Outside the Encanto

Papas Goodbye

"Leaving so soon?"

You fly upwards, holding yourself into a defensive position. You look from side to side, spinning around. Just not up.

Papa drops down from the cover of the willows, letting out a pained grunt. He clutches his stomach, right where you'd stabbed him.

"Papa." You whisper, the walls of shame encasing you in an invisible cage.

"It's okay, Y/n. A war isn't quite how I envisioned this to go, either." Papa chuckles, taking your seat against the tree trunk.

"You're dying, Papa. I'm just curious.. your stomach has been stabbed open for a month. How are you still alive? How did it not heal yet?" You question, unsure about how even your papa could survive such a deadly attack.

"Yes, I am dying. No, it's not from the wound itself, it's from an infection I recently gained. It's alright though. I'll be with your mother." Papa smiles, closing his eyes.

"Abuela told me everything. Mama's alive! She's been alive all this time, and you kept it from me?!" You shake your head, a tear welling up in your eye. You wipe it away, not in the mood for tears.

"You wish to find her, don't you?" Papa sighs, looking down at the ground.

You stay silent for a moment. "I wish to summon the deity, and set things right." You mumble, averting eye contact.

"Ah, the deity. I have to warn you.. the deity isn't exactly what she seems. Yes, it'll grant you anything you desire. But the price.. it's everything you fear. Your mothers biggest fear was losing hope, as her parents had during the war. My biggest fear at the time was a painful death, and so it resulted in the curse, held within our Miracle Candle. When you destroyed it.. the curse was released. You might've noticed a little shockwave?"

"Yeah. After I destroyed it, the wave hit me. It hit a ton of people." You remember, watching several people duck, while others were struck with the mysterious wave.

"Well, it's lucky you're immune. Otherwise you'd be nothing but ashes right now." Papa shakes his head, looking over past the hills. You follow his gaze over to the white tents.

"Why aren't you immune? Why is Señora Alma immune?" You question.

"I was only a supporter in making the wish, I didn't qualify, nor did I ask for it. Alma.. she was the cause of the wish. The sickness was severe, so Julieta needed a special recipe, not just the standard arepas. Julie and I were close friends, and she promised to deliver the medicine by the next day. I was so grateful, normally we're turned down medical care." Papa smiled, his eyes reflecting the memory of his wife and unborn child's safety. Then his smile dropped from his face, instead replaced by one of anger.

"Julieta had told Alma about the illness. I believe it was in passing, more of a 'I'm making it for Dario's wife' sort of thing. Alma had told her not to help us. She didn't want.." Papa trails off, shutting his eyes.

"Alma didn't want more magical L/n's. We already had more children than her family did, and she didn't like the imbalance. She told Julieta to let your mother die, along with you. She had no choice but to listen to her mother. I don't blame Julie in the slightest." Papa sighed, grunting again in pain.

"Papa.. I'm so sorry. I never wanted to hurt you." You tear up, shaking.

"If you meet the deity, you could make it so that you never did. I had to keep peace in the Encanto, but my methods did the opposite. You can save us all. Make the right wish." Papa groans, breathing heavily.

"What wish is that? Which village is Mama at? Are there stops along the way? I need to know!" You panic, afraid he'll die before you can get enough information.

"South. Use the sun to guide you. There'll be one village along the way, and the second will have your mother. I, aghhh, god that stings, the magic will come at a price, but you have to pay it." Papa nearly shouts, beads of sweat protruding from his skin.

At that moment, Papa stopped thrashing. He just sat, barely breathing. His breathing slows, until he exhales. He doesn't breath in.

"What wish, Papa? What wish?!" You practically beg, but it's no use. You feel for a pulse, but it's gone.

It began at the Willow tree. For your Papa, it ended there too.

And you are left an orphan.