ELEVEN

For a moment I merely stood there, too shocked to move, relief and fear battling within me. Presently it occurred to me that something was wrong with him. He lay sprawled across a dust-covered, velvet couch, motionless. I could not see his face; he had turned away, and his arm rested lifelessly on the floor. It was wrong, somehow. His hand seemed wrong to me. Too…twisted. Not the normal hand of a man. Fearing that perhaps it was already too late, I whispered his name. His true name.

"Briar?"

He stirred, slightly, and relief flooded me when I saw that he was still alive. I walked slowly forward, and as I came closer to him, the darkness seemed to draw away, giving me a clear view of the fallen king. I stopped abruptly, my hands coming up to smother a sharp gasp. He had turned his face toward me, and for the first time I saw the ruin that had ravaged him.

He was still the Goblin King, but only partly, for he had turned into a monster. Fur grew in ragged tufts on his body, and his jaw had elongated into a sort of muzzle with sharp fangs glinting in the half-light. His hands had, indeed, twisted as they half-formed into wicked talons. His eyes were sunken in his thin, sallow face, but they burned more fiercely than ever as they stared into my own, filled with pain and fear. I realized, suddenly, that I had seen him in this form before. Whenever I looked upon that cursed painting.

Suddenly, everything pertaining to the mystery of the beast, painting, and all, fell into place before me, as clear as polished glass. The memories came back to me in a rush. The time I had seen the dark vision of the beast in his eyes. The time I had found him with blood on his hands, weeping before the portrait, when he had stalked me like a predator. The time I had seen him howling outside my windows…

It was just as Journey had told me. Briar was the beast.

My horror must have shown for he turned his ruined face from me and groaned softly. "Do not look upon me," he pleaded, his voice little more than a guttural snarl, and at the sound of his voice my consternation faded. I felt shame fill me, for I knew that it was my fault he was lying there now. My eyes filled with tears as I knelt beside him, pushing aside my own horror to comfort him, for no matter what he looked like, he was my Goblin King, and I loved him.

I tenderly reached out to stroke the tangled, dirty mane of hair that had once flowed so freely, like silken fire. He cringed away, as if fearing my touch, and nearly sobbed as he cried out, "Leave me!"

"Oh, my poor Briar," I whispered. "What has happened to you? This is my fault, I know. I didn’t come to you when you needed me, and now I’ve doomed you. How can I ever forgive myself? How can you forgive me?" Saying that, I put my head down against his chest and let my tears fall.

Slowly, with a low moan, Briar raised his hand to my head and stroked my hair softly. "Please don’t cry," he whispered. "I cannot bear to see it. Do not fear for me, for soon my agony will end, and I will at last be free."

I raised my head and looked at him in horror as his words knifed into my heart. He gazed steadily back at me, but I could see the fierce light in his eyes was swiftly fading, and I knew what it meant. "No!" I cried loudly. "You will not die. You can’t! I need you, don’t you see? That’s why I came back. Because I need you as much as you need me. I’m sorry it took me so long to realize it, but I’m here now, and everything will be all right."

Briar tried to smile, as much as his beast-like mouth would allow him to, and shook his head. "I don’t want you to stay here when I…leave," he told me softly. It seemed to me as if his words were clearer. "When I pass this realm, this castle will not remain here. It, and everything around it, will pass with me into the next world. You cannot be caught here, or you will pass as well. Take Isolese and journey back to your family. I am releasing you of your captivity."

He turned his head away again in finality, dismissing me as if I was no more than a gnat to be brushed aside, and this made me unexpectedly furious. How dare he try to send me away! Not after all I had gone through to find him again, now that I finally realized I was in love with him and would rather die than live without him. So, rather than obeying his command, I merely seated myself closer to him and touched his arm. He turned, seeming to be genuinely startled to see me still there.

"I told you to go!" he cried. "You don’t realize the danger you put yourself in! My life is fading, and I don’t wish for you to die with me."

"I won’t go," I retorted. "You are my dearest friend. I won’t abandon you, and I won’t let you die. Do you understand me? I don’t want to live if it means never being able to see you or speak to you again. My life is empty without you. Briar…I love you!"

And so saying this, I bent my head and, ignoring his loathsome appearance, I gently kissed his lips.

* * * * *

I know not what happened next. Suddenly there was light everywhere; above me, around me, inside me… It was blinding, as pure and clear as ever light could be. The pain of my injuries faded into nothingness as I found myself being miraculously healed, and I could hear music that was unlike any I had ever heard before, and yet seemed familiar to me somehow, like a long-forgotten dream just remembered. The sweet notes brought tears to my eyes as I felt an unexpected sense of belonging.

My joy gave way to fear in the next moment when I realized that Briar had vanished into the light. I thought perhaps he had passed on and that I was following in his wake. Still, if this was what it was like to die, I welcomed it, if only so that I would meet my love on the other side. Then the brilliance slowly faded as if it had never been, and I lifted my head and gazed around in bewilderment. I again stood in the Great Hall, restored to full health and my injuries gone. The Hall had once again become the beautiful, polished room that I knew from my days before I’d left Briar. The floor was now clean and the windows restored. The dead, overrun plants had miraculously receded into their gardens outside, blooming in all their fragile glory, and the chandelier hung with sparkling brilliance from its heavy gold chain.

The portrait had vanished altogether, and in its place hung a beautiful painting of a man and woman standing in the gardens, gazing into each other's eyes with tenderness. My gasp echoed sharply in the empty room as I realized that the man was Briar, and that the woman, who looked like an angel come to life, was none other than me!

"A lovely painting, is it not?"

Again I gasped, at the unexpected voice behind me, and turned about so fast that I nearly fell. A strong hand gripped my arm to hold me steady, and I stared up into a pair of amber-gold eyes that were dearly familiar to me. "Briar!" I cried, throwing my arms around him and holding on for dear life. "I thought…I was afraid that…" I could not finish my sentence as I clung to him in relief. He held me gently as I’d always longed for him to do before.

"Beloved, it’s all right," he whispered. "Everything is fine now. Look! Your words, your love, have broken the curse placed upon me so long ago. Now I am free again!" He leaned forward, and his lips covered mine in a tender kiss that sent fire burning through me, leaving me breathless. And it finally occurred to me, as I recovered my senses, that Briar was no longer a half-formed beast, but again the man I knew, my beautiful Goblin King.

"But I don’t understand," I told him. "You were dying, and then all of a sudden…" I shook my head. "What curse do you speak of, and what have I done to break it?" I was suddenly afraid, though I knew not why. Briar was the same, and yet he seemed different. His eyes were still golden in color, but they no longer burned. Now they glowed with deep wisdom, and love. I could feel it as he gazed down upon me, and it warmed me as nothing ever had…except for that extraordinary kiss. All of his hate, and anger, and pain had vanished with the light, and he was whole again.

"Listen, Beloved," he suddenly said, and I thrilled to hear him call me by such a cherished name. There were noises in the castle, in the once-empty halls, cries of delight and laughter, all converging on the Great Hall. I shrank back against Briar as it came closer, not certain what to make of it.

"What is it?" I whispered, and he grinned down at me.

"It’s the shadows," he replied joyfully. "They’ve been restored to their true forms. My subjects and servants are returning to me, and they are coming to greet their savior, as is her due." And so saying this, he pushed me gently forward at the same moment the doors to the Great Hall burst open, just as though they were made of paper. All manner of creatures began to fill the room, crowding around me, laughing, talking, and reaching out to touch me. They were the vanished Fae, I realized, come home at last. They were all so beautiful to me it nearly hurt to look upon them, and yet they looked at me as though I was some sort of deity. It was all quite overwhelming.

And then there came a high-pitched whinny, and my eyes widened as Isolese came leaping into the hall, polished hooves striking sparks against the stone. "Isolese!" I cried joyfully, my eyes filling with tears at the sight of the beautiful stallion, alive and well. I threw my arms around the powerful neck, burying my face in silken mane as he nuzzled me fondly. "I’m so glad you’re okay," I whispered, stepping back again. He shook his mane, clearly agreeing with me, and I smiled at his antics.

Then I saw a movement from the corner of my eye. A familiar figure stood just outside the doors that led out to the gardens, holding her basket tightly and smiling for all she was worth. My jaw dropped in shock as Maggie Lue carefully bowed to me, her eyes filled with pride as they met my own. "Who are you?" I asked softly, and despite the great noise in the hall, she heard me.

It doesn’t matter who I am, she told me, her voice echoing in my mind, and it was not the voice of an old woman, but of a young and beautiful maiden. Let us just say that I am a friend, and leave it at that. I bid you well, and I know that you will make a fine queen for my people. You have done yourself proud, Gabriella, and I thank you. Fare thee well.

And right before my stunned eyes, she began to change. Her form seemed to grow, and her stooped appearance straightened until she stood, tall and regal and ethereal, in a pool of sunlight. I gasped in awe, for she had become quite the most beautiful lady I had ever seen in my life. Her hair flowed like glowing silver down the length of her body, trailing behind her on the floor, woven with strands of sapphires and diamonds.

Her features were perfect, her eyes dark and mysterious, filled with all the secrets of the universe. Her dress floated about her slender frame, shining pure white, and she seemed to glow with an unearthly light before she slowly faded into golden sparkles…which may only have been dust mites caught in the brilliant sunshine. Where she had stood only a moment before, there now grew a single, perfect flower…the most beautiful bloom I had yet seen.

An Aurelia’s Blossom.

"That was…" I gasped, then turned to Briar, gripping his arm tightly in my excitement. "Briar! D-did you see? Did you see the Lady standing there?" I asked breathlessly.

He gazed down at me, slightly surprised. "What lady do you speak of?" he asked. "There are many here, you know." His eyes twinkled with amusement.

"No," I told him earnestly. "Not just any lady, Briar. It was her! I know it was!"

"Calmly, Gabriella," he soothed, stroking my hair. "I don’t understand what you’re saying."

I opened my mouth to explain further, then hesitated for no reason that I can explain. Slowly, I smiled at him, and shook my head. "It doesn’t matter anyway," I told him. "Never mind."

He seemed inclined to question me further, before realizing that I wasn’t going to explain any further, and so let the subject go. "Come," he told me instead, holding out his hand. I took it and let him draw me forward, into his arms. "My beloved," he whispered. "This is all happening because you have shown that you are pure of heart and soul. Long have I waited for you to come to me, and so you did. Even when you failed to return to me right away, I never lost faith in you, for I knew that my heart could not have chosen wrong. You have made me proud."

"I don’t understand," I replied, and indeed my confusion must have clearly shown for he smiled at me and nodded.

"I will tell you of the curse now," he said. "Of what it was, and how it came to pass. It’s a long tale, though. Are you well enough to listen?"

I laughed and replied humorously, "I happen to love stories. It was a story that started this entire adventure in the first place. I suppose it’s only fitting to end it with one, as well."

The Fae chuckled as they arranged themselves on the floor, resting upon cushions that had mysteriously appeared, and I took my place with them as Briar stood proudly before the assembled audience.

"The curse came upon us long before you were born," he told me seriously, "but I had known from the very beginning that it was your birth that would save us, though I did not, when I danced for you, understand how or why. I knew only that you were the one that Fate had chosen to be our savior."

"Then Mama was right! You really did dance outside my window when I was born. I thought it only a tale she’d told me, like my hair being black for a few moments," I interrupted with astonishment.

At this, Briar grinned. "Ah, but she was right about that, as well," he told me slyly. "Your hair was as black as the wing of a crow, until I called the moonlight down from the sky to wrap itself about you, so that when the time came I would know you as my own. It was my gift to you, Beloved. May you always walk in beauty, and you are beautiful. Never think otherwise."

I felt stunned at this admission, not to mention rather embarrassed by his flattery, for I could not remember a time when any man had ever told me I was beautiful. Still, there was something about this story that made no sense to me. "Wait," I said slowly. "If I wasn’t born when you were cursed, how in the world did you know that I was to be your savior? And how did you come to me when you were already trapped in your castle with your people all vanished?"

"And that is part of the tale," Briar replied with a smile, and before I could question him further he had turned his attention to the entire gathering. I had no choice but to be patient, and to listen to what was clearly going to be an interesting story.