Chapter 7 – A Magical Revelation
"OK So, I don't know what's going on but it's freaking my shit out." Kelly balked from her position across the lounge area. She was gawking in absolute disbelief at the tall, supposed to be fictional, fae king that was currently hugging her friend.
Trixie was too stunned to do anything other than lean into the sudden embrace of the guy that had appeared in her lounge... out of a glittery shadow, no less. Her wide eyes found Kellys as she peaked out from her caped kings cocooning arms. Her brains slowly started ticking over again and she set her palms against the thick black armour covering his chest and pushed him backwards.
"What the actual fuck is going on?" Trixie gasped, pressing her hand to her tummy as if shielding her baby from a threat while still holding one hand out towards the Goblin King.
Jareth released her without a struggle and stepped back to a non threatening distance and raised his hands in a placating manner, she didn't remember after all.
Kelly just stood by the couch in dumb silence, trying to reconcile what she was seeing.
The Goblin King looked over his paramour. She was dressed in a pair of very small and tight black shorts and had a white tank top stretched over her belly advertising some kind of musical group. Shinedown? Apparently purveying 'the sound of madness'? That did not sound enticing at all.
Her coppery coloured hair was twisted into a messy bundle and secured to the back of her head by some plastic daisies. Her tawny skin was practically glowing, her azure eyes sparkling and her lips glistened with a soft pink sheen. He was slightly put off by the large clumpy combat boots that completed her look, but they looked to be comfortable at least… she was pregnant, he conceded grudgingly.
"Beatrix, I have a gift for you." His compelling tenor rumbled pleasantly around the room, sending shivers down the spines of both of the ladies.
He held his hand out to her and balanced upon the tips of his gloved fingers was a prefect crystal sphere which seemed to have manifested itself out of thin air.
Trixie had seen 'the movie' dozens of times… she vaguely knew what this was and felt that it didn't bode well for her. She eyed the crystal warily.
"What is it?" She asked.
"They are your memories." He murmured gently, unable to stop himself from stepping towards her. She predictably, stepped back, bumping her calves into the sofa behind her.
"Memories of what?" Her voice raised slightly in pitch… she was not dealing with his appearance very well, this had to be a trick.
"Memories of the night that we conceived our son." He announced softly without any guile.
Kelly suddenly barked out a near hysterical laugh, her eyes darting between the sexy Goblin King and her best friend. Trixies gaze shot to Kelly and then back to the crystal in the Kings hand.
"Uughh…" was all she managed to get out before she fainted.
Kelly watched as her friends eyes glazed over and she crumpled slowly towards the floor. The Goblin King moved forward and caught her before she landed on the floor and he eased her down to lie on the couch instead. Kelly watched as he carefully arranged her into a comfortable position and gently tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear a soft smile on his ethereal face.
"Kelly? Is it?" He asked, without turning towards her.
Kelly nodded, not processing that he couldn't actually hear her nodding. He looked up at her silence, a mild look of annoyance etched on his features.
"Y-Yes… H-how did you…?" She stammered when she realised her error.
"I have been watching." He said waving vaguely towards the window.
Kellys eyes bolted to the window and she noticed that the Owl was no longer there. "You mean you can actually turn into an owl." She blurted.
He sent her a steady, penetrating glare. "Demonstrably…"
He picked up the glass of juice that Trixie had poured before his appearance and sipped it cautiously and wrinkling his nose. Sugar, water and a trace element of orange and apple. It would suffice to hydrate his paramour when she reclaimed her consciousness.
Kelly edged forwards and knelt slowly at Trixies head, sneaking looks at the magical creature at her side, she could feel a gentle hum coming from him, like he was exuding a kind of electrical current. He balanced on the edge of the sofa and looked down at Trixies still face, the look in his eyes was compassionate and a little wistful.
"You don't look like David Bowie. Close, but…" Kelly trailed off as he raised his eyes to her once more. Holy Crap! That was one set of eyes alright.
"That is a work of fiction, Kelly." He spoke softly in reference to the movie that had inadvertently started all of this. "I am quite real."
"Right…" Kelly shook her head… Real? Really? She wanted to poke him in the arm to check but didn't dare. "and you and Trix… ummm?"
"Yes… Beatrix and I." He confirmed without going into detail.
"She doesn't like being called Bea…" Kelly thought was cut off by Trixie stirring on the couch.
Trixies eyes fluttered open and she blinked up at the ceiling. She had never fainted in her entire life. Pregnancy man, it sucked. And she bet that Kelly was just dying to give her stick about it. She turned her head and immediately squashed herself deeper into the couch cushions. Oh Crap, he really was here.
He smiled gently down at her, it didn't fill her with overwhelming confidence. She hadn't heard the hormones caused hallucinations, but they must because this could not be real.
"Calm yourself, Beatrix," His soothing tenor washed over her like a balm and she absently accepted the glass of juice from his hand, sipping it as she glanced at Kelly to confirm that she hadn't lost her mind. Kelly just shrugged.
He took the glass back from her, noting in passing that there was picture of a topless woman on it and placed it on the coffee table next to him.
"Please, don't do that again." He ordered softly.
"It's not like I did it on purpose.' She growled, struggling to get up from her prone position. He held her still by placing a long fingered and leather clad hand on her chest and pressing her back down.
"For safetys sake, remain where you are, I can't have you spilling over again and potentially damaging the future king."
"The future... what?" Trixie gasped.
He huffed impatiently. "I don't have time to go over this... will you accept your memories back? It will be much easier if you had some background information."
Trixie looked at Kelly again who was sitting on the floor at her head. Kelly just shrugged again. So much for the sage advice of a valuable friend and confidante.
"How do I know that they are my real memories and not something you just threw together for your own end… whatever it may be?" Trixie asked cautiously.
"I cannot tell you a lie. I assure you these are your genuine memories." He said.
"How do I know that you're not lying about not being able to tell a lie." She asked, earning her a dark scowl from the Goblin King.
"Fine, okay… I'll take them." She acquiesced hesitantly, closing her eyes and screwing up her face, bracing herself for god knows what… was it going to be painful?
The Goblin King grinned and conjured the crystal once again. He blew on it gently and it drifted off of his finger tips and it hovered over Trixie, who lay stiff as a board on the sofa. The crystal suddenly popped into a fine mist that began to settle on her and sink into her skin a twinkling speck at a time. She gasped as everything came back to her in a rush.
Her eyes were squeezed shut but they play of emotions showed clearly on her face, she blushed bright red and groaned a few times, Jareth guessed what she was remembering at those times… he had been in her bed for some time and things had become heated half a dozen times at least, he was quite proud of his performance actually. Her eyes suddenly flew open and she fixed him with a glare, and he frowned, not sure what memory she had picked up on for that reaction.
"That's why I had a bump on my head?" She snarled, "You didn't even put me on the couch yourself? You let your little cretins handle me?"
Oh good grief, what had the little monsters done to her? He thought angrily. Someone was ending up in the bog whatever it was.
"My dear, Beatrix, that is what subjects are for." He dismissed her gripe with a wave of his hand. He didn't know what it was about but he would investigate and dole out suitable punishments. It must have been pretty bad for her to dismiss all that had happened before that…
She snorted and shoved his hand off her chest to sit up.
"Okay so, memories restored." She spat. "I get that I'm carrying your baby. Now let's talk about the fact that you took advantage of a woman who was off her tits drunk, and then took her memories, which is a violation in itself and then took off without a backwards glance after letting me be dragged down my own hallway by my ankle… you dick!"
Okay, she was angry, that was understandable.
"Also, tell that little creep to give me back my sock" He raised his eyebrow at that. One of his goblins had taken her sock? How odd. Maybe he should have reviewed her memories before giving them back.
Kelly just sat there looking between the two of them, this was better than TV.