Iron Henry Unzips

It was the early hours of the morning when they arrived at the castle Ferris called home. He was glad to see it--Henry could tell from his face.

Henry was gladder still to have Ferris home. His heart was still like a sledgehammer in his chest, still painful with every beat, and he knew that as soon as he had some downtime he would have to open up and adjust his settings. Not that he expected downtime anytime soon, what with a wedding and all scheduled for the upcoming day.

Henry extended his hand to the princess first, and she shyly took it as she descended from the carriage. He made her nervous--he was used to that. He did his best to smile--which didn't take much effort at all--and treated her gently. She would warm up to him sooner or later.

The young king started crying quietly as he stood there, before those old familiar doors. Henry stepped closer. He wanted to reach out and put his arm around the king, but that wouldn't be proper. It hadn't been proper for years.

It didn't matter--the king himself was so overcome with emotion, it was as if they were back to being little kids together. He pulled Henry into a hug, and Henry, surprised at first, returned the embrace. His best friend was back.

The princess didn't say anything. Henry noticed her standing there behind them. She looked at him. She was watching. He pulled out of the hug. He couldn't tell what she was thinking.

The king seemed to remember she was there, suddenly, and he collected himself quickly. He smiled at her and beckoned her closer.

Henry stepped back. When it became clear that they were deep in a murmur of conversation, he wandered back to his horse. Poor little beast. She was exhausted after that journey, and no wonder--they hadn't switched horses, and Henry was extremely heavy for his size on account of his iron bones.

He stroked her face and she watched him. They stood together for a long time, until one of the stablemen came by and took her away. Henry looked to the royal couple then.

They were still talking. He supposed they had a lot to talk about. He scuffed his boots in the dirt a little longer, and looked up again. The conversation seemed to go on and on.

Henry decided he wouldn't be missed if he ducked out of sight for a brief while. The thumping in his chest was starting to make even his skin ache. There were other servants around, not as many as in daylight, but enough to take care of the couple if they started moving again.

He wandered off, away from the couple's sight. He was lucky the moon was full--well, almost. It had been full the night the spell was broken, of course. Still, Henry could see well enough in the moonlight.

He took off his shirt and felt along the scales of his skin. He found the soft spot beneath his throat and poked around to start separating his skin. He worked his way down his chest, unzipping the scales and letting his skin flap on either side of his iron ribs.

He leaned against a wall now to get a better angle on his innards. He eyed his heart warily; it beat and beat and beat. Relentlessly. It was supposed to quiet down when he opened up, not all the way but enough so that he could safely rummage around. Not so this time. It was pushing at the broken iron bands that used to hold it together, ramming them into his sides and his spine. No wonder it hurt.

He grimaced and stuck his hand in carefully, parting the web of tubes that carried his blood around. He hesitated before snatching up one band and tossing it out. He moved in quickly for the other two, pulling back sharply but not too far, and then weaving them out through the tangle of tubes. Good. He could have accidentally killed himself right then and there.

He straightened up a bit now, a little more relaxed with those metal bits no longer bouncing around inside of him. Still, he knew he needed a little more fine-tuning to accommodate the violence of his heart. That would have to wait until later, however. He didn't trust himself to rush that process, and by now he expected the royal pair to have finished up their chat. It was definitely time to get some sleep. Tomorrow would be a big day.

Henry slouched against the wall again so he could see his fingers fumble around with the edge of the tear in his skin. He had to concentrate to start connecting the scaly flesh again, but once he got started his fingers moved quickly. He straightened up as his hands moved up along his chest, repairing the tear.

He finished. He felt calmer now, and definitely more comfortable.

***

Princess Sunshine grew quiet as soon as Henry came loping back into view. The king noticed this and touched her cheek. "You don't have to be afraid of him, darling," he whispered to her.

She blushed. "I'm not. I'm just curious," she confessed, and she pushed his hand away. She wasn't sure what to make of the man she would marry tomorrow; she had tried to kill him by throwing him against a wall when he had been a frog. He had promised her there were no hard feelings--that had been necessary to break the curse, after all--but her own hatred for him hadn't just vanished overnight.

"You'll have all the time in the world to satisfy your curiosity, then."

"Oh, I don't know if I'll ever achieve that."

She grew quiet again as Henry approached. Ferris smiled upon his mechanical double. Sunshine thought it was strange to see the two of them side by side. They were the same height, and in low lightning it was difficult to tell them apart.

Henry bowed, disturbing her thoughts, and offered to take them inside. "Of course," he added, "you would have been greeted with great fanfare were it not for the very late hour; indeed, they did not expect us until mid-morning. We made very good time."

The king nodded. "And I am glad we got here so quickly. It is good to be home. I can say I am tired but I doubt I shall sleep--it is so wonderful to be here at last--yet I am sure my sweet princess is in need of rest." His smile for Henry was full of warmth, but when he turned to smile at Sunshine, she felt a chill go through her.

But she broke out a brittle smile and nodded in agreement. "I am quite exhausted, thank you."

Henry bowed. "Certainly, Princess. I shall lead you to your room. My lord--"

"I shall wait here until your return. I can marvel at my surroundings a little longer."

"If you wish. I can certainly rustle up a servant to get you settled."

"No need. I'll settle for you, if you'll have me."

"Always." Henry turned to Sunshine with a friendly smile. "Shall we head on up?"

She nodded. He led the way and she followed him through the old castle. Something about that playful exchange between the king and Henry bothered her. This thing was too much like a person—the king even treated the machine as such. Had it been the perfect servant and nothing more, she could tolerate its person-like traits. But this playfulness, this sense of humor, this affection he had for the king--this was something else, like a soul. No magic could create a soul--and only the darkest kind could steal one.