“Mother!” Jacob cries, running into the room, followed by several more children. Apparently, this little pirate made more enemies than he could afford. Everyone laughs as the little child runs behind Keturah who only shakes her head and frowns at him. “Hide me!”
“I’ll do no such thing,” she says stubbornly. “But come now, we’re going to eat. Look, they’re all returning to their mothers. Come on, now.” He looks up at her with a grin and then to Alvaro who watches him with kind affection.
I stand behind, watching them all as they make their way into the banquet hall. The mother laughs and makes faces at her son while the baby squirms, wanting to be fed, his father holding him carefully in his arms. They are rather remarkable, all of them. The orphan who defeated death. The man who defeated his fear. And the woman who defeated her demon—no, not Alexzander, for Alexzander was merely the form and function of her nightmare—Keturah’s true enemy was always simply: fear—fear of herself and fear of all that she could become.
And for the first time in a very long time, I find myself rooted quite firmly in this place, this time, surrounded by this family. The humans seem less shallow and vain to me, seeing those who fought for what they held so dear. I find myself trapped within the sight of it: their warmth, their laughter, their love. Perhaps there is something to this world after all. Not all things are worthless vanity. There is meaning here, right here. Not in great deeds or might but in the strength of one person to overcome their darkest fears and survive to face the ones ahead.
Keturah pauses and frowns at me, considering me from the doorway. “Are you coming, Beast?” asks she, and I smile, inclining my head.
“Indeed, indeed, my little rose.” With petals sweet and thorns fierce. She raises a brow at me but gives me only a wry little smirk and shakes her head, going on inside while I wait behind.
The entry room is empty but still filled with warmth. Sunlight spills in through every window, turning it into a place of mystery and magic. I stand in the light of one of the panes and look up at the sky. I think of my bride, my lovely daughter, my brave son. Worlds made and destroyed. And here, in this place, I find peace, assurance that it is not all in vain. That there is purpose left in the world, even if it is something small and nameless that none can fathom nor describe. I smile.
My black cloak falls away from my shoulders, sinking to the marble ground like a whisper of wind where it lays, untouched, alone in the bright, sun-filled room. There is no trace of darkness left behind in that place, for all is filled with laughter and light, the sounds of celebration pouring in from the banquet into the empty hall with its grand staircase and massive double-doors all etched in sunlight and beauty. And left behind…only a velvet cloak upon the floor.
That is the way I want to always remember that place.
About Rose Borne
The characters in this book are based off of two old and very dear characters named Kaeleigh and Guardia. E.A. Thomas and I created these characters in stories we wrote together back when we were in high school. We would revisit them every now and again, and one day I approached her with the idea of doing a Beauty and the Beast story with them.
Thomas loved the idea, and so as I wrote out the story and created the world and framework for Rose Borne, she would occasionally pitch in with ideas for scenes between the main characters and help me write some of the dialogue for Alvaro/Guardia since he was originally her own creation. When I got the first draft done, she would read through it with me and make suggestions (and occasionally abandon her boyfriend to go read it until she was done—sorry Adam!). She was a lot of help with me on this book and I think part of why it turned out so well is because of her input.
Rose Borne is really it’s own thing. It’s fun. It’s cute. It’s not supposed to be as intensive and connected and heavy as some of my other books. Really, Rose Borne is more of an extended fairy tale. I love this story, and I really hope that you’ve enjoyed reading it as well.
About the Author
Phoenix lives in Atlanta, Georgia with her husband, their German Shepherd, and their beautiful daughter, Rhea. She grew up in the South and from an early age developed a love for reading, writing, and teaching.
Phoenix loves working with middle school and high school students. She teaches English Language Arts in the U.S. and hopes to teach in other countries as well, specifically Kenya, a place very dear to her heart.
Check us out online at
PhoenixBriar.com
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