Chapter 12 : Preparation
Three nights later, Merik found his king lounging in the near empty throne room. He paused at the door, watching as the last remaining goblins scampered away upon noticing his presence.
Jareth cracked his eyes open, knowing already who it was, "Yes?" He asked, pulling himself up lazily.
"I was wondering if you'd come to a decision. We've received another notice from the Autumn Queen. She wants to know if you're going." he said, stepping into the room slowly.
Jareth snorted, "As if there's much choice. I'll never hear the end of it from my step mother if I don't."
"Yes, we've already determined this much last time we talked." Merik mused, fingering a dusty table littered with candles and dripping wax.
Climbing to his feet with remarkable grace, the King pressed a hand to his temple, "And I already know your next question."
Merik turned, holding up a finger, "But it's the Autumn Queen who wants to know. Who will you be accompanying?"
Jareth started out of the room expecting Merik to follow, "I haven't decided."
"I think the question is rather simple."
Stopping in the middle of the hall, Jareth turned, "I don't know. I want to take him, to show him off, but then I don't. What if she mandates that he should be turned into a goblin? Or sent Aboveground? Or worse, put to death? It's too risky."
Merik couldn't help it, he found himself laughing outright, clutching his stomach.
Frowning, Jareth placed his hands on his hips, "This isn't a laughing matter."
Calming himself, Merik stood up straight, "I'm sorry. But from what I can glean from Talbot this is all you and Surazal have been talking of between you three - a way to get a human child down here and then not only get results but show them off in order to get more. And now the time has come and you're backing off. You can't keep this a secret forever. As far as I know, there's already talk spreading to other kingdoms thanks to Wren and the servant girls."
Jareth glared at his would-be friend, "I'll leave it up to our guest. I'll talk with him tonight."
Merik raised his eyebrows, a wide, knowing grin spreading across his face, "In bed?"
The Goblin King laughed out, rolling his eyes before slapping his friend hard, yet playfully, on the back. "Only if my friend, only if!"
Merik watched his king continue on, turning the corner up ahead, no doubt heading for the sitting room where Tobias had retired after dinner to get some work done, with a burning curiosity. Usually Jareth was quick to joke or swap stories about whatever romps between the sheets he had with his friend but this time he remained uncharacteristically silent. How close had the two become? They shared a bed, yet there was no evidence they were lovers. No one overheard anything, servants hadn't noticed anything amiss with the bedding, and these were all signs they'd used before to know their king's more intimate details. If pressed he would have to guess that the boy in his shyness was holding the king at bay and out of fear or scaring their guest off he was giving him whatever birth he needed. Shaking his head he turned down a particular set of stairs and wondered again at the odd situation and how long it would last. There was definitely the slightest undercurrent of tension between the two but unfortunately not the kind he knew his friend perversely liked.
Coming to an open archway he at last made his way to the garden. Julianne was there as expected, standing beneath a small tree, plucking little yellow fruits from the branches and gathering them in a fold of her skirts. Merik watched her a moment before coming closer, gently running his lips down the back curve of one ear in a butterfly light caress.
She visibly jumped , turning and dropping several fruits from her skirts, "Oh! Merik, you scared me!"
He laughed without remorse as he bent to retrieve the fallen fruit, "Sorry." Playfully she slapped him on the shoulder from up above.
"So, did you speak to him?" She asked, stepping away from the tree and to a bench where she had a basket that he deposited the fruit in before taking a seat along side her.
He sighed, "Yes. /Again/."
"And?"
"It's the same. He wants to take the boy, but then he doesn't. He's conflicted as to whether he should expose Tobias or not."
Julianne sat forward, leaning on his arm, "But everyone's going to find out sooner or later."
Merik nodded, "He's realized this. So, he plans to leave the decision to the boy."
"That's rather…nice of him." Julianne said after awhile, finally deciding on words she thought were ambiguous enough. "I've never seen him behave so…differently. Normally, he'd throw orders about."
"Yes, he seems to be attached to Tobias."
"Mmm…" Julianne said, thinking, "Seems to me he's trying to seduce the boy with kindness. But to what ends I don't know."
He started for a minute, it was easy to forget how perceptive his sister could be at times. Wishing to drop the manner he rose and offered her his hand, "No matter. What will be, will be."
Tobias hadn't actually counted, but he had something like twenty drawings done and even more sketches. He spent most of his time now in the sitting room, working with his art. Before, he'd always worked on it at school, only bringing special projects home to work on. Now it was as if his passion for art had doubled, no, tripled. He couldn't get enough of it. He'd always known he liked drawing and painting, but he knew now that he couldn't live without it.
He had four paintings completed, two watercolor, two oil. He was working on another oil painting at the moment, larger than the rest. He'd had to construct the canvas himself to get it large enough. It was something like three by four feet.
The image was that of the first drawing he'd done in this place. The one of Jareth in the throne room, draped over his chair, eyes closed, goblins all about him. So much larger now, he had much more detail to work with. He redid most of the goblins, sketching their forms into the actual goblins he knew as well as others he'd seen about.
The background was finally dry, dark stone and vivid drapery, candles and their glow… Now it was time to start the foreground. He decided to begin on the throne, mixing just the right colors for the sparkling jewels and the massive gleaming white horns at the top.
He spent what seamed like forever working on it, he'd just finished when Jareth stepped into the room, "Oh, you're still working on this one?" The king asked as he stepped over.
Tobias nodded, "I'm being picky with it."
Jareth smirked, leaning in, kissing the boy's temple chastely, "Time for bed, there's something I want to talk to you about."
Tobias was hesitant at first, what was this going to be about? Neither of them had really had a serious conversation after their fight a few nights ago. "Okay, I'm coming. Let me put all this away real quick."
Jareth nodded and left the boy to his task. He changed into a pair of loose-fitting sleeping pants and was lying in bed when Tobias came into the room, closing the door behind him. The boy silently went about selecting bed clothes and heading for the bathroom. Jareth listened to the sounds of the water splashing and clothes rustling.
Upon returning to the room he found Jareth was watching him so intently he felt as if he had suddenly been stripped naked before him. He went for the candles, to blow them out, but suddenly they were all extinguished. Starting he turned to face the older man on the bed and found his face stark and without the usual teasing notes he usually played when they were in bed together. Without a word, he moved to the bed and climbed in, sitting up, waiting with no small amount of trepidation for whatever it was that was coming next.
Jareth reached out, running his fingertips over the boy's leg so intently he didn't seem to notice the small jump at the unexpectedness of the motion. Tobias for his part was fighting to keep still - the movement was at once both heavily sexual and devoid of emotion. /Tell him again that you want to wait!/ a small reasonable voice in his head urged him. The finger tips reached just below his groin when he took a breath -
"It's about the ball," Jareth said cutting him short.
A shiver ran down Tobias' spine. He turned to Jareth, making a careful effort to conceal his thoughts, "What about it?"
"There's going to be some hardships whether you go or not once others discover you're here. I've decided to leave it up to you whether you want to go or not, but…"
The pause was so long, Tobias wasn't sure Jareth was going to continue, nervous and unsure of what course to take he made a soft questioning sound in his throat.
Sitting up, the Goblin King placed a long moist kiss on his lips, "Don't be hasty with your decision." he whispered. "The ball will be at the Autumn Queen's palace, a massive room filled with beautiful beings that will all be looking at you as if you were an insect. Royalty can be cruel," he finished, starring out at Tobias with half lidded eyes.
"Worried about me?"
"Perhaps. You're /my/ little insect, I don't want anyone else to pin you before I do." The first was said in jest, but the sentence was ended in a whisper. Nervously Tobias laughed.
"Don't worry, there's not going to be a whole lot of pinning going on," he said and then instantly kicked himself for it. /Why not go ahead and say point plank you don't want to have sex with him again why don't you?/ he asked himself. /He's being respectful so far, try not to go and kick him in the shins for it/. "I want to go. I want to know everything about this place," he tried again.
Jareth brushed the hair back from his face, "You're sure?"
"Of course," Tobias said with a smile, "I love you. I want to go with you. Even if it's horrible, I want to be with you."
Hearing the words Jareth dropped his eyes, closing them slowly, savoring the moment. The boy was completely devoted and in such a short amount of time. Would it last? No matter, no matter - he had his interest and time would tell if it would last or not, but for now he had what he wanted.
He leaned in, kissing the child beside him with bruising force as warm hands came up to rest on his chest, not pushing him away, just touching, holding. Jareth angled the kiss, biting his companion gently on the upper lip, sucking gently at it's fullness before he moved to the bottom. Not as full as the other, he mused, oh no - but just as delicious. Tobias had become rather talented in this, making his mouth pliant when Jareth wanted to explore him, or carefully creating his own force to compliment Jareth's when their passion got the best of them, a skill he had honed over the longer more intimate sessions the two had spent in each other's company.
Those hands moved low, resting on his hips, sliding up and down slightly. Jareth moved his own hands which up until now had rested firmly on the boy's back lower, slipping them beneath the T-shirt against hot skin. Tobias gasped in response to the cool touch, but there was no complaint - the sound carrying the faintest hint of pleasure which sparked Jareth's imagination to excess. He wanted to make the child to forgo gasps and moan for him, low and helpless - the sound that he found plaguing his dreams when he sat with his staff in his hand. To make fantasy a reality like that . . . Deftly he slipped a hand around to the front, spidering his fingers tickilishly around the flash there causing his bed mate to jump in response while his other hand moved up to hold his head and neck in place so as not to break the kiss. Tobias fought instinctively trying to twist from the small invading sensation that was quickly becoming the center of his focus, hypersensitizing the skin in his mind. Jareth continued to rake his fingers upwards, using the slightest bit of nail to rake at the smooth flesh there before running skilled fingers over an already pert nipple.
"Ah! . . . . /Ohhh/ . . . "
He smirked into the kiss, watching the boy's cheeks flush as he moaned, struggling for air after finally being allowed release from their kiss. Making a snap decision he pulled back before Tobias did, knowing it was coming and wanting to leave the boy hanging by his own rules. He watched for a moment as confusion played over those lovely features before catching his breath between lips that were now red and swollen. Sparing a downwards glance he made no effort to hide his actions as he spied Tobias's arousal.
Slowly raking his eyes upwards he met the boy's embarrassed glare. "Shall we sleep?" he asked with feigned nonchalance.
Tobias swallowed and nodded, not quite trusting himself to speak. He was angry at Jareth for so obviously playing with him but it raised the question of how much more could he last? He wanted to wait for love, but my God… He fought the heat and the sensation that came over him and pushed the lingering memories of what had just happened from his mind. He lie down against Jareth, wondering if, games or not, the man lying beside him didn't have a point. And more importantly if it wasn't as he suspected sometimes in his wilder moments, fear keeping him back instead.
Lyn was cheerful as ever as Tobias sat in her kitchen alone the next evening, watching her prepare a multitude of pastries as snacks for all those who would come running in hungry throughout the day. He'd just finished his late breakfast and was enjoying her idle chatter. She spoke of a servant girl that couldn't quite grasp the simple chore she was to perform and of a new child who had been wished away by its father after her mother had finally waisted away after a long illness. It was the kind of talk he'd never really heard all his life. It was a care giver's talk, a mother's, someone who was completely devoted to those around her and had no qualms about showing it. He ran an eye down he rounded profile and wondered what family she must have come from originally that would wish her away. Found strangely enough that he was a bit grateful and didn't really care, that he was more happy to have her here with him. On days like this he liked to pretend Lyn was his mother. In fact, he could see now that she played mother for the entire castle, managing all the cooking and cleaning and gossip. She was even involved with everyone's health despite Dr. Surazal.
"Lyn…"
She turned, "Yes, dear?"
He smiled, "Nothing."
She crooked an eyebrow, half-laughing, "You've been acting a little strange this night. You okay?"
He shrugged, "There's been a lot on my mind."
"Things always work out, don't worry over them, just let 'em be." She said, turning back to her pastries.
"Tobias!" Julianne had burst into the room, making them jump.
"Goodness." Lyn murmured, never taking her hands off the dough.
"What is it?" Tobias asked, a little worried.
The brunette hurried into the kitchen laughing, pulling up a seat beside the boy, dropping a hefty basket onto the tabletop, "I just heard! I'm so excited."
He was confused for a few moments, then it dawned on him, "Oh, the ball?"
She nodded, smiling wider than he'd ever seen before, "I've only been to one ball, a long time ago when I was knew. I went as a servant for one of Jareth's mistresses. What are you going to wear?"
Tobias laughed finding her enthusiasm catching and raised his hands in mock defense against her laughter at the gesture.
Lyn had turned to face them then, "You're going to the Autumn Ball, Tobias?"
He gave a rueful smile and sighed, lowering his hands in defeat as he nodded.
"Don't you think it's going to be . . . not so good?"
He shrugged, "Doesn't matter. I can tell Jareth wants me to go. And I want to go. Even if it's bad, I want to experience it with him."
Julianne calmed, sitting back, "I hadn't realized you're so romantic, Tobias. You're much more grown-up than I thought."
A bit of a pause filled the air, and Lyn noticed the basket, stepping over, "What's this?"
"Oh," Julianne said, turning to the cook, "I picked these yesterday from the garden. Thought you could use them."
"Why, thank you, sweetheart. I most definitely can." Lyn hefted the basket to the counter and set to work washing and slicing the citrus, arranging them on a large platter.
Julianne turned back to Tobias, "We have to get a special tailor. The ball's only a week away. A messenger has already been sent to the Autumn Queen, informing her that Jareth's going and will be bringing a date. Maab is the best seamstress - we have to get her here as soon as possible."
"She should be in the Goblin City, I overheard some goblins say that cloth merchants had come outside the city gates looking to trade for some special silk, no doubt she should still be here," Lyn said, never turning from her task.
"Wait, what am I supposed to wear?" Tobias asked with frown. "Can I wear clothes from Aboveground?"
She thought on it a moment, "I'm not sure. I mean, there's no specific requirement so long as it's formal I suppose. What would you wear to such an occasion Aboveground?"
Tobias sat back, it was his turn to think, "A suit or tux maybe. Probably something more like for a costume party." Realizing that the thought was becoming less appealing by the moment. He had wanted to wear something familiar if he was going to be in such a strange and hostile environment but now that he thought about it, it might be best if he wore something to blend in.
"A suit?" she asked in all seriousness, not understanding the word.
He waved it away, "Don't worry, Jareth will probably blink me something. Poof!"
She shook her head, "No, magic's not allowed around royalty. It's dangerous should someone be concealing their appearance for foul play. Glamour's allowed though, and there will be plenty of it."
"Glamour?"
"Sort of like magic, but more subtle. To enhance features and hide slight imperfections, create a glow, things like that."
"Oh." Tobias said, realizing this was going to be a bit of a problem, "I guess we will need someone who can sew then . . . "
"You could sketch something." she suggested helpfully. "Maybe you can find a medium somewhere that will suit everyone if you do a few designs of your own and then try and add some styles from here. I could help!" she said leaning forward, her eyes gleaming with excitement again.
Before Tobias could nod his affirmative she was back out of her seat and running to the door. "I'll see what Maab's up to!" and with that she was gone.
Lyn laughed, "I haven't seen that girl so excited in quite a while."
Tobias smiled. He hadn't realized this was such a big deal. He couldn't deny that he too was excited, but at the same time it brought out a slight fear. He'd never cared too much about appearances in front of large crowds, but he cared for Jareth and what they thought of him at least. Taking a bite of Julli's fruit Lyn had just laid before him he silently hoped he wouldn't make the king look too bad.
After a talk with Jareth, Tobias decided to wear an outfit in both the Aboveground and Underground style. Jareth had said his clothes would be the least of their worries and no matter what he wore, they wouldn't approve. Perhaps it was best he wore something of a mix so no one would be able to criticize him for making an effort to pass as someone from Below.
Once decided Tobias had went to work sketching numerous outfits. He found that at first he had been surprisingly reluctant with any designs, sticking to more traditional lines but upon seeing Julianne's first disappointed expression when he showed her what people from Above wore he began to branch out. Julianne helped in choosing which designs were best, suggesting here and there bits of style that were more familiar to her to change the look where need be. They finally decided on a design that reminded Tobias surprisingly enough of a 19th century gentleman's outfit somewhat reminiscent of something Dorian Gray might have worn. The pants and jacket would be nicely tailored to his figure, only the angles on the lapels and how the jacket wrapped and closed around him were somewhat askew, as was fashionable in the higher kingdoms Julianne assured him. They chose a deep black material that seemed to suck in light rather than reflect it for this part and a bright blood red for the shirt. He had wanted the caravat to be the same color but she had insisted on black and had even talked with Jareth earlier about it and procured him a beautiful pin for it made out of black opal carved into the shape of an owls head.
The shoes had been the only part they'd really quibbled over - she insisted that he should wear something that looked suspiciously like a spiked heal to him and Tobias stead fastly refusing to wear anything but regular flat bottomed boots. The eventually reached a compromise much to the amusement of the watching Lynn at the time and he ended up wearing a healed boot that clung tightly all the way up his calves showing a nice angle of his ankle and foot with the heel much wider and stable. He had argued that he was no good at dancing and in anything lesser he was likely to trip and fall over onto another one of the guests which had made even Juiliane reluctantly agree, they were after all trying to do the least bit of damage with his appearance - not set up more troubles with it.
Tobias was pleased with the results. He didn't show Jareth the final designs, deciding to save it for the day of the ball instead turning to worry now about the little things.
Come the day before the big event, Julianne surprised him by painting his nails with a deep wine red lacquer that was almost black before allowing him to select a few more intricate pieces of jewelry from her collection since all of his was provided by Jareth's magic. He chose several silver rings at her insistence that were carved into tiny miniature grotesques - twisted bodies of children and animals linked to form a circle in which to slide his finger though, each one brandishing a huge stone of garnet or sapphire. On his own accord he selected several bracelets as well as a pair of small silver earrings to hang through each ear.
Once in front of a mirror, he stressed over other things. One that bothered him more than the rest was his roots. About an inch of brilliant blonde hair was obviously visible. God, he hadn't seen his natural color in so long. He'd forgotten how strawberry blonde it was, nearly white. It aggravated him. Julianne knew nothing he could do about it since they were at a loss for magic for the night.
"Why don't you let it grow out?" she suggested, lovingly fingering the color. Lyn didn't know of anything he could do either, suggesting he cut it short so that it was only blonde. It was his new goblin friends that provided the solution.
"Why don't you use clothes dye?" Ercste had nearly shouted, pulling at her black rag of a garment.
It was a fabulous idea, and he was disappointed in Julianne and Lyn for not having thought of it. He managed to get a hold of some of the dark powder from Maab who'd cautioned him against it.
Leaning over the bathtub, he'd managed to accomplish his goal, though it wasn't like the dye he was used to. Gone were his usual blue highlights replaced by a heavy dark color that he had to use oil to get all to shine evenly. Brushing his hair out so that it fell neatly over his shoulders he was surprised to see that once it was in the light it reflected gold and decided that he was pleased with the results after all.
On the day of, Jareth found himself feeling an odd sense of deja vu he had felt while waiting for one of his many female mistresses to finish up and get ready. He'd dressed quickly enough into an outfit that he had Maab created some weeks in advance. It consisted of knee-high black boots, black tights and shirt and a jacket that seemed as if it had been made from the swarming wings of June beetles - deep greens, blacks and golds vying for dominance as he moved in the light. He couldn't deny that he loved it - he had always been a bit more than vain and had no complications over showing it. Never mind the slight discomfort - it was worth it. A servant girl had been shaking with nervousness as she'd applied his make up for the evening. White shadow that arched high up to his eyebrow, followed with thin black liner He wore no jewelry except for the heavy crescent pendant about his neck, resting in just the right place on his bare chest and a ring his father had given him set with a sapphire the size of a grown man's eye.
He stood now at the entrance of the throne room, waiting. They should have left already! No one was allowed to materialize or dematerialize with royalty, they'd have to travel in old-fashioned style, and if Tobias didn't hurry, they were going to arrive late even by his tastes.
Someone cleared their throat and he turned to find Julianne was standing at the other end of the hall, not so far away, grinning like a Cheshire cat. He gave her an expectant look knowing that Tobias had to be there somewhere, he could practically sense the boy.
And then Tobias stepped out from behind the corner.
The clothes were amazing, fitting him perfectly in all the right places; shapely thighs, a slim chest slopping down to end in a narrow waist. His eyes shown out impossibly bright even from this distance, ringed in kohl and accented at the edges with scarlet. He seemed to falter a moment under Jareth's gaze, biting his lip for the barest breath of a second before obviously relaxing and holding himself a bit higher. Jareth was caught by the sight of those lips as they had momentarily turned inwards to be grazed by his teeth. Smiling, he reached out his hand.
Tobias nodded, stepping forward. As he approached, Jareth changed his offering, bending his arm and offering his elbow as he would a mistress. Would he not make Tobias his mistress? After this night he was sure that the title would be earned, if not by flesh than by actions - he could think of no better title to give to the one he was escorting to the dance. Tobias accepted without hesitation, looping his arm through his and bringing it snug up against his chest, letting it bring them side by side as they started down the stairs. Tobias chanced a wave back to Julianne as he descended down the main stair way to where the others were waiting to receive them with their carriage. Grinning she waved back and mouthed him a good luck to which he nodded before turning back.
They walked along the main stair case and down to the main door where servants had lined up to see their passing. Looking around he noticed a few familiar faces as Merik gave him a friendly waggle of the eyebrows causing him to laugh. The big door in front of them opened and instead of opening to the outside as he had expected it instead led to an ornate room with numerous doors. Tobias was a bit confused, he'd surely have discovered this with all his wanderings. No doubt it had something to do with magic, forgoing comment he decided to leave his questions for later.
A pair of servants appeared and Tobias was surprised to find upon closer inspection that they were in fact twins to open one of the doors that Tobias would have sworn a moment ago was only big enough for one man to pass through but now opened in two large doors to an outside garden. They stepped out into the cool, night air, a full moon brilliant above them. A huge black and antique gold carriage waited in the street, headed up by three black horses who's coats glittered unnaturally in the light. The wheels had been done in the shape of wickedly thorned vines and flowers that matched the rest of the gilded moldings on the carriage's edge.
Tobias noticed the driver was dressed up as well. The same two twins that had appeared earlier, now dressed in equally lovely black velvet dresses, assisted them on their way inside - Tobias first, followed by Jareth, before getting in a smaller, separate compartment in the front.
Alone with the sound of the whips snapping and rolling wheels, Tobias moved from his seat across from Jareth to the one beside him, "I'm so excited." He whispered, reaching out to finger the black lace at his lover's chest, "You look amazing."
Jareth smirked, taking the boy's hand in his own, "So do you, absolutely beautiful."
Tobias looked up knowing that on any other day this would be the moment when the Goblin King would lean in and press a kiss against his lips. He found that he was disappointed when it didn't happen as expected.
Jareth chuckled, easily reading his expression, "I wouldn't want to ruin your perfection. When we get back." he promised in a deeper voice that rumbled not unpleasantly against Tobias's chest.
The ride was comfortable enough, the carriage gently swaying back and forth, but nothing to really complain about. It took longer than he'd expected, but again, he had no past experience to compare the speed to. He was peering out the little windows as they approached. It seemed they traveled a long road of stone archways and rose bushes that were still impossibly full this late in the season before he finally caught sight of the palace. It seemed a more modern version compared to Jareth's. The Goblin King's castle was like something from a Dracula movie while the Autumn Queen's was more like something he would have expected some kind of fairy tale Queen would have been accustomed to. It was wide, with endless amounts of windows and columns. The entire structure gleamed white under the moon's brilliant light.
The carriage came to a stop to the right of a grand stair way while other carriages pulled out of way to make room for them. Tobias was surprised by how many people there were /outside/ the ball - servants running about in an effort to assist their masters and mistress, workers from the stables to lead the horses away, people exiting the ball already having arrived earlier. And to Tobias's surprise he could even make out the silhouettes of some figures who were most definitely not human, horns and wings already visible to him in the half light as they waited their turn for the carriage to pull in front. A few minutes later the servant girls opened the doors and suddenly the noise was let in, thrusting them rudely into the middle of the confusion surrounding them. Tobias reached out and took Jareth's arm before it was offered, suddenly afraid of being separated. The moment they were out of the carriage he stood on tiptoe and whispered in the older man's ear a sudden plea born of last minute panic.
"Don't leave me tonight."
Smiling, Jareth brought his arm in closer against him, "Of course not."
To be continued…
Author's Notes for this story can be found at :
http://butterflyinfur (dot) livejournal (dot) com (backslash) 4679 (dot) html#cutid1
Alright, show of hands. Who's ready to see them finally get on with it? Writing in all this extra unresolved tension between the two has me even a bit tense. laughs Poor Jareth's got his work cut out for him hasn't he?
As always make sure you click the button and share your thoughts and opinions with me. After all without you there would be no story.
