Chapter Text
You fought back tears and choked back a sob as you patted the freshly turned mound of earth in front of you. You pressed the bundle in your arms a little tighter against your chest. How had it all gone so wrong?
A year ago, you and your boyfriend Daniel were so happy, a new illusion peeking into your lives, in the form of little heartbeats inside you. He had even proposed to you the moment he found out you were pregnant and you planned to have the wedding after the baby was born.
And then the surprise came when not one, but two little lives came out of you, so small, so fragile and beautiful. Daniel almost fainted, but the joy of having twins got the better of him. It was tiring getting up in the middle of the night every time one of the babies cried, knowing that if one started, the other would quickly follow.
Daniel would get upset when it happened, because he had to get up early the next day, so you tried to calm the babies as soon as possible. But still, it was worth it, because they were your greatest treasure.
Eliza, your beautiful girl, had inherited Daniel's tan skin and his black hair, but she had your eyes and your smile. Aharhel, your little boy, on the other hand, was your spitting image. You loved them so much. Often when your brother Karim came to visit, he would find you in your rocking chair, lulling your little miracles close to your chest. He would always smile and comment on how good motherhood looked on you.
"Look, Karim, how small their hands and feet are" you would say
And your brother would laugh, agreeing with you. How could you not love those little lives that had come out of you? You had held them, fed them, cared for them and kissed them. There was nothing you wouldn’t do for them.
And then the night came when they were 3 months old.
You woke up to Eliza crying in the middle of the night. Daniel just complained, but you worried. Your baby had never cried like that, she sounded hurt, terrified. You ran as fast as you could to the twins' room and took her in her arms. You must have been suspicious when Aharhel didn't wake up to his sister's cries.
But you were too busy with Eliza. By the time you noticed the lack of sound, it was too late. Your little angel was cold and his little face was blue. He had left.
Your piercing scream woke up Daniel, who went to see what was happening, annoyed at not being able to rest. However, when he saw the situation, he fell to his knees and cried with you and your daughter. He ran for help, but no one could do anything, not even the town's healing prodigy, Alma Madrigal's eldest daughter. Aharhel would never open his little eyes again.
If you had known, you would have hugged him tighter, you would have given him millions more kisses. You would have sung him more, you would have given him better. But how were you supposed to know? How does a mother prepare for a part of her soul to be ripped out? There were no words for the pain you felt. Eliza would never meet her brother, you would never see your child grow up. Your only consolation was that he had gone in peace, without pain. Sleeping.
But you had been the only one who had found some comfort in that. Daniel became more aggressive with the pain. He spoke to you sharply and coldly, he blamed you for what happened, for not taking care of his son. He even hit you and told you that it must have been Eliza the one to die, because she was a girl, instead of his little boy. If it wasn't for Karim who arrived on time, maybe you and your daughter would have died too.
Daniel left town the next day. He broke your heart and even though you were furious at his suggestion that your girl should have died, a part of you couldn't help but think that maybe he was right. Maybe it had been your fault.
Fear and uncertainty filled your heart. What were you going to do? How would you maintain your daughter? You needed Daniel, you weren't going to make it without him. It was Karim who opened your eyes and made you see that no, you didn't need that monster in your life. He was there for you and he would help you.
"You're my sister and Eli is my niece. I'm not going to abandon you, Y/N, ever" he had told you, hugging you tightly "You're a strong woman, you always have been. You'll get out of this, for you, for your daughter and I'll be every step of the way with you"
He was right. Eliza needed you. You couldn't protect Aharhel, but by God, you were going to do everything for your daughter. And so, with the help of your brother, you had set up a small craft workshop. At first, there were not many clients, but your beautiful designs attracted attention and in a short time you were able to stop depending on your brother and support your daughter on your own.
Still, loneliness and sadness seemed not to want to leave your heart. So you started writing songs. You didn't sing them to anyone, but they were a way to free yourself. And even though you now harbored a dislike for Daniel and didn't feel ready to date someone again, you didn't want to be alone.
You stopped shivering for a moment and whispered to the small mound that now replaced your son.
"Goodbye my sun, goodbye my love. Wait for me wherever you are. I promise I’ll find a way to be happy again, for you and for your sister"
You didn’t know if you’d be able to keep that promise, but you’ll try. Looking at the sky, you prayed for a miracle.
___________________________
Life has weird ways of acting. Sometimes, fate is cruel and breaks everything in its path, and chance has to pick up the pieces and put together a new image with them.
Two months after burying your son and your ex-boyfriend running away, tragedy knocked on the door again. Except that this time, it was for a much bigger prize.
People murmured as you walked home with the basket of groceries in your arms. Eliza was with Karim, and you had time, so you decided to come over and listen. As your house was closer to the forest than to the town itself, you hardly ever heard about the local gossip.
The black clouds probably should have been signal enough.
From what you could hear, something was going on in the famous Madrigal house. There were rumors of cracks and something about magic failing (you tried not to wince at the memory of brown eyes trying to do anything to save your already dead son). But you couldn't help but get upset when someone mentioned that it was all that girl Mirabel's fault.
You had always been protective of children ( los niños no se tocan), even before having your twins. And Mirabel had always been kind to you. And people loved to throw it in her face that she didn't have a gift like the rest of her family and they forgot that she was only 15 years old. She was a child!
It was true that some people claimed that the girl was trying to sabotage her family since the ceremony of her younger cousin (which you had not attended), but you did not believe it. It was obvious that she loved her family and she wanted to help in any way she could.
You were about to say something in her defense when a huge crack opened up in the flagstone path. You almost lost your balance but managed to stay on your feet. You heard screams from the house and just a few moments later you saw how it collapsed.
Instinctively you dropped the basket into your arms and ran to the scene, hoping to find everyone okay. But death comes when it wants and doesn't discriminate.
Someone hadn't gotten out on time.
_______________________
Mirabel only remembered running for the candle, falling to the ground, hearing her father yelling her name and someone pulling her before everything went to dust around her. The candle in her hands went out and Casita said goodbye, taking the magic and all the gifts of the family.
It wasn't until she heard her mother's cry that she knew there was something else to cry about.
"Agustin!"
Mirabel was startled when her mother fell to her knees beside her and began frantically removing rocks, searching for something…someone. The girl let out a gasp and moved to help her mother when she saw her father's arm from under the rubble.
Within seconds, her sisters and the rest of her family were by her side, all trying to get the man out. The townspeople, including you, were beginning to arrive. However, everyone was petrified when Julieta's piercing cry of pain was heard.
You all watched as the woman scooped her husband up into her arms, desperately trying to wake him up. Dolores and Félix were quick to get Pepa and Antonio out of there while Isabela leaned on Luisa. It wasn't hard to put the pieces together when you saw the man's hand dangling.
Julieta didn’t have her gift. She couldn't do anything. And she saw how her husband's life was going in her hands. Camilo was quick to bring her one of the medicine bottles she had in reserve, but it was too late.
As she tried to bring him to life, a memory of a dark night where she tried to save a baby without success played in Julieta's mind. Maybe because she knew it was the same situation: her powers (reserves in this case), wouldn’t be useful. Because not even she could compete against death. And so, a painful truth filled the hearts of those present.
Agustín Madrigal had died.