Chapter 27

Creeper hadn't been able to see much of the incident. All he had been able to see was his master teleport himself to the balcony to ambush the human, and he had gotten a very nice view of his master choking her, right before they teleported out of sight again.

But it had been enough to make the goblin's day.

Creeper had wandered around the castle with his head in the clouds for the rest of the day, overjoyed that his master had found something new to abuse. For a little while, at least.

The Invisibles had disappeared for a long, long time afterward, and he could not find them anywhere in the castle.

It was nearly nine at night when the large doors blew open and they came inside, sounding exhausted but triumphant, and of course, laughing over something.

As usual.

They burst into fits of giggles as he hopped down the stairs, loudly announcing that he was hungry. He didn't know what their deal was, but it was irritating.

A quick, short silence suddenly dropped, before one of them spoke to him.

"Your master wants you, goblin. You better hurry. I'll fix you something while you're in there."

As they all dispersed to do their chores and so on, Creeper slowly headed to his master's chambers, dread filling him.

An Invisible came with him, lighting the torches in front of him to see by.

Tapping nervously at his master's door, he wondered what he could possibly want him for.

As he came inside the Invisible came in right behind him, shutting the door.

"S-S-Sire?"

The Horned King sat in the smaller throne inside his chambers, thinking.

After a moment, he spoke.

"The Invisibles are to work around the castle. And you. . ."

He glared at Creeper, "Can take care of the horse."

Creeper blanched.

"B-But Sire!"

The Horned King snapped him a look that said, "Say one more word and you're regretting it."

Creeper shrank.

"Y-y-yes, Sire. As you w-wish."

"You," The Horned King spoke in the direction above Creeper's head.

"Yes, Sire?"

"Make sure the girl is given enough to stay alive, but no more. That is all."

"Begging your Majesty's pardon, but I doubt starving her will endear you to her any more."

"Silence!" The Horned King hissed.

"You will do as I command. Are we. . .quite clear?"

". . .Perfectly."

There was enough ice in that word to freeze a lake on a warm day.

The Horned King nodded his head in dismissal, frowning suddenly as the goblin exited.

Staring hard at the goblin's back, he realized half his cloak was missing.

Brows raised, the Horned King watched him until the door was shut.

'What in the name of. . .'

As the Invisible and the goblin walked down the hall together, the Invisible snuffing the torches out behind them, the goblin began to mutter to himself, forgetting the other was even there.

"Oh, how am I going to do this? He'll kill me."

Whether he was referring to the master or the horse was debatable.

"I can't go back in there!"

His musings were broken by the Invisible speaking.

"Why not?"

"Because it nearly killed me last time!"

The goblin snapped.

Yep, definitely the horse he was talking about.

"Well, then you shouldn't have tried to push something around that's bigger than you. And no, before you ask, we can't help you. You heard the master's orders."

Creeper groaned and covered his face in his hands.

"I'm doomed."

No doubt if the Invisible had actually been visible, they could have been seen grinning like mad.

In the depths of the castle, Avalina had cried until she had no more tears to shed. She wept for her family and her friends, who she would never see again, and who would no doubt think she was dead. . .for her horse, who waited for her in the stable, perhaps knowing by now that she wouldn't be coming. . .her country, that she would never be able to warn now. . .and for herself, who's fate also hung in the balance.

Considering she was in the dungeon of the Horned King himself, her prospects of life were not favorable.

Huddled in a corner, her knees pulled to her chest, she stared blankly at the floor in front of her, a stray tear working over her face.

After her lengthy cry, she was left shuddering violently as chills racked her body. The stone floor did not help, but she was too emotionally crushed to move.

She ached all over. . .whether it was from the crying, the aftereffects of when she had fallen earlier, or a combination of both. . .and her head throbbed, but her throat was the worst.

It itched and scratched on the inside, hurt to breathe, hurt to move, and she hadn't tried to use her voice again after her pleading earlier but it would probably hurt as well.

She couldn't see herself, but she knew the place where the Horned King had held her by the throat was probably bruising and turning blue or purple. Possibly even black.

Her left wrist where he had grabbed her was also turning blue, although it didn't look as bad as her throat felt.

Her palms still burned from where she had fallen earlier, enough of the skin having been removed to be painful, but not quite enough to actually bleed.

The black despair in her heart, however, clouded over everything else to where it looked insignificant in comparison.

'I knew I never should have stopped here,' she thought bleakly.

'I should have listened to my gut more and just kept going, but my head panicked and insisted on shelter. Mitternacht did need it though, he couldn't have taken another step in his state.'

She gave the faintest of smiles at the thought of her friend.

'I should have left after the first night. Mitternacht and I both were rested up enough to go home. I'm sure he knew the way. But I didn't leave. Why didn't I leave? How *could* I have been so stupid?'

Avalina fought down a sob.

'Of course, this whole thing would have never happened if I had just headed back to Dalben's in the first place instead of trying to make it home. I should have used my common sense and just went back to his cottage to wait out the storm, and heading home today when it cleared. Why didn't I? Why? Why, why, why?'

Avalina blinked, her eyes burning. No matter how many times she wished she could go back and change her decision, it was impossible. Completely, utterly hopeless. It couldn't get more hopeless than this.

'No one knows he's returned but me, and I can't do a single thing about it. No one would even think of looking for me here, not that anyone actually would. This isn't one of those beautiful stories I read so often, where the heroine or the princess has a knight in shining armor to save her when things can't get any worse. To pull her from the ogre's lair and fight the monster to save her life. To be her hero, her guardian, and her dearest friend.

I am not a heroine or a princess. I'm not even close to either of those things. I am just a simple peasant, with no distinguishing qualities, no riches, no courage, no talents, no anything. I possess nothing even worth trying to save. And even if I did, it wouldn't change anything. I don't have someone to come to my rescue like those characters in my books do. I don't even have someone that would try.'

Avalina closed her eyes, as if it would help shield her from the hideous truth.

'I have no hero to come for me. I have absolutely no one.

And now, because of my rashness and poor thinking, I have doomed all of Prydain to the Horned King. I practically handed it to him on a silver platter. No doubt he tortures his prisoners until he gets what he wants. I will be no different. I'll never see my loved ones again, and it is all my own wretched fault.'

A stray tear slipped itself out of her eye.

'I failed.'

Another sob choked its way out of her.

'Mother, I'm so sorry.'

Haven't done one of these in a while. Disclaimers! Everything belongs to Disney and Lloyd Alexander, except this story and my OC's.

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