The following morning Jareth awoke with a grin, knowing his Raeya was asleep in the room next to his own. He stayed where he was for a few moments, thinking of how best to wake her, and then his grin widened as he got an idea. Magically transporting himself to her bedside he saw her elegantly stretched out on her side under the covers; her legs bent slightly, one a bit more so than the other, toes pointed from years of ballet training. She kept her arms curled close to her chest and her hair lay in waves around her face. He smiled at the peaceful expression on her visage as he sat on the edge of the bed beside her sleeping form. Gently brushing a few stray locks behind her ear first, he caressed her face lightly. She took a deep breath and let it out slow, as her head turned toward his hand. His eyes softened at her response, before he leaned down and kissed her lovingly. She quietly moaned, and he felt a smile beginning to cross her face as he pulled away.
"Wake up, sleeping beauty. Your prince is here." he whispered.
Her eyelids fluttered a few times before slowly opening. When her vision focused, her eyes widened a bit as a deep blush spread over her cheeks. Jareth was smiling down at her, dressed in a pair of black silk pajama pants…and nothing else. In all the time they had spent together, even the most revealing thing he had ever worn only left a section of his chest bare. Now he was completely shirtless and she couldn't stop her eyes from roving appreciatively across his form. Flawless pale skin stretched perfectly over lean muscles, toned but not too developed, like a swimmer's or a dancer's body. She was suddenly very tempted to reach out and touch that alluringly perfect torso, until she saw the look on his face. It wasn't cocky, like the first time she had appraised his features, but rather pleased that she seemed to enjoy the view. Still, her shyness flared, and she averted her gaze. He placed a hand on her face though and turned it back to him.
"It's alright if you like what you see." he said, smiling softly.
She closed her eyes for a moment, but then opened them again and nodded. He took one of her hands and gently pulled it toward him to help her sit up, before placing it on his chest and holding it there.
"Touching is also perfectly acceptable." he whispered, after leaning in close to her.
Raeya was frozen in embarrassment even as she felt her face nearly ready to combust.
"Honestly precious, we really must get you past this shyness inhibition. I meant this morning to be a 'thank you' for the return of my Escher room. I even decided to be creative, just for you." he told her gently.
"I can't help it, I'm afraid I'll do something wrong or stupid." she confessed.
"Follow your instincts, Raeya mine, and making a mistake will prove extremely difficult. I already love your touch." he replied.
"Close your eyes." she said.
"Must I?" he asked.
"If you're watching me, I'll be too nervous." she stated.
"Fine, but just this once, you're going to get over your stage fright whether you want to or not." he told her, closing his eyes and freeing her hand.
She took a deep breath and reached out slowly, placing one hand delicately on each of his shoulders. He gave no response, so she gingerly ran her hands over his shoulders and continued down his arms. The muscles twitched ever so slightly under her touch, but he continued not to move, so she retraced her motions back to his shoulders. Pausing briefly to gather her courage, she then moved her hands down over his beautiful chest. At this, he sucked in a breath, and she abruptly stopped.
"Keep going; that was positive feedback." he breathed.
She grinned; her confidence boosted, and continued exploring the planes of his chest. When she reached his stomach, she trailed one finger down the center line to the waist of his pants before running both hands back up over it to his sternum. This earned a growl moan hybrid from deep in his throat that she found incredibly satisfying. Feeling brave enough to do something bold, she gently traced the twin valleys between the two crests of his hip bone and his lower abs. His breath left him in a shudder and his heart rate sped up at her touch.
"Careful precious." he warned, holding her hands still and trying to even out his breathing.
"Turn around." she told him, feeling quite proud of herself at his response.
He cracked one eye open and raised an eyebrow in question.
"I've been told I'm quite talented at massage, but I don't think I can practice my skill on your back properly while you're facing me." she explained with a sigh.
"Oh Raeya love, why didn't you say so earlier?" he purred, using that sexy smirk of his.
"Again, mind out of the oubliette, now about face." she replied, her blush returning as she backed her words with a gesture.
Jareth smiled and did what she told him, moving the longer layers of his hair over his shoulders as well. Raeya took a deep breath in and held it for a moment before calmly releasing it. She placed her hands on his shoulders and began gently relieving any tension she felt. He seemed to relax a little almost instantly. It was when she reached his shoulder blades though that he moaned deep in his throat. She wasn't surprised; from what she could feel, she guessed that this was where most of his stress physically manifested. As she loosened his muscles, his head and shoulders gradually lowered more and more. When she'd finally worked out all the tension, he breathed a contented sigh. She smiled, feeling proud of herself again, before continuing down his back. After going as low as she dared, she used her thumbs to make gentle circles on either side of his spine on the way back up. She also took that time to sufficiently appreciate the beauty of these muscles as well as the perfect curvature of his back. No sooner had she removed her hands, than he leaned backwards and situated himself so he was lying on his back with his head resting on her lap.
"Where have you been all my life?" he sighed happily, looking up at her.
"I'm taking that as the rhetorical question it's usually meant to be, because there are too many different answers I could give you." she commented, smiling softly down at him.
"Yes precious, that question was actually in reference to the countless times I've really needed someone with the skill of your prodigious hands." he confirmed.
"I could tell; your shoulder blades were so tense, I'm surprised they still had the capability of movement. It felt like I was relieving an entire lifetime of stress." she told him.
"Well, it is quite possible that that's exactly what you just did, considering I haven't felt this relaxed in a few centuries." he remarked.
"How old are you anyway, Jareth?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.
"Oh, I'd say about seven hundred and fifty, give or take half a decade." he answered lightly, praying this wouldn't change anything and hopeful because her voice had held no dread of the answer.
"Wow, then I think I just relieved more than one lifetime's worth of tension." she responded, her expression that of surprise but her voice still calm.
"True, if you're measuring by human lifetimes, but I'm actually quite young in terms of my kind. By the way, I hope you realize you've just solidified and made permanent your place here. There is no way I'm letting that talent of yours slip through my fingers." he commented.
Raeya had to laugh.
"You say that like you'd have to twist my arm to get me to stay. I can't say I blame you though; more than one person has sworn my hands are magic." she replied.
Jareth frowned slightly, his gaze unfocused in thought.
"What? Is it something I said?" she questioned, mirroring his frown.
"I don't remember feeling any magic, though I'm not exactly hypersensitive to it since it not only surrounds me, it's a part of me. On the other hand, I was rather distracted. Hm, Raeya love, didn't you mention once that Miss Rhiannon had suggested the possibility of you being part Fae the first time the two of you met?" he replied, thinking out loud.
"Yeah, but you don't think it's true, do you?" she responded.
"Far be it from me to skeptically analyze your abilities, precious, but you did just relax away more tension than any mortal could bear to carry with only a moderate amount of effort. Not to mention, a small list of things would suddenly make far greater sense." he answered.
"Would any of those things happen to include my physical appearance?" she asked blandly, her eyes going half lidded in mild annoyance.
"Honestly yes, that is one, but only because of the rarity of the colors." he admitted.
"Oh wouldn't that just fantastically complicate my life? Hey mom and dad; you wouldn't happen to know if one of my great grandparents was a member of the Tuatha de Dannan, would you? If yes, then did you forget to tell me or was I left in the dark on purpose? If no, well surprise, isn't it awesome when you learn stuff at school you never expected to?" she ranted sarcastically.
"You do love keeping me on my toes, don't you? That's the response I would've anticipated from the average human, but never my Raeya." he remarked.
"I know, and I hate myself for it. It's just that you think you know who you are and where you came from, but then something like this comes along and blows years of research and self security, not to mention family trust, completely out of the proverbial water." she replied, bowing her head and covering her face with both hands.
Jareth sighed sitting up and turning to face her, before moving her hands away from her face and spreading his arms. Raeya looked like she was holding back tears as she practically threw herself into his embrace, immediately curling up on his lap and clinging to him. For a few moments he simply held her, soothingly stroking her hair, and then he spoke.
"It's not yet a certainty, precious. For now, it's merely a plausible idea." he said gently.
"My family is one stable aspect of my life that I'd really rather not be stripped of." she commented in a low voice.
"A very wise human once said, 'A man's family is not comprised of those who share his blood, but those who raised him, taught him, supported him, and cared for him.' The only family that matters will be the one you've always known, regardless of anything else." he told her sagely.
"God, I love your infinite wisdom. Is there any personal crisis you don't have the perfect speech to solve?" she asked, giving him a small smile.
"I should hope I never come across one, but if I do you shall be the first to know." he replied with a chuckle.
"Answer me honestly, I know you always do anyway and I trust you, but I just felt it necessary to underline the importance this time. If I gave you another massage, even just your hand, would you be able to tell if there was magic involved?" she questioned seriously.
"If I was focusing solely on trying to sense it, then probably yes." he told her.
She was silent for a minute, and he could almost see the metaphorical gears in her mind turning. Finally, she let out a quick sigh and grabbed one of his hands.
"Focus." she said quietly, as she began practicing her skill.
He closed his eyes and honed in on the feeling of her hands against his, analyzing the energy they were emitting. It wasn't particularly easy, considering how talented she was at what she was doing, but he managed. When she released his hand, she took a deep breath before locking gazes with him.
"Are you sure you want to know?" he asked.
"I wouldn't have just kidnapped your hand and given it a rub down if I wasn't." she replied, a bit of her sarcastic humor coloring the otherwise drab solemnity of her voice and expression.
"Then, yes, there is a bit of magic at work when you use that specific touch. It's faint though; weak in very much the same way as a nearly atrophied muscle." he answered gently.
Raeya hung her head and sighed deeply.
"You're sure the Labyrinth isn't just jumping the gun?" she questioned, her voice still very flat.
"As a matter of fact, I made certain that I personally told it not to." he said.
"Alright, you're going to have to elaborate for me on that little revelation statement." she told him, after sighing heavily again and raising her head.
"When I said 'that specific touch', I meant the magic is only activated when your intent is healing and currently that's been limited even further to a massage only due to the frailty and low supply of the magic. However, I also sensed great potential. Should your magic grow stronger, even so little as the touch of your hand on the shoulder of another given in comfort could possess healing abilities. In terms of the way in which it is weak, Fae magic is not something mastered instinctively, and one must be taught how to control it or things can get rather dangerous. In the Underground, all magic is fueled by belief and the environment itself is conducive to its growth. If a Fae were to live here without being trained to harness their magic, the smallest movements would have the potential to cause disasters of every imaginable sort. In the Aboveground, there is nothing to fuel magic of any kind and Fae magic in particular is drained severely but slowly by iron; a metal your world is teeming with. If a Fae were to live there, with or without magical training, they wouldn't be much different from a normal human. Well, scratch that actually; a full blooded Fae living in the Aboveground with no access to the Underground would resemble a sick and malnourished human at death's door in about eight months. Were it a hybrid, like yourself, the more human blood they had in them the less they would be physically afflicted, but the magic draining is a universal effect. A full blooded Fae living there with access to the Underground would still have to periodically make return trips here for recharging, just to prevent the physical deterioration and magical atrophy. That is precisely the reason the Fae no longer live in the Aboveground." he explained thoroughly.
"Wait, so you're telling me there's actually a plausible explanation for why I have permanent dark circles under my eyes, and that explanation is…" she started, trailing off as she gently traced them with her fingers.
"Yes, because you're part Fae. That was on the list of things that would suddenly make far greater sense, right next to your hair and eye color." he finished softly.
"Why would the magic decide to only work when I was trying to heal someone?" she asked, frowning in confusion.
"Every Fae has one type of magic they naturally excel at learning and performing more so than the other types; an area of expertise, to put it concisely. I'd have to guess your sidhe ancestor was especially gifted in the healing arts, which is quite a coveted specialty." he told her.
"Oh my god, that's why I almost never get sick and have always recovered so fast if I did and any wound I got never left a scar." she commented quietly in realization.
"Are you alright, precious? You're not going to have a meltdown of your own, are you?" he questioned worriedly, placing a hand on the side of her face.
"I'm fine, but my magic shouldn't be that powerful. I'm only," she paused to mentally calculate, "one eighth Fae."
"True, not to mention that's assuming the best case scenario in a situation with multiple variables." he remarked.
"Oh, you're right. We only have a cutoff point for where the Fae in my family tree is, I don't know of a way to determine if that Fae is male or female to narrow it down, we have no idea if they're a full blooded Fae or less, and we can't even be sure they're still alive. Hell, for all we know, I could have more than one Fae or Fae hybrid relative!" she listed, starting to get a bit panicky.
"Calm down, Raeya love, we have clues. For starters, your hair and eye color. Fae genes are very specific in their passing, and inherited colors are always exact. Your healing magic is another hint; most of the time, a Fae possesses the same expertise as one of their close family members. However, I believe I should remind you that all of this is irrelevant unless you plan on tracking down your ancestor or ancestors." he stated gently, taking her hands in his.
"I don't know why, but I feel like I have to. I've just discovered that a piece of my heritage, though I'm not sure how big, has been missing from the puzzle of who I am. I can't just leave that space empty and unexplored." she replied, meeting his gaze.
"Then I shall do everything in my power to help you." he promised, smiling softly.
"Thank you, Jareth. That means a lot to me." she said, returning the smile.
"Your wish is my command, precious; I did vow to be your slave if you would willingly love me forever, and you have already shown me a stronger love than I dared to hope for." he told her, kissing both of her hands.
"You asked for so little in return for so much, and it was no sacrifice to give you what you wanted. I couldn't resist, but I had to make it an equal trade." she responded.
"It was no sacrifice on my part either, especially after you named your terms, but I loved you all the more for that generous act." he replied.
"What you call generosity I call fairness, but it was also a decision made out of love." she stated.
"Always like to have the last word, don't you Raeya mine?" he commented.
"It's kind of a game for me. I'm sure you understand, being a game loving Fae and all. So, what is the magical specialty of the Goblin King?" she said.
"Oh precious, now you've done it. By telling me you see it as a game, you've essentially just issued a challenge. Don't expect to have the final say so easily from now on. As for my magical forte, I thought you would've figured it out by this time." he responded teasingly.
"Well, you look pretty damn skilled at all the magic I've seen you use. How am I supposed to tell the difference between mastery and mastery with natural talent?" she retorted, crossing her arms.
"Another possibly backhanded compliment, keep using those and I daresay you just might be able to take down a female Fae in so called polite conversation. Anyway, I'll be generous and answer your first question. My expertise lies in conjuring, the fine art of manifesting ideas into tangible objects." he told her, creating a crystal in demonstration.
"You're right, I should've known. You usually create a crystal, if only just to roll around on your hands, at least once every time you visit me." she remarked.
"Do I really? It's become second nature to me so much so that I sometimes don't even realize I'm doing it." he replied.
"Well, you know, some people twiddle their thumbs, some people tap their fingers, apparently your hands just need something more complex to keep them occupied." she said, half sarcastically.
"Does it bother you?" he asked.
"No, it's just kind of hypnotic and makes it difficult to concentrate. I don't mind unless we're having a conversation." she answered.
"Then I'll try to keep my hands still while we're talking." he promised.
"If it helps, you can always hold my hands." she offered, smiling.
"I just might take you up on that, love. By the way, what did you think of my little wakeup call?" he questioned, smiling back.
"Most, pleasant, wakeup call, ever." she said softly, leaning her forehead against his.
"Excellent, I was hoping you enjoyed it as much as I did." he replied happily.
"So, what's the plan for today?" she asked.
"Actually, I'm quite tempted to scrap the plan and just spend the rest of the day in bed with you 'snuggling' as you call it." he answered, grinning.
"As nice as that sounds, I can almost guarantee at least one of us would end up falling asleep; then the other would most likely decide not to disturb them and fall asleep as well, rendering both of us far too rested to get any sleep tonight." she told him.
"Somehow I thought I was supposed to be the one who ruined lovely ideas with logic and reason." he commented playfully.
"Yeah, leave it to me to be a hopeless romantic who still tries to cram rationality into love. I must be tearing apart everything you know about human women." she said, sighing.
"What have I told you about you being different?" he remarked, using his firm but gentle tone.
"You said you like it, and there's nothing wrong with me." she recited.
"I said I love it, and there's nothing wrong with you." he corrected, taking her face in his hands.
"Are you sure? Because I can name several people who would disagree with you." she responded jokingly.
"Yes precious, you're perfect just the way you are." he told her, grinning.
"Ok, but only because you think so." she stated, grinning back.
"I do love, most sincerely. As for what I had in mind, I thought you might enjoy seeing a few sections of the Labyrinth without the pressure of having to solve it." he replied.
"Of course I would! Anywhere but the bog; I'd like to request we steer clear of that." she said excitedly.
"I had no intention of taking you there. Even if your nose wasn't especially sensitive, mine is. Heightened senses are a Fae trait, after all." he assured her.
"Good, then feel free to show me anywhere else. Are the fireies really unaware that most other creatures can't be harmlessly dismembered?" she asked.
"I'm afraid so. I've attempted to teach them otherwise, but they have an extremely short attention span when it comes to everything but having fun. Not to worry though; for all intents and purposes, they pose no threat. Besides, it's impossible for anything in my Labyrinth to hurt you while you're under my protection." he answered.
"I wasn't worried, just curious. Oh, that first turn she took in the Labyrinth, does the other direction really go straight to the castle?" she questioned.
"Well it's not exactly a straight shot, but it is a massive shortcut. That's just between you, me, and the worm though, alright?" he told her, whispering the first part secretively and grinning.
"Understood, what fun would it be if everyone knew?" she replied, smiling deviously.
"That's my girl. Now I'll leave you to get dressed, and then we can get something to eat before we go. Oh, and by the way, this is one of the few times that I will recommend you do not wear a dress or a skirt." he said.
"No complaints here." she remarked, getting up and heading for the wardrobe.
Jareth laughed and disappeared to his own room.