The Redemption of a King
Post film. Amaya decides it's time to release her ex-husband from his mirror prison. With Asha's help, she does, but how will the ex-king react to how Rosas has changed since his downfall?
[i do not and never will own Wish]
Chapter 1: Visiting Hour
Only a few weeks ago, the Kingdom of Rosas had been ruled by King Magnifico, a sorcerer king who had the power to grant wishes.
But secretly, beneath his charming façade, King Magnifico was greedy, selfish, and vain. He hoarded certain wishes in his tower, so they would never be granted. And no one in the kingdom realized that.
But all of that changed when an ordinary girl named Asha made a wish on a star, and accidentally brought the star into her kingdom.
Through all trials, tricks, and tribulations, Asha, and the star, with the help of her pet goat Valentino, her friends, and the king's wife, Queen Amaya, released the wishes, and defeated the evil King Magnifico, sealing him up in a mirrored crystal, and locking him away in the dungeon.
Queen Amaya now ruled Rosas, where the citizens were free to pursue their wishes in their own way. And Asha became a fairy godmother, to help people with their wishes.
All traces of the evil king's rule over Rosas seemed to be a distant memory, and Rosas had never seemed better.
ROSAS CASTLE DUNGEON, A FEW WEEKS LATER
"Gregor?"
The voiced stirred Gregor, the dungeon guard, from his slumber.
"Oh, sorry, your Highness." murmured Gregor sleepily, pulling at his goatee, and looking at Queen Amaya, the current ruler of Rosas.
"This is the 15th time this month you've been sleeping on the job." Amaya stated, a firm expression on her face.
"Yeah, sorry, your Highness." Gregor said. "Me and the boys have been finding it hard to keep on guard since your husband was put down here. He's been screaming and crying and ranting and cursing like anything since he was put in. Made us all tired, so we find it hard to stay awake these days."
"Hmmm." Amaya said. "I'm gonna make sure to have a word with him about this."
"Are you sure, your Highness?" Gregor asked. "You do remember what he did to Rosas."
"Yes, yes I do." Amaya said. "I will speak to him to calm him down, and maybe it'll get him to settle down and not bother you with his noise anymore."
Gregor sighed. "Very well." he opened the door to the dungeon, and let Amaya in.
Amaya followed Gregor through the dungeon. The sounds of dripping water echoed through the cell. At one point, she had to lift up her dress to stop it getting wet from a puddle of what she hoped was stale water.
Soon, Gregor led her to a door at the back of the dungeon, which led to a cell. Correction - the former king's cell. He opened the door. "You've got 10 minutes." Gregor told her.
The queen nodded. She walked into the cell, turned to Gregor, and said, "This will be a private conversation."
"Understood." Gregor said, shutting the door.
Amaya stared around the cell.
There, on the wall farthest the door, was the mirror crystal of King Magnifico's old staff, hung on the wall.
She went up to the mirror, and looked at it.
It gave an ominous pale green glow, a glow that reminded her of the forbidden magic her ex-husband had used.
The same magic that had turned against him and trapped him in his mirrored prison.
The silence was immense in the dungeon. Then, a noise broke the eerie silence.
"Amaya... Mi reina?" a muffled, yet mournful tone of voice answered, "Is that you?"
"Yes, yes it is, mi rey." Amaya said, staring at the mirror.
Then, she saw her ex-husband, the former king of Rosas, King Magnifico, appear in the mirror, the palms of his hands pressed against the glass from his side, as he stared up at her with a sad, mournful expression.
As she stared into the mirror where he was imprisoned, Amaya was quick to observe how different her ex-husband looked since she'd last saw him:
His tan skin looked almost a sickly pale green colour in the glow, and his grey hair was mussed up, and some of it looked white on the sides.
His goatee had now grown into a grey beard that went around his chin, with a white streak down the middle.
And his eyes, his blue eyes that once held compassion, now felt cold and empty, expressing loneliness, longing, and sadness. The scleras were a pale pink colour.
Magnifico felt a sob catch in his chest. Tears welled up in his pink-looking eyes and trickled down his face, dripping from his beard, and soaking into the material of his robes.
"Amaya..." the lonely ex-king quietly moaned. He sounded like he was in so much emotional pain. He felt another sob wrack his chest and let another, bigger sob catch in his throat.
"I am so, so, sorry, mi reina." he said, through his sobs. "I should've listened to you... about that book... It's all my fault. And look where it's got me. Trapped in here, the mirror of the staff I created." he sighed. A sob escaped his throat. "You were right, Amaya," he said tearfully. "I did so many bad things...This is the thanks I deserve."
Then, Magnifico broke eye contact, covered his face with his hands, and wept.
Amaya stared at her crying ex-husband, a sad expression forming on her face. It felt so heart-breaking to see her former husband in such a sorry state.
She could hear him muttering about wanting his freedom... his redemption... a chance to apologize for all he had done. And then she heard a distraught wail.
"Oh, who am I kidding? It's hopeless." sobbed Magnifico, "Forbidden magic is forever."
"No, mi rey. It's not." Amaya said. "I looked at that book myself. Apparently, there IS a way to free you from it's influence."
That caught Magnifico off guard.
He uncovered his face and looked up at his wife in dumb shock. "What?" he said in a choked voice, wiping the tears from his face with his sleeve.
"It'll need the help of someone pure of heart to help you." Amaya said.
"Who's that?" Magnifico said hopefully, waiting for the answer from his wife.
The answer that came from her was one that surprised him. "Asha."
"Asha?" He said, puzzled.
Of course, he remembered Asha too well;
The girl who he wanted to be his apprentice, his successor.
The girl who questioned his way of granting wishes.
The girl who stood up to him.
The girl who wanted her grandfather's wish granted.
The girl who, alongside the star she brought down, her goat, her friends, his wife, and the people of the kingdom, defeated him, and had him trapped in his own staff.
He couldn't believe it. The girl who stood up to him was gonna release him?
Magnifico's eyes widened, but then he shook his head sorrowfully. "Why would she help me?!" he muttered. "After everything I've done? To you... to Rosas?"
"It's because I still care for you, despite everything you've done." Amaya said. "That," she added, "is the thanks you deserve."
"You said that when you took over the kingdom and condemned me to the dungeon." Magnifico pointed out.
"I know." Amaya said sadly.
"I'm so sorry, mi reina." Magnifico snivelled, fighting back the tears in his eyes. "I've missed you so much."
"And I missed you, too." Amaya stated.
"Heck," she added, "I even sang about it."
"Wow." Magnifico said. "And here i thought you didn't have a solo song in the movie."
Amaya nodded.
Just then, Gregor entered. "You 10 minutes are up, your Highness." he said.
"Understood." Amaya said.
As Amaya left the cell, she happened to glance at her husband, who stared at Amaya, like it had been the last time he saw her before he was taken to the dungeon, but this time, he had a sad smile on his face.
Amaya left the cell and the door shut behind them.
"How did it go?" Gregor asked her.
"Let's just say you and your men won't be sleeping on the job anymore." Amaya said.
Maybe King Magnifico had a chance of getting his redemption after all.
A/N: REVIEWS ARE APPRECIATED.