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maderrThoroughly checked by betas, but I had to delete and rewrite so many things I'm paranoid something was missed. So feel free to point it out, and just ignore the screams of pain coming from the general direction of Cincinnati.
A total rehaul of my very first attempt at a fairytale rewrite (even gets a new name). Whether it's better or not (I like this version) is up for debate. 'Twas fun, once I hogtied the bitch and made it talk to me. Or something. Hope it pleases.
Thanks to my betas ^_^ Esp. Sammie, who spent most of the day yesterday reading everything I threw at her *and* endured my fretting.
The Rose and the Fox
“This is an outrage!” A noble in a bright green evening jacket shook his fist in the air.
A man with a large black moustache nodded vigorously in agreement. “I agree! This simply cannot go on.”
On the throne, the King nodded slowly, pensively. “The Fox’s harassment grew tiresome a long time ago.”
“But Sire, we have tried to catch him dozens of times before – hundreds! Never so much as a glimpse.”
Beside the man in green, a man dressed in peacock blue smiled, a hard edge to it. “Perhaps we should be a bit more ruthless than we have been thus far. Let us have a Fox hunt, and no holding back. The women shall have to be left behind.”
“Or maybe you should stop letting the wine do your thinking and speaking for you,” a cold voice said from beside the king. “A violent hunt will not catch this Fox. You would do better to fight his way – with wit.”
The fervor died, as though doused with icy water. The man in pea green smiled ruefully. “Prince Briar makes a good point.”
Briar looked at him until the man dropped his gaze and turned away, as though ashamed.
“Ridiculous.” The man in peacock blue looked at the prince dismissively. “I say we go on a Fox hunt – and no rest until he’s caught!”
“Hear hear!” the men around him cheered.
Briar watched them in disgust. Without a word he stood and strode from the King’s Salon. As he passed by the man in green put a hand to his arm in an attempt to stop him. “Briar…”
“I do not recall giving you permission to address me so casually, Lord Verde. Get out of my way.” An awkward silence had fallen around them. Briar ignored them all, glaring down anyone who dared look at him, and strode from the King’s Salon.
“Briar!” The voice caught him in the main hallway.
For that voice, he would stop. “Pink.” he found a smile for his sister. “Shouldn’t you be abed by now?”
The princess wrinkled her delicate nose. “Don’t be silly. It’s only a quarter to eleven. She moved impatiently, the profusion of cream lace and pink satin of her dress rustling with her movements. “So what did you talk about? Is Lord Verde all right?”
“He’s howling away in outrage with the rest of them. They’ve declared they’re going hunting tomorrow – and no rest until the Fox is caught.”
“Hmmm…” Pink fluttered her fan. “I don’t think I like that.”
Briar motioned dismissively. “I’m sure after they fail abysmally yet again they’ll forget about it until the next time someone loses a piece of jewelry.”
His sister waved his words away with her fan. “We’ll never know, because there is no way anyone is going Fox hunting on my birthday.”
“That’s a good point,” Briar said with a smile.
Pink snapped open a lace fan, fluttering it briefly then using it to hide the lower half of her face, blue eyes glinting impishly at her brother. “If I didn’t know any better, Briar, I would say you almost sound relieved.”
“Absurd. Why should I care about a thief?”
“Good question. But you are ever reticent with your answers.”
“Hurry along before you’re caught sneaking around at this hour. It’s a wonder your maidservant hasn’t come running down the hall shrieking your name.”
Pink giggled, gold curls bouncing as she tossed her head and winked. “She’s too busy snoring after indulging in the wine I said she could have.”
“Pink!” Briar smiled reluctantly. “You’re a brat. Get along to bed and stop getting your maid drunk.”
Giggling again, Pink snapped her fan shut and reached up to kiss his cheek. “All right, all right. I’m going. See that you get plenty of rest, Briar. I don’t want you sleeping the whole day away because you snuck off again.”
“What!”
Still giggling, Pink gave her brother a wink and then gathered her skirts and turned to go to her room. “Good night!”
Briar watched her go, then turned and walked toward his own room. “Damn it. Who else has noticed I’ve been sneaking off?” Just outside the door to his room, Briar withdrew a key from his black velvet coat. Once inside, he relocked the door.
“It’s hard to decide which I like more. You in evening clothes or you taking them off. I guess it’s a good thing I often get to see both.”
Briar rolled his eyes and threw his jacket at the bed. “Shut up, Reynard. Haven’t I told you to stop lounging on my bed as though it belongs to you?”
Reynard laughed and pulled the jacket from where it had landed on his head, disheveling his fine auburn hair. “I keep hoping one day you’ll be so overcome by the sight of me in your bed you’ll succumb to the desire to have you wicked way with me.” His green eyes followed Briar around the room.
“You’ll be hoping a long, long time.” Briar stripped out of his waistcoat and fine lawn shirt and threw them into a nearby chair. He vanished into his dressing room, reappearing a few minutes later in much older clothes, all of it as dark as his thick, wavy black hair.
“Perseverance is the key.” Reynard held the jacket to his nose. “Mmm, my favorite cologne. Remind me to send the maker a note of appreciation.”
Briar rolled his eyes again. “I take it stealing from Lord Verde wasn’t enough to ease your boredom?”
“On the contrary. That man makes my head ache. He makes me long for boredom.” Reynard grinned. “Well, almost. I do like the excitement you bring to my life.”
“Enough,” Briar said. “I’m far too tired to endure your jests right now. Why are you here?”
Reynard continued to grin, though his eyes had dimmed some. “Simply to see you. I thought perhaps you’d like to know the details of our…meeting with Lord Verde.”
Briar snorted. “They are planning to hunt you tomorrow.” He stood by the bed, arms crossed as he frowned half at Reynard, half at his own thoughts. “I have told you time and again to back off for a time. You are only making them angry and anger leads to recklessness and stupidity.”
“If that’s all they have to fight with, they will never catch me.” Reynard leaned forward and grasped Briar’s shoulders before the prince could back away. “Only one man ever has.” he leaned forward and kissed Briar briefly, slipping quickly away before he caught a fist. “And I do not think you’re ready to give up the game quite yet.”
Briar glared murderously at Reynard. “I’ve warned you about doing that Reynard. Cease or I will turn you in after I’m assured of sister’s safety.”
“Yes, yes,” Reynard said.
Briar was not convinced. “I won’t see her harmed just because you can’t curb your penchant for mischief.”
Reynard frowned, good humor fading entirely. “You’re in a mood tonight. You know damn good and well, Highness, that I would never let my actions endanger your sister. We have a bargain, I’ll stick to it.”
Briar turned away. “I know,” he said. “…I do not like the idea of them tearing through the forest on a Fox hunt.”
And as easily as that, Reynard was smiling again, eyes a bright leaf green. “You could have just said you were worried about me. I would have gladly soothed your fears.”
Briar rolled his eyes. “I’m more worried about what you’ll do to them. Let’s not leave anyone lost in the forest this time, all right?”
“Take all my fun away then.” Reynard winked and moved toward the window. “Are you going to escort me back to camp? Make sure I’ll be safe?”
“Make sure you stay out of trouble, you mean?” Briar asked.
Reynard shrugged. “As you like it.” And he dropped out of the window, vanishing from sight.
Briar leaned out the window and looked down. “It’s a wonder to me we haven’t broken our necks so far.”
“I would never let anything happen to that pretty neck of yours.” Reynard climbed down the rough stones of the palace wall.
Heaving a sigh, Briar waited a moment longer and then followed him down. Several minutes later he jumped the last bit and landed neatly on his feet beside Reynard. “Make haste,” he said softly. “There is a lot of anger in the air tonight.”
“It will be over in a few more days,” Reynard said calmly.
Briar nodded but did not look convinced. “So why did you attack Verde? He was not on the list.”
“Because I felt like it,” Reynard said. “Our agreement doesn’t mean I can’t do my own work on the side. No harm was done, except to Verde, and somehow I don’t think you mind that.”
Briar said nothing.
Reynard ‘tsked’ softly. “You’re so serious tonight. Only one day left, you should relax a bit. All this tension guarantees you’ll make a mistake.”
“I did not ask you for advice,” Briar snapped. “And now is hardly the time to relax. As if that stupid curse wasn’t enough, tomorrow every power and money hungry bastard is going to be out in force, attempting to woo my sister. Like I’d let any of them anywhere near her.”
Reynard chuckled. “And what if one of those men you run off is her True Love? If all our plans come to naught, you’ll be kicking yourself for dumping him in the pond.”
“There’s no such thing as a True Love. It’s all nonsense cooked up by a vengeful fairy, because the only thing worse than a terrible curse is a false hope of someday overcoming it.”
“You do not believe in True Loves?” Reynard asked softly.
“Romantic claptrap.”
Reynard shook his head. “A pity.”
“Spare me.”
“Now why should I do that?” Reynard hauled Briar close and kissed him hard, quickly, barely dodging the fists that came at him.
Briar seethed. “I told you to stop doing that and I meant it! We have a business arrangement, nothing more. Cease at once or you will find yourself in chains the day after tomorrow.”
“You really should learn to relax, Briar.”
“Shut up.”
Around them the leaves began to rustle, and the woods filled with a cacophony of laughter. Reynard grinned. “Out, you voyeurs. Didn’t I tell you not to leave camp?” One by one a dozen men gathered around them, little more than shadows in the moonlight trickling through the canopy.
“We were getting bored,” one man said, and the other rumbled their agreement.
Briar grumbled to himself, but did not protest when he was urged on toward the camp. Nor did he protest the arm that Reynard dropped across his shoulders, though they remained tight with tension.
“Master Fay…” Briar slowed to a stop as he caught sight of the Royal Advisor, tall and straight and dark. “Rather late for you to be out isn’t it?”
Fay smiled in amusement. “I do not sleep well these days. Returning from your tryst rather late, aren’t you, Prince?”
“Tryst?” Briar repeated.
The advisor chuckled. “Come now, Prince. Who did you think you were fooling? Always leaving parties early and vanishing from the castle for hours on end. Most days you walk around in a daze, going from pleasant to irate at the drop of a hat. It’s obvious you’re quite taken.” He smiled indulgently. “Surely you didn’t think you were fooling anyone?”
Briar bit back a few choice curses. Gods above he hoped Reynard never caught wind of the rumor. ‘Quite taken’ indeed. Briar snorted. “I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part.”
“I would imagine so,” the advisor said sympathetically. “If you should need assistance of any sort, let me know.”
“Thank you,” Briar said quietly, feeling awkward suddenly to receive such kindness from an unexpected source. There had been little of it since his fallout. “Why do you not sleep well?”
Fay shrugged. “I would hazard to say the same problem weighs heavily on both our minds. Tomorrow is the day…”
“I will not let anything happen to her,” Briar said adamantly.
“Prince, if anyone could prevent it, you could. But curses are seldom broken.”
Briar waved his hand impatiently. “Ridiculous. If such things occur, it is because people are so stuck on thinking they must that they fail to spend effort on preventing them. In four days my sister will be celebrating her eighteenth birthday and formally taking the position of Crown Princess.” He frowned and turned toward his own room. “If you will excuse me, I am eager to reach my bed. Good night, Fay.”
“Good night, Prince.” Fay shook his head at the fleeing prince, smiling tolerantly.
Back in his room, Briar locked the door and then tucked the key into its hiding place beneath a green velvet chair. Outside the sky was dark but not quite black. In a few hours there would be full daylight. Which meant he was probably going to sleep through breakfast and possibly even lunch. Instead of guilt, Briar felt only relief. If he could skip dinner as well, he would.
Stripping, leaving his clothes neatly in the dressing room to be taken away and cleaned, Briar climbed into his bed and buried his head in his favorite pillow.
Only to discover that it smelled of pine and earth and a certain thief. Cursing softly, Briar tossed the pillow to the floor and found another. When this one too carried the scent of forest and thief, he discarded every pillow on his bed and settled for curling up in the blankets, of which there were enough that he could ignore the topmost layer.
Never again.
Never again was he going to let his bed carry any scent but his own. It had taken far too long to rid his room of all traces of Craig; he wasn’t going to let someone else ruin it. But throwing away pillows was far easier than throwing out the memories of the kisses Reynard stole with increasing frequency.
Though in three more days those too would cease to be a problem. The area was becoming too dangerous for Reynard and his band to stay much longer. More than likely they would pack up and leave the moment their bargain with him was concluded, off to seek new prey.
Briar forced his thoughts elsewhere – to his sister, to the people he would have to face on the morrow. Exhaustion eventually won out, overtaking him as the sun began to rise in the sky, casting its early light across a prince tangled in dark green blankets, and the pillows scattered on the floor around it.
*~*~*~*
“Perhaps I’ve been misled all these years,” Pink said. “But I always thought birthdays were supposed to be something fun. I’m so exhausted and irate from sparring with the deluge of sudden admirers I hardly have the strength to eat.” She waved her fan vigorously back and forth in front of her face.
Briar hugged his sister. “Look on the bright side – if you tell them that jumping in the lake would make you very happy, they’d probably do it.”
Laughing delightedly, Pink turned to look out the window at the large lake on the western end of the palace. “What a lovely thought…”
“It’s a wonder to me you survived the women that assaulted you on your eighteenth birthday…though I guess it wasn’t too hard, considering…” She wrinkled her nose. “I still think Daddy was being perfectly silly.” She tapped her rose-lace fan against her lips. “Perfectly silly,” she repeated.
“I would have made a terrible king,” Briar said. “Better everyone figured that out before I took the throne.”
Pink shook her head. “You shouldn’t have been dismissed for kissing Lord Craig the Cowardly.”
Briar bit back a curse. “I do not think it was who I kissed so much as the drama that ensued. Anyway, I stopped caring a long time ago.”
The memory was bitter in his mind. One accusation after another hurled in his face, so many invasions of privacy. Ugly word after ugly word. And he’d borne it all while waiting for his lover to be found and dragged into it…
…Only for that lover to deny with a vengeance. Before his family and the court Briar had listened as Craig denied his three-year relationship with the Prince. Had looked him in the eyes and swore no such thing had ever existed.
“Are you ready for your ball tonight?” he asked.
Pink rolled her eyes at the change of subject but let him have his way. She closed her fan with a snap and tapped it against her lips. “Of course. Though I wonder if my shoes will be up to all the dancing.” She hesitated, then made herself continue speaking. “Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, in regards to the party tonight.”
“What?” Briar asked. “Are you planning something father won’t like?”
“I don’t much care what daddy thinks.” She opened her fan again, cooling her cheeks, which were turning red. “But I do care what you think. I was planning to ask…someone to dance my waltz with me.”
“That is what you’re supposed to do, Pink.” Briar said. “You’re afraid I won’t approve of your choice.”
Pink nodded, casting her eyes out over the hallway. “I wanted to ask Fay.”
Briar fell silent a moment. “Fay? Advisor Fay? Older than me Fay?”
“What has that to do with anything?” Pink asked, snapping her fan shut and holding it as though she might hit him with it.
“Nothing,” Briar said peaceably. “Just making sure I had the right Fay.”
Pink relaxed her grip on the fan. “Yes, you have the right Fay.”
“Have you two been having an assignation under my nose this entire time?” Briar was torn between the urge to find Fay and wring his neck….and laugh his head off.
“No…we just talk. Over breakfast, over tea…sometimes in the library.” Pink shrugged. “He does not treat me like everyone else. And sometimes…sometimes I wish he’d stop being so formal. I think he wishes it too, but would never cross that line.” She looked anxiously at her brother. “Do you think…” she drifted off, biting her lip.
Briar snorted. “Fay’s thoughts are known only to Fay. I swear that man could run naked through the streets and no one would notice unless he wanted them to notice.”
His sister laughed and whapped his arm with her fan. “Thanks. I so needed that image in my mind while I work up the nerve to ask him to dance.”
“He would make a good king,” Briar said. He didn’t seem to notice the smack to his arm. “Do you want me to pull him aside and pose a few questions?” His eyes took on a gleam.
Pink smacked him harder. “Don’t you dare!” Another smack for good measure. “So I have your approval, then?”
“You certainly don’t have my disapproval anyway. I’ve always seen him as just an advisor. Give me time to adjust to him as your romantic interest.” Briar frowned, thinking. “I guess you could do a lot worse. But don’t tell father.”
“What do you take me for? An idiot?” She winked. “I managed to keep things from you, don’t you think I can keep it from daddy until too late?”
A smile tugged at Briar’s mouth and he stooped to kiss his sister’s cheek. “I hope your romance fares better than mine.”
His sister gave him a knowing look. “I think your second attempt is going far better than you’re admitting. Though that really isn’t saying much, since you’re not saying anything.”
“I have no romance.”
“Of course,” Pink replied She winked, then gave him a quick hug. “Thank you, Briar. I’ll see you tonight. For now I am off to the Ladies’s Tea Party.”
Briar kissed her cheek. “Don’t cause too much trouble.”
“I’ll only spike it a little bit, promise.” With a wink, she was gone.
“How many ladies do you suppose are without lace tonight?” Briar asked. “Because Pink didn’t know when to stop having it added to her gown?”
Fay’s lips twitched. “She looks lovely, Prince, so I’m sure the ladies did not mind the sacrifice.” They both watched as she was led around the dance floor by the latest of what seemed an endless number of young men – and some not so young. “Though I do not envy the women who had to make it.”
“I’m certain they’re used to my sister’s obsession.” He sipped his wine, leaning back against the wall near the buffet, and watched Fay from the corner of his eye.
Fay was youngish for an Advisor, but he’d proven far more apt while a student than half the men on the King’s council. It had not taken him long to rise to his current station. Almost thirty, just over a decade older than his sister.
Briar hid a smirk behind his wine glass, and wondered how he had never noticed how hard Fay tried not to watch his sister. The man was generally quiet, but could be quite vocal when court was in session. And he had always, to the best of Briar’s knowledge, been kind to Pink. Unlike the young man currently dancing with her, whom he noticed was looking as though he were acting a little too forward. “Fay, I don’t like the look of that young lord. And Pink is frowning.”
“I’ll take care of it at once,” Fay said. Though calm, he moved with determination.
This time Briar didn’t bother to hide a smirk. He watched, and waited. The next dance was the Princess’ Waltz.
A familiar flash of red caught the corner of his eye, and Briar turned toward the balcony. Nothing was there. He turned back to watch as the young lord was curtly dismissed by Fay, who then politely escorted the Princess off the floor.
The red caught his eye again. Cursing fluidly, for now he would not get to watch his sister dance with the one man to which he might trust her, Briar plunked his wine down and strode out onto the balcony.
It was, predictably, deserted. He thought about taking the stairs, but impatience one out and in with a smooth leap he cleared the railing and landed neatly on the ground below.
“You’re so pretty when you’re mad at me. Especially all decked out like that.”
“Damn it, Reynard. What are you doing here?” Briar skimmed the shadows, growing more irate for every second that did not reveal the dratted thief.
Arms wrapped around him from behind, lips nuzzled at the bit of neck not hidden by silk neck cloth. “I merely wanted to see how all was faring. All is well?”
“Yes, all is well.” Briar jerked away, not completely escaping but at least he was facing the dratted man. “What have I told you about being forward with me?”
“I don’t know,” Reynard said. His grin was visible despite the dark. “I never listen. Too busy trying to get past your thorns.”
“Well stop it.” Briar pulled away, the night air chilly but safer than Reynard’s warmth. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Reynard smirked. “Worried about me?”
Briar rolled his eyes. “So why are you here?”
“After all our work, don’t you think I’d want to know how things are faring?”
Reluctantly Briar nodded. “You could have waited until I came to see you later tonight.”
“Call me impatient.”
Briar rolled his eyes. “Reckless would certainly fit. Have you seen anyone or anything suspicious?”
“Wouldn’t I have told you if I did? Relax, Prince. So far everything is going as well as you could possibly hope.” He reached out in an attempt to soothe Briar with touches.
Briar jerked away. “I’ll relax when I wake up tomorrow and see my sister at breakfast.”
Huffing in frustration, Reynard dropped his arms and let the prince be. “I’ll be glad when this is all over and we can finally leave.”
The words shouldn’t have hurt. It was exactly what he’d been expecting the entire time for all that Reynard persisted in stealing kisses and touches as often as he could. But they hurt anyway. “Well so far as I’m concerned,” he said. “You can leave now.”
Reynard recoiled at the icy tone. “What’s set you off now?”
“Get out. I don’t want to see you here again. We’ve come to the end of our agreement so there’s no reason for you to put off leaving any longer. Good night, Fox.” Turning on his heel, Briar strode rapidly inside.
Inside, Briar was just in time for the opening of gifts. He saw that Fay stood beside Pink, looking lost but happy. He caught he advisor’s eye and nodded. Fay relaxed a bit. But Briar, for the remainder of the night, felt as though he jumped at every shadow.
Nor did it help when he saw Lord Craig Verde slip out with Lord Cerule. A perfectly wretched night. But eventually it came to an end, and after the necessary pauses to chat with sundry guests, Briar all but dragged his sister to her room. “So would you call your ball a success?”
“He danced with me, and stayed with me, so yes.” Pink fanned her flushed cheeks. “I noticed you slipped outside.”
Briar sighed. “You notice everything.”
“Well I am to be Queen,” she closed her fan and gently smacked his arm with it. “I need to keep tabs on these things. Come in for a bit?” She asked as they reached her room.
Briar nodded, grateful that he wouldn’t have to figure out a way to slip inside. Only an hour to go and the day of the curse would be over. Twenty three years and his sister was an hour from being safe. “So what did you want to talk about?”
“Father didn’t seem happy about Fay…”
Briar snorted. “I hope you don’t expect me to be able to help.”
“Well, I thought you might be able to offer advice.” Pink began to pull the pins from her hair as she wandered from the sitting room into her bedroom. Her voice grew distant, muffled, as she continued to speak. “I mean, I’m going to be firm about it, but I would prefer tactful and peaceful to telling father to go soak his head.”
“I dunno, I rather like that approach. I’ll soak his head for you.” He grinned, waiting for his sister’s response…then frowned when he didn’t get it. “Pink? Did you finally choke on all that lace?” Still no reply.
Cold now with fear, Briar threw himself off the small pink couch and ran into her bedroom. If he was lucky, she’d merely yell at him for walking in on her naked. If not…
But Pink was perfectly fine, opening a gift which had been left on her bed.
“Don’t open it,” Briar said and began to cross the room.
“Oh, calm down. It’s probably just from one of my many admirers.” But a moment later she frowned, staring in confusion at the strange object in her hand. “It’s…a spindle…what in the world?”
“Drop it now!” Briar snapped. He grabbbed the sharp-ended spindle from her hands. “How many times must I tell you?” He threw the spindle to the ground and pressed his bleeding finger to his lips.
Then all of a sudden the room began to waver, blur, and realization struck him before it all faded to black. “Rey—”
“Briar? Briar!”
*~*~*~*
“Hey, Boss.”
Reynard ignored him.
“Boss, there’s something going on at the castle.”
He tossed back another swig of rum before deigning to look at Walter, who for all that he looked more or less like a mangy alley cat, could have been another scholar in the palace if he’d wanted. “Do I look like I care?”
“But Boss—“
“I don’t want to hear it,” Reynard snarled. He threw his empty bottle to the ground. “I’m done with it. With him. We’re leaving at sunrise.”
Muttering something under his breath, Walter let the matter drop. “If you wanna leave that soon, you’d best get yourself to bed and stop drinking yourself to an early grave.”
“I’ll do whatever the hell I want,” Reynard said. He fumbled in the dark for a second bottle, determined to loose his ability to stand before another hour passed.
“As you please, sir.” Walter said primly, then turned and walked back to the campfire where the other men were gathered.
Reynard stayed in the gloom of the trees at the edge of the campsite.
What the hell had he said wrong? What had he done this time? He’d gone to make sure everything was okay, that was it. So maybe he shouldn’t have said he’d be glad when they left—but he’d thought Briar had wanted to leave as well.
The unopened bottle fell out of his fingers. Reynard cursed. He was an idiot.
And as his own stupidity registered, so did the conversation of only a moment ago. He knew he shouldn’t have started drinking. “Walter!”
“What?” Walter asked, only sounding a little bit smug.
Reynard stood up and strode to the fire, sobriety forced into him along with the cold feeling that was overtaking him. “What’s wrong at the castle?”
“Dunno, Boss. Only know everything is going crazy. Do you think….”
“Something went wrong, anyway. I’m going to check it out.”
Walter and three other men stood. “We’ll come with you – only to the edge of the forest. If something went wrong, we’ll have to act fast.”
“To run or to help?” Reynard asked.
His men looked at him. “Like you’d let us do anything but help if it’s a matter of helping the thorny prince.”
Reynard grinned. “Then come, my laughing foxes, let’s go invade a castle.”
There was no invading the castle. Reynard and his men watched as the castle was locked down. All their careful research had not revealed that many knights in the king’s employ. Magicians headed by the Advisor, casting wards, sealing the castle off completely.
Reynard glowered. “Spread out. Find out what happened. Return here in an hour.” His men were dispersing even before he could finish. Reynard rubbed his forehead. “I don’t understand how…we worked so hard…”
He spent the hour unmoving, watching the castle, hoping to see a familiar figure sneaking out of it and toward the forest. But when the time was up and his men returned grim-faced, he wasn’t surprised. “So?”
“The princess is fine,” one man said slowly. He hesitated, not sure how to continue.
“Spit it out.”
“But,” another man answered. “The prince is not.”
A heartbeat of silence. “What do you mean?”
“From what we’re hearing boss, it’s the prince what was cursed and fell asleep. No one knows the details yet, but it’s Prince Briar who’s the victim.”
“That isn’t possible.”
“Seems it is.”
Reynard nodded. “What about the castle? Any way in?”
“Boss, that place was just turned into a prison.. Ain’t nobody going in or out until the king figures out what’s up.”
“Get back to camp. Make sure you stay invisible. When the noise settles down in a few days, get the hell out.”
Walter motioned the other men to move, but stayed behind. “What are you going to do, Boss?”
“When I left, he was furious. He went to sleep thinking I was just playing with him. That I was going to leave without him.”
“He’s cursed, Boss. Ain’t nothing you can do about it now.”
Reynard turned away. “I’m going to see him.”
“How are you going to do that?” Walter asked. “There ain’t no getting into the castle. It’s impossible”
Reynard laughed and tossed his head. “No, it’s nearly impossible. Keeping me out – that’s impossible. Go back to camp and wait for us.”
“Whatever you want.” Walter motioned for the others to follow him. “See you later, boss.”
Reynard bit his lip, watching the guards and magician stationed at the section of wall that was his usual entrance into the castle. But the servant door he usually took was no doubt barred for once. That didn’t leave him with much in the way of options – scale the wall or scale the wall.
Looked like he’d be scaling the wall. But even in the dark, there were too many guards. He’d get up the wall, but not over it. Well, there was bound to be an opening eventually. Every army had a few lazy guards.
But a few minutes later it wasn’t laziness that gave him an opening – it was a girl in something that looked more like a pastry than a ball gown. More than her looks, it was the manner in which she moved, the way she just knew she’d be obeyed or else, that marked her as Briar’s sister. Odd that he’d never seen her before. It was little wonder Briar was so protective. If she was half the woman up close that she appeared to be at a distance, Princess Priscilla – Pink to her brother – was indeed a treasure.
Whatever she was doing, six of the guards at the wall vanished. Leaving him more than enough room to work. He waited another fifteen minutes, then moved in.
Ten minutes later he reached the top and paused to get his bearings.
“You’re the fox!” a female voice exclaimed in something that sounded like absolute delight.
Reynard went cold. Cautiously he turned his head, to spy the princess who had ever so neatly tucked herself away in one of the parapets.
Clearly he needed to retire, if he was getting that sloppy. “Princes…” he said cautiously.
“I knew he was seeing you!”
Reynard blinked, and fought the urge to take several step backs as the princess in a creampuff dress came at him, holding a silk lace fan like most men held their weapons. “Pardon?”
“Aren’t you Briar’s lover?”
With every word she uttered, Reynard felt like he that much closer to drowning. “What?” he asked.
The Princess frowned. “Oh, my. If you’re not here to save Briar…” she bit her lip. “Are you just here to steal stuff?”
“What?” Reynard repeated stupidly. He shook his head. “Argh! Briar. I’m here to see what’s wrong with Briar. How did you know we knew each other?”
Pink sighed in relief. “Oh, good. I didn’t think I was wrong. Come on, I’ll take you to him.”
Reynard followed in silence, figuring the less he said the less confused he’d become.
“I was hoping you’d see the opening I made, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take you to realize everything had gone wrong.”
“You’re awfully well-informed, Princess.”
“Call me Pink, please.” She beamed at him. “So long as you’re not like that wretched Lord Craig Back Stabber, you can count me a sister.”
Reynard just looked at her. “How?”
“Did I know? The way he acted every time the subject of you came up. He acted the same way with Lord Craig Loathsome once. Briar is good at keeping secrets from everyone but me.” Pink smiled over her shoulder at him. She paused as they reached the castle proper, and hooked arms with him. “I guess calling you Lord Fox would be a bit obvious?”
“I like you, Princess.”
That earned him a smack. “I told you to call me Pink.”
“Yes, ma’am. And simply call me Reynard. I’m no Lord, best not to try and act it.”
Pink nodded and they plunged into the crowded, unsettled palace. “Are you really here to save Briar?”
“I don’t know about that, Princess. A curse is a curse.”
“Pink!” A stern voice interrupted.
Pink jumped, but relaxed a moment later. “Fay.” She beamed at the older man. “Is Briar settled?”
“Yes. Who is he?”
“This is Reynard. He’s Briar’s lover.”
Fay blinked and looked Reynard slowly up and down. “A bit of a ruffian…” he shook his head. “But I guess it would take that to keep up with Briar’s temper. How did you learn so quickly of what occurred?”
“I’m good at keeping an ear out for things. And Briar has been worried about his sister for some time, so I was waiting to hear how the evening had gone…”
The advisor shook his head. “None of us expected it to end quite the way it did. Come this way; you’ll get mobbed if you continue traveling the main halls.” He turned abruptly and guided them through the back halls and stairs used by the servants.
Reynard followed mutely behind them as they entered Briar’s room. So strange, to use the door.
Briar lay on his bed, still dressed in his fine clothes. Such a stark black against the green bedclothes, his wavy hair spread out behind his head against the pillow.
Only yesterday he’d been taunting Briar from that bed. It was always so much fun to get Briar’s gander up. Pink and Fay faded into the background as he approached the bed, sitting on the edge of it, twisted to face Briar. He reached out to touch a cheek which had only hours before had still carried a hint of sun…and now was so very pale. And cool, as if the prince wasn’t alive.
The thought made him cold all over. “What happened?” he asked, looking at Pink.
“I don’t know,” Pink replied, wielding her fan in such a way that Fay took a step back. “In fact, I didn’t even know I was cursed until it turned out that – oops! Wrong royal.” She smacked the palm of her hand with her fan, then turned her eyes on Fay. “Nice of everyone to keep me informed of my own possible partial-demise. As soon as my brother is better, every last one of you involved is in serious trouble.”
Reynard and Fay exchanged a silence glance. “I feel sorry for whomever she marries.”
Fay choked. Pink beamed. “That would be Fay,” she said cheerfully.
“My condolences,” Reynard said with a grin.
Fay opted to remain silent.
“So. Are you going to wake him up?” Pink was tapping her fan against her palm again.
Reynard stared at her, half in confusion, half in fear. “How?”
Fay’s lips twitched. “Wasn’t the requirement true love’s kiss?”
“That’s a tall order,” Reynard said. “As I recall from many a conversation, Briar does not believe in such things.”
“Rubbish,” Pink said. “Lord Craig the Bastard simply made him…”
“Thorny?”
“He’ll be furious if he hears you saying such a thing.”
Reynard smiled. He continued to stroke Briar’s face, enjoying – despite the circumstances – the chance to touch Briar without having to dodge a fist. It simply was not in him to tell the Princess that Briar was dead set against anything more than a business relationship. And Reynard had ruined any chance he’d had that night.
Clearly he was stalling. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if Briar didn’t wake.
But Briar would be angrier that he was being a damn coward. Steeling himself for the worst, he braced one hand on the bed and leaned down to kiss Briar softly. And this time he felt only miserable that there would be no punch or kick forthcoming. Briar was barely contained energy at the best of times, and something like lightning when his temper broke free. It wasn’t right to see him so cold and still on his bed.
Nothing. Briar remained still. Reynard fought back a wave of crushing disappointment. He hadn’t thought it possible for something to hurt that much. Whomever Briar’s true love was, he hated the man with a vengeance. “Sorry, Princess. Looks like I’m just a thief.”
“I wondered…” Fay murmured.
Pink’s fan fell limply to her side. “Oh…” was all she said.
Reynard turned away, his back to the other’s in the room. The window wasn’t far; it would be easy to slip away. No one in here was likely to stop him, and it was late enough that he could get out with little difficulty.
“…Reynard…”
He whipped around at the sound of his name, spoken softly, slowly, rather than as if it were about to be followed by an impolite epithet.
“Briar!” Pink screeched, and rushed to the side of the bed.
But the prince had eyes only for Reynard. “I thought you were leaving.”
Reynard attempted to smile and failed. “Yeah, about that…I sort of forgot the part where I ask if you want to come with me.”
“Briar! Are you all right? How do you feel?”
Frowning, Briar turned to address his sister. “I’m fine.” He shook his head, clearing away the fog that still lingered. “What happened? Why did I fall asleep? How long have I been unconscious?”
“Only a few hours.” His sister winked at him. “Your lover didn’t waste any time getting here when he realized something had gone wrong. I knew you’d picked someone better than Lord Craig Ratface this time.” She giggled and all but climbed onto the bed to hug him. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Briar hugged her back and sat up. “What I’d like to know is why the curse affected me and not you.”
“You’re in trouble, by the way, for keeping me ignorant about it all.”
“Not now, Pink.”
"Later,” she agreed. “So what did happen?”
“That…” Fay said. “That would be mine to explain.” The royal advisor had gone pale, and looked only at Pink as he spoke. “My mother was the one who cast the curse…and she set me up to be here while it all went down…with the intention that I marry the princess and claim the kingdom like she always wanted. I…” he shook his head. “I never really understood her anger; only that because I was her son I was meant to play a part in it.”
“She set up the curse and purposely misled everyone into thinking it was the Princess who had been cursed – so that there was no chance at all in saving him from it. Then I could take the throne and the royal family would have to watch helplessly as the prince slept year after year.”
He continued to watch Pink, who stared back pale-faced. “I never wanted to be involved. I’ve spent my life trying to find a cure, hoping that I or Briar would succeed in preventing it. I’m sorry I’ve lied all these years. Believe me when I say I did not like doing so. And…I never lied about how I felt for you, Princess. This entire situation is why I never said anything.”
Pink gathered herself together, snapping her fan shut and moving to grab Fay firmly by the arm. “You and I are going to have a nice, long chat. Briar, the two of you can join us for breakfast in the morning. I’ll take care of father.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The door shut behind them, and the room fell painfully silent.
“There’s going to be no living with you now,” Briar said.
Reynard blinked. “Does this mean we’re back on speaking terms? I really didn’t mean I was going to leave without you – I sort of assumed you were part of that we and didn’t realize until later I’d sort of forgotten to confirm that bit with you.”
“I was expecting you to give me unmitigated hell,” Briar replied, as he lay back down against his pillows with a thump. “Not apologize. This is rather nice. Keep going.”
“You’re a brat.” Reynard’s contrition fell away, replaced by a slow smirk. “I did wake you up, didn’t I? Still a non-believer?”
Briar rolled his eyes. “You are going to be insufferable aren’t you?”
“Well you could just give up talking and finally give in to the urge to have your wicked way with me.”
Briar sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
A beat of silence. “What?”
For answer, Briar grabbed the front of Reynard’s coat and pulled him down, kissing him as fervently as Reynard usually kissed him. “I said I suppose you’re right. Unless you want to keep talking?”
“Far be it for me to argue with my prince.”
“For once,” Briar muttered. “Now shut up and let me have my wicked way.”
“Yes, my love.” Reynard dodged the pillow that came flying at his head.
A total rehaul of my very first attempt at a fairytale rewrite (even gets a new name). Whether it's better or not (I like this version) is up for debate. 'Twas fun, once I hogtied the bitch and made it talk to me. Or something. Hope it pleases.
Thanks to my betas ^_^ Esp. Sammie, who spent most of the day yesterday reading everything I threw at her *and* endured my fretting.
The Rose and the Fox
“This is an outrage!” A noble in a bright green evening jacket shook his fist in the air.
A man with a large black moustache nodded vigorously in agreement. “I agree! This simply cannot go on.”
On the throne, the King nodded slowly, pensively. “The Fox’s harassment grew tiresome a long time ago.”
“But Sire, we have tried to catch him dozens of times before – hundreds! Never so much as a glimpse.”
Beside the man in green, a man dressed in peacock blue smiled, a hard edge to it. “Perhaps we should be a bit more ruthless than we have been thus far. Let us have a Fox hunt, and no holding back. The women shall have to be left behind.”
“Or maybe you should stop letting the wine do your thinking and speaking for you,” a cold voice said from beside the king. “A violent hunt will not catch this Fox. You would do better to fight his way – with wit.”
The fervor died, as though doused with icy water. The man in pea green smiled ruefully. “Prince Briar makes a good point.”
Briar looked at him until the man dropped his gaze and turned away, as though ashamed.
“Ridiculous.” The man in peacock blue looked at the prince dismissively. “I say we go on a Fox hunt – and no rest until he’s caught!”
“Hear hear!” the men around him cheered.
Briar watched them in disgust. Without a word he stood and strode from the King’s Salon. As he passed by the man in green put a hand to his arm in an attempt to stop him. “Briar…”
“I do not recall giving you permission to address me so casually, Lord Verde. Get out of my way.” An awkward silence had fallen around them. Briar ignored them all, glaring down anyone who dared look at him, and strode from the King’s Salon.
“Briar!” The voice caught him in the main hallway.
For that voice, he would stop. “Pink.” he found a smile for his sister. “Shouldn’t you be abed by now?”
The princess wrinkled her delicate nose. “Don’t be silly. It’s only a quarter to eleven. She moved impatiently, the profusion of cream lace and pink satin of her dress rustling with her movements. “So what did you talk about? Is Lord Verde all right?”
“He’s howling away in outrage with the rest of them. They’ve declared they’re going hunting tomorrow – and no rest until the Fox is caught.”
“Hmmm…” Pink fluttered her fan. “I don’t think I like that.”
Briar motioned dismissively. “I’m sure after they fail abysmally yet again they’ll forget about it until the next time someone loses a piece of jewelry.”
His sister waved his words away with her fan. “We’ll never know, because there is no way anyone is going Fox hunting on my birthday.”
“That’s a good point,” Briar said with a smile.
Pink snapped open a lace fan, fluttering it briefly then using it to hide the lower half of her face, blue eyes glinting impishly at her brother. “If I didn’t know any better, Briar, I would say you almost sound relieved.”
“Absurd. Why should I care about a thief?”
“Good question. But you are ever reticent with your answers.”
“Hurry along before you’re caught sneaking around at this hour. It’s a wonder your maidservant hasn’t come running down the hall shrieking your name.”
Pink giggled, gold curls bouncing as she tossed her head and winked. “She’s too busy snoring after indulging in the wine I said she could have.”
“Pink!” Briar smiled reluctantly. “You’re a brat. Get along to bed and stop getting your maid drunk.”
Giggling again, Pink snapped her fan shut and reached up to kiss his cheek. “All right, all right. I’m going. See that you get plenty of rest, Briar. I don’t want you sleeping the whole day away because you snuck off again.”
“What!”
Still giggling, Pink gave her brother a wink and then gathered her skirts and turned to go to her room. “Good night!”
Briar watched her go, then turned and walked toward his own room. “Damn it. Who else has noticed I’ve been sneaking off?” Just outside the door to his room, Briar withdrew a key from his black velvet coat. Once inside, he relocked the door.
“It’s hard to decide which I like more. You in evening clothes or you taking them off. I guess it’s a good thing I often get to see both.”
Briar rolled his eyes and threw his jacket at the bed. “Shut up, Reynard. Haven’t I told you to stop lounging on my bed as though it belongs to you?”
Reynard laughed and pulled the jacket from where it had landed on his head, disheveling his fine auburn hair. “I keep hoping one day you’ll be so overcome by the sight of me in your bed you’ll succumb to the desire to have you wicked way with me.” His green eyes followed Briar around the room.
“You’ll be hoping a long, long time.” Briar stripped out of his waistcoat and fine lawn shirt and threw them into a nearby chair. He vanished into his dressing room, reappearing a few minutes later in much older clothes, all of it as dark as his thick, wavy black hair.
“Perseverance is the key.” Reynard held the jacket to his nose. “Mmm, my favorite cologne. Remind me to send the maker a note of appreciation.”
Briar rolled his eyes again. “I take it stealing from Lord Verde wasn’t enough to ease your boredom?”
“On the contrary. That man makes my head ache. He makes me long for boredom.” Reynard grinned. “Well, almost. I do like the excitement you bring to my life.”
“Enough,” Briar said. “I’m far too tired to endure your jests right now. Why are you here?”
Reynard continued to grin, though his eyes had dimmed some. “Simply to see you. I thought perhaps you’d like to know the details of our…meeting with Lord Verde.”
Briar snorted. “They are planning to hunt you tomorrow.” He stood by the bed, arms crossed as he frowned half at Reynard, half at his own thoughts. “I have told you time and again to back off for a time. You are only making them angry and anger leads to recklessness and stupidity.”
“If that’s all they have to fight with, they will never catch me.” Reynard leaned forward and grasped Briar’s shoulders before the prince could back away. “Only one man ever has.” he leaned forward and kissed Briar briefly, slipping quickly away before he caught a fist. “And I do not think you’re ready to give up the game quite yet.”
Briar glared murderously at Reynard. “I’ve warned you about doing that Reynard. Cease or I will turn you in after I’m assured of sister’s safety.”
“Yes, yes,” Reynard said.
Briar was not convinced. “I won’t see her harmed just because you can’t curb your penchant for mischief.”
Reynard frowned, good humor fading entirely. “You’re in a mood tonight. You know damn good and well, Highness, that I would never let my actions endanger your sister. We have a bargain, I’ll stick to it.”
Briar turned away. “I know,” he said. “…I do not like the idea of them tearing through the forest on a Fox hunt.”
And as easily as that, Reynard was smiling again, eyes a bright leaf green. “You could have just said you were worried about me. I would have gladly soothed your fears.”
Briar rolled his eyes. “I’m more worried about what you’ll do to them. Let’s not leave anyone lost in the forest this time, all right?”
“Take all my fun away then.” Reynard winked and moved toward the window. “Are you going to escort me back to camp? Make sure I’ll be safe?”
“Make sure you stay out of trouble, you mean?” Briar asked.
Reynard shrugged. “As you like it.” And he dropped out of the window, vanishing from sight.
Briar leaned out the window and looked down. “It’s a wonder to me we haven’t broken our necks so far.”
“I would never let anything happen to that pretty neck of yours.” Reynard climbed down the rough stones of the palace wall.
Heaving a sigh, Briar waited a moment longer and then followed him down. Several minutes later he jumped the last bit and landed neatly on his feet beside Reynard. “Make haste,” he said softly. “There is a lot of anger in the air tonight.”
“It will be over in a few more days,” Reynard said calmly.
Briar nodded but did not look convinced. “So why did you attack Verde? He was not on the list.”
“Because I felt like it,” Reynard said. “Our agreement doesn’t mean I can’t do my own work on the side. No harm was done, except to Verde, and somehow I don’t think you mind that.”
Briar said nothing.
Reynard ‘tsked’ softly. “You’re so serious tonight. Only one day left, you should relax a bit. All this tension guarantees you’ll make a mistake.”
“I did not ask you for advice,” Briar snapped. “And now is hardly the time to relax. As if that stupid curse wasn’t enough, tomorrow every power and money hungry bastard is going to be out in force, attempting to woo my sister. Like I’d let any of them anywhere near her.”
Reynard chuckled. “And what if one of those men you run off is her True Love? If all our plans come to naught, you’ll be kicking yourself for dumping him in the pond.”
“There’s no such thing as a True Love. It’s all nonsense cooked up by a vengeful fairy, because the only thing worse than a terrible curse is a false hope of someday overcoming it.”
“You do not believe in True Loves?” Reynard asked softly.
“Romantic claptrap.”
Reynard shook his head. “A pity.”
“Spare me.”
“Now why should I do that?” Reynard hauled Briar close and kissed him hard, quickly, barely dodging the fists that came at him.
Briar seethed. “I told you to stop doing that and I meant it! We have a business arrangement, nothing more. Cease at once or you will find yourself in chains the day after tomorrow.”
“You really should learn to relax, Briar.”
“Shut up.”
Around them the leaves began to rustle, and the woods filled with a cacophony of laughter. Reynard grinned. “Out, you voyeurs. Didn’t I tell you not to leave camp?” One by one a dozen men gathered around them, little more than shadows in the moonlight trickling through the canopy.
“We were getting bored,” one man said, and the other rumbled their agreement.
Briar grumbled to himself, but did not protest when he was urged on toward the camp. Nor did he protest the arm that Reynard dropped across his shoulders, though they remained tight with tension.
“Master Fay…” Briar slowed to a stop as he caught sight of the Royal Advisor, tall and straight and dark. “Rather late for you to be out isn’t it?”
Fay smiled in amusement. “I do not sleep well these days. Returning from your tryst rather late, aren’t you, Prince?”
“Tryst?” Briar repeated.
The advisor chuckled. “Come now, Prince. Who did you think you were fooling? Always leaving parties early and vanishing from the castle for hours on end. Most days you walk around in a daze, going from pleasant to irate at the drop of a hat. It’s obvious you’re quite taken.” He smiled indulgently. “Surely you didn’t think you were fooling anyone?”
Briar bit back a few choice curses. Gods above he hoped Reynard never caught wind of the rumor. ‘Quite taken’ indeed. Briar snorted. “I guess it was just wishful thinking on my part.”
“I would imagine so,” the advisor said sympathetically. “If you should need assistance of any sort, let me know.”
“Thank you,” Briar said quietly, feeling awkward suddenly to receive such kindness from an unexpected source. There had been little of it since his fallout. “Why do you not sleep well?”
Fay shrugged. “I would hazard to say the same problem weighs heavily on both our minds. Tomorrow is the day…”
“I will not let anything happen to her,” Briar said adamantly.
“Prince, if anyone could prevent it, you could. But curses are seldom broken.”
Briar waved his hand impatiently. “Ridiculous. If such things occur, it is because people are so stuck on thinking they must that they fail to spend effort on preventing them. In four days my sister will be celebrating her eighteenth birthday and formally taking the position of Crown Princess.” He frowned and turned toward his own room. “If you will excuse me, I am eager to reach my bed. Good night, Fay.”
“Good night, Prince.” Fay shook his head at the fleeing prince, smiling tolerantly.
Back in his room, Briar locked the door and then tucked the key into its hiding place beneath a green velvet chair. Outside the sky was dark but not quite black. In a few hours there would be full daylight. Which meant he was probably going to sleep through breakfast and possibly even lunch. Instead of guilt, Briar felt only relief. If he could skip dinner as well, he would.
Stripping, leaving his clothes neatly in the dressing room to be taken away and cleaned, Briar climbed into his bed and buried his head in his favorite pillow.
Only to discover that it smelled of pine and earth and a certain thief. Cursing softly, Briar tossed the pillow to the floor and found another. When this one too carried the scent of forest and thief, he discarded every pillow on his bed and settled for curling up in the blankets, of which there were enough that he could ignore the topmost layer.
Never again.
Never again was he going to let his bed carry any scent but his own. It had taken far too long to rid his room of all traces of Craig; he wasn’t going to let someone else ruin it. But throwing away pillows was far easier than throwing out the memories of the kisses Reynard stole with increasing frequency.
Though in three more days those too would cease to be a problem. The area was becoming too dangerous for Reynard and his band to stay much longer. More than likely they would pack up and leave the moment their bargain with him was concluded, off to seek new prey.
Briar forced his thoughts elsewhere – to his sister, to the people he would have to face on the morrow. Exhaustion eventually won out, overtaking him as the sun began to rise in the sky, casting its early light across a prince tangled in dark green blankets, and the pillows scattered on the floor around it.
“Perhaps I’ve been misled all these years,” Pink said. “But I always thought birthdays were supposed to be something fun. I’m so exhausted and irate from sparring with the deluge of sudden admirers I hardly have the strength to eat.” She waved her fan vigorously back and forth in front of her face.
Briar hugged his sister. “Look on the bright side – if you tell them that jumping in the lake would make you very happy, they’d probably do it.”
Laughing delightedly, Pink turned to look out the window at the large lake on the western end of the palace. “What a lovely thought…”
“It’s a wonder to me you survived the women that assaulted you on your eighteenth birthday…though I guess it wasn’t too hard, considering…” She wrinkled her nose. “I still think Daddy was being perfectly silly.” She tapped her rose-lace fan against her lips. “Perfectly silly,” she repeated.
“I would have made a terrible king,” Briar said. “Better everyone figured that out before I took the throne.”
Pink shook her head. “You shouldn’t have been dismissed for kissing Lord Craig the Cowardly.”
Briar bit back a curse. “I do not think it was who I kissed so much as the drama that ensued. Anyway, I stopped caring a long time ago.”
The memory was bitter in his mind. One accusation after another hurled in his face, so many invasions of privacy. Ugly word after ugly word. And he’d borne it all while waiting for his lover to be found and dragged into it…
…Only for that lover to deny with a vengeance. Before his family and the court Briar had listened as Craig denied his three-year relationship with the Prince. Had looked him in the eyes and swore no such thing had ever existed.
“Are you ready for your ball tonight?” he asked.
Pink rolled her eyes at the change of subject but let him have his way. She closed her fan with a snap and tapped it against her lips. “Of course. Though I wonder if my shoes will be up to all the dancing.” She hesitated, then made herself continue speaking. “Actually, there was something I wanted to talk to you about, in regards to the party tonight.”
“What?” Briar asked. “Are you planning something father won’t like?”
“I don’t much care what daddy thinks.” She opened her fan again, cooling her cheeks, which were turning red. “But I do care what you think. I was planning to ask…someone to dance my waltz with me.”
“That is what you’re supposed to do, Pink.” Briar said. “You’re afraid I won’t approve of your choice.”
Pink nodded, casting her eyes out over the hallway. “I wanted to ask Fay.”
Briar fell silent a moment. “Fay? Advisor Fay? Older than me Fay?”
“What has that to do with anything?” Pink asked, snapping her fan shut and holding it as though she might hit him with it.
“Nothing,” Briar said peaceably. “Just making sure I had the right Fay.”
Pink relaxed her grip on the fan. “Yes, you have the right Fay.”
“Have you two been having an assignation under my nose this entire time?” Briar was torn between the urge to find Fay and wring his neck….and laugh his head off.
“No…we just talk. Over breakfast, over tea…sometimes in the library.” Pink shrugged. “He does not treat me like everyone else. And sometimes…sometimes I wish he’d stop being so formal. I think he wishes it too, but would never cross that line.” She looked anxiously at her brother. “Do you think…” she drifted off, biting her lip.
Briar snorted. “Fay’s thoughts are known only to Fay. I swear that man could run naked through the streets and no one would notice unless he wanted them to notice.”
His sister laughed and whapped his arm with her fan. “Thanks. I so needed that image in my mind while I work up the nerve to ask him to dance.”
“He would make a good king,” Briar said. He didn’t seem to notice the smack to his arm. “Do you want me to pull him aside and pose a few questions?” His eyes took on a gleam.
Pink smacked him harder. “Don’t you dare!” Another smack for good measure. “So I have your approval, then?”
“You certainly don’t have my disapproval anyway. I’ve always seen him as just an advisor. Give me time to adjust to him as your romantic interest.” Briar frowned, thinking. “I guess you could do a lot worse. But don’t tell father.”
“What do you take me for? An idiot?” She winked. “I managed to keep things from you, don’t you think I can keep it from daddy until too late?”
A smile tugged at Briar’s mouth and he stooped to kiss his sister’s cheek. “I hope your romance fares better than mine.”
His sister gave him a knowing look. “I think your second attempt is going far better than you’re admitting. Though that really isn’t saying much, since you’re not saying anything.”
“I have no romance.”
“Of course,” Pink replied She winked, then gave him a quick hug. “Thank you, Briar. I’ll see you tonight. For now I am off to the Ladies’s Tea Party.”
Briar kissed her cheek. “Don’t cause too much trouble.”
“I’ll only spike it a little bit, promise.” With a wink, she was gone.
“How many ladies do you suppose are without lace tonight?” Briar asked. “Because Pink didn’t know when to stop having it added to her gown?”
Fay’s lips twitched. “She looks lovely, Prince, so I’m sure the ladies did not mind the sacrifice.” They both watched as she was led around the dance floor by the latest of what seemed an endless number of young men – and some not so young. “Though I do not envy the women who had to make it.”
“I’m certain they’re used to my sister’s obsession.” He sipped his wine, leaning back against the wall near the buffet, and watched Fay from the corner of his eye.
Fay was youngish for an Advisor, but he’d proven far more apt while a student than half the men on the King’s council. It had not taken him long to rise to his current station. Almost thirty, just over a decade older than his sister.
Briar hid a smirk behind his wine glass, and wondered how he had never noticed how hard Fay tried not to watch his sister. The man was generally quiet, but could be quite vocal when court was in session. And he had always, to the best of Briar’s knowledge, been kind to Pink. Unlike the young man currently dancing with her, whom he noticed was looking as though he were acting a little too forward. “Fay, I don’t like the look of that young lord. And Pink is frowning.”
“I’ll take care of it at once,” Fay said. Though calm, he moved with determination.
This time Briar didn’t bother to hide a smirk. He watched, and waited. The next dance was the Princess’ Waltz.
A familiar flash of red caught the corner of his eye, and Briar turned toward the balcony. Nothing was there. He turned back to watch as the young lord was curtly dismissed by Fay, who then politely escorted the Princess off the floor.
The red caught his eye again. Cursing fluidly, for now he would not get to watch his sister dance with the one man to which he might trust her, Briar plunked his wine down and strode out onto the balcony.
It was, predictably, deserted. He thought about taking the stairs, but impatience one out and in with a smooth leap he cleared the railing and landed neatly on the ground below.
“You’re so pretty when you’re mad at me. Especially all decked out like that.”
“Damn it, Reynard. What are you doing here?” Briar skimmed the shadows, growing more irate for every second that did not reveal the dratted thief.
Arms wrapped around him from behind, lips nuzzled at the bit of neck not hidden by silk neck cloth. “I merely wanted to see how all was faring. All is well?”
“Yes, all is well.” Briar jerked away, not completely escaping but at least he was facing the dratted man. “What have I told you about being forward with me?”
“I don’t know,” Reynard said. His grin was visible despite the dark. “I never listen. Too busy trying to get past your thorns.”
“Well stop it.” Briar pulled away, the night air chilly but safer than Reynard’s warmth. “You shouldn’t be here.”
Reynard smirked. “Worried about me?”
Briar rolled his eyes. “So why are you here?”
“After all our work, don’t you think I’d want to know how things are faring?”
Reluctantly Briar nodded. “You could have waited until I came to see you later tonight.”
“Call me impatient.”
Briar rolled his eyes. “Reckless would certainly fit. Have you seen anyone or anything suspicious?”
“Wouldn’t I have told you if I did? Relax, Prince. So far everything is going as well as you could possibly hope.” He reached out in an attempt to soothe Briar with touches.
Briar jerked away. “I’ll relax when I wake up tomorrow and see my sister at breakfast.”
Huffing in frustration, Reynard dropped his arms and let the prince be. “I’ll be glad when this is all over and we can finally leave.”
The words shouldn’t have hurt. It was exactly what he’d been expecting the entire time for all that Reynard persisted in stealing kisses and touches as often as he could. But they hurt anyway. “Well so far as I’m concerned,” he said. “You can leave now.”
Reynard recoiled at the icy tone. “What’s set you off now?”
“Get out. I don’t want to see you here again. We’ve come to the end of our agreement so there’s no reason for you to put off leaving any longer. Good night, Fox.” Turning on his heel, Briar strode rapidly inside.
Inside, Briar was just in time for the opening of gifts. He saw that Fay stood beside Pink, looking lost but happy. He caught he advisor’s eye and nodded. Fay relaxed a bit. But Briar, for the remainder of the night, felt as though he jumped at every shadow.
Nor did it help when he saw Lord Craig Verde slip out with Lord Cerule. A perfectly wretched night. But eventually it came to an end, and after the necessary pauses to chat with sundry guests, Briar all but dragged his sister to her room. “So would you call your ball a success?”
“He danced with me, and stayed with me, so yes.” Pink fanned her flushed cheeks. “I noticed you slipped outside.”
Briar sighed. “You notice everything.”
“Well I am to be Queen,” she closed her fan and gently smacked his arm with it. “I need to keep tabs on these things. Come in for a bit?” She asked as they reached her room.
Briar nodded, grateful that he wouldn’t have to figure out a way to slip inside. Only an hour to go and the day of the curse would be over. Twenty three years and his sister was an hour from being safe. “So what did you want to talk about?”
“Father didn’t seem happy about Fay…”
Briar snorted. “I hope you don’t expect me to be able to help.”
“Well, I thought you might be able to offer advice.” Pink began to pull the pins from her hair as she wandered from the sitting room into her bedroom. Her voice grew distant, muffled, as she continued to speak. “I mean, I’m going to be firm about it, but I would prefer tactful and peaceful to telling father to go soak his head.”
“I dunno, I rather like that approach. I’ll soak his head for you.” He grinned, waiting for his sister’s response…then frowned when he didn’t get it. “Pink? Did you finally choke on all that lace?” Still no reply.
Cold now with fear, Briar threw himself off the small pink couch and ran into her bedroom. If he was lucky, she’d merely yell at him for walking in on her naked. If not…
But Pink was perfectly fine, opening a gift which had been left on her bed.
“Don’t open it,” Briar said and began to cross the room.
“Oh, calm down. It’s probably just from one of my many admirers.” But a moment later she frowned, staring in confusion at the strange object in her hand. “It’s…a spindle…what in the world?”
“Drop it now!” Briar snapped. He grabbbed the sharp-ended spindle from her hands. “How many times must I tell you?” He threw the spindle to the ground and pressed his bleeding finger to his lips.
Then all of a sudden the room began to waver, blur, and realization struck him before it all faded to black. “Rey—”
“Briar? Briar!”
“Hey, Boss.”
Reynard ignored him.
“Boss, there’s something going on at the castle.”
He tossed back another swig of rum before deigning to look at Walter, who for all that he looked more or less like a mangy alley cat, could have been another scholar in the palace if he’d wanted. “Do I look like I care?”
“But Boss—“
“I don’t want to hear it,” Reynard snarled. He threw his empty bottle to the ground. “I’m done with it. With him. We’re leaving at sunrise.”
Muttering something under his breath, Walter let the matter drop. “If you wanna leave that soon, you’d best get yourself to bed and stop drinking yourself to an early grave.”
“I’ll do whatever the hell I want,” Reynard said. He fumbled in the dark for a second bottle, determined to loose his ability to stand before another hour passed.
“As you please, sir.” Walter said primly, then turned and walked back to the campfire where the other men were gathered.
Reynard stayed in the gloom of the trees at the edge of the campsite.
What the hell had he said wrong? What had he done this time? He’d gone to make sure everything was okay, that was it. So maybe he shouldn’t have said he’d be glad when they left—but he’d thought Briar had wanted to leave as well.
The unopened bottle fell out of his fingers. Reynard cursed. He was an idiot.
And as his own stupidity registered, so did the conversation of only a moment ago. He knew he shouldn’t have started drinking. “Walter!”
“What?” Walter asked, only sounding a little bit smug.
Reynard stood up and strode to the fire, sobriety forced into him along with the cold feeling that was overtaking him. “What’s wrong at the castle?”
“Dunno, Boss. Only know everything is going crazy. Do you think….”
“Something went wrong, anyway. I’m going to check it out.”
Walter and three other men stood. “We’ll come with you – only to the edge of the forest. If something went wrong, we’ll have to act fast.”
“To run or to help?” Reynard asked.
His men looked at him. “Like you’d let us do anything but help if it’s a matter of helping the thorny prince.”
Reynard grinned. “Then come, my laughing foxes, let’s go invade a castle.”
There was no invading the castle. Reynard and his men watched as the castle was locked down. All their careful research had not revealed that many knights in the king’s employ. Magicians headed by the Advisor, casting wards, sealing the castle off completely.
Reynard glowered. “Spread out. Find out what happened. Return here in an hour.” His men were dispersing even before he could finish. Reynard rubbed his forehead. “I don’t understand how…we worked so hard…”
He spent the hour unmoving, watching the castle, hoping to see a familiar figure sneaking out of it and toward the forest. But when the time was up and his men returned grim-faced, he wasn’t surprised. “So?”
“The princess is fine,” one man said slowly. He hesitated, not sure how to continue.
“Spit it out.”
“But,” another man answered. “The prince is not.”
A heartbeat of silence. “What do you mean?”
“From what we’re hearing boss, it’s the prince what was cursed and fell asleep. No one knows the details yet, but it’s Prince Briar who’s the victim.”
“That isn’t possible.”
“Seems it is.”
Reynard nodded. “What about the castle? Any way in?”
“Boss, that place was just turned into a prison.. Ain’t nobody going in or out until the king figures out what’s up.”
“Get back to camp. Make sure you stay invisible. When the noise settles down in a few days, get the hell out.”
Walter motioned the other men to move, but stayed behind. “What are you going to do, Boss?”
“When I left, he was furious. He went to sleep thinking I was just playing with him. That I was going to leave without him.”
“He’s cursed, Boss. Ain’t nothing you can do about it now.”
Reynard turned away. “I’m going to see him.”
“How are you going to do that?” Walter asked. “There ain’t no getting into the castle. It’s impossible”
Reynard laughed and tossed his head. “No, it’s nearly impossible. Keeping me out – that’s impossible. Go back to camp and wait for us.”
“Whatever you want.” Walter motioned for the others to follow him. “See you later, boss.”
Reynard bit his lip, watching the guards and magician stationed at the section of wall that was his usual entrance into the castle. But the servant door he usually took was no doubt barred for once. That didn’t leave him with much in the way of options – scale the wall or scale the wall.
Looked like he’d be scaling the wall. But even in the dark, there were too many guards. He’d get up the wall, but not over it. Well, there was bound to be an opening eventually. Every army had a few lazy guards.
But a few minutes later it wasn’t laziness that gave him an opening – it was a girl in something that looked more like a pastry than a ball gown. More than her looks, it was the manner in which she moved, the way she just knew she’d be obeyed or else, that marked her as Briar’s sister. Odd that he’d never seen her before. It was little wonder Briar was so protective. If she was half the woman up close that she appeared to be at a distance, Princess Priscilla – Pink to her brother – was indeed a treasure.
Whatever she was doing, six of the guards at the wall vanished. Leaving him more than enough room to work. He waited another fifteen minutes, then moved in.
Ten minutes later he reached the top and paused to get his bearings.
“You’re the fox!” a female voice exclaimed in something that sounded like absolute delight.
Reynard went cold. Cautiously he turned his head, to spy the princess who had ever so neatly tucked herself away in one of the parapets.
Clearly he needed to retire, if he was getting that sloppy. “Princes…” he said cautiously.
“I knew he was seeing you!”
Reynard blinked, and fought the urge to take several step backs as the princess in a creampuff dress came at him, holding a silk lace fan like most men held their weapons. “Pardon?”
“Aren’t you Briar’s lover?”
With every word she uttered, Reynard felt like he that much closer to drowning. “What?” he asked.
The Princess frowned. “Oh, my. If you’re not here to save Briar…” she bit her lip. “Are you just here to steal stuff?”
“What?” Reynard repeated stupidly. He shook his head. “Argh! Briar. I’m here to see what’s wrong with Briar. How did you know we knew each other?”
Pink sighed in relief. “Oh, good. I didn’t think I was wrong. Come on, I’ll take you to him.”
Reynard followed in silence, figuring the less he said the less confused he’d become.
“I was hoping you’d see the opening I made, but I wasn’t sure how long it would take you to realize everything had gone wrong.”
“You’re awfully well-informed, Princess.”
“Call me Pink, please.” She beamed at him. “So long as you’re not like that wretched Lord Craig Back Stabber, you can count me a sister.”
Reynard just looked at her. “How?”
“Did I know? The way he acted every time the subject of you came up. He acted the same way with Lord Craig Loathsome once. Briar is good at keeping secrets from everyone but me.” Pink smiled over her shoulder at him. She paused as they reached the castle proper, and hooked arms with him. “I guess calling you Lord Fox would be a bit obvious?”
“I like you, Princess.”
That earned him a smack. “I told you to call me Pink.”
“Yes, ma’am. And simply call me Reynard. I’m no Lord, best not to try and act it.”
Pink nodded and they plunged into the crowded, unsettled palace. “Are you really here to save Briar?”
“I don’t know about that, Princess. A curse is a curse.”
“Pink!” A stern voice interrupted.
Pink jumped, but relaxed a moment later. “Fay.” She beamed at the older man. “Is Briar settled?”
“Yes. Who is he?”
“This is Reynard. He’s Briar’s lover.”
Fay blinked and looked Reynard slowly up and down. “A bit of a ruffian…” he shook his head. “But I guess it would take that to keep up with Briar’s temper. How did you learn so quickly of what occurred?”
“I’m good at keeping an ear out for things. And Briar has been worried about his sister for some time, so I was waiting to hear how the evening had gone…”
The advisor shook his head. “None of us expected it to end quite the way it did. Come this way; you’ll get mobbed if you continue traveling the main halls.” He turned abruptly and guided them through the back halls and stairs used by the servants.
Reynard followed mutely behind them as they entered Briar’s room. So strange, to use the door.
Briar lay on his bed, still dressed in his fine clothes. Such a stark black against the green bedclothes, his wavy hair spread out behind his head against the pillow.
Only yesterday he’d been taunting Briar from that bed. It was always so much fun to get Briar’s gander up. Pink and Fay faded into the background as he approached the bed, sitting on the edge of it, twisted to face Briar. He reached out to touch a cheek which had only hours before had still carried a hint of sun…and now was so very pale. And cool, as if the prince wasn’t alive.
The thought made him cold all over. “What happened?” he asked, looking at Pink.
“I don’t know,” Pink replied, wielding her fan in such a way that Fay took a step back. “In fact, I didn’t even know I was cursed until it turned out that – oops! Wrong royal.” She smacked the palm of her hand with her fan, then turned her eyes on Fay. “Nice of everyone to keep me informed of my own possible partial-demise. As soon as my brother is better, every last one of you involved is in serious trouble.”
Reynard and Fay exchanged a silence glance. “I feel sorry for whomever she marries.”
Fay choked. Pink beamed. “That would be Fay,” she said cheerfully.
“My condolences,” Reynard said with a grin.
Fay opted to remain silent.
“So. Are you going to wake him up?” Pink was tapping her fan against her palm again.
Reynard stared at her, half in confusion, half in fear. “How?”
Fay’s lips twitched. “Wasn’t the requirement true love’s kiss?”
“That’s a tall order,” Reynard said. “As I recall from many a conversation, Briar does not believe in such things.”
“Rubbish,” Pink said. “Lord Craig the Bastard simply made him…”
“Thorny?”
“He’ll be furious if he hears you saying such a thing.”
Reynard smiled. He continued to stroke Briar’s face, enjoying – despite the circumstances – the chance to touch Briar without having to dodge a fist. It simply was not in him to tell the Princess that Briar was dead set against anything more than a business relationship. And Reynard had ruined any chance he’d had that night.
Clearly he was stalling. He wasn’t sure what he’d do if Briar didn’t wake.
But Briar would be angrier that he was being a damn coward. Steeling himself for the worst, he braced one hand on the bed and leaned down to kiss Briar softly. And this time he felt only miserable that there would be no punch or kick forthcoming. Briar was barely contained energy at the best of times, and something like lightning when his temper broke free. It wasn’t right to see him so cold and still on his bed.
Nothing. Briar remained still. Reynard fought back a wave of crushing disappointment. He hadn’t thought it possible for something to hurt that much. Whomever Briar’s true love was, he hated the man with a vengeance. “Sorry, Princess. Looks like I’m just a thief.”
“I wondered…” Fay murmured.
Pink’s fan fell limply to her side. “Oh…” was all she said.
Reynard turned away, his back to the other’s in the room. The window wasn’t far; it would be easy to slip away. No one in here was likely to stop him, and it was late enough that he could get out with little difficulty.
“…Reynard…”
He whipped around at the sound of his name, spoken softly, slowly, rather than as if it were about to be followed by an impolite epithet.
“Briar!” Pink screeched, and rushed to the side of the bed.
But the prince had eyes only for Reynard. “I thought you were leaving.”
Reynard attempted to smile and failed. “Yeah, about that…I sort of forgot the part where I ask if you want to come with me.”
“Briar! Are you all right? How do you feel?”
Frowning, Briar turned to address his sister. “I’m fine.” He shook his head, clearing away the fog that still lingered. “What happened? Why did I fall asleep? How long have I been unconscious?”
“Only a few hours.” His sister winked at him. “Your lover didn’t waste any time getting here when he realized something had gone wrong. I knew you’d picked someone better than Lord Craig Ratface this time.” She giggled and all but climbed onto the bed to hug him. “I’m so glad you’re okay.”
Briar hugged her back and sat up. “What I’d like to know is why the curse affected me and not you.”
“You’re in trouble, by the way, for keeping me ignorant about it all.”
“Not now, Pink.”
"Later,” she agreed. “So what did happen?”
“That…” Fay said. “That would be mine to explain.” The royal advisor had gone pale, and looked only at Pink as he spoke. “My mother was the one who cast the curse…and she set me up to be here while it all went down…with the intention that I marry the princess and claim the kingdom like she always wanted. I…” he shook his head. “I never really understood her anger; only that because I was her son I was meant to play a part in it.”
“She set up the curse and purposely misled everyone into thinking it was the Princess who had been cursed – so that there was no chance at all in saving him from it. Then I could take the throne and the royal family would have to watch helplessly as the prince slept year after year.”
He continued to watch Pink, who stared back pale-faced. “I never wanted to be involved. I’ve spent my life trying to find a cure, hoping that I or Briar would succeed in preventing it. I’m sorry I’ve lied all these years. Believe me when I say I did not like doing so. And…I never lied about how I felt for you, Princess. This entire situation is why I never said anything.”
Pink gathered herself together, snapping her fan shut and moving to grab Fay firmly by the arm. “You and I are going to have a nice, long chat. Briar, the two of you can join us for breakfast in the morning. I’ll take care of father.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
The door shut behind them, and the room fell painfully silent.
“There’s going to be no living with you now,” Briar said.
Reynard blinked. “Does this mean we’re back on speaking terms? I really didn’t mean I was going to leave without you – I sort of assumed you were part of that we and didn’t realize until later I’d sort of forgotten to confirm that bit with you.”
“I was expecting you to give me unmitigated hell,” Briar replied, as he lay back down against his pillows with a thump. “Not apologize. This is rather nice. Keep going.”
“You’re a brat.” Reynard’s contrition fell away, replaced by a slow smirk. “I did wake you up, didn’t I? Still a non-believer?”
Briar rolled his eyes. “You are going to be insufferable aren’t you?”
“Well you could just give up talking and finally give in to the urge to have your wicked way with me.”
Briar sighed. “I suppose you’re right.”
A beat of silence. “What?”
For answer, Briar grabbed the front of Reynard’s coat and pulled him down, kissing him as fervently as Reynard usually kissed him. “I said I suppose you’re right. Unless you want to keep talking?”
“Far be it for me to argue with my prince.”
“For once,” Briar muttered. “Now shut up and let me have my wicked way.”
“Yes, my love.” Reynard dodged the pillow that came flying at his head.
no subject
Date: 2005-10-06 03:17 am (UTC)