The Immovable Object

[neav]

Neav froze. His blood seemed to turn to ice in his veins and an icy hand gripped his heart. This man would not only steal his horses... he would kill one of the precious creatures to made sure he got his own way.
I hate you. I will kill you.

Such a thought from gentle Neav was so shocking that he almost scared himself. He had never wanted to kill anything in all his short life. Now hatred burned through him, an icy fire that threatened to consume his every thought.... I will kill you.
Neav swallowed, fought to get himself under control. He would not let this happen. He would tell no one, he would do nothing and say nothing suspicious. He would not let this man touch a single one of his horses.
But he would certainly not give him Rising Sun. Never.
Deep in the deepest part of his mind, a plan began to form. Neav did not properly look at it. He would have to let it grow itself or it would vanish in anger and panic.

The boy swallowed again and found that he was shaking.
"Yes. I understand." His voice was so soft it could hardly be heard.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn was far too amused by this. The boy was shaking. From fear perhaps? Either way he had gotten to the child and that was all that mattered. "Very well, he should be on our way then," he told him. The threat he made was not an empty one. He would kill a horse just as he could kill a person with no hesitancy at all. "Keep in mind, I know where you reside, and I will now know where the horses are. Do not test my patience."

Children were sneaky, and Vaughn was not one to underestimate their intelligence. He did not find them a challenge to overcome, though he did not dismiss them so quickly. They did indeed have creative minds, but Vaughn enjoyed people trying to stand up to him. It only made it more rewarding when he had something against them, like right now. He put the dagger at his side. "And do not mistake me or over estimate my compassion. Just because my dagger is at my side, does not mean I can not pull it out in an instant." He then just smiled at the boy. "Now, lead the way." Vaughn was going to walk behind him, but at a close distance. That way, he would be able to have a hold on him if need be, or disappear into another abandoned alley way if he called out for help.

[neav]

Neav had no intention of playing the man false. Not yet, anyhow. He knew that even if he did try to run, the man could throw his dagger accurately enough to kill him. And there was no chance he would risk the lives of horses once they got to the stables.
I will think of something. I have to think of something.

Neav obediently set of at a half-run, wanting to get to the stables quickly but not wanting the man to think he was trying to escape. He kept glancing over his shoulder to see if he was still being followed.
Soon enough they were at the stables. Looking behind him once again, Neav ran into someone for the second time that day.

"You!" Unfortunatly Neav had run in to Aaron Williams, head groom and master of the stables. The irate man boxed his ears. Neav gasped, clutching his ringing head.
"Get in there now!" Williams snarled, shoving the boy inside. "The Prince's four only. Food, water, grooming, exercises. And I will deal with you tonight." Knowing that could only mean one thing, Neav shot inside, quivering like a startled foal.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Hmm. It seemed that the boy was already in trouble. Vaughn still looked amused as the child darted into the stables one a man, someone Vaughn was assuming to be his superior, yelled at him and threatened him. Was this man going to pose to be a problem? If he was, Vaughn had no problem eliminating him. Maybe it would show the boy just how serious he was. But now, it was mid day and Vaughn was no fool. He could easily be caught killing a man, with all the public attention.

"Children. They are indeed rather hard to discipline," he said to the man, acting as if he had some experience with them. Vaughn did not care about them in the least bit. But he needed to find out if whoever he was, was going to pose a problem. Neav had already disappeared out of Vaughn's direct sight and he did not like not knowing what the boy was doing. Hopefully he would heed to his warning and not try anything, stupid. "I kept the boy. He was aiding a lost traveler." Vaughn did not take the blame out of compassion for Neav. He did not even do it as a nice gesture. It was merely for selfish purposes. How could Vaughn bully the boy if he was going to be busy all day and night with his duties? He would not get what he wanted if this angry man stood in his way.

[neav]

Aaron Williams glanced at the tall stranger who had appeared with his stable-boy. He took a breath, controlled his anger and listened while the man seemed to take the blame.
"Well." Aaron Williams was a busy person. He did not have time to be talking with a stranger, though he was glad that Neav had not suddenly turned disobedient. It was the first time he had ever been late to the stables and Aaron did not want him making a habit of it. "I trust he has helped you and you now know your way." And with those words the man strode off to see to some horses under his own charge.

Inside the stable, Neav was with Prince Arthur's four stallions. He got them fresh water and hey, and began grooming vigorously. They nibbled his hair, grooming him back and gradually Neav began to calm. He trusted his horses completely. He pressed his forehead to Rising Sun's shoulder.
"Oh you..." he whispered. "You're going to start a new life, Rising Sun. No more Prince's for you! Just a wicked, evil man who has a knife..." And he gave a small, secret smile. He knew now what he would do. Left alone, his idea had grown into a full plan. Of course there was a little risk, but none of his sweet horses would end up dead. So he was sure.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn watched the man storm off. He had no sympathy for Neav for having to deal with such a man; he just did not care. He made his way over to the stables, leaning on the wall, watching the boy carefully. He had missed Neav talking to them, so just watched the boy as he tended to them. "Are you grooming my soon to be horse?" He asked, smirking. All of the hoses looked like they were well kept indeed. And nothing less would be expected of the king and prince's animals. He would take one, only because he could. Only because it would mean that the boy would get in trouble over it.

Vaughn's only regret, was that he would not be there to see the look on the Prince or King's face, and he would not be able to witness the boy's punishment for his irresponsibility, even though Vaughn knew full well that he had threatened the boy into giving a horse to him. Then again, would Neav tell them the truth? He may as well try to find out as much as he could since he would be there to see the aftermath. "How do you plan to explain the sudden absence of one of the horses?" He asked, still smirking and still amused as he questioned what story the boy would make up, or if he would in fact tell the truth.

[neav]

Neav ran expert fingers down Rising Sun's legs. If he was going to use this stallion for his plan, he needed to be sure the creature was sound. If there was even the smallest hint of soreness or a heated tendon, he would take Tempest instead.

Suddenly the man spoke behind him and Neav jumped violently, spinning to face him. Catching his fear, the four stallions snorted and pranced. Neav took a breath to calm himself. Of course he was still twitchy but that did not give the horses any good.
None of them are going to die.
He stared at the man, leaning against the wall so calm and scornful, and then turned back to Rising Sun. He was sound. Neav would take him.
"Yes. This is Rising Sun," he said and the unhappiness was obvious in his voice. "He is half Arabian and half Barb. He had new shoes a week ago..." Neav trailed off, adding in a whisper. "You got to look after him proper." Somehow it was easy to play that he was going to let Rising Sun go. After all, he was so afraid that it would happen it was not even a lie!

The next question bought the colour rushing to his face. What would he say? Oh, just imagine it! The Prince had placed his whole trust in Neav. Imagine if he did loose Rising Sun. It would be so dreadful...
"I - I don't know," Neav admitted. And then, slowly thinking it out. "I think... I would say... I was exercising him. I got to do that anyway, always running him outside the city walls. And that he... threw me. Bolted and ran."

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

This boy certainly knew a lot about horses. Did Vaughn care to know what kind of breed it was? Not at all. All that mattered was that it could move and prove to be a good mode of transportation. Oh, and that Neav would get in trouble over this entire thing. "I will look after him as I would any other horse." He was not promising the boy anything. He would not go out of his way to make sure his horse was happy. He would feed it when it wanted food, as it would be rather useless if it had no energy in it.

He then chuckled at the boy's story. "As long as you can tell such a lie without getting nervous to the point of giving yourself a way, then it is indeed a believable story." This boy seemed very nervous though. Shy. Stammering. Would he be able to pull it off? Oh how Vaughn wished he could stay to see it and it would be all the more entertaining if he failed. Vaughn began to walk closer to the animal, inspecting it to make sure it was satisfactory. "And what do you think the Prince or King will do once you reveal your disregard for the animal?" The horses seemed well groomed and the boy seemed to take a great deal of pride in his work, so to attempt to annoy the child, Vaughn made it sound like that it was in fact his uncaring behavior towards them that made him lose this animal: Rising Sun, as he called him.

[neav]

Neav looked doubtful. The man would care for Rising Sun as he would any other horse? That was not promising. He had not proved himself to be a caring person at all.
But Neav reminded himself that Rising Sun would not spent a single moment alone in his company.

Neav did not like the way this man laughed, either. Like he was enjoying his wickedness all too much.
The boy crouched by Rising Sun's back hooves, taking his time to reply. From that position, a kick from the stallion would probably kill him. But Neav trusted the horse. He placed a hand on first one hock, then the other to compare them for heat but both were fine.
It would be Rising Sun who he would trusted with both their lives.

At last the boy stood up, faced his tormentor again. He did not want to answer at all, but nor could he risk annoying the man. It was too dangerous.
"I... don't know..." he whispered in answer to the last question. He did not want to think about what might happen if the man did get away with Rising Sun. "The Prince will be so angry..." He swallowed. "What if he kills me?" And there was real fear in his eyes. Not for his own death, but for his beloved horses. Neav tried to change the subject.
"How are you going to get Rising Sun away? You can't ride him through the city. No one ever rides him except the Prince and me. People will see and cry you out thief!"

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn once again chuckled as the boy suggested the possibility of the Prince killing him. "It is quite possible indeed," Vaughn said casually. It was apparant that he did not care about the boy's well being, and that the idea of him dying over this was not something that bothered or disturbed Vaughn the least bit. He did not feel an ounce of remorse over what could be a bleak future for the boy. "And hopefully, it will happen," he added, just an added comment which he hoped instilled some fear into the boy and made him continue to realize how little Vaughn valued the child's life. "It is a shame I will not be there to witness the aftermath of your irresponsible actions." Now, he was just vocalizing his previous thoughts, able to do so in a far too amused tone of voice.

Vaughn actually had not planned a way to ride the horse out. It would be far too easy to recognize. Perhaps they would have to change the plan a bit. "I will not leave until night fall," he informed him, as if that had been his plan all along. It had not. He was merely thinking things through as he said them aloud. "I will remain here until then, and when the city sleeps, I will make my leave with the Prince's prized animal." Oh how Vaughn was terribly excited to do such a thing, and to see the boys face as he rode away.

[neav]

Neav gave a sharp gasp of disbelief. He was used to people ignoring and caring little for him, but no one had ever said as plainly that they wished him dead. That they would enjoy seeing him dead. It made his stomach twist in fear. Of all the people to run into, why did it have to be this one?
Shaking, Neav moved to check over the next stallion. This great dapple-grey creature was named Tempest and lived well up to the name.

Neav's mind raced. He was not so happy that the man planned his theft for the night; it was a long time to wait, being afraid and imagining all the things that could go wrong.
"What about the gate-guards?" he asked as he ran brush and hand over Tempest's back. His hand kept shaking and the horse knew something was wrong. They all did. Being quite close to the man, Tempest pulled his lips back as though he would bite. His expression said just come a little closer and I take a munch out of you! Neav saw it and wished very much that the stallion would bite the man. He deserved it.

"Suppose you want tack, too," Neav tried to sound as though he did not really care. "Saddle and bridle and stuff."
Neav was very worried. His plan was so shaky... How far would he let the stranger go? What if he get away with Rising Sun? It was not the punishment he was scared of, for all he gave that impression to the man. It was the dreadfulness of loosing a close friend.... No. It would not happen. Neav had to believe it.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

It seemed the boy was thinking things more thoroughly through than Vaughn was. He was more the kind of man who lived in the moment. Made no long term plans. So such things as the gate guards was not even a thought that had occurred to him. He would deal with things as they came, but he did want to give the boy an answer. Whether it would actually happen or not, Vaughn could not tell for certain. He just wanted to see how much he could scare the stable boy. "They will be working their last shift tonight."

Meaning, Vaughn would kill him. Again, it was not a plan set in stone. He just wanted to try to intimidate Neav. It if worked, wonderful. If it did not, Vaughn would just keep trying. "It will not be hard either. They will be on foot, I will be riding fast on the horse. One swift motion and-" Vaughn quickly pulled out both his swords from the sheaths strapped to his back, cutting the air with them in the exact same way he would cut off a man's head. He was just giving Neav a visual image of what he was going to do to them; or what he could do to them rather.

Chuckling at the image he was trying to portray, Vaughn still kept hold of his two weapons as Neav assumed that he needed the necessary riding equipment. "Yes. Everything that is needed. And anything extra." Vaughn did not know what extra things he needed right now. He just threw that thought in there in case the boy thought of anything else; not that he expected Neav would offer up extra things to a man who was jeopardizing his job and life.

[neav]

Working their last shift?
It took the moment for Neav to realise the meaning to these words. Then the blood drained from his face, leaving him death pale. He shuddered. The man meant to kill the guards! This situation was getting worse and only worse.
As the man continued to speak, explaining just how he would do it, Neav nervously chewed his lips. He was a so-gentle person and hated talk of killing...

Suddenly the man had two swords in his hands, cutting them through the air. Neav smothered a scream, terrified for the safety of his horses. Almost at the same moment, all four stallions reared as far as their ties would let them. The stables echoed with horse-screams and curses from grooms further down.
Of course it was not the swords that made the animals react. They were trained war-horses and so used to swords. It was Neav's fear, again catching and infecting them. The boy fought to control himself. He felt sick. He calmed the stallions with him and the stables fell silent again.

Neav swallowed. He did not really know the gate-guards, but that did not mean he wanted them to die! He had to think of something.
"I have - have to -" he was having trouble making his voice work again. Neav drew a shuddering breath. "I have to take these out for exercise. If - if I take Rising Sun out... in daytime... they wont -wont stop me. The guards. You don't have to kill them!" And his eyes were as pleading as a puppy's.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn of course had no idea that Neav's own emotions were channeled through the horses. He did think it was a bit of a coincidence that they all reacted at once, and then were immediately silenced at once without any words or actions of comfort. Still. Vaughn clearly did not have a great understanding of horses, nor did he care enough to ask. They were animals who were a means of getting from one place to another; that was all that mattered to the nomadic knight.

He let out a bit of a snicker at the boys reaction to Vaughn's revelation of his murderous plan. His face was pale and he was suggesting an alternate means of avoiding the violent confrontation with opposition who would have a problem with him riding the horses out of the city. "No. We will stick with the other plan." Why? Because Vaughn enjoyed seeing how the boy reacted to it. "It will be easier at night anyway, and more difficult for them to follow me." He then took a step towards the boy, his swords still held tightly in his hands, trying to intimidate the boy. "It will also make you an accomplice to murder. What is the penalty for that in Camelot? Some punishments vary according to the kingdom." Vaughn was slightly sarcastic in asking the question, and he was sort of exaggerating Neav's involvement in this plot. But still. It was funny to the knight.

[neav]

Neav gazed hopelessly, helplessly up at the knight. The plan would not be changed. A whole standing of guards would be killed and it would be his fault. Though Neav was not half to wild about this as thinking of the death of his horses, it was still a terrible thing.
Accomplice-to-murder. That was what the man said, and that was what he would be. If it had not been so dreadful, it would have been almost funny; Neav had three different ways to die in one morning! He felt numb all over. If he told on this man, both the horses and himself would die. If he let him kill the guards, he would die. If he let him escape with the horses... he would die.

The boy took a step back as the knight moved forward and found himself pressed against Tempest. That gave him comfort. He would not die for this. Not once, not three times! He would have to be very fast, very clever and use the trickiest horsemanship he knew... but he would do it because he had too.
"The penalty for any part in a murder is death," Neav answered dully. Though he did suspect the knight knew that, he was so afraid to give no answer. Then he began to edge away.
"I have to see to Sheer Folly, Gillyflower, Fair Chance and Embers," he whispered, naming several more horses. "And then I have to take these four outside for running." Because the stallions were all so strong they had to be run hard day to keep their spirits in check.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Death. Yes. That was exactly what Vaughn wanted to hear. The boy certainly was not stupid or as naive as some others. He knew that the smartest thing to do was to comply with Vaughn's demands; or so that was what the knight presumed. "Hmm. Death," he repeated aloud, acting as if he was pensively thinking about this. "So many ways to be publicly killed. Burning. Hanging. Axed at the neck." He was just trying to present terrifying methods of death that criminals faced, hoping it continued to scare Neav. "And how old are you boy?" He asked. He did indeed look young, no older than 16. Vaughn truly did take far too much pleasure in threatening others lives, especially children's.

"It is a rather pleasant day for a ride. I shall accompany you." It was not an offer, nor was it a suggestion. It was a statement. Vaughn would go with the boy to, well wherever he was going to go with all those horses. He did not trust Neav to be off by himself. It was too risky. He would have far too much opportunity to go and inform someone of Vaughn's criminal acts and plots. This ample opportunity was not something he was willing to afford Neav.

[neav]

Neav resisted the urge to pressed his hands over his ears. He did not want to look so childish, so afraid, but he wished the man would stop listing all the terrible ways he could die. Neav knew. Hearing them said aloud only made him feel worse. As the knight was not stopping him, Neav moved away to see to the mares who he had named.
He had just reached Sheer Folly when the man asked how old he was. Neav frowned. Why would he want to know that?

"I don't know," the boy answered. And it was the truth. Being found as a tiny child in the forest, people could only guess at his age. "Master Williams thought I would be thirteen this year, but yesterday he said I'm too small for that." What did it matter, anyhow?
But when the man continued to say he would join Neav when he exercised the stallions, the boy frowned.
"I am lunging them, not riding," and the way he said it was almost rude. For he did not want this man sitting on one of his horses if he could help it. "I am not even taking bridles."
Could this horrid man ride without saddle and bridle? Neav doubted it.

The boy finished with the mares in the quickest time and went to fetch the lunging line. He wound it round the patient neck of Rising Sun and then strung all four stallions together with their halter ropes. Neav did not need this precaution to keep in control of them, but people shouted at him if he did not do it.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn went silent for a moment, pretending to be contemplating deeply about something when really, he was just building the moment and acting overly dramatic. To him, death was not a big deal, but to others, it was their greatest fear. If one did not fear death, then there was nothing else to fear in the world. This was Vaughn's mindset, and a philosophy that he had lived his life by. More so when he had left his family and wandered far from their land. "Dead at the age of 13; before you truly become a man."

Vaughn chuckled. "Tonight, before we execute our plan," He purposely used the word 'execute' as a reminder for Neav's risky future. "I will take you to a tavern and you can experience the pleasures of things that I am assuming you have not yet experienced, before you die." Alcohol and women. Why was Vaughn suggesting such a thing? Not because he cared about the boy but because a man without morals cared little about decency and what was appropriate for others.

He continued to watch Neav prepare the horses. He stayed in the same position, only making sure that that the stable boy did not leave his site. He was not about to let him get away from his evil clutches. He wanted to ensure that this plan went through. Not because Vaughn was in desperate, dire need of a horse; but because he did not exactly like it when things did not go his way or according to plan. It meant that he was losing control over a situation and when he set something up like this, he made it go his way, holding and maintaining that authority over a person.

[neav]

Again, Neav had to tell himself very firmly that he was not going to die. And who cared, who cared if he was a man or not? If Neav had not been so scared, he would have found this knight so annoying; all his important things were round backwards!
And the man only confirmed this thought when he spoke about letting Neav experience tavern "pleasures." The boy blushed fiercely. He knew just what the knight meant. Stable-grooms did not check their talk just because there was a child with them.

But at least Neav did not have to worry about this newest threat. Even if his plan did not work, and the knight still had a hold over him by nightfall, he knew he would never be allowed to go.
"I would never be allowed to go," he muttered and began to lead the stallions from their stable. They came peacefully, heads lowered to the height of his shoulder. Normally Neav would have ridden them out without saddle or bridle, but he did not want the knight knowing just how good he was on a horse. Not yet, anyway.
And so they began their way through the city, taking the quickest route to the gates. Neav always excericed the horses outside the city because there was no room for it inside.

[Vaughn Adeney]

::vaughn::

Vaughn chuckled again when he noticed the boys face turn completely red. How funny. Not only was he, inexperienced with such things, he was also why about them. This was what encouraged Vaughn to keep talking about them, even if the boy tried to evade the subject and divert the conversation. It was one of the many reasons the knight had deemed a reputation of being rather intolerable; because of the fact that he just kept provoking people, even when they already broke.

"The tavern owners would you let you in. You would be with me, which means that you will be granted with access. I am sure one of the women has a daughter or something; someone closer to your liking." Yes, he was now talking about whores. While Vaughn never paid for that sort of service, the mere subject of it seemed to make Neav uncomfortable. He walked along side the child as he led the horses into the city. "And if you are worried about your over temperamental boss there, do not fear. I will speak to him." At first Vaughn had been joking about this whole thing, but now, he was acting as if the plan was really going to go through.