Chapter 88
"Alright, Mitternacht, I think it's time for step two," Avalina told him, wiping the last bit of gunk off his hoof and eyeing it closely.
"The infection's all gone, from what I can tell."
Over the past week, the horse's infection had cleared up marvelously, and he was nearly completely sound at a canter. He was well on the road to recovery, and Avalina was immensely pleased with his progress.
For several days the hoof had done nothing but leak, and the salve had encouraged this, working deep into the wound and pulling anything out that shouldn't be there.
Testing the hoof again, Avalina could feel that it was slightly sore, but only if she pressed very hard on the clinchers. Mitternacht should be completely back to normal in another week or so.
"I don't think it will crack the rest of the way, but its better to be safe than sorry," she told him, stepping back.
Mitternacht's hoof had split down the side, stemming from the groove she had hacked in it, going a little ways up toward the coronet band and then down towards his toe. Now that the wound was healed, she had to fix the cracks before they got any worse. They weren't dangerous yet, and as hard as Mitternacht's hooves were, she doubted they would ever reach that stage, but it always paid to be careful.
Sensing an Invisible nearby, she asked them to bring her some flint, steel, firewood and a bucket of water.
As it left to do what she asked, she could sense the puzzlement everywhere.
Rummaging about in the tackroom, she found a large straight nail that looked brand new. It would suit her need perfectly.
After tying Mitternacht in the courtyard, Avalina used the things the Invisibles had brought her to make a small, hot fire, laying the nail on the pan's rim.
When it got hot enough to glow a bright cherry red, she used the clinchers to pick it up, before laying a hand on Mitternacht's ankle.
"Boy, its imperative you don't move," she told him.
"The last thing I need to do is burn you by accident."
Carefully, she pressed the glowing nail against the cracks in the horse's hoof, scorching them to prevent them from cracking any further. She did this several times, being careful not to hit the area where it was still sensitive.
Mitternacht stood quietly and did not move, although he watched with great interest.
Finally, Avalina threw the nail in the bucket, hearing the snarl as it hit the water, and picked up the hoof nippers she had taken outside, nipping away the excess hoof that had grown out before evening it all up with the hoof rasp, one foot at a time. Mitternacht's feet were like steel, but the overgrown part came away easier than the carving she had had to do a while back. Normally this wouldn't be necessary, but the horse had not been exercised recently as much as usual, and he had had no way to wear his feet down himself.
Finally finished, Avalina carefully walked Mitternacht around the courtyard, watching him.
He walked easily, with only the slightest sign of a limp. To people that didn't know him it wouldn't even be noticeable. He should be completely back to normal within another week or so.
Feeling jubilant, she cleaned her things away and the two of them headed out to the garden, walking together. Mitternacht hadn't seen the garden for a few days, and she wanted him to get some exercise.
The horse was hyper and danced all around her, pretending to shy from her. Avalina jumped at him, causing him to race around and whip past her, inviting her to play.
"Oh, you're on."
The Horned King, watching from his window, furrowed a brow ridge as he watched Avalina chase her horse all over the dusty ground outside, waving a lead rope.
This was most unusual behavior.
It became even more unusual when the horse turned around and started chasing her.
He tensed, wondering if the horse had finally gone savage after staying here for so long.
The horse blew past her, bucking and snorting, and a few tinkling notes of laughter blew up to the window, carried on the breeze.
After a few more moments observation, he realized they were playing, heading in the general direction of the garden.
He watched them for some time, leaping and running around, and the corners of his mouth twitched up faintly.
He had never been one to think that horses could feel. They were only animals, and emotions for a beast of burden had seemed preposterous. He had never thought of them as anything but tools. But this one. . .Mitternacht, was it? Was something different.
The Horned King silently recalled the first time he had met the horse face to face, remembering the disarming stare the horse had dealt him. In that brief moment, the Horned King had felt so small, so unworthy. . .he had felt like dust, staring into those deep, deep eyes.
The horse trusted Avalina explicitly, and Avalina trusted him. The Horned King had observed them together so much, he could see how deep their friendship ran. Even if Avalina had not told him the backstory, he would have been able to tell. It was a friendship that was as unusual as it was true.
Watching them, he felt that weight on his chest again.
'The Fates favor her,' he thought.
'Such a friendship is nigh impossible to find in human standards, let alone in the animal realm. And yet, she earned it. The horse decided she was worthy and allowed her in. A friendship like that is something many humans will never have in an entire lifetime, let alone at her age. She doesn't know how lucky she's got it.'
The Horned King looked down for a moment, the outside light glinting faintly off the crescent-shaped clasp of his stole and catching his eye.
'Arawn may have lost this time,' he thought, remembering the incident last night, 'But he will not give up. No doubt he is furious at the Invisibles and myself for getting in his way. We must take precautions. But he cannot harm us. And now he cannot harm her.'
He felt a spark of triumph burn inside him.
'She will be able to sleep now.'
He glanced out the window again, searching for the girl, the weight in his chest grew slightly heavier when he realized that neither she nor the horse were visible any more.
Avalina played with Mitternacht until she was so tired she had to sit on the grass to catch her breath. Mitternacht happily started grazing, enjoying the first green food he had had in months.
The garden was growing and spreading quite quickly. Avalina could scarcely believe it. It was just so fast. . .she lay back on the grass after pulling up the few weeds she could see, recalling the incident this morning.
She had been reading in the library last night, and she must have fallen asleep, for she woke up on the couch by the fire. Something she didn't expect was to find the Horned King's stole draped over her, keeping her warm. That had been highly unexpected, and more than a little frightening.
The Invisibles explained through parchment that they had ran out of blankets and the Horned King had happened to stop in. After the initial terror that he had been around when she wasn't aware of him, the amount of gratitude that had welled up in her heart had been quite. . .different.
'I knew he cared about me a little,' she thought, laughing joyfully out loud.
'I knew he did!'
Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath of wonderful air.
'I'm glad I decided to base my opinion off of him from my own experience, rather than what everyone else thinks. He was horribly wicked when I came, and he may be wicked still, but he has treated me well these past few weeks.'
The sun was so warm. . .Avalina rested her hands on her stomach as she relaxed.
'There may be some good in him after all. I just wish I could take those heavy things he carries with him away. He would feel so much better without them.'
She heard Mitternacht grazing and the lake lapping softly at its edge. The wind whispered softly in the flowers, as if saying something she could not understand, but she did not bother to open her eyes. For a moment, she thought about getting up, but it sounded so beautiful. . .she would stay a while. She wouldn't be wanted back at the castle until nightfall.
Avalina was not aware she had dozed off until a soft muzzle rubbed against her face, warm air brushing her cheeks.
Dazedly, she opened her eyes to see Mitternacht standing over her like the guardian angel he was.
He sighed contentedly as she rubbed his face, before sitting up.
The sun was a bit low in the sky, about an hour from setting, and she realized she was rather cool.
"Alright, handsome," she told him as she got to her feet, "We should be getting back."
"Sir, why is it that the Invisibles are following me everywhere?" Avalina asked.
"They just started doing this, and its not like I'm rejecting their service or anything, but they have suddenly become very interested in tagging me all the time."
It was after the meal and they were simply talking, the Invisibles long gone from the room.
The Horned King stiffened slightly. He had been anticipating she would ask, and he had been pondering on how to explain it. Should he tell her or not?
He prepared to tell her it was none of her business, but she spoke up again.
"Did I do something wrong?"
He looked at her in surprise.
"No. Why would you ask that?"
"They're always following me, and I don't know why. Was it something I did?"
Seeing the half-frightened, half questioning look on her face, he relented.
She deserved to know.
"The nightmares you were having were not natural."
"You know about those?" She whispered, watching him.
He nodded faintly, seeing no need to walk around it.
"The Invisibles can prevent them from bothering you, which is why I ordered them to stay nearby. However, they took me a little too literally."
He growled softly.
"I will speak to them of this."
Trembling slightly, Avalina asked, "Do you know what's causing my. . .nightmares?"
The Horned King gave a brief nod to confirm it.
"Yes. It will not bother you again."
His tone indicated he would not give her anymore information about it.
There was a long pause as they sat there, Avalina finally saying, in a voice that was nearly a whisper, "Can. . .can you. . .promise that?"
The Horned King felt his rage at his master reach boiling point, seeing the look on her face, but with an effort he controlled himself.
"Yes, child. I promise."
Avalina nodded, a small amount of relief on her face.
"Thank you," she said softly, "For last night."
He stiffened slightly, remembering.
"It is nothing."
Deciding it was time to terminate this conversation, which would surely be heading into an area he did not wish to visit, he rose, breaking the mood and making her jump slightly.
"I will leave you now."
As Avalina rose too, she realized that. . .feeling he carried that she was sensing, was heavier than normal. It was so heavy. . .so very heavy. And oh, how she wished she could lift it.
"Sir!"
He turned halfway back to look at her.
"Yes?"
"Would. . .you like to come to the library with me?"
He paused for a moment, before slowly asking, "Don't you wish to be free of my company?"
Avalina realized with a start that for some reason, she did not. It was like the conversations they had had before, when she wanted to hear him talk of things she thought did not exist. When he wasn't being cruel he could provide such interesting conversation.
"No, not really," she said in a halfway puzzled voice, the realization hitting her.
The Horned King looked slightly taken aback at this.
"Why?"
"I. . .I don't know," Avalina admitted, looking down.
"I just thought. . ."
Her words no longer making sense, she shifted and blushed in embarrassment.
"I just thought you might want to, that's all."
The Horned King stood there for several moments, while Avalina twisted her hands behind her back uncomfortably, before he finally turned back to her.
"Very well."
I really should have mentioned this back on Chapter 1, but I do not appreciate cuss words in my reviews. They're not pleasant to look at or read at all XD. No offense, guys, I hope you know I'm not trying to be mean, this is just something I forgot to mention earlier. No worries! ;) And once again, thank you all for reading my story, it means so much to me, it really does:) Please leave a review! :D