a/n: once again, message if you're confused about horsey terms
10
"Oh my gosh!" Trinity suddenly exclaimed.
The three people at the table with her reacted in varying degrees of curiosity.
Evelyn looked up sharply from her dinner.
Raiv glanced up, uninterested.
Jareth turned, his eyebrows furrowing.
"Trig's bridle!" Trinity continued, "I left it at the barn. I was gonna clean it tonight up here but I left it."
"Didn't we clean it with the other tack four days ago?" Jareth asked, confused.
"Uh…no," Trinity ducked her head, "It's brand new, and not quite ready to use yet, so I've been keeping it separate from the others while I do the leather treatments…I'll just go get it."
Embarrassed, she dashed to the door and out into the night. Jareth noticed how dark it was outside, and he sighed. He didn't like the idea of the small girl being out in all that darkness by herself.
"I'm going to help her look," he said, rising from the table.
He didn't notice Raiv wince when he said the word "help".
Jareth walked down to the barn swiftly, not noticing until he got there that the tack room light was on. That's where he found Trinity, who was just retrieving the new bridle from its hook. It was separate from all the tack they had cleaned. She'd kept it behind one of the saddles.
"Oh," she said when she turned and saw him. "Uh…hi."
Trinity's heart had skipped a few beats when she'd seen the goblin king in the tack room, and now it was racing. She wondered if the Fae could hear it.
Jareth smiled in a sort of sideways way. "It's dark out," was all he offered for explanation of his presence.
"I really don't mind," Trinity said, blushing furiously, not meeting his eyes. She walked around him and hit the light switch, plunging the barn into darkness.
Jareth heard her exit the barn, and followed slightly behind her when she entered the moonlight. "You don't mind the dark?" he asked.
Trinity shook her head. "Nah, it's fine. Especially when the moon's out. Really, I just like looking at the stars." She motioned upward.
Jareth saw now that the sky was completely clear. The sight triggered a memory, and he stopped, gazing at the millions of stars he saw.
Trinity heard the footsteps behind her cease, and she turned. She could just barely make out Jareth's outline. He was looking at the stars as if he searched for something. Curious, the girl walked over to him, looping her arm through the bridle she still carried. It wasn't until she was very close that she heard Jareth speak.
"I move the stars for no one," he murmured. Trinity couldn't tell if this was for her ears or not, but she knew who he was thinking about.
"Though we're strangers till now, we're choosing a path between the stars. I'll lay my love between the stars," the girl sang softly a different song.
Jareth turned to look at her. She saw his eyes sparkle in the darkness, and smiled a little at him.
"You really miss her, don't you," she said. It wasn't really a question, and Jareth didn't answer. Trinity wasn't looking at him. "I guess I really can't say anything to help. You feel a lot of pain right now."
Jareth had turned away now.
"But," the girl was continuing, "Would you believe me if I told you I knew exactly how you felt? I don't guess you would believe me, but it's true. Someone broke my heart, not even a year ago. I trusted this person implicitly. I gave them my heart. But then…" the girl was unable to continue. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
Jareth said nothing. He was torn apart by her story, aggravated that someone would hurt this girl who was so enjoyable to be around. And yet, he felt…a good sense. He realized that the feeling of being trusted with this painful story warmed him.
Trinity had gotten past the lump in her throat, and, still not looking at Jareth, kept going. "It feels like you can never open your heart again. You almost don't want to trust anyone, because you're afraid that the next person you trust – the next person you give your heart to – is going to be just the same. You don't want to be hurt again."
The goblin king was stunned. It was like this girl – whom he'd known for less than a week – was reading his heart as she would a book. He felt her place her hand on his shoulder.
"You don't really have to move the stars," Trinity said quietly, "I think they're beautiful just the way they are."
The Fae man looked in the girl's direction, and could see just enough so that he knew she wasn't looking at the night sky, but at him. He smiled sadly, and placed one of his hands over hers on his shoulder, and squeezed it gently. "Maybe someday," he said softly, "I'll find someone I can move the stars for." He waved a hand towards the sky, and they both looked up.
There and gone so briefly that they could have blinked and missed it, was a shooting star.
Evelyn was still inside, growing more and more anxious. Raiv would not stop glaring at her, and she was afraid that he'd try something again if Jareth and Trinity didn't come back soon. She was torn between giving them as much time together as possible (for Jareth opening his heart was now that much more important) and her own safety. Maybe the goblin king still trusted Raiv, but Evelyn knew better. Just because she had thwarted his first attempt to kill Jareth didn't mean he wouldn't try again.
Raiv had just opened his mouth, presumably to make a scathing remark, when Jareth opened the front door. Evelyn heard an audible snap as the evil Fae's teeth came together.
Jareth was holding the door open for Trinity, smiling slightly. She was smiling too, but she wouldn't look at him. When she was inside, Jareth turned and motioned for Raiv to follow him. They were going to retire for the night.
When the men were gone, Evelyn tried to breathe a sigh of relief. However, whatever magic Raiv had put on her would not even let her do that. It came out like a wistful sigh, and Trinity was immediately on the alert.
"Evelyn?" the young girl asked, "What is wrong? Up until like twelve hours ago you hated Raiv, and he made you uncomfortable. Now, I ask you questions about him and you say one thing but it sounds like you want to say something else. Now you're sighing over him. What gives?"
Evelyn could at least be relieved that her teenage friend noticed something was wrong. She nearly cried with joy, although it was out of her character. Raiv's magic prevented her from saying anything, but she could at least crack a relieved smile at Trinity.
Trinity was extremely confused, but she held it in. "You are really weird."
"Yeah, I know," Evelyn nodded, subconsciously brushing her hand across her wounded stomach. "So, did you and Jareth have a good conversation?"
"I understand how he feels," Trinity said softly. "He's really hurt."
"I would be too if the love of my life had refused me," Evelyn said quietly. "Poor Goblin King. I'm sure you'll be able to help him."
"Thanks for the vote of confidence," Trinity sighed.
Evelyn couldn't sleep well that night, much to Trinity's concern. Trinity awoke, hours after having fallen asleep, to hear Evelyn thrashing about on her bed, something she hadn't ever previously done. It sounded like she was whimpering, like a horrendous nightmare had unleashed itself on her.
"No!" Evelyn exclaimed in her sleep. "No! No!"
She settled down after exclaiming "No" several more times, but then she went back to her thrashing, trying to find a comfortable sleeping position but failing miserably. One of her blankets fell off the bed, accompanied by two pillows, and Trinity sat up and grabbed her friend's arm.
"Ev," she called gently. "Ev, wake up."
Evelyn, to Trinity's shock, ripped her arm away from her friend's gentle hand and continued battling, still asleep, with her pillows.
"Evelyn!" Trinity shouted, and Evelyn sat up abruptly, eyes opening wide.
"What? What is it?" Evelyn asked, looking about in all directions, trying to find the reason for Trinity's shout.
"You were yelling. What is wrong?" Trinity asked, cautiously putting her hand back on Evelyn's arm.
"I…I couldn't sleep…" Evelyn stammered uncertainly.
"What were you dreaming about?"
"Dreaming? Was I dreaming?" Evelyn asked blankly.
"What has gotten into you? You were nearly screaming, and now you don't know why," Trinity frowned.
"I…" Evelyn struggled again to tell her friend the truth, but the mysterious spell refused to let her. "I've just had a lot on my mind, that's all."
"I'll say!" Trinity sighed. "Are you going to be able to go back to sleep?"
"Yes. I'm sorry," Evelyn said wearily, lying back down on her bed. "I didn't mean to wake you up."
Evelyn cuddled up again with her pillows, her face turned away from Trinity. She listened as her friend lay back down, and then squeezed her eyes shut tightly.