Wish retold: Chapter 10

Well, I'm back, after that celebration I'm still recharging my batteries. You know, introvert + bunch of people + small room + no chance to escape = veeeery long day. But that doesn't matter anymore, I finally finished a new chapter, so I hope you like it.

As always, every comment is appreciated so much! 😊

Amaya

"Maybe it was an accident," Amaya tried to reassure her husband as she tried in vain to keep up with him. Her knees were still wobbly… well, better said, she was shaking all over actually, but now she couldn't let the maddening fear that consumed her be seen. At this moment, the only thing that mattered was what would happen next. Her place is at his side, though… though she couldn't even express how much she longed to go with him to her chamber and curl up to wait out the darkness of these days in his safe arms. However, it was at such moments that she had to push away her desires and feelings and make way for what was good for all of Rosas and also... her family. She is the queen, she must protect and not give in to doubts and fear. Correct. Her duty is to follow her king and support him in this difficult time. The fact that she too is only human doesn't matter now.

"Accident?! Do you think meddling with the star magic and trying to destroy me is an accident?!"

"M-Maybe she didn't really do it to... destroy you," Amaya almost swallowed the last words, she couldn't believe that Asha, the kind and caring girl, would endanger the people of the island, much less that she would seek to overthrow or somehow harm the king himself.

"No, Amaya. This is no accident or mistake. It's revenge, I'm sure of it," Magnifico stopped on the mezzanine, from which a long corridor led to the royal family's chambers, he sighed sadly, turned to Amaya and their eyes met. His eyes were full of worry, but also suppressed anger.

"Actually, it might be because we," he put his hands on his hips, looking for a way to explain his suspicion that Asha was really trying to get revenge for what happened the day before yesterday, "had a fight. I mean, not that I really argued with her, but she... She accused me in the interview that it's not right to keep wishes locked up here instead of fulfilling them all. She thinks that if I don't plan to fulfill them, I should return them. I tried to explain to her that it might not be all that safe, but... I just told her that I knew what I was doing, but she didn't listen at all. She didn't let me talk her out of..."

"And you told her this exactly like that? In peace and without…" she didn't even have to finish the thought, they both knew what she was getting at.

"Fiiine, maybe I was a little – um – irritated by the fact that . . ."

"That she questioned what you are doing? So what? My king, she is only a child. After all, they don't listen to anyone and never let anybody explain anything, but I'm sure that she didn't want to do anything that happened. I know her... Actually, everyone knows her. She is a very nice and caring girl. She…"

Magnifico looked at her in surprise, perhaps confusion even, but then the corners of his mouth dropped and his eyes narrowed. It almost seemed as if he pierced her with his gaze. He took a step back from her.

"Are you defending her, Amaya? Are you defending the actions of someone who tried to hurt you today?"

"I-I'm not defending her. I just can't believe that…"

"You've been down there," Magnifico pointed his index finger at the stairs behind Amaya, "and you've seen what she's capable of. If I had come just a second later, you would have felt it firsthand. And yet you claim that you do not believe in her guilt?"

"Maybe..."

"ENOUGH WITH THAT DAMN MAYBE!" he was now shouting, the flames flashing in his eyes again. Amaya flinched in shock and held her breath, but she did not look away from him. She mentally blamed herself for probably making the whole situation worse, but something inside her wouldn't allow her to accept the possibility that everything the two of them had been exposed to in the past few hours had been someone's intention.

Magnifico closed his eyes for a moment, rubbed them with his hand, and when he opened them again, they were filled with fear.

"I won't lose you or what we've built together because of some 'maybe'," he paused, and for a moment it seemed like he wanted to walk up to her, maybe even hold her in his arms, but instead he slowly turned away from her with a sigh.

"It doesn't matter what she's up to and why she's doing it or if it all just happened by mistake, now we have to look at how to fix it. I will go through the books again and see if there is any way I can stop it. You will go to your chamber and not come out until I come for you myself. You're not coming out until I fix it all."

"But that..." Amaya wanted to oppose him, but his tone didn't give her the chance.

"Amaya..."

The queen opened her mouth one more time to convince him that her place was at his side, but she knew full well that he wasn't going to change his mind easily now. Sighing, she took a step forward and held out her hand to him. She wanted to at least touch him, take his palm in hers and reassure him that she would be there for him when he needed her, but just before her fingers touched him, she withdrew her hand again and whispered with her eyes closed: "My king, I'm just begging you not to do something that will take you... away from me."

Magnifico knew exactly what she meant. He just stood there for a while, but finally nodded over his shoulder and began to climb the spiral staircase with a quick step. Amaya remained standing in agonizing silence and solitude.

With her hands clasped in front of her, she turned towards the long corridor and slowly made her way to her chamber. She looked down at her trembling hands. No matter how hard she tried, the vortex of thoughts did not allow her to calm down. Yes, she still believed... or maybe she just hoped that Magnifico was not right about Asha and that the girl really didn't do this on purpose.

However, the truth was that now this belief was slowly starting to leave her, because of the fear that this 'mistake' could cost them too much. She had known Magnifico for so long. The memory of the young boy who started courting her at the academy despite her father's disapproval always brought a few happy tears to her eyes, but that wasn't what she was thinking about now. Instead, she remembered how her father, one of the founders of the Academy of Magic, had said that he had never met a more powerful mage than Magnifico in his life. That was also the reason why he tried to protect his daughter from him. Now the words he had told her then gave her chills: "If the most powerful man is filled with fear, then my daughter, you too tremble, for there is no greater threat in the world than the fear of this man. For it will shroud everything, even your love, and open the door to darkness." The father spoke those words as a warning against the man he himself feared. He could not or simply did not want to see in the young man what his daughter saw and felt in him. However, those words that should have been a warning against the man she had loved for most of her life, now reminded her that she might lose him forever. An image flashed before her eyes of Magnifico picking out a forbidden book from the display case and, despite her plea, opening it and allowing himself to be engulfed in darkness.

She paused for a moment and shook her head gently, as if trying to banish the thought. No, he would never do that. Because of her. He won't do it. He can't. Love eventually defeats fear and helps find a way out. Her father was wrong about him.

Amaya started walking again and finally arrived at the tall door of her chamber. She put her hand on the doorknob, but before she opened the door, she took one more uncertain look at the staircase. She sighed and pressed the doorknob with her eyes closed.

She entered her chamber, lit by a dying candle. She closed the door behind her and rested her head against it for a short moment. One last time she allowed herself to wander in her thoughts to the distant past, to the boy who always had a spark in his eyes when he looked at her and couldn't stop smiling... actually, that spark was there every time a boy allowed himself to be a boy. When he allowed himself to dream and not care about the world that tried to tie his wings. When the only thing that filled him was young joy and the will to live. But... that spark was lost after fate forced them both to grow up and see the world as it really is. Now, whenever the spark appeared, even for a tiny moment, it was driven away by reason and experience. In its place, flames appeared more and more often, devouring everything in sight. Despite them, he was still the man who meant the world to her. And she knew that she was his dream. His wish.

She took a breath and opened her eyes. She pulled away from the wood and turned to the similar bed as the one where Magnifico had been lying in fever a few moments ago. But what she saw next to it took her breath away.

"Queen Amaya, please, I'm begging you so much, I need help," Asha whispered. Amaya couldn't even move. She stood frozen in place and stared at the girl, of whose innocence she was no longer so completely convinced.

"Please, I don't know who to turn to anymore. If I go straight to the king, I'm sure he'll..." she couldn't finish the sentence. "I made a mistake. A terrible, terrible, huge mistake, and now I don't know... I have no idea how to fix it."

Asha slowly bent down and started picking something up from the ground. She was clutching a glowing blue orb that she was looking at with such immense regret that Amaya was starting to believe again that the girl standing before her couldn't have done this on purpose. As she said herself, it must have been a mistake. But what if...

"I saw what happened in the courtyard," she did not continue, but looked up from the orb and looked directly into the queen's eyes. A few wet strands fringed her cheeks.

"I just wanted to return them to whom they belong. I swear," her voice trembled, "I didn't mean to hurt anyone. I just wanted to return them." She paused. Now she had to wipe her wet eyes on her sleeve.

Something small and glowing shot out from behind Asha's back. The small creature landed on her shoulder and started stroking her neck with a tiny hand. Amaya opened her mouth in astonishment, but when she tried to say something, she couldn't get a sound out.

"This is," Asha began, bringing her outstretched palm to the small creature, who jumped on it without hesitation, and the girl held out her hand to the queen, "the Star."

Before Asha could finish, the small creature took off from her palm and flew across the room at lightning speed, stopping right in front of the queen's face. A small hand shot out to her with a broad smile.

Amaya flinched for a moment, defensively raised both hands to her chest, but finally the corners of her lips twitched slightly. She approached Star with her index finger and it shook it happily, as if they were just getting to know each other in a friendly way.

"Oh, h-hello?" Amaya stammered, her mouth still hanging open, taking a closer look at the creature. However, when Star did not return her greeting verbally, she turned to Asha, "D-does it understand me?"

"Oh, yes, it understands, but doesn't talk. When it wants to 'say' something, it will, well, indicate it or show it... well, at least it will try to," at the last word, Star turned sharply to her and frowned at her, even putting its hands on its hips.

"And… actually… how did you even get here?" the queen suddenly realized. The Star smiled at her, flew over to Amaya's window and began to indicate something again. It clasped both hands together as if to say a prayer and began to look up at the still dark sky and then back at Amaya.

"The Star," Asha began to explain, "led me here. I think it knows this is your chamber. Maybe it saw you when you were looking at the night sky sometime?"

Amaya didn't answer, but it was true that she looked at the sky often at night. And she often spoke to its golden inhabitants, but it never occurred to her that they were also looking at her.

"It-it doesn't matter now," Asha cut the silence and the queen turned her attention to her.

"Please, will you listen to me?" whispered the girl.

Amaya measured her with her eyes for a long time. Part of her knew it would be best to call the guards right away, she couldn't be sure if this was just some kind of trick but… then there was the other part that was saying, screaming rather, that Asha's gaze was real and sincere. And it was this part that she wanted to believe now. She made up her mind and hoped that the voice inside her was not wrong.

Amaya took a deep breath, straightened up, and nodded slightly with a serious face. She gestured to a pale blue chair by a table in one of the corners of the room, motioning for Asha to sit on it and headed to the bed herself. She turned so that she could see Asha and gracefully sat down on its edge. She was determined to hear Asha's version of what exactly happened, but she wasn't willing to take any chances. In case she's wrong and this is a trick after all, she has a better chance of getting to the door in time from here. At least she thought so.

Asha removed the hood from her head, adjusted her cloak and dress underneath, and lowered herself into the chair. She also tried to sit down like a true lady, but the moment she sat down, the overly soft chair betrayed her and she sank right into it. The Star started rolling in the air from laughter until it was clutching its stomach. Asha quickly pulled herself away from the back of the chair and glared at Star, but then turned her attention away from it. She clutched the wish tightly in her hands and stared at it, trying to find the right words. How to start? Ah, if only she knew what to say to atone for everything. If only words could do it.

"I-I… I don't know where to start," she paused again. Amaya was patient, she didn't want to pressure the girl. Looking at her face, her doubts were melting away more and more by the minute. Asha was really just a child. Child who tried to open the door to the world of adults, but was not yet ready for what she found behind them, and instead of coming to terms with the new world and becoming a part of it, declared war on it. Unfortunately, she lost her battle and now it was time to give up and accept the harsh truth. Queen herself knew that feeling well.

"My husband told me," when Amaya saw that the girl was really not ready, she decided to encourage her a little and guide her in the right direction, "that your interview didn't go very well. What exactly happened there?"

"Oh, right, my interview… Well, no, it didn't really end very well. I-I'm kind of…"

"You two had an argument about the king's handling of wishes, right?"

Asha nodded guiltily.

"Well," Amaya sighed, "the king can be pretty stubborn sometimes, and as you've probably figured out yourself, he doesn't like it when someone questions his decisions. Then he can be... well, let's just say it's pretty hard to get him to listen then. But that doesn't mean, Asha, that he isn't right. I know that every decision he makes and everything he says or does has its meaning and reason. He's been protecting this kingdom, our home, for longer than any of the people of Rosas can imagine, and if he's doing something you don't fully agree with or don't understand yet, maybe it's because he's been through things in his life that you don't have to go through thanks to his decisions."

Asha quickly opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, she closed it again with a confused look. She closed her eyes for a small moment and took a deep breath. As she opened them again, her eyes were fixed on the wish in her hands. She stood up, walked slowly across the room to the queen and held out her hands, handing her a glowing orb. Amaya hesitated for a moment, but finally accepted the wish and looked inside it. In it, Sabino cheerfully played the guitar and sang something to himself, while a crowd of excited people formed around him, watching him with interest and listening attentively to his every word.

"That's my grandfather's wish," Asha said after a moment, and Amaya looked up. "A-at that interview I asked the king if he could fulfill it for him. He was exactly one hundred years old that day," she smiled sadly. "We all believed that this was why the king had declared the ceremony that very day, but when I asked him about it... H-he told me that Sabino's wish was too dangerous and im-implied that he would never grant it. He got upset. Actually, I was the one who upset him. I asked questions, an awful lot of questions that, as you said, I had no right to ask. After that interview, I thought, well, I was rather scared, that because of me and what I told him, he wouldn't fulfill the wishes of anyone close to me. That evening I went to the hill, where we used to watch the night sky with my father, and I asked the stars for help. Well, they… they listened to me." The star floated through the air and landed on Asha's shoulder. The girl smiled at it for a small moment.

"I wanted to free the wishes and return them, but I needed to get here to do that," she gently threw her hands. "I-I…" her mouth went dry from what she was about to say, "I was the one who turned the animals on the people. I made a deal with them that they would cause chaos in the city and give me time to get to wishes undetected, but I swear, queen Amaya, I had no idea it would turn out like this. Please, if you only believe one thing, then let it be that I didn't mean to hurt anyone. But... well, while Magnifico was gone, I got to his study. At first, I only wanted to take Saba's and mom's wishes, maybe one or two more... but when I saw them floating there... I couldn't resist and took as many as I could fit in my bag. I have no idea who they actually belonged to, the Star chose them randomly. I already returned one of them to the owner and…" She couldn't say out loud the thing she was so afraid of. Simon's face appeared in front of her eyes and his look with which he pierced her through and through still hurt her. She lost her friends.

Amaya listened to her all this time. Her feelings were mixed and she couldn't choose the one that would at least partially prevail, but it was certain that she heard exactly what she didn't want to hear so much. She still hoped that by some miracle it would turn out that it was all just an accident, but with every word that was spoken, that hope seemed more and more distant.

"... and I only hurt him," Asha finished after a moment, "just like all of you. I-I… I don't know if there's anything I'll ever be able to do to atone for this, but…" Asha trailed off, if only for a moment. "But now I need your help," her tone suddenly changed, urgency of it snapping Amaya out of her thoughts.

Asha reached under her cloak and when she pulled her hand out, she was gripping a wooden stick tightly.

"Your highness, what happened down there with that giant… this is probably to blame," she raised her hand so that Amaya could take a good look at her wand.

"The Star made it for me. It sprinkled it with its dust or whatever it is and... well, actually, I have no idea how it all works, but the night I threw this on the ground, something must have happened because... um... when I woke up, the wishes were gone."

Chills ran down Amaya's spine and her eyes widened. She stared at Asha as if a ghost was standing in front of her. By the time she managed to realize what the girl had just said, she had forgotten to breathe.

"Wh-what? W-w-what do you mean by that? How could they disappear?!" stammered the queen, her voice was shaking.

"Well, the thing is that... that I probably accidentally... f-fulfilled them?" she said it more like a question, she lowered her head between her shoulders a little bit and pressed her hands into fists to her chest, making her look like a child cowering before its mother's wrath.

It suddenly dawned on Amaya. Magnifico said that the enraged giant looked like a man from one of the wishes. No way...

The queen flew straight out of her place, covered the distance between her and the girl in one long step, and grabbed Asha by both shoulders, looking her straight in the eyes as she did so.

"What other wishes did you take? Asha, for God's sake, tell me you at least know what was in them!"

Asha was at a loss for words, but she didn't try to break free from the queen's grip. She nodded timidly with her mouth half open.

"I-I don't know who they belong to," she admitted immediately, though it wasn't entirely true. The face of the owner of one of the wishes was all too familiar to her, but her fear would not allow her to admit it. If they were to suspect her of lying and think that someone else had a hand in it... No, she couldn't risk throwing suspicion on someone innocent.

Amaya let go of her and backed away a bit. Her gaze wandered around the room, trying her best to figure out a way to get out of this situation without any more... inconveniences.

"You have to tell Magnifico," she said finally, turning her gaze back to the girl in front of her.

"Your Highness, that's why I came to see you. I-I think I lost the possibility of him listening to me a long time ago."

"Right," Amaya looked at her sternly, yet understandingly, "and that's why you won't go to him alone." Asha's knees shook at the words, but she saw no other possible way. There was no time to waste.

The queen went around her, went through the chamber to the door and opened it carefully. She only poked her head out at first, but when she made sure the hallway was indeed empty, she stepped outside and motioned for Asha to follow her with a gentle nod. The girl, with the Star on her shoulder, quickly caught up with her and headed for the spiral staircase with Amaya.

When they finally reached it and began to climb up to the study, neither of them wanted to make even a sound. Amaya kept looking around, the possibility of guards crossing their path made her nervous. Magnifico had already declared a search for Asha surely, and if they did come across any of the soldiers, he would certainly raise the alarm and Asha would end up locked in the dungeon. Amaya shivered from the thought, she quickly shooed it away. Despite what she heard from the girl just a moment ago, she couldn't shake the affection she felt for Asha. She had known her since she was still in diapers. She didn't know the real reason, but none of the other children in the town grew on her like Asha. She saw something in her that she couldn't describe, yet it was so familiar to her. She discreetly shot her eyes at the girl, who was walking by her side with her head down and a frightened look. Indeed, even now, looking at her, she did not feel anger, although she believed that it was exactly what should be filling her right now. Disappointment, sadness and worry, but something else... Something unspeakable, but what mattered the most now. She believed that this was something that would help her at this moment.

They both stopped when the dreaded door appeared in front of them. Amaya reached for the doorknob, but before she even decided to press it, she fixed her gaze on Asha, who immediately looked back at her. She was terrified and uncertain, because neither of them had any idea what exactly was waiting for them inside. Asha held her breath and slightly nodded several times. Amaya took a deep breath and slowly began to open the door.

"My king," she said as she noticed her husband leaning over a massive old book at one of the tables.

"I think I made myself clear, Amaya," he snapped without even turning around.

"Magnifico," she addressed him again.

This time the king let out a frustrated sigh. "If you're concerned about whether I didn't use that one," he gestured to the forbidden book, which was thankfully still safely stored in the display case, "then you're worried for nothing. Okay, I hope that calmed you down and now you…"

"MAGNIFICO," the queen raised her voice.

"What is…" the king quickly straightened up and turned sharply towards her, but when he saw who was standing before him, he stopped in mid-sentence. His jaw dropped.

"Y-your majesty," Asha tried to whisper. However, the moment she closed her mouth, Magnifico's expression changed. His lips curled in anger to reveal white clenched teeth, his hands clenched into fists and several blue bolts of lightning flashed around his fingers.

"YOU..."