Chapter 108

Her blood froze as she gasped sharply in horrified shock.

"Don't move," the Horned King growled deeply at her.

She could see that he was gripping a tree limb with his right hand, leaning precariously over the edge on one knee while holding her wrist in his left.

After a moment, she felt him lift her as effortlessly as someone else might pick up a sack of potatoes, standing as he did so.

He backed several feet from the edge before releasing her wrist, and Eilonwy's legs gave out from under her entirely against her will.

She stared up at the Horned King with a torrent of different emotions running through her as he turned away. Shock, horror, fright. . .faint curiosity. . .

Completely at a loss for thought, she could only stare at him, her mouth hanging open slightly as she began to shake violently, the adrenaline beginning to leave her system.

The Horned King could not believe what he had just done. Any of it. His rage at the Pig-Keeper had blocked out anything else going on around him. That black hate had boiled up inside him til it overflowed, and nothing else had mattered except making that little whelp pay for everything he had done.

Nothing.

Until he realized what he had done.

He had hurt her. Badly.

He had comprehended this right before he had nearly lost her.

He hadn't been able to get to her. . .her screams had rang against him, and he could do nothing but watch from the other side of the hole in the ground that was steadily growing larger.

But then. . .

The Pig-Keeper had appeared from nowhere. He had pulled her up. . .kept her from falling. . .kept her from. . .

The lich could only watch as they all but carried each other away from the gaping crater, and his staggering relief that Avalina had not vanished into the earth was tainted with an unpleasant feeling, noticing how they leaned on each other. . .

He would not have bothered saving the princess (Eilonwy was it?) at all, save for the horrified note in Avalina's scream as she had watched the princess slip. He would have let her fall except for one reason.

She was important to Avalina. That was the only reason she was still alive.

The only reason.

For many long, silent moments, the two parties stared at each other across the chasm, unmoving, the entire gravity of everything that had almost happened (and had happened) suddenly weighing heavily upon them.

The Horned King glanced out of the corner of his eye at the shaking princess still on the ground, gaping at him, which he pretended to ignore, before turning back to Avalina and the Pig-Keeper.

"We will meet at the bottom of the hill," he said clearly, projecting his voice to make sure they heard.

"And you," he demanded as an afterthought, pointing at the boy, "Will meet me there, or you will not see your precious princess alive again. Do I make myself clear?"

He could not see the Pig-Keeper's face clearly from here, but he heard the faint affirmative and gave a tiny nod himself. This princess would be a useful hostage to make sure the boy had no ideas about running off.

Grabbing the shaken girl up by the wrist, (earning a gasp from her) he pulled her to her feet and deliberately receded into the trees until he was lost from view.

"I have to. . .get to her," Taran choked out as he tried to stand up on his own, but a wave of pain dizzied him and forced him to lean against Avalina again.

"He'll. . .kill her."

Avalina draped his good arm around her neck and shoulders, being the only thing preventing him from falling to the ground.

"You can't push yourself," she whispered in reply, her private attempt to defend the Horned King dying in her mouth when she tried to comfort the boy.

"Not after. . .that."

After a minute of walking, Avalina made Taran sit down.

"Let me fix you up at least a little," she told him, actually able to speak above a whisper this time.

Taran was too exhausted to argue.

He watched dully as she tore a couple strips from the bottom of her split skirt and knotted them together, before slipping them over his shoulder to hold up his injured left arm.

The strips were about five or six inches wide, serving their purpose as comfortably as could be expected.

Then Avalina slipped off her riding cloak and began to tear that into strips as well.

"What's that for?" Taran whispered.

"Your side," Avalina told him.

"I'm afraid you've got a couple of broken ribs, at least. And your stomach's got to hurt."

"What about you?" Taran strained out, looking at her in concern.

"Did he hit you?"

"If my face looks anything like yours, then yes," Avalina said softly.

"Eilonwy and I had to pull him off you."

Avalina couldn't see her face, but she imagined she must look horrible, if the pain still spiking in her head was any indication. She could definitely feel something running down the side of her face but she had nothing to staunch the feeble flow with.

"But you should worry more about yourself," she told him.

"You're the one he nearly. . ."

She didn't bother finishing. She couldn't make herself even if she wanted to.

Taran offered no contradiction to her unfinished statement.

"How can this be?" He asked after a bit, when his pain had dulled just enough for him to speak.

"I. . .I saw him. . .he was dead! I watched him die with my own two eyes! Eilonwy saw it! Fflewddurr saw it! Even that nasty little troll-like creature saw it! And he's. . .he's. . ."

Avalina shushed him.

"You don't need to get worked up and get into a coughing fit," she told him.

"That's the last thing you need right now."

Taran had to agree. It hurt to talk, it hurt to breathe, it hurt to move. . .the last thing he wanted to do right now was cough.

"I'm not certain what happened," Avalina explained to the boy, sensing he was full of unspoken questions.

"I thought he was dead as well. Everyone did. But I think it is obvious that is no longer the case. It hasn't been for quite some time."

"You seem to know a lot about this," Taran whispered, his throat making it painful for him to talk.

"What do you know about it?"

"I'm. . .his prisoner," Avalina admitted, looking down as she worked.

"I have been since Spring."

Seeing Taran's shocked face, she continued.

"You remember that day I helped you and Eilonwy at Dalben's? Fixing the buildings and such? The first and only other time I met you?"

When Taran nodded, she finished.

"I was blown into his castle by that wretched storm that came up that night. And I've. . .been his prisoner ever since."

Why was it that calling herself that seemed so hard?

"And you're. . .still alive?" Taran asked, his eyes wide.

"You've been his. . .all this. . ."

The realization of it hit Taran hard.

"You've been his prisoner for six months?" He asked, after adding it up in his head.

Avalina froze for a moment, the sheer number overwhelming her.

'That long?' She thought numbly.

'How could it be that long?'

"Yes," she managed out, with difficulty, her head reeling with the realization.

"I suppose I have."

"And you're. . .still alive?"

"Yes, Taran," Avalina said, suddenly weary. Not at him, but at this wretched cloth. It was so hard to tear! And her head hurt so bad. . .

Finally managing to rip it up, Avalina began to carefully bind his ribs, rolling his shirt up around his chest. Taran blushed furiously at this but Avalina looked like she wasn't even seeing him, her eyes holding a faintly clouded look. And to be honest, he was in too much pain to really care how he looked at the moment.

"Was he chasing you?" He asked after a long silence.

"Were you trying to escape?"

"Yes," Avalina explained softly, "And no. We were playing."

It wasn't til after she said it that she realized how completely idiotic her statement must have sounded.

"What?!" Taran whispered, shock evident all over his face.

"We were playing," she explained again.

"I showed him how to play tag a while back."

A long silence.

"This is unbelievable," Taran finally managed out.

"I think he must have hit me a great deal harder than I imagined at first, because nothing you say is making any logical sense at all."

"Would it help if I started from the beginning?" She asked softly, a small smile making itself known at Taran's statement despite the very grim situation.

"I think I have time to cover most of it."

Taran lay back against the tree as she began to tear off another strip of her cloak.

"Might as well. Things can't possibly get worse."

"Let me go!"

Eilonwy sank her heels into the ground for the half dozenth time, struggling to free herself from the Horned King's grip on her wrist.

The Horned King gritted his fangs and pulled her forward with him for the half dozenth time as he continued to walk into the trees, trying to keep his temper at bay.

After her initial shock had worn off she had started rebelling, and to be honest, he couldn't think of another mortal that would even think of protesting against him like this. Even Avalina hadn't dared, but this one was different, either very brave or very, very stupid.

"Didn't you hear me?" Eilonwy half indignantly gasped out, tired from fighting against the lich.

Probably that last one.

The Horned King stopped, causing her to stumble up beside him, before he casually turned around and glared at her.

"I can arrange it where no one can hear you," he growled, pleased at how her fright seemed to freeze her blood as he stared.

After seeing her promptly shrink away, he yanked her forward and continued walking.

After a minute or two of cooperation, however, she began to fight again, sinking her heels into the ground in an attempt to break away from the lich.

He merely tightened his grip around her wrist until he heard her gasp in pain, carrying on in his usual unhurried strides, not bothering to look behind him.

"Let me go!" She gasped, and he could hear the pain in her voice.

"It hurts!"

"Cooperate and it won't be," the lich replied harshly.

Eilonwy stumbled over a root in her struggle and would have fallen if it hadn't been for the Horned King's grip on her wrist.

"Let go!" She cried in pain and anger, feeling the tears prick at the corners of her eyes.

"Seeing as you cannot even walk, the arrogance in your words is laughable," the lich answered.

"Allowing you to walk unaided would be most foolish. . .but nonetheless entertaining."

"I don't need help!" Eilonwy snapped, but it quickly turned to another sound of pain as she tried to pull away from him, only to have him yank her forward again.

"Stop!" She cried, nearly in tears.

"It hurts!"

"Then obey me," the Horned King replied.

Eilonwy fought with herself, unsure of whether to swallow her pride and follow the lich, or continue fighting him and get nowhere.

After a minute, her struggles against him ceased as, exhausted, she finally gave in, to which he was not oblivious, and after a moment of obedience, he loosened his grip around her wrist enough to allow the blood to flow again, noticing how red her hand was in comparison to the rest of her fair skin.

"Do not attempt escape," he growled threateningly, feeling her tense to run as he loosened his fingers around her wrist .

"Throttling you, while enjoyable, would significantly lower your worth as a hostage."

He smirked to himself at the terror he felt spring up in her at this. It had been a long time since he had provoked such deep fear in someone, and he reveled in it. It felt. . .almost good.

He frowned faintly to himself. Why didn't it feel as glorious as he remembered it?

"How can I possibly be of any use to you?" Eilonwy protested in vain, hoping she could talk him into letting her go.

The lich gave a faint growl, pleased at how easily he could rattle her.

"You seem to be quite valuable to the Pig-Keeper," he dredged out in reply.

"He would gladly trade himself for you, it seems."

Eilonwy gasped.

"You stay away from Taran!"

'Taran,' the lich thought to himself.

'So that is his name. He is as arrogant and useless as his namesake.'

"I have unfinished business with him," the Horned King growled.

"He only did what he had to do!" Eilonwy exclaimed.

"You would have destroyed everything! You would have killed him! You almost killed him today!"

"*He* destroyed everything," the lich snarled, "And I intend to finish what I started."

Eilonwy realized what he meant to do when they reached the bottom of the hill with a sharp gasp.

"No! You can't!"

"I will ensure you watch."

"He's defeated you once," Eilonwy said with a triumphant tone she certainly didn't feel.

"He can do it again."

The Horned King saw right past her facade. He sensed her doubts, sensed her terror, and he intended to exploit them to their fullest.

"It was nothing but sheer luck," he sneered back at her, "And you and I both know it."

The terrified horror that he sensed well up in her was most satisfactory, as she realized he was right.

"You monster!" Eilonwy shrieked in hatred, yanking back from him as hard as she could.

"Go to hell!"

The images and sounds of the Cauldron flashed unbidden before his eyes, and for the briefest of moments, he felt the unimaginable torture sweep through his very soul.

The Horned King gripped her wrist so tightly she was certain he would break it, and her scream of pain as he yanked her viciously to him was choked off as his free hand grabbed her around the throat.

"Your precious Pig-Keeper will die before I do so again," he snarled in her face, his eyes burning.

"I will make sure of that. And he will deserve every bit of agony I inflict upon him beforehand. You and all of Prydain may think he is a hero for causing my demise, but in reality he is as much of a murderer as I. And when I am finished with him, *you* will be next if you are still nearby."

Eilonwy could barely breathe for him choking her and her own terror, and she had begun to see black spots in her vision when he finally released her throat and continued walking, all but dragging the weakened girl behind him.

Realizing with resigned horror that things looked particularly grim for herself and Taran, she decided to try and convince this monster to at least spare the life of the third human in this whole mix-up.

"At least let Avalina go," she rasped out, barely able to put one foot in front of the other.

"She's done nothing to you."

The lich stiffened so much at her words he nearly stopped walking, but he recovered at the last moment and continued, not sparing his hostage a single glance.

To quote one of my editors upon reading this chapter, "CURSE YOU PIGKEEPER! *Five lighting strike faces here* YOU'VE RUINED EVERYTHING! HK WAS GETTING ON SO MUCH BETTER, AND NOW YOU'VE COMPLETELY SPOILED IT! I HOPE HE *MURDERS* YOU! *Three more lightning strike faces*

Ok, I'm calm now. I loved the chapter, by the way. =D"

And my other editor upon reading this chapter.

"You're right Eilonwy, Avalina has done not one thing to him, her bringing back his heart, his mortal senses, teaching him to play, and etc. etc. etc. not withstanding. Not one thing! XDXDXD"