Briar Rose and His Not-So-Charming Prince Page 2

  As it turned out, I didn’t have to worry. This time, when I touched the plants with my bare fingers, a soft sigh seemed to come from all around me. The roses trembled, the petals glowing like they were covered in dew.

  The vines and trees seemed to move, the foliage fretting strangely. I thought I could distinguish far-off voices, odd whispers almost reaching my hearing, but not quite. This wasn’t exactly surprising. Merlinia had laughing trees, and this was presumably the Dryad Kingdom. It made sense for the vegetation to be enchanted.

  That didn’t mean I wasn’t surprised when the forest began to part for me. I watched the process suspiciously, half expecting the trees to attack me. Nothing like that happened. Deciding to take my chances, I stepped forward, leaving behind the tiny grove.

  I slowly made my way through the strange woods, not understanding a single bit of what was going on. In fact, I should have probably been creeped out, because every time I touched a plant, it moved out of the way. Of course, it wasn’t exactly quick progress. Whoever said that magic always worked fast must have been out of his mind, because the vines and thorns took their time in granting me passage.

  More disturbingly, as they moved, the roses brushed against me, and I could have sworn that they moaned. It was particularly disturbing when a plant rubbed against my crotch. I did my best to ignore it, continuing to walk through the forest as if nothing had happened. They were just plants. Magical though they might be, they didn’t have a sexuality, and even if that had been the case, I couldn’t exactly attack vines for supposedly molesting me. That was just plain idiotic.

  Still, I couldn’t help but experience a feeling of relief when the last of the plants moved aside to reveal a large clearing. As I finally stepped out of the forest, I heard those sighs again. I turned toward the trees and nodded slightly in acquiescence. I didn’t know why, but all sexual harassment aside, I had a feeling that they wouldn’t have let just anyone pass. For whatever reason, I’d been handed a privilege. It might have been strange, but I’d always followed my instincts, and right now, they were telling me to be grateful.

  The wind blew through the trees, and it almost felt like they were talking to me. The roses whispered and sang, like they were trying to tell me something. I didn’t get the chance to decipher the message, though. A small giggle sounded behind me, snapping me out of my trance.

  I turned, my hand instantly going to my sword. How had I missed my opponent’s approach? As distracted as I’d been, I should have noticed someone coming up behind me.

  Before I could draw my weapon, though, I froze and blinked, trying to clear my vision. Yes, I must have definitely hit my head. I had seen many strange things today, but none of them compared to what I was facing now. A slender young man sat in front of me, lying down in the grass and watching me with undisguised interest. His golden-blond hair was loose, adorned with what seemed to be live roses. Stranger still, the only thing he seemed to be wearing was…rose petals. Suffice to say, the damn things weren’t doing a very good job hiding his body. If anything, they just drew the eye to his pale-pink skin, the tiny nipples that barely peeked out from under a bloom, his flat belly…I didn’t even dare to look lower, because I was already hard as a rock.

  “They like you,” the apparition said. He tilted his head and stole a look at my waist. “I’m sorry. Did I startle you?”

  It was only then that I realized that I had yet to release my hold on my weapon. Clearing my throat, I straightened my back and relaxed my stance. “Perhaps a little,” I admitted. “I did not expect finding anyone here, in the wild.”

  “Well, technically speaking, it’s not exactly pure wilderness,” the strange young man said with a sweet smile. “But I can see what you mean.” He got up and bowed elegantly. “But forgive me. I’ve been rude and inhospitable. I am Briar, noble warrior. Welcome to the Dryad Kingdom.”

  “Thank you,” I replied. “I am Leonard of Arthuria.”

  To my ears, my voice sounded a little shaky, but the strange young man didn’t seem to notice. “Arthuria?” He hummed thoughtfully. “You’re a long way from home.” He peered closer to my face, his beautiful green eyes glinting with something I didn’t dare analyze too closely. “Did you come to break the curse?” he inquired breathlessly.

  I distantly noted that his lips looked just like dewy rose blooms, plump and full, and made for kissing. At the same time, though, I noticed something else. His lower half was see-through. The rose petals clothing him ended in a bright light that I should have noticed far sooner. Of course, I had been too busy ogling the rest of him, but now, that I realized it, something akin to anger and dread filled my chest.

  After a small moment of hesitation, I replied, “I came here by accident. I don’t even know much about the curse. I only found out about it recently.”

  Briar’s face fell, disappointment replacing hope in those dazzling emerald eyes. “Oh,” he said simply. He laughed, but the sound held no humor. “I apologize. I just made a completely rude and irrational assumption. I’m so embarrassed.”

  “There’s no reason for that,” I assured him quickly. “Perhaps I ended up here for a reason. I might be able to help after all.”

  Briar smiled again, a sad little twist of lips that made something funny clench inside me. “Perhaps.” His expression sobered. “But I assume you’d prefer heading home. It’s dangerous here. If you stay too long, the curse might fall on you, too. You should probably go.”

  Go? I didn’t want to go. I wanted to help him. I wanted to hear the sound of his laughter again, and maybe touch him for real. Gods, what was wrong with me? I knew next to nothing about him, except his name, and what little I could guess from what I’d heard before.

  Oblivious to my thoughts, Briar pointed to the dark forest from whence I’d come. He waved a hand in its direction. To my surprise, the trees moved aside for him obediently, quickly, not like they had for me. I had to reassess my opinion of magic, or I would have, if I’d been able to worry about that now.

  The thought of leaving didn’t appeal in the slightest. Sure, logic said he was right. I suspected Briar could guide me out of his kingdom, not to mention that my brothers were probably worried about me. But I couldn’t leave him. I didn’t know why, but I simply couldn’t.

  Looking away from the path Briar had created, I said, “Tell me about yourself, about the curse. I want to help.”

  For a few moments, Briar seemed to want to protest, but then, he nodded. “Very well,” he whispered softly. “I will tell you my story.”

  The path in the forest closed behind me. I was relieved. I didn’t know what I’d gotten myself into, but as surprising as it seemed, I was happy that Briar had chosen to trust me. I just hoped that I wouldn’t fail him. I certainly had a great incentive to succeed.

  Chapter Two:

  In Which a Rose by Any Other Name Would Smell as Sweet

  Arthurians weren’t like my people. They didn’t have magic, so they understood very little about curses and enchantments. They were also dangerous, and were liable to turn against you once they heard you hailed from a magical land.

  That was what my parents had always told me, at least. I’d never gotten the chance to find out if they’d been right or not. In the end, it hadn’t been an Arthurian who’d destroyed our kingdom, but another magical creature.

  Nonetheless, I didn’t know how to handle Leonard. It certainly didn’t help that he was breathtakingly handsome. He was the perfect image of the man I’d imagined as my mate during my teenage years, strong, tall, his bulging muscles perfectly framed by his leather armor. His stubborn jaw and his aquiline nose gave him an aristocratic, almost off-putting look, in that he seemed to exude an air of noble arrogance. But his chin-length dark-blond hair and his expressive green eyes softened that into self-assuredness. The way he looked at me, like I was precious to him, made me feel safe.

  I should have let him go. He hadn’t come here for me, to break the curse. He’d said so himself. But I was too self
ish for that, too selfish to allow him to leave. Therefore, I found myself guiding him to sit down on the grass.

  I made myself comfortable on the ground, and he joined me seconds later. “We were a prosperous kingdom once,” I told him. “My parents were the king and queen of our land. While we were officially a province forming an integral part of Merlinia, we had our own identity and independence. My father had dreams of one day making our country altogether free from our previous ties with Merlinia.”

  I smiled as I remembered all those times we’d walked together through the forests, and he’d enthusiastically told me about his ideas. “We came so close to it,” I continued. “But perhaps we shouldn’t have, because it drew the eye of a witch from Grimoire.”

  My heart clenched as I recalled the events that had led to the fall of my kingdom, including my own selfishness. “She wanted my father to sire a baby with her. He, of course, refused. He loved my mother too much to be pulled into something like that. We didn’t know at the time that the decision would cost us. The witch cast a curse on me. On the day of my coming of age, I would prick my hand with the thorn of a rose and fall asleep, and with me, so would the entire kingdom.”

  The bitter taste of pain and guilt filled my mouth, and I glanced out into the distance so as to avoid Leonard’s gaze. “My parents made a terrible, agonizing decision. To protect me and our land, they began to steadily wipe out all of the roses in our kingdom. The public outcry was great, but the people were aware of the curse, so they didn’t protest.” I realized then that he most likely wouldn’t understand what that meant, so I faced him. “You see, our dynasty bears the sign of Rose, the queen of all flowers. I am Briar Rose, and it is not just a name. Not all of us have a direct connection with roses. In fact, that is pretty rare. But I do.”

  “I can see that,” Leonard said, his gaze going to my garments. Was it my impression or did something like appreciation flash in those deep-green eyes? No, it had to be just a trick of light, because when he spoke again, Leonard’s voice was completely calm and steady. “Please, continue.”

  “Yes, well, there’s not much more to say. I was stubborn. I didn’t want the roses to die. I kept a single one in my secret garden, thinking that, one day, when we broke the curse, I’d plant them all over the kingdom. But then, on my birthday, I pricked my hand on a thorn. I don’t remember what happened after that. The next thing I know, I woke up like this, in a spiritual form, with the kingdom overrun by briars and thorns.” I released a self-deprecating laugh, even if I felt tears burn at the corner of my eyes. “It was my fault anyway, so it’s probably fitting.”

  Leonard clenched his jaw in a show of emotion that, for some reason, didn’t seem like something he would do. “It wasn’t your fault,” he said, barely leashed anger in his tone. “I just arrived here, and I’m no magic user, but I could tell those roses were alive. And with your connection to them…I can imagine how much it must have hurt to have them die.”

  I suppressed a gasp, unable to believe my ears. How did he know that? How did he know that I had heard the screams of the roses, felt each and every one of those depths? How could he understand my powers better than my parents, who’d been dryads themselves?

  A deep yearning bubbled inside me. I wanted to touch him, but I knew that if I tried, my hand would just go straight through him. Even these tears that I felt couldn’t fall here, but rather, in the place where my physical body remained.

  “Yes, it did,” I admitted. “The roses are an extension of me, so their pain was mine.”

  The blades of grass twined around my fingers as I spoke, soothing me. I could touch very little when I was in this form, but I still had a strong affinity with nature, and I could interact with plants. Right then and there, I wished I could have reached out to Leonard instead.

  “So wait…” Leonard suddenly arched a brow. “If the roses are an extension of you…all that, in the forest…was it you?”

  My face flamed. I should have known he’d make the connection, but I’d been too lost in the explanation to hold my tongue. Not to mention I was a terrible liar. “I–I’m sorry,” I stammered. The rose petals covering my body extended over a larger part of me to shield my hands and my face. “I didn’t mean any harm.”

  I wanted to run away. He was clearly a noble knight, and I’d allowed my impulses to get to me. For all I knew, he didn’t even like males. Or maybe he had an Arthurian lady at home, waiting for him. I needed to get a grip and stop focusing on my own selfish desires for once. “You have my most sincere apologies.”

  “You don’t need to apologize to me,” he said. Before I knew what was going on, he reached for me and gently caressed my cheek. “It’s all right. I don’t mind. I’m flattered.”

  I gasped. He shouldn’t have been able to touch me, but he did. I didn’t feel his fingers like I would have in my physical form, but the touch was there nonetheless, stirring that desire inside me. I couldn’t even think anymore, just feel. Instinctively, I leaned into his touch, although any moment now, I expected this magical moment to end.

  It didn’t, at least, not immediately. Leonard leaned closer to me, his gaze fixed on my mouth. “Like roses,” he murmured under his breath.

  I closed my eyes, already anticipating the kiss he so obviously intended to bestow upon me. Sadly, I didn’t get the chance to experience what I craved so much. Just as our mouths were about to meet, he fell right through me, his momentum sending him to the ground facedown.

  The feeling of him passing through my spiritual form wasn’t wholly unpleasant, but I still winced when I saw him collapse. I shot to my feet, worried that he’d hurt himself. Since I wasn’t sure I could physically help him up, I summoned my magic. Plants quickly surrounded him, turning him over and checking him for injuries.

  “I’m fine,” Leonard said, watching the vines I had called to my assistance in something akin to fond fascination. “They really are a part of you, right?”

  I nodded, still blushing brightly, although it was a mystery if it had been caused by embarrassment or arousal. And Leonard wasn’t done just yet. With a small smile, he found a rose on the vines and brushed his lips against it. The petals trembled against his stern but soft mouth, and I felt the touch against my own lips. My heartbeat sped up, and I couldn’t help a small whimper. He had to stop doing that, because at this rate, I’d start pollinating even if I remained in this strange spiritual form.

  He seemed to know that I wasn’t ready for more, because he pulled away and his expression sobered. “I apologize for bestowing you with such unwanted attention. I was completely out of line.”

  I bit my lip softly. True, it wasn’t appropriate for us to touch, but my circumstances weren’t exactly normal. I wasn’t even all here, and I had not expected him to be able to come in contact with me. In the end, I decided to be honest and explain.

  “I liked it,” I told him. “I’m not really sure how you did it, because my physical form isn’t here, but…I liked it.”

  I was a bit uncomfortable with the admission. Goddess, I’d only met Leonard. My parents would have had a fit if they’d known about it. The rules of propriety of my people were clear. We were only supposed to open our petals and pollinate for our chosen mates. Slight touches were allowed, but kisses…That was already going too far.

  But my parents were nowhere near here. In fact, they were still sleeping, like the rest of my family, of my people. I clenched my fists, frustrated with myself, with the fact that I was allowing my hope and loneliness to distract me from the big picture. The curse was still looming over our heads. For all I knew, the fact that Leonard had been able to touch me was a bad sign. Maybe it was starting to affect him.

  As if guessing my thoughts, Leonard changed the subject. “So…We were talking about the curse.”

  I cleared my throat, forcing my petals to fall back into place. “Yes,” I told him. “Like I said, I don’t know much about what happened after I fell asleep. My godfather told me there is a way to break the c
urse, that someday, someone will come along to help. But…”

  I trailed off, not wanting to tell him that he wasn’t the one I’d been waiting for. Maybe if I didn’t vocalize that thought, I didn’t have to believe it. I could think for a while longer that Leonard was my true love, my mate.

  “I see,” Leonard said. “Well, I can tell you little else. The witch who cursed you made a mistake. The curse can be broken by a man from her bloodline. She ended up being bound to the curse she herself cast when she tried to kill that man. But now, somehow, she came back. I fought her, and I ended up here.”

  My eyes widened as Leonard told me about his bravery in the battle with the witch. He had sacrificed himself so that his brothers could be safe, and the witch’s grandchild, Rapunzel, wouldn’t be taken. He explained all of this like a military report, as if he considered it the most natural thing in the world.

  I tried to process the information Leonard provided. If Rapunzel was the person who needed to break the curse, then he already had a mate, Leonard’s brother. Where did that leave me?

  As I asked Leonard this, he hummed thoughtfully. “Well, you said your godfather spoke to you about it. Perhaps he might know more.”

  I nodded eagerly. Of course. It hadn’t occurred to me, because our guardians were a carefully guarded secret for each individual dryad. My parents hadn’t even seen my godfather, and I had never seen theirs.

  But I wanted my guardian, my godfather to meet Leonard. Then I would know for sure if my heart was deceiving me or not. I would know if I was imagining things, or if Leonard truly was my fated mate.

  Chapter Three:

  In Which He Who Dares to Grasp the Thorns Craves the Rose

  I was a complete and utter idiot. I couldn’t believe that I’d practically tried to force myself on him. Briar was just so beautiful that I’d lost my head and tried to kiss him. It was so unlike me that I wanted to kick myself.