~10 Years Later~
It was another beautiful, sunny day without a cloud in the sky and everyone in the town square was buzzing with excitement for they were getting ready for the ceremony. Isabela, Luisa, Mirabel, and Dolores (who was now heavily pregnant) were all dressed up elegantly and each holding a small bouquet of sunflowers that Isabela had provided. The guests were now taking their seats which had all been perfectly arranged in a large, half circle. When Dolores saw Mariano, she waved at him, and he waved back at her adoringly in response. Both had a matching golden ring on their hand. Meanwhile, Camilo was dressed in a white suit and was standing under a small marquee with a now teenaged Antonio on one side and Señor Flores on the other. Camilo kept glancing nervously at Amalia who stood poised and ready with her violin, for he knew everything would begin the minute she started playing. Pepa and Félix then approached him.
"Oh, look at you!" Pepa said, joyfully placing her hands on Camilo's cheeks. A raincloud began to form over her head. "You're so handsome!"
"Mami," Antonio said. "You're gonna get him wet!"
"You just be glad it's..." Pepa began to say.
"Not a hurricane," Antonio finished while rolling his eyes. "We know! You said that at Dolores's wedding too!"
Camilo smiled at their mom and took her hands in both of his. "I don't mind if it rains a little. We are outdoors," he said to her gently.
"Oh, not to worry," said Pepa. "I'll do my best to...control myself. This...is a happy day."
Her bottom lip started to quiver. Félix placed his hands on his wife's shoulders and said, "Come on, amore. It's almost time."
He and Pepa went off to take their places, but not before Félix gave Camilo a thumbs up for good luck. They sat with Julieta, Agustín, and Bruno, but Pepa refused to be right next to her brother for reasons, so Félix sat between them. Alma also made her way over with her walking stick and sat amongst her children. Cal and Marie were in the back row and looking anxiously in the direction of the church, where their daughter would make her entrance.
When all was quiet, Amalia finally raised her bow to her violin and began to play softly. First down the aisle came Dolores and Mariano's four-year-old daughter Rosita, in a little white dress and wearing a flower crown on her head. She carried a basket of flowers in one, tiny hand and gently tossed the petals into the air with the other. She made it to the front and set her basket down on the ground before going over to sit with Mariano who picked her up in his arms. Next, Dolores, Mirabel, Isabela, and Luisa walked down the aisle in a single file line and joined Camilo and the others in their designated positions. Mirabel looked around and waved at a young, dark-haired man named Nicolas. He and his large family were only a few of many newcomers that had come to the Encanto over the years, and he had fallen in love with Mirabel almost right away. They had been going steady for quite some time now.
Finally, the music on Amalia's violin changed to a slower, more familiar melody, and out came Hanna in her pearly-white wedding gown, carrying a bigger bouquet of sunflowers. Her golden-brown hair was tied into a messy, yet elegant bun and her veil reached her lower back. Her cheeks were rosy, and her eyes were practically shimmering. Camilo thought he had never seen her look so beautiful. He was simply blown away. All eyes were on Hanna, and Camilo could hear the excited whispers as she continued to slowly approach the marquee. The minute she was right in front of him, she gazed upward and smiled broadly. Camilo blushed hard. Then, Amalia finished playing her music and all was silent once more. She placed her instrument into her case and, as hurriedly as she could, picked up her own bouquet and went to join Mirabel and the others at the front.
"Dearly beloved," said Señor Flores. "We are gathered here today to join Camilo Madrigal and Johanna Roslyn Engel in holy matrimony..."
All the while, Camilo only had eyes for Hanna and was hardly paying attention to what was being said. The only thing on his mind was how long he had waited for this day to come, and it was finally here. But eventually, Señor Flores said, "Do you, Camilo, take this woman to be your beloved wife so long as you both shall live?"
Camilo grinned. "Si," he said. "I do."
Señor Flores then turned to Hanna. "And do you, Johanna Engel, take this man to be your husband, for all that he is, so long as you both shall live?"
"I do," said Hanna, softly.
"The rings, please," said Señor Flores.
Antonio put two fingers in his mouth and whistled loudly. Two toucans came flying in response, each with a golden ring in its beak. When Camilo and Hanna took the rings, the toucans perched themselves on Antonio's shoulders. Camilo took Hanna's hand and very gently placed the ring on her finger, and she did the same for him.
"I now pronounce you 'Camilo and Johanna Madrigal'," Señor Flores declared. "You may kiss."
Camilo gently cupped Hanna's face in his hands and they sealed their vows with a loving kiss. The guests erupted into applause. Antonio snapped his fingers enthusiastically. Amalia, Isabela, and Luisa smiled at one another with tears in their eyes. Camilo and Hanna broke apart to smile lovingly at each other. Then, Hanna took a moment to glance in her father's direction, and she saw him applauding. When they made eye contact, he smiled at her and nodded his head proudly. She smiled and nodded back at him. Isabela then glided up to the front and started spinning around in circles. Flower petals came raining down gently from the sky like snow. The little children started jumping around trying to catch them in the air. Camilo and Hanna stepped forward, holding hands and presenting themselves as newlyweds.
"Finally," said Hanna.
"Yeah," Camilo said in his gentle voice.
Then Bruno stood up and exclaimed loudly for all to hear, "I see it now!"
Everyone immediately fell silent and looked up at him, worriedly. But Bruno just smiled, shrugged, and said, "There's gonna be a party at our house!"
There was a long pause, and then an outburst of joyous laughter.
And with that, Camilo, Hanna, their families, and the rest of the crowd excitedly moved the celebrations to the now even bigger Casa Madrigal.
That night, Casita came alive with much dancing, music, laughter, and singing. Camilo and Hanna were in the center of the floor, dancing the cumbia with many people watching them. Luisa was dancing with Amalia, twirling her around by the hand and Mirabel was dancing with Nicolas. Antonio, who was casually standing around with his arms folded, was suddenly approached by Alejandra. She smiled at him while playing with her long, braided hair. Antonio smiled shyly back, and Alejandra immediately grabbed his hand to drag him onto the dance floor with her. Everybody in the house danced and sang under the stars, having a wonderful time. Casita suddenly started to roll the tiles on the floor from under the Madrigal family, getting them together for a picture. Camilo and Hanna were in the center, surrounded by Amalia, Luisa, Isabela, Dolores, Mirabel, Antonio, Mariano, and Rosita. Alma, Pepa, and Félix were on one end with Agustín, Julieta, and Bruno on the other. They all smiled at the camera.
"Everyone! Together!" Alma exclaimed excitedly.
Hanna and Amalia joined in as they chimed loudly, "LA FAMILIA MADRIGAL!"
In the blink of an eye, two more years had come and gone. Hanna was in the nursery panting heavily in through her nose and out of her mouth. Every muscle in the lower half of her body felt like it was on fire. Her hair, forehead, and neck were drenched with sweat. The only prominent thing she could see with her blurry vision was the large swell that was her stomach. Julieta was at the foot of the bed in which Hanna lay, helping her with each contraction. Amalia was holding onto one of Hanna's hands and Pepa had the other. She was patting the top of Hanna's head gently. A small cloud was drizzling above them.
"Come on, mija!" Pepa said. "You can do this!"
"You gotta push harder!" said Julieta.
"I can't!" Hanna cried loudly.
"Yes, you can," Amalia said calmly. "We know you can do it!"
"Now! One more time! Push!" Julieta exclaimed.
Hanna took in several deep breaths and after counting to three in her head, she pushed as hard as she could and let out a scream.
Meanwhile, Camilo was in the kitchen, frantically pacing back and forth. Mirabel and Antonio were sitting at the table, watching him. Dolores was also sitting there with two-year-old Mateo in her lap and Rosita sitting next to her. Mariano was near the kitchen door, cradling baby Gabriela in his arms. Suddenly, Dolores winced at the pain that shot through her sensitive ears.
"What's happened!?" Camilo asked, anxiously rushing to her side.
"That was a loud scream I just heard!" said Dolores, massaging one of her ears.
Camilo began panicking for what seemed like the hundredth time.
"Mama," Rosita said, tugging at the sleeve of Dolores's blouse. "Is Tia Hanna gonna be okay?"
"She'll be fine, Corazon," said Dolores, taking Rosita's hand. "You'll be meeting your cousin very soon."
At that moment, baby Gabriela started to cry.
"Aww, what's wrong, querida?" Mariano asked gently. "Are you hungry?"
"Where is her milk?" Dolores asked.
Rosita closed her eyes for one second. When she opened them again, she turned to her dad and said, "It's in Mama's room."
"Thank you, Rosita," Mariano said in relief. "That's my girl. Always able to find anything."
He exited the kitchen to ascend the stairs into Dolores's room with Gabriela.
When it was quiet again, Mirabel looked at Camilo.
"I don't know what you're so worried about," she said. "You've always been the best babysitter in town ever since you were a kid!"
"But...this is my baby!" Camilo exclaimed. "So, it's different!"
"Um...No," said Dolores, completely confused. "It...really isn't."
Camilo said nothing and only looked down in frustration. Dolores's expression softened.
"But... I get it," she said. "And you know that you're gonna have lots of help, right?"
Camilo sighed. "Yeah," he replied. "I know."
Dolores smiled and so did Mirabel who said to him, "All you gotta do is be yourself."
Camilo looked at his cousin and half smiled, feeling a little better.
But then, Dolores lifted an ear into the air and gave out an excited, little squeak. "She's here!" she said.
Camilo's eyes widened. Mirabel and Antonio looked at each other excitedly. The baby had finally been born.
"Hanna's calling for you!" said Dolores. "Go to her!"
Camilo bolted out of the kitchen without a second thought. He ran up the self-conjuring stairs, right for the door of the nursery. Pepa, Julieta, and Amalia were waiting right outside.
"We'll give the three of you some time alone," Amalia said, grinning at him from ear to ear.
Camilo stared at his sister-in-law in disbelief when he heard her say 'the three of them.' He stopped right in front of the door and slowly turned the knob to open it. He walked inside the room and saw Hanna, on the bed, propped up by a bunch of pillows, cradling a bundle of blankets in her arms. She looked up to see him walk in and Camilo noticed right away that she was positively glowing, despite looking extremely tired. He slowly approached the bed and peered down at the blankets in her arms. There, was a tiny, baby girl with a patch of brown hair on her head. She opened her eyes, and Camilo saw they were green.
"Ingrid," Hanna said, adoringly. "Meet your papa."
Camilo was stunned beyond words. It hit him just now as he stared at this tiny baby that he was officially a father. Hanna looked at the expression on his face and merely smiled.
"Come and hold her," she said.
She lifted baby Ingrid up in her arms, allowing Camilo to carefully take her into his own. He stared down at Ingrid, completely stunned. He couldn't take his eyes off her. But eventually, he looked at his wife to see her watching them.
"She...she's beautiful. Just like you," he said, quietly.
"Really?" Hanna asked, leaning her head to the side a little. "I kinda think she takes after you."
Camilo looked down at their daughter once more and she stared up at him with her big, round eyes. She reached a tiny hand to him, and Camilo adoringly held out a finger for her to grab onto. He then very gently planted a kiss on her forehead. Hanna carefully shifted her position on the bed for Camilo to climb up next to her, and he placed Ingrid back in her arms. They cuddled together for several, long minutes until there was a knock at the door. Camilo had no time to ask who was there, for the door opened immediately and Rosita rushed in with Dolores behind her.
"Is that my cousin?" Rosita asked in almost a demanding voice.
Hanna giggled. "Yes, Rosita," she said. "Her name is Ingrid."
"Ingrid!" Rosita exclaimed with joy. "She's beautiful!"
Amalia also came into the room with Isabela and Luisa.
"Oh," said Luisa with a hand over her heart and her bottom lip trembling. "Look at her! She's adorable!"
"Yes," Isabela said confidently. "She's gonna be smart too. I can tell."
Rosita looked up at her uncle. "I can't find her brother or sister," she said.
"She doesn't have them," Camilo said to her, kindly. "Not yet anyway."
Hanna looked down at her lap, feeling her face turning scarlet.
While Camilo carried Ingrid around letting others see and hold her, Amalia went over to sit with her sister.
"You doing okay?" she asked.
"Yeah," Hanna said, breathlessly. "I'm more than okay."
Amalia gently placed a hand on top of Hanna's head.
"Well, I just wanna let you know...I'm really proud of you," she said.
"Thanks, Lia," said Hanna.
After a little pause, Amalia said, "Dolores said Mother and Father are on their way over here to meet Ingrid."
"Really?" Hanna asked.
"Yeah," Amalia replied. "Are you up for seeing them now?"
Hanna thought to herself for a moment and nodded. Amalia slowly helped her off the bed and they walked arm in arm together, out into the courtyard where Camilo was still showing off Ingrid to everyone. Then the doorbell rang and Casita opened the front door to reveal Cal and Marie on the other side. Marie saw Camilo and the baby, and she let out a gasp. Hanna and Amalia had come down the stairs and Hanna asked Camilo to give their daughter to her. He handed Ingrid over and Hanna slowly walked up to her parents. Marie looked at Ingrid with tears in her eyes and her hands over her heart. Cal also looked at the baby girl and then into Hanna's eyes, utterly speechless.
Camilo watched from a distance as Hanna talked casually with her father, holding Ingrid in her arms. Though there was still a faint sense of bitterness within him, he found it had mellowed out with time. Now he couldn't help but smile a little, seeing Cal hanging onto his daughter's every word and not looking away from her.
'I guess Dolores was right,' Camilo thought to himself. He and his family had somehow managed to make their lives better.
'It's like a miracle.'
~ Epilogue ~
Camilo sat on the only chair he had on the stage of his room, playing 'Romance de Amour' on his guitar. The sound loudly echoed throughout the theatre. He had his back turned on the large mirror that served as his backdrop and was plucking away at the strings, allowing the waves of joy and nostalgia to wash over him. When he finished the song, he sighed deeply and placed the instrument down. He stood up and walked across the stage to stand in front of the mirror, staring at his reflection, noticing how much he had truly changed over the years.
"There you are," said Hanna.
Camilo looked into the mirror to see her coming towards him while carrying Ingrid in her arms. She climbed up onto the stage and joined right beside him.
"Inga needs you," she said, gesturing at their now one-year-old baby.
Camilo looked at Ingrid and saw her reaching out to him with both hands expectantly. He smiled and gently picked her up to hold her.
Hanna asked, "What are you doing here by yourself?"
"Just...thinking," said Camilo.
"About what?" Hanna asked, curiously.
Camilo paused. "I was thinking...about the time we first danced together," he said. "Do you remember?"
"How can l forget?" Hanna asked. "That was when you transformed into me. And I found out you could shapeshift."
"Yeah," said Camilo with a loving smile. "I thought for sure that I repulsed you. At the time, I was so ashamed...that I ran away. But then, you followed after me. And I am...so glad that you did."
"Me too," Hanna said, softly. She then gave him a smirk, and added, "I guess you could say it was...worth the shot."
Camilo chuckled.
Ingrid then turned her head and curiously looked into the mirror.
"What do you see, Inga?" Hanna asked in a motherly tone.
Ingrid pointed a tiny finger at Hanna's reflection.
"Mama," she said, quietly.
"Si, mi vida," said Camilo. "That's your mama. She's smart, beautiful, talented, and very intuitive. She's the sweetest girl I know."
Hanna smiled at his reflection. Her cheeks glowed bright red.
Then Ingrid pointed at Camilo in the mirror.
"Papa," she chirped.
"That's right," Hanna said, happily. "That's Camilo. Your papa. He is very kind and funny. He loves a good joke, and he is also very caring. He's always there to make you smile. He can shapeshift into anybody in the world. But there's nobody else in the world like him."
Camilo smiled at his wife, feeling deeply moved by her words. He held Ingrid with one arm and put his other around Hanna, hugging both of them. In that moment, he was the happiest he had ever been in his life, just by being Camilo Madrigal.
Fin