Briar Rose by Jana Oliver
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
As she’d hoped, Briar found Ruric in the stable, curry-combing the mare who had been reclaimed from the reeve. She looked in good shape, her coat glossy and not in need of care: Ruric was just finding things to do to keep himself from brooding about Aurora. It wasn’t working.
His face harboured a thundercloud and his movements were so abrupt that he was spooking the horse.
‘Sorry,’ he said. ‘Don’t worry, we’ll be out of here soon enough. No one will miss us.’
‘I will, cousin,’ Briar said, leaning in the doorway, her arms crossed over her chest.
‘You’re about the only one,’ Ruric replied without turning round.
‘You’re giving up too easily,’ she said. ‘I didn’t expect that from you.’
He did turn this time, and his expression made her wonder if she’d gone too far.
‘I have been informed I am not needed. It is her kingdom, after all. She’ll learn her lessons soon enough.’
‘With scheming courtiers or some loser of a prince?’
‘Just so. Those kinds are only interested in feathering their own nests. If she does not do what they wish, a slip of poison in her wine or a push down the stairs will solve their problem. They are just as dangerous as the regent, only more subtle.’
He wouldn’t be so worried if he didn’t care.
‘Aurora’s worth fighting for. She’s not as stuck up as you think.’
The prince snorted. ‘You are just grateful she saved your life.’
‘Yes, I am. But she’s still worth it.’
‘No. I journeyed to this village to claim a wife and a kingdom, and found myself fighting a tyrant. Now everything feels wrong somehow. I blame you for that, all that nonsense about marrying for love,’ he said, picking up the closest hoof and examining it critically. He apparently discovered something he didn’t like as he began to dig at it with a hoof pick.
Briar sank on to a milking stool. ‘I was right, you know. You shouldn’t marry someone for duty or to please your parents.’
‘That only works for those who do not have noble blood in their veins.’
‘Don’t give me that,’ she retorted. ‘You royals are in charge of everything, so change the rules. If peasants can marry for love, so can you.’
‘This conversation is a waste of time,’ he growled. ‘The princess has no interest in me, and so I shall not plague her with my attentions.’
‘You really like her, don’t you?’
He let loose the hoof and straightened up. A deep sigh came next.
‘I admit I admire her. Who may fathom how horrific those nightmares were as she slept, yet she survived them. She appears intelligent and is very pretty. She would make someone a fine wife.’ He groaned. ‘God’s blood, you are right – I am smitten good and proper, and it has nothing to do with her throne.’
Briar kept the grin to herself. Placing her elbows on her knees, she leaned her chin on a palm. When she noted that Ruric’s attention was now on her legs, she pulled the cloak around to cover them.
‘What is it with you boys? You’ll take on an ogress or a pack of wolves all by yourself, but if you like a girl you get all stupid.’
Ruric frowned in her direction, but didn’t dispute the point.
‘Just tell her you like her.’
‘No, that will seem self-serving,’ he said. ‘She knows I came here to claim a kingdom through marriage. I do have my pride.’
‘So what? You both know where you stand. It’s what you do after this moment that counts.’
Ruric’s face grew troubled, as if he foresaw a loss he could not bear. ‘Do you believe she will even listen to me, or will she just order me thrown out of the kingdom like some troublesome beggar?’
‘Only one way to find out.’ No guts, no glory.
He took a deep breath then sighed. ‘I shall try, then. My pride demands that I leave, but my heart says . . .’
‘That love might be yours.’
He gave a soft smile. ‘And what of you, cousin? Have you found your true love now?’
‘Yes, I think I have. Joshua is . . . everything I ever wanted.’
‘Has he a kingdom?’ Ruric joked.
‘No, but that doesn’t matter. When I’m with him, I feel that I can fly. He makes me so happy. I can’t imagine losing that, you know?’
‘Ah, I seem to suffer from a similar affliction when it comes to Aurora,’ he admitted. ‘I had no idea such an emotion could strike me down so quickly.’
‘Told you.’ She rose. ‘I have to go home now. I can’t stay here.’
They embraced and he placed a chaste kiss on her cheek.
‘Be well, Briar Rose,’ Ruric said, his dark eyes sad. ‘You are a marvel. I have learned much under your tutelage.’
‘As I have with you, Prince Ruric, son of whomever it was.’
He laughed, then quickly sobered. ‘I shall miss you very much.’
‘Same here. You’re now my most favourite cousin ever.’
With one last look at her fairy-tale prince, Briar exited the stable, melancholy. It would be hard to leave him behind, he was so real to her.
She’d only gone a few paces to find Aurora waiting a short distance away. Two guards loitered behind her at a respectful distance.
‘You heard all that?’ Briar said softly as she drew near.
The princess nodded.
‘Ruric’s right – you are smart, but you’re going to need help, at least in the beginning. I know that scares you, but it’s for the best.’
‘I am truly my father’s daughter. I am stubborn, and I often say words I regret. He always said I did not need to know how to command men or negotiate treaties.’
‘Parents can be wrong. Trust me on this. Mine have been.’
Aurora inclined her head towards the stable. ‘You truly believe Prince Ruric is a good and honourable man?’
‘Yes,’ Briar replied earnestly. ‘When I first came here, he could have turned over to the regent, but he didn’t. He kept me safe, even though it nearly cost him his life. He is a man worth caring for.’
There were noises from inside the stable now.
‘He is brave,’ Aurora admitted, a shy smile in place. ‘He is also quite handsome.’
Briar waggled an eyebrow. ‘That never hurts when it comes to princes.’
‘Then I shall trust your intuition, Briar Rose. I pray you are not wrong.’
‘Just live your own story, not someone else’s. I made that mistake. I won’t ever do it again.’
‘Thank you. You are welcome to visit again, if you wish.’
‘I will remember that,’ Briar said politely. But I won’t be back.
Aurora flowed past her and came to a halt just outside the stable doors.
She cleared her throat. ‘Prince Ruric, I hear you are departing my realm.’
‘I was told I was no longer needed,’ he responded from within, his tone chilly.
Briar crossed her fingers. Come on, go for it, you two!
‘What do you know of King Taltin?’ Aurora asked. ‘Is he an honest man or a craven one?’
There was a pause before Ruric answered. ‘The old king was a good soul. His son, the current ruler, is . . . vile. Why do you ask?’
‘Word of the regent’s death will spread quickly. I suspect that Taltin will be sending emissaries to my court very soon. What will they say to me?’
‘Nothing but lies. Taltin wishes this kingdom as his own, so he will propose a hasty marriage.’
‘Is he worthy?’
‘Hardly,’ Ruric said, his voice hardening. ‘He is a liar and a debaucher. You would do better to wed a venomous snake than that man.’
‘I see,’ the princess said pensively. ‘You know him well?’
‘I met him once. He tried to obtain my sister’s hand in marriage. My father sent him packing.’
After giving Briar a quick glance, the princess stepped further inside the stable.
‘Wou
There was a very long pause this time.
Say yes, you idiot!
‘I would be honoured to assist you in any way possible, my princess.’
‘I am pleased to hear that. Perhaps you would care to move your horse to the royal stables?’
‘No, not just yet,’ he said. ‘I do not want to . . . unnerve her.’
‘I see,’ the princess replied, taken aback.
No, he’s not going to just roll over. You’re both going to have to work for this.
‘Dine with me on the morrow,’ Aurora said. ‘We have much to discuss.’
‘I am at your service, Your Highness.’
Yes!
Briar scooted down the street before Ruric knew she’d helped orchestrate the whole encounter. In her mind she saw how this might play out: as soon as the snaky King What’s-his-face had been dealt with, there would be another issue, then another. Some day, hopefully soon, the stubborn royals would realize they couldn’t live without each other.
Then they’ll live happily ever after.
Bubbling, and in a terrific mood, Briar found her friends waiting for her at the end of the street. They, on the other hand, were sombre.
‘And?’ Joshua asked. ‘How’d it go?’
‘Ruric is staying. It’s up to them now.’
‘You did good,’ Reena said. ‘Now let’s go home.’
‘Yeah,’ Pat added. ‘It’s been real, but I’m missing hot showers.’
It was time to leave, though that was proving harder than Briar had anticipated. Despite all the horrors, there were parts of this little village she would miss. The fata. Ruric. Even the princess.
‘So how does this work?’ she asked.
Her friends traded looks.
‘Um . . . I used a crossroads key to get us here so that’s how we go home,’ Reena explained.
That sounded pretty thin. ‘Ohhkay . . . but I have to get home on my own, right?’
Her friend nodded.
They hiked out of the village and along the way, Briar paused to study the battleground and the decimated tree. The regent’s body was gone and a small mound of metal had begun to form. No doubt, the villagers would keep collecting it over time. Who knew, maybe some day a beautiful oak would grow once more.
‘Hey, we’re almost home,’ Joshua said, his hand taking hers.
‘I can’t wait to see my parents’ faces when I wake up.’
He kissed her and they walked on.
Once Reena had found a likely spot, she made her preparations: they proved more involved than Briar had anticipated. First her friend lit a candle and buried its base in the dirt. By its weak glow, she drew lines around it, though Briar couldn’t figure out what they meant. Then Reena sprinkled some sort of herbs here and there.
‘She did this stuff to get you guys here?’ Briar whispered to Joshua.
‘Yeah, I guess. I was in my bed at home and then – bam – I was here.’
‘OK, guys, we need to sit in a circle,’ Reena said, beckoning.
‘Just like at camp,’ Pat said, plopping down next to her. ‘Do we get to hold hands?’
‘If that keeps you from losing it, sure.’
Joshua grabbed Briar’s hand and then pulled her into his arms. The kiss they shared was beyond her imagining, a physical duet of emotion and yearning. Their tongues touched and her body set on fire.
When it ended, he sighed deeply and caressed her hair. ‘See you on the other side.’
He joined the other two in the circle. Pat’s face was easy to read – he was totally freaked out. Reena, however, appeared calm as she tugged a ribbon from under her dress. At the end of it was a skeleton key along with something Briar recognized as hers.
‘Is that from my charm bracelet?’ she asked.
Her friend nodded and then winked. ‘See you soon, girlfriend.’
Briar moved some distance away, then watched their faces in the dim candlelight as Reena began her ritual. When she had finished, Joshua asked her something, though Briar couldn’t hear what was being said. Her friend gave him a sharp shake of the head. He asked again, more forcefully.
This time Reena answered him. The reaction was instant: Joshua went rigid. His eyes met Briar’s and she saw shock and anger reflected in them.
‘Joshua, what’s wrong?’
Before he could answer her, a swirling tunnel popped out of nowhere and encompassed her friends. A blast of chilly air struck her straight on, throwing Briar on to her butt in the earth. Before she could regain her feet, the tunnel had sucked them away.
Her friends were gone, and she was still inside the curse.
Briar hiked back to the town where braziers flamed high on the castle and the festivities continued. With each step her dread grew. What if she was wrong and the curse had won and she was dead back home? Was this her home now?
Knowing nowhere else to go, she returned to the stable. The doors were locked so with considerable effort she got herself in through the rear window, landing in the hay below.
This was where she’d started. Well, not quite – she’d actually begun this tale in an alley, but she wasn’t going there. Instead, Briar stretched out on a patch of fresh hay in the back corner, staring up at the hewn beams faintly illuminated by the moonlight streaming in the window.
Trying not to cry, she began to make a list of things to do if she was stuck here. She certainly didn’t want to take care of horses forever. I could become Aurora’s lady-in-waiting.
No, that didn’t sound good. There would be no Reena, no parents. No Joshua.
‘I need a pair of ruby slippers,’ she murmured. She’d be clicking them together right about now. ‘Hey! Whoever is listening up there! I want to be back in Bliss, with my family. I want to hang with my friends and my guy. I don’t belong here. I never did. I fixed the tale. I want to go home.’
As time crept by, her eyes drifted shut and the nightmare began anew.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
Briar was on the side of the road again, the one near Bliss, as the boy walked next to her. The accident nightmare was repeating itself again.
No. This can’t be. I broke the curse.
Or had she?
The lights of the oncoming car drew closer, then came the sound of brakes and the skid of tires on gravel. On instinct, Briar brought her hand up to shield herself, but it was a futile gesture as the agonizing impact tossed her into the air, just as it had every other time.
Then it began again, a seemingly endless loop.
‘No!’ she shouted. ‘I won’t die here.’ Not after all she’d been through.
Heart pounding, Briar waited until the last minute, then walked straight towards the car lights, accepting her fate like she had the last time. Maybe that was key.
This time the seconds slowed, like individual frames of a movie. She witnessed the gradual movement of the car towards her, the headlights catching her in their stark glow. Ignoring everything else, Briar sought the face of whoever was behind the wheel. At first she couldn’t see who it was, but gradually the driver came into focus.
As the car struck Briar for the final time, she cried out: ‘I accept this curse! I accept it and break it, now!’
Briar woke because something fuzzy licked her face, probably the ewe checking her out again. She waved a hand and the licking stopped.
Then started up again.
She really didn’t want to open her eyes. What if all she saw was the sheep, the horses and the stable? The longer she kept them shut the longer she could imagine this was Dragonfly running her rough tongue across Briar’s cheek. Or that the hay felt more like her own bed.
Holding her breath, she gave in and opened her eyes, which took some time to adjust to the light. Fake stars hung above her. If she saw them, Ruric and the stable were history.
Ohmigod, I’m home!
She sat
Briar checked herself over, looking for bruises or cuts. There were none. Her nail polish was back in place and the charm bracelet was on her wrist, minus the little woodsman and his axe.
‘I’m really home,’ she said, astounded. ‘I did it.’
Her joy slipped, breaking apart at the seams. Now she knew what had happened the night of her Aunt Sarah’s accident and what it meant. What her aunt’s death had cost both her and Joshua.
Briar located her cellphone on her desk and fired it up. She wasn’t surprised to find that Reena’s text sat on the very top.
All of us are home. You better be too! Call me.
She wasn’t in the mood to talk, not yet, so Briar sent back a message.
Home. What was Joshua upset about?
Briar waited for a reply, fidgeting as time passed, but there was none.
Why was he so upset? What did Reena say to him?
The creak of the stairs told her someone was headed upstairs, her dad, she thought, as his steps were heavier than her mom’s. They sounded weary because he usually moved faster than that. She set the phone aside as her father walked in the door, unshaven, with dark bags under his eyes, as if he hadn’t slept in days.
He stared at her, blinking rapidly.
‘Hey,’ Briar said, feeling the tears build. ‘I’m back. Do I get a hug for that or what?’
‘Maralee!’ her father shouted, and then dived for the bed. He scooped Briar in his arms and hugged her so tight that his whiskers scraped against her face. She didn’t care. She was home.
Her mother flew into the room, her eyes wide and her mouth quivering.
‘Briar . . .’ she whispered, then sank on to the bed. She touched her hair, her face. ‘Oh, God, you’re awake.’