"You are our Queen; your word is the law." Simon's father's voice was stern, and Asha clutched Valentino even closer in the darkness. "Order Simon to return to his studies and put an end to this nonsense!"
"I cannot command Simon to serve me," The careful tenderness was evident in Queen Amaya's reproach. "That's not the kind of kingdom I've built. Simon may have made a decent star charter one day, but that simply isn't the path he's chosen."
Simon's mother chimed in. "He only wants to quit because the work is difficult. Simon always was a lazy child. He will become better; he only needs more time. We will increase his book loads and teach him around the clock. With that and more lessons with you, Simon will catch up with others!"
"It's no use, this isn't the life Simon wants."
"Simon doesn't know what he wants!" his father snapped. "He's barely a man, and he only just gave you his wish last winter. How could he decide in one season to change the entire course of his life!"
Another voice, deep and militant, intervened.
"Enough! You will respect the Queen of Rosas!"
"Leopold!" Asha gasped as Queen Amaya reprimanded the King. "My subjects may speak freely, and I have promised always to hear them. That said, Simon is the only voice I will heed regarding his life and his future. I am sorry if that hurts you, and I hope that you will both understand. But the wish has been granted, and I have no intention of undoing anything."
A stony silence made Asha's skin grow cold, and even Valentino seemed to feel the shocking shift as he nuzzled his head in Asha's shoulder.
"If that is your decision, we will not stand by to watch him crumble," Simon's father stated with a huff. "My wife and I ask to leave your service. We shall speak to Simon, gather our belongings, and leave Rosas as a family immediately to seek a kingdom that appreciates our talents."
"Rosas isn't a prison. If you both want to go, I can't stop you," Queen Amaya said slowly. "But I won't allow you to drag Simon out of this palace if he doesn't desire it. The guards won't allow it, they've already come to love him. Simon will always have a home here, and he will always have love here."
"We intend to leave in the morning," Simon's father insisted.
"My guard and I will see you off." Queen Amaya said with equal resolve. Asha didn't dare move as she heard hard footsteps marching across the marble. Her mind whirred with different thoughts ranging from anger to sadness, but more than anything guilt. Queen Amaya always taught that wishes could foster many emotions; but a guilt that makes your heart heavy with regret? And pity for a friend? She never imagined her research would lead her to this den of shadows.
"King Leopold, I'm sorry you had to see that," Asha's ears perked up as Queen Amaya spoke again. "Wish ceremonies are often nights of high emotion."
"I'm only sorry I couldn't do more to help."
"There's nothing to be done. I only wish I could make them understand!"
"Amaya, you are their Queen, you must do what is right for everyone in your kingdom. I admire your strength." A short moment of quiet passed between them, and Asha couldn't contain herself any longer. She stole a peek from behind the grand staircase, catching sight of Queen Amaya standing on the steps in her ceremony gown, and the King gazing up at her fondly.
"I have but one child, a daughter, that will become a Queen herself one day. Her mother was the kindest woman I've ever known. I loved her dearly. Even with her gone, I still see traces of that kindness in my little one. Now, what she needs is a mother of kindness and strength. One who can teach her to be a Queen for her people. Our kingdoms can only grow together, and you would never need to leave here for long. We shall make journeys between our castles and you shall have my guards to protect Rosas from anything."
"You are noble, Leopold. And your daughter, she sounds like a beautiful princess. But I already told you, my life is here. In Rosas only. My duty is to protect this kingdom, everyone in it, and their wishes. I have a responsibility here as well. I can't stay away even for one day."
The Queen stepped down and placed a hand on the King's shoulder.
"I hope you find the wife you're looking for; I truly do. One you can love and loves you and your daughter in return."
He sighed and placed his hand over hers. "I understand. I shall take my leave tomorrow as well. Before I go, I did want to ask….may I give you my wish? I can think of no safe place for it."
Queen Amaya smiled and gestured for him to follow her upstairs. The two quickly disappeared leaving Asha to lean against the wall and loosen her grip on Valentino. She knew it made her horrid, but she relaxed and breathed out all the fear she'd been holding in over the impending engagement. While she no longer believed King Leopold to be the brute of legends, she couldn't help but bask in the sweet release of relief knowing he was leaving Rosas the next day.
"Gabo will be disappointed," she muttered to Valentino. "Especially about the whole heir thing."
Faint laughter and the clang of a pot hitting the ground caught her ear, right in the direction of the kitchen. Asha moved carefully and pushed one of the dark wood doors open just a crack. Inside, her fellow apprentices tumbled and scrambled in from the opposite entrance, each talking over the other and settling comfortably onto chairs and benches.
"I've got dibs on Simon's chambers!" Gabo insisted, slamming his hand against the kitchen counter. The others laughed as he shouted and cradled his red fingers in the other hand.
"That's not fair Gabo! Dario needs the bigger bed. He's the tallest," Dahlia said and glanced at Dario, who nearly tripped over his own feet. Luckily Simon grabbed hold of his shirt before he hit the ground.
"You snooze you lose!" Gabo shot back.
Simon yawned on cue. "I'm going to miss my old room. I've been there ever since I was born. But the knight's chambers are full of armor! Plus they stay up and play cards on Tuesdays."
"It's gonna' be weird not seeing you every day Simon. We'll all really miss you," Bazeema mumbled.
"I'll miss you guys too. I guess I never really thought I would get my wish. Now that it's happened, it's like a dream."
"Be thankful you got your wish granted!" Gabo hopped down from his chair to get some ice for his hand. "Most people kick the bucket before then."
"Gabo!" Dahlia's cheeks flushed red, and she gritted her teeth.
"Well, it's true! Not every wish in the dream tower is going to be granted, everyone knows that! It's all up to the magic, or the stars, or whatever the Queen says happens. Even most wishes that don't make it to the tower never come true. My parents wish that the Queen would marry King Leopold, but do you think that's going to happen? Not a chance."
"Why not?" Hal questioned. "He's a King, he's handsome, and she looked like she liked him at the party."
"And I thought you wanted the Queen to marry?" Dahlia asked, leaning against the counter.
"Temporary insanity. I conveniently forgot one teeny, tiny detail that will prevent Queen Amaya from ever marrying anyone outside of Rosas," Gabo explained.
"What?" The six echoed as Gabo flung his hand into an ice bucket.
"Asha."
Asha's eyes grew wide, and she covered her mouth to stifle any sound.
Gabo continued. "As long as Asha's here, Queen Amaya's never going to agree to marry a foreign king. Sabino may be her grandfather, but her dad made her the Queen's charge. She'll never leave her!"
"Asha will be twenty soon," Simon reminded them. "Like me. Then she won't be a ward of the Queen anymore."
"Yeah, but it's not like Asha's ever going to leave the palace. Sabino's too old to travel far. And she's a little…weird."
"Gabo enough!" Dahlia tried, but the short apprentice threw up his good hand in exasperation.
"She talks to a goat! I can't say it's weird to talk to a goat? Any of you think it's normal to talk to a goat?!"
No one answered and Gabo flashed Dahlia a triumphant smile before reaching for a towel to wrap his hand.
Safi sneezed, then sniffed hard and rubbed his red eyes against his sleeve. "But what about Asha's mom? Couldn't Queen Amaya just bring her back from her mission? Then she wouldn't be her ward anymore."
Gabo rolled his eyes. "Don't you think if the Queen could do that she would've done it already?"
"What are you saying, Gabo?" Hal asked.
"Isn't it obvious? Nobody's seen Asha's mother in years. So that means one of two things. One, she doesn't want to come back. Or two she's already-"
"GABO!" Dahlia slammed the pot against the counter and the room fell silent. Hal and Bazeema fixed their eyes on the ground and Safi awkwardly played with his fingers. Dario stared blankly at Dahlia and Gabo shook his head but remained silent.
"I like Asha," Simon finally said, glancing from teen to teen. "She's a good apprentice. Without her, my wish might never have come true."
"She's our friend," Dahlia asserted.
"Of course she is," Gabo agreed, though the bite was still clear in his defeat. "All I'm saying is what if something happened to the Queen? What would happen to us? There's no one else, no king, no heir. Queen Amaya not marrying is dangerous. And if something, or someone, is standing in the way of that….well what's best for Rosas?!"
Asha couldn't stay to hear more. At first, her feet felt rooted to the ground and forcing herself to back away felt like ripping the vines from the Earth. But the harder she pounded across the foyer, the easier and faster they flew beneath her. Night strained her vision, but memory led her to the servant's halls. She ran still, Valentino bounding behind her until she reached a stone archway leading out of the palace. Without thinking, she threw open the wooden doors and fled into the cool night. Starlight guided her steps deep into the waiting green forest. Deciding to keep running was easy; dodging the thicket of trees was much harder and eventually, a snaked root caught her foot and sent her flailing into the dirt. At last, her will gave way to embarrassed tears and she began to wipe them away furiously with the back of her hand. Valentino offered his head, set gently against her arm, as comfort.
A ward. A burden. A hindrance. All the ways she held Queen Amaya down suddenly became crystal clear to her. And she had the gall to feel relieved when Queen Amaya let King Leopold go? She loved her godmother. She loved being with her, leaning from her…but she never wanted to be a weight chaining her to the palace. And wasn't Gabo, right? Wasn't Asha, lonely and needy Asha, at least partly to blame for the Queen sending the King away?
**Can't add music, but I think this scene would lead into "This Wish". Overall, I think this was a good song, I do wish they'd made it a little more epic, like it was presented in the trailer. More supporting instrumentals would take it from a good song to a great. So, enter "This Wish" here, and cut back in after it closes. I'll close this scene out properly below**
(Music Outro Plays and Ends)
Asha gazed at the sky from the tree. A warm wind whistled through the branches while animals chirped below. Starlight illuminated the night, particularly the light of one star sliced through the darkness. The searing rays overpowered its neighboring stars, beaming down on Asha's face so the girl had to squint against its might. Suddenly, a blinding blast caused her to throw her arm across her eyes and something fiery shot past her, taking the light with it. She spun around to see golden dust spattered across the branches and leaves, creating a path that lead deeper into the woods.
"What was that?!" She anxiously looked down at Valentino who responded with a loud bleat.
"Did you feel that?! It…it was electric!"
Valentino bleated once more, then took off following the golden sprinkles in the grass.
"Valentino wait!"
Asha chased after her pet, running ever faster to keep up. Every few steps, she looked down in awe at the glittering trail. She wondered what she would find when she caught Valentino. What could've left a trail of…dust?
Finally, the two came to a clearing containing a small chicken coop and a barn. Right away Asha's already frantic heart raced even faster. A golden light bounced from one tree to the next with little control, but lightning speed. As it shot toward her, she threw her body against the ground, just avoiding a disastrous collision. From this new view, she ran her fingers along the grass, picking up a few of the sparkles, and rubbed her fingers together close to her face. The dust was…warm? And so light she hardly felt the particles against her skin.
"Valentino!" she called, urging the goat to come to her. But instead, he darted every which way, following the out-of-control ball of light until it finally crashed into the well at the heart of their patch. The goat quickly galloped over, pushed himself up on his hind legs, and bleated into the well, creating a loud echo that bounced off the trees.
Asha clucked her tongue and pushed herself up, brushing some of the dirt off her dress. She inched forward slowly and snatched Valentino from the ground. Curiously, she gazed into the hollow blackness of the worn well and was met right away with an overturned bucket that shot out. She screamed and backed away, but before she could go far, a hand caught hers and gently drew her back to the well's edge.
A hand?
A golden hand, warm to the touch and glowing against her skin.
She glanced up at the bucket and saw clearly the golden neck underneath and the glimmering cloak covering the shoulders of a body. Asha freed her hand and hesitantly reached out, lifting the bucket to reveal the face of a boy, with gleaming amber eyes gazing back at her in open-mouthed wonder.