5. Chapter 5

A/N: Edited 6/24/22 for spelling and grammar and minor timeline adjustments that do not affect the overall plot.

Chapter 5

Lucía woke to her daughter's hand in her face and her cold little feet pressed against her leg. She blinked at the soft pink light of an early sunrise streaming in through the curtains and shifted slightly. Josefina rolled into a ball and pulled her doll Beatriz closer to her chest, letting out a soft sigh.

Lucía had insisted Papá take the bed and had slept on the mattress on the floor with Josefina. All things considered, she slept very well last night. She stretched and yawned, careful not to disturb her daughter, and slowly shifted herself out of bed. She saw that her Papá was still asleep. It was unusual for Lucía to wake before him, but he had worked awfully hard yesterday. Spending most of his days in the print shop did not do much to prepare him for hard physical labor.

As quietly as she could, she washed and dressed and braided her hair. She silently opened the door and poked her head out. The hallway was still quiet.

Lucía crept down the stairs to the kitchen to begin preparing breakfast – chopping tomatoes and onion and scrambling eggs for the huevos pericos, mixing the dough and shaping it into arepas, peeling and slicing fruit, and of course – hot chocolate and coffee.

"Good morning. Can I help?" A soft voice startled Lucía, and she turned to find Julieta tying an apron around her waist.

"Oh! Good morning, and thank you, but - " it's not necessary, Lucía was going to say, but Julieta suddenly looked uncertain, and Lucía stopped.

"I didn't cook yesterday, for the first time since – before I can remember." Julieta said quietly. "You would be doing me a favor, allowing me to help. It would feel – normal."

Lucía smiled at her. "Of course. Maybe you can teach me some things. My arepas never turn out quite as nicely as yours."

"Well," Julieta replied wryly, washing her hands, "when you make a couple hundred a day, you tend to perfect a few things."

Lucía smiled as she made room for her guest at the counter. "Did you sleep well last night?"

"I did, thank you." Julieta replied, adding a bit more cornmeal to Lucía's arepa dough. "It was nice to have a - sort of sleep over with my sister and brother. We haven't talked like that in - " she paused, thinking.

"Ten years?" Supplied Lucía, heating milk for the hot chocolate.

"No, actually," Julieta said sadly. "Longer. Perhaps fifteen or twenty. I don't think I've had a real heart to heart with both of them at once since Isabela was born."

"Oh," Lucía answered. "I'm sorry." She couldn't imagine not having time to sit and talk with Sofia. Even though her younger sister had five children, Sofia always made sure to take time to sit and talk with her. It was what had helped the most, after losing Alejandro. Julieta and her siblings must have been terribly busy, serving the town with their gifts every day while also raising children. Well, no - not 'must have been' – Lucía knew for a fact they were busy every day. Even on their day of rest each week, they were often called on for favors. She just hadn't realized how deeply it had affected the family's ability to just…be together. "Well," she said slowly. "Perhaps now you will have time to have those talks more often, again."

"Yes," Julieta smiled. "We will."

"Espcially now that you won't be cooking hundreds of arepas every day," Lucía shook her head. "No wonder you're up this early, you must be used to it, cooking all that food to bring to town every day!"

Julieta nodded. "I do often get up early, but Agustín would always get up with me to help me measure ingredients. I have – I had to actually cook it for the magic to work, of course – but he did help me however he could. It will actually be nice to have him do more than just chop and measure ingredients to help me with my work, now. "

"You're still going to cook for the town every day?" Lucía asked, confused.

"Oh, goodness, no!" Julieta laughed. "But I will still make my herb supplements, my medicines. I'll still see patients. They'll just have to be healed the old-fashioned way from now on – with time and medicine and rest, and not just an arepa."

Lucía blinked, and her cheeks grew warm. She had assumed Julieta's knowledge of healing had only extended to her cooking and her gift – but all this time, she had been using her knowledge of traditional and modern medicine as well, to supplement her magic and increase its potency.

"Cielos (1), I'm an idiot," she murmured under her breath.

"Sorry?"

Lucía shook her head and smiled brightly. "Nothing. I just – didn't realize you were – anyway, I'm glad - I'm glad we still have our town doctor. But," she added quickly, "I'm also glad it will be easier – well, maybe not easier, it will take longer to heal people, but you won't have to – ah," she fumbled over her words, flustered.

"It will be different," Julieta agreed kindly, trying not to smile. "But different can be good."

"Yes," Lucía agreed, and began peeling mango with a vengeance. She was still embarrassed by her ignorance. "Different can be good."

"Good morning! Mamá, may I help, please?" A small voice interrupted her train of thought once again. Lucía turned to see Josefina and Papá in the doorway, dressed and ready, and she could hear that some of the other Madrigals had begun stirring in the hall above them as well.

"Of course! Good morning, mi fresita," Lucía kissed her daughter's strawberry-shaped birthmark. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, Mamá," Josefina replied, rubbing the kiss off her cheek and using the step stool by the sink to wash her hands well.

"She looks just like you," Julieta commented, smiling at the pair.

"Thank you, she does. She's the spitting image of me at that age, except she's got her father's black hair." Lucía opened a drawer to pull out a small wooden knife for Josefina to use to help cut the mango.

"Aaaahhh!" She shrieked in surprise and clasped her hands to her chest. A rat stared up at her. It titled its head at her, giving her an almost disdainful glance, and then skittered down the cabinet to the floor and made its way to the stairs. Josefina shrieked as well and nearly fell into the sink, Papá barely grabbing her in time. When she saw that it was just a rat that had frightened her mother, she relaxed immediately, laughing.

"I swear to you this has never happened to me before," Lucía apologized over her shoulder to Julieta, as she chased the rat up the stairs. Josefina was close behind her. "We don't get rats," she mumbled. Their neighbor's two cats took care of any mice or rats that wandered near their home. "Why was there a rat…?"

"Don't hurt it, Mamá! I'll catch it and take it outside! I can be just like Cenicienta!"

Please don't go into the bedrooms, please don't go into the bedrooms, Lucía prayed –

- just as the rat reached the door of Alejandro's studio and squeezed beneath it.

"Oh mier -" she eyed Josefina by her side – "-coles," she finished under her breath. (2)

"I'll get it!" Josefina announced, not slowing down one bit.

"Josefina, no! Someone might be - " Lucía tried to stop her, but failed.

Josefina flung open the door, to find Bruno sitting up in his bed, several rats perched on his shoulders and one in his hair, the rat from the kitchen skittering up to sit on his knee, squeaking loudly in protest.

"Lareina! I told you - " He'd been scolding the little rat, and then startled when the door burst open. He turned to look at the scene in the doorway, his ears slowly sinking down to his shoulders in embarrassment.

Josefina was almost entirely-off balance - the only thing keeping her from falling on her face was her grip on the doorknob, eyes wide with surprise and delight. Lucía stood in the doorway, mouth open and arms still outstretched, frozen in her failed attempt to stop her daughter. Pepa stood just behind her, having come from the bathroom, and her expression was somewhere in between Josefina and Lucía's, her nose wrinkled in disbelief but her eyes dancing with amusement. Felix stumbled out of Josefina's bedroom door, wielding the mallet from her peg and hammer toy like a sword.

"What is it?!" He cried, still only half-awake. "Mi amor, are you alright? Who do I have to fight?"

Pepa turned to her husband and shook her head with a smile. "I'm fine, mi amor. There is no fight." She kissed his forehead, laughing softly. "At least, not yet," she muttered under her breath, looking between their hostess and her brother, both of whom were visibly mortified.

Camilo had also shuffled out of bed and peered around Lucía. "Rats," he muttered flatly, entirely unamused and still half asleep. "I'm going back to bed."

By then, the rest of the Madrigals had awakened and spilled into the hallway to see what the commotion was about.

"Oh my gosh!" Squealed Josefina, breaking the spell of mortified silence, righting herself, and rushing into the room, plopping down on the floor at the foot of Bruno's mattress. She stared at him and his rats with big, round eyes. "You're – you're just like Centi – cena - Cenicienta!" She finally managed to spit out in her excitement.

"Heh!" The laugh just slipped out of him, he couldn't help it. He had never been compared to a fairy-tale princess before. And the way the kid was looking at him – it made him believe Julieta's words from the night before. Maybe his reputation with the town wasn't such a lost cause. He looked to her mother, still in the doorway, who had covered her face with one hand, her shoulders shaking slightly as she tried not to laugh herself. He chuckled nervously.

"I - " Lucía's voice broke as a tense laugh escaped. She cleared her throat and tried again. "I assume – these – are your – pets?" She asked, her voice stiff, a whole plethora of emotions crossing her face – amusement, dismay, embarrassment, humor.

"Uh – yes." Bruno responded self-consciously. "I'm sorry I – brought them without asking." He rubbed one arm sheepishly, causing the rats to move from his shoulder to sit beside him on the blankets. "I - found them yesterday afternoon, and, I didn't want to leave them where they might – y'know - get eaten?"

He frowned at the rat still perched on his knee. "But I told them to stay away from the kitchen and not to scare anyone. Lareina, you - "

"Lareina?" A sleepy voice mumbled from the pile of blankets to the side of the room. Dolores stretched and yawned, slowly sitting upright, blinking and frowning at the scene in the bedroom. She chose to accept and ignore the people staring in the doorway and turned toward her tío and Josefina. "That's - Lareina?"

"Lareina's the rat?" Josefina asked her.

"Not just the rat, but the rat," Dolores nodded as though she was imparting very important information. "She's the queen of the rats - the star of Tío Bruno's telenovelas."

"What's a – telenovela?" Josefina asked slowly, attempting to pronounce it correctly.

"Well, see," Bruno began, "It's a – it's a sort of story, and it's got a lot of twists and turns, and drama, and romance - "

"Like Cenicienta?"

"Uh - "

"Not quite," Lucía stepped in. "But we have been very rude to our guests, Josefina, barging into their rooms and waking Señorita Dolores. I – am so sorry. I apologize for disturbing your privacy," she nodded to Bruno and Dolores in turn, and then turned to her daughter, raising her eyebrows in expectation.

Josefina blushed, and quickly stood up. "Sorry! I'm sorry!" She quietly rejoined her Mamá. "I was just trying to catch the rat."

"I know, Sefinita," Lucía sighed, and closed her eyes for a moment. "We'll continue this conversation downstairs. Let's give everyone a chance to wake up and change, mmm?"

Lucía closed the door behind her as she and her daughter stepped out of the bedroom. She was still visibly flustered as she addressed the rest of the Madrigals in the hall.

"Lo siento, lo siento, breakfast will be ready in twenty minutes. Please, take your time, I will keep it hot." She gave them a strained smile and then made her way down the stairs.

"Uh – Señora? Señora Moreno?"

Lucía paused and turned at the bottom of the stairs. Mirabel had followed her down the steps, still tucking her shirt into her skirt and raking her fingers through her hair in an attempt to tame it. "What's wrong, Mirabel?"

Lucía noticed Josefina looking up at the two of them expectantly and told her to go help her Abuelo set the table for breakfast. Josefina wrinkled her nose but did as she was told.

"It's just – well, I take it – you met my tío's rats?"

Lucía's cheek twitched slightly. "You could say we were introduced this morning. Lareina was in my knife drawer."

Mirabel winced. "Oooh. Sorry about that. And – heh – not a wise choice on Lareina's part. A rat in a knife drawer. Bad combination, am I right?" She laughed nervously. When Lucía didn't immediately respond, Mirabel stumbled on. "It's just – they're kind of important to my tío, and I know it's a little weird to ask, since you're already being so nice to us, but - could they – maybe – stay?"

Lucía stared at her.

Mirabel stepped in front of her, holding up her hands, and continued on in a pleading rush. "It's just they're – they're the only company he's had for like ten years and they're almost like his little adopted family, and if he's adopted them they're technically Madrigals and you did say every Madrigal was welcome here, soooo….?"

Lucía's eyebrows shot straight up.

Mirabel continued on, daunted but determined. "I mean, I know he has some…quirks, with the knocking, and the salt-and-sugar-throwing - "

"-and the holding his breath - " Lucía added, making a mental note about the sugar – she'd assumed it was just salt.

"-yes! You get it. I mean, pffft - living in the walls for ten years would have an effect on anyone, and I really – just - " Mirabel's words petered out as she saw the look on Lucía's face.

"He was living in the walls?!"

Mirabel froze. "Uh – I – I shouldn't have said that." She muttered. "It's – it's a long story, and I shouldn't have – eh…don't repeat that, please?" When Lucía nodded slowly and uncertainly, she continued. "But! The point – the point is, Señora Moreno, that he'll need some time to adjust to being around people again, and I really think - "

"The rats can stay."

"Uh – really?" Mirabel seemed surprised she'd agreed to it so easily. "I mean – thanks!"

Lucía shook her head, still coming to terms with the fact that Bruno had been living in the walls of his home for a decade. "They may not be my first choice as a pet, but if they are that important, of course they can stay. They just – startled me. The very first day I have Julieta in my kitchen and - " Her expression turned thoughtful. "Do you think, if I provide them with food, they'll stay out of my kitchen?"

Mirabel smiled apologetically and shrugged. "I have no idea. Sorry."

Lucía shrugged back. "Worth a shot. Now – if you excuse me, I need to have a conversation with my daughter about not barging into our guest's bedrooms first thing in the morning."

After the two families ate breakfast and cleaned up, they prepared to make their way back to the Madrigal home. Bruno stood in the corner of the kitchen, attempting not to draw attention to himself as everyone else filtered out of the room. He'd seen Lucía giving him a peculiar look all through breakfast, though she would smile politely and look away when he caught her. He should have asked before he brought the rats. He was always messing something up.

Finally, Lucía finished the dishes, and with that task complete – noticed Bruno standing just inside the doorway.

"Bruno," she said, wiping her hands on a towel, "let's talk about your rats."

He took a deep breath. "Uh – yeah. I'm so - "

"What do they like to eat?"

He blinked, and it took him a moment to respond. "What?"

"What do they like to eat?"

"Uh - "

"More specifically, what can I give you to feed them that will keep them in your room and out of the kitchen?"

His mouth twitched into a hesitant smile. "They can stay?"

"Mirabel told me they were very important to you. Of course they can stay."

Bruno's smile widened. "Thank you!"

He just kept grinning at her until she smiled back, and prompted – "So….?"

"Right, right!" He rubbed his hands together. "Um, really, leftover arepas or rice are fine, beans – as long as they're cooked, most fruit and vegetables…they really like all forms of queso but uh, they shouldn't eat it too often – and no mango."

Lucía nodded. "Is there anything else they shouldn't eat?"

"Coffee, chocolate, mango, uncooked rice or beans – trust me, you don't want them to eat any of that."

She showed him the storage containers where she kept her cornmeal, flour, sugar, rice, and beans. They were sealed well, but not airtight. "Is this enough to keep them out?"

Bruno nodded. "It should be. Especially if I feed them regularly."

Lucía smiled. "Well, then help yourself. There are some leftovers from breakfast…?"

Bruno quickly looked over the leftovers and grabbed some things he knew would keep his rats full and – hopefully – well behaved for the rest of the day.

When he turned to take the bowls up to the bedroom, Lucía had also set out two small bowls, one of salt and one of sugar.

He raised an eyebrow. "Thanks, but – uh – they don't eat that," he said apologetically.

She raised an eyebrow right back at him. "It's not for them, it's for you."

He looked puzzled for a moment, and then his face relaxed in understanding and surprise.

"I don't – I don't think you or anyone else needs to throw salt or knock on wood for luck, but if it makes you more comfortable, then…" she inclined her head toward the bowl. "Please help yourself."

"Uh – yeah. Thanks – thanks again."

He carefully tucked some salt and sugar into his pockets, and then turned to take his food to the rats. He almost ran over Josefina, who was waiting right behind him with a hopeful expression on her face. He fumbled with the bowl for a moment to make sure he didn't spill anything.

"Can I help you? Pleeeeease?" She asked.

"Josefina," Lucía said in a warning tone.

"Uh – no, it's fine – I mean – if your mother says it's fine, ah - " he looked over his shoulder at Lucía. "I don't mind if she wants to help."

Lucía looked uncertain, pressing her lips into a thin line.

"They're – they're pretty tame," he continued on, in an attempt to explain. For some reason, he really wanted her approval. "They won't bite or anything. And they're clean! They actually keep themselves really well groomed. If – if that's what you're worried about."

Lucía's expression softened, and her eyes held his as a small smile bloomed on her lips. "If you don't mind, of course she can help. I trust you to explain how to handle them and make sure both she and your pets stay safe."

"YES!" Josefina shouted, lifting her hands in the air and doing a celebratory dance.

Bruno shook his head slightly and handed her a bowl of food, which she cradled in her hands as though it were something precious and delicate, and not just a wooden bowlful of leftovers. "So, ah – first things first, kid. No shouting. They don't like shouting, okay? Most of the time when people are shouting at them, they're also trying to chase them or squish them with a broom."

"Right," Josefina lowered her voice to a whisper immediately. "No shouting. Got it."

"Eh," Lucía grimaced in embarrassment. "Sorry."

"Oh! I didn't mean – uh. It's okay. I hadn't – uh – you didn't know she was a pet. And Lareina - she was - she was being a little rude."

He turned to guide Josefina back up to the room to feed the rats, and then turned around to grab the bowls of salt and sugar from the counter, shooting Lucía an awkward, grateful smile.

"Can't forget this," he muttered. "I've never been so lucky. Knock knock knock knock knock, knock on wood." He snatched up the bowls and whirled around

Lucía smiled to herself as she watched Josefina hop up the stairs beside him.

Luisa knocked softly on the door of the bookshop. "Señor Hernandez?" She asked timidly.

He looked up from where he was gathering another roll of paper and some other materials for Señor Martinez to use, should he need them for more detailed calculations or plans when rebuilding the Madrigal home. "Ah, Señorita Luisa. How can I help you?"

She stepped into the shop and allowed the door to close behind her, walking to the desk that Señor Hernandez was standing behind. She held out a crumpled heap of paper and swallowed uncertainly.

Senor Hernandez looked over his glasses at her. "What do we have here?" He held out his hands, and she placed what she had into them.

"It's – uh – a book."

He turned it over in his hands, and the remaining piece of cover that had been holding on by a thread fell down with a plop onto his desk. "I see that. Is it one of mine?"

"Uh…I'm so sorry…" Luisa began to tear up. "It – got a little – torn up."

"Hmmm, yes. Being buried under a pile of rocks tends to do that to a book, doesn't it?" He smiled kindly up at her and reached over the desk to pat her arm. She was nearly two feet taller than him now, so he couldn't quite reach her shoulder, but he remembered when she would come to the shop as a little girl to listen to his own daughter's stories. He still remembered her as that quiet, eager-to-please little girl, even though she had now grown into a kind, strong young woman. "Not to worry. Let's have a look."

He inspected the book carefully. "Now, there – the damage is not so bad. While the cover is important, it is only important because it is there to protect what's inside. And what's inside is still very much intact. I'll fix the binding and make a new cover, and she'll be back on the shelf in a week or so."

She nodded, a grateful expression on her face. "Thank you, Señor Hernandez." She turned to leave.

"Luisa?"

She paused and looked over her shoulder.

"Feel free to help yourself to any book you'd like to read while you're here. And - even when you return home. Any book, any time. The same goes for anyone in your family. Perhaps you will all have more time to read, now."

She smiled. "Maybe we will. Thanks."

Luisa exited the bookshop into the street just as Bruno and Antonio were closing the door to the courtyard behind them. Antonio had stayed behind for a few moments, helping his tío and Josefina feed Lareina and the rest of the rats. Josefina had stayed with her Mamá afterward. The two of them were making sure things would be ready for dinner when they returned home that evening before joining everyone else to help at the Madrigal home. The rest of the Madrigal family had already left. Many of the villagers were already on their way as well.

Bruno greeted Luisa with a nod of his head and a brief smile, but beside him, Antonio barely acknowledged her presence. He stared at his feet as they walked. Bruno was a bit worried. He'd seemed enthusiastic about the rats before, but once he'd actually held them and fed them, his smiles had slowly faded and he grew very quiet.

"So, Antonio – did you help Tío Bruno with his rats?" Luisa asked. When he didn't answer after a moment, she exchanged a concerned glance with her uncle. "Antonio?"

He sniffed and rubbed his nose with his sleeve.

"Hey, hey, hey!" Bruno exclaimed, drawing him away from the center of the street, where they could talk with a bit more privacy, and Luisa followed. "What's wrong?"

Antonio shrugged and wiped his eyes. "I'm okay," he said quietly.

Bruno looked at Luisa with a pleading expression, and she returned it with a helpless shrug. Bruno let out long, slow breath before crouching down beside his smallest sobrino.

"You know," Bruno said slowly, "sometimes it's okay to not be okay."

Antonio nodded, but didn't look up.

"And," Luisa added, squatting down to join the two of them and adjusting her skirt accordingly, "I have it on pretty good authority that it's actually pretty brave to admit when you need a break. And – it's okay to cry. In fact, between you and me - I've kind of spent the past two days crying, and I've felt better than I have in a long time."

Antonio sat and scooted next to Luisa and let his head drop onto her arm. "I know. But I think I've cried enough. I think I need a break from being sad." He said, in a voice so small they could barely hear him.

Luisa bit her lip, and Bruno tapped his thigh anxiously, before pausing.

It was a crazy idea. And kind of stupid, if he was being honest.

But it was worth a shot.

"What is that?!" He exclaimed dramatically, mouth dropping open and pointing behind Luisa. Both she and Antonio turned their heads to look, Luisa putting her arm in front of Antonio protectively, and Bruno quickly pulled his hood over his head.

Luisa and Antonio looked back at him. Antonio looked outright confused, and Luisa looked uncertain. "Tío - "

"Who is 'Tío'?" His voice was deeper and louder – but not so loud as to draw too much attention from others passing by in the streets. He sat cross-legged on the ground across from Luisa and Antonio, but held his back straight and his shoulders wide, using his hands for emphasis as he spoke. "I am Hernando. Confronter of Danger, Patcher of Cracks, Traveler, Adventurer, Hero. And very, very brave. Perhaps you have heard of me?"

Antonio shook his head, eyes wide.

"Well, let me introduce myself. As I said, I am Hernando." He placed his palm on his chest dramatically. "Hernando De La Roya, and I am scared of nothing. Go on, go on, go on. Ask me if I am afraid of snakes. Ask me." His voice was confident, almost arrogant.

Luisa and Antonio looked at each other, a tentative smile on both of their faces. "Are…you afraid of snakes, Tí – ah, Señor?"

"No! A pit viper once bit my leg. I had to give it anti-venom to save its life. Snakes are afraid of me. Now – ask me if I am afraid of thunder." He crossed his arms in front of his chest.

Antonio's smile widened. "Are you afraid of thunder, Hernando?"

"Never! Hernando causes thunder with his footsteps."

"What about lightning?" Antonio asked, picking his head off of Luisa's arm and leaning forward slightly.

"Lightning is merely the clouds running away in terror from the presence of Hernando."

"What about – a jaguar?"

Bruno lifted his chin and sniffed dramatically. "The sound a jaguar makes in the night? They scream in terror because they think they've seen Hernando."

Antonio giggled. "Are you afraid of – spiders?"

"Don't be ridiculous, hombrecito. Who do you think taught them to catch their prey?"

Luisa nudged Antonio and whispered something in his ear. "What about Heracles, Hernando?"

"Heracles? The labors of Heracles were in truth the labors of Hernando. Those who misspelt it have been dealt with accordingly."

Antonio grinned, and then leaned forward in excitement. "What about…el Coco? (3)"

Bruno-as-Hernando threw back his head and laughed out loud. "Niño, el Coco checks his rooftops for me."

Antonio laughed then, and threw his arms around Bruno's shoulders, squeezing tightly. "Thanks, tío," he whispered. "I feel less sad, now."

Bruno pulled the hood off his head and patted Antonio on the back, absolutely delighted with how Hernando had helped, but still uncertain of how to express it. Luisa smiled warmly at him, and he shrugged and returned it. It felt good to be making his family laugh again.

Luisa stood up. "C'mon, Antonio. Do you want to ride on my shoulders? I can carry you the rest of the way there."

Antonio looked up at her, clearly pleased with the prospect. "Really?" He bit his lip. "I'm not too heavy, now?" He whispered.

Luisa grinned. "I've still got muscles, primo!" She flexed them just for him. "I can still carry you. Just – not your Papá, or a donkey, or a church."

Bruno nodded. "She's still the strongest person I know. Except for, you know, this one other guy. He once told me he lifted an entire mountain because it was in his way and tunneling would take too long."

Luisa raised her eyebrow as she stood and lifted Antonio onto her shoulders.

"Yeah, it's this guy I know named Hernando. He's super brave but also - kind of conceited."

"But you're Hernando!" Antonio protested.

Bruno raised his eyebrows in mock surprise. "Who, me?! Nah. I could never do the things Hernando's done."

Antonio spent the rest of the walk happily perched on Luisa's shoulders, arguing that his Tío Bruno was Hernando. Bruno spent the rest of the walk dramatically denying it. And Luisa was just happy to see her Tío bringing his odd yet delightful characters alive again. It made things feel…whole.

The start of building of the new Casa Madrigal went smoothly, the village operating like clockwork. Once again, everyone found some way to contribute, whether it was by measuring out the dimensions of the new floor plan, making and hauling bricks, or nailing support beams together. Those who didn't have the strength or ability to help with the actual building helped by providing food and water and motivation, encouraging those who were doing the physical labor.

Bruno was surprised when Padre Tomás approached him and asked for assistance in using sand to mark the outline of Julieta's new kitchen, but he quickly realized that he was well-suited for it, having had practice for years using sand to outline the circles and lines required in preparation for his visions. Señor Martinez and his wife gave him a thumbs up in approval as he worked, and he returned the gesture. He felt strangely warm and was afraid he might be overheating – until he realized that strange warm feeling was acceptance. Not just out of obligation or because he was a part of la familia Madrigal – but because of something good and respectable he'd done on his own.

Julieta probably shouldn't have been listening.

Actually, she definitely should not have been listening.

But she'd walked to the stream both to stretch her back and legs and to wash her hands and face to cool off. She planned on helping set out the things for the lunch the village had generously prepared once again, and Isabela had been there at the stream with Mariano.

She hadn't purposely followed them – in fact, she'd seen Isabela head to the stream first and thought it was a good idea. She'd been lost in her own thoughts and hadn't been paying attention, so that when her daughter happened upon Mariano, who'd been gathering water to begin making spackle and mortar, she'd been far back enough that she stepped back into the trees to give them some privacy.

She shouldn't have been listening.

"Isabela!" He jumped up, knocking over one of the buckets he had by his feet. "Ah, sorry, mi flor - "

The water flowed toward her feet, but Isabela sidestepped it and swallowed, staring at him.

He picked up the bucket and refilled it, carefully setting the buckets to the side before stepping toward her. "Isabela, I've been worried about you. I'm glad to see you and your family are all right. I know that the past two days have not been easy for you." He went to take her hands in his, but she clutched them to her chest, taking a deep breath.

Mariano frowned. "Mi amor, what - "

Isabela shook her head and muttered. "Am I, Mariano?"

He looked confused. "Are you what?"

"Your amor." She looked him in the eyes.

He attempted a smile and winced, reaching up to touch his nose – which was still bandaged from the two punches in the nose he'd received, courtesy of her wild plants.

"Oh," she gasped softly and winced, herself. "I am really sorry about that."

He rubbed the bridge of his nose gently. "Did I do something to upset you?" His eyes were large and worried, and Isabela bit her lip.

"No," she said slowly. "You didn't."

"Because – I know my proposal was a bit – eh, disastrous," he shrugged and tilted his head an apologetic expression on his face. "And I'm sorry. I will make it up to you - "

"Why do you want to marry me, Mariano?"

He blinked and attempted another smile-turned-into-a-grimace. "Why would I not want to marry you, Isabela? You are perfect - "

"No." Isabela corrected sharply, and when he looked surprised and slightly hurt, she sighed. "What I mean is – I am not perfect, Mariano. I don't – I don't think I even know what I am right now, but – I know it's not perfect. And I don't want to be perfect. I don't want to be – I don't want - " she bit her lip, hesitating.

Mariano let his hands fall to his sides, and he stepped back. "Isabela," he said softly. "What do you want?"

She pressed her lips into a thin smile, and tears sprang into her eyes. He lifted his hand to comfort her, but seemed to think better of it, and held back.

"You know, Mariano," she crossed her arms across her chest protectively, blinking rapidly to dispel her tears. "Ironically, you're the first person to actually ask me that."

His brows drew together, confused. He stayed silent, allowing her to think.

"Mariano, I don't want to marry you."

His face fell and his whole posture deflated, and she made a small sound of sympathy. "It's not you – none of this is your fault, at all, really. I - my family is a mess. I am a mess." A few tears spilled over her cheeks, and she laughed. "I'm sorry – this is – so unfair to you, but – I only agreed to marry you because it's what my family wanted."

In the trees, Julieta pressed her hand to her heart, stifling a gasp.

Mariano sighed heavily and sat on a fallen log, placing his head in his hands. Isabela bit her lip, and sat delicately beside him, leaving space between them. She brushed at the skirt of her dress. Señora Moreno had apologized this morning for not being able to get the stains out, but Isabela didn't mind. She'd made the plants that had dyed them - she'd done that! It was a bittersweet reminder of what her powers could have become, if only she'd been brave enough to try, sooner.

Well, she was brave enough to try something new now – and that something was breaking off her sham of an engagement without talking it over with her abuela first.

"I am sorry," she repeated quietly. "You are a good man, Mariano. But marriage – that's a big commitment. And I need to figure out me before I commit to sharing 'me' with another person for the rest of my life."

"You don't love me?" He asked quietly, head still in his hands.

Isabela shook her head and a few more tears fell from her eyes. It felt so unfair to be so relieved when she was obviously hurting him. "I'm sorry, but – no. I care about you as a person, as a friend – but I do not love you. I'm not in love with you."

He was silent for a long moment. "Thank you for being honest with me, Isabela." He swallowed and looked at her. "It is better to experience a small heartbreak now than to live one for the rest of our lives." His expression was so mournful as he stared into the distance that she'd have hugged him if she knew it wouldn't confuse the conversation they'd just had.

Isabela nodded in agreement, a warm, friendly affection blooming inside her for her ex-betrothed. It was a pity, really. It might be uncomfortable between them, now, but he really was a good man. She sat with him for a few more awkward moments, and then quietly washed her hands, said good-bye, and walked back toward her home to join her family for lunch. She felt the remaining chains of her perfectionism loosen with every step she took.

She didn't notice Julieta standing off the path in the shadows of the trees, silent tears streaming down her mother's face.

A/N:

(1) Cielos – Heavens (like the expression 'good heavens')

(2) Miercoles – Shoot/crap

(3) el Coco – the Latin American equivalent of the bogeyman – a dark shadowy figure that lurks in the shadows on rooftops, watching children and then kidnapping and eating them if they misbehave.

If any of Hernando's descriptions of himself sounded familiar, it's because I definitely just modified Chuck Norris jokes to fit him.

Time for a few disclaimers:

I am not fluent in Spanish and I am not Colombian. I do my research but I always have blind spots and am always willing to learn and fix my mistakes if you have any corrections for me.

I do not own Encanto or its characters and am not writing for profit.

I don't have a beta or editor so all grammar or spelling mistakes are all me.

Thank you for reading, for reviews, follows, and favorites. Your encouragement really lifts me up. I appreciate you, God bless you, have a wonderful week!