Briar Rose and His Not-So-Charming Prince Read online

  As soon as I dealt with that, Leonard and I rushed out of the palace. Unsurprisingly, the gathered troops stopped us. “Your Highness, Arthurians are approaching,” one of them said. “We’ve prepared for battle.”

  I couldn’t really explain my situation to my soldiers. As far as they knew, the Arthurians were our enemies, and my men were waiting for my command to attack. And they did indeed seemed prepared, hundreds of dryads having gathered right there, in front of us.

  Under different circumstances, I would have been grateful for their support, but now, they were a complication I didn’t need. “That won’t be necessary at this time,” I told them.

  “But, Your Highness…” another dryad tried to argue.

  “This problem can be settled peacefully,” I said, giving the guards a sharp look. “Now, remain here and make sure our previous prisoners are well taken care of. Starting today, they are our guests.”

  For a few moments, my men gaped at me, but I distracted them from my obviously strange statement by adding, “Form a perimeter around the Great Tree. If I need you, you will know.”

  They must have realized I was serious, as a mix of respect, concern and wariness shrouded their faces. As they saluted, I dragged my mate away and toward the forest. Leonard didn’t question my decision, and his trust steadied me. It was particularly important because I felt the impatience of nature, and it threw me. Before I could even hope to handle the witch, I had that very real problem to deal with.

  The beasts of the Dryad Kingdom had been sleeping as well, and now, they were awakening, confused, angry, hungry, and uncertain. I breathed deeply and reached out to them through my powers, soothing them.

  My efforts were repaid when a loud neigh sounded from the forest. A sparkling white unicorn trotted into the forest, its horn shining impressively in the rays of the sun.

  Leonard blinked in surprise. “Well, just when I thought nothing else could surprise me.”

  I walked toward the magnificent creature and patted its side. “We dryads don’t keep animals captive for our use. However, occasionally, wild beasts allow us to mount them, at their own discretion.”

  And I’d been close to them once, before the curse had nearly destroyed me. Perhaps I could have that again.

  Leonard mimicked my actions, joining me next to the lovely unicorn. He caressed its hide, wordlessly demanding its permission. When the beast didn’t pull away, Leonard mounted it in one swift, elegant motion. He pulled me up in front of him, and just like that, we were off.

  The unicorn didn’t have reins or a saddle like Arthurian mounts did, but Leonard got the hang of our style of riding with ease. We rode through the forest at great speed, the plants moving out of our way and letting us pass.

  Both Leonard and I held onto the unicorn’s mane, and I willed it in the direction I wanted to go. Even knowing that the Arthurian armies were under attack by the witch, I couldn’t face her just yet, not before I fixed one of my worst mistakes.

  The hollows of the small village of Lilliput soon appeared in front of me. The leprechauns had lived at the very edge of the Dryad Kingdom for as long as I could remember, hidden away behind the trunks of age-old trees. We dismounted the unicorn once we were close enough and thanked it—me with a kiss right underneath its horn, and Leonard by patting its hide.

  Once the unicorn disappeared into the forest, we made our way toward the hollow-like abodes of the leprechauns. “Halt,” a tiny voice called out to us. “You may not pass.”

  I looked down, only to see small guards approach, pointing tiny yet threatening weapons at us. “We don’t mean you any harm,” I said. “We come for my mate Leonard’s brother. I asked for your help a month ago, when he was cursed.”

  The leprechauns eyed me with obvious distrust and started whispering amongst themselves. Finally, an older-looking but just as small man emerged from the crowd. “We know who you are, Briar Rose. You helped the witch,” the leprechaun said. “You were there when he was cursed. Why should we believe you?”

  Leonard narrowed his eyes at the tiny creature. “He had no choice. He was being forced by the witch. Now move or I will move you.”

  Instantly, the small creatures reached for their weapons. I could have easily crushed them with one blow from one of the nearby trees, but in spite of their appearance, they were powerful beings. Not only that, but they had also helped Kirril when I could not.

  I placed my hand on my mate’s shoulder and squeezed it. “Calm down, Leonard,” I told him through our bond. “I expected this sort of thing to happen. It’s unavoidable.”

  Leonard’s jaw tightened. “After all that you’ve suffered, I refused to allow anyone to abuse you further.”

  I could understand his pain. We hadn’t even gotten the chance to celebrate my miraculous return from the dead. Leonard was barely keeping himself from trying to call the unicorn back and taking me away from anyone who could hurt me. He was imagining the four of us—him, me, and our seedlings—abandoning this place for a safe haven where we could be alone and happy together.

  Of course, the Lilliputians didn’t realize all this, and as much as I wanted this to go right, I suspected it wasn’t possible. At least, not until another figure emerged from the mass of little people. A slight—even by Lilliputian standards—old woman stepped forward and scanned me from head to toe. I met her strikingly powerful gaze without flinching, and she beckoned Leonard and me forward without a word.

  From what I knew of leprechauns, I could only guess this was their seer. She felt familiar to me—or was it to the land? I couldn’t be sure, since I myself was still shaken, and I desperately wanted to be with my beloved seedlings.

  Nevertheless, I knelt in front of the leprechaun female, and Leonard followed my example, taking my hand as he did so. The seer softly touched our joined palms. A few heartbeats later, she gasped and let go, staggering back. Tears trailed down her cheeks as she said, “Let them pass.”

  The other leprechauns supported her and surrounded her in a flock of obviously concerned little people. They parted to give us room to pass, correctly assuming that we knew where to go.

  Not that it was very hard to notice where Kirril was being held. All the buildings in the village were small, save for one. The grass spoke to me and told me it was the elder’s hall.

  As he headed that way, I spotted another, this time unexpected presence in the village. A small white rabbit sat at the door of the elder’s hall, his long ears slumped, like a fluffy, morose guardian of the area. Some of the Lilliputians shot him wary looks and ushered their children away from him.

  Through my bond with Leonard, I identified the bunny in question as Vesper, the mate of the vampire Leonard had mentioned. “I thought they were missing,” I told Leonard using our mental link. Some sort of instinct—or perhaps my connection with nature—told me the rabbit’s mate, Vlad Dracula, was around as well.

  “They were,” Leonard answered. “They must have found a way to make it back.”

  Vesper finally spotted us, and his fluffy ears perked up. “Prince Leonard! Thank the Goddess!”

  We made our way to Vesper’s side, and I noticed the rabbit was giving me a distinctively suspicious look. However, Leonard kept him from ask any questions that would have been awkward to answer. “It’s nice to see you are well,” he said. “Is your mate okay too? What about Medwin, Rapunzel, everyone else? Tell me, how is my brother?”

  Before Vesper could reply, a ragged voice answered from inside the elder’s hall, “I’ve been better.”

  I looked past the entrance of the building. The door was slightly ajar because of a pair of large feet that hadn’t quite fit inside. I couldn’t see much of Kirril, but I could clearly distinguish that his lower half was still turned to stone.

  “We need to pull him out of there,” Leonard said, quite uselessly really, because I could see that for myself.

  I willed the vines I controlled to come to me. They did, emerging out of the nearby forest and sliding into th
e Lilliputian building. When they came out, they dragged a still-cursed Kirril with them.

  Guilty memories assaulted me as pain and concern flowed through my mate. “Oh, Kirril…”

  “You should have seen him earlier,” Vesper offered, “before we got here. The Lilliputians might have kept him alive, but he couldn’t even contact his mate through their bond, and he remembered very little. Dini was so worried.”

  “You helped?” Leonard inquired.

  “As much as we could,” Vesper replied, his long ears flopping to convey his distress. “It’s a long story, but we sort of found Kirril here by accident, just a few hours ago. Vlad did his best to counter the curse, and he managed to help Kirril remember. But beyond that…It was too hard, and he needed to return home, to gather our forces to attack the witch. I stayed here in the hope that Vlad would manage to sneak someone past the witch’s defenses.”

  It was actually quite remarkable that Vesper and his vampire mate had managed to help at all. Vampires didn’t have healing magic. The witch’s curse had been very powerful, and it still was. Proof in point, Kirril immediately glared at me and kept trying to reach for a sword he didn’t have. Or at least, that was what he seemed to want, since, with the exception of his face, he remained completely encased in stone. “You!” he exclaimed. “What in the world did you do?”

  “I’m sorry,” I replied honestly. “I wasn’t the one who cast this spell on you. It was the witch. But I can help you.”

  “I’m not sure it’s that easy,” Vesper offered hesitantly. “Perhaps we should wait for Vlad. We have healers, and after the witch is defeated…”

  “I believe Prince Kirril has waited long enough,” I said. “Please, let me help. It’s the least I can do.”

  “And why should I trust you?” Kirril snarled. “You’re the reason why I’m in this predicament in the first place.”

  Kirril could utter long words. That meant his mind had not been damaged. That was what mattered. The body could be fixed, but with the mind, it would have been far harder.

  Leonard seemed torn between happiness at seeing his brother again and protectiveness toward me. In the end, the wound of my near-demise was too raw, and the latter won out. “Careful, little brother,” he said. “That’s my mate you’re talking to.”

  Kirril’s eyes widened, Leonard’s words effectively shutting him up. He glanced at my stomach, obviously remembering the fact that I’d been pregnant.

  Without hesitation, I confirmed his wordless question. “Yes, Leonard and I have seedlings…er, children. It’s a long story. We should get you out of there first.”

  A dryad with my affinity shouldn’t have been much of a healer. Goddess, I couldn’t remember being in any way druid-inclined before the curse had taken hold of the kingdom. But back then, the roses, my beautiful roses had been crushed, and with them, so had my power. Now, I was surrounded in them, and my magic was stronger than ever, stronger than even the witch had possibly anticipated.

  When Kirril didn’t protest again, I touched his shoulder, and just like that, the stone dissipated into thin air, like it had never been there in the first place. It wasn’t even hard. It only took a thought and Kirril was free.

  Kirril blinked at me, obviously surprised. I knew he would still be feeling the aftereffects of the curse after a whole month of being immobilized in stone, but I had a solution for that, too. A few vines helped Kirril up, and Leonard grabbed his brother’s hand, supporting him as well.

  “Leonard, I think you have a lot of explaining to do,” Kirril said.

  The words might have sounded chastising save for Kirril’s relieved tone and the fact that the youngest Arthurian prince hugged my mate so tightly that the embrace seemed to wrap around me, too. Leonard held his brother close for a few moments, but then released him with an almost awkward tap on the back. He had never been much about displaying emotion, except when he was with me. For some reason, it made me smile, and I could see my fond amusement echoed in a brief twist of lips from Kirril.

  Perhaps we would have provided the explanations Kirril had demanded, but a sudden explosion sounded in the distance. “I think that’s our cue,” I told Leonard.

  My mate nodded. “The witch is attacking our men,” he told Kirril. “We have to go. Stay here with Vesper.”

  Kirril crossed his arms over his chest. “Like hell. I want to come.”

  Leonard shook his head adamantly. “You will remain here and recover. Consider it an order from your crown prince if you must.”

  Kirril’s jaw tightened, and I could see that he was about to argue again. I decided we didn’t have time for that and anyway, I didn’t want my mate fighting with his brother. “Think of your mate,” I coaxed. “What would he want? I know that if I could, I would keep Leonard from the battlefield.”

  Kirril shot me a startled look then nodded jerkily. “Just this once,” he replied huskily, “and only because of Dini.”

  His eyes glazed over as he spoke, and I gathered he was probably communicating with his mate. That was good enough for me. After nodding briefly in Vesper’s direction, I took Leonard’s hand and dragged him away from the small building. Even if Leonard wanted to spend time with his brother, there was plenty of time for that later.

  As we were about to leave the village, the leprechaun seer greeted us at the exit. “You are welcome to come here at any time, young princes,” she said almost inaudibly. “May you and your seedlings be blessed forever.”

  There was only warmth and genuine affection in her words. “Thank you,” I replied. “You have no idea how much that means to me.”

  That was actually very true. I treasured her acceptance, especially after so much had happened. The seer nodded, acknowledging the words. “Your children are uniquely blessed. The entire dryad kingdom will love them dearly. Just like we love you.”

  She was asking me to let go of the pain in my heart, but I’d only just accepted it as a part of me. I didn’t think I would be able to forget anytime soon, and maybe I shouldn’t have to. The scar of what had happened, of losing so much and forgetting my own power because of it, was part of me now. But like the scar on Leonard’s side, it meant something. It was a lesson, and after everything that had been lost, I couldn’t possibly discard it.

  Therefore, I just offered the seer a small smile, bowing lightly. “You have my gratitude for everything you’ve done, for me and my mate.”

  “There’s no need to be grateful,” the female leprechaun said. “Now go. I won’t keep you further.”

  As she spoke, the unicorn appeared out of the undergrowth once more. With a final wave toward the leprechaun seer, Leonard and I mounted the beautiful beast. This time, we guided it toward the place of the battle.

  It was actually a good distance for the Great Tree that served as my family home and just as far from Lilliput. However, the unicorn ran through the forest like a bolt of lightning, so fast that at one point I had trouble seeing where we were going.

  But the creature knew where we needed to be even without me guiding it. As we advanced, the sounds of battle reached my ears even louder, as did the voices of the trees around me that complained about what was happening. I did see then, but not through my eyes. Rather, it was a different kind of vision, one unique to my magic, a sense of the world that I borrowed from the grass, the flowers, the arbors.

  It was for that reason that I didn’t really feel surprised when the unicorn stopped in front of a scene that seemed torn out of my worst nightmares. The witch wasn’t even facing the Arthurian army. All of them seemed to have been swept aside already, the proud soldiers crumbled on the ground like fallen toys. There were also some elves in the group, well, at least one that I could see. He seemed to be stirring, unlike the Arthurians.

  Nature itself had been harmed by the conflict. In some places, trees had been shattered by the witch’s magic, and it angered me as much as the damage done to Leonard’s people did.

  Currently, she was facing a group of flying, bl
ack-clad people—vampires, if I had to guess. One woman in particular was holding her own in front of the witch, attacking her viciously even as the enchantress sent innumerable spells her way. Leonard didn’t seem to know her, but he was acquainted with the man by her side—Vesper’s mate, Vlad Dracula.

  As powerful as they were, though, the witch was winning. I could see it, in spite of the superiority in numbers that the vampires had. The witch was just too angry, and that anger and hatred fed her magic to unprecedented proportions.

  I didn’t wait around to assess the situation further. As soon as I dismounted from the unicorn, I summoned nature to my assistance. Warm energy gathered around me, so potent and alive, and I knew I could beat her.

  My power didn’t work like that of my opponent. I couldn’t blast bolts of pure magic, but that didn’t matter, because the earth itself was my weapon. The life within it vibrated inside me. I might have always resonated with roses most, but roses were the queens of plants for a reason. When I called, nature came to me.

  Countless vines shot through the air and wrapped themselves around my foe. It was a sneak attack, so the witch was taken by surprise. Before she could fight back, I pulled her down from the air. She fell to the ground with a dull thud, the vines wrapping around her tighter as I attempted to choke her.

  Naturally, defeating her wouldn’t be so easy. “You!” Her gaze fixed on me as she screeched. She took a deep breath, and the vines withered, making me wince. “Do you really think you can beat me with your little tricks?”

  They might have been little tricks, but they were not the only ones I had up my nonexistent sleeve. When the witch shot a bolt of magic in my direction, an explosion of rose petals surrounded me. The witch’s power struck them, but didn’t reach me.

  One single thought from me had a hail of thorns and briars flying in her direction. Individually, one single thorn would have never hurt her, but a million of them had quite an impressive effect. The sheer number of them darkened the sky, like a rain of projectiles provided by nature.