Chapter 104
Avalina chuckled for a minute more after the goblin had disappeared.
"Poor Creeper," she laughed, "He got the brunt of the Invisibles' creativity."
The Horned King only shook his head slowly, but was nonetheless pleased that she seemed to be back to normal.
"Better him than me."
Avalina laughed again at the mental image of the lich covered in horntip to boot tip in glitter.
"It'll be the party all over again!"
The Horned King shot her a look.
"Don't give them ideas."
He shifted sightly, feeling his lifeforce pump through him a little stronger, and remembered what he had meant to tell her earlier this morning.
"Come here," he rumbled, beckoning with a finger.
He felt her mood change from light to wary, and he tensed slightly at it as she did the same.
She slowly inched a little closer, and then some more, until she was almost within arm's length. He could see her unease, her faint trembling that would have gone unnoticed by anyone else.
The Horned King slowly extended his hand to her, watching her face.
"I want to show you something."
Avalina still felt afraid around him, a little. It was something she simply could not help. It was ingrained into her as instinct. It was natural for all things to fear him, and she wondered how long she had simply been overriding this. It only came back to the surface sometimes, but these instances were getting slightly less frequent, she thought.
Looking at him for a long moment, she took him in, pondering, and after a long pause, searching his face, she timidly took his outstretched hand, letting those long, taloned fingers close slowly around her own.
He could tear grown men asunder with them, yet he could be so gentle when he wished to be. He had not hurt her at all earlier this afternoon, despite her thrashing and fighting.
Looking into his eyes now, she realized she still felt as safe with him as she had in her old dream, and the tiny bit of fear that had tried to take root in her mind dissipated like smoke.
The feeling that sprang up in the Horned King's chest at her simple action was unlike anything he had ever felt.
Slowly, he drew her closer and laid her small hand on his chest, feeling how warm she was in comparison to himself.
Avalina wasn't sure what he meant when he placed her hand there, and gave him a puzzled look.
Thump.
Avalina stiffened in surprise, lowering her gaze from his face to his chest, watching. She could have sworn she felt it move. . .
"Sir, what was. . ."
Thump.
Avalina's looked back up at him with wide eyes, before slowly stepping closer.
"Is that what I think it is?" She whispered softly.
The lich only nodded, but she saw the smile at the edges of his mouth, and encouraged, she slowly placed her ear to his chest, listening.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
It was slow, far slower than any other heartbeat Avalina had ever heard. It sounded. . .
Closing her eyes a moment, she concentrated.
Thump.
It was very slow, and patient, not hurried at all. Not the faintest bit. It was very deliberate, and it sounded so very old.
Thump.
It sounded as old as the stones themselves.
Thump.
No. It wasn't old. It was *ancient*.
Thump.
It was soft, but anything but weak.
Thump.
It sounded. . .almost fragile, as if it belonged to a little child, but oh! So strong, too. . .
Thump.
It sounded like a newborn's heart beating outside the womb for the first time.
Thump.
It was as soft as a baby's breathing.
Thump.
It was calming, raging, ferocious and gentle, all at once.
Thump.
It sounded young, and old, both naive and incredibly wise.
Thump.
It sounded so. . .
'Hopeful.'
Avalina reluctantly took her ear away and looked up at him in joy she could hardly contain.
"Your. . .your heart is beating!" She whispered, as if afraid to break a reverent silence.
"But. . .how? I thought you said there was no retrieving it. . ."
The Horned King held up a hand to quiet her.
"I do not understand myself," he dredged out as softly as his harsh voice would allow.
"It happened last night. I. . .do not know the reason why. This. . .was not supposed to happen. Once a heart stops as mine did, there is no reclaiming it. Or so, I had previously believed."
His chest vibrated softly with his words.
"This should not be happening."
Avalina stared at him with so many different emotions trying to make themselves known he could not read her face, for the first time since he had met her.
"But it is," she whispered, feeling that faint tattoo underneath her hand, "It is!"
"You're crying?" The lich asked, eyeing her.
"I'm just so happy for you!" Avalina sobbed, and with that, threw her arms around him and held him tight.
"You're not heartless anymore!"
The Horned King went completely stiff at this action, utterly stricken, before slowly looking down at her.
She was hugging him.
He stood there for a moment, wholly unsure of how to respond to this, before hesitantly raising a hand to rest lightly on the top of her head.
Was this how mortals returned affection for each other? He did not know, he was merely guessing, but the gesture seemed more or less. . .correct.
Almost absently, he slowly ran his claws through her long, windblown hair, wondering at the feel.
It felt. . .soft. But not smooth. It was too wild for that.
'No longer heartless?'
He thought silently to himself, unprepared for the notion.
'This is. . .highly. . .overwhelming.'
Tentatively, he placed his other arm. . .his left. . .around her shoulders, while his right slowly swept her hair free from it, returning the gesture she had bestowed upon him with as much accuracy as he could manage.
'No longer heartless. . .' He thought, running his claws slowly through her hair.
'Then. . .I am truly. . .feeling. These emotions. . .they are real. Not an illusion.'
Then he realized that he had felt things today with a clarity that he had never known. It was as if a great veil had been torn away, revealing the true strength of all those emotions of the heart to him in their fullest strength.
Her warmth seeped through to him, warming his lifeforce, and he held her a little tighter in surprise.
He could feel her heartbeat.
It was faster and harder than his own. Younger. And he could feel the Life in it.
After a time, Avalina reluctantly pulled away to look up at him, her eyes shining with tears, her hand moving back up to his chest to rest there.
She had wanted this for so long. For his heart to return. For his feelings, and in a sense, his soul to return to him as well. And now, his heart was beating beneath her palm, something both of them had thought to be completely impossible.
"I'm so happy!" She cried.
"You've got your heart back! I've wanted this for so long!"
". . .You. . .have?" The lich asked in surprise, his brow ridges rising slightly with this information.
"Yes!" She answered.
"For so very long!"
The lich felt a wave of warm fire sweep through him at this.
"You. . .wanted. . ."
"Yes!" She replied, laughing when she saw his expression.
"You're not the only one that can finish someone else's sentences!"
"But. . .why?" The lich rasped, staring down at her.
"Why would you wish for a mon-"
"Don't say that!" She told him, cutting him off.
"I don't want to hear that word anymore! Not now."
After a moment, the lich composed himself.
"Why would you wish for a. . .creature (He could not bring himself to say a man). . .such as myself, to. . .ever possess something like this? After. . .everything. . ."
Avalina felt the weight in that last word.
Everything.
"A heart is the most precious thing you can have in this world," Avalina nearly whispered.
"And everyone I see has taken theirs for granted. . .they forget how priceless it is. But you. . .You will appreciate yours more than anyone else I know, because you know what it's like to lose it. You're deserving of it now."
The lich could not recollect the last time he had been struck speechless like this.
Her words warmed him from the inside out, but he could find nothing to say.
Even after everything she knew he had done. . .not just how he had treated her, not even just how he had nearly taken over Prydain, but. . .everything.
Everything he had done in his entire existence, however long that may be. . .she still wanted him to have a heart again, to be able to feel these emotions mortals so easily took for granted. It was the most common and yet the most valuable gift that anyone could have.
He had thought previously that mortals were foolish creatures who's emotions made them easy to manipulate. He still thought that.
Of most mortals, anyway.
He was drawn from his contemplative state of mind at Avalina fighting down a yawn and failing.
A soft, deep chuckle rumbled in his chest.
"Come," he told her, walking to the door.
"I'll walk you to your room."
Tiredly, Avalina walked beside him, her hand slipping into his in a habitual movement, which he returned after a moment, still unused to the gesture and the feeling it stirred inside him.
Avalina had scarcely shut the door to her chambers after they bid one another good night when she heard the whoops of the Invisibles and the Horned King snarling in rage.
Nearly jumping out of her skin, she opened her door to see the Horned King standing less than ten yards away, and she gasped in shock.
The lich was covered from horn tip to boot tip in solid sheets of sparkling glitter, exactly as the goblin had been. Not the tiniest bit of his skin or robes could be seen, and Avalina burst into helpless laughter.
"Ahahahahaha!" She laughed helplessly, sliding down the doorframe to sit on the floor, "It looks just as hilarious as it did in my head!"
She couldn't keep her laughter in check as the Horned King slowly narrowed his eyes at her.
"I'm sorry!" She gasped, "So sorry! But ahahahahaha! You're twinkling!"
The lich gave a soft growl.
"Perhaps you would like a second round of your punishment this afternoon?"
Avalina choked on her laughter in shocked horror, before seeing him suddenly leap at her.
Shrieking, she scrambled into her room and slammed the door.
His menacing chuckle could be heard flawlessly through the wood.
"Beware the wrath of the Horned King. Bewaaaare!"
Avalina's laugh answered him.
"Whatever you say, twinkletoes!"
"I can't believe you've gotten our conjuring abilities revoked *again.* This is the second time in less than three months. Three! And you're not the slightest bit sorry about it. I'm ashamed of you both."
"Oh come on, Dusty," the second Invisible replied, slightly irritated.
"Those quotes simply *Had* to be said. They were too awesome to be those words you say when no one's around and no one will remember."
"But did you have to say them in front of her?"
"YES!" The duo bellowed.
"YES WE DID! SHE'S THE ONLY ONE AROUND HERE THAT APPRECIATES OUR HUMOR!"
"I can't imagine why," the first grumbled.
"The only reason she does is because she's seriously deprived of company."
"It's not the quantity, it's the quality."
"As a very wise man once said."
"Yes, and another very wise man said, 'You have two ears and one mouth, meaning you should listen twice as much as you talk."
"We do!"
"We listen to more than you'll ever guess! Why, just the other day we heard the cobblestones talking to each other."
"Yes, and do you know what they said?"
"No, nor do I care to," the first grumbled, but was overridden by the others talking.
"You can't take me in a fight, you're stoned."
"Oh yeah? Well, you're a crackhead! The evidence is all over yo face!"
"I'll make you hit rock bottom for that!"
"You crag me up!"
The duo cackled together uncontrollably and the first was about to say something, when the Horned King walked around the corner and fixed them with a glare to kill.
The first Invisible gasped at the sight of the master.
"Sire, what. . ."
"Get. This. Off."
The Horned King bit out, much to the amusement of the cackling twosome.
"He's a diamond in the rough, y'all, look at him!"
"He's so shiny I'm gonna die!"
"We made him look fun, AND reduces the amount of torches needed! We killed two birds with one stone! Stone, get it? Bahahaha!"
"Remember, Horatio," the second said firmly in a very wise tone, "Everything we have done is merely stepping stones for you, to climb the mountain and not go down in a rockslide."
"But that would be ok, because although sticks and stones may break his bones, the diamond keeps on sparklin'!"
"You should be looking chipper, not so bogged down!"
"Yeah, you look like brimstone at the moment."
"Enough!" The Horned King snarled, "Remove this from me at once!"
"Sorry to dash your hopes on the rocks, but you'll have to wait til tomorrow. I want to see what Avalina thinks of it!"
"Just to make sure the morning doesn't start off rocky!"
The twins collapsed into a fit of laughter.
"Don't be a crater! Be an Appreciator!"
The Horned King groaned and rubbed his temples.
"Very well, but the instant after Avalina sees it, you will remove it immediately and there will be no exceptions. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes sir, Horatio!" The twins saluted.
"Good," the Horned King growled, before his eyes faintly glittered, "Or you will find yourselves between a rock and a hard place."
The Invisibles laughed long after their master had vanished from the room.
Ol' HK ain't bein' such a stick in the mud as he used to be, is he? XDXD Aw man, I seriously cackled way too much writing the Invisibles' part XD.