, even he had his limits to complaints. For now, he just picked up Pepa's laundry basket and went to the next room.
"Buenos dias, Julieta." Bruno said.
"Buenos dias, Bruno." Julieta smiled.
Out of all the women in his family, Julieta was the nicest to Bruno. She was never nasty about chores for Bruno, even if he made a mistake or two. She even did her best to make his work easier by getting someone else to do her laundry. And because Queen Alma never let Bruno sit with them at dinner, Julieta always made sure to hide some arepas to give to Bruno, knowing they were his favorite.
"I told Rafael to save some extra huevos pericos for you," whispered Julieta.
"Gracias, hermana." Bruno said. "I'll have your laundry done muy rapido." Bruno said, getting his other sister's laundry basket while also balancing his mother's coffee cup.
Now matter how much he was used to this morning routine, Bruno never could get near his mother's room without shaking in his knees. His mother was a scary lady, but she was beloved by the people of Encanto. So, like everyone else, he had to respect her and her every whim. All he knew was do what she said, and he wouldn't get punished. Now, it wasn't that she abused him, but when she was angry, she shouted a lot, and that was when she got really scary.
"Buenos dias, Mama." Bruno said, bringing his mother her coffee.
"Brunito, I hope you haven't forgotten your sisters."
"No, Mama. They each have their coffees the way they like them."
Suddenly, there was a scream and clap of thunder coming from Pepa's room. Bruno took that as his cue to flee.
"I'll just get the laundry started!" Bruno said, rushing the heck out of there with the load of laundry.
Luckily, being in the highest tower in the castle meant a lot of walking up and down a bunch of stairs, which gave him really strong and fast running legs.
"Bruno, when you are done, come right back here!" Alma called.
"Mama, Bruno let one of his rats into my room!" Pepa yelled angrily.
Bruno sighed as he got to starting the laundry. He had to learn a lot about all different kinds of fabrics and threads to avoid laundry mishaps. He learned the hard way by accidentally putting Pepa's cashmere dress in the hot water load last year.
And knowledge about fabrics and which loads of materials and colors went together for washing or new outfits was a useful skill... if you're planning to be a fashion designer or something. But Bruno wasn't sure what else he could be at this point besides a servant or a fortune teller.
"BRUNO!" Alma shouted.
"Coming, Mama." Bruno sighed.
Bruno went back to his mother's room.
"Mama, if this is about my rats, I didn't-"
"Silencio." Alma raised a hand. "Bruno, you know very well that very soon, your sisters will be finding suitors very soon. We have some important guests coming tonight, so it is very important everything is perfect tonight."
"Well, Mama. I want to help make sure all goes well." Bruno paused as he had a vision. "Oh! And I just saw Julieta. She was with a man wearing glasses, and they were laughing together. That has to be a good sign."
"Excellente. Now, a lot is to be done. I will need you to help dust the carpets, clean the fireplace, wipe the floors, clean the windows, and to make sure your sisters new gowns are perfect."
"But... what about me?"
"Bruno, you know the rules. You will stay in your tower."
"But I'm always in the tower during parties! It's not fair. Why can't I come to one party? I'm part of this family."
"The last thing we need is you scaring off our guests with your visions. Now, you will get your chores done before tonight, and go to your tower and stay there until the ball is over."
Bruno exclaimed in frustration and strode off in anger. He put on his hood and reluctantly got to work. Just once, Bruno would have liked to attend one of his family's parties. Instead, he was always a prisoner in his own house. He wasn't even allowed to attend his own birthday parties. All he got on his birthdays was a little cake that said "Felix cumpleanos, Bruno" on it, and hot cocoa left for him in the morning.
Now, don't get me wrong, Bruno loves the cakes Julieta baked. Especially chocolate with dulce de leche filling. But, cake couldn't replace being able to spend time with your family, the people you love. Bruno had such limited human interaction it caused him a great deal of anxiety. And what was worse, his own mother didn't believe he could produce any good heirs to the throne, much less be an heir himself. He may have been third in line, well formerly, but he could be a leader if he tried. Not to mention, he could find himself a bride if he so chose. If he could dream about a special girl who was his true love, such a thing was possible.
Bruno went on to doing his chores. The one his mother mentioned, among many others. He had to assist in decorations for the dinner party, clean the table and dishes, help cook the meals, and wash, iron, and glow up his sisters' new dresses.
But then, Bruno had a little idea. His mother couldn't stop him from going to the ball if she didn't see him. All he needed was a little help from his friends and his knowledge from fixing up his sister's clothes.