The Thicket by LilyRose (libby ebook reader .txt) 📖

I am the handmaiden to the Princess Briar Rose, said the girl.

That cannot be, said Gyllain, in shock.

Why not?, said the girl.

Because... there is an enchantment on this place. If you were Briar Rose's handmaiden, you would be trapped in there with her, waiting to be rescued.

I am, said Meridian.

Then how can you be here?, snapped the Prince.

I am here because you are here, said Meridian.

Because I'm here?

Yes. You wish to find a way into the castle, do you not?

Of course I do. I've come here to break the enchantment on the Princess.

Do you know how to break an enchantment?

Who are you?, said Gyllain impatiently. Some daft farm girl, come up here to plague me? Be off, before I take a crop to your backside. He turned angrily, staring off in the other direction. After a moment, hearing nothing, he whirled around again, ready to berate her further. But when he turned back, there was nobody there at all.

Where are you?, he called out, but though he searched for an hour after that, he didn't see her again. That night, he sat up long beside the fire, unable to sleep for thoughts of the strange girl who called herself Meridian.

If Prince Gyllain hoped she would make another appearance, he was not disappointed, though it was not until late the next day that she did so. Because of the way she had vanished, he was now inclined to believe that she perhaps did play some important role in the unraveling of this mystery. So he spent the day slowly walking the perimeter, and when he finally heard a quiet shuffling behind him, he turned to see her standing there once again. Her long red hair was bunched beneath a kerchief. She wore a peasant's dirndl, the long skirt woven of some practical, sturdy fabric. She inclined her head and looked at him through lashes that seemed unnaturally long.

Good day, he said to her.

Good day to you, Sir, she said, and curtsied.

Gyllain took a breath. I'll only ask you this once, and whatever your answer, I'll take it to be true, he said. Do you really live there in the castle with the Princess Briar Rose?

I do, said Meridian.

Gyllain felt a tightness let go inside of him.

I want to help, he said. Can you help me break the spell?

No, she said. Any spell you break must be done by your own lights, I'm afraid.

Can you help me at all?

If I can, I shall. You need but to ask.

You come and go, through the thicket?

I do, said Meridian. There is a way.

Can you show me?, he asked her. Can you show me the way through?

I am the way through, she replied.

That's an odd thing to say, Gyllain mused.

Nevertheless, it is true, said Meridian. Do you wish to pass through the briars and enter the castle?

I do. You can show me the way?

I can take you through. But I will not take you unless your motives are pure.

My motives are as pure as a newborn babe, Gyllain cried. I seek to rescue the Princess from her bondage within the thorns. What could be more pure than that?

The Princess is not in bondage, though, said Meridian. And while you may seek to rescue her, rescue is not what she seeks for herself.

But she has been trapped within this living wall, for Lo these many years, replied the Prince. There must be some terrible enchantment upon her.

Yes; she is cursed with eternal youth and beauty, but that which may only be admired from afar. Isn't that terribly sad? said Meridian.

I would change that if I could, Gyllain told her.

By what? Taking her away from her home?

But her home is a prison! Why would she want to remain trapped?

Well, it matters little, said Meridian. The Princess doesn't wish to be rescued; therefore you shall not rescue her.

I could wait until you go back there on your own, and just follow you in.

You could, said Meridian. But I doubt you would get very far.

Oh, please, I implore you, said the Prince. Grant me entry into the castle. I swear to you I'll do nothing that the Princess doesn't wish done. But only allow me to hear it from her own lips. Isn't that fair enough?

I'm afraid not, Meridian replied. She regarded the Prince in a way that made him feel that she was reading something that was written on his face. No, she said, you would have to agree beforehand to the Princess' conditions.

Her conditions?

That is correct, Meridian told him. And if you cannot agree to them, then you can never gain entry into the castle.

Well, what are they?

Only this: that rather than take her away from her home, that you will remain there with her, until the final turning of the Wheel of Time.

If that is what it takes for me to be allowed into her presence, then swear to it I will. Gladly.

At this, Meridian lowered her eyes, so that the long lashes nearly touched her pale, freckled cheeks, and she looked demure; even shy. It startled Gyllain, for he had not thought the hard-eyed servant girl capable of such softness.

Do not make vows when you do not fully understand what you are promising, Prince Gyllain, she said, her voice now as soft as her lowered face.

I do not make promises I cannot keep, he said defiantly, drawing himself up. In truth, I ought to be insulted that you even suggest it.

And what if I had lied, and she is actually an ancient, hideous hag, after all this time? Would you keep to your promise then? Think before you answer, Prince.

If staying there by her side, regardless, is the price for the answer to this Mystery, then I shall willingly pay it, said Prince Gyllain. She has my word on that.

Meridian looked at the Prince, and he was once again struck by the notion that she was reading something engraved upon his very face.

I will take you, she said.

You will? Excellent. I only need to go back to my camp to pack a few things---

Take nothing but what you have on your person right now, said Meridian. Carry nothing else.

Gyllain hesitated, the request making him feel uncomfortable.

And I cannot take you now. Meet me again tomorrow.

But why? Asked Gyllain. What is there to stop us from leaving this moment?

Do you see that tall Hickory tree off in the distance? said Meridian, pointing to a place somewhere over Gyllain's shoulder. He turned and did, indeed, see the tree standing alone partly down the grassy slope.

Yes, he said, but when he turned back, Meridian was no longer there. This time he knew better than to go search for her. Instead, he returned to his camp, made a fire, cooked himself dinner, and sat up most of the night, unable to sleep for his anticipation of what the next day would bring.

The next day seemed as thought the the sun had slowed its course across the sky. Meridian did not appear again until the shadows had grown long, and the bright colors of the day were beginning to dim.

I was afraid you would not return, said Gyllain.

And now you need fear no longer, said the girl. I am here.

You will show me the way through the thorns?

I will take you. You must stay close to me. The way is narrow, and dangerous, but I can see you to the other side. You must follow my instructions exactly, and not speak to me once we have begun, until we have passed completely through. Do you agree to that?

I do, said the Prince.

Then follow me, said Meridian, turning and walking away. She held up her skirt, so the hem just barely brushed the dewy grass. Prince Gyllain saw that she was barefoot. He followed close behind.

They walked along the perimeter of the circle of Rose Briars, but everywhere Gyllain looked, he was unable to see even the smallest opening through which even an animal might makes its way safely. Even rabbits, he thought to himself, would not deign to make this tangle of madness their homes. When Meridian stopped walking, the late day sun was directly opposite them on the circle of thorns, and the thicket before them stood in shadowed gloom.

Now what? Gyllain said to her. There is nothing different about these bushes than any other part of the circle. How are we to get through?

The opening is here, said Meridian, in a voice of calm assurance. But as I said: once we enter into the hedge, you cannot speak to me until we have gone through to the other side. This is very important. You must agree to it.

I agree, I agree! said Gyllain, his patience beginning to wear thin. Girl; do you see the time of day? I'm sure even you don't wish to get caught in the midst that tangle of insanity when the day turns to dark.

And right you are, said the girl, and with that, she turned and walked directly up to the seemingly solid wall of leaves, branches, and long, black thorns. Gyllain followed, still baffled, but holding his tongue. She stood with her back to him, and he waited.

Take hold of my sash, she said without turning around. Get a good grip. Watch me closely as we go. Do everything I do, exactly as I do it. The thorns, as you know, are poisoned. Follow me, remain silent, and you will pass safely to the other side. Are you ready?

I am, he said. No; wait: hold a moment.

He had just had a thought come to him that overwhelmed even his need to begin the passage.

Yes?

You called me by my name yesterday.

Pardon? Meridian had not turned around: he was speaking to her back.

I never told you who I was, said Prince Gyllain. But you know my name.

And now you know mine, said Meridian. So we are equal in that respect. Are you ready?

He wanted to say more but didn't. Instead, he repeated, I am.

Then take hold, said Meridian, and he did, looping his fingers beneath the fabric of the bright yellow sash that wound tightly about Meridian's waist.

Meridian moved at a slow but steady pace. Gyllain quickly learned to anticipate her moves, and he was able to place his feet exactly where hers had been, and to lean this way or that in the exact same manner as she. It was as though, by holding onto her sash, he had become an extension of her own body. Moving exactly as she did came to him as thoughtlessly and easily as taking a breath. In fact; the more he thought about it, the more difficult it became. So he didn't think about it at all.

There certainly was a