Disclaimer: Don't own any of them.
A/N: Oh. My. Gosh.
I am SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SORRY!!!
I mean, really, I don't exactly have an excuse for leaving this chapter off so long, except that I'd always forget I hadn't posted it yet. And it's the last chapter, and all that, so that makes it even worse!
As I said, I am reallyreallyreally sorry, and completely and utterly ashamed of myself.
I hope you'll forgive me, because I do have a small surprise for you…
But read the chapter first, since you've waited so long for it.
BTW, make sure to read the dream carefully this chapter...
Chapter Nine: Dreaming (Again)
"Pirate attack!"
Two words. Two very simple words. But these words were enough to strike terror into the hearts of anyone and everyone who heard them.
Rosethorn grimaced. She knew the pirates were attacking, so the words didn't surprise her, but they still scared her a little. However, she would deal with the fear as she dealt with all fear—ignore it and move on, doing what needed to be done.
She ran out of Discipline cottage towards the wall, where she could see the large pirate fleet. And suddenly Briar, the girls, Niko, Frostpine, and Lark were with her, running as she was to reach the wall, their goal. They moved as one, legs pumping at the same speed, feet hitting the ground at the same moment. At the exact time she reached the wall, the others did, too. Now in single file, they climbed the stairs and stood at the top. She accepted a handful of packets from Briar, and, one by one, threw them out to the shore near the fleet. As they flew through the air, she called on her magic, and the seeds in the packets grew quickly. Vicious thorns sprang out and spread themselves along the shore.
A hand touched her shoulder, and she spun around to see Crane standing there. What was he doing? He beckoned to her. Without speaking, he began to walk towards the edge of the wall. Briar continued to throw packets of seeds and make them grow. The thorns punched through the packets faster than the pieces of cloth fell apart. She knew that if anyone fell off the wall, they would be dead in a matter of moments. Yet here was Crane, walking right on the edge, and beckoning to her to follow.
She wouldn't! She reached out and grabbed his habit sleeve, hoping to stop his fall. Her fingers caught at the material just as he lost his balance. He started to fall, and she pulled, so that he came towards her instead. They fell over on the wall, both panting slightly from fear.
Rosethorn sat up. Looking at Crane across from her, she felt immense satisfaction.
He was safe.
Rosethorn stirred and opened her eyes slowly. Yawning, she sat up in bed, smiling at the sight of her husband's messy hair on his pillow. A second later, he woke too, looking rather concerned.
"Rosethorn? Are you all right?" he asked. "It's two in the morning."
"I know," she said.
"What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"
She looked at him, a smile creeping over her face, and lay down again, snuggling back into the covers.
"No," she said, feeling herself get sleepy once more. "It was just a dream."
A/N: Soooo…about that surprise…
I'm writing a sequel! (grin)
So if any of you liked this story…
It's not exactly a fluff story, although it has little fluffy hints here and there. It's about…well, I shouldn't tell you. But the pairings are R/C and Briar/Tris (well, there's one more, but I can't tell you that one or I'll give things away). Anywho…
There's a prophecy in it, which goes like this:
A shadow will fall over Winding Circle,
And magic begin to ebb;
The one who is responsible
Will be caught in a spider's web.
When one and one join to make one
As not for a hundred years,
The chosen third will power restore,
And rid us of our fears.
So whaddya think? Is it really stupid? I hope not…
Can you figure it out? PM me if you can…
Until then,
BANZAI!!!
hollybridgetpeppermint
P.S. To all of you who were confused last chappie by the expression PDA, it stands for Public Display of Affection! (grin)