A/N: Hello lovelies! It's been awhile. Yes? Life's been hectic on my end so updates are going to be sparse for awhile. Sorry about that. Here's a quick little update. Enjoy!
OOOOOOOOO
Mai walked through the gardens behind the castle three days after wishing herself back into Jareth's care, watching the fairies flutter from bush to bush. She could see their magic much clearer now and the magic of the Labyrinth pulsing around them. A migraine was forming in her head as she tried to process what her newly opened eyes were showing her.
"Ugh," she groaned, pressing a hand over her eyes.
"The pain will go away," Jareth's voice said from behind her. "You just need to get used to the Change."
The Elf Princess lowered her hand and turned to look at Jareth. He was leaning against one of the giant cement vases that dotted the gardens. She could see the magic flowing around and through the powerful king. Shaking her head, Mai looked away from him.
"Do you have any idea how long that may take?" she asked, crossing her arms.
"Only as long as you try to get used to it," the King told her. Mai heard him approach. "You're a clever girl. I'm sure that you'll figure out how to control your new sight quickly."
Mai's brown eyes turned to him once more. "Will you help me?"
The Goblin King stood before her and cocked his head to the side. Mai held her breath as he looked through her.
"And why should I do that?" he asked.
"Because...because..." Mai faltered, looking away from him.
Jareth laughed. "Your skills at debating are lacking, Mai dear. Perhaps you should practice that as well?"
"You bastard," Mai grumbled, walking away from him and crossing her arms again. "You're not going to let things between us get any better, are you? I have been trying to earn your forgiveness. I have tried to make amends with you. I have wished myself back to you several times and worked to help rebuild your kingdom. You are the first and only person that I called for when I was in need. My only lucid thoughts during the Ritual were of you and your name. Doesn't that mean anything to you, Jareth?"
She turned to look at him and saw that his face was stoic.
"Jareth, I messed up," Mai said. "I let something really devastating happen and I ran away without giving us a chance to deal with. Without giving us a chance to mourn or heal. I hid from you for years, except for that one night of love that I desperately craved and was too weak to resist. Every moment of my days without you, I hated myself and wanted to call out your name. I wanted to wish myself to you so many times, but I was scared. I was scared about what could happen if I gave in, if I had called you to my side. I was a coward. I couldn't call you, but I wanted to."
"Mai," Jareth said softly.
"I've had so many opportunities to be with other men, Jareth, as I'm sure you've had with other women," Mai continued like she hadn't heard him, watching the magic of the Labyrinth flow around them. "And I've never taken any. Because I love you and only you. And you're the only person that I will ever love...so, if I never regain your favor, just know that I will not stop loving you the rest of time." She shook her head. "I don't even know why I've brought this all up right now. Please, excuse me."
Mai turned her back on Jareth once more and headed around a hedge, wiping a way a stray tear that had fallen down the curve her cheek. She took a slow, deep breath and moved deeper into the garden. Fairies stared at her, some of them fluttering into her path. One landed on her shoulder and touched another tear that had fallen from Mai's eyes.
"Why did I unload all that upon him like that?" Mai whispered, hugging herself. "Everything is just so raw and my senses are on overload...Still, I shouldn't have. I've made myself look like a fool."
The garden opened pathways for her as Mai walked deeper into them. Mai paid no attention to the directions that she went as she muttered criticisms to herself. She didn't notice the passage of time until her stomach growled and she looked up to see that the sky was darkening rapidly.
"Thank God," Mai whispered, lowering her arms. "I've missed a very awkward dinner. Thank you, God!"
With more grace than she had before the Ritual, Mai leaped into the air and turned into a white dove and flew towards the distant castle.
OOOOOOOOO
Mai quietly stepped through the halls of the castle, trying to ignore the visions of the magic in the walls of the stones that comprised the castle itself. Her hunger had been dealt with by a quick trip to the castle's kitchen and the cranky Goblin chef. Now she was trying to move around the castle without alerting the Goblin King before he retired for the night.
"Mai," Gabriella said, appearing around a corner, bearing a silver tray laden with a silver tea set. "What are you doing?"
"Sneaking around the castle," Mai told her, flattening her back against the wall. "And trying to adjust to this new sight of mine...without help." She glanced in the direction that Gabriella had come from. "You haven't seen your brother around here, have you?"
"Do you mean Jareth?" Gabriella asked with a small smile. Mai nodded. "He's in his office. Why? Are you trying to find him?"
"No. I'm doing the opposite actually." Mai frowned at her oldest best friend. "I did something really stupid today and I can't bring myself to face him right now...so, could you please not tell him that you saw me?"
The blonde pursed her lips. "I don't know about that."
"Please Gabriella," Mai begged.
"Mai, you need to work things out with Jareth and running away from him over stupid things isn't going to help your cause." Gabriella cocked her head to the side. "What was the purpose of wishing yourself back here three days ago if you were just going to hide away from the man that holds your heart?"
Mai bit her lip, hating her friend's logic.
"Here." Gabriella handed over the silver tea tray. "I was taking this to Jareth, but now you are. And you aren't going to pawn the task off to anyone else, Mai." She put a hand on Mai's shoulder. "Things will get better, Mai. You just need to fight for it."
The Elf princess wanted nothing more than to scream after Gabriella as the woman turned on her heel and floated away in a swirl of her expensive skirts. She stood rooted to the spot until the woman disappeared and then looked down at the silver tea tray. Her reflection in the metal showed a pale woman that looked terrified of her future.
"God give me strength to do this," Mai begged, swallowing back her fear and getting her feet to start moving.
Each step towards the library where Jareth kept his office felt like a walk to the gallows. It was a feeling that Mai had not had in a very long time and it caused her breath to freeze in her chest. By the time she'd reached the door, her lungs burned.
"Jareth," she whispered, stepping into the library. "I've – I've brought you your tea..."
The Goblin King looked up from a parchment that he was writing upon and watched her approach slowly. Mai set the tea tray down on the corner of his desk, the corner that she used to perch herself on when they spent time together in his office. She quickly poured and prepared his tea before stepping back and looking at her feet.
"If you need anything else, please call someone," Mai muttered to him before turning away. "I'm – I'm going to probably be in bed soon."
"Mai, wait." Jareth said, causing her to stop with the strange magic that he possessed over her.
Mai paused, but didn't fully turn to face him. "Yes?"
"We may never have what we had before," Jareth said, setting his pen down and rising to his feet. "You destroyed what we had when you ran away all those years ago. You ran. You hid from me. But you came back. You have tried to make things work. You have tried to make amends. You have asked for forgiveness time and time again...And I am the first person you ever call upon when you need help, that much I know. I have seen you cry and hate yourself for everything that has happened and how you have tried to pick up the pieces. But we may not have what we had before."
The Elf Princess blinked back tears, suddenly feeling empty. "Jareth?"
Jareth moved around his desk and took Mai's hands in his naked hands. "We may not have what we had before you left, Mai," he repeated, looking into her eyes with his mismatched stare. "We can learn to forgive and move on, but we can't have what we had before." He squeezed her fingers. "We can have something new and stronger than anything we dreamed of, but it will take time."
"And patience," Mai guessed.
The Goblin King smirked. "Precisely." He let go of one of her hands and gestured for her to take a seat in front of his desk. "Come, have tea with me. We need to talk."
OOOOOOOOO
A/N: Well, I am not exactly happy with this chapter or where it went, but this is what came out. P think I know where I'm going, but I'm not completely sure. Please comment. Thanks! -Scarlet