Hey, everyone, and welcome to Briar! Maybe you could tell from the summary (wink), but this fanfic revolves around a real-life Princess Aurora, with the name Briar. So come on and read this fanfic! I hope you enjoy!

Part I: Once upon a time, a line spoken that made the earth and moon tremble was spoken, unknown to the woodland princess, whose future it concerned...

Briar blinked, peering out into the dark, forbidden woods through her window. It had always fascinated her, for some reason, more than the small, dusty village to the other side of her home. She had always felt as though there was something calling her, not from the woods, but from beyond the woods.

The people of the village told her countless times that the forest marked the border between the European Federation and the Commonwealth, and was worth nothing more.

Well, so why is it forbidden? She'd wanted to ask them in reply, so many times, but every time, she decided not to. There's nothing more harmful in there than a bunch of flowers and trees, and there's safety on either side.

Briar's mother, a rather elegant-looking woman, had done her best to convince Briar not to go to the woods. And ever since she'd tried to leave the house to go into the forest several years ago, she had put an iron lock on Briar's window and hadn't taken it off ever since.

Huh. Talk about being overprotective.

But she meant only well, and didn't want Briar to get lost, or something else like that. Well, Briar felt that was entirely foolish, and often swore rather vibrantly under her breath at the locked window. But she planned to get out, someday soon.

Staring through the locked window so often should have enabled her to find some sort of opening, anywhere.

No, there wasn't an opening. Her mother Florence had made sure of that. Briar had inspected the locked window for hours and hours, and there was no sign of any weakness to the iron lock. Inspecting the lock for any weaknesses was what she did almost every day.

With a sigh, Briar pulled away from the window, rising to her feet. It was practically hopeless to imagine leaving through the window without anyone's help. She needed someone who was... say, good at breaking locks? Well, obviously, but someone who was willing to help her.

She didn't think anyone understood her predicament.

Everyone just thought that she was crazy to want to go to the forest. Why is being attracted to the forest such a bad thing? I mean, everyone's found some sort of interest in the woods before, haven't they?

The forest was beautiful, Briar thought. Closing her eyes, she thought of the moist air around her, where the water would drip beautifully from the leaves, and the jade moss coated the trunks of the trees. At night, the moon would be wonderfully visible, with the silhouettes and shadows around her to create something even beyond her dreams... there was nothing that surpassed those wonderful green tendrils, and the way that the light filtered through the trees... if only she could get a closer look. If only. If only her dream could come true.

If only she could go out into the forest... even just for a moment.

Just for a moment.

Just once.

Just to see the breathtaking view, so that she would know its beauty.

Just so that she wouldn't die without ever seeing it.

Briar drew in a breath, staring out as far as her vision allowed into the forest. There was a large boulder, trees - obviously, vines hanging low, and... wait... some weird shadowy shape moving through the trees. Briar blinked, and it was gone. It was probably just a trick of the light, she told herself. The forest is full of mist. I probably didn't see anything.

But Briar knew, she just knew, that the creatures that some of the villagers fantasized about could be real.

There were creatures in the woods. Living things, just like Lunars and Earthens.

"Briar!" Briar pulled away from the window in surprise as her mother Florence called her name. She turned her head just as Florence walked inside her almost-empty room, hands on her hips. Florence was tall, slender... elegant, if you will. A motherly-looking figure, though rather stern to Briar.

"I'm leaving," Briar whispered softly, more to herself than to her mother.

Florence took a step toward her. "What?"

"I'm leaving," Briar repeated, her voice louder this time. "There's a whole world for me, out there in the woods. It's calling me... I can basically feel-"

"I don't care what you can 'basically feel'," Florence retorted smoothly. "Briar, I've told you many times that you're not going out into the woods, and I'm not changing my mind today. Or ever, for that matter." Briar's blue eyes flashed at her mother's words.

"You have to!" Briar snapped. "I just don't feel at home here. I can't keep on like this. I can't live without seeing it!"

Florence rolled her eyes. "You can, and you will," she stated, in a voice of authority, and Briar sighed. "Anyway, I came to tell you that I'm going to leave for the village market in a few minutes." Her eyes narrowed. "Or maybe, now... I should take you with me."

Briar raised her voice in protest. "No!" She sighed. "Honestly, Mother, I'm fine. You... you can lock the door from the outside if you want."

"Excellent," Florence stated, her voice like steel. "I will." And she pivoted, walking away. Briar let out a sigh. She couldn't leave then, not if Florence locked the door from the outside. Or, at least, not to Florence's knowledge.

No, Briar would have her way. Florence often called her stubborn, and today, that would really have its meaning.

She stared out through the locked window, once more. Soon, she would see it again. She would be there. Briar would be a part of the forest... she would stay there for as long as she needed. Well, no. Not really.

She wasn't coming back if her life depended on it.

No more of the hot, crowded streets of the village, no more of that constant longing to be out in the woods. The only thing she might miss was Florence... but then again, every choice came with its losses. She would cope.

"Briar!" Yet again, Briar was startled out of her fascination of the woods. "I'm leaving!"

Briar's eyes shone briefly... both with happiness and tears that she desperately tried to blink back. She would miss Florence... she really would. But now, the time was here. She was really leaving. She was actually going out into the woods.

"Bye, Mother." Briar resisted the urge to spring forward and wrap her mother in a hug... Florence might get suspicious. It was probably going to be the last time Briar saw Florence. When Florence came back, she would be looking for someone who wasn't there.

Briar stared achingly at Florence's receding figure as her mother walked to the door, opened it, and stepped out. She heard the key turn in the lock from outside.

Briar ran. Ran into her own room, practically throwing open the canvas closet. But she picked up the black gun that she had hidden for so long, just in case, with care; it was her main defense. Again, just in case.

There was nothing else she needed, anyway.

Just her portscreen, which she slipped between her shirt and jacket, ensuring that it wouldn't fall out by fastening a belt around her waist.

She had already changed into clothes that allowed her to move easily yet would camoflauge her in the shadows at the same time - a black jacket, black pants. Her hair fell freely down her back, and she didn't bother tying it up in her excitement.

This was it.

This would be the moment when she stepped away from her old life, never to look back.

Ever.

This was the past, now.

And she was never going back to it.

Briar steadied her shaking hands as she slammed one end of the gun into the window... into the locked window. And just like that, a moist air hit her face. Briar just wanted to bask in the sudden sunlight, the crisp air... but that wasn't an option.

Fastening the gun weakly as her hands shook, Briar took a step toward the window.

Drew in a deep breath.

No.

She couldn't. No.

It was all she ever wanted, and she couldn't give it up. But she couldn't just... leave like that.

A key turned, and Briar heard the door open. The creak was followed by hurried footsteps. "Briar!" Briar gasped as she heard Florence's voice from somewhere else in the house, probably from the front. "Briar! I heard something break in here!"

It was now or never.

The footsteps got louder as Florence neared her room. "I think it was more than just me who heard that break."

Briar drew in a breath and sprang, clambering through the shards of glass, ignoring the stings in her leg as sharp points of glass scraped her. She looked back. Once. Briar saw the door of her room open violently. "Briar!"

There was no more time.

She couldn't look back anymore. It was done. Briar closed her eyes.

And jumped forward, down.

Her knees buckled when she landed on the soft forest ground, but she steadied herself. Briar heard a shriek. Florence's shriek. She had probably seen the broken window by now... and put things together.

Briar ducked down.

"Briar! No!" Florence's voice - her mother's voice - was a shocked scream, and Briar felt tears well up in her eyes.

No. She had to be strong.

Blinking back tears, Briar crept into the woods, letting the breeze touch her pale face and whip her blonde hair back. She would have a new life, now. One that revolved around her and the forest. The forest that would influence every action, every move that she would ever make.

Her forest.

All right! I hope you like that first chapter of Briar!

More will be coming up soon! So please, leave a review as you go!

See ya later!

~ Storm