Chapter 3: Back at the Castle
"Queen? Just what prompted you to say such a notion?" The Goblin King inquired. Fána, still locked in Jareth's arm, looked up to her king.
"Well, it was mostly to get my point across to that pathetiqué girl and…" Fána voice trailed as she realized that her biggest secret almost left her lips. She suddenly found the floor tiles interesting. Jareth tilted her head back up, forcing her to look in his mismatched crystal blue eyes. Fána saw something different about them. They had faint golden flecks around the edge. There was an odd twinkle that made his eyes brighter. 'Was it tenderness? No. Possibly… oh no, it couldn't be!? Dare I think it!' Fána thought.
"And… what, Fána?" Jareth's words distracted her frantic thinking as he brushed his hand that was holding her chin, across her cheek causing her to close her eyes and lean into the soft, leather-gloved hand. With her eyes still closed, Fána responded apprehensively.
"And… I was hoping that you would have me as your Goblin Queen?" Fána slowly opened her eyes, fearing the look on his face. A cold wave of uncertainty and heartbreak rushed through Fána. Jareth's face was like stone, emotionless, unchanging, and cold. Fána's overactive imagination began to imagine the worst case scenario.
"Jareth, why did you give me the gift?" Fána asked in a shaky voice, on the verge of tears.
"Ah, but already know the answer to that, Fána."
"But I want to hear you say it. Please, I need to know." Her voice was desperate at this point. Fána seemed to curl up into a ball right before the king's eyes. Her arms wrapped around herself as if shielding her body from something flying at her, once again looking at the floor.
"Fána, look at me. Look at me, love." The Goblin King kneeled down to her level, lightly touching one of her hands causing Fána to look up into his bi-colored gaze. "Do you remember when I first came to you?" Fána nodded. "Have you any idea as to what I gave you?" Fána began to say something, but furrowed her brow at the last second, leaving her looking like a bass out of water.
"Come to think of it, no, I don't know exactly what you gave me. I merely thought it was the power to call you." Still utterly confused, Fána took a step back away from Jareth.
"Macy, do you know why I gave you the name 'Fána'? It is because of the gift I gave you. I gave you a gift of the Tuátha de Danann, or Fae as you mortals call us. A gift that is only given if a Fae loves a mortal and that mortal returns that love, unconditionally. Do you understand what I'm saying, Fána? Do you know how special you are?"
"Um, I think so. You're saying that the reason that I am here right now is because you love me and I am said to love you, even if I don't know it yet. And no, I don't know hwo special I am. What did you do to me?" curiosity thick in her voice.
"Long story short, I turned you into a Fae. How did you think you were able to produce that crystal?" Fána looked at her palms as if looking for an answer, her brow creased with wrinkles that will never appear with age.
'By the Gods, she is perfect in every way, especially when she furrows her beautiful brow.' Jareth praised silently in his mind.
Jareth held one of her hands between both of his. "By simply wanting it, just like deep in your subconscious, you wanted to be my queen when the time was right."
"So my cousin coming to live with my family a few years ago wasn't coincidence? It was a well-thought out way to bring you and I together. Yes, I understand, now that I have the whole truth. But…" Fána gently pushed Jareth away a few inches. "I think that we should handle this just like any other courtship, to learn more about each other before we do anything serious." Fána placed her hand on Jareth's cheek, gently caressing his jaw-line slowly up into his hair. Their gaze was intent and focused, like they were still talking. She felt him tremble with shivers running down his back making him close his eyes. Obviously, from pleasure of her touch and the tenderness of the whole situation.
"I agree wholeheartedly." The Goblin King was able to find his voice and finally stand from sitting on the stone floor at Fána's level. 'I'm not bloody 100 anymore…' "For now, shall we observe your cousin's progress?" An evil smug grin snuck onto his face. She, too, showed her wicked smile.
"Yes, Let's." Jareth lead Fána out to a balcony overlooking the entire Labyrinth. They both leaned on the rail, just watching the goings on in the Goblin City below to the sunset on the horizon.
Fána felt like she belonged here. Finally, a place to be respected and loved in.