A Wish

Unbelief

"I'm so sorry," Asha said, trying to catch her breath. She and Earendel picked themselves up and brushed dirt off of their clothes. The girl with glasses suddenly bowed. "Your Highness!" Asha blushed. "Oh there's no need to-" "Is there anything I can help you with?" The girl asked kindly. Asha suddenly felt terrible. Here she was, intruding on this poor girl's home, and still the girl felt like she needed to serve her. "Please don't, it's my fault. I barged into your home. I'm sorry." The girl smiled. "No need to apologize. I heard commotion so I opened my back door. I'm glad I could help you escape the guards. Why were they chasing you...if I may ask?" "Well it's...a bit complicated," Asha admitted. The girl giggled. "Would it happen to be because the king does not approve of your lover?" "My-" Asha noticed the girl was glancing at Earendel. He smiled. "Something like that," he responded with a smirk before Asha could find the words. "My name is Earendel by the way. Yours?" "Ah, my apologies. I'm Dahlia." "I'm so sorry, I should have asked for your name earlier. I'm Asha," Asha replied. "You apologize much more than a princess should," Dahlia noted. "Or anyone, for that matter," Earendel agreed. Asha gave him a look. "I just...feel terrible being locked in a palace when I could be roaming the town, getting to know new people," Asha admitted. "Well, my grandfather and I are about to have dinner, if you'd like to join us." Asha looked over at Earendel, who responded, "we'd love to."

Dahlia's grandfather told the best stories, better than Asha had ever read in books. And he made the three teens laugh harder than any of them had in a while. Their meal was small but filling, and the flickering candlelight in the middle of the table only enhanced the cozy atmosphere. Asha noticed how much she liked how short the table was. Everyone was closer to each other, unlike when she would eat with her parents in the dining hall. Although Dahlia's home wasn't perfect, with worn furniture and not much space, it felt like a home. Asha hated that she suddenly thought about how her life would be more like this if her family hadn't left her at the castle doorstep. What she didn't notice was that Earendel felt much the same. He was made for one purpose, to grant wishes. Although it was satisfying to see people happy, it wasn't the same as getting to know them. After all, how well can you grant a wish if you don't know anything about the wisher or how the wish came to be? That wasn't the only thought suddenly troubling Earendel. Dahlia and her grandfather looked at each other with such love. They were a real family. The other stars didn't feel like more than co-workers to Earendel, and he had hardly even spoken to the Queen since she created him. Earendel wondered what it would be like to have parents, a home, love. "Do either of you have a wish?" Earendel blurted out. Dahlia and her grandfather looked at him, then looked down. "I gave up on those a long time ago," the grandfather said. "I made a wish, gave it to the king, and never saw it again." "I haven't made one," Dahlia admitted. "I don't believe in wishes." Asha and Earendel were shocked. Earendel felt a sharp pain in his heart, but he cleared his throat and composed himself. "Why?" "Wishing is just wanting something out loud, speaking to no one." "Excuse me." Earendel got out of his chair and headed for the back door. "Earendel..." Asha begged. He closed the door behind him. "I didn't mean to offend him," Dahlia said sadly. "It's not your fault. You actually make a great point. Wishes don't help much if having them doesn't change anything. But a wish can also give you hope, if you let it." "But hoping isn't knowing, so there's always the possibility that it will fail." Asha stood tall. "And that's why the royal family needs to do better, why I need to do better. So that the people of Rosas can know that their wishes are being heard, respected, and cared for, even if, in the end, they don't come true." Dahlia's grandfather chimed in. "I remember when we used to give our wishes to the stars themselves. I don't know why that changed." "The stars trusted my ancestors with this responsibility because they believed we were worthy of their magic, but lately...we haven't been, and for that, I apologize." Newfound determination arose in Asha; she got up from her chair and put away her dishes. Then she turned to Dahlia and her grandfather. "I will make this right. At all costs." To Dahlia's surprise, Asha gave her a big hug. "Thank you. I hope to have dinner with you again soon." Dahlia smiled and hugged her back. "I would very much like that."

Asha dashed out of the house and called out for Earendel. She roamed around the dark town, looking for any gleam of golden light nearby. She even looked back up at the sky, wondering if he had left her for good. To her relief, her star wasn't there. She carried on through the alleyways and lonely paths as she wondered if he was angry with her. She could only imagine how much it must have hurt him to hear that someone didn't believe in him, especially after he wanted so badly to help people. But it made Asha realize how out-of-hand things had gotten between the royal family and the people of Rosas. Things hadn't just started spiraling this morning; Rosas had been feeling grey and gloomy for years. Asha wished that she had done something about it sooner, or at least that her parents had. King Magnifico was beginning to follow in his grandfather's footsteps, taking advantage of the magic given to them by the stars. That mistake cost her great-grandfather his life, and she wasn't going to let the same happen to her father. A great terror suddenly struck Asha's face, and she realized she knew where Earendel was. She ran back towards the castle as fast as she could.