Chapter Text
“Ohhh…Ommi said the word stupid!” Izar giggled causing her brothers to laugh along as well.
“To be fair to your mom, she was upset.” Aster sadly smiled. “You have to remember, her Papí was sick at that time, and she was under a lot of self-pressure to succeed in using magic. She wasn’t thinking when she said that. But it wasn’t okay for her to think of her thoughts like that.” He frowned.
“But whyyyy Papí?” Izar asked.
“Because her thoughts or wishes to have company or someone to cheer her up wasn’t stupid. It’s human to not want to be alone when you are feeling down. She just couldn’t see it that way just yet.” Aster said with a sad smile.
…
“That’s not a stupid wish.”
Princess Asha was still crying.
“I said, That’s NOT a stupid wish!” Aster shook her shoulders. It was enough to get Princess Asha to look up with a disgruntled frown and teary red glaring eyes.
“YES IT IS! I could have wish for someone to help me to focus my magic or…or maybe to know what type of illness my Papí has so we can find a way to heal him! But noooooo! I couldn’t have stop to think and make a useful wish like that and instead wish for me to not be alone and to have someone to cheer me up!” Her voice cracked. Immediately, she curled up into a ball and she started crying again.
“Well, BEING ALONE SUCKS!” Aster threw his arms back.
It was enough force to startle Princess Asha to stop crying and look up at him.
“It’s sucks to be alone and for people to not see that all you’re trying to do is just help! Or that you’re trying to cheer people up because you care! And I’m tired of failing! So please, PLEASE let me help you! I can’t undo your wish, but I can help you achieve it!” He said as he held his hand out to her.
“How?” Princess Asha said, her face all pinched with tears still rolling down her cheek.
Yet she took his hand.
Aster clasped both of his hands around hers.
“I can teach you to focus your magic better Princess Asha!” Aster smiled as his eyes met hers.
Princess Asha sniffed as she pulled one hand out to wipe her tear.
“You would do that for me?”
Aster nodded.
“You did wish for company and for someone to cheer you up soooooo….by me helping you learn how to focus your magic… I don’t see how that doesn’t fulfill it. So, why not?” Aster grinned.
Princess Asha smiled.
“Yeah…why not.” She said as she held up her other hand. It was in fist with only her pinky finger out. “Pinky swear you’ll help me?” Princess Asha said with her sharp copper eyes staring into his own blue ones.
Aster copied her hand and hugged her pinky with his.
“I pinky swear that I do.” He said as they shook on it with determined smiles.
Then the church bells rang.
Once. Twice. Three times. And even more!
Aster counted until the bell stopped. It rung twelve times!
“Oh my! It’s midnight! I didn’t mean to be out this late!” Princess Asha said to Aster as she got up. “Ohhhh no…I need to go Starboy! I can’t be home this late!” She frowned as she dusted herself off and then looked at him with sparkling eyes. “Can we meet again tomorrow?” She grinned as she clasped his hand with hers.
“Yeah, but why are you worry? I can give you a quick ride! How do you like flying?” He grinned.
Princess Asha frowned.
“Flying? But I can’t fly! I don’t have magic to do that!” She cried.
“Nonsense! I feel it in you! You have magic but it isn’t ready for you to use. It isn’t mature yet. But you can borrow some of mine!”
“How?” Princess Asha asked.
“Like so!” Aster said as he threw a bunch of magic star dust on her.
Princess Asha coughed as she wiped her face before looking at him.
“Why did you throw dust at me?” She frowned before narrowing her eyes. “Where did you even get dust that fast? I didn’t see you grab dirt. I was watching you the entire time! How’s it even twinkling?”
“It’s not dirt.” Aster frowned before smiling. “It’s stardust. I threw some at you so you can borrow some of my magic! Star magic is the strongest and easiest magic to use!” He said as he threw his arms out. The air around him twinkled and sparkled, filled with his golden magic.
“How do you know that’s true?” Princess Asha narrowed her eyes before crossing her arms and pouting. “Are you even sure that this is going to work?”
“Of course it will!” Aster frowned. “Star magic is pure cosmic energy! It’s different from human magic. Even you can use it!” He smiled. “You just need to focus your thoughts on what you want. It’s your will that drives magic to work!” Aster grinned.
“What makes it different from human magic?” Princess Asha frowned.
“Human magic comes from within you. Star magic, or cosmic magic, comes from the energy around you.”
“You mean the environment?” Princess Asha lifted her eyebrow.
“I guess that’s one way to look at it.” Aster shrug before he flicked his hand out into the air. Golden magic streamed out, twinkling as it created golden outlines of medical herbs that Aster recalled the royal herbalist used whenever he would get sick, such as Willow bark, Valerian root and Chamomile flowers.
“First lesson in magic Princess Asha: everything has magic. Herbalist can heal normal and magical illness with their knowledge of plants even if they are unable to use their own human magic. It’s why some people can talk to animals.” He said as he flicked his hand.
Immediately, the magical herb outlines changed their shape. Instead of plants, there was a stablehand talking to the royal horses. Then the image shifted to a hound handler. The handler talked to the dogs like they understood her. Then the image switched again to a baker petting their cat, thanking her for keeping the rats at bay in his kitchen.
“See all those people Princess Asha?” Aster said.
Princess Asha nodded.
“Each one of them are in tune to the magic that the beasts hold. It allows them to communicate with them. Everybody’s magic is different. It’s why some can feel what herbs works best for treatment, why some can talk to animals and why some can even create snow and ice out of thin air!” He grinned as the golden outline image shifted from the baker and his cat to a queen shooting snow and ice out of her bare hands.
“Everyone can use magic. Even if we might have a more natural affinity to one use or another, like what I mentioned earlier, it doesn’t diminish the fact you can train yourself into learning it.” He said as he looked at her before wincing. “It will take a while though, but you can learn.”
Princess Asha nodded.
“The issue is, not everyone is trained in the right way, nor does everyone’s inner human magic matures at the same time.” Aster frowned before he smiled. “Star magic however, it’s everywhere. You can train yourself into reaching out for it and using it, but it takes a while. So, you can borrow mine instead!” He grinned as he bumped his shoulder with hers.
Princess Asha grinned back.
“So, what do I need to do?” She asked. “To fly with your magic?”
“Rule number 1: Don’t overthink it! You just need to believe you can fly!” He said as he jumped into the air and levitated until the rest of his body was at his head level. “Your turn!” He smiled as he looked at her.
Immediately, Princess Asha’s grinned dropped to a frown.
“But what if it doesn’t work? It never worked for me before.” Her voice cracked as she hugged herself. Aster could practically see the hurt tears forming in her eyes.
He held out his hand to her.
“Come on. You can do it! Rule number 2: Don’t think about the past! Just focus on how my magic feels! It vibes, sort of like me. All you need is faith and trust. You already have the star dust.” He grinned, showing off his pearly white teeth. They even glimmered like the stars above. “All you need is that leap of faith! Just jump and focus on wanting to fly. Like me!”
Princess Asha nodded.
She closed her eyes and jumped.
Her feet landed right back down to Earth.
“Again!” He yelled, ordering her before Princess Asha could doubt herself. That would only worsen her chances. “You got this!”
Princess Asha opened her eyes and nodded back at him with determined pursed lips and narrowed eyebrows. Her hands were fisted as she closed her eyes and took in a deep breath, bent down and jumped!
This time, she floated in the air for five seconds before she fell back down to Earth.
Princess Asha opened her eyes and looked at him, brown eyes sparkling.
“I…I floated…I floated in the air!” Princess Asha cheered as she threw her arms out while jumping. “I mean, itwasonlyforfiveseconds,” She spat, “but I WAS IN THE AIR! I was floating!” She clapped her hands excitedly!
“WOO-HOO! That’s it! You got it Princess Asha!” Aster cheered, blue eyes glowing bright just like the magic shimmering around them as he threw stardust at her again.
Princess Asha laughed.
It was the most beautiful sound he has ever heard, and it made his tummy tingle again.
“Jump one more time Princess Asha! I’m sure you can do it this time! Just focus on that feeling you had when you were in the air! You’re going to fly! I can feel it!” He grinned like a maniac.
This time when Princess Asha looked at him, she nodded at him with a determined smiled.
She didn’t close her eyes this time. Staring at him, Princess Asha took in a deep breath, squatted down before she leaped into the air and flew into the night sky.
…
“Ommi finally got to fly?” Izar smiled, awe sparkling bright in her eyes.
When Aster looked at his other two children, both of his sons had the same awe in their eyes like Izar did.
For boys who didn’t like love stories, they were sure enwrapped in this one.
“She finally did.” Aster nodded with a fat smile as he looked back to Izar and then his sons. “She flew, but she didn’t have good aim yet. So, she launched herself straight to me and we ended up stuck in a tree.” Aster laughed.
…
Unfortunately, her aim nor her control weren’t good and soon, both Aster and Princess Asha were stuck on top of the Mirador. When they managed to pull the branches and leaves away, they looked at each other.
They both laughed underneath the moon and starlight.
“For a first timer, you sure know how to zoom Princess Asha.” He grinned as he met her brown eyes. Despite their darkness, her brown eyes glimmered like the stars above. Like his magic.
“And you know how to teach Starboy.” Princess Asha said, smiling confidently like he never seen her before. There was a warmth in her eyes as she looked at him, a friendliness that wasn’t there before.
“If you want, we can hold hands as I fly you home Princess Asha.” Aster softly asked, rather nervous all of a sudden.
Princess Asha blinked.
“Whenever you’re ready of course! If you want me to! It’s not that I don’t believe you can fly, Ijustwannamakesureyougetbackhomesafe!” He spat. “I don’t want you shooting off to space or crashing into a tree again. I know that you can now fly–”
“Sure.” Princess Asha smiled as she nodded. “I’m rather not crash into a tree too. Plus, I rather be safe than sorry!” She giggled.
Aster smiled as he leapt out of the tree branches and floated to her. He held out his hand to her and said, “Need a hand, Princess?”
“Yes please!” She grinned.
Hand-in-hand, Aster pulled Princess Asha out.
Together, he guided her flight as she guided him to her home, never letting go of each other’s hand.
…
“So, I took her home that night and left her in her room. Once we made plans to meet, I parted ways with her.” Aster said as each of his children looked at him, mesmerized by his story.
“What was your plan?” Izar asked.
Aster grinned.
“We made a plan to meet each night by the Mirador Tree on the stroke of ten before going home at midnight. And then, I taught your mom how to use MAGIC!” Aster grinned as he flicked his hand.
Golden waves of magic flew from his hand and danced in front of him and his children.
Then, it shifted to golden outlines of two children. They met under the tree at night with fat grins on their faces. Child Asha hugged tackled Child Aster. He then swung her around like a dancing top with the moonlight as their limelight and the twinkling stars as their audience.
“We didn’t know it then, but looking back, that was the first time we fell for each other.” He smiled, watching the golden outline of the two children. They were looking at each other, cheerfully talking like there was no tomorrow with wide grins and bright eyes.