67. Successor Struggles

Mirabel was acting different.

The whole family could see it. Even the babies.

When she awoke them each morning, it’d usually be with boisterous and jovial shouting. An enthusiastic call for them to start the day, which always sent a jolt of energy through their systems. No matter how tired they were.

But today it was subdued, and strangely monotone. It barely even sounded like a wake-up call.

And she’d said the same thing, in the same way, to each and every member of the family.

“Buenos Dias. It’s time to get up, breakfast will be served shortly.”

A cordial, basic statement that lacked the liveliness or the personalized touch of her usual morning bellows.

Each one of them awoke with a quirked eyebrow, perplexed by her odd shift in tone. But they all readied themselves for the day, and sat themselves at the dining table nonetheless.

The girl was acting weird there, as well.

She was sitting nearly immobile. Her back was straight with perfect posture, and her hands were clasped together on the table. Her expression calm, but ambivalent.

They didn’t miss the fact that her sitting position was almost identical to Alma’s.

Another bewildering change was her dress. Similar in design to the one she wore most days, this time a cool cerulean color. But it lacked any extra detail.

No embroidered symbols of any kind. No flowers, or barbells, or butterflies, or rainbows, or anything draconic.

Just a basic dress, untouched by the hands of a creative.

Which was wildly out of character for Mirabel.

But perhaps what was most disconcerting, was her attitude.

Or lack thereof.

Mirabel was known throughout the town for her plucky personality and positive outlook. Seasoned with just a hint of sarcasm, which has only increased thanks to her spending so much time with Hiccup and his dry wit.

At every meal she’d crack jokes at the table, or tell a surprisingly riveting story, or just ask someone about their plans for the day. In such a genuine manner, one would feel their heart begin to tremble.

Even over something as simple as breakfast or dinner, the girl was positively enthralling. It was a wonder they hadn’t noticed this about her for years.

None of that was present today.

She sat, perfectly still. With that visage of coolness so serene, it was almost uncomfortable.

She didn’t share any jokes, or stories. She didn’t ask anyone anything, or bring up any topics herself.

She would just nod along with whatever anyone had to say. While looking over the table as if she was surveying her kingdom.

Or at least, she was trying very hard to look like she was.

Several people asked if she was alright. Each time she said she was fine.

It didn’t convince them.

She wasn’t completely devoid of emotion, though. Whenever someone else said something humorous or interesting, her mask would briefly break.

She’d look to be one second away from cracking into wild snickers, or joining in the conversation, before she hastily tried to regain her composure. Snapping right back into silence.

Everyone saw it. Everyone understood what it meant.

She wasn’t in a bad mood.

She was making herself act this way.

The question was…why?

It was a question they all silently shared. And after breakfast, an entire family meal of her acting so strange, Julieta went to get some answers.

She found her daughter in the courtyard, most likely awaiting her mother.

She was asking Mariposa to fly off to the stables with Hiccup for a bit, as she had important work to do. The dragon seemed reluctant, but she agreed. Flapping upwards and out of Casita.

And after that was done, she just stood there.

Staring up at the candle, burning brightly above. With an incomprehensible expression on her features.

Mirabel was obviously about to leave, to begin her first day of training. But before that, Julieta had to know what was up with her youngest child.

“Mirabel!” She called, getting the bespectacled girl’s attention.

Approaching her daughter, she spoke. Concern evident in her tone.

“Mija, I know I asked you this already but…are you alright?”

The young woman turned to face her mother, in a motion that was forcibly graceful.

“I said I’m fine, Mama.” She insisted.

“Yes, but you seem so…” Julieta struggled to find the right word. “Off!”

“You’ve been so quiet! And you haven’t been making all those little puns you like, or telling us about any projects you’ve been working on, and you haven’t said anything dragon related all morning!”

“If something’s bothering you, you can tell us. Any of us!” The woman placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder. “We only want to help.”

Mirabel really seemed to consider her words. Her pupils quivering, her breath hitching the tiniest bit.

Before she sighed.

“Mama, I’m about to be the next Candle Holder.” She started, with a steadfast glare. “This is the first time we’ve ever had a new leader! The people need to know that they can depend on me to guide them, to protect them! Just like Abuela did.”

“It’s a huge responsibility. That means I have to start carrying myself differently. And…and no more goofing off.”

Mirabel glanced down, away from her mother’s eyes.

After a moment of silence, Julieta spoke again.

“…Being yourself isn’t goofing off.” She said.

Mirabel’s expression was very conflicted.

But before either of them could say another word, Alma hastily made her way into the courtyard.

“Sorry, sorry! I know I’m late!” She spoke, with a grin on her face.

“I was taking Oso to the stable, when he went to sleep right on the ground! So I had to ask Luisa to move him. He’s such a silly thing…” She chuckled.

She then turned to her granddaughter, not even noticing the heavy air between the two women present.

“Are we ready to go?” She asked.

With a stiff nod from Mirabel, the two began to leave.

Julieta couldn’t help but notice that even Mirabel’s walk was off.

It was rigid, and awkward. Her head was held far too high, in an approximation of a regal and authoritative stance. Her eyes lacking the excitable twinkles that usually shone through them.

Julieta hadn’t even seen her smile today.

It didn’t look right. It didn’t look like her Mirabel.

But she knew that undertaking the role of leadership would be a big challenge for the girl, and she couldn’t imagine the pressure Mirabel must be feeling.

Julieta internally promised to be there for her, however she could.

And in her heart, she hoped that this was just a phase. That she’d get over it soon, and her wonderful daughter would return.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mirabel could feel it.

The uncertainty.

Alma had already announced to the townsfolk that Mirabel was to be her successor.

They didn’t take the news badly, everyone agreed that Mirabel was a wonderful young woman.

But there was definitely an undercurrent of unease that could be felt throughout the village, brought on by the unexpected development.

And as she walked into town, mirroring her grandmother’s movements exactly, Mirabel could feel every single eye peering into her.

Watching her every step, and asking silent questions.

Can she handle it?

Can she keep us safe?

Can we trust her to make the right decisions?

Can she really lead us to a brighter tomorrow?

These were all questions Mirabel has been asking herself.

Trying to dispel the doubt clouding her mind, with mixed results, the bespectacled girl continued to follow the elder.

She tried her best to look distinguished, and respectable. To show that she was deserving of the role she was about to take on, and that the people had nothing to fear under her guidance.

And to accomplish this, she just copied her abuela.

Whenever they’d get waves, Alma would give a respectful nod back. And Mirabel would do the same, as opposed to the vigorous waves she was used to.

If someone struck up a light conversation, Alma would release polite chuckles when necessary. Mirabel contained her natural guffawing, and tried to chuckle politely as well.

She was asked by some eager children to play her accordion for them, as she loved to do. She regretfully had to inform them that she wouldn’t have time for that anymore.

She got some odd glances, as the Encanto’s residents started to notice her shift in conduct. She was unsure if it was doing anything to reassure them.

All throughout the cloudy morning, she could tell that everyone was eyeballing her.

Even the dragons gave her wary squints. Used to her peppy demeanor, and unnerved by the change.

And if they ran into other Madrigals and their dragons while they were out, she could see the concern evident on their faces.

Mirabel truly felt bad for worrying them.

She tried to insist that she wasn’t upset, she was just doing what she had to do.

But she could tell it did nothing to assuage her fears.

It seemed like the entire village was focused solely on her.

And that only intensified the pressure she was feeling.

For the longest time, amongst her gifted family, she’d gone unseen.

Now she felt like she was being seen too much.

But despite these anxiety inducing circumstances, her first day of Candle Holder training had gone relatively well.

She’d observed her grandmother settle conflicts and handle situations, and was given advice by the old woman. She was even asked to offer a few solutions herself.

Like the question of how to deal with competition between the village’s fishers, and hungry dragons.

For the last few years, they operated on a finders keepers mentality. Whoever grabbed the fish, took the fish. But it led to many squabbles, and it was becoming unsustainable for both kinds.

Mirabel proposed that they work together. The villagers and the dragons would cooperate to acquire even more fish, and the dragons got a portion in reward.

The villagers took to this idea nicely, and considered the problem settled. Ready to work with the dragons as partners, and not rivals.

Alma was brimming with pride.

Mirabel was two seconds away from grinning as widely as she could, and voicing her glee. She quickly squashed that improper inclination down, and restored her eerie calmness.

As their morning continued, with Mirabel having run into nearly every person and dragon in the town, and having helped with several more conundrums…

She could honestly say that she liked it.

She liked roaming her beautiful home, interacting with its inhabitants, and assisting where she could.

But not with anything tax related. Math still wasn’t her strong suit.

Overall, it was actually pretty fun!

Or at least, it should’ve been.

She should’ve felt good about this, having confirmation that she could handle these situations.

But something from within Mirabel didn’t allow her to fully enjoy this little victory.

She felt… strangely hollow.

And she didn’t know why.

She was on the right track, on her way to becoming the leader her people needed. She should be happy.

Still anxious, but happy.

And yet, she wasn’t.

Once her morning with Alma was over, and she was left to her own devices, she found herself asking more internal questions.

Was she doing something wrong? Was she not cut out for the role of Candle Holder after all?

She needed to figure this out. Talk this out.

She needed some advice.

Some very nasally advice.

Though before she could set out, she heard two sets of footsteps approaching. One heavy and clomping, one light and slightly unsteady.

A small voice spoke out from behind her.

“M-Mira?”

Turning around, she saw her younger cousin Manuel approaching her. Followed by his mother’s Rumblehorn, Brute.

The child looked very distraught about something. His hazel eyes, trembling with worry.

Crouching down to his level, Mirabel addressed him with a gentle voice.

“Manuel?” She asked, concerned.

It looked as if the child was working up the courage to speak, which he found after an encouraging grunt from the magenta-scaled Rumblehorn.

“I-I’m sorry…” He mumbled.

The bespectacled girl was quite shocked to hear this. The boy had done nothing to wrong her.

She furrowed her brow in confusion. “Why are you apologizing?”

After another moment of fidgeting, he spoke again.

“It’s just…every morning you tell me a joke, and I really like them. But you didn’t today, so…so I must’ve made you mad. So I’m sorry…”

Mirabel’s shock increased tenfold.

In her attempts to appear dignified, she’d completely forgotten her daily vow to make the boy laugh.

And she felt terrible.

She scrambled to try and make him feel better, hugging him close to her.

“No, no! I’m not mad at you!” She said. “I’m just…I was trying to…”

She sighed, before backing away. Locking eyes with him.

“Hey, Manny. What did the ocean say to the shore?”

He perked up at her question, and shrugged.

With a smirk, she finished her joke. “Nothing, it just waved!”

And after a second…

She heard it.

Those little giggles, that were like music to her ears.

Happy that he was no longer downtrodden, Mirabel spoke again.

“Listen, I’m sorry I made you think I was mad at you. It’s just…” She paused for a moment. “Prima Mira’s got a lot on her plate, right now.”

Manuel looked up at her, with those big eyes.

“Can I help?” He wondered.

Her heart was overwhelmed with a fuzzy warmth, when she heard those words.

He was such a sweet boy…

“It’s fine, I can handle it!” She sunnily replied, trying to quell the child’s worries.

She gestured to the dragon standing behind him. “Why don’t you take Brute to the library? I know he loves it when you read to him!”

The four-year-old was still unsure about her recent behavior, but he nodded. He then lightly grabbed Brute by the horn, and guided him towards the library.

Though he still looked back at his older cousin, a few times.

Mirabel’s smile fell, as soon as they were on their way.

She was just trying to be what she thought a Candle Holder needed to be.

She didn’t think it’d impact her loved ones in a way such as this.

She really needed to talk this out.

And so she was off. In search of a man who wasn’t exactly scrawny anymore.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Mirabel found her boyfriend up in the stables, as he usually was at this time of day.

With Toothless at his side, he was sharing some dragon trivia with a trio of young ladies. A Terrible Terror perched upon his arm.

But the girls weren’t looking at the dragon, as it chirped and skittered about Hiccup’s limb..

They were looking at him.

And he was none the wiser.

“Despite their size, Terrors have incredible firepower! In fact, they have some of the most accurate shots of any known dragon species!” He said, with an obliviously nerdy smile on his face.

“Wow…cool…” One of the women replied, not listening to him at all. Her focus was on his physique. The sunlight from outside almost making his outstretched bicep seem to glow.

Hiccup chuckled at this.

“You’re right, they are pretty cool!” He praised, while scratching the Terror’s neck.

Toothless rolled his eyes, astounded by his rider’s cluelessness.

Standing at the stop of the staircase, just before the entrance, Mirabel rolled her eyes too.

This isn’t the first time this has happened.

With a huff, Mirabel entered the hangar. Making a beeline straight for Hiccup.

She had to mark her territory.

Ignoring his shocked expression at her sudden appearance, she wrapped both her arms around his unoccupied one.

“Good morning, Amor!” She spoke cheerily, while planting a kiss on his cheek. “Did you miss me?”

Hiccup developed a surprised blush, while the Terror on his arm wretched in revulsion at the show of affection. Flapping away to somewhere less mushy.

“U-Uh, I mean-Uh…” Hiccup was left sputtering, until he grew a dopey grin. “Yeah!”

Mirabel then flashed the ladies an amiable, but threatening smile. A possessive glint in her eyes.

They got the message.

The girls groaned, and began to make their exits.

They knew he was hers, and there was nothing they could do to change that.

But they were enjoying the show.

Seeing them leave, the young man called out to them.

“If you have any more questions, don’t be afraid to drop by!” He shouted, satisfied with a job well done.

Mirabel repressed an annoyed snort, as she knew good and well that they weren’t here for knowledge.

Scratching his peach fuzz with a finger, Hiccup now had a question to ask.

“Hey, they kept calling me pintoso? What does that mean, exactly?” He wondered.

Her eyes widened at this, before settling into a grimace. But she refused to elaborate further.

Mirabel released his arms, and brushed his query aside.

“Don’t worry about it.” Before he could question her again, it was her turn to ask him something.

“What are you doing right now?”

“Uh…” Hiccup looked around the area, searching for whatever needed addressing. “Well I was about to- “

“Great!”

Mirabel cut him off with a shout. “That means we can go flying!”

Without wasting a second, she moved further into the stable. Making sure to scratch Toothless’ chin as she passed him.

She cupped her hands to her mouth, and called a certain name.

“MARIPOSA!”

A moment later, a four-winged reptile came soaring downwards from deeper within the building.

As soon as she landed near her rider, the Stormcutter assaulted Mirabel with affectionate nudges. Elated to see the girl acting more like her normal self.

“Okay, okay!” Mirabel snickered, her first real laughter all day. “I’m happy to see you too!”

Giggling as she mounted her dragon, Mirabel looked down to Hiccup.

“Alright, come on!”

Before he could respond, they were already starting to take off.

Confounded by his lack of choice in this situation, Hiccup looked to Toothless and shrugged.

“Guess we’re going flying, bud!” He laughed.

He mounted his own dragon, and they followed their companions out of the stables and up into the air.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

High above the clouds, her curls whipping in the breeze, Mirabel allowed the wind the whisper in her ears. Temporarily drowning out her scattered thoughts, and making her think of only the sky.

Though this loud silence was then interrupted, when those she’d dragged with her finally caught up to them.

“So, what’s wrong?” Hiccup asked, as his auburn mop burgeoned from the white clouds.

Despite the fact that she came to in specifically to talk about her problem, Mirabel suddenly found herself apprehensive.

“Wh-Who said something’s wrong?” She cagily countered. “Can’t a girl just want to fly with her boyfriend?”

Now free from the fluffiness, Hiccup moved Toothless closer to them.

He spoke again, as they drifted side by side.

“You would have a point…” He started. “If your eye wasn’t twitching like crazy.”

Somehow, her fidgeting eyelids managed to avoid her detection. But when she focused her senses, sure enough, the sensation of spasming skin met her.

“That only happens when you’re freaking out about something. Luisa does it too, it might be genetic…” Hiccup mused.

She was about to retort, when she realized it wouldn’t get her anywhere.

She’d brought him out here so they could speak, anyway. There was no sense in hiding it.

With a sigh, Mirabel explained her dilemma.

“It doesn’t feel right…” She mumbled. “The…Candle Holder thing, something about it doesn’t feel right…”

Concern started overtaking the young man’s features.

“What about it doesn’t feel right?”

She fiddled with her hands, while trying to come up with a response.

“It’s…it’s just…” She stammered. “I dunno!”

“Well, did you not enjoy it?” Hiccup asked.

Mirabel started gesticulating wildly. “That’s the thing! I was enjoying it!”

“Yeah, It was kind of awkward at first. But going around, seeing all the people and the dragons, solving  problems…it felt great! It felt like what I should be doing!”

She then slumped over on Mariposa’s back, her burst of energy depleted.

“…Until it didn’t...”

Hiccup listened attentively, and let her continue speaking.

“Every time I did something right, I’d feel good for a second. But then it’d go away and I’d just feel…empty…” She absent-mindedly stroked of one her dragon’s frills, while staring into the horizon.

Hiccup hummed in thought, while he thought over everything she’d told him, and everything he’d heard about her behavior earlier.

“Tell me something…whenever you helped someone out, did you pump your fist in the air?” He asked. “Or shout? Or do a little dance? Or smile? Or anything like that?”

A bit off put by his question, she shrugged. “Uh…no. I can't anymore, it's not proper.”

Hiccup then threw his hands up, as he knew he’d found the answer.

“Well there you go!” He exclaimed. “You didn’t feel good about it, because you didn’t allow yourself to feel good about it!”

“Everything I said is something you do when you’re happy. And if you’re stopping yourself from expressing yourself freely, it’s no wonder you’re like this!”

At this, Mirabel scoffed.

“I’m not suppressing my emotions, Hiccup…”

The young man crossed his arms, and raised an eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Then what are you doing?”

She placed her hands on her hips, and met his gaze.

“I’m acting in a manner befitting the future Candle Holder! I’m carrying myself with dignity, and self-control!” She declared. “That’s totally different!”

“I dunno, that’s what it sounds like to me.”

Both riders looked down at the clouds in surprise, as a third voice entered their conversation.

Ascending from below, Isabela and her Snaptrapper joined them in their flight. Wearing a mulberry purple top and a more practical, much less frilly violet skirt. Splattered with different colors.

She was followed by Luisa and Hercules, as burly and as cuddly as ever.

And finally Camilo on Tonta. His red Changewing-scale cape flowing in the wind, atop his white button-up.

Mirabel gawked at the new arrivals. “What’s everybody doing here?”

She looked to her right, as Luisa flapped up to her.

“We came to check on you…you kinda freaked us out this morning.” Replied the hulking girl.

“Well…most of us came to check on you.” Isabela smirked. “Camilo’s still hiding from- “

“Don’t speak his name!” Camilo shouted.

Ignoring the shifter’s outburst, Isabela spoke again.

“I’m just saying, sis…” She sighed. “I can recognize this kinda thing a mile away.”

“We just want to help.” Hiccup insisted.

Every dragon present warbled, hissed and trilled their concern as well.

Now very annoyed at what had become her flying support group, Mirabel huffed a response.

“I’m not suppressing my emotions!” She stressed. “I’m just doing what’s best for the town! For the family!”

There was silence, in the skies.

Until it was broken by three voices.

“Yup, been there before.” “Definitely suppressing her emotions.” “That’s some spicy déjà vu!”

The three Madrigal grandchildren all expressed similar sentiments, as just a few years ago they were trapped in these exact feelings.

“Y’know, sis…” Isabela began, as Rosita’s long neck brought her closer. “I used to think the same way, a while back. And if I recall correctly…someone told me I should stop trying to be the golden child, and just be my wonderful self.”

“Hey, that’s funny!” Luisa smiled. “Because a few years ago, someone told me that I should stop carrying so much, and just be my wonderful self!”

“Yo, that’s crazy!” Camilo sarcastically gasped. “Someone told me the same thing!”

“I dunno, maybe you should listen to this person!” Hiccup snarked. “They sound pretty smart!”

Now surrounded by knowing giggles, Mirabel grew a deadpan expression.

“You guys aren’t as clever as you think you are…”

“Besides, it’s not the same!” She groaned. “I’m about to be the leader of the Encanto! The matriarch of La Familia Madrigal! I have to get my act together!”

“That may be so…” Hiccup said. “But there’s a difference between trying to be a good leader, and erasing who you are.”

“I mean, is there any rule that says you can’t be Candle Holder and a Dragon Rider?” Isabela asked.

Luisa chimed in. “Or play accordion?”

“Or sing, or dance, or joke, or smile?” Camilo added.

Mirabel sputtered for a counterpoint, but she couldn’t come up with one.

“I just-I thought-I thought I was…” She sighed again, unsure about a great many things. “I don’t even know…”

Hiccup steered Toothless closer, so he could lay a supportive hand on her shoulder.

“Maybe you should talk to Miss Alma about this?”

Mirabel shut the idea down immediately. “No way! She might think I can’t handle the responsibility!”

She then grew a very determined expression, despite her anxieties.

“I can do this, Hiccup. I just…I just need to figure some things out.”

Hiccup then tried to apply some levity.

“I’d give you some more of my dad’s advice, but my impression’s not that great.” He stated, with a lopsided grin. “The words really hit you differently when you hear them from the man himself.”

Something about Hiccup’s last sentence stood out to Mirabel.

“…When you hear them from the man himself…”

“…The man himself…”

“That’s it!” Mirabel suddenly shouted, spooking everyone present.

“I’ve gotta hear it from the man himself!” She declared, before swiftly turning to her boyfriend.

“Hiccup! Let’s go to Berk!”

His eyes widened at her abrupt request. “Huh?’

“Stoick’s been the chief for like, thirty years! He’s gotta have some tips I could use!”

“Yeah but…now?” Hiccup asked. “In the middle of the day?”

“Aw, come on! It’ll be fast!” The bespectacled girl replied. “We’ll be done in two hours, tops!”

Luisa mulled over her sister’s words.

“Actually…a quick trip doesn’t sound so bad!” She grinned. “We’ve got the next few hours off. We could catch up with the other riders!”

Isabela cracked her knuckles with a grin. “I’m down! As much as I love it here, there’s a severe lack of butt kicking opportunities!”

Camilo donned a mischievous smirk. “I could use a little ego boost! I wonder what my minions are up to…?”

Isabela crossed her arms. “Probably something stupid…”

Hiccup couldn’t help but relent, when he saw the big eyes both Mirabel and Mariposa were giving him.

And there is something he’d been meaning to ask about…

“I-I guess we could pay them a visit!”

They were all in agreement. A trip to Berk was in order.

And the task wouldn’t be as hard as one may think.

Ever since Hiccup and Mirabel returned from the island after ending the war, it seemed a permanent, magical connection had been established between Berk and the Encanto.

Hiccup discovered It himself, a little over a year ago.

He was out for a flight, reminiscing on his brief return to his home island, when his vision was suddenly engulfed in a golden light.

To his surprise, he found himself suddenly flying over Berk. It was quite discombobulating.

But before he could do anything else, when his thoughts turned to the Encanto once more, there was another flash of light. And in a second, he’d been returned to soaring over the towering mountains.

After a few more tests, it was deciphered that Hiccup could instantaneously teleport from either location with a single thought. As long as he was on dragon back.

After further experimentation, they found that Mirabel could as well. Though that was the extent, no one else could activate the warp.

They could also take anyone with them, if they’re close enough to the teleportation. Sometimes stray dragons will get warped here or there by accident, just because they were flying nearby.

It’s even more disorienting for the ones who have riders.

Hiccup and Mirabel were unsure as to why this happened, but they figured magic did what it wanted.

And they were grateful for it. Now Hiccup could visit his home away from home, whenever he wanted to. And the Riders could be a full team at any time.

They didn’t visit constantly. The archipelago’s violence, smells, and awful cooking wasn’t something they wished to experience every day.

But they stopped by every few months, and it was always a pleasure to see their friends from the other side of the world.

And so, Hiccup and Mirabel began thinking of Berk.

To check up on their Viking friends, and to get Mirabel some advice, this is where they would go.

Isabela, Luisa, and Camilo stayed close. Eager to visit the eccentric island as well.

And in a golden flash, they were gone…

…

Though they’d be back in a couple hours.