(Author's Note: Hello there my readers, and welcome to our next installment.

This chapter has been in the pipeline for a VERY long time. When I was working on the Pokémon chapter, I got stuck and decided to work on this in the meantime (I always work on multiple chapter ideas at once so I can always work on something each day). Then I finished up that chapter and this one…kinda fell to the side as other ideas came to me.

But now it's FINALLY going to see the light of day! So I'm pretty excited to see your guys' reactions (I also just checked, and this is actually the longest chapter of this story so far:/).

Hope you guys enjoy:)

Chapter Eleven: True Love

Concept: Mariano Guzmán and Isabela Madrigal. The "Golden Couple" of the Encanto, whom EVERYONE is excited to see wed. Unbeknownst to them, however…the groom-to-be carries a secret.

Mariano Guzmán. Kind-hearted. Passionate. Handsome. He's considered by nearly everyone to be the Encanto's "Perfect Man", desired by women all across the age line.

But they were all out of luck because Mariano was already engaged. But not just to anyone, but to Isabela Madrigal: the eldest Madrigal grandchild and the "Perfect Woman" of the Encanto.

"He's a lucky man" they would say. "They're the perfect couple" was especially popular as well.

Mariano hated it all. For you see, the Encanto's "Perfect Man" held onto a big secret. One that he's never shared with a single soul. One that he's never even spoken out loud (can't be too careful when you live in a village with Dolores Madrigal, after all).

He's not in love with Isabela. She's nice, and he's sure that he could have fallen in love with her under different circumstances…but he doesn't feel that way about her.

His heart beats for another.

"MIRABEL!" Mariano was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of children's yells, a smile forming on his face even before he turned around.

There she was. Mirabel Madrigal, the youngest granddaughter of her family. The only descendant of Pedro and Alma Madrigal to not be given a Gift on her fifth birthday. Mariano could tell that it wasn't easy for Mirabel to not have a Gift, especially when surrounded by her magical family. Mariano remembered the confusion and sadness present during Mirabel's Ceremony, and that, unfortunately, was only the beginning.

A frown appeared on Mariano's face and his hands clenched into fists as he thought about how people in the villagers had treated Mirabel over the last decade. He saw how she was mocked and mistreated by others, called names like "Useless" and "Defective". Even people were who nice to Mirabel still openly pitied and patronized her. He understood that it tended to be without the person realizing it, but he would always see how the light in Mirabel's eyes would dim whenever something like that happened.

But, no matter what life threw her way, Mirabel never lost her spark. No matter what anyone said to her, Mirabel remained one of the most compassionate people within the Encanto. Despite how others claimed that she wasn't special, Mirabel was a smart young woman with endless creativity, a great sense of humor, and numerous skills of her own. And, even though he knew that people would rather look towards Isabela and Dolores for "standards of beauty", to Mariano? Mirabel was the most beautiful person in the entire Encanto.

Mariano couldn't keep the smile off of his face as he watched Mirabel sing and dance wildly within the town's square, over a dozen of the village children running after her and laughing. After a few moments, however, his smile turned into a frown.

Why couldn't he tell his abuela and Señora Alma that he didn't want to marry Isabela?

Why did he have to be such a coward?


It wasn't noticeable. At least, not at first. Truth be told, it was honestly by chance that the opportunity to notice came up. But once it did? She noticed.

Señora Guzmán hadn't spent decades as a mother and a grandmother to not notice the important details (even if it took her some time).

She had seen her grandson smile warmly whenever he saw Isabela cross his line of sight. Initially, she was overjoyed whenever she saw that expression on Mariano's face. She had known the feeling of love with her own husband and had seen it progress with their daughter. So, seeing her beloved grandson find love made her one of the happiest she had ever been.

But then…something happened. Over the last few weeks, Señora Guzmán and her grandson had crossed paths with the youngest Madrigal granddaughter more often than usual. And it was then that she noticed how her grandson looked at Mirabel, and she found herself quite shocked.

She had seen how Mariano smiled at Isabela in the past, but those times couldn't compare to how he looked at Mirabel.

The light in his eyes was nearly blinding. The smile on his face was the biggest she had ever seen. The overall nature of her grandson was more lively and energetic when in the presence of Mirabel than it had EVER been when around Isabela.

That left the Guzmán matriarch with only one course of action to take.

"Mariano," the old woman called out to her grandson as he was about to walk out of the house, "Could you come here for a moment, sweetheart? There's something I would like for us to discuss." Although he looked confused, Mariano sat beside his grandmother, "Mi nieto, I'm going to ask you something and I want you to be completely honest with me. Okay?" Still confused (since he would never lie to his abuela), Mariano nodded again, "You don't love Isabela nor want to marry her, do you?"

If this moment wasn't so serious, Señora Guzmán would have honestly laughed at the expression on her grandson's face.

"W-What do you mean, abuela? I-."

"Nieto, please…that was a rhetorical question. I know that you don't wish to marry Isabela because I've seen your eyes on another. She isn't the Madrigal you're in love with, is she?" When Mariano's eyes shot open (to the point where it looked like they were about to pop right out of his skull), Señora Guzmán did chuckle this time, "Be honest with me, nieto."

After a few moments of silence, Mariano gulped before letting out a deep sigh, "Si, abuela. I don't love Isabela, but…Mirabel. She is…everything. She's smart, funny, determined, kind, and…beautiful," the old woman smiled at how his grandson's cheeks turned red, "It'd be practically impossible for me not to fall for her. I'm…I'm sorry, abuela."

"Sorry? Why would you be sorry?"

"I…I know how happy everyone was about me marrying Isabela, especially you. I was just…so afraid of disappointing you, and I thought that it would be better if I just went along with it. Isabela was nice enough, so I thought that I'd be decently happy married to her."

"Oh, mi nieto," Señora Guzmán pulled her grandson's head to her neck, wrapping her arms tightly around his body, "I wasn't happy because you were going to marry Isabela, I was happy because I thought you were going to marry the person that you loved. I NEVER would have pressed for this marriage if I had known that it wasn't what you wanted."

"You…wouldn't have?"

"Of course not! I married for love, as did your mother…and we both were very happy with our lives. And you, Mariano-," she placed a hand on his chest, "-have a heart filled with more love than the two of us combined. It would be downright criminal for you to marry for any reason other than true love." The old woman placed her hands on her grandson's cheeks and gave him a warm smile, "I want you to be happy, mi nieto. That's all I've ever wanted for you. As long as you're happy, I don't care who you love or who you marry." Mariano was now looking at his grandmother as if she had just handed him the world itself.

"I-," Mariano looked towards his abuela with a teary-eyed smile, "Gracias abuela." The old woman gave her grandson a warm smile before pulling him into a hug, to which he quickly returned.

"Well then," Señora Guzman spoke when they pulled away after a few moments, "I suppose I should tell Alma and the rest of the Madrigals that we'll be calling off the engagement. Although it may not be completely "ideal", I think it would be easiest to do this at the proposal dinner tonight. That way, all involved parties will be present."

Mariano nodded at his abuela's logic, "I need to be the one to tell them, abuela. I should have broken off this engagement in the beginning. It's my fault it has progressed this far, and I need to be the one to finally tell everyone the truth." With a slightly raised eyebrow, Señora Guzmán couldn't help but smile at the confident (if concerned) look on his face.

She's so proud of him.


Dolores let out a small squeak at the information that found its way to her ears before a smile quickly appeared on her face.

She was aware of Mariano's crush on her youngest prima. He may never have spoken those words out loud, but she has other ways of gathering information.

Being more naturally quiet than her family, Dolores has gotten more into the state of "people watching". And she's become pretty good at noticing the details among people (thanks in no small part to having a mischievous younger brother who could shape-shift).

And, recently, her gaze had been focused on one Mariano Guzman. Not out of any romantic interest in him, however, as she was already dating a nice girl in town (Gabrielle, a painter's daughter who would always take care to mind how loud she was ever since Dolores' ceremony).

As she walked through town, she noticed how Mariano would always seem…tense whenever he was around Isabela. He looked uncomfortable, and even sad when they were together. It was weird, to say the least. After all, why would he act like that when he's engaged to the "Perfect Flower" of the Madrigals?

But Dolores quickly learned the truth after seeing Mariano and Mirabel together. Whenever either one thought that the other couldn't see them, they would stare at them with such love that even Dolores couldn't help but blush. When they were together, their smiles and eyes held more light than she'd ever seen when they spoke to other people.

It was adorable seeing the two of them together, but also sad since she knew that they couldn't be together. Although she (initially) didn't know what kept Mariano from breaking off his engagement with Isabela, she knew that Mirabel would be too afraid to stand against her eldest hermana and their abuela to chase after her happiness.

(Even though Isabela herself didn't actually want to get married to Mariano, as anyone who paid enough attention could tell)

Truth be told, the knowledge of this broke Dolores' heart. Being a romantic at heart, Dolores wanted nothing more than to help her youngest prima find her chance at love. But she knew that Abuela wouldn't listen to her, and she too was afraid that she'd only make the situation worse for everyone involved if she tried to butt in.

So she's been on the sidelines, her heart breaking at the idea of such a couple unable to be with one another.

But now, Mariano was FINALLY going to tell the truth to everyone and he and Mirabel could FINALLY be together. Her little matchmaker heart was practically about to burst open with joy.

"What are you so happy about, mija?" Dolores was pulled out of her thoughts by her mother, who was looking at her with a combination of amusement and concern.

"Oh, nothing mama," Dolores shrugged, "Just…excited about tonight. Hmph."

"Wow. You look like you're even more excited than your prima," Pepa chuckled, "Though, I understand. It's a big deal for one of you guys to be married. Oh, where does the time go?" Pepa wiped a few tears that slipped from her eyes before trying to shoo away the cloud that was beginning to form overhead.

"Well…that's not exactly what I'm excited about."

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I don't want to spoil the surprise. Let's just say that tonight is going to be…interesting," with a giggle and mischievous grin that would better suit her shape-shifting hermanito, Dolores turned and quickly made her way upstairs.

Truth be told, Pepa stood there stunned for a few seconds. Not because of what her daughter said, but because of how she said it. That teasing grin, the careful avoidance of the question, the mischievous glint in her eyes…beyond Camilo, it reminded Pepa so much of-

Pepa took in a deep breath and ran her fingers along her braid to keep the cloud above her head under control, "Clear skies. Clear skies. Clear SKIES." Tonight was too important for her to just let a downpour happen.


To say that Mariano was nervous was the understatement of the century. He was currently in the bathroom of Casita, trying (and partially failing) to calm his nerves.

"You can do this," he spoke to his reflection in the mirror, "You can do this. You don't love Isabela. You don't want to marry Isabela. Mirabel is the one you love and Mirabel is the one you want. Just tell them the truth!" SMACK! "Ow," Mariano rubbed his sore cheek as he stepped out of the bathroom, "Note to self Mariano, smacking yourself like that really hurts."

He can't believe that he actually needed to smack himself in the face to realize that fact.

"Oh, Mariano!" Said man turned to see Isabela walking out of her room with a surprised smile, "Sorry. I didn't know anyone else would be up here."

"I-Isabela! Yes, hello! Um…surprised to see you here!" Wow. Even Mariano could hear how lame that sounded.

Isabela laughed a little, "Well, it is my house."

"That is true." Mariano tried to laugh, but it turned into a cough. Ironic that he'd be feeling this nervous about talking to Isabela on the ONE day that he was trying to keep his nerves away.

Though to be fair, this wasn't exactly the easiest to talk about in the first place (breaking up with someone only to proclaim love for her sister).

"Well, we should get going. Wouldn't want to keep everyone waiting, after all," Isabela pulled him out of his thoughts, giving him another smile before she started walking towards the stairs.

"WAIT!" Seeing Isabela flinch, Mariano pulled back, "I-I'm sorry! It's just…I have something very important I need to tell you."

"Well…I understand, but I don't think that our abuelas would appreciate not being here for-."

"No, not that." At Isabela's confused frown, Mariano let out a DEEP sigh, "It's something else. It's VERY important, and it shouldn't wait."

Isabela raised a single eyebrow, "Oooookay. What is it?"


Mirabel was doing her best to drown out the voices around her. Something that she NEVER did during a family meal, but…it hadn't been the easiest of days for her, and she was (frankly) just looking to hurry things along and go to sleep.

First, there was the plethora of conflicting emotions that was her youngest primo's Gift Ceremony. She was happy for him of course, especially since she knew firsthand how people tended to react to a gift-less Madrigal (and she would NEVER want her little Antonio to have to deal with that). But, it still wasn't easy to watch all of the excitement and love of the ceremony with the memory of her own playing on repeat in her head (especially since there was no shortage of people who loved to remind her of how she stood apart from her family). To say nothing of the fact that Antonio receiving a Gift confirmed to Mirabel that there was nothing wrong with the magic…but with her.

Next, there was the problem of cracks forming in Casita and the Miracle itself beginning to fade. And, to make matters worse, there was also the problem of her appearing in one of her disappeared Tio Bruno's visions. In front of a cracked Casita, no less.

And then, as if all of that wasn't enough (which, in Mirabel's humble opinion, it definitely should have been), there was the whole "business" of tonight's focus: the marriage of Mariano to Isabela.

You see, Mirabel has a secret. One that she's never told anyone. One that she's even been too afraid to speak out loud for fear of her prima hearing.

Mirabel had a crush on Mariano. Like, a MAJOR crush.

It started around four years ago when she first ("officially") met Mariano. At first, she didn't look at him twice. Sure, he seemed nice enough…but he didn't exactly seem to have much going on "upstairs" (in her humble opinion). For a long time, he was just a big dumb hunk to her.

But everything soon changed.

On one random day, Mirabel was being picked on by Manuel and his goons like usual. They weren't even saying anything special, just the typical "Useless Madrigal" and "You're nothing but a disgrace".

Did it hurt? Of course, but it wasn't anything she hadn't already heard before. The push that sent her to the ground was a little bit of a shock, but even that wasn't completely new to her.

What WAS new to her, however, was the furious yell that soon followed that shove. Turning around, everyone was shocked to see Mariano stomping over to them (the angry frown contrasting his usual warm smile so much that even Mirabel couldn't help but be intimidated).

Manuel had stepped forward with that irritating smirk on his face as he told Mariano that he didn't need to look so angry. That he understood how it looked, but that he and his friends were only talking to Mirabel when she tripped over her own feet (them going to help her being when Mariano had shown up).

Mirabel's hands clenched into fists and her gaze fell to the ground. On the VERY rare instances that any of the other villagers saw Manuel and his goons picking on Mirabel, he would never cease to convince anyone who MIGHT have helped her that nothing was wrong. He had such a silver tongue and most people already didn't focus on her, so everyone believed him.

But, apparently, not Mariano.

To everyone's shock, however, Mariano didn't buy any of it. Despite his clear rage, Mariano spoke with a surprising calmness as he told Manuel to stop lying to him (or, to quote Mariano himself, "cut the crap"). He continued by saying that he had already heard how they insulted Mirabel and saw how they shoved her to the ground and laughed.

"Do you want to pick on me?"

"W-What?!"

"I said, do you want to pick on me? Insult me? Laugh at me? Shove me to the ground like you did Mirabel?"

"No? It's because you know I'm bigger and stronger than you are, right? So, you're all just cowards. Picking on someone who can't defend themselves just so you can feel tough. You had all BETTER open up your ears, because I will say this one time and one time only: leave. Mirabel. Alone. If I ever see any of you bothering Mirabel again, you will answer to me…and we'll see how tough you are when you're dealing with someone who can and WILL fight back."

It was probably the fact that Mariano Guzmán was widely known as the "Golden Boy" who was always smiling that made it so terrifying to see him so mad.

When they had run off, Mirabel spoke to Mariano. Although she THOROUGHLY appreciated what he did, he didn't have to and she was concerned about what people might say about him due to this "event".

"Don't be ridiculous," he had replied, "It's no problem at all. I don't care about what anyone says. What they did was wrong and they need to be aware of that fact." He had then taken ahold of one of Mirabel's hands, "Please do NOT hesitate to come to me if they ever bully you again."

But, despite Mirabel's beliefs, it did work. Manuel and his friends never bothered her again. To her surprise, they would even try to put as much distance between her and them as possible if they ever spotted her. It would seem that they were genuinely terrified of Mariano (a thought that would have made her laugh only a week before those events).

That day was the day that Mirabel began looking at Mariano as more than just some "big dumb hunk".

Whenever she saw him in town, she would always run up to him to talk. Despite that nagging voice in the back of her mind saying that she was just being a bother to him, Mariano surprised her again by actually looking happy to talk to her. He didn't even bring up their last meeting, simply asking about her day and talking excitedly about anything and everything.

What started as just a chance meeting grew into Mirabel actively seeking him out every chance she got. One thing that she learned about him was that he was just so…passionate. He brought a sense of energy into every conversation that they had, never failing to breathe more energy into her with his words (and that was no easy task).

She also learned about his love of poetry at this time and offered to serve as a listener for his new works. Initially, she was just trying to be nice to her new friend (seeing as how she wasn't much of a "poetry fan"). Eventually, however, she slowly began to enjoy hearing his poems more and more.

Overall, Mirabel had become happy with her new friend. One of the happiest she had ever been since her failed ceremony.

But that all changed less than two years ago.

Abuela had taken more of a note of Mariano and it felt only inevitable that she would want him to be with Isabela. It wasn't difficult to see why. Both are attractive, nice (more genuinely in Mariano's case), and thought of as "Golden Children" by many within the Encanto. Eventually, Abuela and Señora Guzman had come together and determined that Mariano and Isabela were to be married.

Slowly, but surely, Mariano began to be…distanced from Mirabel. She tried to tell herself that it was understandable. That, even though she and Isabela had their…issues, she should just be happy that Mariano was happy. But, no matter how hard she tried, she was never able to push these feelings from her mind. It just became another upsetting factor in her life, and something else she's buried. What certainly pushed the situation was Abuela telling her to stay out of the way and not do anything to "ruin this union".

"Mirabel?" Said girl nearly fell out of her chair when someone suddenly tapped her on the shoulder, pulling her out of her thoughts. She looked to see Camilo standing next to her chair, looking at her with a concerned expression of concern on his face. "Are you okay?" Being a prankster at heart, a lot of people thought that Camilo was just a jokester who never took anything seriously. And, well…that could certainly be true, on occasion. But he was also an observant young man (he had to be to mimic people as well as he did) with a big heart. Especially when it came to his family.

"Yeah!" Mirabel coughed into her fist, blushing at her sudden yelling, "I mean, yes. I'm fine."

"Are you…sure?" The look on Camilo's face and the tone in his voice made it clear that he didn't believe her. In the slightest.

"I'm sure, primo. But…I appreciate the concern," she tried to ease Camilo's concern with a smile. Based on the look on his face, it didn't work. But, after a moment, he eventually walked over to his own chair (but not before giving Mirabel a comforting shoulder squeeze and a look that said "You can talk to me if you need to").

Mirabel (looking to see that no one was now looking at her) took a deep breath in and out, before focusing back on her food. Of course, she wasn't okay. In a few minutes, she was going to have to watch the man she loved propose to her sister (the fact that it was Isabela certainly didn't help matters either).

But…she'll just have to deal with it. Just like everything else in her life.


"O-Oh." It was a fight for Mariano not to flinch from the confused look on Isabela's face or the…odd tone in her voice.

"Yes, it's true. I should have told you from the beginning and I am sorry that I didn't, but I don't love you and I don't think we should get married. You're an amazing woman Isabela, and you deserve to be with someone who will appreciate you and everything you have to offer. But…that just isn't me. A marriage between us wouldn't be one of love from both sides, and that wouldn't be fair to either of us."

Truth be told, there were a LOT of emotions running through Isabela at the moment. Initially, she felt concerned and a little fearful at the idea of this marriage not going through and how her abuela was going to react.

But then…that all soon went away. After all, this is exactly what she's been wanting for so long. And if neither of them wanted to get married, then it's not like anyone (especially Abuela) could really complain about it. They just wanted the two of them to be happy…right?

"Okay," Isabela spoke after a few moments of silence (which only made Mariano more nervous).

"O…kay?"

"Okay," Isabela repeated herself, this time with more conviction, "I accept your reasons. To be perfectly honest, I…didn't really want to marry you either."

"Wait…really?!"

Isabela couldn't help but giggle a little bit, "Yes. It's actually the same as you: my abuela wanted it and I just wanted to make her happy. And I thought that I could "learn" to love you after time. But…if the choice was well and truly up to me, I wouldn't have gone through with it."

Mariano took a moment to think, a frown on his face, before speaking again, "We've been…"together" for over a year and a half, and neither of us knew that the other didn't want to be in this relationship in the first place. That's-."

"Pathetic," Isabela muttered in response, pinching the bridge of her nose.

"I was actually going to say "sad", but I guess that works too."

"So," Isabela spoke again, "You're going to tell my abuela?" As much as she hated herself for it, she couldn't keep the slight fear (or hope) out of her voice.

Mariano nodded, "Yes. Even if neither of us wanted to be married, I'll be the reason for it splitting up. I'll handle it, no need to worry."

Isabela sighed, feeling a sense of relief, "Thank you, Mariano."

Remembering the other reason he was here, Mariano couldn't help but flinch, "Maybe hold off on that thanks until you hear this second part."

Isabela raised a single eyebrow, "What do you mean?"

"Well," he rubbed the back of his neck, "You see, the prime reason that I'm breaking off the engagement is that there's…someone else that I love, and my abuela convinced me to go after her."

"Oh. Well…good for you," Isabela smiled at him (one far more "real" than the ones she was used to giving), "She's a lucky girl."

"Wait for it," Mariano weakly chuckled (causing Isabela to raise a single eyebrow), "You see, the person that I'm in love with is…Mirabel."

"I'm sorry, what?"

Mariano struggled not to flinch (although he did gulp) at Isabela's gaze, "I am in love with Mirabel," he spoke again, this time with more conviction, "And I'm here to make my feelings known. With any luck, she'll return my affections and your family will permit me to court her." Isabela opened her mouth to speak…before closing it. She opened it again before closing it again, holding a hand to her mouth.

Truth be told…Isabela wasn't sure exactly what she should be feeling at this moment.

Her relationship with her youngest hermana was…"complicated" (to say the least). They fought like cats and dogs, said horrible things to one another on a near-daily basis, and could barely even look at the other without glaring, scoffing, and/or rolling their eyes. In her personal opinion, Mirabel was an annoying brat who always got in the way and never appreciated how good she had it!

But, Isabela didn't hate her. No matter how bad things got or how frustrating Mirabel could be, she could NEVER hate her hermanita. She was just…irritated by her more often than not.

Isabela had honestly never thought of Mirabel dating before. Not because she thinks that her sister "wasn't good enough" for someone to date, but because she'd never heard of anyone being interested in dating Mirabel. To go a step further, Mirabel herself never even showed interest in dating before. But now, she's just learned that someone actually is interested in Mirabel in a romantic sense.

On the one hand, she reasonably understood that Mariano was a good person. He was kind, respectful, and loyal to a fault, and she knew that he would treat Mirabel like a queen. On the OTHER hand, however, she couldn't help her natural "oldest sister protective instincts" flaring up at the idea of a guy (especially one who was quite a bit older than Mirabel herself) wanting to court her baby sister.

To say that she was feeling a lot of emotions at the current moment would be an understatement.

"I…see," Isabela spoke up after a few moments of silence, with each passing moment only making Mariano more nervous.

"So, i-is that…all you have to say?"

"If I'm being perfectly honest, I'm not entirely sure how to feel. This is…a lot of information all at once, and I think that my mind just needs some time to process this."

Mariano nodded, "That's understandable. Sorry to just…spring all of this onto you. I had originally just wanted to tell you the truth about our engagement since I felt like you should know in advance. And then…I thought that it might be better to tell you about my true feelings while we were already talking."

Isabela nodded once, "Okay. Well…I suppose that I should wish you luck with the rest of the family."

A relaxed smile broke forth onto Mariano's face, "Thank you, Isabela." As soon as he finished speaking, however, he suddenly felt his limbs being constructed before he was then pulled towards Isabela (a glance down showing Mariano that it was Isabela's vines).

"But, if you are successful in this, I'm going to say this now," Isabela's voice now took on an icy tone, which seemed to perfectly contrast the roaring flames in her eyes, "If you do ANYTHING to hurt mi hermanita, I will make the rest of you life a living. Hell," Mariano could feel the vines tighten around his body, "Do. I. Make. Myself. Clear?"

Despite taking a moment to gulp, Mariano didn't flinch nor did he look away from the blazing gaze of the eldest Madrigal grandchild, "Crystal. I can tell you this, Isabela: if I did something to hurt Mirabel, I hope that you WOULD react like that." Isabela narrowed her eyes as she continued to glare at Mariano.

Truth be told, she was surprised by Mariano's calm response. She was actually kind of impressed, though she hid that well.

"Good," with a snap of her fingers, Mariano was released from the vines, "Now then, we should go ahead downstairs," Isabela smoothed out her dress and put back on that air of calmness that she was known for before she began walking down the stairs.

Mariano took a moment to watch Isabela walk, before (after ensuring that she wasn't looking) taking a moment to stretch out his arms and legs. He took a moment to catch his breath and mentally prepare himself. If that was Isabela's reaction, he should be prepared for how the other Madrigals would act.

Best case scenario? This was going to be QUITE the night.


The dinner was certainly an…"event". There was an odd atmosphere in the air once Mariano and Isabela had arrived, though not everyone could tell.

Actually…outside of Dolores and Señora Guzmán (both of whom already knew what was going to happen), Camilo (arguably the most observant in the family), and the "rats in the walls", no one really knew that anything out of the ordinary was up.

Things had started as initially planned. Food was served and conversations were had. Overall…it was a pretty nice and peaceful affair.

Of course, that couldn't last long (not in this house).

Alma stood up a good way into dinner, a wine glass in hand and a smile on her face, "The Guzmáns and the Madrigals will be so good for the Encanto. I propose a toast!" Everyone in the room raised their glasses (of either wine or juice, depending on the person) for the toast…everyone except for the Guzmáns themselves.

Señora Guzmán then reached over to gently lower her friend's arm, "Maybe who should hold off for a moment." Everyone slowly lowered their glasses, confused expressions on many of their faces.

"What do you mean?" Alma asked her old friend, an eyebrow raised.

Señora Guzmán then turned towards her grandson with a warm smile, "Mariano, isn't there something you would like to say?"

With a sigh to calm his nerves, Mariano stood up with a sturdy look in his eyes, "Yes, there is." Despite how nervous Mariano felt from everyone's eyes on him, he pushed all of his fear and hesitation behind a mask of "confidence" (for lack of a better term), "This is something that I should have done long ago, and I offer my humblest apologies that it took me this long to do so." The Madrigals (or, rather, most of them) shared various looks of confusion at Mariano's words, "I am calling off the engagement." The moment those words left his mouth, just about everyone present stared at him like he had just said that the sky was purple (Mirabel in particular had her jaw dropped so low that it was practically about to fall off).

The only Madrigal (besides Isabela, of course) who didn't look shocked? Dolores, who simply took a sip of wine as her gaze shifted from Mariano to Isabela to Mirabel (having to fight to keep a smirk off of her face)

Alma (to the surprise of no one) was the first to recover, "What do you mean you're "calling off the engagement"? Why wouldn't you want to marry Isabela?! Mi nieta is perfect!" Isabela couldn't help but flinch at that word (despite her best efforts to conceal it).

"Please, don't misunderstand my feelings Señora. I have no problem with Isabela in any sense of the word."

"Then why are you calling off this engagement?! It would be so good for the Encanto!"

"Perhaps," Mariano shrugged. He wasn't "crazy" about the way that Alma kept describing his and Isabela's relationship, but he had no desire to be disrespectful to the matriarch or to extend the discussion too far off-topic, "But, I'm afraid it won't happen. The reason for me calling off this engagement? It really is quite simple: I don't love Isabela. As I said, there's nothing "wrong" with her. She's smart, determined, confident…truly an exceptional woman in her own right," despite already knowing what was happening, Isabela couldn't help but let out a small blush at Mariano's words (most people would have listed her beauty and Gift above all else, and that's taking the leap that they would mention anything besides those two aspects), "But she is not the one who I love."

"The one you-?" Alma's narrowed suddenly widened before anger encompassed her features, "Have you been cheating on Isabela this whole time?!"

SLAM!

Everyone flinched at the sudden noise, turning to its source. Señora Guzmán had her eyes closed and was breathing heavily through her nose. After taking in a deep breath, she opened her eyes and locked gazes with Alma, "Mi vieja amiga…I can understand your concern and anger at the possibility of your nieta being taken advantage of. However…I will ask you once, POLITELY, to not make any claims about my Mariano that don't have any grounds. And that's not even mentioning the fact that I'd expect you of all people to know that he is NOT that kind of person."

Mariano placed a hand on his grandmother's shoulder, "It's alright, abuela. I'll admit that I could have worded my sentence better," he let out a small chuckle, rubbing the back of his neck.

Truth be told, Alma wasn't the only Madrigal who suspected that Mariano was cheating on Isabela based on his words. And, as one might imagine, NONE of them were happy by that possibility. Many of them were about to either shoot Mariano glares or make angry comments of their own…but quickly shut up when Señora Guzmán slammed her hand against the table.

They didn't realize before now how scary that woman could be.

Mariano spoke up, "To alleviate your concern, I assure you that I was NEVER unfaithful to Isabela during our relationship. Although I may not have truly loved Isabela, I would NEVER disrespect her in such a manner." If Señora Guzmán's outburst didn't get rid of everyone's anger, the emotion in Mariano's words did (probably helped by the fact that Mariano was someone who wore his heart on his sleeve and couldn't outright lie to someone if his life depended on it). "The truth that I came over to tell you is-," Mariano paused, before taking in a deep and shaky breath (making some of the Madrigals look to one another in confusion…or even concern), "-the TRUTH…the truth is that I'm in love with Mirabel."

The room was brought about into such a sudden and all-encompassing silence that you could have heard the squeak of a rat from the other side of Casita.

Agustin spat out his drink while Julieta's stunned gaze darted back and forth between Mariano and her youngest daughter. Felix nearly choked on his food and had to pound against his chest to get the food to go down the right way while Pepa's jaw dropped, a thundering cloud forming overhead. Luisa crushed the glass in her hand as her eye began to twitch while Isabela looked…surprisingly calm. Camilo was now glaring at Mariano with visible fire in his eyes while Dolores let the smallest of smirks show and Antonio just looked confused (after all, who couldn't didn't love Mirabel? His prima was great!). Señora Guzmán smiled warmly at her grandson while Alma looked like she'd been force-fed a piece of meat that had gone rotten over fifty years ago.

And, as for Mirabel herself? The poor girl had all but frozen in place, multiple emotions speeding across her face.

"WHAT?!" Multiple Madrigals (including Agustin, Pepa, Luisa, and Camilo) exclaimed at once. Despite the nerves he felt, Mariano's face remained one of stone.

"With all due respect, I did not hesitate nor stutter. You all heard precisely what I said, and you know what it means. Mirabel is the one that I'm in love with."

Alma looked at him like he had just said something stupid (which Mariano really wasn't a fan of), "Why would you want Mirabel when Isabela is sitting right here?!" Although she tried to hide it, Mirabel couldn't keep from flinching at her abuela's words. Although she had long since understood that Abuela cared for Isabela more than her, the words still hurt a great deal. The idea that anyone could look at Mirabel that way is just ridiculous, especially when there are CLEARLY "better options" available. Isabela, Dolores, Luisa, Camilo, and even Antonio (when he was of age)…Abuela would no doubt fight her hardest to ensure that they all get married to amazing people and have numerous children to "continue the Madrigal legacy".

But Mirabel? She's the defect…the problem…the Madrigal who was useless because she wasn't given a Gift. The Madrigal would wasn't "worthy" of being blessed by her family's "Miracle". Never good enough for Abuela…no matter what she did or how hard she tried.

"As I stated before, Señora," Mariano's firm voice brought everyone's attention to him (a frown on his face) as he stood, "I have nothing against Isabela…she simply isn't the one that I love. I only agreed with this relationship in the first place because I believed that it was what my family wanted, and I would do anything to make them happy and proud." Some of the Madrigals (primarily Dolores and Camilo) noticed how Isabela seemed to flinch at those words, "But…I always knew the truth. I've known for years that it was Mirabel who held my heart." He then looked in Mirabel's direction, the glasses-wearing girl freezing when their gazes locked.

And, yet…she couldn't make herself look away.

"Oh Dios mío," Dolores muttered to herself as she watched Mariano kneel before her youngest prima (quiet enough that no one could hear her with their "normal hearing"), excitement coursing through her veins at what was about to happen.

Mirabel was still feeling a lot of conflicting emotions, a primary one being fear. But looking into Mariano's warm eyes, his hands being held out in an asking manner…she felt her fear slowly bleeding out of her body. Eventually, Mirabel placed her (still shaking) hands into Mariano's own.

"Mirabel," Mariano spoke in an even tone (though, if you were perspective enough, you could tell that there was still a slight tremble in his voice), "I'm sorry for pushing this all onto you out of nowhere. I had only planned to end the engagement to your sister tonight and that's it, but I…I couldn't hold myself back any longer. I know how sudden this must be, but...there was something in me that couldn't let another day pass without telling you the truth." The youngest Madrigal granddaughter looked away from Mariano's gaze, seeming very…confused (for lack of a better term). Eventually, though, she found it within herself to speak.

"I…I-I don't…this doesn't make any sense."

Now, it was Mariano's turn to look confused, "What do you mean?"

Mirabel's cheeks darkened as she refused to meet the older male's gaze, "I…I have feelings for you, okay?!" Everyone was caught off-guard by the young girl's sudden proclamation, but NONE more than Mariano (whose eyes looked like they were about to pop clean out of his skull), "I've…felt this way for years now. But…I don't understand. You're…funny, kind, passionate, and talented. You're the Encanto's "Golden Boy", who could have pretty anyone in this village that he wants. Why would you want…me? The worthless, waste of space Madrigal?" Well…THAT certainly got a reaction out of everyone.

Agustin and Julieta were HORRIFIED by what had just come from their youngest daughter's mouth, while Isabela looked at her hermanita in utter shock and Luisa looked like she was about five seconds away from crying.

A thundering cloud appeared above Pepa's head while Felix moved to grab his wife's hand (both of them wishing that they didn't just hear those words from their precious sobrina's mouth). Dolores shut her eyes in grief while Camilo looked at Mirabel in sadness and Antonio just seemed confused.

Señora Guzmán looked absolutely stunned by hearing such dark thoughts coming from such a bright girl while Mariano's head had dropped (hiding his eyes from everyone's view).

Even Alma looked surprised by what she just heard from Mirabel. Is that…is that what her nieta really thought of herself?

"You're wrong." Everyone's eyes went to Mariano, whose head was still down.

"W-What?" Before she could say anything else, Mirabel was suddenly caught off-guard by the sheer emotion in Mariano's eyes when they locked gazes.

"I said you're wrong. This idea that you've built up in your head about you not being "good enough"? That's not true. You, Mirabel Madrigal, are a treasure. No, that doesn't give you the justice you deserve. I've watched you for years now and you have become my entire world. You are what gives me the strength to pick myself up in the mornings even on my worst days. Your smile and laughter are what breathe life into not only me but into the Encanto itself. Your kindness and determination are what inspire me to be the best version of myself, in hopes that I can become worthy of you." Mariano closed his eyes and took in a breath to calm himself, "Mirabel…you ask me why would I want you?" He looked up to meet her gaze, "I ask…what man wouldn't want you?"

Despite their…"concern" about the idea of their youngest daughter being in a relationship (let alone one with someone quite a few years older than her), Agustin and Julieta couldn't help but smile at Mariano's words. Despite Mirabel's best attempts to hide her feelings, they were always able to tell how much pain their little girl went through at not having a Gift. Although they never failed to tell her that she WAS good enough and that they will ALWAYS love her no matter what…they were only two voices against the countless others who filled her head with the wrong thoughts. So, the idea that someone held such a pure and passionate love of Mirabel for who she was? It was difficult for them not to get a little teary-eyed.

Mirabel's sisters already had tears in their eyes, hearts overflowing with joy at such love being held for their hermanita. Whereas Luisa held no shame as the tears ran down her cheeks, Isabela kept wiping her eyes (trying, in vain, to keep herself "steady").

The cloud above Pepa's head remained, but the emotions she was feeling were positive instead of negative. She held onto her husband's arm tightly in joy, while Felix was smiling so big that it was starting to hurt.

Little Antonio still looked somewhat confused by what was happening, but he was happy and smiling brightly at so many nice words being said about his favorite prima. Dolores had to bite down on her fist to keep herself from squealing in joy and even Camilo couldn't help but be impressed by Mariano's words. When he turned his head to the side, he locked gazes with his hermana.

Damn, he mouthed to Dolores.

I KNOW, right? She mouthed back to him.

Señora Guzmán looked at the two young ones with absolute joy, while Alma just looked…conflicted.

As for Mirabel herself? Well…if her face was red before, you'd need a WHOLE new word for how she looked now. It was like her entire body had changed color at this point.

"Do you…d-do you really…mean that?" Even though Mirabel knew that Mariano was too kind (and, to be blunt, simple) to manipulate someone's emotions like that, she still couldn't silence that voice in the back of her head. The one that told her that the idea that someone would be interested in the Defective Madrigal was downright LAUGHABLE.

"I do," Mariano replied without hesitation, nor even breaking eye contact, "With every last TRACE of my being, I do mean it. My heart beats for you. My life is better because of you. I am wholeheartedly and undeniably in love with you, Mirabel Madrigal." Mariano then reached into his pocket and pulled out a small black box before placing it in Mirabel's hand.

"W-What's this?"

"This was the ring that was made as a "placeholder" months ago. I…had told mi familia that I didn't have the real ring made because I hadn't decided on how I wanted it to look."

"Ah, to think that mi precioso nieto would be…dishonest with me," Señora Guzmán teased, placing the back of her hand on her forehead with a smirk. Mariano smiled a bit, his cheeks growing red as everyone in the room chuckled.

Mariano then closed Mirabel's hand around the box, "I'm not proposing tonight, but I want you to hold onto this ring. I know that a lot happened tonight, and I understand if you're feeling a little…overwhelmed. But I simply couldn't go any longer without making my feelings on…well, everything clear. The truth is that you've held onto my heart for years, and I am positive that no one would be able to pry it from you. I hope that you will give a relationship between us a chance so that I can be granted the opportunity to prove myself worthy of you. If at ANY point you would wish to end such a relationship…then I will step back without a fight, hoping that we could still be friends. But, if three years pass and your feelings for me haven't changed…NOTHING in this WORLD would make me happier than having the ability to call you my wife." EVERYONE in the room (even Mariano's grandmother) was stunned by the words that fell from the young man's mouth, but they weren't the focus of his attention.

Only Mirabel was.

Speaking of said girl, she found herself torn between the immediate feelings of joy and confusion. Mariano Guzmán, the one that she had been in love with since she was a kid, had all but proposed to her of all people. The idea that the man of her dreams loved her and wants to be with her (forever if she allows it) almost felt too good to be true, and part of her almost thought that it was a dream…before immediately remembering that what had happened tonight was too "mixed" to be a dream.

(Mirabel's dreams were always either a perfect paradise, or an absolute nightmare…no in-between, middle ground, or wiggle room for this girl)

Part of Mirabel wanted to take a look at everyone else at the table to see what kind of reaction everyone was having. Another part of her, however, was too afraid to do that, fearful of what she might see (especially on Abuela's face).

But then…all thoughts on her family and any expectations disappeared from her mind.

For as long as she could remember, Mirabel's entire life has been focused on her family. And this only increased when she didn't get her Gift when she turned five. Every action taken every day was focused on either trying to help the family or figuring out various skills to be of use to the community. She understood how she was looked at by most: a member of a magical family who helped everyone, yet lacked power of her own to be of use to anyone. For as long as she could remember, Mirabel had always done everything (within her ability) for everyone else. She had always put everyone before herself, not wanting to be selfish in fear that people would only think even LESS of her than they already do.

But…it's not like her going after love (with someone who loved her back) would be "selfish", would it? And even if it was, hasn't she of all people earned the right to be selfish? Just this once?

Mirabel shut her eyes and took in a DEEP breath, before letting it out. Her grip on Mariano's hands tightened as she opened her eyes, looking directly into the eyes of the older male (whose own orbs held a gaze that contained a sense of hope, but also one of…acceptance, should it come to it).

"Mariano," Mirabel spoke up after a few more moments of silence, her voice sounding a little hesitant before she swallowed and held her head up a little higher, "The simple truth is that I've felt the way I have since I was eleven. I was so sure that it was just a "pre-teen crush" that would go away eventually. But it never did. If anything, it only grew. No matter what I did or what I told myself, that's just how it was. I-," Mirabel's grip on Mariano's hands tightened, "-I love you." Any lingering sense of fear Mirabel felt was pulled away from around her heart when she saw how Mariano's face lit up by her words (thrilled for the best even if he was prepared to accept the worst).

"If that's true, then…you will stand by me?" Mirabel let a small laugh breakthrough, her eyes growing a little watery.

"Well, I certainly can't say that I'm ready for marriage or anything," Mirabel quipped with a teasing smirk, "But…I certainly have no complaints if you really want to give this a try." God, that sounded SO much better in her head. She sounded like such an IDIOT! Why couldn't she have just said something like "Yes" or "Of course", like a normal person?! But then…she saw Mariano's face and the expression that was there. His eyes widened a little bit (as if he was shocked that she'd want to be with him) before his face was consumed by the BIGGEST grin that she had ever seen before. She couldn't help but giggle, "You know…you look a few years younger when you smile like that, ya big dope."

Mariano just chuckled, "Well…how else is a man supposed to react when the woman he loves tells him that she wants to be with him?" Just then, Mariano found himself filled with a desire that he's known for a long time, but has never been able to act on…until now.

Mariano, not caring about anyone else in the room, gently placed his hand on Mirabel's cheek and pressed his lips against her own.

All of Mirabel's immediate family were now openly weeping, their hearts filled with so much happiness that they felt like they were about to explode. There was so much joy coursing through their bodies that they couldn't even think about "speaking" to Mariano to ensure that he knew how they expected their mariposita to be treated.

That will come later.

Pepa (having previously thrown her arms around her husband) had to press her mouth into the side of Felix's neck to keep herself from SCREAMING at the happiness that she was feeling. Felix rolled his eyes in amusement at his wife, but he specifically pressed his mouth against Pepa's forehead to keep his dopey smile (that he just KNEW was on his face) hidden from others.

Dolores was smiling bigger than she had since she was a child, breathing through her nose as she quickly patted her knees. Camilo pretended to be grossed out, but even he couldn't stop himself from smiling (if Mariano could make his melliza so happy, then he couldn't be THAT bad anyway). Antonio genuinely was weirded out by the kiss (always looking away when his parents or tio and tia would do the same) but felt happy when he saw the big smile on Mirabel's face when she and Mariano had separated.

Señora Guzmán was trying her wet eyes with her handkerchief while Alma looked…"calmer" than she had before. Although she still felt confused and frustrated by this turn of events, she couldn't help but note how Mirabel smiled as she and Mariano pressed their foreheads together.

She hadn't seen Mirabel smile like that in a...long time.

As for the (new) happy couple themselves? It was as if no one else was present. As they held onto each other tightly and gazed into their love's eyes, it felt as if everything had FINALLY clicked into place.

At this moment…they understood what it meant to find their "other half".


Within the walls of Casita, hidden from the sight of everyone, sat a surprising (yet familiar) face.

Bruno Madrigal had to cover his mouth to keep himself quiet, the tears freely falling down his cheeks. He normally hated himself for crying to this degree, but he couldn't help it.

He hadn't been this happy in a LONG time.

When Isabela and Mariano's relationship was first announced to the entire family, he felt a similar sense of joy. He had seen how happy his hermanas were once they found love, and he was thrilled to see his eldest sobrina begin that same journey.

But something was wrong. Isabela smiled whenever Mariano was brought up but it just looked so…fake. Her posture looked tense and her eyes didn't have the slightest trace of the light that he'd seen from his hermanas and their husbands. It didn't take him long to understand that this wasn't a relationship chosen by Isabela…but one that was arranged by his mother.

He hated arranged relationships. His mama had tried to put him into one on two different occasions in his mid-twenties and then again in his late thirties. He got out of both of them (with some aid from his hermanas and cuñados in the latter case), but he always knew how disappointed she was with him. He had HOPED that his mama would have learned that arranged relationships like that were a bad idea.

Unfortunately…that didn't seem to be the case.

There had been COUNTLESS instances (more than he could remember) in the past where he had wanted to step out of the walls to help his family through their problems as best he could, and this was one of the biggest.

Forcing her granddaughter to marry someone that she didn't love? Wanting her to bare children with a man she held no feelings for? Even though Bruno liked to believe that his mother wouldn't force any of her grandchildren into a marriage they didn't want if she knew better, he couldn't help but feel angry at her actions.

Truth be told, he did NOT know that Mirabel would be the one that had feelings for Mariano. But he felt happy. Not only was Isabela freed from a marriage she did not want, but Mirabel was free to be with the man she loved.

As he wiped the tears from his face, Bruno couldn't help but smile like an idiot.

Good for you, Mirabel. Good for you.

(Author's Note: Annnnnnnnd scene!

Soooooo…what did we think?

The inspirations for this chapter are chapters 4 & 10 of "Mirabel oneshots" by "bobalover21", chapters 30 & 31 of "Everyday life of the Madrigals." by "jamacd97", and "You Deserve Better (Mariano x Mirabel)" by "Anomaly1003"…all of which can be found on Archive Of Our Own.

bobalover21's story was the BIGGEST inspiration for this, as that was the story that first made me even consider a "Mariano/Mirabel" pairing.

Now…in anticipation of someone's comment, I will address the age gap between Mirabel and Mariano right now. I understand that pairing a fifteen-year-old with a twenty-two-year-old (I headcanon Mariano as being older than Isabela and Dolores) is a tad...concerning (to say the least). In my personal headcanon, Mariano is known by everyone as one of the kindest and most well-meaning people within the entire Encanto. He doesn't have a bad bone in his body. The Madrigals wouldn't mind this relationship in the long run because they (deep down) know that Mariano would never hurt Mirabel or try to pressure her into "intimacy". He's the kind of sweetheart who could look a girl's parents in the eyes and say "I will not lay a hand on your daughter until (x amount of years)" and they would wholeheartedly believe him because they know that he couldn't tell a lie or manipulate someone to save his life.

So yeah. Definitely a raised eyebrow (and not something I'm sure ANY of us would tolerate if it involved a friend or relative of our own), but not as bad as you may think in the long run. And for any "leftovers" who are still gonna try to yell at me or make a smartass comment about how "awful" and "weird" I am? If you've ever written or (intentionally) read a fanfic with a similar age gap, you have no leg to stand on:/

So…what do we think? Standalone chapter, or do we think we can get a continuation out of this? If the latter, let me know what you'd like to see.

Constructive criticism ONLY…no flames, please.

Review, Favorite, Follow, and I'll see you guys next time:)