Thorns & Roses

10.

First, there was darkness. Then, a voice. A voice whispering on their ear, calling their name. It was just repeating itself and there were no signs that it would stop soon, what was a bit annoying (ok, it was very annoying), especially if you just want to sleep. The voice started slowly to become louder and louder, until it was a big strident scream:

- BRIAR ROSE! - that scream was the trigger for a sudden awakening.

- I'M AWAKE! - a different feminine voice answered, their voice.

The owner of this last voice sat on the bed like a cursed mummy waking from a disturbed sleep, got up and passed by the mirror, going back to take a closer look at their appearance. The eyes, sometimes open, sometimes closed, were of a deep translucent green, looking at a young woman reflected on the looking glass; the red golden hair was messy like the one of a poor homeless on the sidewalk of the kingdom's streets; in the corner of her mouth hung a trace of drool, which she rapidly cleaned. It was an odd feeling. Edric could feel his own consciousness floating on the back of the head, but at the same time, he wasn't himself. He was Briar Rose's young self, letting himself dive deeper on the memory, always gripping to his consciousness like an anchor. Another woman, an exact copy of Briar Rose except for the hair and the eyes, appeared next to her.

- Come on, I'll help you to get ready - she said, smiling - After all, today is a big day.

- It's more than that. Today is THE day! - Briar was so excited, while the other one brushed her hair in order to make it more... presentable - Thank you, Morgana!

Edric returned to his drifting self. Morgana? Why was that name so familiar to him? It was a question to ask later. The girls got dressed, switching the light grey nightdress for a pure pearl white one. They braided their hair with ribbons of the same color of the dress and left the room. A few dozens of Elves, male and female, filled the halls, all with the same white robes and ribbons, all of them excited with that particular day. The next moments passed in a blurry. One second, they were at the Avalon Academy's dorms; on the next one, they were by a lake, the biggest one Edric or any other human being had ever seen: it was so big that only the sea could be compared to it in all its greatness. In the center, a gigantic flat stone with a perfect circular shape was floating and a path made of the same rock ran from the edge of the royals' castle to that natural stage in the center of the lake. Trees and other creatures of all types, sizes and shapes were surrounding the lake. Everything was filled with magic, visible in little light balls like fireflies of all colors. The water itself seemed to have life on its own: sometimes, it waved, others, it stood still; sometimes, it was blue, then yellow, then white, purple, red, black, green... It was something amazing to see, the opportunity of a lifetime. Suddenly, everything stopped, absolute silence filled the air. Two Elves, clearly more powerful than any other, stepped in everyone's sight. She had long strait platinum blond hair that rubbed the ground, her eyes were so blue as the morning sky but had also a bit of a turbulent, stormy grey, her skin was so white as freshly fallen snow, her silhouette slim but firm. A heavy ball dress of a light-yellow color was covering her and a magnificent but elegant golden crown with a huge diamond was placed gently on her head. He had raven shoulder-length black hair, his eyes were red like the blood of fallen foes, his skin was tanned like a farmer's kissed by the sun, his built the one of a warrior. He was wearing a metallic dark purple armor, the helmet under his right arm, and a magnanimous crown, also golden, with an onyx stone was resting on his head. They were the rulers of Avalon, the rulers of the fairies: Queen Titania and King Oberon.

- Welcome! - greeted the Queen - Today is your most important day, the day that will set your destinies. Today, the Goddess will provide you with the gift to fulfill your righteous path on Her plan.

- Don't be upset nor afraid if you're not chosen by the one you expected - started the King - Instead, accept it. The Goddess knows what is right and, even if you don't see the why just now, you'll understand later. Just don't lose your faith.

- We know what you're feeling right now. We both passed through it too - the Queen glanced to her husband with a timid smile - We were anxious, and we too didn't see right away why we were chosen by the Light, in my case, and the Darkness, in his. But now, we know why, and we are grateful. To show our gratitude, we do our best to serve our kingdom, our masters, our Goddess.

- Welcome, again - finished the King - And, with the Great Goddess' blessings, let the Call begin.

All the present Elves applauded. The scary lady of Briar Rose's first shared memory appeared on the stone stage and started to mumble some spells. Two chalices with some crystal-clear magic fluid appeared, one on each side, one marked with the rune meaning Light and the other with the rune meaning Darkness. The solar eclipse began and, one by one, the Elves were called by their names, stood between the giant chalices, cut the palm of their left hand with a sacred dagger and performed a chant. Soon after that, the ritual was done, ending with the newly chosen Elf drinking a glass of the mysterious liquid of one of the chalices, unlocking the hidden powers within them.

- Morgana Le Fay! - Agrona shouted. It was obvious she was trying to not smile, what was weird. Why would she be smiling?

Briar and Morgana had tried to figure out which one would choose them, so it was a big surprise when Morgana was chosen by the Darkness. A huge amount of black power swirled around her, but somehow, she mastered it with great ability. Briar could hear things like "prodigy" or "as powerful as the King" coming and go with the gossip behind her. When she came back, she didn't look shocked nor disappointed. Maybe, she already knew, deep down, that she would be chosen by Darkness, but that didn't make much sense in Briar Rose's head.

- Briar Rose! - shouted Agrona with the same vigor as before. She was the last one, after her the Call would end.

Briar crossed the path until she achieved the center. Agrona handed her the sacred dagger. It was small, with a sharp and curve blade and a spiral ivory and ebony handle. She carved a deep cut on to her left hand, shrinking with pain, while watching her blood pouring from the wound. She gave the knife back to the High Priestess, closed her eyes and took a shaky breath.

- I, Briar Rose, shall receive the honor of being chosen and become what I was meant to be. Light or Darkness, the Great Goddess shall reveal through my blood the master I shall serve with my magic, my body and my soul.

Her words didn't sound like anything Edric had heard before but, just like the letters on Briar Rose's door, he could understand them perfectly. While she was chanting the spell, the blood started to float, flowing up and forming a shapeless shape on the air, and when she was finishing, the blood took the form of one of the sigils on the chalices: the rune of Light. Another surprise, she was totally convinced that Darkness would choose her. Agrona grabbed a glass and plunged it in the Light's chalice, filling it to the top. She gave it to Briar Rose, who drank it in one gulp, but not too fast to seem rude. First, she didn't feel anything. Then, she could feel her magic power growing within her, flowing through every single cell of her body. It was a warm and comforting feeling, more powerful than ever. She felt her confidence building up. But that didn't last long. The warming sensation became too hot, burning her from the inside. She screamed in pain, bending over herself while collapsing on the cold stone floor. Rays of power, her power, shot in all directions, reaching everything in their way. Briar Rose began to lose her senses, all around her began to turn numb, except one thing, the only thing she was conscious of: the excruciating pain that was tearing her apart.

After what seemed an eternity, a sudden freezing feeling embraced her started to calm her pain. It permitted her to relax and she fainted, her consciousness drifting away.

Edric held on his own consciousness to not loose himself. When his sight returned to him, he found himself on the previous room with the two distinct doors. The fairy was there too, but her expression was uneasy and confused. He approached her.

- Something is wrong - she kept whispering, countless times.

He tried to comfort her, reaching his hand to her, but before he could touch the fairy, they were pulled apart. Edric woke up in the real world, his eyes opened wide. He sat slowly, grabbing his head with both hands, trying to ward off the headache. He looked away. Briar Rose lay there, beside him, unconscious and pained, her whole body was tense. Edric drew her into his lap and hugged her, calling her name in an attempt to wake her up, but in vain.