Encanto AU (Abandoned and Forgotten)

Chapter 6: Coming Back

It's been ten years since Mirabel lived in Encanto. Mirabel is now 25 years old and is still living alone. Loneliness has sunk in over time. She started feeling regretful for leaving her family all those many years ago, with her having no contact with anyone except her tío Bruno, who got married two years ago to Valeria, with her having very little information on the Madrigal family.

One day during the spring, Mirabel walked over to Bruno's house and had a private conversation with him. "I'm thinking of going back to Encanto," Mirabel told her uncle. Bruno, surprisingly shocked, asked, "are you sure? Are you prepared to see our family again?" Mirabel looked at him and said, "I'll never be prepared, us running away with no contact with them has made sure of that, but I feel like I'm ready." Bruno nodded and replied, "okay then, I'll start packing." Bruno started going around his house, grabbing his bag and other belongings. "I can't ask you to come Bruno. You were disgraced for ten years and then chose to runaway with me. That's twenty years you haven't been able to talk to your family, less your sisters and Abuela," Mirabel told him, following behind him in the house. Bruno turned around and looked his sobrina in the eyes, putting his hand on her shoulder. "Look, when I ran away, it was to protect you, right? I'm always gonna protect you, from whoever, even my mother," he squirmed at the thought of his mom. "Plus, with Valeria now in the family, it would be nice for her to meet them. Plus, she's been asking me a lot of questions about them, so this is the easier solution." Bruno smiles and Mirabel, with her smiling back and hugging him. Bruno let go and looked at Mirabel. "Pack your things. I'll get the horses ready and we'll leave before nightfall," he said to her. Bruno started walking to the back of the house, "Mi amor, ready to meet my family?"

Mirabel left her tío's home and walked towards her house. Mirabel walked in and grabbed a couple of things to put in her bag, which was made from her old teenage dress. She grabbed her water skins, bread and the other essentials. Finally, she grabbed a little stuffed toucan she sewed up for her little cousin, Antonio. She figured he may be too old for stuffed animals, but she felt bad for abandoning him and destroying the magic two days after he got his gift. She stuffed the toucan in her bag and once she was all prepared, she walked back to Bruno's house. There she saw her tío and tía waiting on their horses, with Mirabel's horse beside them. "Are you ready kid?" Bruno asked her. Mirabel hopped onto her horse and looked at her family. "Ready. Now let's go see our family," she said as the horse started galloping towards the mountain pass. After a couple of days of riding, she came up upon the river where her abuelo, Pedro, sacrificed himself for his family. She sped across the river and started to head towards the crack in the mountain. As she ran off along with her tío and tía, a single yellow butterfly landed on water plant, before quickly fluttering away into the jungle.