Chapter 119
The agony was gone. So suddenly...it was like it had been snatched from him, pulling him back into his surroundings and out of the torture chamber his mind had become with a jolt.
The Horned King lay there for a long moment, gasping in utter relief that the fiery torture had left his system.
He could have lain there a little longer out of pure gratitude that the pain was gone, but was drawn out of his exhausted stupor by the soft thump of a body hitting the floor.
Turning his head, he saw Avalina contort on the floor behind him, behind the ring of furniture, gripping her stomach.
"Ava-?" He rasped out, but got no further as a scream of agony ripped itself from her.
Too weak to stand up without falling, he half crawled, half clawed his way over to the girl as she twisted and screamed on the floor. He heard the ear-shattering note of agony in the sound.
"What is wrong?" He demanded, more to the Invisibles than Avalina, barely avoiding getting kicked as she thrashed on the carpet beside him.
"Sire, she-!"
A book was thrust in his face, and his eyes widened in horror upon reading the page.
'No!'
It was not a spell as he had thought (And hoped) at first. Spells could be reversed unless otherwise noted. (Which was extremely rare) This was a prayer to the Fates. A transference prayer, to be precise. A prayer to transfer the pain of another to the one who prayed it.
And prayers could not be reversed by anyone except the one who had created the request in the first place.
The Horned King snarled in rage at this and tossed the book to a chair.
"Fix her!" He demanded to the Invisibles, "Now!"
"Sire, we cannot," the Invisibles replied heavily, "Not this time."
Despite Avalina screaming her head off, the Horned King had no problem hearing them.
"Why not?" The Horned King snarled in fury, his eyes flashing red.
"You're telling me you can create mayhem, procure everything from glitter to furniture at will, and you can't reverse *this?!*"
"Sire, you can either yell at us, or relieve her of some of her pain."
He heard the sharpness in the tone, but remembered Avalina and turned back to her.
She was screaming and writhing on the floor just as he had been doing only a minute ago, and he knew all too well what she was feeling, and his chest clinched horribly.
The agony was unbearable to take and remain still, but movement only increased the torture tenfold. The Horned King knew this from bitter experience.
Getting closer to her, he pinned her flailing limbs down as she screamed in agony, tears pouring down her face, and after a struggle, the lich got a hand around her neck and pressed down firmly on the tender pressure points there. The girl stiffened in agony for a moment before mercifully falling unconscious.
The unbelievable pain she was in would wake her up in a very few moments, but maybe she would stay out longer if he held her down and prevented movement.
Gathering her into his lap, he pinned her firmly to his body to minimize as much of her painfilled movements as possible.
An Invisible pushed one of the plushy chairs up behind him, but the Horned King was not going to move her if he could help it. Nonetheless, he leaned back against the chair, anticipating this could go on for some time.
Avalina moaned in pain, and he held her a little tighter as she tried to fight against the hellish fire that ate her up from the inside, and his own insides twisted harshly.
"Why didn't you stop her?" He hissed furiously.
"Surely you knew what she was about to do, why didn't you *do* anything? You could have stopped her."
"From what?" The Invisibles asked, and he heard how regretful they sounded.
"From saying...*that!*" The Horned King snarled, glaring furiously in the direction of the book.
"You could have shut her up somehow, taken the book away, anything to prevent her from doing this, and you did not. Why?"
The Invisibles sighed sadly, and he could feel the very real regret in the room.
"Sire, we are servants to the Fates. Nothing more. They are far more powerful than we. They created us, you know. We are bound to serve and obey them, and although they are quite lenient with us, there are some things we simply cannot do."
"Can't do, or *won't* do?" The Horned King growled deeply.
"Sire, when someone calls on our superiors for aid, we are *forbidden* to interfere with them in *any* way. It is a conversation between only the mortal and the Fates themselves. We are not a factor in that. We are completely irrelevant."
"You could have stopped her before she started," he hissed, lowering his voice as she moaned and weakly tried to struggle against her inner agony in his grip. His chest constricted as another wave of her painful aura swept over him again.
"You could have shut her up somehow, knocked her out, gagged her..."
"Sire, those are the only other two other things we are absolutely forbidden to do. We cannot touch someone's free will, and we are forbidden to inflict harm of any sort on any being. Even if it's for their own good, to lessen a greater pain."
Seething, the lich growled, "Surely you could have done something more to me, then? In all your bag of tricks there was not a single thing you could give me to purge the water from my system? Are you brainless as well as invisible?"
A huff of angered indignation followed.
"Well, we wanted to make you throw up," a voice spoke up, (Or was it two?) but we're forbidden to hurt anything, even if it's for their own good. That's the stupid part. Believe me, we dearly wanted to."
The Horned King snarled in distaste as a different voice spoke up. (Or was it the same? They all sounded alike)
"If we were mortal, we could have made you eat bread or something to absorb the water, but as we have just told you, we are forbidden to force our will on anyone, even if it would help them. We can protest, aid or encourage, but we cannot touch your free will. And your free will would not have wanted to cooperate with us, anyhow. You were in far too much pain."
The lich snarled again in frustrated anger as he realized everything they said was true.
As Avalina weakly tried to struggle in his grip, he snarled softly in rage, "How soon will this wear off?"
"There is no way to tell, Sire. A few more hours, possibly, although it cannot possibly be that long."
"Then I don't suppose," the Horned King growled, "You could give her a sedative to make sure she stays out until then?"
"Why yes Sire, we can do that," the relieved voices of the Invisibles spoke up.
A swish of wind and scarcely a minute later, a cupful of laced tea appeared from thin air in front of them, and the Horned King stiffened despite himself. Tea would burn him as easily as water, although not quite as painfully, being diluted.
"It won't harm her more?" He asked them, eyeing it suspiciously.
"I believe she has had enough."
"She only transferred your pain to herself," the Invisibles answered, "Not the water. It will not hurt her."
"The water's..."
"Still inside you, yes. The symptoms are merely gone."
The Horned King stiffened sharply at the thought of the wretched stuff still being there, but said nothing.
With the Invisibles' help, the lich managed to get the job done without burning himself again, holding Avalina firmly to him as she groaned in pain. He had to keep her as still as absolutely possible, lest the agony override the sedative and nobody needed that.
Her face was white and strained, and a soft cry escaped her, urging him to hold her a little closer.
"You foolish, foolish child," he snarled, his heart wrenching at her pain.
"Are you *trying* to kill yourself?"
An Invisible carefully draped a blanket around them as another stoked up the fire, and the Horned King noticed uneasily how cold she felt.
"How did she get down here?" He demanded of the Invisibles.
"She shouldn't be able to move around so soon, after nearly freezing to death."
"She found a way, Sire," the Invisibles replied, "Somehow, she knew you were still in pain and she pulled herself out of bed, looking for you."
The Horned King's chest twinged unpleasantly at how weak she must have been to begin with, before she had done this.
The Invisibles wrapped the blanket around them a little tighter, and the lich noticed in faint relief Avalina began to feel warmer.
"She will be fine," they said quietly.
"Although if you had not came for her, it would have been an entirely different story."
"What was she *doing* out there in the first place?" The Horned King snarled, feeling a chill run through him at the Invisibles' words, "She is a brush farmer, surely she knew the dangers. The weather has been warmer after the blizzard."
"We do not know," the Invisibles said slowly.
"We are bound to the castle and the courtyard."
The lich gritted his fangs angrily.
'This child has some explaining to do.'
Avalina shifted again and he stiffened as a cry and another wave of pain from her aura flooded him.
'Stupid girl,' he thought, holding her tighter, 'What possessed you to do this?'
He turned the question over and over in his mind, but could not procure himself an answer. Surely, after everything he had done to her, she no longer felt anything for him. Especially after what she had heard him say.
The sensation of a stone sitting on his chest at the thought was not pleasant.
A good three hours or so later, her painful struggles had finally dimmed to nothingness and she rested quietly with her head on his chest, the sedative not yet worn off.
The Horned King did not move from his place on the floor, instead watching her with an expression on his face he had never worn before in his existence. He neither noticed nor cared, but the Invisibles did and nudged each other pointedly, fighting to hold in the squeals of delight.
A lock of hair that had fallen over her face irritated him, and he gently brushed it away with a claw, freezing as the tips of his fingers came lightly against her forehead, smoothing her hair from her eyes.
He did not move for a long moment, should his corpse-like touch rouse the girl from sleep, but she did not stir.
Almost unwillingly, (Though nothing could be farther from the truth) he slowly traced an invisible line down her cheek in wonder, unused to feeling the sensation of a living, breathing creature beneath his touch that was not fighting to get away. Something he was not going to maim.
The sensation was thoroughly alien.
She was warm. Her skin was smooth and youthful, and now that her pain had gone, her aura seemed to seep right through his fingers and into his lifeforce, filling him with the Life she carried. It was dimmer than what he was accustomed to, but he sensed she was out of danger. She would recover shortly.
He could hear her heartbeat. Her Life, dancing beneath her chest, that could be so easily extinguished in the blink of an eye...so easily...
Her warmth filled him, and he slowly ran the back of his fingers up her cheek again, suddenly feeling so unworthy.
He did not deserve this. He did not deserve to be holding something so fragile, so beautiful, so full of Life. And yet, he was doing so. He did not deserve what she had done for him. He did not deserve any of it, and he glanced in disgust at his own sickening hand against her face, remembering all too well what the Invisibles had told him repeatedly.
'Something like you doesn't even deserve to *look* at someone like her, much less *touch* her.'
They had spat that sentence out with unbelievable venom.
No doubt she would be horrified by his touch if she were awake.
But despite his heavy guilt, could not bring himself to pull his hand away.
Not yet.
'She has touched me before,' he remembered silently, 'And I her. But she was aware of it then.'
A faint movement beneath his hand caused him to swiftly draw it away, looking down at her as her brows furrowed slightly, before she dimly opened her eyes.
It took a moment or two for recognition to set in, and when it did she stiffened in fright, her eyes widening as she realized the situation.
"I. . .had to hold you still," the Horned King told her uncomfortably, before looking away, feeling how tense she was under his gaze.
"You were increasing your own pain."
There was a long, frightened silence between them, and he did not look at her, trying to decide how to move away from the girl without dumping her in the floor.
"You. . .saved me?" She whispered fearfully.
"Yes," the lich replied stiffly after a moment, remembering what he had gone through to do so.
"But. . .why? You said you hated me," Avalina whispered, her eyes misting up.
"You said you. . .should have. . ."
She could not bring herself to finish the sentence, choking down a sob.
The Horned King felt her tense when he glanced over at her, and his chest ached.
". . .I do not hate you," he dredged out softly, watching her disbelief slip across her face, which made his chest ache more.
"But you said you did," she wavered out, her voice breaking on the last word.
". . .I was angry," he admitted heavily, looking down.
"At you. For destroying my chance of revenge against the Pig-Keeper. The Caul...He, rather, (The lich knew that she would realize who he spoke of) manipulated me into saying those things, but child. . ."
Here, the Horned King stared directly into her eyes, not even blinking. It was his fault she had suffered so greatly the last few weeks, and he had to convince her of the truth in his words.
"I did not truly mean them. My hatred for the Pig-Keeper blinded me from all else. Because of that, I have caused you much pain."
The lich's chest ached terribly, but he did not look away.
"And I am truly. . .sorry."
There was so much hurt and pain in her tear-filled eyes the lich could no longer meet them and slowly averted his gaze.
He wanted to say something more. He felt she hadn't accepted his explanation. His apology. Anything. He could not possibly blame her. How many weeks had she been hiding from him?
"I. . .value your life far more than the death of the Pig-Keeper."
He all but forced that sentence out.
For several moments, he stared into the fire, acutely aware of her watching him with those eyes...he could almost feel her mind working as she began to draw a conclusion for herself, and it unnerved him faintly. If she should choose not to believe him...he could not ignore the pang in his chest at this thought.
"You. . .you do?"
The Horned King turned back to her. She looked like she couldn't hardly believe what she was hearing, but...she wanted to so badly.
"Yes," he answered simply, realizing how much truth was in that one tiny syllable.
"I. . .I thought. . .nothing else mattered to you except Taran's death."
The lich stiffened slightly at the sound of the Pig-Keeper's name, and Avalina tensed as well before he composed himself.
"As did I," he admitted.
"I allowed my hatred for the boy to consume me and spread to you as well. I. . ."
The Horned King wanted to say more, but what he had wanted to say had dissipated in his mind, and he could not find it.
A silence passed.
". . .I forgive you."
The whisper made his heart leap and he glanced down at her.
His shocked disbelief must have showed on his face, for she softly finished, "Gladly."
The edges of her mouth turned up in a faint smile, and it made that warm feeling that had lain dormant for weeks rise up inside him and flood his system at the sight of it.
He could think of nothing to say in return, simply holding her a little closer as she tiredly lay her head on his chest, over his heart.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
"Do you hurt anymore?" She asked worriedly, and the Horned King was reminded sharply of what she had done.
"No," he answered, firmly glaring down at her, "And if you ever do that again, I will make sure you regret it the instant you're strong enough to stand. Do I make myself...clear?"
He had felt her stiffen in fright immediately when he started speaking, but he refused to acknowledge the guilty feeling he received in return.
"But you were in pain," she whimpered, shivering faintly at his wrath.
"I couldn't leave you like that. And I could help you."
"If I wanted you to feel pain I would have inflicted it on you myself," he told her coldly, making her shake harder in his arms, before his faint curiosity got the better of him.
"And what possessed you to do that? Did you not realize how you would suffer?"
"I knew," she answered softly, looking down, not able to meet his blazing eyes anymore.
"You told me about it before."
"How could you do that to yourself, you foolish child?" He demanded.
He had never met anyone that could be so completely kind to anyone or anything, let alone the last creature on earth who deserved it, and it left him thoroughly nonplussed.
"You're my friend," she whispered.
"That's enough."
"How can you even *think* of still calling me that, after everything I have done to you?"
Avalina lowered her head for a moment, thinking for a moment, before looking back up.
"Because I see hope in you."
The Horned King was stunned into silence at this, hardly able to believe what he was hearing.
Even after all the abuse he had put her through, she still clung to her beliefs and refused to give them up. Or, to be precise, refused to give up on him.
There was nothing to say in return, and the Horned King merely tightened his arms around her ever so slightly, communicating more in that gesture that any amount of words ever could.
"Why were you out there in the first place?" The lich inquired a bit irritably.
"I thought you knew better."
"Creeper and I were playing in the snow," Avalina told him timidly, "And he fell off the bank and skidded out on the ice. He was too scared to move so I had to go get him and then..."
She trembled at the memory, and the Horned King's eyes flickered.
"Please don't hurt him!" Avalina begged.
"It's not his fault! It was just an accident."
"That little coward now owes you his life twice," the lich commented, more to himself than her.
"This will be remedied."
Seeing her frightened expression, he softened slightly.
"The goblin will not be harmed."
The only sound for a long time was the snapping of the fire, and Avalina, tired out from her ordeal, rested her head against the lich's chest, hearing that beautiful, beautiful sound she thought she would never hear again.
Thump.
Thump.
Thump.
She should be afraid. She should be fighting to get away from him right now.
But she only shifted a little closer and sighed softly in contentment, not resisting as her eyelids slowly drifted shut.
She felt safe. And she knew she was. He would protect her.
Thump.
"Child," the Horned King dredged out after some time had passed, "You are the most problematic, foolish human I have ever encountered."
After a long pause he added, "And you are also the...purest."
When there was no reply, he glanced down, only to realize she had fallen asleep in his arms, no doubt exhausted from everything that had happened.
'She dares to sleep in my presence...'
The realization that she felt safe enough to do so around him moved the lich deeply, and he felt that strange heat rising in his chest. The same heat he had felt when Arawn had threatened her. It was hot like fire, and it felt like fury, but it was not.
She trusted him to keep her safe. She trusted him. That was something he had previously thought impossible to regain, but now he realized the responsibility that came with that. But he was prepared. He would see she came to no harm.
He would protect her.
To my guest reviewer Kai: Thank you so very much for reviewing! It made my flipping day XD
To all my readers: I'm so sorry about the wait. I wanted to upload both new chapters at once so you wouldn't be left hanging too badly XD Hope everybody had an epic Thanksgiving! I know mine was sure awesome! I got to threaten a cop with a frying pan and everything! Whoo! *Parties* =D
And thank you to every single person that reviews! It means a LOT to me! :D