Chapter 87 The Aftermath

Chapter 87 The Aftermath

He stepped forward, his silver eyes moving from me to Elowyn to the horse. His face was pale, his jaw tight. He looked like a man who had aged ten years in ten minutes.

"The horse will be led out of the banquet hall," he said. "For now. We will discuss what happens next in private."

I stared at him. "Cardan!" 

"Nyx." His voice was tired. "Please. Not here."

The please nearly broke me.

For a long moment, we looked at each other across the wreckage of the hall. The shattered tables. The scattered gold. The overturned chairs. And between us, the unspoken truth: he had chosen Freya. When the horse charged, when the chaos erupted, he had thrown himself over her without hesitation.

But what would you have wanted him to do? a small voice asked. Let her be trampled? Let his child die?

I didn't have an answer.

I turned back to Malfane. The horse was calm now, his breathing steady. I pressed my forehead to his muzzle and whispered: "I'll come to you later. I promise."

Then I stepped back and let the stable hands lead him away.

\-—————————

The courtiers dispersed slowly, reluctantly, like vultures leaving a carcass.

They filed out of the hall in small clusters, their whispers rising like a swarm of bees. I caught fragments as they passed, dangerous beast, shadow-witch, should have known, but I didn't react. I stood in the center of the wreckage, my hands at my sides, my shadows still, and let them look. Let them judge. Let them see the monster they had always believed me to be.

Lady Freya was led away by Elowyn and a pair of physicians. She was shaking, her face ashen, her hands clutched protectively over her belly. Elowyn paused at the door and looked back at me. Her expression was triumphant. The expression of someone who had won a battle and was already planning the next.

"Cardan," she said. "Come. Freya needs you."

And Cardan went.

He didn't look at me as he passed. He just walked out of the hall, following his sister and his former lover, leaving me alone in the wreckage of his birthday celebration.

I stood there for a long time.

\-———————————-

The stables were quiet when I finally made my way there.

The moon had risen, pale and indifferent, casting silver light over the white marble buildings. The Aurelian horses dozed in their stalls. The stable hands had retreated to their quarters. And in the far corner, isolated from the others, Umbra waited.

He was still agitated. I could see it in the way he shifted his weight, the way his ears twitched at every sound. But when he saw me, he let out a low, relieved whicker.

"Shh," I murmured, approaching slowly. "I'm here."

I opened the stall door and slipped inside. The horse pressed his muzzle against my shoulder, his breath warm and steady. I wrapped my arms around his neck and held on.

"What happened?" I asked the stable master.

The man was hovering nearby, wringing his hands. He looked terrified. "I don't know, Your Majesty. I swear I don't know. I followed your instructions exactly. No one touched the horse. No one entered the stall. The other grooms were too afraid to go near him."

"Then why did he break free?"

"I don't know." The stable master's voice cracked. "I was standing right outside, keeping watch like you said. One moment he was calm, the next he was, he was screaming. Screaming like something was hurting him. He kicked down the door and bolted. I tried to stop him, but..." 

"But he was too strong."

"Yes, Your Majesty. I'm sorry. I'm so sorry."

I believed him. The stable master was not lying. He was too terrified to lie.

Something had spooked the horse. Something had driven him into a frenzy. And whatever it was, it had happened when I took him to the outside courtyard.

Elowyn, I thought. She must have found out about the horse. She must have done something.

But I couldn't prove it. Not yet.

"Thank you for your honesty," I told the stable master. "You may go. I'll stay with him a while longer."

The man bowed and fled.

I stood in the stall, my arms around Malfane's neck, and listened to the quiet sounds of the stables. The horses breathing. The hay rustling. The distant chirp of crickets.

And I thought about Cardan. About the moment the horse had charged. About the way he had thrown himself over Freya.

You would have done the same, I told myself. You would have protected the child. It wasn't about her. It was about the baby.

But the image wouldn't leave my mind. Cardan's arms around Freya. His body between her and the danger. The way he had looked at her, really looked at her, as if she mattered more than anything.

He chose her, the voice whispered again.

I closed my eyes and tried not to cry.

————————————————

My handmaidens found me in the stables an hour later.

"Your Majesty." Liriel's voice was gentle. "You should come inside. You need rest."

"I am not tired."

"You're exhausted. You've been standing in a horse stall for an hour. Please, Nyx. Come back to your chambers."

I looked at her. Her dark eyes were full of worry. Thalia and Sera stood behind her, their faces equally concerned.

"Did you find anything?" I asked. "About what spooked him?"

"Not yet," Sera said. "But we will. We're already asking questions. The grooms, the servants, the guards on duty. Someone must have seen something."

"Someone must have done something," I corrected. "A Hel horse doesn't spook for no reason. Not a trained stallion like Malfane. Someone got to him."

"We'll find out who," Liriel promised. "But first, you need to rest. Please."

I let them lead me back to the palace.

\-——————————

My chambers were warm and quiet.

The fire had been lit. The curtains drawn. The Nightbloom pulsed softly on my bedside table, a small piece of home in this golden prison. Ash was curled on my pillow, and he lifted his head when I entered, his tail flicking in greeting.

"Hello, my love," I murmured, stroking his scales. "Did you miss me?"

He rumbled in response.

My handmaidens undressed me with practiced efficiency. The Hel gown, Vesper's masterpiece, was carefully removed and hung in the wardrobe. The obsidian pins were pulled from my hair. The shadow-rouge was wiped from my face. And then they lowered me into a bath that smelled of milk and honey.

I sank into the water and let the heat seep into my bones.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Liriel asked, kneeling beside the tub.

"Talk about what?"

"The banquet. The announcement. The horse." She paused. "The King. Whatever you want to talk about." 

I closed my eyes. "He chose her."

"Who?"

"Freya. When the horse charged, he threw himself over her. He shielded her with his body." My voice cracked. "He didn't even look at me."