A/N: ACK! Ending things is so hard...ugh. We only have the epilogue left guys! This is unreal! I never thought I'd get this far in. It's unbelievable how many people have read this...like...holy crap! I am beyond happy that I could make a story you all enjoy. I hope as we're winding down, I'm able to close the circle and tie off all necessary knots. Though I'm totally open to answering any questions you have!
Haha, teaches me to be a better writer and better explain myself 🤦
Also, apologies for the absolutely shameless fluff
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It was the emptiness that did the most damage. Broken curses stole away comfort as much as they did illusion. So many people, some who'd been walking around in dreams for decades, were suddenly shoved back to their respective realities. Unmatched talent, grand adventures, even phantom spouses, vanished in a second. All alone in the darkness of night, the citizens of Rosas wept. It wasn't until the new day arrived, that the small group of revolutionaries were able to share their fantastic news.
Though fantastic was a relative word. There were some who were relieved. Those that made their living by the sea had a celebration of their own. But it was, as it always is, those stuck in the middle who had a more nuanced opinion about things. The magicians whose magic was useless, the knights who now had no one to defend, and the people who'd put their full faith in the royal family through it all. Even though there was plenty to be happy about, the festivities only stretched so far.
And in this mixed atmosphere, the newly christened heroes made their way back home. "Borrowing" a royal horse who'd been freed from the stables during the fire, Asha had fashioned a sled-of-sorts from the remains of a door. Tramping along down the winding streets, she handled the animal poorly. Nervous and terribly uncoordinated, every misstep was followed by a low groan from the boy skidding behind her. Less than enthusiastic, Sol sat awkward on the charred wood. His legs too long to fit, he was forced to bend the good one underneath, while the broken limb took up the rest of the length. Cringing at every expression of pain, the girl couldn't apologize enough. He finally told her to stuff it after the twentieth "sorry."
By the time they'd reached the house, the sun had risen over the island once again. The guards, long since dispersed, had worn trenches deep into the earth. The evidence of their patrol scarring the land for years to come. But that was the furthest concern from Asha's mind. Seeing the door glisten in the new day, she breathed easy.
With careful steps the girl entered alone. Standing in the open doorway, her shadow reached across the small room, and draped over her mother. Sakina knelt on the floor. Her back to the newcomer, she mourned at the foot of an empty chair. Dread stifling in that space, the girl's torn shoes clunked against old boards. Each step bringing further regret, further discomfort, further sorrow. But no matter how close she got, the woman didn't notice her. Standing over the miserable figure, Asha could hear her cry. She inhaled sharp. She had to be strong. All her life she'd been, and she wasn't about to falter now.
A steady hand was placed on the woman's back. She startled, jerking around to find her daughter. Eyes rimmed with red, she didn't so much as call her name before Asha fell to her knees. Battling tears of her own, the teen focused on the floor. Babbling thousands of different apologies, switching between Castilian, then Persian, then back again in her frenzy. Trying to put words to her relentless shame. To beg forgiveness for the unforgivable. To say things that had to be said.
But she didn't get to finish. Sakina pulled her daughter to her. Wrapping her in an embrace that smelled of lavender and spice. Holding onto each other as dawn drifted to day, the two women wept. Both knowing, whether it had been spoken or not, that they were all that was left.
YOU ARE READING
Of Stardust and Wishes (A Wish Rewrite)
Фанфик"Salvē!" The golden specter repeated. She was in shock. That had to be it. All that tossing around in the water must have shaken her insides around enough to make her see things. She blinked a few times, but he was still there, looking even more con...
