Encanto: Bruno Madrigal x Oc

Chapter 5: The Rats Told Me

Mirabel quickly looked around the area before climbing back out. She now needed to know what was in there, but wanted to bring someone she could trust to keep a secret. Her mind immediately went to Emilia. Mirabel raced down the hall to her aunt's room and just as she went to knock, the door opened.

Emilia could hardly understand her niece, as she was talking so fast, but Mirabel quickly grabbed her aunt's sleeve and dragged her towards the hole in the wall which had been hidden for so long behind a painting. Both of them agreed that there must be some sort of answer in there or, at the very least, it was worth investigating.

They cautiously travelled along the narrow gaps in the walls. Things appeared to be fairly normal until they suddenly came across a hooded figure. Deciding to run after it, the two women struggled to keep up as the mystery person passed obstacles with ease. Suddenly, both Emilia and Mirabel found themselves falling. Mirabel was able to grab onto something, while Emilia fell the entire way.

Lucky for Emilia, the drop wasn't that high so she only ended up with a few minor cuts, scrapes, and bruises. She heard Mirabel call after her, but the combination of dust, darkness, and being slightly disoriented from the fall made it hard to focus or speak. After a brief moment, Emilia was about to stand up so she could help Mirabel down, when the older woman suddenly felt something land on her. Between this and the fall, she'd be sore tomorrow for sure.

Before Emilia could process what just happened, she was pulled onto her feet and the dust was quickly cleared. What Emilia saw next made her freeze and her heart leap into her throat. For a moment, she didn't even think what she was seeing was real. Right beside Emilia was none other than Bruno. All Emilia could do was squeak out his name.

Mirabel took this moment to jump down from where she was hanging. Bruno, who was now absolutely mortified at being discovered by his wife like this, did the most logical thing he could think of: he panicked. With a simple "bye" he quickly began to walk off. Emilia, not knowing what else to do, quickly followed after him.

Soon catching up to him, Emilia grabbed Bruno's wrist, turned him around, and then wrapped him in a hug. Without any hesitation, Bruno tightly hugged her back. Mirabel could only watch as her aunt began to violently sob. Bruno still embracing his wife, slowly rocked her back and forth. When she finally stoped crying, Bruno gently wiped some tears from her face; he too, was a bit misty-eyed.

After the shock of seeing her long-lost husband began to slightly fade, the group of three continued on until Mirabel and Emilia noticed a large amount of cracks that had been repaired. Mirabel asked Bruno if he had been the one to fix the damage. Bruno replied that it wasn't him who worked on the cracks, but Hernando.

Although Mirabel had no idea, Emilia understood immediately. When Mirabel asked Bruno who Hernando was, the teen was speechless when her uncle pulled down his hood and in a weird voice claimed that he was Hernando. Emilia smiled; that was definitely her Bruno. Mirabel, on the other hand, bluntly asked how long he had been back here. As they kept walking, Emilia kept thinking about the cracks in the walls; she was concerned- how long had those cracks been forming?

Along the way, Bruno kept knocking on wood and Emilia held back a smirk; she was glad some things hadn't changed. As they entered a small room-like area, Emilia noticed what was about to happen and quickly covered her face. Along with the knocking on wood, throwing salt over his shoulder was another thing that Bruno used to do all the time. Mirabel, who was less prepared, got some salt to the face.

Then, both women looked around the small space. It didn't have much- just a chair, table, and some other items- but it had been clear that he had been around here a long time. In fact, It turned out that Bruno never left.  When this whole issue with the candle was resolved, Emilia and Bruno were going to have a lot to discuss and figure out.

Looking around some more, Mirabel and Emilia noticed a little hole in the wall that was above the table. Looking through, they could see into the dining area of Casita. It was then that Emilia actually noticed what was on the table and she almost felt the tears start again. He must have been so lonely. Placed on the table was not only a replica of a plate with Bruno's name on it, similar to the real ones the Madrigals used, but across from it was a framed picture of Emilia and Bruno on their wedding day. Appearing behind his wife and niece, Bruno revealed that although he loved Emilia and the family very much, he had felt that his gift wasn't helping and it'd be best for everyone if he left the way he did. Emilia was speechless.

Emilia composed herself as Mirabel tried to ask Bruno about the vision with her and Casita. It was obvious that he did not want to talk about it though, as he quickly changed the subject and tried to distract his wife and niece with his rats. This distraction did not work, and both women once again asked for answers. He admitted that Mirabel was never supposed to see that vision but that the fate of the miracle and the encanto could be up to Mirabel. Or not.

Mirabel asked Bruno if he would be willing to have another vision to see if they could possibly gain answers on how to fix everything. Emilia wondered if he would be willing to. With some persuading from Emilia, Bruno did eventually agree. However, they would need a wide, open space for him to make a premonition. Emilia was about to offer her room when, with almost perfect timing, Antonio appeared. The little boy told Bruno, Emilia, and Mirabel that the rats told him everything; also they could use his room.