La Luna - His Eternity || Bruno Madrigal Fanfic || Book Three

Moonlight

Ertha's POV

From just around the corner where I waited, back flush against the icy stone wall of a home, I could hear a smooth melody in the distance. It was almost faded out by all the other voices mumbling over top but it peaked and clear as day her quirky upbeat song suddenly drowned the other noises. Luna's unmistakable serenading call bounced off every home on Javier's street, landing like a church bell's ring in my ears, one hundred steps away. It had to be her. Nobody else in Encanto flourished their words like she did when they sang, rolling them off her tongue whenever the lyrics mentioned him. Bruno...

I don't know what I was thinking, allowing my tía and Nacio to pressure me into attempting that last hex. No matter what I do, no matter how hard I try to resist, their serpent-like commands have to be obeyed. Even one of my madre's old tinctures proved useless against their influence over me, the red elixir never taking hold. I just want to be free of them, of all of this. It has to end after tonight, at least for me. I can't do this any longer... I wiped at my blurry eyes, scratching my under eye with my nail in the process. "Just don't let Nacio catch you, you idiota.."

Peeking around the building I noticed a larger crowd had gathered in front of Javier's, no doubt transfixed by the rare sound of music filling the streets from the bar. The stripped sombrero, hiding messy hair bopped between the heads of townspeople, craning to catch a glimpse of Bruno and Luna. Of course he'd be here, where else would Nacio be when he wasn't making it his personal mission to torment me. "Magnífico. Plan A was out of the question now." I rubbed my face, sighing into my hands feeling overwhelmingly frustrated. The bright melody was slowly coming to an end, with the chorus being sung twice already, so I knew I had to act quickly before I missed my chance.

Darting down the back alley and around the backside of the bar, avoiding all the commotion and Nacio's prying eyes, I sprinted at full speed towards the stone bridge that led to the hillside up at the palma grove. It's where they always go when they're alone and I sort of hate that I know why. I shuddered, recalling the sounds I had once heard coming from up that peak. Nice to know someone can actually love you that much, that wholeheartedly that they'd never get tired of you but I didn't need the musical reminder of it, even if they're love gave me a tiny bit of hope for myself.

My feet splashed in the stream, freezing my toes in my sandals as I wadded in the water and disappeared into the shadowy depths under the bridge. I held my breath, covering my mouth with both hands, hearing two sets of light-stepped feet coming towards me. I was right, they'd come here. Their hands were interlocked as they both sprang into the river. Oh shit, why aren't they going over the bridge. My feet tapped around behind me, taking a few cautious steps back, hoping they wouldn't notice my figure lurking in the darkness. I wish I could have looked away, it felt private but again, seeing how affectionately they both gazed into each other's eyes gave me hope for myself and a douse of courage that I desperately needed. When I blinked, their tangled together bodies had vanished from the cool river bank, leaving only a green misty wake behind, hovering over the water.

Giggles traveled down the hilltop, rolling along in the gentle breeze and touched the bottom of the slope where I stared up. The clouds from this angle warped into two soft points and I could almost visualize my escape from Encanto looking between the fluffy dragon fruit colored mountains. It called to me, my heart aching for a taste of freedom. The caged bird in my soul chirped at the glorious sight, before feeling its clipped wings at the sound that sent chills down my spine.

"You're sure they went up there Nacio?" The steely tone of my tía hissed out overhead. My feet felt frozen in the water, not daring to make a ripple as Nacio's deep voice vibrated the pebbles on the bridge. "I followed them from the bar. This is the direction. I lost them when Bruno phased but where else would they have gone..." Not many in town really knew about their special place up at the palms, the few that ever saw them go there hadn't thought twice about it. Bruno used to love that overlook when we were younger.