Pressure - A Wish Sequel

Her Request

"Asha?"

Magnifico's voice wasn't enough to break her out of her trance. The moment she had seen the bell tower hit by cannonball, crumbling to the ground, Asha had gone into a state of shock. In her role as tour guide, Asha had gotten to know the people who worked along the docks. They were good people, she liked them. The men who guided the ships into the right slips, the ones who took a log of all the new arrivals and, her personal favourites - Marcus, a kind old man who ran a little stall in front of the bell tower where he handed out mini Rosas flags to newcomers, who gave her handfuls of blueberries throughout the day when she inevitably slept in and didn't have time to grab breakfast, and his son, Antonio, whose job it was to ring the bell to let Rosas know that new citizens were arriving, who had let Asha watch and learn as he rang them.

As the sound of screaming from the town square beneath them carried up to the room where Asha and Magnifico stood, surrounded by statues of Queen Amaya, Asha realised with a gut-churning horror that Marcus and Antonio would have been too close to the bell tower to escape the devastation. The thought sent her spiralling. This was her fault. If she had not overthrown Magnifico, there would be no warships waiting to destroy Rosas. If she had not overthrown Magnifico, no one would dare to attack a Kingdom ruled by a Sorcerer King. People would still live in peace and harmony and Marcus and Antonio would have avoided a horrid fate.

Maybe she'd be lucky. Maybe the incident with the fishermen encouraged Antonio to take Marcus home. Maybe they'd not been in the area when the cannonball hit. If Marcus was still alive, Asha made a mental vow that she would pick every blueberry on Rosas to bring to him. Maybe they had survived, but many hadn't. She could already see the scattering of bodies along the streets, colourful material trapped beneath fallen rubble. Asha loved the people of Rosas, this broke her heart.

"Asha?" Magnifico's voice finally permeated her shock, the panic in his tone evident. Asha looked up at him, her eyes full of terror, finding her emotions reflected in Magnifico's gaze.
"We need to go. Now..." Magnifico swept towards the door, his cape moving dramatically behind him.

"Mi rey?" Amaya's voice carried through the room and Asha saw Magnifico's face visibly pale.
"My love, the ships are here.." he moved over to the mirror, his eyes locking with Amaya's. "There's no time... I'll be back soon to get you out."
"Take me with you.."
"Don't be ridiculous! You'll be safe in here, anything could happen out there. I'll be back, my love.."

"No! Mi rey.." Amaya called after him, but the King had already stormed from the room, leaving Amaya and a wide-eyed Asha behind.

"He's gone, your majesty. I should—"
"Asha, take me with you."
"But—" the younger woman hesitated. Magnifico was right, Amaya would be safer inside the castle, but at the same time, how could she refuse a command from the Queen? "The King wants you to stay here"
"Asha, please. I can't sit in here, waiting for news! Anything could happen!" The worry in Amaya's voice made Asha swallow. It was such a simple request, and what real danger was there? She was certain that together she and Magnifico had enough magic to protect Rosas. Timidly, Asha reached out, picking up the mirror containing the Queen.

The sound of panic filled the streets of Rosas, with people screaming and shouting, running through the streets with treasured possessions in hand. They ran towards the castle, pouring into the courtyard, seeking safety and guidance in their time of crisis. As the courtyard filled, the citizens began to ask the same questions.

"Where's the Queen?"
"Why isn't she out here with her people?"
"Has Queen Amaya abandoned us in our time of need?"
"Why isn't she helping us?"
"What do we do?"

"This would never have happened if Magnifico was still in charge" one voice spoke up, and a murmur of agreement ran through the crowd.
"Yes, the King would have protected us, not left us to suffer". The buzz grew louder, the crowd discussing the same things. Where was the Queen? What were they going to do? Was there a way they could get back Magnifico's protection?

A loud 'boom' shook the walls surrounding them, and the crowd fell silent, turning to face the direction of the sound. Another cannonball flew towards Rosas, whistling in the air as it approached the walls of the very courtyard in which the majority of the Kingdom stood. Panic rose again in the citizens, some beginning to scramble for shelter, others too in shock to do anything other than stare wide-eyed at the approaching iron orb.

Inches from a collision with the wall, the ball stopped in its tracks, a blue hue surrounding it, keeping it hovering in place.
"Well, seems like we're in a bit of trouble.." came a familiar voice and the crowd turned to face the castle doors, gasps of shock rippling through the citizens like a wave. From her position behind Magnifico, Asha could hear whispers of 'The King?' and a few exclamations of 'Oh thank the Heavens' from them. With something of a flare, Magnifico flicked his wrist, sending the cannonball back to where it came with ease before he stepped towards the edge of the raised platform.

"Well, well.. look who needs their King's protection now! What happened? Did your celestial saviour leave you all here to suffer?" Magnifico muttered as silence fell over the people of Rosas. They stared up at their handsome former ruler, uncertain of his intentions. Was he going to save them, or was he going to let them suffer for what they had done to him? Magnifico enjoyed their confusion. In his opinion, they deserved to remain unsure.