Wishes and Wishes [A Twisted Wonderland Fanfic]

Chapter 4

It was a beautiful day in Silk City. And so far, it had been a pretty good day. Y/N had been given most of the morning to herself so far, save for the hour that she set aside to join the Asim family for breakfast, but there rest of the morning had been spent wandering through the palace with Ranav. She had managed to find Nadia's room, which wasn't too far from her own, and a few sitting rooms scattered throughout the palace, each furnished with lavish seats and chaises. But now, she had retired to her room after meeting Nadia for lunch in the gardens and was reading a book that Namja had brought for her from the library while Ranav took a nap at the bottom of her bed.

As she turned the page, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in." Y/N shut the book as the door to her room opened. Muna's dark hair appeared on the other side and Y/N smiled at the girl. "Muna. What brings you here?"

"This just arrived for you," Muna said, bowing a little as she handed Y/N an envelope.

"Thank you, Muna," Y/N said, taking the envelope from Muma. As the girl left the room, Y/N turned the letter over in her hand, recognising the seal that had been pressed into the wax. The Asim family crest. No doubt this had come from Kalim. She took a seat on her bed once again and cracked the wax seal. She pulled the letter from the envelope and opened it, smiling when she saw Kalim's name written across the bottom.

Hello Y/N,

I hope you are settling in okay, but I wish I could be there to help you. I can't think of what it would be like if I had to pack up everything that I had ever known and move to a strange place halfway across the desert. Especially if I had spent the last few years stuck in the same tower day after day. I hope my family hasn't been too overwhelming during your move. I know they can be a bit overbearing. But Mom said that you are becoming friends with Nadia. I was hoping you would.

I'm still upset that I had to leave so soon. I wish I could have stayed for longer and gotten to know you better. It feels a little strange to think that our wedding is taking place once I graduate. But if it feels too fast for you, I can speak with my parents and have them try to delay the wedding for a bit if that would make you more comfortable.

There's going to be a Magical Shift tournament at the school in a few weeks, and my mother told me that my family will be attending. I hope to see you there too, Y/N. I want to have a chance to talk with you for a bit. And when winter break comes, Jamil and I will be coming home and I can show you all around Silk City, and all my favourite places.

I'm excited to see you again, Y/N

Love

Kalim <3

Y/N sighed and folded up the letter again. She got to her feet and walked over to her vanity, where she pulled open a drawer and slipped the letter in. She didn't want to think of the wedding right now, or the fact that she was technically engaged. While the Asim family would probably be more than willing to postpone the wedding until a later date if she asked, Y/N knew that her parents would not be as accommodating. They might see the wish to postpone as the Asim's rejection of her, and if that were the case, they would steal her away once again and lock her up in her tower until she died. She shut the drawer, and with it, she shut away her fears. They wouldn't do her any good now.

Ranav bumped the back of Y/N's leg and purred softly as he sensed his mistress' distress. Y/N turned to face him and smiled, gently scratching him behind the ear.

"I'm all right, Ranav," she said softly. She kissed him on the nose before heading out to the balcony.

From her balcony, she could see all of Silk City. The bazaar, the heart of the oasis, the firework venue that Nadia had told her about, she could see it all and more. She turned her gaze higher and sighed as she stared out at the vast desert that separated her from her home. But the more she thought about it, the more she wondered if that place had ever been her home. Yes, it had been a place where she had lived, but it hadn't ever really felt like home. Not with her older brother trying to take advantage of her magic once she had figured out what it was, and certainly not when she was confined to a single suite for years on end.