A/N: That's a wrap! We're finally done! The end! Wow, thank you so much for reading. It really has been a pleasure to write this story for you and I am so happy that I could contribute to the ever-widening multi-verse of Wish AU's. I hope you had fun with this take on the original concept. It's a bit different...and rough around the edges...but I sincerely thank you from the bottom of my heart for reading this far! It means a lot. Thank you :)
_______________________________________________________________________
"Oh Asha," Sakina clucked, "Almost nineteen and still growing like a weed. I can't keep up with you!"
The young woman looked over her flared hem. A bright poppy red, it was wrapped around an orange underskirt. The colors of a Mediterranean sunset, they told of a moment between moments and place between places. That sacred time where night and day were equidistant and the stars just beyond the horizon. A view only afforded to sailors and those who dreamed. Her fingers brushed the fabric, smiling.
"Arms up!"
A rod went through her back, and she quickly assumed the proper stance.
Her mother muttered through a mess of needles and ribbon, "I have half a mind to keep you home, you know. This dress is an absolute mess! I knew I should have bartered for that extra bolt. Now your ankles are on display for all to see. Ack!"
"Yemma!"
"And don't you go off saying that you'll be fine. I married into a family of sailors. I know what those good-for-nothing-"
"But Yemma, I will be accompanied."
Sakina stopped, giving her a look that could freeze lava, "Yes, but he has the attention span of a gnat."
"He's just excitable...that's all. He's only been human for a year."
The older woman's tongue clicked, shaking her head as she fought with a tangled bit of thread, "I knew your grandfather's stories were trouble."
"But we're still here, aren't we? Rosas is still here. It wasn't all bad."
A beleaguered sigh, "No, it wasn't."
The silence that fell was mutual. In some ways it was comforting, if not a little sad. Both knew that it would be a long time before they stood like this again. Mother and daughter, squabbling about this or that. Lamenting about time and how short it truly was. All taken out on the poor dress as it was tucked and pinched into the position. It was something of a tradition in their little house. One that would be broken in the coming years abroad. The younger woman swallowed back the thickness accumulating in her throat.
Her mother brokered the quiet. Starting to titter about this or that, she went on about how much material she had to let out in the chest and how wide she had to make the hip. No longer willowy, Asha had become a woman. Quite a surprise to herself, but even more shocking for her mother. Sakina's heart tugged as she had shaped the new figure. She knew this person well. She knew her quirks, her likes, her shortcomings and boundless potential. But when she had to piece together the new corset, she was bewildered to find someone new. Understated in her strength, and sure of foot, the girl was eager to see places her mother had never even dreamed of. Places that were far, mysterious, and perhaps even dangerous. Pausing in her work, Sakina looked up at her child. The candle flickering, her breath caught. In the moment between blinks, she saw her husband reflected back. Perhaps it was the light, or the position of Asha's face, but the grief wasn't logical nor was it merciful. Ah, the wanderlust never ceased, did it? The call of the sea infected all those nearest her. They all had to leave.
Why must they always leave?
Cutting the thread on her teeth, she tied off the excess. Telling her daughter to turn, she watched the fabric float by. Light and graceful, it rode the air. It was done. The weight on her chest growing heavier, Sakina murmured, "Habibti, you're beautiful."
YOU ARE READING
Of Stardust and Wishes (A Wish Rewrite)
Fanfiction"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...
