What if Magnifico had a daughter that he lost in the past and he had wished that she would come back, but he did not remember having such a wish and for years he had forgotten about her...
(or suppose he asked everyone to wish his daughter back and then everyone forgot that they had this wish)
Personally, when I listen to "At all costs", I feel more like a father singing a lullaby to his daughter, not the villain and the hero who sings for some floating orbs (I know they're people's wishes, but still...
Anyway, I liked the movie even if it wasn't the masterpiece it should have been.
Also, I love king and queen, especially Magnifico.
Honestly, I’d be totally okay if Magnifico and Amaya had a classic Slytherin/Hufflepuff dynamic.
She’s just genuinely kind, supportive and sees the best in everyone she meets(sometimes to a fault) while he is driven, strategic *cough* paranoid *cough* and of course, a tad selfish.
Amaya sees past or ignores Magnifico’s narcissism and harshness and provides a warm, gentle hand and loving ear to listen and the support he lost as a child, a soft respite from the world.
Magnifico breathes life into Amaya’s dreams, makes her feel safe and ignites her joy with his creative, passionate spirit.
It works because they admire one another. Amaya is still able to believe in a kinder world, to see the best in people despite the horrors she and Magnifico endured.
Magnifico was able to harness his pain and use it as fuel to build a better life for them both and to all who come to the city of Rosas with broken dreams like their own.
With a light sigh, Queen Amaya climbed the stairs of the Rosas castle. Earlier, she was a part of setting up for the upcoming wish ceremony, and it had taken much longer than expected due to a few minor complications. Thankfully, everything was sorted out in due time, though it admittedly exhausted Amaya. She wasn’t sure what time it was now — likely after midnight — but she was glad to finally be heading to bed. By now, she knew that her husband would likely already be fast asleep. Unlike most nights, she could fall asleep without a string of complaints about his day before the two slept; not that she minded, truly, but the silence would be appreciated this evening.
Opening the door to their shared chamber, Amaya looked to the wide bed in the middle of the room. Sure enough, a distinct figure lay snugly under the bedsheets. Feeling relieved, she stepped into the room, closing the door behind herself, and got ready for sleep.
Sitting at the edge of her side of the bed, she took a moment to gaze down at the sleeping Magnifico, who was lying on his side and facing Amaya. He looked peaceful, judging by the content expression on his face, lips slightly parted. His chest and shoulders rose with every slow breath he took in his slumber, and his hands met beside his head, one next to the other. An endeared smile on her face, Amaya lifted a hand to lightly brush away stray bangs that had fallen onto his face.
Turning her head away to yawn, she was reminded of her desire to rest. Amaya laid down and pulled the bedsheets over herself — what she could manage to gather, anyway, since Magnifico had a tendency to take them for himself while asleep. Turning to face Magnifico, she reached over to his hand that was facing up and held it in her own before she let out an exhale and closed her eyes. As tired as she was, she never could fall asleep right away, and didn’t doubt that this night would be the same. Even so, she laid there for a while, silent and still. Perhaps she should have prepared tea prior to coming to bed, she thought, but it was too late now.
As it was most nights, the chamber was incredibly silent; a pin could drop and it would echo. Even the wind outside settled into quietude at this hour. That factor, combined with the moonlight gleaming softly through the window’s curtains, tended to make for a good atmosphere conducive to dozing.
When Amaya was half asleep, steadily slipping into slumber, she felt something that began to pull her out of it. After a moment, she recognized that her hand was being tightly gripped; she opened her eyes and, adjusting to the darkness, discerned that it was Magnifico’s hand that was under hers. Focusing on his face, she saw that his eyebrows were furrowed and his mouth formed a frown, with sweat beading on his forehead. His features were scrunched up as if to convey discomfort or pain, yet his eyes were closed. The concerning sight woke her instantly. She sat up, noting that his breathing had become unsteady, and freed her hand from his grasp to gently shake his shoulder.
“Mi rey?” Amaya called, keeping her voice low, in an attempt to wake her husband. This wasn’t the first time something similar had happened, but it was months ago. When Magnifico didn’t open his eyes, she nudged him again. “Mi–”
Suddenly, with a gasp, Magnifico woke with a start, springing up to be sitting. Amaya recoiled slightly, having flinched at the unexpected movement. Worry painted her face while she watched him closely. The man hadn’t seemed to notice her yet, his eyes wide with panic that darted around the room, so she put a hand on his shoulder with hesitance. He, too, flinched at the contact, but his expression softened when their eyes met.
“Oh, Amaya, darling,” Magnifico sighed, sounding relieved. His breath appeared to slow to some degree upon seeing her.
“Are you alright?” She questioned, raising her tone to match his and leaning in a little. Her hand remained firm on his shoulder, but it was clearly a caring gesture.
“I had a terrible dream.” He responded as though waiting for her to ask, looking away to stare down at the blankets. Out of sheer habit, he slicked back his messed-up hair with one hand as he recollected his thoughts. Amaya waited patiently for him to continue.
She wasn’t sure how long it had been since she came to bed. It could have been minutes or hours, there was no way to tell. Really, it didn’t matter, for any tiredness she had melted away for now. There were more important matters on her mind, like the one in front of her.
Magnifico closed his eyes, his jaw clenching. “It was like I was there again,” he started after a minute of silence, tilting his head to see Amaya once more. “In my childhood home, with my family. When everything…” He trailed off. Quieter, he instead said, “It felt so real.”
He looked incredibly vulnerable, a somewhat rare sight. Amaya wondered if he might be feeling like that scared little boy from years past. “Breathe,” she said, and for once, he inhaled deeply. The king’s gaze was trained on her. “It’s over. You’re safe now.”
“Yes, but..”
“It won’t happen again, mi rey.” She let her hand fall from his shoulder to take his hands in her own. “We built this kingdom so that would never happen again.”
He exhaled. “...Right.”
“And you are the one keeping us safe.”
Slowly, he nodded, taking her words in. His eyes flitted between hers, as if searching for something. “You’re right.”
Gently, Amaya caressed the back of his hand with her thumb. A few seconds passed before Magnifico leaned in to give her a peck on the cheek. “Thank you, my love,” he murmured while leaning back. He squeezed her hands briefly as a small smile graced his face.
As usual, she couldn’t help but smile back. Remembering that they should both be getting back to resting, Amaya tore away from his hypnotic stare to look at their entwined hands instead. “Do you need anything? Hot tea, or…?”
Magnifico let out a soft chuckle. “No, I think I’m alright.” He paused, before continuing, “Why don’t we just.. lay down, for a while?”
“That would be nice,” Amaya agreed. Their hands parted and they returned to their earlier positions. Magnifico wrapped an arm around his wife and pulled her close, and Amaya gladly returned the embrace. It felt good to be so close in the tranquil atmosphere, since it wasn’t often that the two cuddled in such a way, often more concerned with just getting a proper amount of rest for the following day. Still, it was a simple pleasure they were glad to indulge this night.
The couple settled into their embrace, each closing their eyes in preparation to return to sleep. Quietly, Magnifico took another deep breath. Although he wasn’t saying anything, Amaya could sense that his paranoid thoughts weren’t quite kept at bay. Often, it would certainly take more than a few soothing words to ease his worries, especially when it came to matters of the city, but he seemed intent on figuring it out himself.
“Mi rey?”
“Hm?”
“Everything is going to be fine. Okay?” Her voice was hardly above a whisper. She wasn’t sure how much she could do for him now, considering she could feel herself getting tired again, but she hoped it would help at least a little.
After a few seconds, Magnifico echoed her words. “Everything.. is going to be fine.” It sounded as though he was speaking more to himself. Even if there was no active threat, it wasn’t hard for him to spiral. They were both glad that Amaya was there to ground him.
Thankfully, it appeared to work well enough, as he soon fell back to sleep. It didn’t take long before Amaya followed in his footsteps, the two more than comfortable in their warm position.
Even if, perhaps, they could not prevent the happenings of the past from repeating themselves, it was certain that everything would be fine, so long as they stuck together.
In a moment like this, neither could consider any alternative.
