Chapter 61

Marwolaeth stood quietly as Avalina carefully sawed through the ropes and took them all off piece by piece, tossing each one out into the hall when she was finished.

As the last one came free he snorted in victory, and Avalina herself heaved a sigh of relief.

"Good boy, Marwolaeth," she said happily, but her relief turned to sympathy as she saw the long thin gashes the rope had made on his face. Most of them were clotted over, but the one across his nose had been reopened when she had removed the rope, and it was bleeding a little.

"I'm so sorry, boy," she told him quietly. "Its not right, a horse. . .any horse, but especially one like you. . .being treated like this."

She could do nothing for his cuts, but she could get those matts in his mane away from them. The horse warily rolled his eyes at her as she began to carefully saw through his mane, trying to take away as little as possible, as she briefly rubbed a hand across the top of his neck to keep him from raising his head.

"You have good training," she observed as she kept cutting. "I don't know much about horses, but surely they have to be trained a long time to keep their head down without a rope, like you're doing now."

The horse stamped and switched his tail, the end of it sweeping across her back, almost as if he agreed with her.

Avalina started about midway down his neck and worked her way down towards his face. It took a great deal of soothing to keep him still as she cleared the matt in his forelock away. The rest of his mane was too high up for her to reach, so this would have to do for now.

Standing back slightly observe her work, she thought he looked almost as bad as before, with gaping holes where his flowing mane should be, but at least he didn't seem agitated by the thick carpet-like matts any more.

Shaking himself thoroughly, he seemed rather glad of the job she had done, no longer hampered by those things hanging on his neck.

"I'm sorry I had to cut your mane up, boy," Avalina told him. "But at least it'll grow back."

The horse sniffed her again as she rubbed his chest, snorting softly in her hair and making her laugh.

"That tickles, Marwolaeth!"

"Kid, what're ye DOIN!?"

The new voice made them both jump, the horse yanking up his head and Avalina turning guiltily to the door to see who was there.

Mueric stood there, a look of shock and horror on his weathered face, as he took the scene in.

"Kid," he said, softer now. "Don't. . .move."

The horse's ears laced back.

Mueric had shown the bit to the stable manager, who had inquired as to who it belonged to, and big surprise, it had been none other than Arwel himself.

The stable manager had been furious and no doubt would have had the man burned at the stake on the spot, but the king had been informed and he had promptly stripped Arwel of his knighthood, saying that no man, even if he wasn't a knight, could be called a man if he treated his mount that way.

Arwel had not been too happy about it and caused quite a scene in the courtyard, before leaving in a great huff.

The king himself had thanked Mueric for his observation on the matter, and the old man had been forced to admit that it was the peasant girl that had drawn his attention to it first. The king had been impressed and ordered her brought to him so he could thank her personally.

The entire ordeal had taken a great deal of time, and by the time Mueric returned to the stable, the girl was no longer there.

'Typical,' he grumbled irritably to himself. 'Can't leave 'em for any length of time.'

He had checked with the guards to see if her mother had came by and taken her, but they hadn't seen anyone.

Grumbling, Mueric went back to the stable and started searching, saying in a loud, irritated voice that if she was playing hide-and-seek, it wasn't funny.

Fuming, he stepped outside to think, and his eyes fell on the other stable. The one that held Diafol Ceffyl.

'She wouldn't be in there,' he argued with himself, but his memory begged to differ.

'That door was ajar when Arwel was dismissed, and someone slammed it shut again,' he remembered, before suddenly feeling a chill. The door was bolted from the outside, which meant if the girl had wandered in there. . .she would have no way out, and the walls were so thick. . .no one could hear a little girl screaming for help unless they were right outside the building. . .

In a flash Mueric was running as fast as he could across the courtyard as he remembered the incident this morning.

'The kid took a fancy to that crazy animal,' he remembered in horror.

As he unbolted the door he forced himself to be quiet with the grim thought that if the horse had savaged her to death, he couldn't help her anyway.

Easing the door open quietly, he readied himself for a horrible scene. . .but there was nothing.

Nothing except talking coming from about halfway down. It sounded like her. . .

Tiptoeing, he came down to one of the stalls, noticed chunks of rope and matted black mane all over the floor, and in puzzlement he peeked inside. . .

To see something that nearly gave him a heart attack.

The little girl was there, laughing as the horse blew on her face, looking almost playful, and the words of disbelief escaped him before he could help it.

An eerie change came over the horse, and the atmosphere suddenly darkened. The horse laced his ears back and tossed his head in a challenge at the old man, and Avalina suddenly felt afraid again as she looked up at Mueric's face.

"Kid. . ." He said quietly, speaking very softly, "Walk toward me. . .slowly. I'll help you over the door."

Avalina slowly came forward, all the darkness in the air scaring her.

Marwolaeth stamped and whinnied angrily, both front feet coming off the ground at once as he threatened the man.

Unfortunately, this made Avalina jump forward in fright as she felt his feet connect to the floor, and in a flash Mueric had hoisted her quickly over the door and set her down in the hall.

Marwolaeth snorted angrily and whinnied his disapproval as he came up to the door, alternating between swiveling them forward at Avalina and back at Mueric, before slamming against the door and snaking out his head in an attempt to bite the old man, who was already well out of his reach and was dragging Avalina down the hall as fast as he could go, not listening to her protests.

The horse screamed loudly as they disappeared through the courtyard door.

Mueric released Avalina as he shoved the stable door shut as tightly as possible, before rounding on her.

"Just what do you think you were doin,' kid?"

Avalina shrank from his wrath.

"Nothing! You told me to stay at the stables!"

"He coulda *killed* ye!"

"But he didn't!"

"Yer darned lucky he didn't bash yer skull in."

"But he Didn't!"

The old man swore under his breath and made an irritated motion. "The king wants ye. Come on."

Tagging behind him, Avalina fought down a tremble. "What's he want me for?"

"You'll find out. And if ye know what's good for ye you'll stay away from that horse. . .make that any horse. . .without permission. He's nothin' but trouble!"

"He wasn't to me!"

"Shut yer mouth, young 'un, or I'll do it for ye."

Avalina, shivering, said no more.

Miserably she followed Mueric to the opposite side of the massive courtyard, where a group of men stood in discussion over something.

"Yer Majesty," Mueric said respectfully, causing the group to part for him, "I've brought the girl."

Avalina temporarily paused in her walking, awe and more than a little fright creeping over her as she saw them all walk away.

The King of all Prydain stood in front of her, looking every inch of his title. A golden crown sat on top of his short golden hair and his eyes were a deep brown. She hadn't been able to get a very good look at him this morning.

"So, this is the peasant that does a much better job than my grooms," he said, a twinkle in his eyes as he looked her over.

Suddenly feeling very small, Avalina shook out in a frightened voice, "I didn't mean to be t-tellin' you what to do. . ."

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Mueric making a frustrated hand gesture, obviously trying to be as discreet as possible.

Avalina understood quickly with a start.

"O-oh! I'm s-sorry," she stammered out, bowing from the waist, "I-I didn't mean. . ."

"Think nothing of it," the king's voice answered her, and as she looked up she realized with a jump he was right in front of her, "Formality is not expected of someone your age, especially when they do not know the rules."

Avalina timidly looked up at him, straightening as she did so, searching his face with her eyes. He seemed to be alright, but she could not help being timid in his presence.

"I hear you brought Mueric's attention to the horse," the king said, smiling slightly down at her. "You told me this morning you've never been close to horses. Did you enjoy your time in the stable?"

"Y-yes, your Majesty," she replied politely, trying to meet his gaze as well as she could and attempting to remember what her mother had told her about manners. "I did so, very much, th-thank you."

"I must thank you," King Gwydion said, a sincere look on his face, "For alerting me to the fact of one of the horses being ill used. If a knight can't take care of his horse then he has no business being one."

"Sire?" Mueric asked respectfully from the side as Avalina blushed.

The king gave a short nod in permission for him to keep speaking.

"When I went back to get her, she was. . .in the stable with Diafol Ceffyl."

The king's face changed drastically, and Avalina's heart pounded in fear.

"I-I'm sure the kid didn't mean anythin' by it, Yer Highness," Mueric managed out hastily, "She didn't know no better. But no one got hurt."

The king turned back to her.

"Is that true?"

His gaze settled on her, and Avalina barely managed out her affirmative.

"And you're. . .alive?"

The shock in his voice caused Avalina to risk looking fearfully up at him.

"Y-yes sir."

"But how did you keep him from hurting you?"

The disbelief in his voice prompted her to speak.

"I. . .I don't know," she said truthfully, "I just asked him not to."

The king looked even more puzzled for a moment, before turning away from her and beckoning to Mueric.

"Pardon me a moment."

The two men walked far enough away where she couldn't hear them and began an earnest debate, casting glances in her direction.

After several, several minutes, they came back and Avalina braced herself, trying not to let her heart beat too fast.

"What is your name, miss?" The king asked, looking down at her with an odd expression.

"Avalina, your Highness."

"How long were you in the stable with the horse before Mueric came?"

Avalina frowned slightly, trying to remember.

"I don't know Sire, but it was a long time."

"And you were in the stall with him?"

"Yes sir."

"What did you do?"

"I. . .I don't know," Avalina stammered out, embarrassed that she wouldn't know what the king had asked of her. "I-I'm sorry."

The king noticed the puzzled, questioning look on Avalina's face and elaborated.

"Do you know why I am so surprised at this?"

"No sir."

"Well, Avalina," he finally answered, "That horse has been untouchable, unapproachable, and downright life-threatening for two years. And then you just go in and, by Mueric's phrasing, treat him like an old riding pony, and he just stands there and lets you. Is that correct?"

"Um. . .Well sir, he had to be convinced I wasn't carrying a weapon or something first."

"Be convinced?"

"Yes sir. And he had to decide whether to trust me or not."

"I see."

After he looked her over carefully, he spoke again.

"The reason I ask these things, Avalina, is because I have to ask you a very important question."

At this, he sat down on a bench and offered her to come sit beside him. Shyly, she did so.

"I would truly hate to destroy such a beautiful animal," he told her, the sincerity evident in his eyes.

"He is a very fine horse, and I hoped to ride him myself one day, but his behavior has made even keeping him impossible. The life he is currently leading is not fitting for him."

At this, the king's eyes softened.

"And that is why I would like to ask you, Avalina, if you would like to gentle him for me."

Avalina's eyes widened as she heard Mueric give a small sound of protest.

"Me?" She squeaked.

King Gwydion chuckled softly. "Yes, you. Since no one else can even get close to him, my options are rather limited. You will be paid well for your service, I assure you."

The wheels in Avalina's head were spinning madly as such an offer, thinking ninety miles an hour. Oh, how she wanted to accept! She longed to tell him yes on the spot, but with a very slight shake of her head she declined.

"Can I wait til my momma gets here?"

The king blinked, as if remembering something.

"Oh, of course. Your mother will be informed of this."

At that moment, a guard walked up and said, "Sir, a woman's at the gate asking for "Avalina?"

The king nodded.

"Send her in."

Don't know why I keep putting the Review reminder down here, most of my readers ignore it. . .but to the people that do take the time to leave a review, I thank you from the bottom of my heart:) You guys are awesome!