Copyright Ⓒ 2019 by B. R. Bailey All Rights Reserved
"What?" Gasping, Briar rose struggled to breathe against the binds that were draining her magic.
Her Godmothers were deathly pale.
"You can't!" Lucinda shouted. "You agreed that Princess Emerald of Golden Hair would not be crowned today! There is too much at risk!"
Briar Rose felt the whole world freeze as she looked up, a blindingly bright light emerging from the end of the throne room ballroom which directly connected to the Throne room.
A young woman emerged in a solid gold dress, the train was easily one hundred feet long as it went clear across the entry room. Her golden hair was held back with ornate combs, trailing over the train of her flowing dress which was attended by no less than a dozen handmaidens, each making sure that the material did not wrinkle and that her long hair never directly touched the ground.
Everything she wore, from head to toe, was Gold Thread.
Her blond hair and green eyes were much darker than Briar Roses own. A heart-shaped face that looked kind was betrayed by the cold sweep of her gaze, disdain evident in her frown.
Her whole demeanor was haughtier than any Briar Rose had ever encountered.
Princess Emerald. That was Princess Emerald? If that was the Princess, who was Briar Rose?
She couldn't turn her eyes away as the shimmering woman walked down the long aisle, almost everyone bowing as she passed, keeping their heads down.
"Mother, Father," a hard voice called out, surprising chilly for someone as young as the woman was. "Why is the sacrifice still here?"
Spots dancing across her vision as she struggled to breathe, Briar Rose forced her eyes away from the ostentatiously dressed and named Princess of Alagil, searching her Godmothers hard faces.
They knew how to lie detecting worked. They were the ones who taught her how to do it after all. Not once had they ever called her Princess. Nor had the High King and High Queen.
If she wasn't the Princess, why had they raised her? Why was she here, in Skyfort, at the coronation?
"We agreed to give the girl a chance," Lucinda shouted, her face livid. "She deserved a chance to break the Curse!"
"And break it she will!" High King Henric ordered. "We agreed to let her live if she could prove useful. We have found her use."
"No!" Dolphina cried in horror. "I will not allow a child to be punished because of who her parents are! We altered the Curse so that it could be lifted! It was not right for the Dragon Galadriel to Curse Princess Emerald on that basis and it certainly isn't right for you to do the same!"
"We helped show mercy when no one else did!" Niall screamed. "None of the other Curse Breakers could alter the spindle!
It would have been easier to separate the others and leave the Curse to you three but we didn't do that because we knew Princess Emerald, at the time, was innocent! We expanded on who she was to help her become a great Queen!"
Murmurs filled the hall, an angry buzz-building by the second.
"We are the rulers. Everyone is under our command, whether we are awake or asleep." High Queen Victoria declared, silencing the crowd with a single raised hand.
"Galadriel caused this Curse and it is her blood that shall remove it. If she had not interfered, we could have made a treaty with the Dragons decades ago!"
The Curse Breakers broke into action at the High Kings wave, sending spells flying everywhere. Chaos erupted on the dias as the King and Queen stayed behind he shield Nepotan had Cast over them, silently watching the fighting as they sat down in their thrones.
Nepotan stood before Princess Emerald, shielding her and her handmaidens from danger.
Screams filled the ballroom as the guests tried to escape the scene, opening up windows and doors, finding them blocked off with thick, black vines.
Terror pervaded the air, making everyone panic.
"Hand over the girl or I will let the Royal Court have your lives as well," High King Henric demanded of Briar Roses Godmothers.
"NEVER!" Lucinda hissed, knocking out a Curse Breaker as her green spell overpowered his red Curse.
They knew she was Galadriel's child. They had always known and yet they brought her here, today, to break the Curse her mother had Cast? When she failed, instead of handing her over to die, they were risking their own lives to help save her.
"Get her! Give me my crown!" Princess Emerald shrieked, stamping her foot. "I have waited sixteen years for this day! Get her you insipid fools!"
The Guards along the walls moved forward against the chaos milling around them, surrounding the dias with their swords drawn.
The shield before Niall cracked. "Protect the Princess!" Nepotan shouted, the bright violet Curse in his hand barreling into the weak spot as he lunged forward.
"AH!" Niall shouted, collapsing to the ground as her portion of the shield shattered. Nepotan hurled another Curse, catching Dolphinas shoulder through the gap.
The chains around Briar Rose jerked, pulling her out through the opening as she hurtled across the front of the dias.
"NO!" A green blast caught Nepotan in the back, making him stumble. Lucinda spun, deftly taking out another Curse Breaker before sealing the hole in the shield.
The Curse Breakers closed in, cutting her off from Nepotan.
"Let go of me!" Briar Rose shrieked, desperately trying to undo the Curse of the Golden Thread that absorbed her magic. Nepotan reached out a hand, using his Gift to drag her down the stairs and into the aisle.
"Nepotan!" Briar Rose shrieked, realizing that, underneath the layers of ruse spellwork was a word lock. Infusing some of her power into the command, she waited for the lock to break.
Nothing happened.
Instead of breaking, the lock shrunk, drawing inward.
Three chances and then the Curse rebounds, Briar Rose knew. Without having time to make a shield, it might drain all of her Gift, killing her.
This Curse only had one energy imbued in it. Nepotans. He was stronger than Lucinda, a green Curse Breaker.
As a violet Wizard, Briar Rose knew this Curse should be impossible, even with it bound to Gold Thread. She had used Gold Thread with her Casts just a few hours ago and they hadn't been this strong. Yet she could not deny this was the Curse binding her.
There were rumors that the King of Brightstone was a Wizard, who kept his powers secret so that no one would know how to shield themselves from his power. What was his name? Briar Rose hadn't studied it much, knowing that High Queen Victoria ruled over Brightstone and that, one day, she would rule.
"King Olgar!" She shouted, recalling it at last.
The lock shrunk, taking her breath away for a moment as power rushed out of her.
Breaking out into a cold sweat at the realization she only had one more chance, she re-evaluated the situation.
Male Wizard. Curse Breaker of Violet status. Terrifyingly skilled at Casting Curses.
Her mind was blank. She couldn't think of what his real name could be. This is why so many Curse Breakers kept their names secret, to prevent magic from being used against them.
Spells and Curses were easier to shape when you knew a person's real name, linking the Gift to their identity.
How could she die in the very ballroom where Galadriel, her mother, had defeated everyone?
Her mother was a Dragon. Of course, she was able to overcome Mortals. "Dragons are unbeatable," Briar Rose muttered. Dragons...her head shot up with sudden clarity.
"Rumpelstiltskin!"
The lock shattered, releasing all of the magic that it had stolen from her. As soon as she had her power back, Briar Rose cast her power out, shattering the spell within the Gold Thread before blasting the threads away through sheer force.
Rolling to her feet, she reached for her magic, startled at how much magic came at her command. Half of the ballroom was bathed in green light as she held up her fists. Everything became sharper, all of the colors brightening and sounds growing into a clarity she had never known before.
The shadows at around the room lightened from dark blue and dark purple into distinctive shades of purple and violet. The people running were slower, as if they were moving through the water instead of air.
Rumpelstiltskin turned with inhuman speed, his eyes solid black with the iris glowing bright purple, a long slit of a pupil dilating as he glared at her. They were at the end of the ballroom, near the entrance, but Briar Rose knew she had to defeat him before she could hope to get through the front gate of Skyfort.
"Fool! I would have made your death swift if you had not resisted me!" He hissed, his body transforming. Everyone fled the entrance as he grew, stones breaking away from the walls as Rumpelstiltskin revealed his true form, breaking through the ceiling of the ballroom, showering the people below with bits of rubble.
Briar Rose cast a shield, frozen in terror behind it as she stared up at the towering dark violet Dragon, who was able to use the tallest tower in Skyfort to haul his back legs out of the ballroom completely.
Dark clouds formed in the sky as he roared, breaking out all of the windows in the ballroom and, from the sound of falling glass, the rest of the Castle, Cursing Skyfort into darkness.
With the whole Castle and sky as dark as night, he masked his body in the dense clouds when he took to the air.
Briar Rose ducked as violet flames erupted above the broken ceiling, filling the front of the ballroom with dark fire and purple smoke.