Humphrey stood against the far wall, his forelegs outstretched at an uncomfortable angle and his eyes open wide, revealing an abnormally pink color.
“What’s wrong?” Robin rushed to his side, running her hand down his sweaty hide.
Humphrey did not even try to wrap his body around hers in his typical greeting. He remained immobile, his breath coming in short, strained gasps.
“What happened?” She glanced around his stall as if the answer to his pain would be immediately visible.
It was.
His half-empty trough was filled with oats.
“No! No!” she cried, running to the trough and throwing her weight against it to remove it from the stall. It didn’t budge.
Not that it mattered—Humphrey was in too much pain to attempt to eat any more.
Returning to his side, Robin rubbed one of his long ears. “You poor boy, how did this happen again? I am going to have some stern words for the stable hands. But first I’ll find the horsemaster. He’ll get you feeling well again!”
Robin rushed out of the stall. Tears blurring her eyes, she grabbed the arm of the first person she found. “Where’s the horsemaster?”
“What’s wrong?” It was Ian.
Though confused as to what he was doing in the stables so early, Robin kept her focus on her poor donkey. “It’s Humphrey—someone’s given him oats again. And he ate them. A lot of them. I don’t know how much. He needs the horsemaster! Now!”
Ian called out the name of a passing stableboy and relayed the message. When the lad had taken off in a sprint, he turned back to Robin. “How bad is—”
“You said you would talk to the stable hands!” She cut him off, her concern for Humphrey coming out as anger against Ian. “I thought you would make sure this never happened again!”
“I did,” Ian replied. “I spoke with all five of them that day, and I can assure you they quite understood.”
“They obviously didn’t.” Tears threatened to spill down her cheeks again, so Robin turned away from the annoyingly calm prince and made her way back to Humphrey’s side.
The poor donkey let out a small sigh when she started rubbing his ear again, as though her presence comforted him.
Robin did not have to turn around to know that Ian had followed her into the stall. “What are you doing here so early?” she asked, hoping he would take the hint that she did not want him there.
“Lady Lockwood came to me this morning, quite distraught, claiming that you had snuck into her room last night and threatened to cut off the head of her beloved donkey. The guard on duty confirmed that there had been an incident, and she begged me to come to the stable to check on him.”
“Her beloved donkey?!” Robin turned around to face Ian. Her arms literally trembled with rage as she realized Lind had been the one to hurt Humphrey. “Is that what you think?”
Ian crossed his arms. “I don’t see her down here, caring forLumpyand crying over him.”
“Hisnameis Humphrey.” Robin wanted to yell the words at the top of her lungs.
“I know,” Ian replied, his face open and neutral. “Care to tell me what’s going on?”
Robin inhaled deeply. “I’m Lady Lockwood.”
Ian only raised an eyebrow.
“I was nervous to become the king’s ward and loath to leave my beloved Lockwood behind, so Lind—my lady’s maid—suggested that we switch places while we adjust to the change.”
Ian said nothing, so Robin plowed forward.
“I couldn’t bear the thought of losing the freedom to explore the forests and advance my skill on the battlefield only to be cooped up in a busy castle with no place to properly breathe. So I decided to go along with her plan. But turns out...”
Ian had tilted his head to one side, listening. His face remained passive, but his eyes were kind and soft. “When you went to speak with her the other night?”
“It was to end the deception.”
