Chapter 33

When the servants didn't make Avalina eat, she slept, regaining the strength she had lost.

As she grew stronger and her vision returned to normal she became aware that the servants couldn't actually be seen.

Which relieved her tremendously because when she had not been able to see them at first, she had thought she had gone blind.

Perhaps she should have been worried about whether or not she was losing it completely, but after seeing torches that lit themselves, flying trolleys and an evil king back from the dead, she was convinced there wasn't much of anything here that could surprise her

Gusts of little breezes showed where the servants might be in the room, but they weren't visible to the eye. It was obvious they had personality though, by the way they did things.

One morning they had juggled the teacup, the saucer and the empty sugar bowl for her before breakfast, making her laugh for the first time in weeks. She could sense the joy she had given them by her reaction.

They never spoke or made any sort of audible noise, but they had plenty of ways to get their points across.

Avalina could dimly remember that she had, in fact, heard talking the first day she had came to, but they hadn't made so much as a whisper since.

She wondered if they had only spoken because they thought she would not be able to remember it when she got better.

A few days after she had come around she felt much better, so shakily, she got out of the bed early one morning, and with purposeful movements, tried to get her clothes.

The servant/servants or whoever it was, had fought with her fiercely over possession of her garments, and when she tried to yank them away from it, it had grabbed them all and promptly zipped up to the upper left hand corner of the ceiling and sat there, refusing to be moved, while another rustled the sheets, clearly meaning for her to get back in bed.

Avalina took a deep breath, trying to keep her temper.

"I know you're worried about me," she said to the empty air, imagining how silly she must look, "But I've been out of it for nearly three weeks now, and I am going to see my horse, with or without those clothes. I'm wearing a nightgown to the stable if I have to. Its your choice."

The servants seemed to share a silent conversation at this for a moment, before the one on the ceiling grudgingly came down and, with a huff, dropped her clothes on the bed.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

She was still a little shaky, so them helping her dress was unexpected, but she was sincerely thankful for it. She told them so, but they seemed to brush it off rather cheerfully.

It was almost as if they were saying, "Dash orders, who are *we* to keep her from her very bestest friend? Take that, you stiffheads-at-headquarters!"

Walking slowly to the door, she was positive the servants were telling her not to overdo it, by the way they flitted around her.

It took forever, it seemed, for Avalina to make it all the way from her bedroom to the castle doors, as she had to stop several times to rest a minute before pressing on, but she did not stop.

The servants opened the door for her as she carefully walked out into the open air and headed across the courtyard.

The castle door had scarcely shut behind her when a screaming whinny echoed loudly from the stable and traveled across the courtyard, sending a pump of adrenaline and joy through her system.

It was in his special type of whinny he saved only for greeting her.

Nothing else.

"I'm coming!" She called softly as she tried to hurry.

The servants opening the stable doors and something barreling out of them to meet her was the last thing she saw before her legs gave out.

But the horse was right there to catch her, a massive wall of black.

Wrapping her arms around his neck and sinking her fingers into his mane, she felt the tears cascading down her face and soaking his coat, but neither cared.

Avalina only managed out a single word through her tears, but it was all that was needed.

"Mitternacht."

The Horned King had seen it all from his window.

Avalina walking slowly across the courtyard, the Invisibles opening the stable doors, but scarcely had they lifted the latch and the animal shoved its way forcefully out to catch Avalina and pull her back up as her knees gave out.

She hugged the beast's neck tightly as she leaned on him for support, as the horse sniffed over every inch of her he could reach repeatedly, without moving and letting the girl fall to the ground.

The Horned King narrowed his eyes as he watched them. He should have known Avalina would treat the animal like a pet rather than a beast of burden.

This was the first time he had ever laid eyes on her mount, but from this distance he could make out little, other than he was very large and very, very black.

This was also the first time he had seen a horse act like this toward someone other than another horse. It was highly unusual.

Horses were only beasts, made to be used any way they were helpful. Tools, rather. Nothing more.

Horses were animals, which meant they couldn't understand things the way people did, but watching as the horse turned and slowly guided Avalina inside the stable and out of his line of vision, the Horned King wondered faintly about that.

Avalina, leaning on Mitternacht for support, took him inside the stable as the servants lit the torches, lighting up everything.

"I've missed you so much," she whispered as she clung to his mane, not wanting to let him go.

Mitternacht hadn't stopped sniffing her over once. She could tell he had been mad with worry for her, and this was his way of showing it.

She hugged him again as he snorted loudly through his nostrils, nuzzling her back, then her hair, then her shoulder, nearly dancing on his toes with excitement.

Reluctantly pulling away from him, she was able to look him over.

His coat was covered with dust and cobwebs, and straw bits stuck wildly out of his matted mane and tail.

His feather around his feet was a dirty brown, and he had lost weight, his hips and ribs sticking out a little more than they should. He had been in perfect shape three weeks ago.

"Oh, Mitternacht," Avalina said as a fresh wave of tears came down her face, "I'm so sorry."

The horse blew again and nudged her.

Looking around, she took in how the stable had fared.

Sick with worry and with nothing to do, Mitternacht had torn the place apart during Avalina's three-week absence.

The doors on half the stables had actually been removed, and the walls on nearly all of them looked to be barely holding together.

Masses of splintered wood, that appeared to be from the stalls and old feed buckets, were scattered everywhere underfoot.

He had been fed, Avalina could tell by the thin sheet of oats covering the floor. Quite literally, there wasn't an empty square inch to be seen.

Maybe he hadn't eaten because he'd been missing her?

Hoof and bite marks lavishly adorned every single available surface that the horse had been able to reach, most notably the back of the stable door and the one leading to the feedroom.

Looking over into his stall, Avalina grimaced.

The straw had not been changed, probably not since she hadn't been able to come, and the water was nasty.

This place was a complete disaster, from top to bottom.

Shoving a rounded metal feedpan out of her way, (That she was certain she hadn't seen before) Avalina went to the tackroom and got her brushes.

Cleaning the trashed stable could wait.

Friends came first.