"Hello, my dear," a deep baritone voice came from around the corner. Pashmina was not surprised to see her god father leaning on the wall of the stables.
"Hi your majesty!" she squealed giving his thighs a hug because she could not reach any higher. He patted the girl's head briefly before letting himself out of her embrace.
"How was your day? I pray that Dillon was not too much of a nuisance," he noted while eyeing the young boy suspiciously. He returned his glare. Pashmina stepped between them, so she could be a barrier. She did not think a fight would break out, but she just wanted to be sure. Though he was only here a day, she knew Dillon had a temper that could rival the king's.
"Quite the contrary, your highness, I think I was being more of a nuisance than he was," she chimed.
"Why do I find that hard to believe?" Jareth questioned.
"Because you are so full of yourself that you think because I'm not nice to you, I won't be nice to anyone else," Dillon butted in.
"Watch your tone boy. I have had enough of that from your sister." He shot Dillon a dirty look when, he made no effort to hide the smirk on his face. The boy had no idea what went on between Luna and the King, but he was pleased that she was no longer brown-nosing him. He was very curious about what she might have said that clearly pissed off his majesty, and a little jealous that he was not the one to cause his anger. Dillon hated the king, and he wanted to make sure he knew that. "I came to tell you that dinner will begin shortly. We will be going to the dining room."
"Can't I have dinner with Pashmina?" he whined.
"I am terribly sorry, maybe I was not making myself clear. You will be having dinner with us in the dining room. It is not up for debate," the king said, struggling to keep his voice even for his god-daughter's sake. Dillon opened his mouth in order to talk back, but he was cut off.
"Dillon, just go with him," Pashmina coaxed, "It is pointless to argue with his majesty." She turned to him, and placed her hand on his shoulder. The elf gave him a look of warning. Dillon's head hung in defeat as decided to follow the orders of the young elf.
"Thank you, my love," he nodded, and then began walking toward the castle. Dillon tagged along behind him. Their anger was bled through their footsteps, as they both walked in silence. The king was not mad at Dillon so much; his difficulty was to be expected. Jareth spent the entire afternoon hot and bothered because of Luna. Erotic images of her assaulted his mind since they had lunch. He kept imagining how amazing it would have been if they had continued their amorous activities. The girl was his forbidden fruit, and that made him want her more. Deep down, he was kind of glad that she seized her actions, though. His feelings for Sarah went far beyond his lust for her daughter. The only reason she was here in the first place was to lure in Sarah. As time progressed he realized that Luna was not a solution to his problem, but just another problem entirely. He needed to create a boundary between them, so he would not give in into his primal needs; he needed to make her hate him. "I wanted to apologize," Jareth mumbled, finally breaking the silence.
"For what?"
"I wanted to apologize for hitting you this morning. It was brought to my attention that it was wrong of me to do so." Dillon nodded and looked at the ground. Jareth made a crystal ball appear in his hand to find Luna. He did not know where she went after she left the dining room. The crystal showed her sewing a piece of fabric surrounded by goblins. Howie was giggling uncontrollably as Grog played peek-a-boo with him. The king assumed that they probably were in the throne room. Dillon tried too his fascination as he peered at the imagery in the crystal ball. They traveled down various halls in the castle, making many twist turns until they made their way to the throne room. Jareth opened the door, surprised to see that the fabric she was sewing was in fact from his throne. "What happened to my throne?" he yelled.
"One of the goblins threw a chicken at it, and its beak pierced the fabric. Don't worry, I'm almost done," Luna stated not stopping her sewing or looking up at him.
"Why did you not call the goblin witch to fix it?"
"She left. Brastaak let me borrow some of his sewing equipment to fix it," She tied the final knot, "It's not magic, but it will hold." She handed the needle to a goblin that he assumed was Brastaak. Jareth stiffened when she made her way over to him. Her arms snaked around his shoulders. The girl went to kiss his lips, but he turned his head so she would get his cheek instead. "Still mad are we?" she smirked.
"Get the babe. We are going to have supper," Jareth uttered while looking above her rather than at her. She pouted her lips in mock disappointment, and dropped her arms.
"Are you going to tell me why his panties are all in a bunch, Luna?" Dillon sneered earning him another glare from the king.
"Let's just say, he bit off a little more than he can chew," Luna answered, winking at the king before heading to Grog. Jareth felt his blood boiling, but did not say anything. He felt a pang of lust when he watched her bend over to get Howie. This made her bottom look even more plump and delicious. Then he left the room as if that would stop his feelings for her. A little goblin walked down the hall, and he kicked it in frustration. The three siblings stood at the doorway, waiting for him to lead them to the dining room. He held his hands out for the babe, and Luna reluctantly handed him over.
"You seem to be the only pleasant person in your family," Jareth mused aloud bouncing the baby, "Such a pity." Dillon rolled his eyes at him.
"So what did you do today, Dillon?" Luna asked.
"I fed some magical horses, shoveled their crap, ate lunch, shoveled their crap, rid them, and shoveled their crap. Oh yeah I almost forgot, I shoveled their crap," he disclosed.
"Fun, fun I hope you washed your hands," she chuckled. He shook his head. "That is so gross, Dillon!"
He went to go touch her with his filthy hands. Luna squealed while running away from him. Jareth leaned on the wall in the hallway, waiting for them to finish their makeshift game of tag. Howie started giggling in his arms. Dillon went after her with hands outstretched in a zombielike stance. She ran, scooting her rear forward every time he got close. A spontaneous burst of energy hit her as she sped down the hall. Her brother went to chase her, but he was tired out. His hands were on his knees while he attempted to catch his breath. "That's what you get for skipping Gym!" she teased.
"If you two are done lollygagging, I would like to get to dinner," the king grumbled.
"Did you . . . seriously just . . . use the word . . . lollygagging?" Dillon laughed between breaths. Jareth reddened as the two other siblings joined his laughter.
"I should have you bogged for offending me!" he roared. The sudden yelling startled the baby, and began to cry.
"Calm your nuggets, your highness. We're just messing around," Luna assured him. She skipped back to him, and gathered the baby from his arms. Howie rested his head on her shoulder when she comforted him. She hummed a short lullaby, and kissed his head. His crying quickly subsided. She used her free hand to rub the king's back to calm him as well. The fury in him diminished, as he savored her pleasing touch. The gesture reminded him of when his mother used to comfort him as a little boy. He sighed in surrender, clinging to the side of her so she could wrap her arm around his waist. How was she able to do that to him? How could she turn a furious king into pathetic child in matter of seconds?
"Roberto, I need to speak with you for a minute," Christina whispered cautiously.
"Sure, what about?" he asked.
"We need to go somewhere private." He raised an eyebrow, but followed the bride to be out of the reception area. Toby had invited Sarah and him to check out the place they rented for the wedding reception. The siblings were having long a conversation about when they were younger. They seemed to forget that Christina and Roberto were in the room. Christina had seemed nervous the entire time. Roberto was curious, but he was not sure if it was his place to ask what was wrong.
The two were not close at all. Actually, he was not really close to anyone in Sarah's family except for Toby. Her stepmother was a total nightmare. The bitch actually objected in the middle of their wedding ceremony. She had made it more than apparent that she was not a fan of interracial relationships. The main reason he hated her was because of the time she made Luna cry. His daughter was only five years old, and that beast told her that her skin was too dark for anyone to love her. She never had a problem with either of the boys because their skin was significantly lighter. For some reason he was not sure of, Sarah still stayed in contact with her. Her father was a nice guy, but he was not much of a talker. He just followed his wife around like a lovesick puppy. Though the man loved his granddaughter very much, he distanced himself from her because of his wife.
"So what did you want to talk about?" Roberto questioned. Christina bit her lip like she was not sure if she wanted to say something. Her eyes began welling up with tears. She hugged him, and started patting his back. "What's wrong?"
"I'm so sorry. I don't know if I should–" she cried.
"Whatever is wrong you can tell me," he whispered. Now, he really wanted know what was amiss. Why would she go to him of all people?
"It's Sarah," she sighed. This unquestionably drew his attention. When Sarah got home from the bachelorette party the night before, she was acting rather odd. She seemed a little jumpier than usual. He asked her about the party, and she would just give him one word answers. Then he tried to find out what was wrong. Sarah got defensive at that point. She snapped at him, and then apologized. At next moment they began canoodling, so her previous behavior was nearly forgotten.
"What about Sarah?" he asked.
"Last night, um at the bachelorette party, there was a stripper. He was giving her a lap dance," she sobbed and her voice broke.
"That's what strippers do. It was a bachelorette party, it is okay. I got a lap dance at Toby's bachelor party too. There's no reason to cry." She shook her head.
"She left with him, Roberto."
It felt like someone just knocked the air out of him. All the words spun around his head until they did not sound like words anymore. This could not be true. Christina must have been mistaken. Sarah would not do that again. He had just forgiven her. They were happy.
"Maybe she was–" he tried to come up with an excuse.
"The other girls saw her flirting with him. When I got back to table, after they called me on stage, I noticed that her wedding ring was off. I'm so sorry. I really did not want to be the one to tell you this, but you deserve to know." She patted his back for comfort. Roberto began hyperventilating, and broke away from her hug. His legs gave out from underneath him. Christina went to help him up, but he stopped her. He held his head like it would fall apart if he didn't. The man was writhing with anger, sadness, and pain. His eyes were bloodshot from holding back tears. The pain in chest spilled out his mouth into a loud roar. Sarah and Toby heard the sound and rushed over to see what was wrong. They both were startled to see Christina in tears and Roberto thrashing on the floor.
"Baby what's wrong?" Sarah queried. She went down to the floor to hold him, but he moved from her.
"DON'T TOUCH ME!" he screamed, "DON'T TOUCH ME EVER AGAIN!"
The four of them sat in silence. They waited in the dining hall for the stubby little goblins to bring their food. All of them had plates filled with purple linguini, cheese, and seasonings. Howie and Dillon were given apple juice; Jareth and Luna had a scarlet colored drink. She looked at the drink questioningly and sniffed it. The scent made the inside of her nose feel like it was on fire.
"What is this, your majesty?" she asked.
"It is some of the very finest goblin wine," the king answered.
"She's not old enough to drink," Dillon protested.
"This is not America, my dear boy," he explained, "It is perfectly acceptable for a woman her age to have a glass of wine now and then. Luna, please try some."
"Okay I will have a small taste," she responded. This was not her first time having alcohol. Her older friends in college used to get her drinks all the time. She was only hesitant this time because she did not know how she would react to goblin wine. It smelled a lot stronger than drinks at home.
"That is all that I ask. If you do not like it your drink will be replaced." She nodded and took a sip of wine. Liking the taste, she drank some more. The liquid heated her throat as it slid into her belly. Her cheeks began to flush. It was not long before her body felt warm and fuzzy.
"It feels like Christmas," she giggled. Luna rolled up the pasta on her fork. She tried to put in her mouth, but she missed several times. Howie giggled, and mimicked his sister.
"You can't be drunk already," Dillon muttered.
"Indeed she can. Goblin wine is very strong and she seems to be a lightweight, even for a human."
"You're not human?" Dillon asked.
"How many humans you know that can turn into owls?" Jareth smirked.
"Touché," he chuckled. The king picked up the purple pasta and put it to his lips in a pristine manner. Dillon started eating his pasta as well. It tasted like normal linguini, but with a hint of a plum taste. The dish was good, but it was not as great as breakfast. "Hey, is there any more of that unicorn steak from this morning?"
"Dillon, tha-that's horrible. How c-c-could yer ride something sooo beautiful, and then treat it sooo badly?" Luna asked.
"Precious, I could ask you the same thing," Jareth grinned. Luna was confused for a moment, and then she understood what he meant. She broke into an immature fit of the giggles. Dillon looked at them in shock.
"What do you mean by 'I could ask you the same thing'?" Dillon growled. Jareth winked in response. Luna fell off the chair, and was now laughing so hard tears streamed down her face. Howie found this funny. He attempted to make her laugh harder by putting the bowl of pasta on his head. The king smirked in amusement.
"I will get Howie cleaned up and then you will help me get your sister into bed," The king instructed.
"Don't tell me what to do," Dillon whined.
"Would you prefer that I got your drunken sister into bed alone?" he raised an eyebrow and Dillon shook his head, "I did not think so." With a flick of a wrist, Jareth conjured up a crystal and placed it on the babe's head. Howie poked it, making it pop like a bubble. Miraculously, the child was spotless. The babe let out a squeal of contentment. Jareth got him out of his highchair, and held him against his side. Dillon helped his sister off the ground, and let her lean against him.
"I love you, Dillon, I do. I really really do. I love you," she mumbled.
"Okay, okay," he groaned.
"I really do. I just love you soooo much. It's just like I love you. I do."
"I love you too. Now let's go to bed, alright?" he grumbled and she nodded, "Alright." Jareth held the babe in one arm so he could help Luna walk with the other. She looked at the king with a lazy grin.
"You know, you are very sexy Jareth. A sexy sexy man," Luna sighed. The king let out a dark chuckle. He could not help but notice how endearing she was in this state of mind. Even when she was inebriated, she had power over him. They started down the hall going toward her room.
"How come you cannot just poof her into her room with magic?" Dillon asked.
"She is too intoxicated for that. The sudden movement would just make her sick, and I would hate to have my new boots ruined," he explained.
"Why did you even give her the drink if you knew this was how she was going to react?"
"Oh my dear boy, you are so young and naïve. Do you know what happens the morning after someone gets intoxicated?" the king enquired.
"You get a hangover?" he answered, not too sure of himself. Why would he want Luna to have a hangover?
"Precisely," Jareth smirked knowing that the boy had no clue what he meant. The king needed Luna to hate him. If he was going to marry Sarah, he needed to distance himself from her young daughter. Putting her in the throne room when she was hung-over would definitely get him on her bad side. He could just imagine the splitting headache she would get from dozens of whiny goblins. When they got to the room, Luna was asleep. Dillon and he carefully placed her on the bed. Then, he placed Howie in the crib. The babe bounced around threatening to wake up his sister. Jareth made a small peach appear in his hand, and allowed the babe to take a bite. Suddenly, the babe fell into a deep slumber.
"What did you do to Howie?" Dillon whispered.
"I made him fall asleep. Do not worry, he will be up and back to normal when he wakes up." Dillon nodded and exited the room. The king followed him.
"Goblin king?" Dillon called timidly.
"Yes?"
"I need you to make a promise," he expounded.
"That depends on what the promise is," he responded with a raised eyebrow.
"You have to promise that you won't ever hurt my sister," Dillon told him. He wanted to make sure that Luna would be safe when he made his escape. The king was fond of Howie so Dillon was pretty sure he was safe.
"I cannot promise that," he stated matter-of-factly. Dillon stuck his tongue in his cheek and nodded. This was not the answer he had hoped for. The boy had to make sure to rescue them quickly after he fled the castle. She would be in danger if he didn't. He walked to room with his head low. Then he slammed the door behind him. Just as Jareth attempted to leave Luna's doorway, he heard some odd noises. It was a mix between sobbing and gagging. He went into her room to investigate. Surprisingly, she was not there. Now he noticed the sounds were coming from the bathroom. He knocked on the door.
"Please don't come in 'ere," she cried, her voiced sounded thick.
"Are you alright, my love?" Jareth asked with genuine concern.
"No. I think–" she paused and retched, "I think I may have drank waaaay too much."
"Let me in."
"Trust me, you do not want to come in here," she warned. The king opened the door, despite her request, to see Luna on the floor clutching on to a toilet. She covered her face in embarrassment; she did not want a king to see her in such a vulnerable state. He walked over to her and kneeled to get to her level. His hand stroked her back soothingly. Jareth could not help but to get angry at himself. He wanted her to hate him, yet here he was comforting her. She began gagging again, and he brushed her hair out of her face with his gloved hand.
"Would you like me to get you anything?" he asked.
"Yea, thank you. Can you grab my PJ's? I need to take a bath, and change," she answered still not making eye contact with him.
"There is no need to," he smirked. His hand left her hair to allow a crystal to appear. The crystal burst into little flecks of glitter in his palm. She looked down to see that she was completely clean, and in her nightgown.
"Thank you," she sighed. He got off the ground. Then he helped Luna up, carefully so he would not make her nauseous. They walked back to the room, and Jareth laid her on the bed. He went to leave, but she patted the bed, beckoning for him to lay with her. The king humored her, and positioned himself on the bed with his hands behind his head.
"Did you need something else, my dear?" he inquired, his lips pull up at slightly in the corners as he looked at her. She let her head rest on his chest, and draped an arm over his waist.
"I just want you to stay here. You're comfy."
"Very well then," he answered summoned another crystal. With a pop, his day clothes were gone and replaced with blue silk nighties. She rubbed her head appreciatively against the soft fabric. Then, he placed his hand on the small of her back. Luna began idly tracing the planes of his chest that remained uncovered by his nightshirt. Her hands were soft and cool to the touch. She placed small kisses on his neck for a while, and then she relaxed. Jareth was in battle with himself. He relished her touch as much as he despised it. She was making everything so difficult for him. Why was he just allowing her to do so? He told himself that next day he would be able to distance himself from her. In this moment, he was too tired to leave.
Luna, on the other hand, was content. Maybe it was because she could easily manipulate the king at will. Maybe it was because for once she was getting the comfort and attention she so desperately craved. Though she wanted to go home, she supposed that things could be worse. As far as kidnappers go, Jareth was probably on the more civil side of the spectrum. True he was no saint, but he certainly was not evil. Besides, if they behaved they would get back home in only two weeks. She hoped that her brother would not do anything to screw it up. It seemed that Jareth would easily forgive her for anything she would do wrong, but that would not be the case for Dillon. For the time being, she would try to stay positive. She covered themselves with a quilt, and he mystically turn off the light.
[Hey, folks. It's me again! Don't put that face. I'm just trying to be pleasant. I love the reviews. One in particular made me chuckle because they wanted Luna to be thrown in an oubliette. I also wanted to address my upload timing. I try to upload on the weekends because I am busy during the week. I work, go to school, take care of my niece, and I'm an intern. Needless to say, I don't have too much time on my hands for quick uploads, for that I apologize. So let's talk about this chapter. Do you think Pashmina and Dillon are developing feelings for each other? Roberto finds out about the stripper. Poor guy, no one can hope to compete with a stripper that looks like Jareth! There is some brother/sister bonding in this chapter. Luna gets drunk, and cuddled with Jareth. Ta ta for now.]
