Encanto AU (Abandoned and Forgotten)

Chapter 7: Golden Child

Mirabel galloped along her horse towards the cracked mountain, with Bruno and Valeria behind her. Last time she was in this jungle, she was running away from the family she loved as much as she feared their judgement. She remembered running through the trees, tears streaming down her face as ran, not knowing where she was going to go. Mirabel slowed down as they pass through the mountain's crack, looking down at her old childhood village. Bruno and Valeria caught up behind her, waiting for her word. Mirabel turned around to them. "Whatever happens, we have each other, and that's all that matters," Bruno said to them both. Valeria smiled and kissed her husband on the cheek, saying, "no matter what." Mirabel looked at both of them and without a second thought, rode to the outskirts of town.

Mirabel agreed to park the horses in a place they could get to them later, letting Bruno and Valeria walk around town together. She walked to a corner of the town, tying up the horses so they could find them later. After tying them up, she started walking down the street where she would talk to all the kids and tell them about her magical family. Now a days, the streets were filled with new faces of children, none she recognized amongst the younger ones. The houses weren't as perfect as they used to be, with some of them leaning forward or missing a few bricks.

She looked up the street and saw a destroyed and defaced version of her old family mural, with three teen kids standing in front of it. There was a girl with two long braids wearing a yellow dress, a boy with curly hair wearing a yellow poncho and brown shirt, and a girl with one braid down her back. Mirabel recognized them as some of the kids she would talk to on the regular basis. They were all laughing along, joking with each other. She walked up to the three children and asked, "what happened here?" The kids looked up at her, not recognizing her. "Well, a long time ago, there was this family who had magical gifts named the Madrigals, who lived in a magical house," the girl with the one braid started off. "But, ten years ago, their house fell apart and one of the family members ran away. What was her name again? Mariana or something?" the boy chimed in. "Mirabel, her name was Mirabel," the girl with the two braids said, "after she ran away, the familia's magic didn't work, and after a long time of looking for Mirabel, they gave up and started to live a normal life." Mirabel thanked them for the information and moved on throughout the village.

After a while of walking, she came upon where her house used to stand, with it now being an empty field with a garden along the edges of it. The houses infrastructure has vanished with time, with a few bricks being the last remaining part of where the house used to stand. As she was looking at the few pieces of rubble, she could hear groaning over to her left side. Mirabel looked over to see Isabela, planting a bunch of roses. Isabela is dressed in a dark blue dress, with little flowers designed into her dress and a black shawl over her shoulders. She looked over at Mirabel and smiles a bit before she asked, "are you new in town? I have some roses here, but you seem more like a jacaranda girl to me."

Mirabel looked down at her sister. "Isa..." she said to her as she looks at all her flowers. Isabela looked confused for a second before her eyes shooting open with shock. "Mirabel? Mirabel is that really you?" she asked. Mirabel started to tear up a bit, "I'm so sorry for leav-" she said before being tackled by her older sister in a tight embrace. They both start crying and they hold each other. "I thought we lost you," Isabela said, choking on her tears. "I'm so sorry for treating you the way I did. I was a bad sister, you didn't deserve anything I did." Mirabel looked up at her and said, "I'm just happy to be home," she said as tears fell onto both of their dresses. After a minute of hugging, they let go of each other. Isabela asked where she's been, which Mirabel tells her everything that has happened since she ran away. After she told her sister everything, Isabela wiped her tears and said, "I'm happy you're home." Mirabel wiped her tears and looked her sister in the eye and replied, "me too. Now, I believe it's time for a family reunion."