A/N: Hey, everyone! It's been almost a month since the last update, I apologise. I hope you're still interested in this story.

Enjoy!


Chapter 8

First Kiss

The sole thing she could see at first was the orange glow.

Fire.

A torchlight, to be exact.

Against her instinct, she reached for it.

It did not burn her. The flames didn't even exude heat.

The darkness around her dissipated all of a sudden, and she found herself in the middle of a wide street. It was night, but she somehow knew the sun hadn't set long ago. Around her, people were bolting in the other direction, their faces contorted from screams. Fire was eating the houses bordering the street, smoke swirled high above, and lightning cracked the furious sky.

Weapons were discarded on the ground.

There was only the image, everything and everyone moving in slow motion.

No sounds.

No smell.

Mirabel stumbled backwards. She hastily searched for Casa Madrigal, but her beloved home was not in sight.

Where was she?

Was this Encanto?

Was this from the future? The past?

Was this what Alma had gone through when she had fled her home alongside Abuelo Pedro and their new-born triplets?

Was this a raid?

She scanned the frozen faces. None she recognized.

She darted in the direction people were fleeing from.

She abruptly halted after rounding a corner.

A night-black stallion was standing on its rear legs, and the rider…

His face was veiled in darkness, but even so, the sight of him chilled her bones. He was wielding a mighty sword that sparkled in the torchlight, and light armour. Shadows seemed to linger to him, as though they spoke in his ear.

More riders were behind him, all with unnoticeable faces, all emanating the same raw ferocity, infusing a terror like no other within her.

She turned on her heel, ready to dash away.

Everything was now nothing but embers and ash.


Mirabel flinched, startling awake.

The valley expanded in front of her in its ethereal beauty, its undisturbed calm. The moon was high up.

"Mira, you okay?"

She met Carlos' concerned gaze. One of his arms had circled her waist, and his warm hand was squeezing hers. She'd fallen asleep in his embrace, snuggled into each other on the trunk of the old willow.

"Nightmare," she mumbled. "Or, if I think twice, it wasn't the usual nightmare. It was… different."

"Different in what way?"

"Everything was in slow motion, but it was more than that. It did not… feel like a dream, you know? I don't think I was in Encanto, but there were still mountains around. Plus, I always dream of faces that I've seen at some point. All those people… I knew none of them." She shook her head. "It's complicated. And weird. I had this sensation that I was walking through time."

The hand on her waist drew her closer, and she welcomed his warmth. "What was the dream about? Do you want to tell me?"

She knew that if she said no, he would not push her. But she was braver than that.

"A raid."

The words struck him, and he leaned back on the tree, his gaze wandering far into the distance; it was plain that he'd gone somewhere, somewhere she could not see, perhaps not even understand. Ever.

In spite of her growing regret to unveil the experience, seeing it had stirred sorrow within him, he had asked her to talk about it, so…

"And at the end of the dream, there was this rider on a huge black horse. I didn't see his face, nor the other riders', but he, most of all, appalled me. There was something… ancient and infinitely terrifying about him. Not only because he was possibly the leader of a group of rebels or conquerors or I don't know who else, but also because… something was amiss. There was more to him than I can pin-point."

Carlos blinked, perplexed. He stared at her for a few long moments before drawing her into his arms once more. She took in his scent, allowing it to balm her fears.

"Forget it, cosa linda. It was only a nightmare."

"But I—"

He rubbed her shoulder. "Hush, Mira. Rest. I'm here. I'm with you. Nothing bad will happen. It wasn't real. Stop thinking about it."

"I'm telling you, it felt so real!"

"I know, but it wasn't. Breathe, please."

She sighed. "I know what I saw, what I felt."

When he chuckled, she looked up, frowning and crossing her arms. "What?"

He stroked his chin, a crooked smile appearing on his handsome face. "I wonder how I can make you change your mind."

"Change my mind about what?"

"Don't play dumb with me, Mirabel." He poked her side faster than she had time to dodge the touch. She giggled.

"You wouldn't dare…" She jumped back on the soft grass, raising her hands in defence.

His grin only grew. "You underestimate me."

She found herself in his iron grip, his fingers dancing on her sides, eliciting wild laughter out of her.

"Carlos, stop it, you dolt!"

"No way! I'm having too much fun!"

Through tears of mirth, Mirabel managed to rip a tuft of grass and shove it in his face. He spat out the grass and soil, but surprisingly did not release her, making her laugh ten times harder instead.

"You want me to choke?!" he gasped, his breath ragged, but his smile belied his amusement.

"You looked good with green on your face."

His face was priceless, indeed. She wiped her eyes. "Oh, Carlos, I'm just messing with you!"

She snuggled into his arms; he placed a kiss on her forehead.

"You're a stubborn girl, Mira."

"Growing woman, if you please, Carlos. And you're just as stubborn as I am."

He chuckled. "We match."

"You bet."

There was something in that moment, something that made both of them still in their places, serious again.

"I'm glad you talked to me tonight," he said after a pause. "I was really starting to get worried you'd bottle up your emotions and withdraw. Do you feel better?"

"Sí. Much better. You're a great listener, Carlos. And advisor."

His heart always fluttered when she voiced his name. She said it differently than everyone else; when Rafael called him, it was usually accompanied by mischief, Mariano's call was usually loud and energetic, and Tía Helena's was full of care. But Mirabel's was unique in a way he could not pinpoint, but he adored it all the more.

"Come on," she spoke. "I wanna show you something."

Hand in hand, Mirabel dragged him along the bank of the lake, circling half of it until they were on the other side of the valley. When they entered a forest, he asked, "Is this safe, Mira?"

"Yes, it is. There are no wild animals in Encanto. ¡Vamos!"

After about ten minutes of trying not to get tangled in the undergrowth, nor trip over fallen branches, they came across a curtain of thick vines stretching a few metres wide.

"I discovered this place a few days ago. I doubt there are other people who know about it."

With Carlos eyeing everything with sheer interest, she pulled the vines aside, strengthening her hold on his hand.

"Keep your head low."

They ducked in what felt like a tunnel. Before long, Mirabel straightened her spine, and Carlos did the same, his jaw dropping.

The moon was dancing on the water in the middle of the high, wide cavern, water streaming from the variously-sized waterfalls on each wall. Light trembled throughout the chamber thanks to bioluminescence. Vines and wild plants were thriving, and moss covered a great part of rocks and boulders. The air was undisturbed, as if it had been protected from the eyes of the world for centuries, as if it held a magic of its own. There were also drawings on the walls, symbols and shapes that had been carved into the rock.

"This is… this is mesmerizing!" Carlos whispered. "But why… Why show me this, Mira?"

She shrugged. "I wanted someone else to know about this place, too, and… well, you were the first person who came to mind."

He grinned playfully. "Me? Why?"

She rolled her eyes, but a smile appeared nonetheless. "Now you're milking it. Let me show you something else."

She led him on a rough winding stone path that climbed to the most majestic waterfall. In no time, they found themselves behind the shimmering water, the splashes a gentle music that filled the room with an ethereal ambiance.

"This is enchanting," he admitted as they rested against a dry flat rock. "And it's even more incredible because you're here with me."

He returned her hug halfway, revelling in her vanilla and cinnamon scent.

"I'm glad I met you, Carlos."

"Me too, cosa linda. Me too."

She pulled back just enough to look at him. There were stars in his eyes, and the green rings in his irises were glowing.

She laughed soundlessly. "You kissed me quite a few times back there. I think it's time I repaid you."

Before he had the chance to entirely register her words, she pressed her lips to his.

She had never kissed anyone. Yet she did not feel daunted at all. It was short and simple, but it kindled a sense of belonging in her, one unlike anything she had ever experienced.

Her cheeks turned crimson as the reality of her deed dawned upon her. Just as he was about to respond, she flinched back, raking her curls with slightly trembling fingers. "I'm sorry, was it too much? Too early? Was I sweaty? Díos, I ate fish for dinner!"

With a hooked finger, Carlos tipped her chin up. The amount of fondness in his gaze and smile almost made her knees melt. "I didn't taste fish, nor did I smell it." He leaned closer to her face, barely a brush away now. "Only you."

Her breath caught in her throat as he sealed his lips to hers. The arm he had draped around her waist pressed her body into his, and his hand caressed her jaw.

The splashes of the waterfall became distant, everything except their bubble of happiness melting away when Mirabel's stomach exploded with butterflies. She combed her fingers through his soft hair, kissing him back just as fiercely.

It was a kiss they had both longed for ever since the day they had met, a kiss that renounced their defences, and the wall of fear and doubt they had put between them. They had been daring to breach that wall little by little, yet now, it came crumbling down from the force of their budding passion.

The kiss made Mirabel feel whole, feel home. It whispered a promise and a truth she had not dared to accept until now.

Carlos was her world.

And she was his.

This kiss was not just a fleeting moment of intimacy. It was what bridged their worlds, their very beings, an unshakable, undeniable connection that entwined their hearts and souls.

"I love you, Mirabel," Carlos whispered against her lips. "More than I could ever tell you."

No words had ever felt more real.

She leaned her forehead on his. "I love you, too. You are the person of my dreams, Carlos. Mi vida, mi príncipe. I've waited for you so long…"

His eyes sparkled. Certainty, sincerity, and pure, unwavering devotion reflected in them like moonlight in the lake below.

"But this long wait was worth it, because Heaven brought you to me." Her voice was as gentle as the falling droplets of water around them, and held the intensity of a loyal lover.

He lifted her to his level. "I fell for you three years ago when I first saw you, mi amor," he said after a burning kiss to her neck that made her body undergo a surge of electricity. "For years, I prayed to be given the bliss to see you again, even if only for a moment." He laughed as he spun her, the vivid proof of his jubilation delighting her more than anything else. "And when I finally, finally saw you…"

He placed her back on the ground, his hands clasped on her waist, his gaze a mirror of his soul. She held her breath.

"...you were more than I could have ever imagined. You still are. I still can't entirely believe Heaven has allowed me to be with you. By your side. You will always be the light of my life."

That was all it took for her tears to spill. A sob escaped her as she hugged him tighter than ever before, taking in every detail of this moment. His eyes, his smile, his smell - mango and caramel - the warmth of the bond they had welcomed, how their mouths fit perfectly in each other's embrace, how tightly they held one another, how nothing else remained except their newfound universe, how he pulled her into a dance of bliss around the waterfalls that sang of two destinies woven into one.


A/N: Thanks for reading!

Well, the long-awaited moment finally happened. Any thoughts?