Doodles by me! This is the concept I have for Abuela Juliet.
Sorry for this chapter being so late... A lot happened. First, the surgery, then my aunt died, and not a week later, her sister died, so... yeah. It was a very rough time. Thank you for being patient.
On with the story!
The sun was setting, it was getting darker, and thus, colder outside of the Encanto. They knew that they had to get the two children, Aletia and Emil, into town quickly. They knew Aletia wouldn't be able to take the change in temperature in her condition, neither of them could. Even now, they were shivering slightly due to a simple breeze.
Luisa held them tighter, trying to use her large arms to give them even a little of her warmth. To her delight, both snuggled in just a bit closer to her, Emil burrowing between her and his sister in a tiny little ball. Aletia held him tighter, wrapping her arms around him more.
It was as if it was a natural, instinctual thing to make sure that her brother was secure and comfortable. As soon as she settled him again, they could hear the little guy's mumbling. "Te quelo, Leti... zzz..." The baby said, pronouncing it a bit wrong but still having his little smile as he drifted back into slumber.
It was so cute how he always called her by her pet name, it showed how close they were.
"Te quiero más, mi luz, forever..." Dolores heard her whisper. Luisa was also able to just barely hear it too because she was holding both of them. Dolores looked at Luisa, Luisa to Isabela, Isabela to Mirabel, and then all of them at each other.
They made a very serious decision at that moment.
"We are keeping them, they are precious."
Luisa was overwhelmed with the urge to adopt these kids. Both Aletia and Emil were teeny compared to her, and every fiber of her being was screaming "protect" and she was going to listen to it.
"All of us are, hermanita." Isabela nodded. She gently brushed the stray hairs out of Aletia's face
"It's unanimous, prima." Dolores was all in. Aside from the coincidental name that slipped from Aletia's mouth, these two were too precious to not keep.
"Yep, absolutely." Mirabel was in on the adoption, too. Was it weird to adopt someone almost your age? Surely it had to be. Did she care? Nope, not at all.
It was decided. And it was in this state of mind they made it back into their beloved Encanto.
Meanwhile, Camilo and Antonio had rushed to Casita to give their family the news. On their way, they also told the people that an emergency case was coming through and not to crowd the main road. They had to make sure that the girls' journey back to the house was unhindered, and the townspeople were happy to comply.
They were just as worried for the young ones on the mountain. Encanto was a very social town, so word had gotten around quickly.
Soon enough, they got to Casita. Immediately, they noticed that something was off.
"Casita, you good?" Camilo asked. Everything seemed to tremble slightly, but the air wasn't heavy with dread like it was before. He didn't feel anything wrong with his gift, so it wasn't candle troubles again... No, if anything the candle was glowing brighter than it had.
So, what was going on?
His Mama and Tia met him in the lobby area, the worry in their eyes clear, "Everyone okay? Where's everyone else?" His Mama asked, checking both him and Antonio over as gray clouds hovered over her head.
"How bad were they, Camilo?" Tia Julieta asked, and both adults waited for the boys to speak.
"They were really sick, Tia," Antonio said, frowning as Camilo agreed with him.
"Yeah," He shifted into the girl, Aletia, "The girl was almost delirious with fever, and as you can see, she was covered head to toe in wounds. She didn't trust us, and she's blind, Tia." Both of the adults gasped, but Camilo wasn't finished. "She had her brother with her. He didn't seem to have a fever as she did but..."
He shifted again, and Pepa's cloud was full-on raining at this point. "He's so small..."
Julieta wasn't much better, "They're both so thin, and all of those wounds... Agustin! Get more bandages from the backroom! Felix, gather me water and towels! Actually, Pepa! You're already raining, can you direct some of it into a bowl for me? Your rain has some of your magic in it, it works a bit like medicine when combined with mine. Can you do it?"
"Of course," Pepa sniffled, "Amor, would you—"
"I already have the bucket for you, Mi Vida, let all of your emotions flow," Felix was always prepared, Pepa couldn't be more thankful to have him as a husband.
"Corazón!" Agustin called, running back with tons of white rolls of bandages in his hands. There were so many that he could barely see in front of himself, "I found the bandage-Ack!"
So, of course, he tripped on something he failed to see and avoid.
"I'm good! I'm okay!" He got up quickly, but his voice sounded awkward because of his nose... yeah, he wasn't exactly okay.
Julieta sighed. She grabbed an already prepared arepa and fed it to him.
In all of that commotion, they hadn't noticed the look on Abuela's face when Camilo shifted into the children on the mountain. They hadn't noticed her take shaky steps forward until she stood just in front of Camilo.
"Abuela...? Are you okay?" Camilo's question is what brought them to a halt, their attention turning to the elderly woman.
"Neito," She said, her voice soft, yet brimming with emotion they couldn't quite place, "Can you show me again? The children?"
"Yeah...?" He answered, not sure what else to do but comply, He shifted into the girl. They could all see some type of recognition flash on her face.
Alma wanted to believe it was a coincidence that this girl had her sister's eyes, that same, beautiful honey brown even if it was dulled because of her blindness.
It was a coincidence that she had that same thick and curly hair as her sobrino, Enrique. She even had his nose... His complexion.
It was just her heart playing tricks and her mind seeing things, this feeling of wanting to hold them close and never let go.
But there was something around her neck, a little chain. "A necklace? Can you lift it up, please?" She asked the shifter.
"Sure." He said, lifting the chain without taking off the necklace. See, his shapeshifting ability was quite special. Along with the person, he can shift his clothes into whatever they were wearing when he shifting into them. Though if they had any jewelry, it would disappear if he took it off.
The necklace that was hidden within the shirt of her dress was a locket. It was a gorgeous golden locket with a butterfly on its front. There were intricate details of flowers engraved into it, and it was held on her neck by a worn-out thread.
Why would she be wearing a locket if she herself could not see what was inside? The others assumed it must be a momento from her family, it looked to have been through much given its wear and tear. Something about it was familiar, and it wasn't until a moment later she figured out why.
The butterfly on their enchanted candle and the butterfly on the pendant looked similar. Taking a moment to calm herself, Alma opened it to take a peek inside.
Tears pricked her eyes the moment she saw the pictures.
On one side there was an elderly woman who was too familiar to not recognize. Her hair had grayed, but she kept it in the same style she always had. She still had that bow in her hair even then, and Alma had to repress a bittersweet laugh.
Dolores had her sister's style, that was for sure.
She'd aged so well... and she still had that same warm smile on her face, even if it was whither by age and fatigue. But she could see it in her eyes, hope was still burning in them, and love was still there.
On the other side was a man who looked to be her sister's spitting image, a beautiful young woman by his side. He had that same bright smile on his face as he did when he was young. The woman, who she assumed is his wife, seemed to be heavily pregnant and visibly tired, but her own smile was just as lovely.
In front of them was a pretty little girl who couldn't be more than ten. She was sure that it was the girl that Camilo had shifted into. Her hair was dark just like her sister's used to be, and she had wavy curls just like her dad. Her style of hair resembled her mother, but one could tell she was her father's child with that adorable smile.
And she could guess who the wife was pregnant with. Everything made sense. She'd given up hope of ever seeing anything of her sister again, of her sobrino... but this...
"Mama?" Julieta asked, noticing her mother go silent.
"She looks just like them..." Alma whispered to herself; the little girl looked so much like them that it hurt. She had to see the other child, "Can you show me the little boy, please?" She whispered, not sure if her heart could take what she felt she'd see but needed to see it all the same.
Camilo shifted again, and Alma quickly clasped her hands over her mouth to stop the cries from escaping.
He looked just like Enrique. A spitting image if not for the lighter skin tone he'd gotten from his mother. She could see that his hair color resembled his mother more, but everything else was a copy of his father. She remembered when Enrique was that small... The little baby even wore Enrique's little ruana! She would know, she and her sister made it for him for his fourth birthday.
She can't believe he kept it all these years... and even passed it down to his son when he was big enough to wear it. Briefly, she gazed at the candle on her window seal, the trembling shingles, and the rumbling floors.
'Is this what you wanted to tell me? Is this why the butterfly glowed brighter? This... this beautiful news is the reason why...?'
Alma almost could not contain her joy and grief which had hit her in waves together. "How far are they now? Are they close?" She asked, getting her answer from an eager and worried Antonio.
"We can find out!" He said, turning to the bird perched on his arm, "Can you fly up and see, Pico?" He asked the bird, getting a chirp in response as he flew up.
After a moment, he came back down and squawked a few times, Antonio nodding as he does. "They should be here in a few minutes, they're in the plaza now!" He answered his Abuela.
"Thank you, cariño. Hija, is the room ready? Do you have everything you need?"
"Yes, Mama..." Julieta answered, worried over her mother's shaken demeanor. "Can you tell us what's wrong? Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?"
"I believe I know why Casita is trembling." She revealed, making the present Madrigals snap to her in shock. "If I'm right... if I'm right, then..."
"W-what is it?" Pepa asked, her clouds growing bigger as her anxiety increased. Felix was right at her side, calming her down with his sweet words and reassurances.
"Is it something with the magic again?!" Camilo sighed in exasperation, "I like being my fabulous, shapeshifting self, thank you."
"No, no it's a good thing. A wonderful, beautiful thing...! Camilo, corazóncito, please shift into the girl again."
"No problem, Abuela." He did as he was asked. Immediately, she beckoned her daughters and their husbands over. When they saw the pictures, their eyes widened.
No sooner did they acknowledge what they were seeing did something change within the house. It was as if it was waiting for them to know what it knew from the start.
The candle brightened with a familiar light, and everything within the house began to shift and change. The floors, the walls, the shingles, the frames, the doors... everything gave off light.
Casita was trembling. It wasn't like when the magic was dying, it wasn't about to crumble in on itself. But, it was trembling, rumbling. Something was at work, something was happening.
The four grandchildren chose that time to finally reach the front door of Casita, seeing everything from the outside. The ground felt different, the air felt different.
"Casita...?" Mirabel called out. This situation brought back some not-so-pleasant memories for her. But she was outside, not in the lobby. This wasn't Antonio's gift ceremony, people were here to witness what she was seeing. They had the same expressions and felt the same oddities that she did.
Hesitantly, she put her hand on the front door, which held a mural of all of the Madrigals. Her Papa and Tio were there too, it wasn't just the gifted. It was a true depiction of their family, everyone.
It was proof that their miracle wasn't just some magic, it was love. And while the candle had regained its shape after it came back, they knew that it was not the source of the miracle, they were. Their family, their love for each other. The candle burned as their love did for each other, and will continue to burn as long as they stay together, forever.
The moment her hand touched the doorknob, the one made for her, it began to glow vibrantly just as it did when she first placed it there. The entire mural was alight with golden rays, so bright they had to turn their eyes away.
"Woah!" Luisa turned her body around, making sure to shield the two she held in her arms from the blinding light. Though they seemed unbothered by it, the boy asleep and the girl unconscious.
"Casita?!"
"What's happening?!"
"The mural! It's changing!"
The moment the glowing stopped, everyone couldn't look away from the mural. Just as Dolores had said, it had changed.
Felix stood by Pepa, with Dolores, Camilo, and Antonio in front of them. Beside her was Bruno, and beside him was Julieta with Agustin. In front of them were Luisa and Isabela. At the forefront were Mirabel and Abuela. It was almost the same as before...
All except for one striking difference. No, make that two striking differences.
At the center of the mural, between Mirabel and Abuela, were two new, and very familiar people. The Madrigal children couldn't help it as their gazes drifted towards the sleeping duo, who were blissfully unaware of what was happening.
"Dios Mio...!"
Their parents and grandmother had rushed outside, shocked by the commotion happening. When Alma's eyes landed on the children in Luisa's arms, it was as if time had completely stopped.
She didn't even realize that she was moving, coming closer and closer to them.
BA-THUMP. BA-THUMP.
Her heart pounded in her chest as she neared them. Thinking that she was just curious about the children, Luisa lowered her arms just a bit for her to see.
Alma moved the little girl's hair out of her face, holding back a gasp as the feelings that she'd had were right. She didn't need to see the change in the Madrigal's door to know the truth. Looking at them, face-to-face, there was no mistaking who they were.
It was no wonder she dreamed of her sister today, telling her to treasure the gifts given to her. No wonder she felt that something wonderful would happen today.
Her heart knew it, Casita knew it, the magic knew it... She gently caressed their sleeping faces, her smile growing as she spotted more and more similarities. "Mi Sobrina Nieta, Mi Sobrino Nieto..."
And she did something no one was expecting.
She cried.
"Abuela?! Are you okay?!" Mirabel rushed to her grandmother, but the woman simply grasped her hands and smiled.
"Yes, everything is just fine. Better than fine. Come on, let's get these two to your mother." She told her, leading the children inside to a waiting Julieta.
When the children were safely in the room being tended to, she couldn't help but whisper something she had been waiting to say for fifty years. Her sister and nephew may not be with them, but maybe they were watching over these treasures they had sent her way, and would still hear it.
So she said it for them too, and the newest members of her family, "Welcome home."