Chapter Four
Third Person POV
After minutes of frustrating planning, Jareth devised a new plan. One that should work better than his original. She would most certainly fall for it. She had to. Smiling to himself, Jareth closed his eyes and remembered the first time he had met his Lily Pad.
Jareth walked around in the woods outside of the Elven kingdom. He had been there to have a meeting with the Elf King and his annoying new wife. They were trying to create a treaty amongst their two realms. Much to Jareth's annoyance, the meeting was unproductive.
Jareth was pulled from his thoughts when he heard the laughter of a child.
Lifting his eyes from the ground, he saw a small child, no more than four, running through the woods laughing to herself. As he looked at the child, he felt his heart give a painful lurch. Looking back at the girl, he couldn't stop herself from thinking that her auburn hair was a perfect shade of red and brown and her silver eyes were alluring.
The child stopped abruptly when she saw him. She was no more than a few feet away from him and he felt a need to take her into his arms. "Who're you?" she asked and all Jareth could think was that her voice sounded like music.
He kneeled down in front of the child and gave her a warm smile. "I'm Jareth. Who are you, young one?" he asked. She looked down at her feet and then back up at him with a huge smile of her own. "I'm Lily!" she said cheerfully. "Uncle says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers, though. But you seem nice enough." she told him, her eyes sparkling with the excitement of a child.
He smiled at how naive she was. He didn't blame her though. To be fair, she was a child. The picture of innocence. "You should listen to your uncle. He's right. You shouldn't talk to strangers." he told her.
She looked at him and crossed her arms over her small torso. "So, you're saying I shouldn't be talking to you?" she asked, countering his effort. He chuckled a little. "Touche, my Lily Pad. But promise me this, I'll be the last stranger you talk to." he told her. Lily looked up at him, deep in thought. After a moment, a smile spread across her face. "I promise." she said, holding her pinky out to him.
Jareth looked her in confusion. Lily rolled her silver eyes. "It's a pinky promise. Uncle told me that a pinky promise can never be broken. No matter what." she explained, taking his much bigger hand in hers. She folded his hand so only his pinky stuck out.
She wrapped her pinky around his. "I promise you're the last stranger I'll talk to." she giggled. Jareth couldn't help but watch her in awe and smile at the child. "Now you're my new best friend." she said happily, dropping his hand. Jareth blinked several times. Standing up, her looked down at her and then up at the sky. It was getting dark and these woods were known for being dangerous at night.
"Well then, as your new friend, it's my duty to make sure you make it home safely." he told her. She giggled and grabbed his hand again, pulling him in the direction that she had come from. It only took them a few minutes for them to reach the tree that she lived in with her uncle. He never understood why elves lived in trees.
With her hand still in his, he kneeled down so he was eye level with her. "Now don't forget your promise. No more strangers." he told her with a small smile.
Lily smiled and threw her small arms around Jareth's neck in a hug that would have strangled another child. "I promise." she whispered and pulled away before Jareth could comprehend what happened.
"Jareth, will I see you again?" she asked after a moment of silence, looking up at him with worry in her eyes. Jareth chuckled and placed a gloved hand on her cheek, almost laughing when her entire face fit into the palm of her hand. "I promise." he whispered and stood back up.
Lily laughed and ran into her home. "I'm back!" he heard her yell. He chuckled and vanished from the place he had just been in to find that he had transported into the guest chambers that the Elven King had offered for him to stay in till he went back to his own realm.
He laid in the bed late that night tossing and turing. He knew he wouldn't be able to get any sleep. Not now. His parents had warned him of this when he was a child, no older than Lily. Fay refer to it as the Vow. It happens very rarely and few fey find their true intended. Most just make do with someone they love, like his parents did.
Now he had found his and she was nothing more than a child.
He fully planned on keeping his promise to the girl though. He would visit with her any chance he got.
Not being able to get any sleep, Jareth got out of bed and went to the window. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a beautiful white barn owl and flew into the woods, looking for that specific tree.
When he found it, he landed on one of the makeshift window sills and looked around the small room. Fate must have been on his side because it just happened to be the room he was looking for. Flying into the small room, Jareth stopped in the center and transformed back into his original form.
As quietly as he could, he walked over to the small bed and sat at the edge. Watching the young girl sleep made him feel happy inside. Knowing that she was safe. He placed a soft kiss to her forehead and stood from the bed after what felt like hours of watching her sleep.
Feeling content, he vanished back to his room at the elven castle and laid back in bed. She was safe. For now. The last thought caused him to toss and turn in his sleep that night.
Jareth smiled at the memory. She had been so innocent back then. Now she was a beautiful woman who made him breathless with just the thought of her. That memory was old, very old, but he remembered it like it was yesterday.
Jareth smiled to himself and hopped onto the ledge and hopped off, transforming before he could hit the ground. Time to put his new plan into effect.
