He should have been asleep like everyone else was. It was late, and there seemed to be no sound in the world other than the soft, soothing lull of falling sand. It was something of a habit for Bruno to be up this late, one he had yet to break since reuniting with his familia.
It felt strange for him to be back in his tower again. Ten years of living in the walls seemed to change him, made him comfortable with having so little to himself. Suddenly his own room seemed too big for him, and he decided he needed to breathe some stale air again.
On his way to his old den behind the kitchen wall, Bruno caught a glimpse of someone sitting just outside of Casita, their slim silhouette glowing beneath the light of the full moon. Their arms and legs were curled into themselves as their head was tucked slightly, making them look as if they were crying. The bundle of curls gathered on the top of their head gave him no doubt as to who it was.
Bruno couldn't stand to see Dolores like that. His favorite niece. The one who he had shared the closest bond with before he went into hiding. He was suddenly filled with so many emotions, his own troubles instantly vanished from his mind. He quietly descended the flight of stairs, coming up behind her slowly as moonlight poured through the open doorway, washing over his sandaled feet.
"What's wrong, mi sobrina?" he asked, in a low voice so as not to startle her sensitive ears.
She looked up at him with cold tears in her eyes. She didn't seem too surprised to see him standing there. She beckoned for him to take a seat beside her on the ground, and so he did.
She gazed aimlessly out into the Encanto, taking in a sharp breath that stifled her next tear from falling.
"You were right, Tio," she said, a look of hopelessness glazing over her eyes. "The man of my dreams was out of reach."
An overwhelming feeling of sadness gripped Bruno's heart. He knew that this day would eventually come, one he sorely wished he had been wrong about. All he could picture was the day he had that vision about her, and how much it broke his heart to tell her. He didn't know why his power only ever seemed to be a curse upon everyone, or how in the world someone as sweet and innocent as Dolores could deserve a prophecy so cruel.
A feeling of shame washed over him as his eyes fell downcast upon his lap. He anxiously wrought his hands together as he let out a frustrated sigh.
"I wish I had been wrong, kid," he said, his low voice full of deep regret.
A few moments passed between them in silence. The air around them seemed to grow a little colder.
"The thing is," Dolores continued, a beat passing as new tears began to form in her eyes. "I actually thought that I might have stood a chance with him. After Isabela broke off her engagement to Mariano, I finally found the courage to tell him how I felt. But he doesn't want me, Tio. He only has eyes for Isabela."
A brief flash of anger passed behind Bruno's eyes, and all he wanted in that moment was to throw his fist down onto the ground.
"Then he is a fool," Bruno stated bluntly, the bitterness in his voice catching himself off-guard.
Dolores looked up at him in surprise. A beat passed between them in uncertainty as their eyes locked, and more than anything Bruno wished he had bitten his tongue.
He looked away. He slowly took in a deep breath, softening his demeanor as he resolved to just tell her how he felt. He looked at her again with a solemn sincerity in his eyes. Somehow, the bags underneath his eyes felt a bit heavier.
"If only he could see you the way that I do," he said, his somber voice barely above a whisper now. "I know I haven't exactly been around for the past ten years, but in all that time that I was living in the wall, I saw you grow into a beautiful, elegant young woman. The kind that any man would kill to be with. I know your power can be a hard burden for you to bare, and you probably hear a lot of things that you don't want to. I can only imagine how hard it must be for you to keep it all in. But I can't tell you how proud of you I am, mi sobrina. You do so much for this familia, even if they don't see it. You protected me for all those years I was in hiding. You knew that I never really left, but you never gave me away. I never got a chance to thank you for that."
A sad smile grew on Dolores' face as happier tears fell down her cheeks.
"You don't have to, Tio," she said, her aura radiating a warmth that Bruno immediately felt. "You know I would have done anything for you. I only wish that everyone else had been kinder to you before you went away."
With that, Bruno smiled too, embracing Dolores in a comforting hug as she contented to rest her head upon his chest.
The tears on her face soaked into the front of his ruana. After about a minute or so, the warm aura she radiated turned more somber, and Bruno could tell that she was crying again.
"I missed you, Tio," she said, her strained voice barely above a whisper as she buried her face deeper into his chest. "Promise me that you'll never leave me again."
Bruno suddenly felt choked up as cold tears rimmed his own eyes. He bent down and kissed the top of her head, holding her tighter as his heart beat faster in his chest. "Never," he promised.