Pressure - A Wish Sequel

Her Discovery

Perhaps Lorebinder by Baronet Berengar?

No.

She read that book back to front and there had not been a single thing about magical entrapment.

Maybe the Tome of Blessed Fortune could contain her answer?

Again, no.

There was nothing in this library that contained the answer she was looking for.

"Your majesty?" Asha's voice brought her back to the moment and Amaya forced a smile, tilting her head.
"Sorry, Asha, I was.. miles away. What did you say?"
"The Stonemasons wish to begin work in the.. erm.. well it's not a wish chamber any more, is it?"
"No, I suppose not.." Amaya's eyes trailed across the room to the large mirrored glass doors that once led to the chamber where Magnifico kept the wishes.

Following her husband's imprisonment, the actions he had used forbidden magic to perform had reversed. People had gotten their crushed wishes back, Simon had been released from his hold and the floor of the Wish Chamber had returned to where it had been, but the force of it's fall from the top of the tower had left it broken and unsafe, and while the Wish Chamber had no real use any longer, Amaya had been determined to fix the one thing she could.

"So.. they were wondering if you were done in the study? Only.. they'll be bringing in a lot of tools and they don't wish to disturb you." Amaya watched as Asha's curious gaze travelled around the room where books had been thrown from shelves into piles. She could tell the teen was curious about what had been going on in the room, why Amaya had spent weeks going through each of Magnifico's books, but Amaya wasn't going to tell her. No one else needed to know of the Queen's intentions. No one else would understand.

"Done?" Amaya repeated, her brain working a lot slower these days. She'd not been sleeping, spending hours each evening pouring through Magnifico's library, rereading books she'd already read. She had once prided herself on having read every book in his study at least once. He'd taught her some basics. She could brew a potion or bind a spell and yet now, she was useless. Useless to him, useless to Rosas.

Asha cleared her throat and Amaya's hazel eyes were drawn back to the girl.

"Sorry. Yes. Tell them I'm done, they can begin" she forced a smile, placing a hand on Asha's shoulder and squeezing lightly as she moved past the younger woman towards the door.
"Your majesty?" Amaya stopped in her tracks turning to look at Asha again. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, Asha" the Queen forced a smile, "I'm just a little tired, that's all. After sleeping beside the same man for.. decades, it's not so easy to sleep without him at my side."

"I.. suppose I can understand that.." Asha began to say, and a muscle in Amaya's jaw twitched as she struggled to keep herself silent. She'd had to keep herself silent a lot. The ungrateful citizens of Rosas would never understand the nuance of Amaya's loss. To them, the King was a villain. But he wasn't to her.

Amaya knew that Asha knew grief, she empathised with her over the loss of her father and she understood that Asha likely believed it was grief Amaya was feeling.

But it wasn't quite that simple.

The truth was, Amaya and Magnifico were older than they looked. The King's magic had kept them looking as young as they did, but they had been together for a lot longer than most people would realise. No one could understand how it felt to lose him.

Worse, she hadn't. Not truly. He was here and yet he wasn't. Amaya grieved for the husband she had adored for decades, she grieved for the man who kept her safe, who doted on her. The grief was painful, but the guilt was worse.

She knew she should have done more for him, for the kingdom. Amaya had been the one who could have kept it all together, who could have calmed the King and prevented the kingdom from suffering as they did. She was the one who had failed.

"Please, don't worry about me" Amaya forced the smile back onto her lips as she motioned for Asha to follow her out of the room. "I just need to learn to sleep in" she joked lightly, closing the doors to the study behind her. "Come on, why don't we go see what Dahlia is baking for lunch today.."

"Your majesty! A letter came for you" the voice of one of her servants came from the stairwell and Amaya frowned, moving to take the wax-sealed envelope from him. Turning the letter over in her hands, she glanced at the crest and swallowed. She recognised it as the seal of Lord Diaz, the ruler of their nearest trade partner. Magnifico had once granted Diaz's wish for an heir, and since that day, the man had been a loyal friend to Rosas. An urgent letter from him was not going to be good news.

"Asha, I'd better take a moment to read this, I'll meet you in the kitchens," Amaya said softly, heading towards her bedroom.

'Dearest Amaya' the letter read

'Apologies for the abruptness of my letter, but I must pass on some important, yet upsetting, news. The Kingdom of Rosas is in peril.'

The Queen felt her stomach clench, feeling a deep churn as nausea washed over her, but she forced herself to read more.

'Ten days ago, two travellers arrived with their young sons, sharing tales of events that have occurred within Rosas. Word has now begun to spread, and it is known that Rosas lies vulnerable with no sorcerer King to defend it. Numerous neighbouring kingdoms have launched naval ships, all bound for Rosas.

I pray my letter reaches you before the enemy does, allowing for adequate preparations to be made.

My prayers are with you, and all of Rosas'

The letter slipped from the Queen's fingers as she sank onto the bed, an unholy-sounding sob leaving her, almost surprising her. Her beloved Rosas, the Kingdom she had built with her husband, that she had nurtured and protected, was in danger. Her beloved people were at risk. She had been foolish to think that they could continue to live in peace. They had no army, no weapons, they had never needed them. Rosas had been at peace since it was founded, and now they were in trouble.

Tears were falling from her eyes before she even registered the dampness on her cheeks.

"Amaya?" His voice carried from the glass that was once again on the windowsill, letting the King watch over his Kingdom from his prison. "Mi reina, is something wrong?"

How could she tell him? How could she tell her husband that everything they had worked for, everything HE had worked for was all at risk because she had not yet found a way to set him free?

"No, mi rey." She sniffed back her tears, wiping her eyes on the back of her sleeve in the most un-Queenly way. "I'm just being foolish. Forgive me, I just remembered that I need to be somewhere."