After thoroughly investigating her choices, Raeya settled on a black tunic with a gold and emerald Celtic pattern around the collar and the ends of the three quarter length mildly belled sleeves. It hung slightly past mid thigh and had a belt that cinched around the smallest part of her waist. With it she wore dark green leggings and black leather boots that reached halfway to her knees. Her favorite black headband, of course, was also in place. Satisfied with her appearance, she left her room to find Jareth waiting in the hall.
"I must say precious, I'm impressed. Even Fae women, who have magic to assist them, usually can't get ready that fast." he commented.
"You know, I can't figure out why that is either. The only time I take even half as long as the average human girl is for special occasions." she answered.
"Good to know, I shall keep that in mind. Though if you look this lovely on a regular basis, I can't wait to see what you look like when you actually put some effort into it." he remarked, as his eyes roamed appreciatively over her.
"Thank you, I approve of your choice of apparel as well." she responded, blushing slightly at the compliment and noticing his attire.
Jareth was wearing a black poet's shirt tucked into grey pants with his usual black leather boots.
"Thank you, love. In case you're wondering why I was standing here when you emerged, it occurred to me that I never got the chance to tell you my room is right next to yours if you wake up through the night and need something." he said, pointing at the door. "I also wasn't sure you'd remember your way to the dining hall, and didn't want you to get lost." he added.
"Honestly, how did chivalry ever go out of common practice?" she asked, smiling gratefully.
"Your guess is as good as mine. I rather enjoy extending such pleasantries to my lady." he replied, holding out his arm.
"Oh so now I'm a lady, am I? Again, I can find several people who would disagree with you." she said, taking his arm and letting him lead.
"Well, in terms of etiquette and traditional behavior, no you are most certainly not. However, you do carry yourself with a sort of nobility and class, and although you say you're prone to klutz attacks you are quite naturally graceful. To me, that makes you a lady; and you have my heart, which makes you my lady." he explained, smiling affectionately at her.
"You'd better watch that sugar tongue Jareth, or I might start to wonder if it's edible." she warned playfully.
"You'd better watch what you say, or I might start getting ideas too tempting to resist." he retorted, grinning devilishly.
"How many times do I have to say it? Mind, oubliette, keep them separated!" she scolded, blushing.
"Admit it, you love it when I make you blush; and the only reason you're blushing is because you're embarrassed that I said what you were thinking." he replied.
"I think you need to reconsider the next time you decide to eat a hallucinogenic peach. Clearly, you must have been dreaming to come up with that idea." she countered teasingly.
"Oh you wound me precious, such cruelty." he said dramatically, in mock pain.
Raeya couldn't help but laugh at his theatrics. Jareth had to smile as he reveled in the rare and beautiful sound of her laughter. When they reached the dining hall, Raeya got her first look at Jareth's subjects. She could hardly believe her eyes as a few dozen goblins looked up at the door's low creaking sound. From what she could see, they seemed to range in size from about halfway to her knee up to her hip. They were all different shapes as well and each one had distinctive features, some humanoid, some animalistic. What they all shared was dark and dull coloring with similar fabrics for clothes. A few of them even wore armor, or rather makeshift armor. As Raeya carefully surveyed the gathering, Jareth carefully watched her reaction. This was another aspect of his life she would have to accept, if she still wished to be his Queen. After a few moments of silence, she turned to him.
"Jareth, they're so cute!" she commented, smiling brightly.
A look of surprise spread across his face before he could stop it.
"What she call us?" one goblin asked.
"I think she say we cute." another answered.
"No lady ever call us cute before. Cute good?" a third remarked.
"This lady smiling. I think cute good." the second replied.
"Cute good, that mean she like us!" a fourth exclaimed.
At this, a cheer rose from all the goblins. Jareth shook his head, but couldn't keep the grin off his face.
"In all my years, I've never heard the word cute used to describe my goblins. I can't say much for humans, but most Fae women find them repulsive and only a few have been able to neglectfully tolerate them." he told her.
"Well, to be perfectly honest, my definition of cute has a wider range than most humans'." she explained.
"Considering your lack of aversion to reptiles, I figured as much." he commented, still grinning.
"Come on, I want to meet these little guys." she stated, tugging his arm.
"I'm warning you now, use small words no more than three syllables. It's like talking to children." he said, leading her into the room.
When they reached the head of the table, Raeya felt a light tug on the hem of her tunic. She looked down and saw a little goblin about as tall as her knee that she recognized as the fourth goblin to speak.
"Hi lady, my name Spunk. What your name?" he asked.
Raeya smiled and let go of Jareth's arm so she could crouch down to Spunk's level.
"Nice to meet you, Spunk. My name's Raeya." she answered, holding out her hand.
Spunk looked at the hand and cocked his head in confusion.
"It's called a handshake. Where I come from, this is how we say hello." she explained, gently taking his hand in hers and moving them up and down twice.
"Oh, Spunk not know that. No lady ever touch Spunk." he said, examining his hand when she released it.
"Don't worry, I promise nothing will happen to your hand." she replied.
"Ok, if lady say so. Spunk like Raeya lady; can Spunk sit beside lady?" he questioned.
"Sure, Spunk, I'd like that." she agreed, smiling softly.
"Yay! Spunk sit beside pretty lady!" he cheered, climbing into the seat next to hers.
Raeya giggled as she stood and faced Jareth again.
"I do believe you've just made his day. Spunk is quite a friendly goblin, but I'm afraid he gets his little heart broken when the sentiment is not returned." Jareth commented, pulling her chair out for her.
"He's adorable, how could anyone be so rude?" she asked sadly, taking her seat on Jareth's right side.
"Again, such vocabulary is not usually applied to goblins. However, I'd be the last to deny that female Fae can be terribly cruel." he answered, sitting at the head of the table.
"As you once said, what a pity." she quoted.
"Very true precious, but you've made them so happy with just a single compliment. I daresay you've won them over already." he responded.
"Really, just by being nice? Human kids are much harder to please." she commented.
"Like I said, they're not accustomed to positive feedback from women. The mere fact that you're a lady and will not only speak to them but will go so far as to make physical contact is earth shattering." he replied.
"Wow, no wonder most Fae don't have kids." she muttered.
Jareth chuckled in agreement. The rest of breakfast was spent with Raeya alternating between talking to Jareth and chatting with Spunk. She was a bit surprised to see that the goblins didn't have the most atrocious table manners she'd ever seen. They ate everything with their hands, but there was no reaching over the table or stealing from your neighbor's plate. The mess was even relatively minimal. When everyone was done eating, Raeya said goodbye to Spunk before following Jareth out of the dining hall. She had made sure to tell the little goblin she would see him later though, and Spunk had seemed happy with that. Several other goblins had come over to meet her as well, and Spunk helped her demonstrate how to shake hands so she could properly greet them all. They did appear to be quite amazed at her willingness to touch, but none of them shied away from it either.
"I'm truly impressed, love. My goblins seem quite taken with you." he told her, linking their arms again.
"I don't see what the problem is. Even if I didn't think they were cute, there's no reason to ignore them or be hostile." she replied.
"Some Fae women are like that; if they find it ugly, they either pretend it's not there or they treat it like dirt." he said.
"What are they, five?" she asked sarcastically.
"There are times I wonder, precious thing. Oh, and congratulations. You've avoided some very nasty pranks by getting on the goblins' good side." he commented.
"I'm going to assume that, had I not, you would've prevented those pranks anyway." she said in a low voice, narrowing her eyes at him.
"Of course. I just wanted to see your unbiased reaction to them." he explained.
"So, you were testing me. I guess I passed." she remarked.
"With flying colors, Raeya mine." he confirmed, smiling at her.
When they reached the front doors of the castle Jareth paused for a moment, and looked like he was pondering something. Then his eyes lit with inspiration before he tossed a crystal above them. It burst in a shower of sparkling dust and Raeya instinctively closed her eyes. When she opened them again the dust had cleared, and they stood in the center of a large open circular area of the Labyrinth with five equidistant doors along the wall. She looked at him in confusion, but Jareth's eyes were turned skyward as he whistled in three different pitches holding each one about a second. Not a minute later, four gryffins swooped down and landed in the clearing. Raeya's jaw dropped as her eyes widened in amazement. They all had the front half of an eagle with feathery earlike tufts on the head and the back half of a lion, but each one had different colors. The biggest had glossy black feathers, piercing spring green eyes, and a yellowish orange beak and talons that looked dangerously sharp. Its lion half was a bronze color with sinewy muscles and a tuft of black fur on the tip of its tail. The next in size resembled a golden eagle with yellow eyes, a pale grey beak that faded to black at the tip, and the same yellowish orange talons. Its back half was golden brown tinged slightly reddish with a darker brown tuft of fur on the tail. The other two were roughly the same size, a little less than half that of the second largest. One was white feathered with yellow gold eyes and a grey beak and talons, while its back half had sandy tan fur with a white tuft on its tail. The other was nearly a spitting image of the second, but with red eyes. Remembering what she knew of gryffins, Raeya turned to Jareth.
"Should we bow?" she asked quietly.
"Very good love, you did do your research." he answered softly, bending down as she followed his lead.
All four gryffins bowed in return and then rose to their former positions.
"Excellent, now I can introduce you; just stay slightly behind me as we approach." he told her, straightening his posture.
She nodded, standing straight as well, before trailing a step back from his side. They stopped about two feet away from the creatures, and Jareth turned sideways but remained between them and Raeya.
"I'd like you to meet Astor, his mate Orlaith, and their hatchlings Aislin and Rian." he said, nodding first to the black feathered one, then the golden eagle feathered, and subsequently the white feathered and smaller golden eagle feathered gryffins.
"It's a great pleasure to meet all of you; my name is Raeya." she stated, lowering her head respectfully to which each of them nodded in response.
"Gryffins cannot speak, but they can understand our words and are quite talented at conveying messages through expression and body language." he explained.
"No problem, is it alright to touch them?" she asked, choosing her words carefully so as not to insult.
"That's their decision. Hold out your hand slowly with the palm facing up." he told her.
Raeya took a deep breath before calmly reaching toward Astor. She thought it best to first assure him, and thusly his family, that she meant no harm. Jareth watched protectively as Astor took a step forward and nudged her hand up with his beak so it would land palm down on top of his head. Raeya smiled, gingerly stroking his soft feathers and then gently scratching behind the tufts that she discovered were indeed ears. Astor leaned into her touch, looking quite pleased, before happily closing his eyes when she began rubbing the back of his neck.
"Are you naturally gifted with handling all creatures, or did you learn how to do this somewhere?" Jareth questioned, impressed with the ease she was displaying.
"Actually, a bit of both. Ever since I was little, we've just had this sort of understanding between each other; like I knew how to read them and they knew how to read me. My mom taught me they respond best when you're totally relaxed and look as non threatening as possible. As for the ear scratching and neck rubbing, I've never met a creature that didn't like its ears scratched and some of the renaissance fairs I've been to have had falconry demonstrations. Those birds seemed to really like getting a neck rub." she explained.
Astor turned back toward his family and tilted his head in gesture that it was safe to come forward. Raeya smiled and held out her hand for Orlaith to examine. After a moment of scrutiny, the female gryffin placed her beak in the outstretched palm. Raeya nodded in understanding and gently scratched the feathery underside of Orlaith's jaw. The gryffin tipped her head back gradually in enjoyment, closing her eyes as she did so. By this time, the young ones were quite finished with waiting and had started nuzzling Raeya's legs for attention.
"May I?" she asked, looking to the parents.
They looked at each other briefly before turning back to her and giving nods of approval. Raeya nodded back before crouching down to gently rub both hatchlings behind the ears at the same time. Aislin and Rian weren't quite so subtle in their expressions of pleasure, and it didn't take long at all for both of them to start making noises that sounded suspiciously like purring. Raeya glanced at their parents to be sure this wasn't a bad thing, but Astor and Orlaith retained calm demeanors. When she withdrew her hands, the hatchlings both pounced on her and proceeded to lick her face. Jareth looked momentarily concerned until he heard Raeya laughing happily from under the fur and feathers. After a minute or two, the adult gryffins rolled the young ones off so she could stand and breathe. Jareth offered his hand to her and she took it, using it to help her get up; her muscles were a bit weak after laughing so hard. She waited a minute to catch her breath before speaking.
"Thank you, your children are very strong." she said, grinning.
Astor and Orlaith could only be described as smiling in return.
"I'm glad you've enjoyed yourself, but there's more to see today." Jareth told her.
"Alright." she consented, before turning to the gryffins. "It was lovely meeting all of you, and I've had a wonderful time. I sincerely hope to see you again."
Astor approached her once more and gently touched his forehead to hers, holding it there for a moment before breaking the contact and returning to his original spot. All four gryffins then bowed, which Jareth and Raeya reciprocated, taking flight afterward.
"I'm going to assume you don't realize the enormity of that little exchange." Jareth commented, looking a bit astounded.
"Not entirely, but I understood that it was something important." she replied.
"It's a gryffin's way of saying, 'I trust you.' Very rarely, if ever, does it happen the first time one meets a gryffin. Not to mention Astor especially is nothing if not cautious around new acquaintances." he explained.
"That's not bad, is it? Are you upset?" she asked quietly, lowering her head and staring at the ground.
Jareth immediately caught the sad tone in her voice, and gently tilted her chin up so she was looking at him.
"No precious, I'm not upset. It's just that there seems to be something about you that makes others feel safe enough to drop their guard almost instantly, and for some reason that makes me worried for you. Perhaps because it causes uncharacteristic behavior that makes it difficult to predict actions." he told her.
"Well, I'm not sure if knowing this will help, but just because others drop their guard around me doesn't mean I drop my guard around them. I'm paranoid, remember?" she responded.
"I remember, Raeya love, and you should know that a gryffin views trust and loyalty as going hand in hand. So now you have two sets of eyes watching out for you." he said.
"Awesome, by the way, why exactly are there gryffins in the Labyrinth?" she questioned.
"They make fantastic gatekeepers and there are a few doors that require you to correctly answer a riddle in order to move on. The one in the book is guarded by the playing card parodies, but Astor and Orlaith both guard doors that simply have the riddle written on them. Of course those doors won't open unless the correct answer is spoken, but their job is to make sure the runner doesn't cheat." he explained.
"It's possible to cheat those doors?" she asked.
"You'd be surprised at the ingenuity of the runners who make it that far." he remarked.
"Disturbingly formidable, huh?" she responded.
"Quite so." he confirmed.
"Well, should we move on?" she suggested.
"Yes, I believe so." he agreed, tossing another crystal.