48. A Vision and a Decision

That night, Bruno had a vision.

For the past year, the man has avoided anything to do with visions. Sometimes he’d have a smaller one, involuntarily. But he hasn’t had a bigger once since that fateful day Mirabel dragged him out of the walls.

No one had pressured him, or bothered him about it either. And for that he was thankful.

Things were going well, right now. He was with his family again, he somehow had a fiancée (who cried when he proposed, she liked him so much), and he could walk into town without fearing being burned at the stake.

The last thing he needed was to ruin it all with another awful vision, and set everything back.

So he didn’t have any.

But all day he’d had an awful headache. An absolutely tortuous migraine that just wouldn’t go away.

This wasn’t a normal headache. A bite of his sister’s cooking wouldn’t make this disappear.

He got headaches like these when there was a vision that was screaming to be seen.

At first he resisted. He said he wasn’t having anymore visions, and he meant it.

But as the day went on it got worse and worse, to the point where he could barely stand or speak coherently. He’d even been sent to bed early from dinner.

It was pounding in his brain, disrupting any attempts at thought with a surge of horrible pain.

And this was just after one day, would it get worse as the days went on?

He wasn’t going to find out.

“Fine then…” He muttered bitterly to himself. “What is it that I just have to see?”

He finished his current task, tucking all his rats into their own little beds, each one handcrafted by Mirabel. He then made for his vision cave.

His room was very different than how it was a year ago. It wasn’t a preposterously tall cavern with a seemingly endless set of stairs, for one.

It was a cozy little reading nook. Shelves stacked with books of all sorts, though mostly steamy romance dramas, lined the shelves. A pleasantly toasty fireplace sat behind a pair of fluffy reading chairs, along with a coffee table in the center.

A small set of stairs on the left led to his sleeping quarters, and a small set of stairs to the right led to his vision cave.

He went to the right

He performed his usual good luck rituals, really hoping that his first major vision in a year wouldn’t bring bad news.

He took a deep breath, before retrieving something hidden in his ruana.

A plush jaguar. For the nerves.

He gave it a brief hug, and got to work.

A whirlwind of sand surrounded him, as his eyes glowed an eerie green.

From within the sands, he could see shapes beginning to take form.

First…a mountain.

No, an island.

An island with a village on it, and boats at the docks.

He could make out the small forms of people, and they all seemed to be wearing rather pointy helmets.

Then…Mirabel.

She was standing in a barren environment, looking at something Bruno couldn’t see.

His eyes widened in shock and terror, as he saw what came next.

Mirabel, that wonderful girl, his beloved sobrina…

Engulfed in an explosion of flame.

His breath hitched, and he began to sweat profusely.

No…

No this couldn’t be!

Mirabel wasn’t doomed, she couldn’t be!

There…there had to be more here.

As tempted as he was to just stop the vision immediately, he kept it going. If there was some way, any way to save his niece, he had to find it.

The smoke of the explosion cleared, and he saw…Hiccup.

He looked to be on the ground, his eyes closed. Was he sleeping?

His clothes were burned, his hair was singed, his skin covered in ash and scratches. He looked really beat up, especially his foot.

And…

He wasn’t moving.

He was lying completely still. Motionless. Even his chest wasn’t rising and falling.

…

He wasn’t sleeping.

Bruno’s panic only increased, and he grit his teeth to keep from crying out in terror.

Not only Mirabel, but Hiccup too?

He was such a nice kid, who was dealt a rough hand. But now he had a life worth living.

Would it really be stripped away from him?

Bruno was about to shut the vision down. He couldn’t stand to see such tragedy, not anymore.

Two of the most brilliant, considerate, extraordinary teenagers he knew were destined for early deaths.

It broke his heart.

But just before he ended the vision, he saw something odd.

Actually, it was two things.

A golden butterfly, flittering about.

And a golden winged serpent, slithering through the sands.

The two creatures started on opposite ends of the cyclone of sand, and were hastily heading towards each other.

When they met, they collided in a flash of golden light.

And what Bruno saw made him gasp.

It was Mirabel and Hiccup. They looked older, a little taller. But what was most important, is that they were alive and well.

Hiccup was in a rather dapper suit, and Mirabel in a gorgeous dress. They were holding hands, smiling at each other with nothing but eternal love and adoration.

They were…

They were getting married!

Behind the couple, were his family. Everyone, including Mariano, Valentina, and Toothless, were present. Cheering the two on. Every face lit up with joy.

There were even a few children that he didn’t quite recognize. He couldn’t really make out their faces.

Perhaps the vision had a no-spoilers policy.

The seer stared at the wonderful image in awe, and that’s when the vision ended.

A jade slab materialized in the air, and he grabbed it as his eyes returned to their normal shade.

He looked at it, scrutinized it, turned the slab left and right to see if anything would change, but it remained the same.

Mirabel and Hiccup, being wed. His family, happy.

It was beautiful.

But as elated as he was that a vision of his had a happy ending, he was still left with one question.

What did it mean?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That night, Stoick stepped his way into the camp.

Not stomped, stepped.

His movements were sluggish, and his head was held low.

Gobber immediately noticed something was wrong, and immediately knew what was wrong.

The boy must’ve finally snapped at him.

The twins were both sniffling, devastated at being separated from their new Loki.

Astrid and Fishlegs seemed very despondent as well.

Snotlout was still upset at being told he’d never be the chief, a few days ago.

Everyone, for one reason or another, was in an awful mood.

It was a bad time at the camp, right now.

They all sat in a sullen silence. No one even spoke when someone from the village came and gave them a map, the poor guy looking incredibly uncomfortable the whole time.

They couldn’t read the map, anyway.

Finally, after hours of nobody saying a word, Stoick whispered something.

“Why…”

All eyes turned to him. “What was that?” Gobber asked.

Stoick’s brows furrowed, as some of his usual anger began to return. “Why didn’t you inform me as soon as you found the nest?” He asked Astrid.

Jolted out of her despondent trance, the girl tried to explain herself.

“I-I was trying to protect Berk!” She argued.

“By lying to us?” He hissed, rising from his seat and towering over her. “By keeping the key to our salvation secret!?”

Despite her instincts telling her to cower, she stood her ground. “Chief, with all due respect, you don’t know what I saw in there!”

“That dragon would kill all of us in an instant! There isn’t a Viking alive who could conquer it, not even you!” She exclaimed.

The chief huffed, rage building. “How can- “

“Give it a rest, Stoick!”

His argument was prematurely ended, when Gobber hobbled over. The bearded man gave the blacksmith a cross look.

“I don’t know exactly what the lass saw, but I know she’s being serious. Astrid isn’t the type to screw around, not like that lot…” He pointed his hook to Snotlout, and the twins.

The shieldmaiden nodded. “All I want is for Berk to be free of dragons…just like you.”

The sincerity in her tone left no room for questioning. Her intentions were noble.

“It sounds like this is a beastie we just can’t beat by ourselves.” Gobber glanced to his old friend. “We’re gonna need some help.”

The man stroked his beard, trying to come up with something.

“…I’ll call a meeting, with the other chieftains. We’ll combine our armies, and storm the nest.” He decided.

But Astrid shook her head. “That still won’t be enough! It’s as big as an island, chief! No weapon can pierce its scales!” She threw her arms up in exasperation. “Its pinky toe is ten times bigger than you!”

Fishlegs vehemently nodded from his seat beside her.

“Our weapons would be useless. Any army would be slaughtered. There is nothing we can do…” She pointed, back towards the cracked mountain. “The only thing that could possibly kill it, is the offspring of lightning and death itself...”

Stoick considered their words very carefully. “Then…we need a Night Fury. But the only Night Fury is…”

“Hiccup…” Gobber realized. “We need Hiccup.”

Those words sent a wave of shock throughout the camp.

“Hold up!” Snotlout rose from his pit, an indignant look on his face. “Weren’t you just saying that we should leave Useless here?”

Stoick smacked him upside the head, for using that cruel nickname.

“Aye, I was saying that…” Gobber responded. “But that was in regards to the boy staying on Berk. This is his home now, and that’s not changing. But…maybe he’d be open to taking a wee trip?”

The one-legged man looked to Stoick, gravely serious. “What we need to do…is beg.”

This elicited looks of surprise from everyone present.

Vikings did not beg.

“We need to get on our knees and beg that boy to save us. To forgive us for every time we’ve wronged him, and to save us from the dragons…” He looked down, morosely. “Perhaps then, he’ll have mercy on us.”

Immediately, a resolute expression formed on Astrid’s face. “I’ll do it.”

“U-Uh, they’re pretty mad at you…” Fishlegs pointed out. “Maybe I should do it?”

“We should make Snotlout do it!” Ruffnut said, her brother snickering at the idea.

In response, the stout boy standing between them conked them both on their helmets with his fists.

“I’ll go.” Said Gobber. “I’m probably the only one the lad will talk to.”

But Stoick had different ideas.

“I will go.” He declared.

He got a lot of strange looks.

“But doesn’t Hiccup hate your guts?” Asked Tuffnut.

“Aye…” He responded.

“A-And aren’t you of all people kinda not supposed to go into town?” Fishlegs meekly inquired.

“Aye.” He responded again, more gruffly.

Snotlout spoke up next. “And- “

“AYE!” He shouted, silencing any oncoming questions.

“I know! Everything you say is true!” He took a deep breath, to calm himself down.

“I’ve already failed as a father…I won’t fail as a chieftain as well…” He clenched his fists, looking towards the trail leading to the village. “It’s my duty to protect my people. On their behalf, I will negotiate with Hiccup.”

No matter what arguments they may have had, they could tell this decision was final.

It was a taxing day, for most of them. So they decided to turn in early.

They were heading back home tomorrow. Whether they’d be leaving with Hiccup or without, remained to be seen.

Astrid stroked Stormfly as the dragon nodded off to sleep, away from any prying eyes of course.

She internally cursed her own foolishness. There was no way Hiccup would join them now, due to her rash actions.

It was very likely that the dragon war would never end, all thanks to her.

She came here to save her people, and she may have just doomed them.

Astrid Hofferson never cried.

But here, under the light of the moon and in the company of her best friend, she allowed herself to whimper.

Just a bit.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mirabel was very happy.

She awoke with a smile on her face, as she knew today was going to be a great day.

Finally, those stupid Vikings would be leaving. Their lives could get back on track.

Dolores and Mariano’s wedding was to be held in a few days, and everyone was excited for the upcoming occasion.

But what she was giddy about today, is that after weeks of convincing him, Hiccup finally agreed to go dancing with her!

She had the whole date planned. The location, the music…just thinking about it made her shiver with joy.

In la casa Madrigal, the incoming ceremony dominated the discussion. Everyone was making plans, cracking jokes, or just congratulating the quiet girl. There was always a rainbow somewhere in the house, thanks to Pepa’s good mood.

Dolores was ecstatic.

Right before breakfast could start, there was a knock at the door. Mirabel set down the last plate on the table, and rushed off the answer it.

Standing outside, was Hiccup.

She smiled brightly upon seeing him. “Hey, you’re here early! Couldn’t wait to start tearing up the dancefloor, huh?” She joked.

“Seriously though, it’s super early. I haven’t even eaten yet!” She gestured inside, beckoning him in. “If you want, you’re always welcome to join us! Mom always makes extra, so it’s no…”

Her invitation petered out, once she saw his troubled expression.

“…Hiccup?” She asked.

Without another word, he surged forward and enveloped her in a hug.

She accepted it, but it did nothing to end her confusion. “Wait, what’s wrong?” She asked, concerned.

“I’m sorry…I don’t think we’ll get to go dancing today…” He spoke, slightly muffled by her shoulder.

She backed away, just enough to look him in the eyes. Her gaze silently, and strongly questioning him. “Why not?”

He sighed, knowing this would be hard to say. But he had to say it.

“I’ve been thinking…about what Astrid said…” He began. “If it’s true, if the dragons have really been enslaved by a monster this whole time, and Toothless and I are the only ones who can stop it…”

“…Then we have to stop it.” He shrugged.

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“S-So what? You want to go back to Berk and fight a giant killer dragon?” She questioned.

He nodded. “Yeah, yeah that’s the idea…”

She felt a jolt of mixed emotions, mostly fear and frustration.

“Hiccup, you could be killed!” She exclaimed.

He felt his own frustration rising.

“Thousands of dragons have already been killed!” He argued back. “And they’ve been dying for nothing! Centuries of bloodshed, stealing food against their will, it has to stop!”

She crossed her arms, frowning. “Oh, and you’re the only one who can stop it?”

He crossed his own arms, and frowned right back. “That’s what they said!”

She sneered at the thought of those Vikings. “How do you know they’re not lying? This could be a trick to take you back and hurt you again.”

“It’s true.”

They both turned at the sound of the small voice, to see Antonio standing in the courtyard.

“About the nest and the big dragon, it’s true.” He said.

“And how do you know?” Mirabel wondered.

“Toothless told me!” He answered with a small smile.

“Okay…and why didn’t you tell any of us?” Asked Hiccup.

The boy shrugged. “Toothless told me not to worry about it.” He began to leave, calling out to his cousin as he did. “Abuela says it’s time for breakfast!”

“I’ll be there in a minute.” She called back, before facing Hiccup once more.

“You’re serious about this?” She asked, brows furrowed. “You really want to leave the Encanto, sail for thousands of miles to an island you hate, full of people who hate you, so you can face a fire-breathing reptile the size of a mountain. Is that what you’re telling me?”

He took a moment to think.

“If it would free the dragons…yes.” He nodded.

She searched his eyes, for any sign of uncertainty. But all she found was the spark of unwavering determination.

He was dead-set on this. Nothing was going to change his mind.

And she sighed.

“Give me some time to pack.” She finally spoke. “I have no idea how we’re gonna tell everyone about this…”

That caught Hiccup off guard.

“W-Wait, what? What are you talking about?” He sputtered.

“I’m going with you.” She said, as if it was obvious.

He shook his head fervently. “No, you’re not. It’s too dangerous!”

“Like it isn’t for you?” She shot back.

“I have a Night Fury!” His voice was cracking now. “What do you have?”

She raised an eyebrow. “…A Night Fury.”

He couldn’t deny that, try as he might. Toothless loved her, and would defend her with his life.

Sighing, he took her hands in his. “Mirabel, please. I can’t let you risk your life like this. I dunno what I’d do if anything happened to you…”

She met his gaze and matched its intensity. “Neither do I…”

“MIRABEL! WHOEVER’S AT THE DOOR, TELL THEM TO GO AWAY!”

At her grandmother’s shout, the bespectacled girl knew they’d have to continue this discussion at another time.

She poked him right in the chest, and gave him a stern glare. “We are not done talking about this!”

Reluctantly, he nodded. And began to walk away.

She watched him go, and was about to close the doors.

Until she remembered just how stubborn and impulsive her boyfriend could be.

“Lo juro por Dios, if you fly off without telling me, a giant dragon will be the least of your problems!” She yelled out to him.

He didn’t respond, but from his flinch, she could tell he got the message.

She huffed, frustrated.

She was looking forward to her carefree days returning. But of course, it could never be that simple.

She really hoped Hiccup didn’t do anything stupid.

If he died, she was gonna kill him.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mirabel trudged into the dining room, irritation evident.

Everyone noticed something was up, before she even took her seat.

“Mira, who was that?” Asked Luisa.

With a roll of her eyes, she answered her sister. “It was Hiccup…”

Now that was a surprise.

Not that it was Hiccup, he was here all the time.

But that she didn’t seem happy about it.

The young couple were as harmonious as could be, rarely fighting about anything.

So this was definitely a surprise.

“Uh-Oh!” Felix snorted. “Trouble in paradise?”

“Yes! I’ve been starving for some drama!” Camilo cheered.

“This is a private matter between Mirabel and Hiccup, we shouldn’t treat it like some telenovela!” Julieta scolded.

Augustin nodded along with his wife. “But…if you do want to tell us about it, we’re all ears!”

Everyone shared similar sentiments, except for Dolores. She’d heard everything, and was kind of freaking out, but she managed to hold her tongue.

Mirabel considered her options.

Whether she told them or not, they’d find out anyway.

And it would be nice to get their input…

“Yesterday, one of the Vikings told us that she figured out why they’re attacked by dragons…” She began to explain. “There’s some giant…crazy…evil dragon, and it’s mind controlling the smaller ones. Forcing them to steal food and fight people…”

“Apparently, the only thing that can beat this dragon is another dragon. A Night Fury.” At those words, realization began to dawn on the table. “…And Hiccup wants to go help them.”

She braced for the onslaught of shocked exclamations.

“WHAAAT!?”

“He wants to go defeat that dragon, and end the whole Viking-Dragon-War thing…” She repeated.

“That’s insane! He could be killed!” Pepa cried out, stroking her braid. Felix tried to wave away the snow that was falling onto her head.

“And why would he want to help those Vikings, anyway? After all they’ve done to him, to us?” Isabela glowered.

“It’s not about them!” Antonio objected. “The dragons are getting hurt, and it’s not even their fault!”

“Of course that’s why…” Camilo griped. “He’s like a crazy cat lady…but for dragons…and he’s a guy.”

Julieta looked to her youngest daughter. “And how do you feel about this?” She asked, gently.

The girl suppressed a grimace, as she knew what was about to come.

Dolores was squirming in her seat, looking very uncomfortable. She knew what was coming as well.

Sitting up straight, she spoke clearly so all could hear. “I want to go with him.”

The shouts that followed could be heard all the way across town.

“Are you crazy!?” Isabela exclaimed.

“Why would you want to do that? You could die!” Luisa was quivering with fear.

“I don’t want to go! But I can tell that nothing’s gonna change his mind. He can’t do this alone, he might get hurt! So I’m going with him!” She declared, wearing a steadfast expression.

“Miraboo, you know I want to support you no matter what…” Augustin hesitantly started. “But I’m putting my foot down! There is absolutely no way that you’re doing this!”

“But what if Hiccup- “Her protests her interrupted by her mother.

“Hiccup’s not going either! We’re going to have a talk with him, as soon as possible!” Declared Julieta.

“I understand that Hiccup wants to help the dragons, and I understand that you want to keep him safe…” Alma spoke, more than a bit afraid. “But the things you’re saying…leaving the Encanto? Going to this…Berk? Filled with violence and war? Battling a giant monster?” She shook her head decisively.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot allow this.” She received a chorus of agreement.

Everyone agreed that such a mission would be near suicidal, and they wouldn’t allow either of the teens to embark on such a journey.

…Almost everyone.

“M-Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad?”

All eyes turned to Bruno, who was already starting to sweat.

“Okay, okay, okay! Before you say anything, I know what you’re thinking!” He put on a silly voice, mostly to calm his own nerves. “What are you, nuts? Those crazy kids will get themselves killed!”

“But um…I really-I’m not sure if it’ll turn out like that…” He took a gulp, as he prepared his revelation. “Last night…I had a vision.”

For the third time, a multitude of shocked expressions and stunned exclamations came from the table. He just nodded, and let everyone get their surprise out.

“I did, I had a vision. And in it…” He looked to Mirabel. “I saw you. I-I saw you and Hiccup, on Berk…”

“…Or at least I assumed it was Berk. I saw an island, and I saw you on it. But I dunno, right? It’s not like they had a sign that said ‘Welcome to Berk!’ but what other island have we been talking about? Heh…” He chuckled awkwardly, after his nervous rambling.

He cleared his throat, and tried to get himself back on track.

“So I saw you, Mirabel. And I saw Hiccup. You both went to Berk, and…” He began to reach into his ruana, and from the faint green glow, they knew what he was retrieving.

They all prepared themselves for bad news, or another cryptic prophecy. But what puzzled them, is that the scruffy man had a slight smile as he fished around for the tablet.

And Bruno never smiled about his visions.

Finally, he grabbed the slab. He took another look at it, almost as if he still couldn’t believe it was real, and smiled even wider.

No one could see it. Intentionally or not, he was hiding it from view. Their curiosities were becoming unsustainable.

“…You two went to Berk, and this is what I saw next.” He grinned as he began to turn the tablet around, slowly. “And I apologize for the spoilers, but I-I really think you should see this…”

Finally, the prophecy was revealed to all at the table.

And it made them all gasp in unison.

Mirabel especially reacted strongly to it. Her eyes shot open, and she dropped her fork as her hands rushed to her mouth.

It was Isabela who broke the silence first. “Oh my God…” She whispered.

Before her face became one of outrage. “Why does Hiccup get hot!?”

And Camilo cracked up.

That opened the floodgates, and now everyone was speaking at once. Passing the tablet along the table, so they could all get a good look.

“Look at our baby girl…” Julieta cooed, tracing a hand down the image of an adult Mirabel.

“She’s so beautiful…” Augustin had to fight the tears that were coming to his eyes.

Dolores squinted at the image, really hard. She could just barely make out wedding rings on her and Mariano’s fingers.

She sighed in relief. Despite the constant obstructions, they do get married.

But as she passed the slab to the next person, her eyes widened as she realized something else about her future self.

“Was that…a baby in my arms?” She thought.

A raincloud poured over Pepa’s head, but a rainbow was shining above it. These were happy tears. She couldn’t even speak through her joyful sobs.

“Dang…Hiccup gets some meat on his bones!” Luisa observed.

“You think his voice gets any deeper?” Isabela snarked. But in truth, she was trying to hide how close she was to crying over the image of her sister in a wedding dress.

“You realize what this means, right Isa?” Camilo asked, smugly. “You’re gonna be stuck with Hiccup as your brother!”

But Isabela appeared unfazed. “Good, that means I get to bother him every day!”

Camilo was then given the slab himself, and was devastated to find that he barely gets any taller.

“Who are these kids?” Antonio wondered, excited at the prospect of no longer being the youngest Madrigal.

Felix ruffled his son’s hair. “I guess we’ll just have to find out, huh?” He spoke with a laugh.

Alma was overjoyed at the prophecy. “This is wonderful…truly wonderful!”

“Mama! You’re gonna be a bisabuela!” Julieta cheered. Making the old woman even more happy.

Finally, it was given to Mirabel herself. Who had remained speechless this whole time.

She held it as gently as possible, afraid of damaging this beautiful vision in any form.

It was…perfect.

Her family, her entire family was there. Even members she’d yet to meet.

They were all together, they were all happy.

And…

And she was…

She was marrying Hiccup.

Her heart began pounding.

She knew she was blushing hard. She knew it as soon as she heard the laughter coming from the table.

But she didn’t care.

It was insurmountably incredible. Everything she wanted was here.

This was her future!

But it would only happen if…

She looked up, straight at her Tio.

“You said this happened after we went to Berk, right?” She asked.

The man wordlessly nodded in response. He was afraid that if he spoke, he’d accidentally let something about explosions or mangled feet slip.

“Then…then I have to go!” She looked at the rest of her family, grinning widely. “We both do! This shows that if we go to Berk, everything will work out fine!”

While the family couldn’t argue against what the vision showed, they were still unsure.

“But…how long would you be gone?” Pepa asked.

“Where would you sleep?” Wondered Luisa.

“What would you eat?” Julieta questioned.

“And, most importantly…” Camilo paused. “How are you gonna beat a giant mind-controlling dragon!?”

But Mirabel was unyielding. “We’ll figure that out! But I need to do this, we need to do this.”

“Not just for the dragons. But for us, for our family!” She spoke with a warm grin.

Alma gave Mirabel an incomprehensible expression, and Mirabel met her stare with unwavering determination.

Finally…Alma relented with a sigh. “You’d better start packing…”

The bespectacled girl leaped out of her seat, punching the air with joy.

Julieta stood from the table. “I’ve got to start getting some food ready, for the trip…”

Augustin stood as well. “I’ll go get the travel bags…” He then paused, thinking. “Do we even have travel bags?”

Luisa rose, as did Isabela. “Yeah, we gotta start packing too.” Spoke the hulking girl.

Mirabel ceased her punches and looked at them inquisitively. “W-Why?”

“Did you really think we’d let you do this alone?” Isabela grinned.

Mirabel gawked at her, before turning to her other sister.

“We got your back, sis!” Said Luisa.

Bursting with joy, Mirabel rushed to hug her siblings.

“Yeah! Adventure!” Camilo cheered, standing on his seat.

Until Pepa dragged him back down. “Not you, you’re still grounded.”

“It was a good chicken leg!” The shifter groaned.

“I’m afraid I wouldn’t be much help…” Dolores muttered. “What am I supposed to do, listen for the dragon? Besides, an island full of screaming Vikings doesn’t sound like somewhere I’d want to be…”

“I can talk to the dragons! I can go!” Cheered Antonio.

“You’re also six.” Felix chuckled. “Not happening, Tonito!”

“I’ve gotta go tell Hiccup!” Mirabel exclaimed. She grabbed the jade tablet, and rushed out of the kitchen with a hasty “Adios!”

Breakfast was pretty much over at this point, before it had even begun.

There was much to do, to ensure that the young one’s journey was a comfortable (and preferably short) one.

Alma sat in her chair, wondering if she’d done the right thing.

She was allowing her grandchildren and supposed future grandchild to leave their sanctuary.

On an excursion to a bitter, rough, violent island full of bitter, rough, violent people.

With the intentions of squaring off against a terrible beast.

What was she doing? They were heading into the exact type of environment the Encanto was created to protect them from.

Could she, in good conscious, allow this to happen?

It wasn’t too late, she could shut this whole thing down immediately.

…But then she thought about Bruno’s vision again.

That wonderful, wonderful vision.

And despite how frightened she was, she knew she just had to have faith in her grandchildren.

Faith in Mirabel.

And it would all turn out okay.

Besides…

Bruno’s visions always came true.