Chapter Seven

Strangers in the dark

Ryo

I had left my scouting party behind in the town, they were blending in with the locals and acquiring information and various other items that we needed to transport the 'package' that Raine was meant to retrieve but I had heard earlier upon arrival that we now had to retrieve Raine as well much to my amusement. I told them I was going to go ahead and check out the lay of the land with my own skill set of blending into the surroundings that no one else could ever rival unless you were an actual dragon yourself.

Dragons could blend into the surroundings to hide themselves better in the mountains and to hopefully avoid being hunted for their prized magical hides and other magical body parts people wanted for their spells and medicine. I could do the same thing and was the best fit in gathering information without getting caught.

My men had grumbled about my safety but they knew ultimately no one had ever caught me yet or rivalled my power in a fight. Besides this was just going to be a little reconnaissance to get the rescue plan started. What I hadn't expected was to find the most interesting sight I had ever seen yet in my life to reveal herself to me.

I hid in plain sight, further off down the road and watched a beautiful full blown Fae woman of nature magic, commune with the sickle thorns nearby and not only not get attacked by them and become their magical midnight snack, she gets their help to rescue my friend Raine as well to top it off.

It was a curious puzzle to be sure about the female but the behaviour of the sickle thorns got even stranger as I saw them gift this woman something of immense power and importance to them to help protect her. I watched in awe as the sickle thorns lovingly stroked her before they retreated and settled back down into their normal formation on the castle grounds.

As the Fae woman walked towards Raine, I tensed as I watched to see what she would do with her gifts from the sickle thorn plants and my unconscious friend laying prone on the ground. I only relaxed slightly as I saw her put them safely away as she started to check Raine over.

Feeling a little twinge of some emotion I couldn't decipher it trickled through me when I saw her touch Raine. Why would I be jealous over Raine being touched by the stranger I couldn't stop watching? I observed another unusual sight next and that something else was revealed in the slip of the moonlight shining weakly down upon the woman.

I could see that her ears were rounded now as she tucked her long, dark flowing hair behind one of her ears and most importantly I realised to my own shock that even though I could see her use magic, I couldn't feel it at all. Even now she felt like a powerless human to me from here.

She was talking quietly to Raine and I strained to hear her soft whispers next to Raine's louder voice but I could barely hear her. I suddenly wished I was in Raine's position right now, looking at her face and listening to her voice properly. My intuition was telling me it felt like it was going to be very important to me as my blood thrummed through my veins trying to reach out to her.

Someone like her shouldn't be possible but maybe it was, a magic user who could not be felt. I had stumbled onto a person who's existence was a mystery but maybe it was a mystery that I myself was personally acquainted with in some way in regards to my own heritage. Maybe her own existence came to be through similar circumstances like my own. I never had come across another person like me before, but maybe now I had?

My excitement grew within my being in wanting to meet her and I decided there and then to announce my presence to her. I dropped my veil to first reveal myself and then I looked about on the grass floor for something to make a noise with and I saw what I needed. I deliberately stepped on a big twig tossed aside into the dry ditch that I was stood in.

'SNAP!' The sound was loud and clear in the night and it drew both Raine's and the woman's attention up and towards me as I walked toward them in the dark.

Briar

I headed towards where Prince Raine lay whilst cradling my gifts from the sickle thorns close to my chest. The plants behind me quietly rustled and settled back into their semi normal state of rest by the time I knelt besides the sleeping prince.

I tucked my twin thorn blades into the waistband of my trousers and went to check the Prince over for any obvious injuries he may have sustained. I ran my hands lightly over his rumpled clothes with a light sensory spell to detect anything but I didn't find anything major, only bruising.

All Fae could heal their own minor injuries really fast but most of them couldn't heal any broken bones or deep wounds without help. I checked his face over and gently brushed back his mussed ombré hair of black and honey and his golden eyes snapped open, startling me as he focused on me straight away. I tried to move away from him but his hand suddenly shot out as well to engulf my own that was still touching his face. I was mesmerised for a moment by those strange eyes.

Prince Raine's tongue darted out to wet his sumptuous lips and opened them to start speaking to me. What he said next to me, made my breathing falter for a moment, 'I thought I saw a goddess walk the land amongst the thorns,' he whispered to me.

The air trapped in my lungs came in a rushed exhale and my heartbeat kicked up a notch as I started to breathe again, I thought quickly on my feet before replying back to him, 'I think you were having a dream my Prince,' I told him, hoping he would believe me as I forced my features to look relaxed.

'Where are...we?' Prince Raine asked me as he glanced about the roadside in confusion, clearly seeing now that he wasn't in the dungeons anymore.

'You're outside of the Winter court castle now but we're not safe yet. We have to keep quiet and wait for your friend to arrive,' I informed him quickly, I tried to unsuccessfully free my hand from his because I thought the information would distract him into letting go but it didn't.

Prince Raine then blinked those mesmerising eyes up at me in confusion, 'You are..?' He asked me and his voice was now sounding slightly slurred to me. He frowned and wrinkled his nose slightly as his eyebrows drew down. The golden pollen must still be making him slightly groggy I thought but I noted he recovered far too quickly for such a large dose of it, I noted Prince Raine must be a very powerful Fae indeed.

'I am in Lord Ashton's service for a short while your lordship,' I slipped up over the lesson about titles he gave me a short while ago, 'my name is Briar,' I finished telling him. His eyebrows shot back up and his eyes grew more cognisant as he looked at me more closely.

I was very aware that he still held my hand captive and he spoke more urgently to me, 'You're the girl from before- !'

'SNAP!'

We both startled at the sudden noise and Prince Raine stopped talking to me as we both whipped our heads in the direction of where the sound came from further down the road. A man came into sight from the shadows and he raised his hand up in friendly greeting towards us.

'Hey Raine!' This stranger called out to us cheerfully, 'I heard you needed some help in leaving this place but here I find you putting the moves on your pretty rescuer,' the stranger joked as he came to stand next to us and he reached down with his hand to pull Prince Raine up from the ground. The prince had already reached his hand out to this new arrival's hand as well and finally he dropped my own to help lever himself up.

'Ryo!?' Raine exclaimed and drew this new man into a hug as I awkwardly stood back up and I brushed my loose trousers clean of the leaf debris from the floor. I didn't want to ruin Ruby's expensive clothes for when I returned them back to her later on.

The man who I now knew was called Ryo, stepped back out of their hug and he clapped Raine on the shoulder in a comradely gesture before he stepped towards me and studied me from head to toe, almost like he was memorising all of my details before he held out his hand to me.

'I wished to thank the rescuer of one of my oldest friends,' he told me in a sincere tone, 'my name as you have heard is Ryo,' he told me, I could hear a slight accent to his otherwise charming voice. I stared at his hand for a moment before I timidly took it in mine. He shook my hand firmly and I felt some kind of jolt of energy from our clasped hands, this Ryo looked startled for a moment at our hands before speaking again to me, 'And you are Miss?' He asked with unmasked interest in his face now.

'I am Lord Ashton's newly acquired servant, Briar,' I told him quietly, I didn't want any more loud noises to attract attention this way. Otherwise this whole escape attempt would probably fail before we even left the castle's grounds.

'Thank you Briar, you have been very brave,' Ryo continued to speak sincerely to me and an expression passed over his features, but I couldn't exactly pinpoint what it was in the dark. It felt to me that he was also reluctant to let go of my hand after shaking it and he stood back from me, clenching the hand that had touched me.

'I'm guessing there's another part to this escape plan then?' Ryo asked and Raine looked towards me as well to listen about it.

I nodded yes, my blue black hair falling over my shoulder, 'Lord Ashton and my friends should be coming shortly down this road after they have gathered everything they need to leave with and also make it official at the castle about our contracts belonging to Lord Ashton now,' I tell them. 'My friend Ruby will remind Lord Ashton about that part for sure or else we'll be chased for another reason entirely and this rescue attempt will fail in another way,' I remark and slice my hand through the air for emphasis.

'You are not free?' Ryo asked me in confusion with his head tilted to the side to watch me.

I hide and clenched my branded hand subtly beneath my borrowed fur cloak and said curtly to this Ryo person, 'No I am not free, I am in permanent service to the Winter court castle,' I inform him.

'And they would simply let you go that easily?' Ryo asks me, still in some kind of confusion over something which only confused me as well trying to figure out his meanings.

'Why wouldn't they?' Prince Raine asks Ryo and then turning to me, Prince Raine said, 'I remember you in the corridor earlier today in the courtesan's wing, it was definitely you,' he remarked to me.

'Courtesan's wing?' Ryo echoed and now he had an even more bizarre expression on his face with a hint of anger at something. 'I thought the Winter court would treat someone like you better than that!' He exclaimed in a heated tone.

I was already beginning to become confused before and now Prince Raine was as well as he peered at me once before looking at his friend Ryo a little concernedly and spoke up cautiously, 'Briar is a maid servant?' Raine posed it as a question as now it looked like he wasn't a hundred percent certain either about it now.

I nodded to Prince Raine, 'Yes, that is correct for the most part,' I tell them and I then reluctantly lift my hand up to reveal my slave brand to them. 'I have been in service to the Winter court and castle since being born,' I tell them and drop my hand down and step away from both of them.

The men both seem taken aback by my admission and Ryo takes a step towards me and Prince Raine says in a disgusted tone, 'That's not right!' I flinch at the venom in his voice and I feel my body go cold. I carefully blank my expression on my face to hide what I'm feeling, that I'll never be accepted until this mark is gone. I begin to retreat within my mind when Raine continues to speak again and it halts me in shock.

'Slavery isn't right!' Raine exclaims, 'Especially as a baby! What could you have possibly done to deserve that punishment?!' Raine asks aloud but I feel he's not really asking for an explanation though but I speak anyway.

'I was told it was an inherited obligation even though no one could remember why my mother was waiting to be sentenced by the Winter court,' I quietly explain to him but I don't look at either man's face and turn my back on them.

I exhale a puff of air at my personal circumstances, that sigh is so heavily weighted with all my unvoiced thoughts and feelings. I wrap my own arms around my waist to hold myself and try to keep warm in the brisk air. I then feel the gift I was given by the sickle thorns in my waistband beneath my hand and I feel the young seedlings wrapped around my left arm give me a comforting squeeze to also remind me that they are here with me too. I thank them quietly for their support in our connection.

Ryo starts talking quietly, I hear a hint of menace come off his words, 'I have heard the practices of the Winter court are a little outdated but that is just ridiculous, they really don't-!'

'Ryo!' Prince Raine snaps out and shakes his head in a warning, glancing at me warily. I just frown at them both over my shoulder and glance back to keep watch on the road ahead of me.

'I thought it was strange to find one Fae Lord who thought my circumstances to be unfair but to find two Fae and a strange man think it is, is just plain weird,' I mutter to myself, wishing heartily that the others would appear on the road through my self will.

Someone around here ought to remember that we were escaping and I cringed at all of the noise coming from these two men. They were going to put all of us in danger with this noise.

Prince Raine gave an undignified snort, which had me arching an unseen eyebrow towards the darkness. 'She called you strange!' Prince Raine chortled quietly at Ryo.

'Well she called you a weirdo!' Ryo deflected right back.

'Hey! Remember you were also included in the blanket reference of being weird right? So that makes you a strange weirdo!' I heard Prince Raine point
out in a somewhat gleeful tone from behind my back as I continued to be a sentry to the darkness.

Where was Ruby and the others? I wondered this as I was growing somewhat uncomfortable with the childish and puzzling behaviour coming from behind me as I heard scuffling, grunts of pain and oomphs of exhaled air that comes out from when a body is hit. What on earth were they doing behind my back? I had never seen anyone in the castle behave like that, especially the Fae. I bit the inside of my cheek before saying on a whisper, 'Children! Just like children!'

'Ah-ha!' Ryo said triumphantly, standing next to me, I never heard him coming and I jump a step back from him. He was grinning at me, 'Briar called you childish! So there!' He triumphantly told Prince Raine.

Prince Raine stood on my other side and I also didn't hear him step next to me either and I move a step away from him, feeling like I was being herded. 'If I remember correctly,' Prince Raine said arching an eyebrow and smoothing his mussed hair back down from his grappling efforts, 'Briar called us both childish and that makes you a strange, childish weirdo! So you are still losing this contest of who is better in Briar's mind,' Prince Raine announces and smugly smiles at Ryo.

'Contest?' I ask even though I might regret my curiosity here.

'Ryo, Ashton and I have been childhood friends for a long, long time and as so, we always found ourselves competing on everything,' Prince Raine tells me and I nod politely to show that I am following him.

'And one of the competitions that we had amongst ourselves was how people perceive us in their first impressions. It's a bit of a joke between us,' Prince Raine tells me, sounding rather sheepishly about it.

'Ah,' I say but don't say anything else as I think over this information and try to follow along.

'And your first impressions of us, are some of the best we've heard for a long while,' Ryo next says to me, 'very honest,' Ryo nods and concludes his opinion to me.

'Ok,' I say and bite my lip in consternation but then I turn my head to look at the direction of the road leading from the castle as I can now hear some traffic approaching from there. I react without a second to lose and reach out to move Prince Raine and this Ryo by pushing on their shoulders and moving us all further into the dark of the roadside to see who is approaching.

I can see a wooden carriage with two darkish looking horses approaching first, light shining from its windows and then another driver and team of horses with a covered wagon rattling behind that carriage. Behind that second vehicle I can just make out some more riders and horses as they approach nearer to us. A head of a person is leaning out of the lit up carriage window and I can see Ruby's face as she draws nearer and I realise she has scrunched up her nose as she peers in the dark.

'Briar!' She whisper yells my name in the dark.

'Here!' I call back in the same whisper yell and step back out onto the roadside to be seen by her. I feel the presence of two warm bodies press close to my back and I see that Prince Raine and his friend Ryo are taking a closer look at Ruby.

'I take it she's your friend Ruby then?' Prince Raine asks me and I nod yes to him. Another head pokes out of the other side of the same window and I see it's Lord Ashton looking out now as well. The carriage slows down from a signal from Lord Ashton thumping the side of the conveyance to get the driver's attention. When it rolls to a stop Lord Ashton leaps out to stand in front of us three.

'I'm happy to see you manage to pull this off, I'm really impressed,' Lord Ashton says in greeting to me, 'thank you so much Briar,' he says gratefully and takes my own hand in his and lowers his head to kiss the back of my hand in gratitude, I blush slightly at receiving such a gesture.

Ryo steps slightly in front of me to block me off from Lord Ashton, 'Hey there!' Ryo calls out to Lord Ashton, 'where's my greeting?' He asks sounding a little hurt.

'Yes,' Prince Raine says as well, stepping in front of me also on my other side and now the both of them have effectively made a wall in front of me to block Lord Ashton off from my sight but Lord Ashton still hasn't let go of my hand as of yet when he straightens up to look at Ryo but Prince Raine continues to speak, 'where is my greeting as well?' He asks Lord Ashton.

'I didn't know that it would hurt both of your feelings so much but here, give me both your hands to kiss as well in greeting,' Lord Ashton lifts his other hand up in invitation. He has an attractive smirk gracing his full lips which gives him an impish look that makes my own lips twitch in amusement for a fraction of a second.

'Don't be an ass Ashton,' Prince Raine tells him.

Lord Ashton laughs quietly, 'I'm glad to see you are safe and free my friend,' Lord Ashton says to Prince Raine, 'and I'm glad to see you too, Ryo, even though it's an unannounced surprise,' Lord Ashton said warmly to the both of them. 'But what brings you out all the way over here Ryo?' Lord Ashton inquires out of friendly interest.

'Well, you know, I hear a rumour that someone needed rescuing and so here I am,' Ryo lightly replies back to him in the same friendly tone.

'Well there was no need to worry about that now, was there? Briar was very capable of handling that business,' Lord Ashton smoothly answers and smiles warmly as he tugs me forward by our held hands between Prince Raine and Ryo's bodies to stand in front of him again, he then, tucks my arm through his and escorts me like a gentleman to the carriage.

'Your carriage awaits for you Briar and I will see that I do everything that you have already asked of me and more should you ask of it,' Lord Ashton tells me as he helps me up into the vehicle.

'Thank god,' I say a little too loudly, now that I'm relieved my part is over. It has taken many years to get this close to the freedom I've wanted. I heard Lord Ashton laughs out loud though from behind my back and next I hear Ryo shout:

'Hey that's favouritism!' He exclaims but I honestly can't worry about what is troubling him now as Ruby has flung herself at me and is hugging my neck and jumping up and down for joy, I embrace her tightly back.

'It's really happening, thank you Briar!' Ruby whispers in my ear and pulls back to look at me properly in the face. I can see she is giving me a big smile even though she is crying as well.

'Well it's also thanks to you too Ruby, we wouldn't have even gotten to this point if it wasn't for your cleverness here,' I tell her and hug her closely again, 'so thank you Ruby,' I tell her in return.

'Well girls, I can see the Fae you have struck a bargain with is honourable at least,' Mistress Garnet says to us and I realise Ruby's mother is sitting in the corner of this carriage as well now.

'Mistress Garnet!' I cry out and step around Ruby to lean down and hug her mother too, 'I can't believe we are finally leaving,' I tell her and I begin to cry a little as the emotions start to get to me now. She has changed very little over these years and she is still quite a beautiful young looking woman, I had worried that her ageing differently would have eventually been noticed by the Fae.

'I know dear,' Mistress Garnet tells me and rubs soothing circles onto my back. 'Look at your hand my child,' she quietly urges me and I release her from my hug and step back to peer at my hands, Ruby does too and she lets out a little gasp when she realises at the same time as me what's changed about them.

Myself though, I'm in shock at what I see and I see that nothing is there anymore. I no longer carry the slave brand upon my hand and I realise I am closer to being where I want to be. Free. I close my eyes as more tears fall down in happiness and Ruby squeals and leads me in a awkward jig in the cramped space of the vehicle.

'Is everything alright?' Lord Ashton asks us as he climbs back inside and waits for Ruby to sit back down on the bench facing forwards and he then leads me to the opposite bench, facing towards the back of the carriage to sit down upon and then he takes the seat next to me. He taps the side of the vehicle again and that signals to the driver to start moving out again.

As I feel the carriage roll forward once again, I turned to Lord Ashton and tell him, cradling my unbranded hand close to my chest, 'Thank you so much Lord Ashton, everything is perfect,' I give him a shy smile and he shoots a warm smile back at me too.

The carriage continues to drive down into the castle town and then continues onwards, beyond its guarded walls, through its manned gate proper, leaving the only place I have ever known in my life but that place was never home for me, the people here with me are my home.

Chapter Eight

Briar

I was woken up by my head hitting the unpadded part of the door inside the carriage, as the vehicle was jolted a few times on a really bumpy stretch of the road. I could see it was early in the morning as the light still held a greyish quality to it outside the window. I rubbed at the pain radiating from the hit on my head and I felt it go away discreetly.

Waking up in the carriage confirmed to me that last night events were actually real and I stared at my hand that had carried my slave brand to reconfirm I hadn't imagine it's disappearance as well. Everything from last night's events were too good to be true.

'Good morning Briar, did you manage to sleep a little?' Lord Ashton quietly inquired of me as I turned my head to look at him, he offers me a small apologetic smile, 'we all have to bear with this forced pace of travelling for a bit longer so we can leave the border of this kingdom behind,' he explains to me with a wince as we hit another pothole jolting us forwards from our seats.

I nod in understanding, as I push myself back into my seat and reply back to his greeting belatedly, 'Good morning Lord Ashton, it's ok I understand,' I quietly say and I move my glance over to check on how well Ruby and Mistress Garnet are faring so far. Mistress Garnet is quietly reading a small book and she gives me a warm smile and Ruby is just now blearily opening her eyes.

'Good morning Mistress Garnet, Ruby, did you both sleep well?' I ask them and Ruby yawns and cracks her jaw a little before she answers me.

'I slept terribly,' Ruby supplied and rubbed at her neck that must've gotten a little sore from being at a funny angle as she slept.

'I haven't slept yet,' Mistress Garnet admitted and turned a page of her book as she finished reading that part. 'I felt I should keep watch while you young ones rested up a bit,' she explains and then she marks her page in her book with a black leather bookmark and proceeds to put her book away in a hidden sewn pocket on her thick cloak. 'It's been rather an uneventful night after the initial excitement of it all,' she tells us and she stretches her arms out in front of her.

'But Mama, you should rest as well!' Ruby protests and she hugs her mother's arm to her own side in worry as she looks her over with concern.

'Nonsense, staying up for one night won't tax me, after all it was you two young girls that did most of the work last night and so I decided to watch over you both instead,' Mistress Garnet explains to Ruby and me and smiles to show us she was really ok with it.

'But we must stop soon I fear,' Mistress Garnet announces to us all and everyone leans in closer to hear why. 'We will all have to attend to some personal matters sooner rather than later no doubt,' she gave us all a small knowing wink and I can guess what the matter is that Mistress Garnet refers to, as just then the rest of my waking body was catching up and sending messages to my brain. Like for instance my bladder is in a somewhat urgent state to be emptied soon. I squirm uncomfortably in my seat and Lord Ashton began to notice all of our discomfort and took the hint.

'Of course ladies, I understand,' he tells us all smoothly, 'I will ask the driver to stop and signal the others to also stop as well but it can only be for a short break at the most I fear,' Lord Ashton explains to us, 'for now that is, until we are travelling in safer lands and then we can take longer breaks and camp out for some nights or stay at some good inns along the way to our destination,' he informs us. We all nod in understanding.

'Don't worry my Lord, we won't be long at all in what we need to do, just as soon as the carriage stops, we will be out for a few minutes and then straight back in,' Mistress Garnet assures Lord Ashton on all our behalf.

'Well I'm sure the other people in our travelling party probably all need to snatch some time to themselves to do what they need to do as well,' Lord Ashton points out, 'we have been travelling for nearly three hours on or off already,' he tells us and gives us all a short nod of resolve before opening the hatch window to bang on the side of the carriage. Lord Ashton then waves his arm in an exaggerated manner outside the window to signal the attention of the others travelling in this party as well to slow down.

I see the scenery slow down from the view of the window on my side and see a darkly wooded area stretch out around us. We eventually come to a stop and hear the coachman saying, 'Whoa! Whoa there ladies, Beth, Bess, woah there! That's it good girls!' He says cajolingly to the horses pulling this carriage along.

I can feel the lurching stop of the vehicle and it sways forward a little. The horses are stamping their hooves and settling down when Lord Ashton opens the door on his side to exit and I open the door on my side which bangs with a little clatter against the carriage as I let it go. I stand up from my seat to the open doorway and hold onto the sides of the doorframe to prepare myself to take the big step down to the ground from the carriage.

'Hey again Briar!' A man's voice says over enthusiastically right next to me and I nearly fall out of the open doorway from shock but a pair of strong arms grabs hold of my waist and then lifts me down out of the carriage and places me easily upon on my feet on the dirt floor.

'You got to be more careful there! Just call my name and I'll come to help you, ok?' This man tells me in a real friendly tone and he lets go of my waist now to take a step back and gives me an innocent boyish smile that leaves me stunned for a moment. I don't recognise this man but his voice and mannerisms sparks a reminder from the stranger I met last night.

'Ryo?' I hesitantly ask this man and bite my bottom lip as I wait to hear my suspicions being confirmed.

'Now young man,' calls out Mistress Garnet's voice in a somewhat imperious tone, I turn my head in the direction of her voice, 'I suspect Briar wouldn't have fallen out of this carriage at all if it wasn't for you surprising her with your antics just now,' she says in a scolding tone to Ryo as she appears next out of the carriage and lands lightly on her feet with no help at all and then places herself in front me. Ruby joins us next with equal lithe movements matching her mother's own but she has an arched eyebrow along with an amused stare as I see her openly checking Ryo out.

'I don't know what you think your business is with Briar, but she is like a sister to me and a dear friend,' Ruby tells Ryo casually and then produces a slim throwing knife hidden upon her person from somewhere and taps it lightly against her thigh. 'But if you're a pest, you best be going on your way,' Ruby informs Ryo with a dazzling but scary smile. I've seen her practice that look to perfection in the mirror on more than one occasion myself. I have heard it's a very effective form of defence from the castle gossips, so I know Ruby is ready to do battle of some sort.

'About my daughter's opinions and feelings that she has directly but inelegantly expressed to you,' Mistress Garnet adds, 'is seconded by myself as well young man,' she tells Ryo and for extra emphasis, Mistress Garnet prods Ryo in his chest to prove her point but he doesn't budge at all under her finger and he gives Mistress Garnet a mischievous look that seems to makes his light blue grey eyes sparkle in the light and that makes me notice the details about him now for the first time. He has flawless skin and the fairest of hair that it's almost a translucent silver. It is cut short at the sides but has been left long on top to be gathered in a short pony tail at the back.

Mistress Garnet also adds, 'I have long since considered Briar as a second daughter of mine and if you bother Briar, I will seek out measures to make you very uncomfortable young man,' she nonchalantly threatens Ryo. Ryo eyes are looking back and forth between Ruby and Mistress Garnet in an assessing way.

'Ladies, I apologise if I have given you both the wrong impression of myself just now, I and Briar met just last night,' he explains to them, 'and I am a close friend of Lord Ashton and Prince Raine who Briar rescued. She impressed me greatly with her cleverness and bravery back there and I wish to repay the debt that is owed to her for rescuing one of my oldest and closest friends,' Ryo continues to tell them both and then takes a step back to present a small, respectful bow to both Mistress Garnet and Ruby.

'Hmm,' Ruby just says but she seems satisfied for now by Ryo's apology as her small throwing knife disappears just as quick as it had appeared before.

'Just so you know young man, I and my daughter will be watching you closely, we are very well familiar with all sorts of scoundrels and our Briar is not. Being close friends to some Fae Prince and Fae Lord means nothing to us at all, not now when we can fully protect Briar from unwanted interests,' Mistress Garnet informs him.

She steps in close to my side and gives me an affectionate side hug and whispers in my ear, 'We couldn't protect you as much as we wanted too my dear back in that castle but I aim to make up for it now Briar,' she tells me sincerely and places a motherly kiss on my cheek and then she steps away from me again, tears are pricking at my eyes from her warm gesture.

'You have been warned young man,' Mistress Garnet finishes up saying to Ryo and then she walks off into the woods with Ruby following a step behind her mother, signalling the end of their conversation with Ryo for now.

'Well,' Ryo said in an awkward tone but his amused face didn't quite match it, 'that was interesting wasn't it? I wonder what would happen to me if I ever asked for your hand in marriage?' He jokes lightly to me and my eyes widen at that remark but it makes me laugh a little as well and I give Ryo a small smile and he smiles back in return.

'Well thank you for catching me I guess, but I need to follow them,' I indicate towards Ruby and Mistress Garnet's retreating forms in the wood. 'It being safer together than being apart sort of thing,' I say and wave my hands vaguely for emphasis.

'I can accompany you,' Ryo tries to offer helpfully to me, unaware of what it is I obviously need to do.

'What?!' I say a little bashfully, 'Umm no thank you, that's not necessary at this moment, so goodbye,' I all but shout the last part as I start to walk away backwards and I add, 'and don't worry about repaying a debt or something, Lord Ashton is already taking care of it,' I tell this to Ryo and I finally turn my back to him now and plunge into the woods after Ruby and Mistress Garnet.

I sigh to myself, I'm really not used to men being friendly or nice to me for that matter and now I have met three of them. 'So strange,' I mutter to myself, thinking I was now beyond everyone's hearing especially as I crash through the underbrush of the woods.

'Hey! I heard that!' Ryo calls out from behind me, 'I'm going to change that impression of yours about me!' I stop moving in the woods and turn to look back at Ryo and listen to his strange rant some more, 'That's the second time you've called me strange! I can't let Ashton win our competition because you called him a god last night!' Ryo announces to me and wholeheartedly shakes his fist in the air to announce his challenge to me. I can't help myself and a loud laugh bursts out of me unexpectedly at this Ryo's antics.

'I'm gonna count that as a win for this morning as I'm the first one to make you laugh like that,' Ryo calls out to me.

'But I'm the first one to make her smile,' Lord Ashton announces smoothly as he steps up to Ryo's side. 'Ignore this loon Briar and go complete your business,' Lord Ashton calls out to me and I see him place an arm around Ryo's neck and he half drags him away.

I hear Lord Ashton wrestle with Ryo as I turn around and Ryo protests but in a muffled sort of way, then I hear Lord Ashton's voice clearly say, 'You're an idiot my friend, she needed to go pee!' He exclaims aloud and I hear Ryo's muffled voice reply something in return but my face has already turned red as I go after Mistress Garnet and Ruby again.

I can't help one thought though slipping through as I run to catch up, I wonder what are the rules of this strange contest between those three friends and how on earth do they win it?

Chapter Nine

Briar

It feels like ages has past now from when we climbed back into the carriage and set off travelling again. People have reorganised themselves and they have swapped around to do other things for a change of pace, like the drivers of the vehicles are now passengers in the wagon behind us to have a rest and some of the horse riders from before are now currently doing the driving now.

Lord Ashton explained to us it's something they have all learned to do in their travelling party to keep themselves more alert as they journey. I'm beginning to see why as the terrain has changed very little over the last hour or so and this monotony could grow very tedious and lower anyone's guard as well I imagine if they are a seasoned traveller. But this is my first journey ever and I am seeing and experiencing many firsts all of the time, so it's still interesting to me.

It's just the three of us in the carriage for now, Ruby, Mistress Garnet and myself. We have taken advantage of this moment to talk in private amongst ourselves without Lord Ashton's presence. He is taking some exercise for himself by riding one of the horses instead.

'Tell us about last night Briar,' Mistress Garnet asks me after she makes sure the small privacy spell she has cast to muffle sound is working well within the confines of the carriage. She kept hitting the carriage periodically to signal the driver out in front and they have shown no indication of hearing it and neither did the people riding alongside us.

I start to talk without much preamble to them both, 'Ruby, I believe will have told you of the bargain she negotiated with Lord Ashton?' I asked and Ruby nodded yes and I continued to speak. 'My part to fulfil last night was to break Prince Raine out of the dungeons because Lord Ashton had been told 'I knew of hidden ways to get in and out,' I air quoted with my fingers that last part.

'I see,' Mistress Garnet nodded her understanding, 'in reality you walked through the walls. How did you knock the guards out?' She asked me next without faltering.

'I found these guy's in the dungeons sleeping,' I rolled up the loose sleeve on my left arm to reveal the sickle thorn seedlings there. Their little vines were still braided around my lower arm as a green protective gauntlet, and now that the natural light fell upon them for the first time, they stirred and stretched their leaves to bask and marvel in the warm light.

'I see that you have made some new friends,' Mistress Garnet comments and then with a wink she digs in the other side of her cloak and pulls out a very familiar battered brown leather drawstring purse which she begins to handover. 'I made sure to keep your other friends on my person for you, I'm sure you were worried for them,' she tells me and I reach out with both my hands towards her, to receive my purse which she then drops into my waiting hands.

I bring it towards me and carefully open the top to poke my finger inside and gently caress and greet all of the seeds that I have awoken and become close to over the years. Some of these seeds are naturally magical in nature and some are holistic or horticultural. I have gathered them over the years from my time spent being in the apothecary or the kitchens.

These seeds right here are as much my family as Ruby and Mistress Garnet are to me. They quietly hum their thoughts and greetings to me in our magical link and I send them a little shot of my magic to boost and feed them from their time asleep in the purse as I commune with them about what is happening now.

The seedlings on my left arm snaked their way down to the bag's opening and I introduce the new family members to the old members. The seeds in the purse joyously welcomed their new family members in their own gentle way. I glanced up and smile at Mistress Garnet.

'Thank you so much Mistress Garnet,' I tell her and the smile on my face is so big it makes my face ache. I continue my story though as I let my smaller family members commune to each other, their voices falling to the background of my consciousness as I start to speak again.

'The sickle thorn seedlings here made their sleeping pollen when I asked them to and it knocked everyone out that was down there in the dungeons. From then on it was just a case of dragging Prince Raine through the walls and outside of the castle,' I tell Ruby and Mistress Garnet. I place my purse carefully in my lap and use my other hand to dig out the golden nugget of sleeping pollen from my pocket to show them.

'This is to show anyone if they have any questions of how I managed to pull it off and not alert any guards, that and talking about my apothecary training and a secret hole left in the outside wall from the breach from all those years ago should make a plausible tale,' I tell them.

Mistress Garnet nods her head in agreement so far with what I am suggesting, 'That is a clever plan Briar,' she commends my well thought over excuse and I pocket the sleeping pollen nugget again.

'When I was outside though, I reached out for help from the sickle thorn nest that lives there...', I trail off and Ruby gives a sharp gasp at that information but I barrel on and keep speaking, 'and in order to do that I tapped into my pure state of magic,' I reveal to them and wince slightly.

'But you're alright? They didn't hurt you?' Ruby demanded to know.

'They didn't hurt me much, it had to be done though to connect to them,' I defend myself and the nest. 'Once their thorns had pierced my skin and drank a little of my blood I began to talk to them through that link and told them of our tragic connection. They looked through my memories to confirm this and now I am seen as a unique family member of theirs,' I explain a little awkwardly to the stunned expressions on Ruby's and Mistress Garnet's faces.

'At least you're ok Briar,' Mistress Garnet said after a moment of silence to recover herself.

'You could have died!' Ruby exclaims and her face twists in worry over my actions.

'I'm really sorry,' I apologise to them, 'but not only did the sickle thorns there help me by carrying Prince Raine for me through their territory, they also revealed what they knew of that night as well,' I reveal to them next. Ruby and Mistress Garnet inhaled sharply at hearing this, I knew I had their interest there.

'They showed me in their memories that they had been lured into the castle dungeons all those years ago and that they were trapped on purpose and that's how their dying kin within the stone walls had a hand in my creation. The nest said it was like their deceased family now live and survive on in me. But someone with magic had definitely caused the breach and changed my life forever that day,' I tell them of the seriousness of my discovery.

So someone seriously and deliberately did that?! For what crazy reason would anyone do that?' Ruby asks me in horror. I shake my head at her as I don't know the answer to that question either.

'The nest couldn't tell who the cloaked figure was either,' I tell her, 'they said they just saw a shadow.'

'Maybe...,' Mistress Garnet pauses and thinks before speaking again, 'maybe it had something to do with whoever was imprisoned down there? Someone who was being targeted and it was all just a blanket attack?' Mistress Garnet muses her theory aloud.

'Maybe,' I sigh wearily and agree with her, my shoulders sagging, 'I think though I will never know the answer to it for certain,' I tell Mistress Garnet. I stare down into my lap and the bag of seeds sitting there have picked up on my despondent mood and they are trying to cheer me up after hearing about a new twist to my life story. Their concern lifts me up and I smile sadly at them and thank them in our link.

I remove my hand from holding the seed purse and retrieve the hidden gifts I placed awkwardly in my waist band last night and showed them to Ruby and Mistress Garnet. 'I received these as a gift from my new family to protect myself with out here in the world as they could not come with to protect me,' I shyly explain as Mistress Garnet and Ruby lean over my hands for a closer inspection.

'Are those their...?' Ruby asks in a reverent and awestruck voice as she takes in every detail without actually touching them.

'Yes,' I simply answer her, Ruby I know has a secret passion for weapons of normal and magical capacity and she would know what the value and importance of these blades are.

'You have received an honour that many have tried to have taken and failed at trying,' Mistress Garnet breathes those words out as she looks over the twin thorn blades in my hands as well. 'They will protect you like nothing else could,' she tells me as she straightens up and Ruby does too, but more reluctantly.

'When we have a bit more privacy Ruby, you can have a proper look,' I promise her as I quickly put them away to rest against my hip again. Ruby is instantly cheered up at this promise and beams a radiant smile at me. She really does love her weapons.

'Oh!' Ruby exclaims just as the thought comes to her, 'I can train you in how to be a dual weapon user!' She says excitedly to me at the prospect.

'Thank you Ruby,' I tell her, 'I'll definitely need to learn how to I think.'

'Is there anything else to tell us Briar, before Ruby dives into making up a training regimen for you?' Mistress Garnet asks with a tiny smile playing upon her lips at her daughter's enthusiasm. 'Did anyone see you use your magic or you in your Fae form?' She asks me rather perceptively.

'Yes and no,' I hedge with her, 'Prince Raine thinks he saw a beautiful Fae goddess walking the land and talking to the thorns,' I shrug uncomfortably under her keen gaze, 'I told him I thought he was dreaming and then his friend Ryo interrupted us before Prince Raine could think properly. If Prince Raine mentions it again I will suggest that the properties of sickle thorn sleeping pollen can be quite strong and hallucinogenic if the dose taken is large enough.'

'I see,' Mistress Garnet says after she digests this facet of information, 'we will back you up in your cover story,' she tells me, 'all in all though, you've both done a splendid job,' Mistress Garnet tells us, looking at us with equal pride but equal worry for us both in her gaze.

'We cannot drop our guard for a moment around these wily Fae,' she warns us, Ruby and I both nod our agreement. 'We have to be more vigilant around these strangers, they will notice things that are not picked up on by those who have learnt to take us for granted in the castle, especially now we are out of hiding places and out in the open,' Mistress Garnet stresses to us.

'Is there anything else to tell us about Briar?' Mistress Garnet asks me again.

'No,' I tell her and shake my head as well as assurance to her question.

'Ok then,' Mistress Garnet exhales, 'I'm going to drop the spell now,' she informs us and we ready ourselves for it. She claps her hands together and small sparks of blue light detonate for a short moment which leave an imprint on the eyes for a second or two. Mistress Garnet looks out of the carriage window and I notice that her gaze had landed on a laughing Ryo and his two friends, Prince Raine and Lord Ashton. A faint frown graces her face, she then looks away and so do I.

Chapter Ten

Ryo

'What do you know of the girl Briar?' I tried to nonchalantly bring the subject up to Ashton and Raine who were each riding alongside of me. The horses and the creak of leather could only be heard for a beat before someone answered the question.

'Why are you asking us that?' Ashton asks me, he looks at me askance in bemusement before paying attention again to the road before him and his horse.

'She was a servant at the castle,' Raine said, ' and I met her in the corridor of the Courtesan's wing, in fact I saved her from a spot of trouble there in the corridor and in return she ended up saving me. Now that she's freed I don't know what she will do from here on out,' he tells me and then shrugs his shoulders.

'Trouble?' I ask Raine as my hands tighten on the reins.

'Not as bad as you might think,' he's quick to reassure me, 'I saved her from being seen by a troublesome character is all,' Raine replies.

Ashton on my other side then speaks up, 'I know why she was on the Courtesan's wing,' he tells us, both myself and Raine look to Ashton as he continues talking, 'she's Ruby's maid and she had come up to draw a bath and set a small meal up for us to eat. If I recall right, Briar is a shy thing for being a Courtesan's attendant,' he told us with a slight twinkle in his eye.

'I see,' I reply back to him, not really seeing what he meant at all. 'So she helped to look after her 'friend',' I murmured to myself and ground my jaw.

'No I don't think you do,' Ashton says rather sharply to me and I narrow my eyes at his tone, 'Those two have been longtime childhood friends and Briar wasn't forced into it. Ruby's position helped to shield Briar from the worst kinds of treatments in that place just because she was a slave and also from what I have gathered from my quick investigation of those three women is this,' Ashton looks at me to make sure he has my full attention here, 'Ruby hadn't been given a choice either about becoming a Courtesan for the castle,' he informs us, 'the castle's clerk at the registry who helped me with the transferral papers just happened to be full of gossip,' Ashton remarks wryly to us. No doubt that meant Ashton's purse was rather on the light side after that information.

'Also from what I could gather whilst passing the time away in the carriage with Ruby's mother, who is also a retired Courtesan, was that they had tried many different ways to gain release from the Winter court's unfair system for Briar and Ruby. Nothing seemed to work though and they kept ending up getting no where fast. That is until Raine and I came along with our little problem to solve and Ruby seized the opportunity that had fallen into their laps,' Ashton announces these little tidbits to us.

'So you're basically saying to me, 'shut up Ryo', you don't know what those women have gone through to be here today,' I say to Ashton with a small glower.

'Well you said it, not me,' Ashton remarks with a smirk on his lips.

'The practices of that castle make me shudder all the more because everyone is under the assumption that what they are doing is ok and we had to show willing as well to be accepted there to fly under the radar as we looked around the place,' Raine visibly shuddered, his revulsion clear to everyone there.

'Did you learn anything else about Briar?' I asked again and to change the topic for Raine.

'Why do you want to know?' Raine asks with a bit of confusion showing on his face that I can see.

'You're being awfully persistent over someone you just met, you don't normally beat around the bush asking others for information, you just normally ask that person,' Ashton states with one of his eyebrows arched in inquiry.

'That's true,' Raine nods and agrees but I just look down and let out a sigh.

'Well,' Ashton says drawing the word out and I look back up at him, 'I did learn that Briar had received training under the apothecary. Apparently she was really good but because of her slave status she couldn't continue her training when she came of age,' he tells us and waits for my reaction at this information he has passed on.

'That is interesting,' I muse over this little fact, 'why did she receive training in the first place I wonder?'

'The clerk had mentioned there was something abnormal to that slave, an interesting accident at birth but nothing came of it, it was castle gossip for the longest time while all those 'tests' were being performed on her by the apothecaries,' Ashton tells us and I see a shadow of disgust in his expression about what those tests might have been.

'The Winter court treated everyone abysmally in that place who didn't have some form of power or position to protect them,' Raine comments darkly to us, 'I saw some questionable activities that was treated as a form of sport. What was worse was that no one seemed to realise it was just wrong to be like that,' he tells us.

'I have to concur with Raine's assessment, it made me feel dirty to blend in with them,' Ashton clearly had a look of revulsion on his face which marred his handsome features that I had heard many ladies comment on.

'So they experimented on Briar to find out what exactly? What abnormalities?' I ask them both but I continue to speak without waiting for them to answer, 'It's clear though that they were testing so regularly for something in that girl for so long if she ended up learning the trade and working in the apothecary. It speaks volumes about the length of time spent on whatever intrigued them that the common indolent Fae mindset couldn't let go off it. So what was it?' I pointed out to them.

'Unless you directly ask the lady in question, we will never know,' Ashton comments dryly, 'my gift is not that of mind reading, neither is Raines,' he reminds me.

'Of course neither is mine,' I say to them as our horses have continued to keep pace with each other as we talk.

'Why all this interest? I'm asking you again,' Ashton asks with suspicion colouring his voice and irritation is beginning to cloud his demeanour because I haven't revealed to anyone what I discovered last night.

'Raine,' I change tactics, 'did you notice anything interesting last night?' I ask him and he starts a little, that reaction right there was interesting. His horse dances sideways a bit until Raine gets his horse under control again.

'I didn't really notice anything, I was unconscious through the whole jail break until I woke up outside of the castle,' Raine tells us and looks down at his saddle in befuddlement.

'Yes, I'm interested in that part as well, how did Briar do all that, I must ask her!' Ashton exclaims in a joking manner, 'It will make for an interesting dinner story to tell all the people for sure for many years to come,' he says to us with a grin on his face, Raine aims a glare in Ashton's direction.

'Anything else unusual Raine?' I ask him and I watch him pause thoughtfully and he turns to me in his saddle to hold my gaze as he speaks to me:

'Well it'll probably sound stupid but I had a dream,' he tells us and a hint of red touches his cheeks as he admits that somewhat uncomfortably.

'A dream? Do tell! While a hard working girl rescues you, you have a dream, was it anything good?' Ashton teases Raine, but he has my full attention.

'What did you dream about?' I ask him seriously and Raine frowns at me but continues to tells us anyway.

'I dreamt that a glowing Fae goddess of nature talked to the sickle thorns and walked the land near where I slept and I-,' he stops and looks sheepishly at us both.

'And you?' I ask Raine, prompting him, I was on the edge of my saddle, leaning towards him to hear what came next.

'I felt that it was my fated mate but I couldn't reach her,' he mumbles, 'see it was all just a silly dream,' Raine defends himself as his face reddens more under our scrutiny.

Ashton lets out a long whistle at that declaration, 'It must have been some dream that, to dream of a fated mate,' he says with a touch of longing colouring his own voice.

I lean back in my saddle and think things over before I reveal something to them both. 'Guys, last night I saw something unbelievable,' I tell them quietly.

Chapter Eleven

Ashton

'You're positive?' I ask Ryo and glance back at the carriage to have a glimpse of Briar again.

'Yes,' he nods, 'I must have seen her use magic but I never felt any magic being used,' he tells us and silence descends on us because we are simply stunned. 'How else did those sickle thorns communicate with her and help her carry Raine out?' He asks us.

I shake my head, 'I don't know what to think of what either of you have just told me,' I admit to them both.

'There's more I think,' but Ryo doesn't sound too sure of himself for once and that catches my attention now and I listen to him attentively.

'What else?' Raine asks Ryo and Ryo scrunches his face for a moment before speaking to us.

'When I touched her before for the first time last night, I felt something, like we connected..? But just for a moment. I wanted to see if it would happen again so when I saw the coach stop this morning, I went to assist her out of it to check to see if it would happened again,' he admits quietly and then he looks away and down at his hands.

'And did it? Did anything happen again?' I prompt Ryo to answer, I really needed to know. A gut feeling was beginning to churn through me.

Ryo sighed and looked back up at me and answered my question, 'Nothing happened that time this morning when I touched her,' he admits and looks like he is questioning if he actually felt anything at all to me.

'Remember when we were kids?' I ask totally off track from this conversation and Raine and Ryo look up in confusion at me at where I am going with this.

'Yes, mostly,' Raine says and Ryo nods yes too to me.

'Remember that episode of foresight that I had when we first met each other and my family hushed it up by saying my gift was untrained and not to be trusted at that point?' I ask them both.

Ryo squints in thought and replies, 'I vaguely remember something like that happening but that was what intrigued me about you, even though I was told to stay away from you,' he says with a grin to me.

'Yes, I'm sure my guardian had said something similar to me as well,' Raine says, 'but then much, much later my guardian was super happy that I had ignored his 'advice', Raine adds to Ryo's comment, 'Why bring that up?' He asks me and I shrug my shoulders in a awkward gesture.

'My grandmother was there at the time and she wrote down those words for me, even though my family insisted that something like that could never happen and I needed to train my gift seriously to be of any use to anyone. People have always consulted my family's bloodline for future hints in what to do or try as they might, not to do,' I wave a hand casually about the whole family business.

It was a funny quirk to our gift, where we couldn't remember our own future tellings of our lives, I think it was to prevent us from changing the outcome of our fates too much. That's why we asked others to record it for us. In the end it could be very important to us. But our gift proved invaluable to others, the difference being was that we could remember every one of those foretelling moments that ghosted through our lips. It was as if there was a future us saying those words at the actual time it was happening in and not before.

'My grandmother from that moment on volunteered to train my gift personally and she believed what I had said was true, as she had a similar foretelling of our family's bloodline and what I had said had reconfirmed her own foretelling. She told me she had come closer to the time of its happening now but she hadn't known which family member it would happen to as I simply hadn't been born yet,' I told the guys and I could see I had their full attention trained on me now.

'What was your foretelling again?' Raine asks, his curiosity spiking.

'Yes what was it you said to us back then?' Ryo asks me as well and waits for my answer too.

'That we were destined to be bound together by the one same true mate when she appears in our lives,' I tell them heavily, 'I even kind of shrugged that foretelling away myself,' I admit to them, 'I mean the odds of anyone finding their true mate is just astronomical,' I say a little derisively, 'I let myself be convinced by the others in my family whenever I had tried to bring it up when I was young,' I shrug my shoulders and my gaze swung speculatively to where Briar was, before meeting Ryo and Raine's gazes, 'But now, maybe it might not have been so far fetched,' I admit quietly in wonder to them.

Chapter Twelve

Raine

We chew on our own thoughts in silence for a while and I guess it's a pretty heavy topic to bring up in the first place. A possible true mate. Technically we are all told these fantastical stories of those that had actually found their true mates in the past when we were kids but in reality as adults, we learn that sometimes it's not very likely to stumble across that kind of connection and you settle down with someone to have children and grow old with.

In the case of our families, our marriages will have political connotations attached. Simply put that's why many 'mated' pairs are in an open relationship, that's the standard for a Fae marriage. Love really isn't an aim anymore, tolerability is. It might sound bad to an outside perspective but it's an aim to find someone you can trust and be comfortable with at least for the rest of your long lived existence.

My mind recalls all of those childhood tales of true mates and one common thread is they find each other in some kind of pivotal time and they perform heroic feats using their gods blessed connection and the world as they knew it, is changed for the better hopefully.

In other words if these stories were at all true and I glance to look at the carriage where this Briar sits in, something big might actually happen. The problem is I think this again, the odds of this ever happening is astronomical at best like Ashton said. One could live their entire lives and walk the breadth of the world and never even come close to finding that destined true mate.

I sigh and shake my head and I look down the road ahead, a small persistent drizzle has started up and the road conditions are becoming a bit muddy out here in the wilderness to the border crossing. If this mate thing was even remotely true, our lives could be made even more difficult at this intersection when we are on the cusp of hopefully changing things for the better ourselves.

I broach the silence and clear my throat to get Ryo and Ashton's attention. 'If what you said is at all possible Ashton,' I begin to say, 'things around us could change drastically,' I hedge at all the possibilities hanging in the air, our families, politics, our own ambitions, everything.

They each nod and wait for me to continue speaking and getting my thoughts in order, 'At the very least we've all come to the conclusion that Briar is something that is not normally found in this world,' and I look at Ryo meaningfully and he looks thoughtful too about my meaning, 'could this strangeness be what is affecting us two?' I hedge the question to him and Ryo nods in some kind of agreement.

'It could be,' Ryo dubiously replies to my question but he definitely sounds unsure of it.

'At the very least we can agree that this Briar is a person of special interest which we should observe,' Ashton suggests to us and I nod my agreement as well, Ryo I know is already invested in finding out more.

'What about the other ladies? Are they, themselves, different? Or do you think they just know about Briar's differences as well?' I ask about them in curiosity as I haven't met them yet.

Ryo snorts rudely and Ashton looks at Ryo bizarrely for his behaviour. 'They're polite, normal human ladies as far as I can tell, they wouldn't have become trained Courtesans if they were anything other than human. The Winter court are known for their strict tests for magical aptitude. If they were anything else but human they would've been hoarded away already,' Ashton points this obvious fact out to us.

'Polite you say?' Ryo scoffs, 'They all but promised to take my manhood away if I went near their precious Briar with anything other than proper intentions,' Ryo exclaims to us and my eyes widen in surprise at that. Courtesans don't normally act like that unless they are asked to do so by their clientele I guessed to myself as I continued to listen to Ryo rail on about their behaviour.

'Now, now,' Ashton speaks up to calm down Ryo, 'maybe they were just being overly protective when it comes to Briar like they said, they really were quite pleasant in the interactions I had with them,' Ashton insists to Ryo.

'The young redhead pulled a knife out from somewhere on her person! I couldn't tell where it came from it was just suddenly there,' Ryo exclaims and Ashton and I look at each other, both puzzled a little bit.

'Well maybe she thought she needed to carry some protection?' Ashton points out, 'They are travelling with an unknown group of people to an unknown place and left behind their only known protection in the world. Maybe being armed gives her some comfort and control in this situation?' Ashton reasons to Ryo.

'She knew how to use that knife,' Ryo all but growls out that warning to us and Ashton stops trying to placate Ryo.

'Well if I had known about that before I visited the lady it would have certainly added a hint of spice to the moment,' Ashton jokes with us.

'Courtesans are not to be armed,' I remind Ashton, 'their clientele are important and cannot be risked in any circumstances. It could mean death to the Courtesan depending on what happened,' I finish reprimanding.

'But then again if anything were to happen to them, a Courtesan, it would also end up being too late for the Courtesan in question,' Ryo points out begrudgingly.

'Well let's agree to disagree on that point,' Ashton says to both of us. 'In civil places, things are run differently, people have choices and any ladies who become Courtesans or run such places, guarantee security for both members of the party,' Ashton reminds us, 'In that castle, I fear there was not a great amount of importance placed on the Courtesans treatment beyond that of material means?' Ashton finishes pointing out to us and leaves us to ponder about the circumstances of the Courtesans travelling with us.

I mean look, those ladies were desperate enough to leave that place, even risking punishment or possibly death to just free me to gain a chance at freedom. I sigh and speak up for them, after all I had stayed in the same castle as them as well, I knew a little of where they were coming from, 'The knife is not that important,' I stress, saying in agreement with Ashton.

'As long you don't forget it's there,' Ryo grunts out a dark reminder to us.

'But you told us this Briar received weapons from the sickle thorns last night as well?' I remind Ryo, 'Don't forget about them either,' I warn him.

'Well that's different,' Ryo starts to tell us.

'How is that different?' I ask Ryo in interest, magically offensive and defensive weapons being more of a big deal than a steel knife in the grand scheme of things in my mind.

'Briar hasn't been carrying them on her person on purpose in the first place, they were gifted to her moments before she was bundled up onto the carriage. She can't be faulted for having them,' Ryo defended, 'besides not many people would turn down those sickle thorns if they were in the mood to give a gift like that,' Ryo points out to us both.

'True,' Ashton agrees with Ryo, 'but if anyone realises what she is carrying, it could paint a target on her back for those who think they deserve them better than her,' Ashton warns us, I nod in understanding but I know we're safe with the current set of people surrounding us.

Briar is safe enough with the weapons unless she actually tries to assassinate one of us which is highly unlikely. She doesn't know who we really are but we also don't know where her loyalties lie either, so revealing anything about ourselves is unlikely to happen in this situation.

'Well we'll just watch her for the time being and if she is someone truly powerful maybe we can recruit her to our cause?' I suggest to them all as an option.

'And what about the whole possible she is our 'true mate' situation?' Ashton asks us in a dubious voice even though he was the one to have foretold this thing himself.

I bite back a sigh and ask this, 'Does anyone here know or has read of what it's like to have found a true mate?' The others just shake their heads, beyond childhood tales we know nothing concrete. 'Obviously we have no personal experience to fall back on here either,' I point out to both of them, 'so what we have experienced as of yet can't be counted as conclusive. Besides Ashton hasn't even had a strange stirring with this Briar and he's had the longest contact with her out of all of us here.'

Ashton looks pensive before he speaks to us both again, 'I still wouldn't rule out the possibility...,' he hedged out his opinion to us.

I bit on my inner cheek before speaking out again, someone always had to be the level headed one out of us three and most of the time it fell on me to poke holes in their dreams or schemes, just so they can think properly through their actions before they actually went through with them.

'You know a true mate has been known to be as much a blessing as it is a curse,' I tell him, 'it might not be all that great to really hope for it and then not really have it.' I clenched my fist holding the reins, 'I don't want to be disappointed, I don't want you two to be disappointed,' I try to warn them where this idea could lead to.

'I know where you're coming from Raine and I will try not to dive blindly headfirst into anything,' Ryo tells me, 'There would be many complications involved as you would know,' Ryo sighs wearily.

Ashton speaks up next, 'As you know, I haven't felt anything at all so I wouldn't even know what you guys are pondering over but I wouldn't dive headfirst either,' he tells me and Ryo.

'That's great,' I tell Ryo and Ashton, 'that's all I wanted to hear from you both, that we'll all be cautious and observant until we know what Briar is and what the others are too. We can't be distracted from our current mission by a mystery and a hope,' I say to them and I feel like I've had an uphill struggle not with just trying to convince the others but myself too, to get onboard with this plan. I see Ashton and Ryo nod their heads and murmur their agreements on the topic as well.

'I will do as you say,' Ashton speaks up on the next part, 'observe and be cautious,' he says and then Ryo speaks next.

'I concur and I will try and do the same too,' Ryo tries to reassure me.

I duck my head at their promises and I mumble a, 'Thank you guys,' but my mind is already now drifting to other things as I tune out Ashton and Ryo bickering on about travelling arrangements as a complete change of topic for the moment.

I close my eyes for the briefest of seconds and recall that dream I had only hours ago and the feelings it evoked. Yearning, desire, connection, fulfilment, joy, peace and especially love. Then I remembered how I felt afterwards when I couldn't reach out to that goddess last night and that churning wave of enduring hopelessness and sadness still cling to me even now in its aftermath.

If that was just a taste of what a true mate bond could be, then maybe just maybe it could be something great if it was at all possible or something just as equally to be fearful for.

Chapter Thirteen

Moon apples and generous gifts

Briar

We haven't stopped for another break yet but a few more hours have slid by us as the whole group travels closer to the boundary check point. But I, Ruby and Mistress Garnet face another problem not that of a bathroom break but that of being famished and thirsty. No one has offered us anything at all, but it's not like anyone else has had a chance to banish their own hunger pains or thirst either yet I think to myself.

'What should we do?' As I watch Ruby holding her growling stomach together. 'We can't magic up water between us,' I point out to Mistress Garnet, 'and I don't want to be caught magically making fruit for us either,' I tell her, when asking my seed family to produce something, it isn't exactly easy to hide that kind of thing in a carriage with windows, 'can you all hang on til we get a chance to have a break? I ask Mistress Garnet and Ruby on how they are feeling.

'I had brought some provisions with us, the hard wearing travelling kind but it's no good if it's packed away in one of my trunks. I should have thought ahead and carried some on my person for this kind of reason alone like not having ready access to my belongings,' Mistress Garnet ducked her head, chagrined slightly by her oversight.

'Mamma, don't worry, we can't always think of every eventuality, I can hold on for a bit longer like until we make it across this boundary. I hope we can make it before word reaches the boundary guards of Prince Raine's escape,' Ruby fretted.

We all knew that if we didn't make it in time, we would most likely have to fight our way out but that might mean revealing who we were to everyone outside of our circle. My hand brushed against my leather purse and the seeds within hummed with their own thoughts and feelings but one seed was being particularly loud in trying to get my attention at this moment.

I tuned into that seed and recognised that it was my wise friend the moon apple tree. A prized Fae fruit not just because of it's flavour but because of it's medicinal enhancing abilities.

It was a seed I'd saved from the apothecary's bench as it was about to be thrown away a long time ago. Soldiers who were lucky to be able to, would carry dried fragments of its fruit to chew on for a boost in energy on long campaigns.

'You need sustenance?' A sweet, chiming voice asks inside my head.

'Yes,' I reply back to the moon apple seed in our magical link, 'but I can't ask for your help as we can't be seen, it would endanger us, especially myself,' I tell the sweet, caring seed, 'thank you though for asking.'

'We cannot be seen?' The moon apple seed asks me but before I can answer, the seed must've thought of something, 'It'll be ok, I can make inside our home, then you reach inside and take fruit,' the moon apple offers to me. 'Home' was the leather purse where all of the seeds stayed in and were kept safe.

'Are you sure? That this can be done?' I ask the moon apple seed in surprise, none of us in our family had ever done anything like that before, we had always practiced outside of the bag.

'Will be ok, I make small fruit though,' the moon apple seed both reassured and warned me.

'Thank you so much moon apple seed! It would be of tremendous help to all of us,' I tell it sincerely.

'I want to help, so is ok,' the moon apple seed tells me, 'helping family and you brings joy to all of us and makes us feel useful,' it tells me. It reminds me though with a pang of regret I haven't been able to do much with my seed family since I graduated as an adult and started serving my sentence properly as a slave. Slipping away was easier from a room of sleeping children back then compared to a room full of wakeful adults.

'I'm sorry for not being around as much for you all, it was because of my punishment at the castle,' I explain sadly, 'I really have missed you all,' I tell them, opening the link wider so that all of them can feel my sincerity and regret at not being there for them more and they all reciprocate back to me in their own ways to say they understand and it's ok now.

'You're free and now everything will begin anew for us,' my moon apple seed friend reassures me, 'reach hand into home and be ready to receive,' it instructs me and I do as the seed tells me to do. My hand waits inside the bag and then I feel a small round cool shape fill my hand and I withdraw it with a small tingle of magic from the moon apple seed as it's only tell that it is using the magic in the air around us and via our connection too. I withdraw six small silver apples and lay them on the empty bench seat next to me and the moon apple seed yawns in my head and asks, 'Is enough, yes?'

'Yes, it is more than enough, it is hugely generous,' I tell it, 'thank you for helping us like this,' I send all of my feelings of gratitude to the little seed.

The moon apple seed yawns again, 'It's ok, I rest up now,' it explains to me and I send a warm boost of magic in our link to help it recover during it's rest as it goes to sleep for awhile.

'When it looks like you are speaking but are not, it's kind of weird,' Ruby points out to me, 'but I thank your friend for helping us out now, I really am grateful,' Ruby says as she watches the little silver apples rock from side to side on the empty bench besides myself because of the carriage's motion.

'Tell fire friend it's ok and continue to look after you,' moon apple seed mumbles around another yawn.

'Moon apple seed says it's ok fire friend,' and I miss out the part of looking after me, which moon apple seed grumbles about but stops soon enough as it gets too sleepy to care enough to continue to grumble at me.

I give the apples over to Mistress Garnet and she holds one out to Ruby. 'Ruby can you split this one into three segments, one portion for each of us should see us through for a while, anymore and we could end up being too energetic,' she says apologetically to me.

Ruby already has the moon apple in her hand and is cutting it into three from another knife spirited away on her person. 'Your friend was very generous for helping us,' Mistress Garnet says and bows her head in a gesture of thanks, 'thank you moon apple seed and thank you too Briar,' Mistress Garnet speaks gently to us both.

Looking down at the rest of the apples on her lap, Mistress Garnet thinks for a moment and then looks up and tells us, 'I think the best plan of action in case we are in dire need in the future is to each carry one of these moon apples on our person. They cannot perish until they are broken into and they last for a long time,' Mistress Garnet informs us and hands us back one each, a small silver white looking apple to put away on our person somewhere, Ruby at the same time was also handing us each a third of the other moon apple to eat.

We were quietly crunching and savouring the flavour of the apple slice we had, it was a cross between wild honey, traditional apples and cinnamon with a satisfying crunch for our ears to listen to. Our energy levels began to rise and our hunger and thirst abated with each morsel. Mistress Garnet was right, anymore of this fruit and we would have been fit to bursting with energy and nowhere else for it to go. As it is, at least our fatigue is vanquished for now and we would be ready for anything to come at us. I can see why soldiers use this in emergencies.

'About these two moon apples that are left over, combined with that nugget of sickle thorn sleeping pollen that you have Briar,' Mistress Garnet started talking to me, 'any reputable pharmacy would pay a lot of of money to have them. They are very hard to get items and I was thinking that you should sell them to get yourself some things that you will need while we travel? What do you think?' Mistress Garnet asks me and Ruby for our thoughts.

Ruby speaks up first, 'Sounds like a really good idea Mama,' Ruby says and looks over at me and says directly to me, 'Out of all of us Briar, you're the one who has left nearly all of your worldly possessions behind at that castle in our getaway.

I have plenty of clothes to keep us both outfitted for years,' Ruby reassures me, 'but I bet you want your own trunk and to fill it with things you want and need for yourself?' Ruby asks me and I bite my lip in hesitation as I really think about it.

'Briar, dear,' Mistress Garnet calls to me gently, 'you're free to do what you want now,' she tells me, 'you don't have to hold back anymore and you can keep things for yourself and you don't have to hide them anymore,' Mistress Garnet reminds me about that part of myself that I closed off long ago can now be open again to things, wants and desires. I take a shaky breath as I think it over and I know it will take some getting used to that fact again.

'Thank you,' I say to them and tears prick at my eyes, 'I will do just that,' just as I reach my hands out to receive the two moon apples back from Mistress Garnet, a loud rapping sound comes from the carriage window and all three of us jump out of our skins and turn to look at the round and shocked eyes of Lord Ashton looking at us and looking at the moon apple fruit as if it's the answer to everything he needs.

Ashton

I signal to the carriage and the line behind us to slow and stop before I open the door and jump into the carriage. I know the travelling party is tired, I know the animals are tired and I knew I had to put a stop to this break neck pace. We simply couldn't sustain it for much longer but then when I went to check on the condition of the three ladies travelling with us I was shocked to the Never After and back again.

They held in their hands the answer to keep us all going to and beyond the boundary line. They held the hard to get item that nobility of all ilk hoarded away like there was no tomorrow because it could be the difference between losing and winning a battle and these ladies had them simply out in the open!?

'Are those real?' I questioned them in a stunned tone. I could sense and hear Ryo and Raine getting closer and trying to crowd in behind me to see what's wrong with me.

'Are what real?' Briar asks me in a puzzled tone and her face has turned worried.

'The moon apples?' I ask and point them out to her which Briar now holds in her delicate outstretched hands like an offering.

'Yes, they are moon apples,' she tells me still sounding confused about what's going on.

'Where on earth did you get them from?' I nearly stuttered out, 'I haven't seen one like this out in the open since an auction long ago and even then it was heavily guarded!' I exclaim to Briar.

Briar's face twists in defence, 'I didn't steal them if that's what you think,' she tells me and her back straightens up and she narrows her eyes at me.

'Then how did you get them?' A new voice asks and Raine is in full Prince mode as he looks like he is going to begin to interrogate Briar to find out her secrets.

'A friend gave them to me,' she answers ambiguously.

'That is correct,' Mistress Garnet speaks up and defends Briar.

'A good, true and valued friend gave them to her to help us out,' Courtesan Ruby backs up her mother's statement and subtly changes her stance on the bench seat to protect Briar in a second if needed to in this carriage from me, from us all. I suddenly remember about that knife on her person and wonder if she really does know what's she's doing with it.

Oddly though, I'm really good at reading people and I believe that these three are telling the truth to an extent but it's the part about the 'friend' they are hiding I can tell that part though. Raine's let out a scoff from behind me and mutters loudly, 'No friend is that generous,' he says to the three women.

'Then you've had a very lonely life,' Briar says without thinking and her eyes widen in shock when she realises she's let her thoughts slip out. Ryo howls and guffaws in laughter and I can see from a side glance that Raine doesn't look at all pleased at that comment.

'I like her, I really do!' Ryo happily declares to us all, 'remind me to get you a moon apple each to show you my friendship,' he tells us, 'but in turn you have to do the same for me,' he jokes, 'or we're truly not friends,' Ryo remarks with a wag of his index finger. I give him an incredulous side eye, it would probably cost my considerable estate to buy one moon apple these days.

'I don't understand?' Briar asks but she's not talking to us, she's looking at Mistress Garnet.

'Well Briar my child, outside of our world, items such as these are very hard to find or even cultivate. The Fae have lost the knack of finding these things in the wild and I have heard that such locations of these trees are such a well guarded secret. These guardians monitor and auction off only a few at a time, so no one grows too strong in the world of politics,' she tells Briar and she nods adorably in following along with Mistress Garnet's explanation.

'Briar here doesn't understand the world where you're from Lord Ashton, your highness,' Mistress Garnet indicates Raine as well with a stiff gesture of a head bow and she narrows her eyes at him. I feel like I'm facing a very annoyed Fae Queen at this moment and even I shift the minutest bit in discomfort. I can see Courtesan Ruby smiling at my discomfort.

'But like I told your friend outside, I will protect Briar from your ill intentions,' Mistress Garnet said and I believe she meant Ryo in that statement, 'Briar is an honest and hard working person, she's not as sullied as you lot are in the games you Fae play,' I and Raine mentally recoil back from that comment. But we can ill afford to defend our stance on things with strangers.

'Briar actually does know of a good and gentle friend that would willingly help her because she is their family and I will explain on the matter no more,' Mistress Garnet declares in a defiant tone to us.

In a small, quiet voice I hear now following after that voice of strength, there's a tone that somehow squeezes my heart in sympathy, 'Do you need...these?' Briar's voice hesitantly asks me.

I hesitate as well before speaking and I feel like I'm a cad. Everything I heard them say rings true, the only niggling part is who would be that generous? A wild Fae gone mad? I feel like I won't get the answer even if I push for it and that will result in furthering bad relations between us but I say in a tone of defeat to Briar, 'Yes we need them to keep going to get past the border, without them it will definitely be too late to get by without a fight and we would most likely lose that fight and be overwhelmed as the border patrol will be well rested and we won't be,' I explain with a grimace on my face and close my eyes in defeat in owning up to that little weakness. Raine fidgets behind me. He knows as well as I, how hard it is for a Fae to own up to any weaknesses.

'Then my friend would want you to have them,' Briar says guilelessly to me and holds out the two moon apples for me to take and I stare at them in shock, Raine gasps his shock too, neither of us have ever seen a gesture as generous as this ever before.

'You know, I really do believe Briar hasn't stolen them from the court of Winter and someone, somewhere really was generous and gave them to her. Such gestures still do happen in this world even if it's a super rare occurrence. Of course no one would gain anything from such an act apart from feeling amazingly good about themselves,' Ryo gives out his opinion to us.

'Or thinking dastardly for a moment here, they were simply planning along the way to get a poor ignorant servant girl into trouble one day when it benefited them the most but I feel like this isn't the case here,' Ryo ventures to say another likely idea to us over our shoulders.

He really does like to run his mouth and try to annoy people, mainly his friends the most. I try to shoo him away mentally inside my head but it never works. His voice is very persistent even when he's not there to do the talking.

'I would take the magic fruit and thank Briar for being as equally generous as her friend was to her,' Ryo suggests to us. 'Thank you Briar for your generosity, you don't know how much this will all help us out,' Ryo says sincerely, peering over mine and Raine's shoulders to look at Briar's face and I see that he bows to her, honest to the gods, bows to her.

She will probably never realise how much of an honour that is for Ryo to bestow that on anyone at all. Though I think our travelling party will be not too subtly gawking at such an act from Ryo, especially his own guard unit.

'It's ok, really,' Briar emphasises and replies awkwardly to Ryo and he gives a small chuckle at her reply and I hear him walk away from us and the carriage, leaving only us two left to apologise in more privacy.

I still haven't reached for the fruit yet and Briar stands up to be in front of me and places the moon apples in my hands for me instead. Her soft, hesitant touch opens up my curled fingers to reveal my palms to her and after she unfolds my closed hands, she places the apples there. That little act was a lot for her to do I can tell as she nervously backs away from me.

To her I am probably one of the many Fae lords to be afraid of and I made her afraid of me because of how I acted. My hands carefully hold the treasure that has been placed there, but they miss the warmth of those delicate hands with the gentle touch that had just opened them more than they should've, more than I had wanted the bounty that now lay within those hands.

'Briar,' I begin to say to her as she finishes sitting back down. 'I believe you are telling us the truth, that you haven't taken them and that you really don't know the value of these apples, I apologise for my behaviour and I will make it up to you even if it takes my entire lifetime to do so,' Briar gapes at my vow and I bow just as deeply as Ryo has done for her.

A resonance works through me at my vow but instead of the usual dread at such ties, I feel a sense of rightness clicking into place, binding me to such a creature as Briar. Raine grunts in surprise at my act that has been as spontaneous as Briar's act of generosity and kindness to us in our moment of need.

Courtesan Ruby and her mother, Mistress Garnet stare at me in shock but Ruby moves from her defensive position and elegantly rearranges herself, no doubt assured about Briar's safety after my declared vow.

'Thank you so much Briar, I must start distributing the portions to everyone,' I tell her and back out to leave the carriage and awkwardly shuffle around Raine, who I leave to do his own apologising in private as I go talk to the people travelling with us, making the most of this little respite in this moment.

Raine

I now stand there awkwardly as the last of our trio in the carriage doorway and I realise how awkward it makes me seem to everyone else whom are sitting down in the carriage and watching me warily now. I shake my head to myself and go to claim the last seat in the carriage which is next to Briar. I try not to crowd her but my frame still encroaches on her side of the bench. I can understand why Ashton chose to keep riding on outside when the weather changed for the worse as there's not much room in here.

A worn leather drawstring purse is pressed in the middle of both our outer thighs and I feel a very strange ticklish presence coming from it. I've not felt anything like that before and my hand slowly inches towards it but I got to make it seem casual as I splay my hands behind me on the bench seat instead of resting them on my knees as was my first choice.

I look at Briar who looks back at me with a little trepidation, she probably doesn't know how to deal with a Fae Prince being an absolute ass, except with dread. I suppress a sigh and want to run my hands through my hair in aggravation but I keep my mind on the goal and move my hand incrementally forward towards that purse. I swallow my pride and start to apologise but Briar cuts me off and throws me for a loop with her question for me.

'Was it not enough? Did you need more of those moon apples to help you all out?' She asks me with concern colouring her voice and this friend of hers, Ruby, snorts in disbelief.

But before I can say anything, Ruby speaks first, 'Those moon apples were more than enough Briar, don't worry so much over the people who accuse you of stealing, it isn't worth the stress, you know that more than anyone else,' I felt Ruby's derision aimed at me and then she continues to talk to Briar, reassuring her of her actions.

'You did your best here and just remember that you're already better than most people as they certainly wouldn't have given moon apples away for free,' this Ruby remarks, 'Prince Raine here would know that fact all too well I assume,' she finishes telling Briar with an arched eyebrow at my direction.

'That is a correct assumption,' I own up to it with a strained voice, trying not to be disdainful to Briar's friend Ruby but with that smirk gracing her lips she knows she's pushing me. I pointedly look away from Courtesan Ruby and her mother and just focus on Briar and talk directly to her, hopefully without any more interruptions stopping me before I've said my piece.

I wet my lips and begin to speak, 'I was wrong,' I say simply and begin to elaborate on where and what I was wrong about. 'I was wrong about accusing you of stealing the moon apples and I was wrong about my abrupt attitude towards you. In my world there isn't a lot of people that can be trusted implicitly especially a stranger but I had no real reason to have doubted you,' and I pause to let regret lace my words, 'but I just went ahead and I did just that,' I take a deep breath to fortify myself before saying the next part.

'I was wrong to do that and I apologise to you, I'm not the most easiest person to get along with and often I act first just like a idiot before thinking things through. You risked yourself to save me and then in return I treat you badly like that, I'm sorry,' I apologise to Briar and hope she can hear the sincerity there in my voice.

'A lifetime of privilege has taught me this, that everyone has an agenda and trust is hard to give,' I say to her regretfully and Briar reaches her small hand towards mine tentatively, the same hand that was just about to touch the purse between us. But it isn't to stop my hand's movement, it's just for Briar to lay her comforting hand on top of mine to put me at ease.

'I understand a little about giving trust,' she tells me in a sad tone, 'but it's still important to give out trust to someone and you have your friends to that with just as I have mine,' she tells me and I nod as I listen to Briar continue to speak, 'Don't worry about what you did, like Ruby said it's already happened and you've apologised now and I accept that apology,' Briar tells me and I'm starting to feel a little entranced with this forgiving and kind hearted woman I know next to nothing about.

'I am a commoner after all still and you're royalty, so you have already done far more than most in your position ever would've done and that is to admit when you think you're at fault,' she says with a little awkward smile aimed at me and squeezes my hand in reassurance but that final movement makes my hand move that little bit of distance that was left and my fingertips graze that purse which was my goal.

Briar begins to look puzzled at me as my body is frozen and I just can't reply because I am momentarily dazed at the contact. My body feels like it has touched a live magical currant and my internal magic is sparking and reaching out to her but it's also drawn to the purse as well because it has a similar energy. Briar's energy and the contents of the purse are intertwined, I know I would have trouble deciding where one began and where the other one ended if pressed to make a judgment.

Many presences, of which I have never come across before are curiously peeking into my mind for what is just mere seconds but it's has an overwhelming impact for that moment and I gleam from them that they all in their own way love Briar and protect her and I sense the same feelings from Briar towards them.

A feeling flits across my mind and that emotion is envy for what they have with each other, whoever they may be and Briar. Even with having Ashton and Ryo in my life, I have never experienced this depth of genuine love and friendship and dare I even say familia. Their unique voices all blend together as if they have come to a decision about something, about me and they chorus out the same one word, 'Trust.'

An intense energy goes rushing through me and I am released from that contact. I blink at the same time as Briar does and she looks a little startled as she stares down at the leather purse and makes to let go off my hand but I recapture it and bend my head to leave a chaste kiss on the back of her hand in thanks.

I then look up at her and gaze into those violet blue eyes that reminds me of a storm about to break, 'I will learn how to trust more,' I promise her and I let go of her hand gently. I then stand up to leave the carriage but before I step off, I bow to Briar, then turn and go, but I already feel like I miss her presence when I'm only just steps away from her.

Chapter Fourteen

Briar

'What happened back there?' Ruby asks me as I watched Prince Raine exit the carriage and my attention goes back to my seed family. I pick them up and cradle the purse gently to my chest to feel the comfort and warmth that they are sending out to me.

I look up directly at Ruby and I tell her, 'They all told me to trust Prince Raine,' and I can see that Ruby is looking confused as she looks at me and then my seed purse.

'Whatever for?' She finally asks as she settles on something to say, she's studying my seed purse with interest. I shrug my shoulders in response, I'm just as baffled as her about their unusual reaction to Prince Raine.

They don't normally have an interest for strangers, how odd,' Mistress Garnet speaks up for the first time since Prince Raine left us and I can she is looking out of the window with a thoughtful look trained on the Prince. 'Do you think he knows something?' Mistress Garnet finally tears her gaze away and looks at me.

'He acted odd just like you did at the same time and the word 'trust,' did he hear that? Or was it just a coincidence he used the same word as your little family did?' Mistress Garnet wonders aloud but I know she really wants an answer from me though.

I check by talking with my little family but they don't give a clear answer on whether they think Prince Raine heard them or not, it's as if they're acting cagey with me and the truth is I wouldn't honestly know what the answer is either myself but I try to give one nevertheless to Mistress Garnet.

'I really don't know if someone else can do what I can do, I have never heard of anyone being able to talk to plants before like how I can but I'm not saying the Fae that can communicate can or can't do it though, maybe they need to be very powerful? We have always hidden in the shadows of those kind of people not wanting to be noticed, so I just don't know for certain. All I know is that no one up to now has ever heard my family's voices before,' I finished concluding to both Ruby and Mistress Garnet.

Mistress Garnet gives out a big sigh and Ruby scrubs at her face wearily. 'We will just have to be extra careful around those men and leave them when we can safely do so,' Mistress Garnet announces, I could see worry was tightening her features a little bit. 'Briar try to keep your distance from them all and especially don't let Prince Raine touch you directly,' she warns me and I look at her quizzically and Mistress Garnet explains to me why, 'He may not be able to talk to plants but he might be able to read your mind and through your connection, your seed family's too,' she points out something I hadn't thought of.

'It certainly could be possible,' I consider aloud but Ruby shakes her head, tossing her red hair over her shoulder.

'It shouldn't be possible,' Ruby tells us and she has our full attention on her, 'Prince Raine is an animal Fae,' Ruby reveals to us, 'he can transform into some kind of huge creature, my guests have told me this in their moments of idle gossip but no one at Winter has ever seen his transformation so everyone has been entertaining themselves with guessing what it is,' Ruby raises both her hands up in a gesture of 'whatever ' and lets them drop back down into her lap.

'So the possibility of Prince Raine being able to do anything like talking to plants or reading minds is not very high,' Mistress Garnet deduced, 'but you still have to be wary around those men Briar,' Mistress Garnet still warns me, 'it seems those three males have taken notice of you for some reason and it's best to just try and keep your distance from them,' she tells me and starts looking out of the window, dismantling her privacy spell again with a snap of her fingers.

I follow her gaze as well and I'm surprised to see that all three males in question are looking at the carriage we're in and quite possibly looking only at me whilst everyone in the travelling party outside the carriage are waiting in line for their slices of moon apple rations for themselves and their horses.

Chapter Fifteen

Ashton

Raine has been quietly telling us, whilst the whole travelling party are in the midst of re-energising and seeing to their own needs, of his strange encounter of these 'voices'. Ryo and I can sense, even though it's fading, a strange magical energy entwined with Raine's normal signature but it's puzzling to say the least.

'I don't sense any Fae or human about it,' Ryo says quietly as he tips his head to the side and squints his eyes at Raine, as if that would make reading a magical aura any clearer! I just shake my head at Ryo and I scan Raine's aura that I know as well as my very own and pick out the different signature trail.

'I don't sense anything like that either from the carriage,' I indicate as I look toward the vehicle and occupants in question. 'There's nothing there,' I shake my head to reaffirm my statement.

'But we know people who have found ways around being sensed though,' Ryo speaks cryptically to us and Raine and I both nod our agreement to that statement and weigh it against what we know.

Us full blooded Fae have no fear to hide who we are, our rights and lives are respected unless we commit a heinous crime that is. But those unlucky few that are born straddling both the Fae and the human world, suddenly find all such privileges like being allowed to live your own life how you want to, aren't within their scope anymore.

You're a strategic weapon of whichever kingdom you have been found in. Of course though born out of those circumstances, a desperate person is willing to try any solution to hide themselves if they haven't been discovered yet. But is Briar such a person for certain? I know what Ryo has told us though, yet I have yet to witness anything strange to tip me off.

'It came from that beaten up leather purse,' Raine insisted on repeating to us, 'but I also felt something strange for a second from Briar's contact, like an echo of that same power running through her too,' he tells us, 'but then there was nothing but...' Raine trails off from finishing what he was going to say to us and Ryo speaks for him.

'Then nothing but an ache is left behind, a hole that you didn't know was there but now you do because of it's absence it's now like you're missing a vital part of you?' Ryo supplies to Raine's unfinished sentence.

'Something like that I guess,' Raine mutters and rubs the back of his neck in agitation. 'It doesn't necessarily mean what you think it means though,' Raine warns Ryo sharply and Ryo just shrugs his shoulders in response to Raine.

'But it's beginning to look more like that way though doesn't it?' Ryo replies nonchalantly.

'It means it adds to the mystery of the lady in question is all,' I tell Raine and Ryo both before they start an argument over this. I still haven't experienced anything unusual though and was getting a little perplexed about it all. If she wasn't our destined mate, then what was Briar?

'Agreed,' Ryo said and Raine nodded his agreement too. I noticed that all the others were quickly getting back into formation of our travelling party and that soon it would be us three that would be the reason why everyone else was being held up.

'I think we can continue to talk more as we travel and we should give our mounts their share of the moon apple slices now before anymore time is wasted and then take our own,' I suggest to the both of them and they nodded decisively to me in agreement and quickly scrambled to do just that as I did as well. My mount instantly perked up as it crunched on the slice and danced energetically sideways a little as I tried to climb back up into the saddle but I managed it.

Next after making sure to watch Ryo and Raine eat their own slice of the sweet white flesh and silver rind, did I eat my own but then I had a strange reaction to it straight after. I slipped into my sight of foreseeing as soon as the taste of the fruit hit my tongue. 'Our mate is with us,' my ethereal sounding voice echoed it's power around us three and within us also, its aftermath was felt as a vibration in my very bones.

This was normally the sign I knew when I had definitely foretold something but had forgotten because it involved myself personally. But when my vision cleared and I turned to look at Ryo and Raine who were both looking shocked at me, I realised something coming out of my daze. The foretelling was different as an emotion began to tug at the core of my being to alert me. I realised I remembered what I had said.

Chapter Sixteen

Briar

Finally we had reached the border but there was traffic coming and going from both sides of course and our travelling party had to wait in line but the closer we shuffled to the border guards, the more my heart sped up. Soon the moment of our passing would either happen or it wouldn't and if it didn't, we would most likely have to fight our way out of here.

The young sickle thorns that were still wrapped around my arm, squeezed in response to an unasked question, that they would fight with me if the worst were to happen. I deeply thanked them for trying to calm me down as I stroke them under my voluminous sleeve.

'It won't happen,' Ruby spoke up suddenly and I looked up at her in question, 'we won't get stopped here,' Ruby elaborated for me, 'so just stay calm and act reasonably if any patrol guards ask us any questions ok Briar?' Ruby asks me and gives me an encouraging smile which I try to return back to her. I wasn't entirely sure if Ruby was putting on a brave front just for me alone to help me with my nerves or to also help herself as I watched her hands twist in her lap.

'If they've already gotten word of Prince Raine's escape, I believe they would be trying to find him first before thinking of anyone else who isn't connected to him at all,' Mistress Garnet remarks off handedly to us and she stops watching the proceedings going on outside to stare at us both to make sure she has our attention before speaking again.

'I count that a significant amount of people who were travelling with us are now missing,' Mistress Garnet announces to us and Ruby and I scramble to look out of our window side and we see that she's right after we do a quick head count. I know I don't know the exact number that we are travelling with but there is a noticeable big number of them missing now.

'How?' I blink at the size of the number that is gone, of people and animals, 'What happened to them? Did we somehow split up and I didn't notice?' I asked Mistress Garnet. I'm feel perplexed because I'm sure everyone was there behind us when we joined the queue of people leaving the Winter court lands.

I look around the cleared land of the border patrol and the small barracks erected along here for the guards to live in. There is a small trading town that seems to be haphazardly placed about here as well, scrambling to do business with the people coming and going and who are doing their utmost to keep surviving on the borderline here.

There is an air of desperation and none of the buildings besides the barracks, seem all that permanent being made from rough hewn wood readily available and cheap. I supposed this is as far as a beleaguered subject to the Winter court can go if they haven't been given permission to leave that is. None of our travelling group are to be seen from what I can tell amongst that makeshift village and muddy roads.

'You're not too far off point when you asked 'have they split up from us, Briar,' Mistress Garnet says to me, 'Watch the next group of people to pass through the checkpoint and tell me if you see something that's not quite right?' She asks us and Ruby and I obediently start watching the next group that has passed the border check to go on through the gates.

Ruby reacts first and grins as she spots something straight away and then I finally see what she has noticed. There's a ripple alongside the travellers which disappears as soon as they enter the darkness of the Forrest on the other side of the passage. 'They're somehow passing through, almost invisible to the eyes around them,' Ruby marvels in quiet awe.

'How is that possible?' I breathe out and I return my sight towards Mistress Garnet, who in turn just shrugs at me.

'They're not regular Fae that's clear to tell, I haven't had company with any Fae with a gift like that before,' she says to us, 'but it could be a secret device from their country we haven't heard of before?' Mistress Garnet amends, 'or it could be an unheard of Fae magic that has been kept secret for this very reason,' Mistress Garnet guesses for us.

It looks like we'll have to be on our guard even more so around them as we will never know who is listening and watching our very actions,' she warns us both again and we nod, understanding the seriousness of our situation has grown even more.

We've been warned so many times over the course of this journey by Mistress Garnet who usually doesn't fret as much as this but we are in an unknown element now and we won't be safe until we find ourselves a place to call home permanently to help hide who we are.

'We're next finally,' Ruby says with a sigh and I look out the window and watch Lord Ashton dismount from his horse and he produces documents he was carrying from a leather satchel that he had hung across his body. I guess that was his ambassador passport for himself and his own retinue from the Summer lands.

The border patrol guard inspects the paperwork thoroughly and then shakes his head no and gestures to the carriage and wagon. I can see Lord Ashton argue with the guard but then he visibly relents and waves his hand in our direction for the border guards as he takes back his documents and a group of guards head towards our remaining members of our travelling group.

Two guards approach us whilst the rest split off to check the other travelling members. A booming knock resounds through the vehicle and a terse order is issued to us by one of the guards, 'Out now!' My heart sinks but I follow the lead of Mistress Garnet and Ruby and follow them out of the carriage and wait several steps away from it on the roadside.

The guards check everything inside the carriage like false bottoms, lifting up of bench seat pads. I didn't even realise that it was a storage space but thankfully both are empty. They kept thumping and tapping walls for any kind of hollow sound. The guards finally began to rifle through the trunks stored upon the roof rack and the tied to the back as well.

Mistress Garnet and Ruby's clothes and stuff were tossed here and there as the guards pawed through their underthings, clothes and personal items that were each inspected. The only agitation I saw on Mistress Garnet's face was an arched eyebrow with a faint frown and Ruby visibly bit the inside of her cheek at the treatment of her belongings.

The guards had found two small jewellery caskets spelled shut with Fae craftsmanship so that no other but the owner could open it. When the guards still tried to open them, they got a zap and they hastily dropped the boxes back in the trunk and glared at them accusingly.

Mistress Garnet and Ruby hid their amusement very well. The guards didn't find anything that wasn't supposed to be in those chests because such items as money, weapons or magic charms were already hidden upon Mistress Garnet's, Ruby's and my own body by the clothes we all currently wore.

I helped stitched the coins and magic items into the very hems and seams of the magical clothes that defied anyone detecting anything unusual at all. The fabric was spelled with protective charms and would have been a rare commodity to make and sell but no one knew that Mistress Garnet could make such things and the ordinary loom that she had to leave behind was known as nothing more as a hobby to those that actually knew of it.

Next though those guards came sauntering up to the three of us as they roughly tossed everything back in and slammed the lids shut to the trunks. The carriage driver and mate who had already been given a quicker inspection moved towards the trunks to stow them away again.

A pair of guards had already closely inspected their faces and asked them to perform their branch of magic that was recorded on the travelling documents as I watched it all go on. It was clear they had passed inspection now and they were free and forgotten, reloading the wooden trunks that were now covered in thick mud.

All the way down the group, similar things were happening like the wagon was being checked for any false bottoms, cargo thoroughly tossed, every male travelling member closely checked out but the females only given a cursory glance. That was until these two guards approaching us suddenly realised that there was two very beautiful women before them. Cocky expressions painted their faces as they started to saunter over to us.

'Inspection,' one male guard announced. Surprisingly though he was a human I saw by his ears and weathered skin but he was partnered up by a Fae male soldier who looked untouched by the elements and held that unnatural beauty about him, that all Fae seemed to be graced with.

The Fae man glanced with cursory interest at Mistress Garnet and Ruby's bodies and faces whilst the human guard openly ogled at them. I shifted slightly in unease but those two women held their ground and impassively stared back at the human guard.

The Fae guard moved his attention over to me and his green gold eyes widened for some reason and he came to stand before me and inclined his head to me. I was a little taken a back but didn't know what else to do but returned the gesture back to him.

'Reason of travelling ladies?' The human guard asks sharply making me look back to him trying to break the mother and daughter's facades. He had cropped brown hair and light blue eyes set in that tanned weathered face with wrinkles beginning to show.

The human guard would have to try harder at whatever he was trying to do there with Mistress Garnet and Ruby. I nearly smiled but didn't as I was aware the Fae guard was watching me closely still. I just knew better people had tried to crack that steely resolve of theirs. They didn't let anyone in unless they wanted it to happen.

'I am accompanying my daughter on her travels. I am a retired Courtesan of the Winter court and have earned the right of passage, here are my papers. Everything is in order,' Mistress Garnet explained curtly whilst handing her documentation over to the human guard. He grabbed it, looked it over and really looked at her before handing them back.

'You're retired? You look far too young to have retired,' the human guard remarked with a grin, probably thinking he sounded charming whilst he said this to Mistress Garnet. The Fae guard in front of me rolled his eyes at his comrade's attempt.

'You flatter me sir, I've just aged better than some others have,' Mistress Garnet replies to him with a bared smile full of teeth aimed at the guard. It was on the border line of being hard to tell if it was a friendly gesture or not. The human guard took it as friendly though, if the pleased smile on his face was anything to tell by and turned to Ruby next.

'You're the Courtesan being bought along with several other members of staff whose services has pleased Lord Ashton of the Summer lands from the Winter court, yes?' The human guard asks Ruby.

'Yes,' Ruby inclined her head, 'only there appears to be another Courtesan travelling with you?' The human guard now turns to look at me fully showing that he had taken notice of me all along.

'What?' Ruby asks and recovers quickly, 'the girl is my personal maid and good help is so hard to find anywhere,' Ruby complains to the human guard, 'and the girl is trained already and really knows my requirements,' Ruby informs him in a blasé tone.

'You're just a maid?' The guard asks me in disbelief and I nod yes to his question, 'standards must be quite tough over at the Winter court,' the human guard jests and guffaws loudly.

'Joules,' the Fae guard spoke up in warning to his partner, the human guard apparently named Joules shrugs a little apologetically at his partner and at us.

'I beg your pardon Miss,' the guard Joules tells me.

That's ok,' I reply awkwardly, 'I have some scars on my body from childhood that make me undesirable...,' I mutter in explanation for the guards benefit.

Joules the guard looks taken aback a bit, 'What really? That shouldn't matter at all!' He sounded appalled by it all.

'Joules!' The Fae guard hissed at him this time.

'What?' Joules asks his Fae partner in confusion.

'Stop implying things... about the Winter court,' the Fae guard tells him and Joules blue eyes snap open wide in realisation and looks at Mistress Garnet and Ruby in horror.

'I beg your pardon ladies, I meant nothing by it at all if it sounded like it lent towards discontent!' Joules stammered and snapped an apologetic bow to them or maybe to us all, I didn't really know now as I watched on.

'Young man,' Mistress Garnet began, 'have no fear, we are no longer a part of that court and not obligated to do anything and it's quite clear to everyone here that you are joking of course,' she reassures him and Joules visibly wilts with relief. 'Just be more careful next time, beauty has a way of...loosening lips and lowering one's guard,' she gently chides him.

'Yes Mistress! Thank you for your understanding,' the guard bows.

'It must have been quite tough to be accepted to work as a guard because you're human right?' Ruby remarks coolly to the guard Joules as she inspects her finger nails and he turns warily to gauge what Ruby's reaction is.

'Y-yes Courtesan,' the guard nods and swallows hard, waiting for her next response.

'Keep up the hard work, I really do admire your ambition, it be a shame to waste all that effort by being...so careless in the future,' Ruby tells him and a slight shudder goes through his frame and he exhales noisily.

'Yes Courtesan, thank you for your kind words, they are words to live by!' He says in a rush to please Ruby as well.

'Remember that not everyone is fortunate in what they...do and others are fortunate because of...circumstances,' Ruby says almost like an afterthought and I swallowed bitterly this time. That was the closest Ruby has ever came to speaking aloud about her and my own unfair circumstances.

I told her, as I cried with her and for her that terrible day that happened years ago that I wished I could've been the one that day when her training as a courtesan began in earnest so I could've shielded her from it all instead. The human guard standing in front of us of course doesn't realise the exact significance behind what Ruby is saying as Mistress Garnet lays a commiserating hand on her daughter's shoulder in a supportive gesture.

'I-I see Courtesan, I will remember that and try to refrain from saying uncalled for comments in the future,' Joules the guard said and bowed to Ruby who accepted the apology with an inclined head towards him.

'If we're all done here young man, we will climb back aboard the carriage,' Mistress Garnet states and Joules nods yes and steps away hastily, 'Oh by the way young man, I would believe your wife wouldn't be very pleased to ever hear about you trying to flirt with ladies travelling through, so remember her as well in the future,' Mistress Garnet winks and points to the guard's hand with a woven band of blackened silver metal around his ring finger that I never noticed until it was pointed out.

'Of-of course Mistress, I was just being friendly,' Joules face reddened with embarrassment and rushed to say that to Mistress Garnet and then clumsily hides his hand behind his back. Mistress Garnet chuckles quietly and he laughs nervously as she began to turn away to get back into the carriage.

I started to follow right behind them but a hand gently laid on my elbow stops me from leaving. I curiously look down and see the hand belongs to the Fae guard who has been standing in front of me all of this time still.

He quickly relinquishes me and darts a quick look to see if anyone was paying attention to us in this moment before he speaks quietly and quickly to me. 'Miss, do you really want to go with them?' He asks and indicates Mistress Garnet and Ruby, 'You can stay right here,' he tells me and I'm taken aback by real surprise here.

'Yes, I do want to go,' I reply honestly and his green gold eyes watch me carefully and I feel the need to say more to convince a stranger. 'Life wasn't ...good there. But I think it will be better where I'm going,' I tell him and he nods ever so slightly to me, accepting my vague explanation.

As I watch him, he then suddenly stumbles a little which is surprising for all Fae seem graceful to me but the action places his mouth directly in the shell of my ear as he catches himself on me and says in a quiet breath, 'I must warn you Miss about the group you're travelling with could have...trouble,' and the Fae guard jumps away just as Lord Ashton suddenly appears besides me to pull me away as I stare in comprehending shock at the guard as Lord Ashton wraps his arm protectively around my back and encompassing my other arm, therefore effectively pressing my body into his side.

'Is everything alright here Briar?' He asks me while glaring at the Fae guard who looks curiously back at him.

'Yes, it's just so slippery with the mud here,' I gesture at the floor and cover for the strange Fae guard who looks at me with a mixed expression on his face as he looks at Lord Ashton and me.

'Well then,' Lord Ashton says after perusing the ground with a sniff, 'come along and be careful,' he says the last part enigmatically enough so you can't tell if he was speaking to me or the guard as he helps me back towards the carriage and Mistress Garnet and Ruby who are now curiously watching on as Lord Ashton is still managing to glare at the guard somehow as we walk away from him.

Lord Ashton helps me to get back inside the carriage but he abstains from joining us in there at the invitation of Mistress Garnet, saying he needs the exercise still for a bit longer after thanking her for thinking of his welfare. The carriage pulls away and we're finally sliding past the border gates that open up for us and we then slip into the gloom of the forest beyond on the other side.

I watch out for the face of the curious acting Fae guard that slowly disappears from my view as he continues to stare at us as our group trundles away and I'm almost sure that when I lost sight of him, a feeling tells me, he still continued to watch the carriage we sat in until he couldn't anymore.