Outside the Encanto

Goodbye, Goodbye, Beautiful Butterfly

"Y/n?" Liz gently pushes the door open, peeking inside.

"Come in." You say, lost in your own thoughts.

"What's going on? We've got to march out in two hours. You've got to eat something, use the bathroom, all that. You're our leader, remember?" Liz reminds you, stepping inside. J follows her in, signing rapidly.

"J says everyone is having their last meals before the battle. Then they've got to report to their duties." Liz translates.

"Alright.." You drag yourself out of the chair, and follow them into the large meeting room, where everyone is being served food in minimal amounts.

The room is jam packed, yet somehow uneasily quiet. Not silent, but the conversations are held in upset whispers, or not at all.

You follow Liz into the line for food, which for some people would be the last meal they'd ever ate. You glance over at the Madrigals, who're all smiling, although by the tense body language, they're putting on a show.

"So.. what're you guys assigned to?" You ask, more to J than Liz.

"We're both in the med wing. J's too young to fight, and I want to translate to any deaf patients."

Your lips twitch, but do not smile. "That's good. You're right, J's too young. Im glad you're both safe."

"Yeah, but I'm afraid for you. You're not only on the front lines, but you're going up against your own family. Hopefully.. they'll spare you." Liz says, before receiving her small portion of food. She goes with her brother to sit with her own Encanto's survivors. 

You're given your portion, although you notice it's slightly larger than everyone else's. You look over to the chef and find it's nobody you know, just a random stranger. The look in their eyes says everything.

This was your last meal.

A knot forms in your stomach as you force yourself to walk, looking around for your brother. You spot him next to the Madrigals, chatting with Solomon, Dominic, and Cisco.

Cisco. The knot tightened in your stomach, threatening to chew you up from the inside. You graciously made your way over to the table, plopping down next to Andrés. He wraps his arm around you, his frown so deep you wouldn't be surprised if it gave him wrinkles.

You hurriedly inhale your food, the last meal you'll ever have. The knot barely allows you to keep anything down, but you force yourself to swallow each bite.

"Y/n!" Isabella calls, gesturing for you to head over to the Madrigals.

"One minute, Isa." You call back, shoving the last of your food in your mouth. There's no napkins, so you wipe your mouth on your sleeve. "I'll be back before we report, I promise." You say to your group as you leave, kissing Andrés on the cheek.

"Alright, little sister."

You prance over to the Madrigals, who immediately embrace you with open arms. You notice Camilo isn't wearing his ruana. Everyone seems wary of the next few hours, but you doubt the fighting could, or would, go on for several days. After all, the population of the Encanto is only around 400, give or take a couple tens.

"I-I want to say I'm sorry." You begin, everyone's eyes snapping to you. "I'm sorry for everything. My family isn't evil.. none of us are. I truly believe they're doing the right thing, in their minds. Honestly, until I met you, I though the exact same way. I'm so-"

"Stop apologizing." Alma stops you, to which you raise one eyebrow at her. Isabella straightens her back and tightens up her posture. "I've spent 50 years apologizing to my Pedro.. to my children.. to the town for his death. But I couldn't have stopped it, and you couldn't have stopped this either. The important thing is that you are not your family, and focus on finding who you are. I know who I am. It's time you figured out the same."