A Kiss like Roses: Fairy Tale Synergy Book 1

by Colton, Eliza

  Shao’s step stuttered. “That’s a long story.”

  “We have all the time in the world, don’t we?” I asked, and he hesitated before heaving a sigh.

  “I suppose you’re right.” He agreed. He continued walking, ducking past a canopy of branches and leaves, as he spoke.

  I followed Shao, and I didn’t know whether to feel smug or attacked by my height when I didn’t have to duck past the same canopy. It was higher up than my head.

  “I barely knew my other younger brother before he was cursed, too,” he said.

  My eyes widened. “Did the Wicked Witch return?”

  “No,” Shao replied. “He was cursed by the Frost Queen.”

  I wrinkled my nose in surprise. “She exists, too?” I’d been surprised enough by the Wicked Witch. They were both considered a myth. Accordingly, both their names were unoriginal and lazy, but I figured that was by necessity. Few people could be bothered to remember anything fancy but complicated about women of legend who had no bearing on their lives.

  The Frost Queen was supposedly one of the strongest magicians in the entire world, but she sequestered herself in her frozen kingdom of ice creatures rather than doing anything useful—or dangerous—with her magic. Much like the beast, she only existed in legends to scare children into obeying their parents and going to bed at night.

  Unlike the beast or Wicked Witch, though, I hadn’t even believed she existed as a little girl. If someone was so powerful, why would they isolate themselves instead of wreaking havoc or trying to conquer the world?

  “My parents didn’t believe she was real either until my brother was born,” Shao said, his voice grave.

  He laid his palm against a tree for balance as he maneuvered himself over a raised gap in the trees to avoid a nature-made trap of sharp rocks and fly-eating plants, which… were probably harmless to us, but would be irritating and mildly painful.

  I stared at the sight before me, unsure how the heck I was supposed to copy him.

  I heard a faint snort, followed by three words. “Want some help?”

  Nodding, I smiled awkwardly; then squealed like a pig (albeit a very, very flattered one) as Shao reached his arms through the gap and swept me up without warning to carry me through. Heat flooded my cheeks and forehead all the way down to my toes.

  Shao let me down the moment I was through. His chuckle lingered in the air.

  “Are you alright?” He asked.

  “Perfectly fine,” I replied, pretending nothing was haywire about my heart or my inflamed skin or my haywire mind. “Keep leading the way.”

  I patted my dress to calm myself down and cringed when the dirt that had collected on it rubbed onto my hands. I eyed a clean spot on one of the nearby rocks. The moment Shao turned back around, I bent down to wipe my hands on them, and I heard another laugh.

  Jerk had turned around to watch me. Had he guessed my movements or something? Was I genuinely that predictable?

  I shrugged as if I hadn’t been about to hide my act of desperation, and I couldn’t tell if the feeling ballooning inside of me was annoyance or… giddiness and flattery.

  My pride ordered me to decide the first, and so I did.

  “My brother, Kay…” Shao’s voice rose as he continued the story about his brother, which jolted me back to the present. With chagrin, I realized I’d momentarily forgotten he’d been in the middle of a story. “I said once that birthday balls in our family were ridden with misery. When my brother was born, the Frost Queen showed up during the celebration party of his birth, and declared she’d take him for her daughter when he turned eighteen.”

  “How old is he now?” I asked, my voice light. This didn’t feel like a curse. This felt normal for upper bluebloods; didn’t all of them marry for politics or wealth rather than love?

  The realization dug painful arrows through my heart, and once again, I thought of Shao, and I wondered why. It didn’t take long for me to realize.

  Poor him. Even if he were ever freed by a miracle from above, he’d never find love. He’d have to marry for the convenience of his father, even after the torture his family had inflicted on him.

  And I… I’d be irrevocably separated from him, wouldn’t I? We’d occupy separate spheres of life if he were saved, regardless of his marriage. Breathing grew just a little harder. Unnatural.

  In the few months we’d known each other, Shao had become a closer… friend than I’d ever expected him to.

  “Fifteen—the same age as my adopted brother,” Shao replied, and I grunted along to signal I was listening, but I was hardly paying attention to his words anymore. I eyed him as he gripped a tree branch for support. “We didn’t think too much of her declaration, but my brother… Like a stubborn fool, he decided he loved someone else.”

  My mind snapped back to his words, although for a different reason than he could have intended.

  What if Shao falls in love with someone else?

  The question bombarded my mind, and I cracked my joints for reprieve I didn’t get. What had I even meant by the question?

  What if he loved someone other than his betrothed, if he was ever rescued?

  Or… What if he loved someone other than me?

  But I had no reason to care about that.

  To distract myself, I tried once more to focus on Shao’s words, ignoring the knot of despair etching itself into my bones.

  “The Frost Queen began freezing his heart a few years ago, fearful she’d lose him,” he said, and I nodded with more eagerness than I felt. “Apparently it’ll take several years for him to completely lose his emotions because he could die if she hurries.”

  I straightened my back, realizing it was stooped. “Why was he even chosen? Do… you know?”

  “I’m not sure why he was chosen the first time,” Shao said, shrugging as he glided to a stop. “But his crush on a foreign girl sealed his fate. The queen returned a few years ago to ensure my brother was growing up to be a decent man. And he was decent, of course, and loyal—to another woman. Rather than giving up, the Frost Queen wanted his loyalty and devotion for her own daughter.”

  Shao moved his head from side to side as if analyzing his surroundings. He was flanked by rows of oak trees with endless seas of branches and leaves covering my vision, and I tiptoed for a better view, with little success.

  He turned back towards me with a soft smile, stepping out of the way and outstretching his arms to welcome me in.

  I stepped closer to him, and I gasped. The scene before me was beautiful; everything positively sparkled, reflecting the sunlight in glittering waves that were as alluring as they were spectacular.

  For a moment, I stood in place, admiring the lush, opulent, and pristine greeneries, which centered a small pool of water in the middle with rabbits hopping around as they grabbed a small sip.

  Surrounding us was the promised clearing filled with trees and groves and bushes of a million different kinds of fruits, from apples and mulberries to blueberries and cherries.

  “I never knew these could even grow in the same place,” I said, and Shao grinned as I ran off to smell the fruit from closer—and, of course, devour them madly and insatiably.

  “It was a gift from my youngest brother,” he said. “He purchased several magical charms so I could plant seeds from any climate and location here, and they’d grow at an accelerated pace.”

  My heart and a half, magic sure was convenient, and I wished it was more readily accessible. The witches were selective and demanded ridiculous sums—why couldn’t they be a bit more generous? I couldn’t even imagine how much this clearing had cost Shao’s family, and it acted as another reminder of the disparity in Shao and my families’ wealth and circumstances.

  Well, no matter. The sight of a million fruit trees at my disposal wiped away any negative emotions I had, instead filling me with joy and hope and everything sweet.

  I heard a beautiful male voice buzzing in the background that I paid no heed to. The fruits had absorbed
me. They were the only things on my mind.

  I flailed around the trees and bushes as if being tugged by an invisible string borne of my soul, and I grabbed handfuls of each type of fruit, gobbling them up and finding more in my hands before I was even done with the previous batch.

  Meanwhile, I somehow found the ability to dump bushels of fruit into my reed bags, and it was soon overflowing with far more food than it was designed to handle.

  Only once I’d satiated myself—and satisfied the initial burst of my excitement and gluttony—did I turn back to Shao, licking my lips and grinning at the residue of sugar and tartness.

  Shao was leaning against a red tree that was twice as wide as him, his arms crossed and his gait loose and casual. He waved. His dazzling smile seemed enraptured, and I wondered if he was as impressed by the fruit as I was.

  “Satisfied?” He asked.

  “For now,” I said, taking another strawberry from my bag and plopping it into my mouth. “What about you?”

  “I can’t say I’ve ever met anyone with your… appetite,” he replied with mock judgment that I disregarded.

  Because I was a horrible, horrible person with a wicked mind without a filter, the first retort on my mind was: I reckon you haven’t met many people at all… But I stopped myself from saying that. Shao may have told me not to worry about stepping on his toes, but there was a line, and I refused to cross it. Intentionally. I did so accidentally all the time.

  Instead, I remembered our previous topic of conversation—Shao’s family—amidst my sobered state, and I decided to steer the topic back to that. It would dampen the mood, of course… but I wanted to know. I needed to know.

  “About your sister…” I began, my voice coming out hesitant and slow with endless silence stretching between half the words. I watched Shao through my lashes for his reaction, but all he did was wince and scratch his arm. “Why don’t you talk about her much? Is it because she’s the reason you’re cursed, albeit indirectly?”

  Shao grimaced. He scratched harder. “What? No, of course not. That’s…” His veins seemed to throb, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to pull away—or pull myself closer and try to soothe him.

  “My sister and I were the closest back when we were children,” he said. “I loved her.”

  “Then why…?”

  “I think that’s why her betrayal struck me hardest.”

  My lips parted. “Her betrayal?”

  “She… cared the least, I think, about my banishment.” He tried to swallow, but he struggled with the simple act. “Though I’m sure she spoke to Father about it a handful of times, my brothers at least made one or two half-hearted attempts at breaking the rules to defend me. She never did.”

  Pity for the neglected young Shao swept me away once more. I set my jaw, suppressing my emotions. This was Shao’s moment. My role was to console him, not seek his consolation.

  Taking a deep breath, he added, “In the nine years I’ve been here, she’s only visited me twice. And the first time—” His fists shook, and he grinded his teeth.

  “She brought dozens of guards to stand between us so that she’d never risk seeing my face,” he seethed. “It was laughable; there was a literal wall of men between us. If I turned them into roses, she’d fall victim, too. What in the world was she trying to achieve? I missed her. I treasured her. What reason did she have to fear me?”

  I wondered if his sister hadn’t wanted the guards there either—parents were prone to overprotectiveness.

  However, that meant the king had made unnecessary, disgusting precautions against his own son, and perhaps that would hurt Shao even more.

  I couldn’t say anything to help him.

  The berries in my hands exploded as I squeezed them tight, staining my skin a splotchy blue.

  “She… visited again, though, didn’t she?” I settled on saying. “I assume she didn’t bring her guards again. What happened?”

  The sound of his laugh was distorted. Chilling. “She treated me like a plaything. A pet. There were no apologies and no explanations. She barged into my home and tried to play dress up with me.”

  My heart tore for him.

  Had he misunderstood her intentions?

  Did it matter?

  It wasn’t like any words from me, a housemate who’d never even met his family, could change his perspective after so long.

  And if I somehow managed to give him hope, only for it to be wrong—only for his soul to be crushed again—wasn’t that the worst possibility of all?

  Instead, I reached out for his hands as he’d done for me, giving them a tight squeeze.

  It didn’t feel like enough—and I regretted the act when Shao tugged his hands free from mine. Trembling, I looked up.

  Shao gave me a half-grimace, half-smile of consolation as he began scrubbing his nails roughly against the skin of his arms, his face, his ears, as if fire-red ants were devouring his entire body and he couldn’t figure out where to save himself first.

  “I’m sorry,” he croaked. “I’m so itchy, I don’t know why—”

  Our gaze snapped to each other’s eyes.

  Shao had once said something off-handedly, and I’d forgotten it until now.

  Fortunately, the curse also warns me when others approach my roses by making my entire body unbearably itchy.

  Someone had found the mansion.

  Chapter 16

  My heart thudded in my chest as Shao and I sprinted back to the mansion, desperately crawling and jumping over nature’s obstacles as quickly as possible.

  The only thing I could hear was my heartbeat, the thudding of our feet, and our endless, heavy pants as we ran longer and faster than we’d ever imagined possible—and yet we weren’t fast enough.

  We won’t make it, I thought, fear welling in my soul. Shao and I both knew we couldn’t make it before the thief stole all the roses and escaped. He’d stopped scratching, and I wasn’t sure what that meant, but from his hastening pace and anxious face, I could tell it wasn’t good.

  But we still must try.

  Faster, faster, faster, our footsteps reached a crescendo against the grass and dirt beneath us.

  A rock caught my foot, and I whammed against the ground, my face inches from the pebbles beneath before I caught myself with my palms. My reed basket clattered down to the ground again, its contents scattering everywhere.

  I bit my tongue and tried not to cry.

  “Here.” A melodious, masculine voice that I recognized all too well spoke up, and a big hand reached down to help me up. My gaze wavered. I looked up and saw Shao, his forehead slick with sweat, and I hesitated only a moment to hate myself for slowing him down before I snatched his hand and levered myself back up.

  “Are you alright?” He asked, his breathing heavy with dread.

  “Fine,” I said, my voice escaping in a haggard gasp for air. I gestured forward. “Let’s go.”

  “The fruit?” Shao asked between pants, bending down to help pick them up. I took one hesitant, saddened look at the fruit before pulling him back up by his hands.

  “It’s fine,” I said. “We can come back.” I said nothing else, because speaking more would only waste time.

  Shao gave me a curt nod, giving me a thorough look to ensure I wasn’t hurt, before resuming his sprint. Worries filled me as I chased after him.

  How could he have waited for me despite his fears? There was a great threat at the mansion, and here I was, being a burden for Shao… and he was letting me, rather than continuing without wasting precious seconds to help me back up and confirm I was unhurt.

  Upon reaching a big, long log, he braced his hand against the top to hop over it. I tried to mimic him. Upon failure, however, I grumbled under my breath and sloppily crawled on top of it before hopping back down, and I noticed that Shao had slowed his pace.

  He sped back up once I was on ground and running, too.

  Tears threatened to spring into my eyes once more, albeit for a different reason.
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  This whole time, he’d been carefully listening to my steps to ensure I was right behind him. Whenever I slowed down, he slowed down with me. Whenever I quickened, he took it as permission to speed up to match my pace.

  I appreciated his efforts, but I loathed it, too.

  I was undeserving.

  Flames of agony flickered at my lungs, throat, and stomach, but I endured it for him. Surely, he felt the same pain, and my heart rang with both hurt and appreciation. In a twisted way, I felt like I belonged through our shared fears and pain.

  A million years must have passed by the time we reached the mansion’s clearing.

  I wheezed for air as I skidded to a stop; I collapsed forward into the grass, my legs unable to endure any longer. My hands banged once more against the ground, and I winced when I felt a pain sear up through my fingers and wrist.

  Shao continued running to his mansion, slamming open the unlocked gate, and collapsed to his knees as he looked around, his own fruit basket landing on his thighs—the lucky man.

  “Sh-Shao—” I cried out, but my voice was too hoarse and weak to reach him.

  Peering through the gates’ holes, I yelped in surprise—and despair.

  The golden roses remained alive and unharmed, occupying the same spaces that I remembered them in last. Had the thief only taken one, or few enough that neither Shao nor I would notice?

  It was the door to the mansion that shocked me… and terrified me to my core.

  Spirals of smoke crept from the edges of the door—or the lack thereof—like squirming snakes crawling in the air. Soot covered the ground and formed filmy layers over the walls surrounding the doorway.

  As for the door…

  It was gone.

  Where it had once stood strong and tall, there was now only a gaping hole rendering the mansion’s parlor visible from outside.

  Before I could say anything, two strangers sauntered out through the missing door: a brunette girl with a hand to her hip—dressed in a long-sleeved chiffon dress—and a red-headed boy who seemed sick of her.