Wish retold: Chapter 6

Here we are, next chapter! The revelation of what Asha caused and how she will react to it will be in the next 2 or 3 chapters (it was supposed to be part of this one, but then it would be quite long, so we'd rather divide it into smaller parts). I know this one isn't as action-packed as the previous one, but hopefully you won't get bored. I'm just about to write next chapter, so I guess it will be out in 2-3 days (I don't want to overwhelm you with it and there's really no rush), but I'm already really looking forward to it! 😊

Oh, and for those who don't know where the story is going, Magnifico and Asha will have to join forces to make up for what Asha has done and… well, she isn't done yet with causing troubles for our beloved king. So stay tuned for next part 😉!

Asha

"We did it! We really did it! YES!" shouted Asha while happily jumping around. She had been running all the way since she finally got outside the city walls. She was glowing with happiness and her face was adorned with a smile of victory. She couldn't resist the wonderful feeling of success, it filled her and gave her the feeling that she could do anything now. A wonderful warmth spreading through her.

She didn't turn around once and couldn't even perceive the world around her. What was happening in the city behind her back was irrelevant now. The knowledge that she had accomplished something, that no one else before her had done, covered even the eerie sounds emanating from the city. And it would be like that until she got home, if something didn't hit her back hard. A burly fellow literally pushed her out of the way with his elbow, and she almost collapsed into the tall grass beside the narrow sidewalk, but at the last moment she managed to regain her balance and stay on her feet, throwing her arms in all directions as she did so. She touched the nearest tall tree and leaned against it with one hand, while with the other she stopped the bag that was swinging on her shoulder.

"Ugh, that was close," she whispered to herself, but then she frowned and turned her attention to the man who just so blatantly pushed her. He didn't even... he didn't even stop? She didn't have a chance to scold him properly or at least notice his face, he was already too far away from her. The Star peeked out of the leather bag it was still hiding in along with the looted treasure and stared blankly behind Asha at the path they had been walking all alone until now. But now a dozens of running people were heading towards them. Scared people.

Asha straightened and also turned towards the city. Looking at the fleeing townspeople, the feeling of perfect victory immediately left her. She took a few steps and approached the sidewalk, which was now shaking under the many feet. There were more and more of them. They ran for their lives, ignoring her at all, as if what was behind them was still chasing them.

"What's going on?" she shouted towards the running crowd. But when no one answered her, she tried again, and then again. Only the third attempt brought an answer, although not the one she wanted.

"Run away! They're coming for us!" yelled a short elderly lady who seemed to barely be able to walk at all, but still continued. Even as she passed by the uncomprehending Asha, she didn't stop or even slow down.

"Who?"

"Bears! And the herd!" was the reply, almost lost in the tramp of feet. Herd? What herd? After all, there was no herd in the plan. And the bears? Did John the Bear bring friends or what is really going on here? D-did everything really go according to plan? Yes, the goal was clear, the animals were to cause chaos and it's understandable that the people might have got scared, she had expected that. But... this looks like a really, well, really big mess. W-what if...

Chills ran down Asha's spine and her heart was pounding. The thought that someone could have been seriously injured or even…

No, she can't do anything about it now. She must pick herself up, the real work is just beginning after all, she mustn't forget that.

"We-we have to get home," she whispered to Star, who was watching the frightened people with its mouth open and a worried expression. Asha gently pushed it back into her bag and set off along the road towards home. She was constantly turning and being careful not to get in anyone's way. She walked slowly, so the number of people who passed her by kept getting smaller and smaller, until finally, only here and there someone ran out from behind her, gasping for breath. Just a moment and she will finally be home.

"Asha!" someone in front of her shouted. She looked up to see her mother and Sabino rushing towards her. Both seemed to be worried. Asha picked up her pace and met them halfway.

Sakina threw herself around her neck and held her tightly in her arms. Asha, all the air escaping from her lungs, quickly reached for her bag and hid it behind her back so that it wouldn't accidentally get between her and her mother. Sabino stopped next to them, panting, assessing Asha from head to toe.

"Oh my God, I was so scared!" Sakina screamed and finally pulled away from her daughter. Asha gasped.

"Both of us," Sabino corrected her and finally stopped looking at Asha.

"I'm okay. I really am!"

"Oh, we were so afraid! We heard something happened in town... Oh, I can't even imagine what we would do if something happened to you!"

"Mom, I'm really fine," Asha smiled innocently.

"Oh, child, what happened there?" Sabino called out.

"W-well I…" Asha started, but suddenly realized that she actually didn't even know what exactly happened in the city. Oh, how badly she didn't want to lie to them, but now it probably won't be any other way.

"I-I don't even know, actually. I was in the kitchen with Dahlia all that time, but when I went home, suddenly... well... it all just happened very quickly. People were running, screaming and everything else, and so... so I ran too. I'm sorry," she nervously started playing with a lock of her hair, hoping that they wouldn't push on her for any more information.

"Oh, my little girl, you have nothing to be sorry for!" Sakina hugged her once more, but this time much more tenderly. As she pulled away from her, she kissed her gently on the cheek.

"Come on, we have to get you home. You'll eat, calm down and you'll see that everything will be fine again," her mother comforted her.

"Here, let me carry this for you," Sabino slowly reached for the bag, but the moment he touched the soft leather, Asha jerked away.

"NO!" she screamed, and both members of her family stood in surprise. "I-I was going to say that, um, well… I don't want you to carry it, there's a s-surprise in it… yes, that's right! There's your birthday surprise!" Asha straightened and smiled nervously. She hoped, oh how she hoped, that they would leave it at that.

"Oh, w-well then, but you shouldn't…"

"I shouldn't have worried, I know, I know. But this is something special, you'll see!" the smile on her lips widened. She wasn't lying, at least not completely.

Sabino smiled sweetly and nodded gently. Right after that he turned around and finally started on his way home. Her mother followed him. Asha breathed a sigh of relief.

"Oh, Asha, there's something else I have to tell you. You probably won't even believe it..." Sakina turned to her with a startled expression on her face.

By the time they got home, her mother had prepared her for something, in her words, completely crazy. Little buckling Valentino is said to have... started talking! Asha, of course, looked in disbelief and quite surprised. She hoped that Valentino hadn't managed to accidentally reveal something from last night and that he wouldn't do it now. At least not right away, first she has to think carefully about what she will do next. Right, she needs to think about it.

"Sakina, Sabino, Asha!" came from the half-open door of their house. Valentino stood there and looked expectantly at Asha, who avoided his gaze and tried to look surprised that her mother was telling the truth and the little buckling started talking on his own out of nowhere. When she went inside with the others and slammed the door behind her, Valentino couldn't take it anymore.

"So, it worked…" he started, and Asha immediately froze in place and gave him a murderous look.

Luckily it clicked for him and so he stuttered, "Y-you managed to…" He searched for anything that would make sense, but couldn't find it. After a few endless moments, he smiled and finished the question: "Did you manage to find out what your king wanted in the morning?"

Asha only now realized that she had been holding her breath. She inhaled deeply and finally relaxed a little.

"Um, yes, of course. He was talking about that light from yesterday."

"Oh really?" Sakina beamed and Sabino smiled in satisfaction as well. "So, what was it actually? Is he trying some new spells or something?"

"Well, not really. I-it wasn't him at all. He said that someone…" she stopped. After all, she can't say that Magnifico announced a search for the traitor who pulled the star from the sky, and immediately admit that it was her. No, she has to be careful.

"Supposedly it was someone else. Someone inexperienced. Um, he's urging citizens to be on the lookout for anything suspicious and report to him if they find the person. Apparently, that someone is in danger, because magic is..."

"Dangerous! Of course, that person is in danger! Just look at what that scoundrel has done!" Sabino was annoyed and pointed with his just taken-off shoe at Valentino, who gave him a not-impressed look.

"When I find that rogue, he..."

"Well, well, well! Take it easy, Saba. I'm sure they'll find him soon and everything will be fine. It's certainly nothing our king can't handle. Right, Asha?" asked her mother. Asha turned pale. They are talking about her. She is the unknown villain. Her stomach turned inside out.

"Asha, are you okay? You are terribly pale," her mother approached her and took her face in her hands. No, she isn't. The realization that there was no going back came unexpectedly suddenly.

"I-I... I'd rather... I'd rather go lie down for a while if you don't mind," she whispered.

"Of course, we don't. Just go and rest," her mother let her go and took a step back. Asha couldn't return her smile. She walked into her room with Valentino at her heels and slammed the door behind her. Star suddenly shot out of the bag and began to fly here and there, as if it needed to stretch itself after a long journey. Valentino jumped onto the low wooden chest in which Asha kept her childhood treasures.

Asha looked around the room. She was looking for a suitable place where she could hide her bag with its precious cargo. Not in the chest, her mother peeked into it every now and then to remember the times when her daughter was still a small, adorable girl. At least that's how she always described her. So where is she supposed to hide it? In the closet? There her mother hangs washed clothes. Somewhere else in the house? Or maybe to the garden... Is she crazy?! How could she hide something so precious out there somewhere?!

Her gaze fell on the only available solution. She knelt in front of the bed and hung the bag from her shoulder. But before hiding it, she couldn't resist the desire to see them one more time. Those beautiful glowing wishes.

And actually... she hadn't even had a chance to look at them properly yet. There in the castle, when they were all flying over her head, she didn't have the courage to lose time by looking at them. She asked Star to pick a few itself, the only condition being that it had to find her grandfather's and mother's wishes. She found Sabino's wish almost immediately. Perhaps the little floating orb remembered Asha's face that drew it to her because it actually drifted towards her of its own accord. However, unfortunately, the mother's wish could not be found. But instead, something happened that Asha absolutely did not expect. The Star managed to find the wish of Simon, who turned eighteen just a month ago. He was the first of her friends to give his wish to Magnifico, and since then...well, he hasn't been himself since. Not long ago, he was a boy who couldn't just sit idly by and watch the world around him, but since then he had completely changed. Most days he mindlessly marched from place to place, completing one task after another, and when he finally had some free time, he preferred to hide somewhere and spend the rest of the day alone and in silence.

Asha's heart stung as she remembered the past. She carefully opened the bag and looked over each wish. They were beautiful. She took out each of them one by one and took a good look at their contents. They were truly beautiful. Well... except for the last two actually. In one of them, a young boy wished for a live, huge dragon.

"Well," Asha glanced at Star, who noticed her and immediately landed on her shoulder, also looking at the strange wish, "this might not be the best idea. Erm, but still... Well... A wish is a wish. It has the right to return to its owner."

She carefully returned the wish to her bag and took out the last blue orb. In it, a farming family was having a good time when their neighbor, also a farmer, lost all his possessions. Asha swallowed loudly, a lump rising in her throat. The Star stared open-mouthed and terrified. How could it even choose such a wish? Didn't it even look at them properly?

"Well, this... H-his owner definitely doesn't want it anymore! Maybe it was just... a mistake? What do you think? Or is it a joke?" she was trying to find a possible reason for such a wish that wouldn't be... well... um... just evil?

Horrified, she carefully returned the wish to the bag, which she quickly slipped under the wooden bed. No one would look for it here, the mother was deathly afraid of spiders and Sabino would not even stoop so low.

With a tired sigh, she got up from the ground and sat on the soft bed.

"So, first step is done," she glanced from the Star to Valentino, who now ran towards her and clumsily jumped on the bed.

"Now we have some really hard work ahead of us! It will be dangerous, but we will not give up and we will fight hard for our freedom! So, our next step will be... What exactly were we going to do with those wishes?" asked Valentino.

"Well, as I said before, the first step is over. Now we have to figure out how to get these wishes to the people they belong to. But we have to think about it, we can't just come to them and say that Magnifico is sending them their wishes back. That takes some planning. Aaaand with that, dear Valentino, I hope Dahlia and the others will help us. I'm supposed to meet them tonight. If I can convince them that what Magnifico is doing is wrong, then they will definitely join us."

"Um, good, good! But after all, it wouldn't hurt to have at least some idea of what you're going to the meeting with, wouldn't it?" Valentino closed his eyes particularly seriously. It looked rather adorable on his furry face. Asha smiled at him.

"Right. We should think about it. After all, there is still plenty of time until the evening."

"Asha!" came a muffled voice. Reluctantly, Asha lifted her eyelids and yawned heavily. She rubbed her sleepy eyes with her hand.

"Asha, dinner is on the table. You should eat something."

Asha finally focused her gaze and turned to follow the voice. The moment she turned her head, her mother's face entered her field of vision. That finally woke her up.

"So, you're up already? Or should I leave you for a while longer?" her mother spoke kindly. Asha looked around, but her throat tightened when she realized that the evening darkness had enveloped everything around her.

"Damn it!" she screamed and literally jumped out of bed. How is it possible that she fell asleep?! And especially now, when she was supposed to meet her friends. God damn it! Think, Asha, finally get over yourself and use your head!

"Mom, I-I...I forgot to tell you that Dahlia and the others agreed to have dinner together tonight."

"Oh, I didn't... I didn't know that. So where will you eat? I'm sure you can't go to the city right now.''

Asha looked around the room in alarm, trying to gather her thoughts. What does she really need? Clothes, shoes, a wish... Simon's wish! She would have ducked under the bed, but luckily, she stopped fast enough for her mother not to notice. Instead, she adjusted her skirt to avoid looking suspicious.

"So where? And what are you actually going to eat?"

"Well... um, we've... We've agreed on that old clubhouse of ours in the woods. And the food? Well... Everyone brings something. So…" she got stuck mid-sentence. She suddenly remembered the deal she had with the animals. Every night she has to bring them some leftovers. She almost forgot about it.

"Food!" she screamed and bolted to her feet. "Mom, please, could you prepare something for me? And give me a good portion if you can, I haven't eaten today."

"Ah, of course! I'm going to prepare it for you right now," Sakina didn't hesitate for a second and ran to the kitchen. Asha killed two birds with one stone with that. She waited until her mother was out of sight before quietly closing the door. She bent down and pulled out a bag of wishes from under the bed. However, when she reached for it, one of the wishes shot out from under her hand. Asha almost giggled in surprise, but fortunately managed to control herself in time. The Star, who shot out of the bag with Simon's wish, laughed sweetly at that.

"You want me to get heart attack?!" Asha yelled at it, but when she saw that Star was still making fun of her, she let it go. She didn't even have time for that.

"Okay, give me a..." she reached for the wish, but stopped mid-motion. How does she intend to smuggle that out? She doesn't want to take all the wishes with her, what if she gets caught with them? One will definitely be easier to hide.

Looking at the floating Star with orb in her little hands, she thought of a solution.

"Listen, fly out," she pointed to the small window above the wooden chest, "and we'll meet in front of the house."

Star glanced at the window and then back at Asha. It released one hand and gestured for a salute. Then it quickly set out to fulfill the order.

Asha put her bag back under the bed and straightened up. But how will she manage to deliver the reward to the animals at the tree, which is on the opposite side of the forest from the clubhouse? Wait, actually...

She ran out of the room with a smile and went to the kitchen, where in one corner Valentino was enjoying his dinner and paying no attention to anything else.

Asha leaned down to him and whispered so that only he could hear, "I need you to carry the food, that the animals and I agreed on, into the forest. I won't make it."

Valentino lifted his face from the bowl and gave her a sullen look.

"That's your problem! I'm eating," he whispered. This really upset Asha. If he hadn't pressured her into such an agreement, she wouldn't have to ask him for it now.

"If you don't go there, you'll be sleeping with the other goats in the barn from now on!"

A bite fell out of Valentino's mouth. Not believing that she actually said that, he stared at her with a piercing gaze. Asha raised an eyebrow. They stared at each other in silence for a few seconds, but then Valentino sighed in defeat.

"Fiiiiiiine, but only today!"

Asha laughed softly and patted his head, "You see you're a good boy."

"Yeah, sure! The moment I grow horns, you know where I'm going to stick them in," he strained through gritted teeth. Asha just rolled her eyes at that.

"There you are," Sakina addressed her. Asha straightened up and took a small package wrapped in a scarf from her mother. She thanked her with a kiss on the cheek.

She turned to the low table where Sabino was sitting. She smiled at him and Sabino smiled back.

"Okay, I have to go now, but I won't be long. I promise," she ran to the door and walked out into the night. She stopped for a moment when she realized she couldn't hear the sound of hooves bouncing off the ground behind her. She frowned and shouted: "Valentino!"

"Yeah, I'm going, I'm going," said a dissatisfied low voice, and a little buckling reluctantly came out of the house and walked over to Asha. She bent down to him and handed him a tasty reward for the forest dwellers. Valentino caught the package between his teeth by the protruding corner of the scarf and ran with it into the forest.

Something landed on Asha's shoulder. She turned her head and saw Star, who was comfortably seated on her, even with a wish in its hands. Asha took the orb from it with a smile.

"Okay then, let's go!"