Silent Stars (Bribelle)

~Chapter Three~

"Briar?!"

Faybelle's voice rang out into the space in front of her as she stared wide-eyed at the scene before her.

Briar sat on a dark wooden stool, her upper body leaned back as her body lay enveloped in layers of vines and small roses. Her right-hand pointer finger was held up to the level of her head by a thick vine, and a small cut produced a bead of blood on the top of her finger, smoothly rolling down it. The spinning wheel sat in front of her, the shiny spindle reflecting the bright light from the window

She didn't know why, but Faybelle instantly went into a state of panic when she saw Briar had touched the spindle. This is what Faybelle wanted, right? She wanted to put Briar to sleep. And now it has been done for her. But still, something inside of her was genuinely very worried for Briar.

She darted towards Briar, her footsteps heavy on the floor. She bent down and shook Briar by her shoulders, in a dire attempt to wake her.

"Briar! Briar, this isn't funny, wake up!"

More vines and roses spread across the room, making Faybelle's worry intensify. As a vine grew over Faybelle's heel, she tore it off by raising her foot. She ripped the vines off of Briar, continuously trying to wake her up.

A tear rolled down Faybelle's cheek, making her freeze. Was she actually worried about Briar? No, no, this was stupid. She should just leave Briar there.

Right?

No matter how hard she tried, Faybelle simply couldn't walk away from Briar. Something was calling her back every time she tried. As more vines attempted to grow and cover Briar's slumbering body, Faybelle continued to rip them off of her. When she finally freed Briar of the greenery, Faybelle tightly held Briar in her arms, still in a state of worry.

"Briar! Wake up!"

Despite knowing that all of her attempts were pointless, Faybelle still tried to shake Briar awake, as she held her unconscious body in her arms. More tears streamed down Faybelle's face, as she silently prayed and begged for Briar to wake up.

Suddenly, she remembered the only way to wake her up. A kiss. A true love's kiss.

Faybelle's eyes widened as she realized the only solution to this terrifying situation. But there weren't any princes or knights around right now.

Something came over Faybelle when she thought. A terrifying, random urge. She tried to protest against her actions, but she did it without thinking.

Before she could decide against it, suddenly, she slammed her lips onto Briar's, trapping Briar in a deep kiss. Faybelle held her hands on Briar's cheeks as she pressed their lips together. A bright, comforting sunbeam shone through the windows and onto Briar and Faybelle, engulfing them in a warm light.

The vines began to retract and die, almost instantly disappearing from the room. The room was immediately flooded with sunlight as Faybelle kissed Briar in her sleep. She had no idea what she was doing, and she was almost certain it wouldn't work. But she had to try. Something inside of her needed her to try.

A bright aura surrounded their bodies, growing stronger as their kiss went on. The aura died when Faybelle finally drew back from Briar, another tear rolling down her cheek, as she was certain it wouldn't work. Until...

Faybelle felt Briar begin to shift in her arms. She gasped, worriedly looking around. Briar could not know it was her. Faybelle quickly placed Briar back on the stool, before running over to the window. She hauled herself up on the windowsill, looking back at Briar one last time.

Briar hadn't seen her. She had barely opened her eyes yet. But Briar was shifting, and her breathing was more steady than before, so she was definitely awake.

With one swift motion, Faybelle fell out of the windowsill, flying away as fast as her wings would let her. As she flew away from the tower, her mind raced with questions.

Why was she so worried about Briar? How did Briar get there in the first place? How did the kiss work? Why did the kiss work?

She kissed Briar on a whim, a last attempt in the midst of her panic. She didn't give Briar a true love's kiss...right? If she didn't, why did Briar wake up? Maybe Briar didn't wake up, maybe it was just Faybelle being foolish. She really hoped so.

Faybelle flew all the way back to the school, her mind overflowing with questions and worry the whole time.

But the one thing that really bothered her was how the environment around them reacted when she kissed Briar. The sunshine, the vines, the aura, all of it. If all that happened, it could only mean one thing.

She was Briar's true love.