Among the Beasts & Briars

by Ashley Poston

Finally, there was some emotion on her face: horror. “You turned down giving him the most powerful object in the kingdom because he wasn’t cute enough?” I gave a shrug. “His whole . . . dead . . . thing really wasn’t doing it for me.” She shoved me on the shoulder. “Fox! You’re prime evil, you know that?” “I can’t be that evil.” I laughed. “I chose you, didn’t I?”

“We’ll find a way. I’m with you, Daisy. To the very end. I go wherever you go, because when I’m with you, I forget I don’t want to be human.”

“You aren’t like the Aloriyans I imagined. You trekked among the beasts and briars, and the deep heart led you all the way to Voryn.”

“The wood makes monsters of all of us, Cerys, whether or not we have the curse.”

I did not lead you and the briar daughter here so that you could run away, Vala said, her fur bristling. I led her here to save us. And I led you here to help her.

Queen Anwen of Aloriya accepted her daisy crown with grace.

I had lived a fairy tale, where for a moment a royal gardener’s daughter was no longer stuck behind garden walls, and foxes turned into princes, and I said without thinking, “I think I love you, Fox.”

“How do you feel about foxes?” “I love foxes. Even the thieving, sly ones. How do you feel about gardeners?” “I love one in particular,” he replied, and twined his fingers into mine. I grinned. “Do you want to go?” “Where?” “Anywhere. Everywhere.” He blinked in surprise. “Now?” “Now,” I whispered,