Chapter 64
"That's it, take it easy!" Mueric called nervously from the sidelines as Avalina, standing on a bucket, tossed a saddle blanket onto the horse's back.
Avalina had let Marwolaeth sniff the blanket over thoroughly, and flapped it in the wind until her arms ached with exhaustion and the horse had finally stopped reacting in a negative manner, before she tried to put it on him.
Marwolaeth did not move as she got off the bucket and tightened the leather strap around his stomach to keep the blanket from falling off. They didn't have a real saddle or anything, but she and Mueric had rigged up something of their own. It didn't look so good, but it served their purpose.
Marwolaeth looked back at himself and stamped, tossing his head, almost acting like he wanted to rear, but Avalina's voice kept him grounded. Barely.
"It's alright, boy, its just a blanket," she told him softly as she untied his halter from the lead. Mueric had told her to let him loose for a minute in case he decided to have a buck or two.
"Do you want to walk?" She asked, walking away from him backwards. "It'll help you get used to it."
Marwolaeth refused to move a single inch for several minutes, and then when he did move, discomfort was obvious in every step he took.
Stiffly, he headed in her direction, stopping several times to look around at himself. It would have been funny if it wasn't for the almost accusing look he gave Avalina.
"Don't look at me like that!" Avalina told him as she curried his neck, slipping him a small bite of apple. "It wasn't even tight! Plus, it was Mueric's idea."
Over the next couple days, Marwolaeth became more at ease with the blanket and small leather girth. Mueric made him wear it everytime they worked, (Several hours every day) and by the third morning the horse was happily following Avalina around, not caring about the object on him.
"When can I get on him?" Avalina asked, jittery with excitement. "Can I do it today?"
Mueric paled a little at her question, looking uncertainly over at the horse.
"We're movin' kinda fast, kid, I don't think that's the best idea."
Oh, how he had been dreading this day. Dreading it above all else. He knew she would ask sooner or later. And oh, how he was dreading it with every bone in his body.
Over the past weeks, he had grown rather fond of the girl, and he didn't want her hurt. And yet, there was a very big chance of that happening when she was allowed to mount the animal. Despite the staggering improvement he had shown, Mueric still didn't trust him. Every time Mueric got too close to the fence he would lace back his ears and act like he would kill him if he ever got in striking distance. Mueric had no doubt that the animal would certainly try.
Despite this, the horse had never offered to hurt the girl, although he had stepped on her by accident one day. Luckily the horse had leaped partially sideways to avoid crushing the girl's foot, so it was only mild bruising. He didn't think she had told Gaenor, and he saw no reason to spill the beans himself.
"But mister Mueric, we've been workin' with him every day! He's shown a whole lot of improvement. Can't we try it today, can we?"
Mueric looked down at her hopeful face and stifled a groan. The kid was right. At the speed and willingness that the horse was improving, there really wasn't any reason to delay it any more. But there was just a niggling feeling in the back of his mind that told him no.
"Please, Mueric, please?"
He rubbed his temples, partially to ease the mild throbbing, but mostly to avoid looking at those eyes. Children seemed to know exactly how to use them to get their way, and Avalina was doing just that.
"Please?"
"Fine." Mueric groaned.
"Yippee!"
Avalina shot toward the stable as Mueric watched helplessly, the little voice niggling at him.
"Now, boy, this will be a breeze!" Avalina chirped to Marwolaeth happily as she slid on the blanket and tightened the strap. The horse had became used to this by now and hardly twitched, although he did turn around to look at her.
Getting the bridle on was no problem, that had been in the groundwork sessions.
Avalina laid the reins over his neck and moved the bucket into position, before untying him and preparing to mount.
"Kid, be careful!" Mueric called, his stomach churning.
'This is a bad idea, bad idea,' the little voice at the back of his head urged as he watched the girl take a fistful of the horse's black mane. 'Call it off, call it off. You still can.'
'You're being paranoid,' another voice grumbled. 'Its going to be fine.'
'Not true, not true. . .'
"Now, Marwolaeth, this is gonna be easy," she told him, although her insides were shaking so hard in excitement she could barely stand up, "Just hold still."
The horse stood quietly as Avalina gripped his mane, and after bracing herself, swung a leg over his back and pulled herself up. Mueric had made her practice on the sawhorse in the barn for this.
The change in the horse was immediate. His barrel swelled, every muscle went taut and his ears went back.
"Steady boy," Avalina told him as he shifted under her, "Its ok."
'I'm really sitting on a horse!' She thought happily. 'I'm actually on one!'
She rubbed his neck in an attempt to ease his fear, but she may as well have touched a statue. There was no response.
"Marwolaeth, are you alright?"
The horse snorted and backed up a step, before shifting sideways to the left, then the right.
"Steady, boy!" Avalina squeaked as he struck the ground once with his front feet. "Steady!"
"KID GET OFF!"
It all happened so fast. . .Mueric saw what was going to happen, but he couldn't open his mouth in time.
An explosion of dust and black horse seemed to fill the very sky as the monster went airborne with a scream of fury.
"No, boy, NO!"
Avalina gripped his mane with all her might, but she felt herself get propelled violently from the horse's back and go airborne, losing her grip on everything.
The only thing that Avalina heard was the raging horse and the screams of Mueric and her mother as the cloud of dust spread over the yard, leaving her clawing blindly at air.
And then everything went black.
A babble of voices pulled Avalina from unconsciousness as her eyes slowly came open.
She was in her bed in her room, and she could hear Mueric and her mother exchanging words.
"How *could* you let that happen! My baby's been hurt because of you! I refuse to let her near that monster ever again! You can just go straight back to the castle and tell King Gwydion I've had it! He can kill that horse for all I care, and I don't care what he does to me. I'm not letting her go near that animal again!"
Avalina slowly sat up as pain worked its way through her body, stemming from her head and side. This caused her to loose an unintentional cry of pain.
Her mother came in immediately.
"Oh, baby, stay down!" Gaenor told her, easing her back onto the bed. "You need to rest."
Her mother looked terrible. She looked like she'd been crying. Mueric stood at the doorway behind her, guilt and anger written all over his face.
"What happened?" Avalina asked weakly as her mother covered her again with the sheet.
"He threw ye, kid," Mueric said bitterly. "Right into the fence. Yer lucky to be alive."
"Is he ok?"
Mueric and her mother exchanged a shocked look.
"You should be worrying about yourself," Gaenor told her briskly. "Nothing's broken but you have severe bruising on your ribs and the side of your head. Your going to be on bedrest for a while."
"Momma, I'm fine. I need to get back to. . ."
"You're not going near that animal any more," her mother told her firmly. "He almost killed you. I never should have let you in the first place."
"But Momma, he was just. . ."
"I don't want to hear it, Avalina. You're not going near that horse again, and that's final. Mueric will be leaving tomorrow for the castle."
"But Momma. . ."
"Enough, Avalina!" Gaenor snapped, tears building in her eyes. "I've already lost my brother and my husband, and I'm not going to lose my child! Now, get some rest."
As the bedroom door shut, Avalina burst into tears.
'How could he do this to me?' She sobbed. 'I thought he trusted me. I thought I could trust him.'
It was in the early morning hours when she woke again. The house was completely silent, indicating no one was stirring yet.
Avalina groaned as she sat up, waiting until the room stopped spinning before she pulled on her boots.
Only in her nightgown, she carefully maneuvered through the house and out to the corral, forced to use a stout beanpole to lean on.
As she approached the corral, Marwolaeth raised his head and looked at her.
He still wore the bridle, although the blanket was long gone. The strap had been bitten clean in two and lay by his feet. The reins were dusty and dragged the ground.
He eyed her warily as she approached, and backed up when she crawled through the space in the rails.
"Oh, boy, I'm so sorry," Avalina said softly, taking in the betrayed look in his eyes. "I should have known you weren't ready."
Marwolaeth's ears came forward to listen as he looked her over.
"I'm so sorry."
Avalina carefully tried to walk to him, but when she got close he hurried away, stepping sideways to avoid tripping over the reins.
"No!" His body language clearly said. "Stay away!"
"Marwolaeth, you have to listen to me," Avalina told him.
"Mueric's leaving this morning to go to the castle and tell the king to kill you. You have to let me prove to them you're worth saving. I know you are. But why did you throw me, boy? I thought you trusted me."
Avalina felt her eyes burn.
"I thought I could trust *you*!"
The horse, sensing her distress, eyed her from a distance.
"I thought you were my friend, Marwolaeth," she told him as her vision blurred. "Why did you do that to me?"
The pain in her side forced her to her knees in the center of the corral.
"Why?"
Avalina held her side as the tears flowed in earnest. She had been so positive she could trust him, and he had hurt her. Not only physically, but emotionally as well.
Sobbing, Avalina didn't hear him approach until she felt his warm breath brush her face.
Frightened, she froze as she noticed just how close his hooves were. He was right on top of her.
*You're the only one who matters
And the only one for me
Now I'm lonelier than ever
Only your love can save me*
Greenish eyes met liquid brown ones as he leaned down to sniff her cautiously.
Avalina saw the guilt in his eyes, the hurt. Mueric and her mother had told her a hundred times that animals couldn't feel, but she knew better. She had always known better.
He felt bad for hurting her, she could just feel it.
"Oh, Marwolaeth," she whimpered as she gently rubbed his face, "I forgive you."
The horse nuzzled her shoulder, gliding the reins right into her palms.
"Let's try this again."
Using his mane, Avalina pulled herself up. Leaning on him, she walked him over to the bucket and stood it up on its end.
The night training now coming into effect, Avalina tapped the crook of his knees lightly, asking him to kneel. In her physical state she couldn't simply swing up on his back, even with the bucket's help.
Marwolaeth obeyed.
"Good boy," she murmured as she scratched his neck, before carefully easing herself onto the bucket.
"Steady now."
Gripping his mane, she paused as a wave of fear washed over her.
'I can't do this!' Her mind cried fearfully. 'I just can't.'
Avalina was on the verge of just forgetting the whole thing, until Marwolaeth turned his head around to look at her quizzically, as if to ask, "What's taking so long back there?"
*You're the only one who matters
And the only one for me
Now I'm lonelier than ever
Only your love can save me*
'He's gonna die if he can't be rode,' Avalina remembered. 'I have to try again. Just once more.'
Summoning all her courage, Avalina carefully eased a leg up, being careful of her side, before laboriously pulling herself up on his broad back.
'I don't wanna die! Oh, Fates help me!' She thought fearfully as she situated herself, before tapping his shoulder in the signal to rise.
He did so with a jerk and stood there, switching his tail, before turning around to eye her again.
Avalina saw the guilt in his eyes, plain as day.
"Its alright, boy, we can do this, alright?" She rubbed his neck.
"I know we can."
Gathering the reins in her right hand, holding the mane with her left, she softly rubbed his sides with her heels and gave the soft command, willing herself to stop quivering in fear.
"Walk on."
All the practice in the barn could not have prepared her for the feeling of actually riding a real horse, and at first she gripped him tightly in a panic, afraid of being hurt again.
The thick shoulder muscles rolled under her hands as the separate sides of his back tightened and loosened alternately beneath her legs, followed by his massive hindquarter muscles. It was the strangest thing she had ever felt.
Right, left, right, left.
The steady, slightly swaying motion was relaxing. It was almost like riding a ship at sea, except it swayed side to side instead of going up and down.
Avalina's fear ebbed as she reined him carefully around the corral.
'I'm riding!' She thought, her eyes filling with tears again. Only this time, they were tears of happiness.
'I'm riding!'
"I knew you could do it Marwolaeth!" She wept as she hugged his neck. "I knew you could!"
The horse snorted in agreement.
*You're the only one who matters
And the only one for me
Now I'm lonelier than ever
Only your love can save me*
Mueric filled himself a cup of coffee, feeling worse than he had felt in a long time.
This whole thing hadn't been right from the start. And it was just gettin' worse. It would break the kid's heart to see the horse die. And frankly, he wasn't looking forward to it either.
"I shoulda knowed that horse was hopeless from the start," he grumbled. "Humph! His very name says so. I was just too much of a fool to listen."
Gaenor's wrath had dimmed slightly from yesterday, and she sat at the table with her own cup.
"Nobody can blame you for hoping, Mueric," she said softly. "I almost hoped myself."
"Almost and actually doin' so's a big difference."
Wearily, Mueric looked out the kitchen window.
"Great Belin. . ."
"What?"
Mueric swallowed, realizing his mouth was hanging wide open.
"Come see."
Gaenor looked out the window and gasped, but Mueric grabbed her arm, preventing her from running outside.
"Don't spook 'im."
Arran came in, ready for the day.
"Mother, what's for breakfast? Mother?"
Arran's eyes grew huge at what he was seeing, as his hat dropped to the floor with a soft swish.
In the corral, a big black horse was walking about, the first rays of the morning sun shining off his coat. The dust in the corral looked gold, making him all the more striking.
And on top of his back was Avalina in her white nightgown, back straight and head held high, turning him with the slightest twitch of the reins.
Mueric's voice was scarcely a croak.
"And that's the one they call Diafol Ceffyl. Marwolaeth."
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