Rose in Chains
by Julie Soto
Contents
Chapter 1
Overview
As the eclipse ends, Briony realizes her twin brother Rory has died when his protective boundary falls. The battlefield erupts in chaos and the last dragon flies north. Despite Anna’s order to shelter, Briony chooses action over safety, with Cordelia trailing her, signaling a shift in leadership and prophecy.
Summary
On a castle balcony overlooking Evermore, Briony senses the boundary protecting the castle collapse and understands that her twin brother, Rory, has died. Though their twin-bond yields only silence, the dust cloud over the battlefield and the ending eclipse confirm the loss. Cordelia and Anna witness the fallout beside her.
Briony watches the last dragon abandon the battlefield and fly north, underscoring the war’s grim turn. Anna, torn between duty and strategy, orders Briony to seek safety but rushes off to respond to the crisis. Briony reels at the shattering of the prophecy that named Rory the hoped-for savior.
Refusing passivity, Briony sheds her cape and moves to act despite her unsuitable attire. Cordelia tries to stop her and urges hiding, but Briony argues that hiding means being the last survivors. Briony sprints down the stairs toward the front, and Cordelia follows, committing to the dangerous path ahead.
Who Appears
- BrionyPrincess and narrator; realizes Rory’s death, rejects hiding, and runs toward the battlefield.
- CordeliaBriony’s friend; shocked and fearful, tries to make Briony hide, then follows her.
- AnnaBriony’s guard; bound by oath to protect her, orders shelter, then rushes to respond.
- RoryBriony’s twin and prophesied heir; dies off-page as his protective boundary collapses.
- The last dragonObserves battlefield, then abandons the humans and flies north.