Chapter 116

Avalina couldn't believe what she had just heard.

'She means nothing to me.'

She knew he had been furious with her, but hearing something like that. . .was that all she was to him? Some cheap form of amusement? Every word he said resounded inside her head as her vision clouded over for the second time this morning.

'I should have killed her the day she arrived.'

Bursting into tears, she turned and fled the room when the Horned King's gaze settled on her.

'The only reason she is still alive is because she is enough to amuse me.'

He had snarled those words out so hatefully. . .

Avalina was hardly aware of making it up the long, winding steps, through the castle, and stumbling out into the courtyard, her legs burning with overexertion.

She was only dimly aware of making it into the stable and collapsing in Mitternacht's stall, nearly screaming with the pain she felt in her heart. Maybe if she screamed the pain would lessen, but she was crying too hard to even draw a good breath and do so.

All she managed out was choking sobs that sounded like she had been punched in the stomach as the tears flowed incessantly down her face to soak the straw.

His words repeated themselves constantly inside her head, refusing to fall silent, and a silent scream whispered itself out as she held her chest in agony.

She had never hurt this badly inside before. Nothing could compare to this pain.

Avalina thought she had hurt before, with the constant months of being away from her family, and then all this drawn-out sorrow that had happened, but now. . .

She had never experienced something this horrible. Instead of feeling her heart break into a thousand tiny pieces as the books so often described, she felt instead as if her heart had been lanced right through and was swiftly bleeding itself out, killing her slower and slower with every beat, but refusing to let her die, like it wanted her to suffer as long and as painfully as absolutely possible.

She cried harder now than she could ever remember crying in her life. Was it possible to hurt so much inside you would die from it? She felt like an arrow had shot right through her, but there was no blood to be seen. Only the pain the wound brought was noticeable. And it felt like she was dying.

Mitternacht stood over her like a guardian, watching her in concern as she lay in the straw, shaking violently with her sobs, her face buried in her arms as she cried and cried and cried.

She may have fallen asleep, or not. She didn't know. But it was hours later when she had finally cried herself out and lay there, shivering uncontrollably as her sobs continued to hiccup themselves out, unconcerned that there were no longer any tears to accompany them.

She didn't want to get up. She didn't want to move. She didn't want to open her eyes. If she hurt this much, she thought bleakly that she would rather die than live with this agony in her chest as she shuddered and choked for air, feeling almost as if she were suffocating.

She lay there, ready to give up on everything and just die, when a warm muzzle gently touched her face, followed by a soft snort of air that prickled against her cheeks and seemed to fill her with new Life once again.

She squeezed her eyes shut in pain and turned away for a moment, not wanting to wake up to the horror her life had become, but Mitternacht gave a soft sound in his throat and nuzzled her again, a little harder this time.

Forcing her swollen eyes open, Avalina saw him standing there, patient and understanding as ever, and she shook herself.

She couldn't give up. What would Mitternacht do without her? She was his world. He would be lost without her. How could she be so selfish, only thinking of herself? Mitternacht needed her. And she couldn't just leave him.

"Thank you, Mitternacht," she whispered, touching his muzzle.

"You truly are my guardian angel."

Stiffly, she slowly got to her feet, forced to lean on him for balance, and eased him across the hall, where after several tries, finally got the saddle on. She didn't feel strong enough to cling to him bareback today.

She had promised him a ride, and ride him she would. Even though right now, she didn't want to do anything but curl up in a corner and stay there.

But a ride might help her to clear her head.

The wave of pain the Horned King had felt come from Avalina before she fled the room had been unimaginable. His shock and anger at seeing her down here had turned to guilt in an instant, when he realized she had heard every word he said.

The Cauldron hissed a snicker of triumph, and the Horned King turned back to the hunk of metal.

"You called her down here."

'Brilliant as ever,' the voice said smugly.

'And she is just as easily manipulated as any other mortal.'

The Horned King snarled in fury, a hundred questions racing through his head. Where had the Invisibles been? Why hadn't they stopped it?

"What did you do to her?" He demanded.

'Why, nothing,' the Cauldron answered smoothly.

'She wanted to see you. I complied with her request.'

"She. . .what?"

The Horned King paused in shock.

'She was. . .looking for me? Why?'

They hadn't even spoken in weeks. He had been certain her terror of him was too great now to ever reverse, but this. . .

"You tricked her!" He snarled, his eyes flickering red in rage.

'She wanted to know where you were' his master said, triumph lacing every syllable.

'It isn't my fault she caught you in a most awkward state.'

The Horned King instantly thought of how the Cauldron called him, and gritted his fangs in fury at what it might have done to her while pulling her down here.

'I must admit, those pesky Invisibles gave me a little trouble,' the voice mused on.

'It made snagging her rather. . .difficult. But her sensitivity to me and her desire to find you made it so much easier.'

Here the Cauldron snorted in scorn.

'Mortals are so easily manipulated.'

"You wanted her to hear that," the Horned King snarled in rage.

'Oh, well done,' the voice hissed out condescendingly, 'How observant.'

"Leave her alone," the lich bit out, infuriated he could do nothing.

'You understand, my apprentice, I cannot take any chances. I will ensure you return to the Cauldron. To me.'

The Horned King stiffened to keep his shudder from making itself known and began to ascend the steps.

"I am not your apprentice. Not anymore."

'She will not listen,' his master laughed, 'Although I will certainly enjoy watching you try. Your weakness has become laughable.'

'Your attempts to dissuade me are the only laughable thing here.'

The Horned King felt his master blacken, and the wicked presence of the Cauldron behind him grow in cold rage as he reached the top of the steps.

'I will so enjoy watching you fail,' the voice called mockingly.

'Do tell the child I said hello, for the next time she sleeps, she will be mine.'

The Horned King snarled in rage as the door closed behind him, hearing the Cauldron laugh inside his head, before it finally fell blessedly silent.

Plowing through the snow was very hard work, but Mitternacht was loving it and he buried his entire head in the white stuff, only to blow so hard it would fly everywhere, creating a mini-snowstorm all on his own.

His joy earned a tiny smile from Avalina. She was glad he was enjoying himself, at least.

They plowed paths all over the land around the castle, the horse pawing and leaping for joy and Avalina doing nothing to curb his excitement, merely gripping the saddle tightly so she wouldn't fall off.

She wanted to feel happy inside, but even breathing hurt and she squeezed back tears, determined not to start crying again.

She wasn't certain if she could ever feel truly happy again.

Mitternacht stopped his jumping about and snorted, his ears swiveling toward something moving across the top of the snow some distance away.

Avalina noticed this and cued him towards it.

As they galloped closer Avalina could see it was Creeper, who turned around worriedly as they approached.

"Hello," Avalina managed out as she came up beside him, careful to keep Mitternacht far enough away from him to avoid a snap.

Creeper grumbled out a wordless reply before motioning to the horse.

"Keep that beast away from me!"

"He won't bother you if you don't bother him," Avalina told the goblin.

"I never bother him in the stable and he still hates me!"

"The stable is his territory," Avalina pointed out.

"He never bothers you in the courtyard or anywhere else."

"Whatever."

"What are you doing out here?" Avalina asked. The weather was biting and this was the first time she had ever seen the goblin outside the courtyard without the gwythaint.

"Taking a walk."

"Why isn't Addie with you?"

"It's too cold for her to be out."

"Oh."

Avalina had forgotten, although gwythaints were practically the only warm-blooded dragons in existence, they could not breathe fire to warm themselves, and so suffered from the cold almost as badly as their larger counterparts. However they could still fly and hunt in very cold weather, but they preferred the warmth.

"She wouldn't leave the stable?" Avalina asked.

"She wanted to, but her baby doesn't need to be out either."

"Right."

Feeling foolish, Avalina sat awkwardly for a moment, before the goblin spoke up.

"How have you not frozen to death yet?"

"I don't know," Avalina answered, looking down.

"Why?"

"I know little of humans," Creeper said, suddenly looking uncomfortable himself, "But I do know they're more sensitive to cold than I or the Master are. You really should not be out."

"Mitternacht wanted a ride," Avalina explained.

"Today's the warmest day we've had in ages."

"That was not entirely my meaning."

Avalina stiffened, but spoke in her usual soft voice.

"Then, what was it?"

Creeper shifted a foot, but continued.

"You're going to freeze to death if you continue to stay in the stable. Winter is hardly even half over, and you are on the verge of what you humans would call pneumonia."

Creeper held his tongue, not sure how to point out the fact that her not eating or sleeping and her constant crying was steadily weakening her as well. How she hadn't gotten sick already was a miracle in itself.

The goblin could see her exhaustion, her constant pain, and jabbing hunger pangs. But even if it were not written all over her face how completely miserable she was, he would have been able to tell anyway, simply because her aura was not what it had used to be.

It had used to be so full of light and laughter, and now. . .it felt so dull and faded. . .

If Creeper could ever admit it to himself, he was worried about her.

". . .I know," Avalina said softly, "But I just can't go back in the castle, Creeper. I just can't. It's either stay in my room all the time or stay in the stable, and at least in the stable I have company."

Creeper nodded silently, suddenly feeling a very little bit angry at his master for making the girl fear him as much, or more, than the goblin did.

"I guess my company does't count for anything then?" He huffed irritably, but his eyes were not angry.

"You'd rather stay in the stable with that four-legged brute, (Here Mitternacht laced his ears back and made the goblin jump) than let me visit you in the castle?"

Avalina grinned faintly, something that warmed the hard little heart of the goblin by a fraction.

"You never mentioned anything about visiting me before," she pointed out, "And you are welcome in the stable anytime."

"I'd like to believe you, but I don't think he agrees."

Creeper indicated the horse with a faint gesture of his hand as Avalina answered him.

"It's not his fault he makes better company."

Here, at the look on Creeper's face, a small laugh made it out of her, before he huffed and began to walk away across the snow with as much dignity as a little bowlegged goblin with a torn cape could.

Feeling that she offended him, Avalina leaned down from the saddle and scooped up a handful of the four-foot snow that covered nearly everywhere and called the goblin's name.

A snowball to the face greeted him when he turned around.

"Loosen up!" Avalina shouted, her voice raspy from so much crying, "Or you'll freeze that way!"

Avalina laughed out loud at the mental image of Creeper encased in ice, frozen in a funny pose.

Creeper wiped the snow off his face and glared at her.

The returning snowball was meant for Avalina's face, but the shot fell short and splatted her leg and Mitternacht's side.

Mitternacht snorted, tossing his head and dancing on his toes. A game! He loved games. Even if it were with that irritating little green creature. He was making Avalina happy!

Avalina laughed and scooped up another handful, hurling it at Creeper as he threw another one himself.

Creeper was amazing at dodging. He was so quick it was unbelievable. It was very difficult for Avalina to hit him and she missed more than she scored.

Creeper on the other hand was throwing snowballs right and left, and although half of them fell short, many made their mark and sprayed the horse and rider in white.

Mitternacht snorted and pawed fiercely, and Avalina dismounted and hid in the deep track the two of them had made plowing through the snow so she wouldn't be so much of a target, and raising up, splatted Creeper right in the chest with one.

Now the tables had turned. Creeper had nowhere to hide, stranded on top of the snow, and Avalina did.

Avalina could hear the goblin chuckling madly as the snowballs flew over her head in waves, and she made several before popping up and actually managing to hit the goblin a few times.

"Score!" She shouted, shrieking as a snowball skimmed her hair and the top of her ear.

After a few minutes, she noticed the snowballs had stopped coming. Tensing, she leaped up, ready to throw one of her own, only to see the retreating form of the goblin running away over the top of the snow as swiftly as he could manage.

"You can't escape!" She shouted.

After trying and failing to pull herself into the slippery saddle, she pointed at the goblin.

"Fetch!" She cried.

Mitternacht snorted and leaped high in the air, before shoving his way through the snow toward the goblin.

Creeper screamed as the horse bore down on him, Avalina floundering through the track Mitternacht had made behind him, shrieking in laughter.

The horse circled around the goblin, trapping him between himself and Avalina, and Creeper sped off in another direction, arms high in the air and yelling.

Laughing, Avalina was forced to cut her own trail through the snow, but she chased him, and her blood actually felt like it was moving for the first time in ages.

Suddenly the goblin disappeared from sight. Completely. Followed by a shriek of terror said goblin.

Instantly knowing something was wrong, Avalina pushed her way through the snow. . .

Her foot slipped and threw her back against the snowbank, but she managed to find her footing, and she gasped.

Creeper had fallen off the edge of the snowbank, not watching where he was going, and slid out several feet across the surface of the frozen lake, where he stood there, horrified at what had happened.

Avalina gasped aloud in terror.

"Creeper!"

To DarkraixCresslia: MonstarzGirl? That login rings a bell...did her fanfictions have a Victoria chick in 'em? I may have actually read those before they were taken down. *Three seconds later* Why on earth were they taken down? Was somebody nasty to her about them? I thought they were pretty decent.

Enjoy the chapter, everybody! :D