Chapter Three
* * * * * * * *
Those were the days of our lives
The bad things in life were so few
Those days are all gone now
but one thing is true-
When I look, and I find- I still love you.
* * * * * * * *
Jareth shook himself from his memoirs of the past. A single echoing drip of water
was the only sound in the darkness of the castle. Night had fallen some time ago and the
goblins had... at long last... bedded down for a brief rest before more chaotic, and surely
brainless, antics ensued the next dawn.
He rose, joints stiffened from sitting so still, in his throne, for many hours. Still, it
had not felt as long as had actually been. The Goblin King stretched. He looked out the
near-by window, his powerful eyes scanning the dark ground, the twists and turns of the
far-reaching maze, and the lands beyond.
It was all his, and still he felt like the young boy who thought about excessive
monetary objects as trivial. He was still the adolescent who needed no more than the love
of one woman who had run into him unexpectedly. Surely this pomp and circumstance
would suit another far better.
"Freddie," Jareth spoke the name that had been silent for so very long.
He had not thought about his dear friend for the length of a year, at least. Perhaps
the pain that would follow the memories had forced him to keep the thought of his dearest
companion far away.... so that he would not hurt anymore, would not suffer anymore,
would not inflict anymore wounds on his already damaged soul.
But now there was no hiding the face that had risen in his mind like a ghost,
refusing to leave. The times he had had with Freddie were innumerable, and perhaps the
best moments of his life. Like so many others, Jareth's dear friend had been the victim of
his rising to Goblin King. Freddie had, most likely, died in the village with everyone else.
It had been a scant three years, not enough time to even begin to heal, since he had
lost everything, and suddenly gained everything as well. Nonetheless, in that amount of
time Jareth had forgotten his best friend, and laid to rest his love. As the reminiscing
ensued, however, he realized just how little had changed.... and just how much he still
loved Shay with all his heart.
"What did I do?" Jareth asked, momentarily losing his composure as he banged his
fists against the overwhelmingly massive door, which led to his private chambers in the
confines of the monstrous castle.
He had made the entire, lengthy walk down the turning and twisting passageway to
his room, without a single thought as to where he was going. Jareth glanced around, his
gaze falling upon a solitary sleeping goblin, and then continued on into his chambers.
Everything he did felt strangely familiar... almost eerily so.
Jareth walked slowly within, the door closing behind him of its own accord. It
sealed itself in the frame, without a slam resounding throughout the halls. He reached out
with a single slender hand and grasped the bed post firmly. The Goblin King's knuckles
blanched out, a brilliant whiteness spreading across his tightly clenched hand.
He hung his noble head, blonde wisps of hair draping over his face, blocking the
show of emotion from the room... the room which lacked anyone. He was alone, so
alone, and it was all because of himself. Surely there could have been a way, some way to
go back and change it all.
"Time waits for nobody... at all," Jareth stated simply and then slowly rose to his
full height and dragged himself to the balcony, to look down at the now darkened,
well-kept garden below.
Shay lived there, in those beautiful buds and flowers, in the flowing ivy that draped
upon the fine trellice, and the seemingly living golden bench (wrought into vine-like
structures of artwork). She was in every shadow, every burst of light, each flitting
butterfly and passing bee. The song of the bird, and the cool reflection in the well, was all
Shayna. It was there that he knew, where Jareth could actually sense that she had not ever
left, and was still watching over her lover with a careful eye.
"And I will never forget you, my Shayna," he called out into the night. For a
moment he thought that, perhaps, a light flickered within the garden.
* * * * * * * *
The greater part of a month had passed without another sight of the awe-striking
woman, Shayna. Jareth searched, and nearly allowed himself to stoop to the level of
knocking on doors to merely ask if such a girl dwelled anywhere. However, his rational
prevented such a course of action. Surely, that would lead to speculations about the
young noble and his bride-to-be.
Summer had fully overtaken the land, bathing everyone in hot, unrelenting rays.
Solace was found only in the lake, where cool waters soothed burning flesh from the sun,
for a few moments of fleeting relaxation. There in sapphire pools, crystallized in the dull
shade of large oak trees, serenity bred.
Jareth leapt over a rock, then paused and, turning about once more, tackled it. He
climbed his way to the top as he gazed over the vast expanse of forest floor. Nature was
such a mesmerizing appearance. It was a present, a gift to behold. He watched the flitting
insects through the filtering golden traces of light, breaking their way through the thick,
green canopy of leaves overhead.
"Well?" Frederick inquired, leaning against the sturdy trunk of one of thousands of
other trees.
Jareth averted his attention and grinned, leaping down with innate grace, so as to
walk beside his friend. Certainly there had never been two individuals more different than
them, but still they made the closest of companions.
"Have you never wanted to look at our forest? I take time to enjoy it. Here is
perfection, Freddie," Jareth stated, gesturing around them with a sweeping movement of
both hands.
The other said nothing, but merely ducked beneath a low-hanging branch. A
curtain of foliage draped down from the tree limbs, but had been tied aside with some
roughly cut twine. Now it no longer hid the private alcove, the solace from summer
weather.
"That is your mistake, darling, this is perfection!" Freddie stated, a positively evil
grin upon his handsome face.
Freddie leaned, once again, against the tree, gazing at something in the pool of
refreshing water. His eyes spoke tales of what it was, and Jareth knew without asking that
a female was taking time to cool herself in the lovely lake. The noble walked beside his
friend, brushing the overgrown leaves a bit more to the side so that he might see around
enough to catch a glimpse at who was enjoying the water.
At once Jareth's heart leapt into his throat and his breathing hitched. He turned,
coughing slightly at the shock he had sustained from the sight. Freddie turned as well,
watching his friend now, a curiously questioning look dwelled within those obsidian eyes.
"One mustn't watch nature too much, eh Jareth?" Freddie asked with a light bout
of laughter and then started towards the pool, where he would certainly frighten the girl to
death.
Jareth jumped at his friend, catching Frederick's arm tightly. He forced Freddie
back, away from the lake, and the alluring promise of refreshing water... among other
things. Jareth placed a single finger to his lips, silencing them both from partaking in any
form of conversation yet.
"That is her, the one I spoke...."
"Ah, I see now why. Such a lucky devil, always finding those most lovely vixen,"
Freddie cut in and then turned around to parade out, perhaps shouting welcome to Shayna
and frightening her away once more.
Again Jareth reigned in his friend, forcing Freddie back into the hidden area,
behind the curtain of foliage and trees, as well as thick undergrowth. Shayna would not
know, would not guess, if she had not yet seen them, or heard their silenced discussion.
She did not seem to have left the lake, for there was no sound of quickly rushing
footsteps as she ran away. Nor did Jareth hear the splashing of water. There was only the
gentle lap of her hands, as she swam out into the center of the cool lake. The image of
her, golden hair floating on the surface around her angelic face, brought shivers to his
body.
"Must you be this way? I have not spoken to her, since... the celebration," Jareth
conceded, though his words were thick with conviction.
Freddie eyed his friend and then crossed his arms across his chest. The silk of his
shirt rustled together, creating something of a sweet lullaby allusion. He pursed his lips, in
thought, debating whether to easily leave or demand reason behind Jareth's most humble
requests. He finally sighed and turned to return to their town... alone.
"Very well, but we shall not take such treatment lightly in the future, Jareth,"
Freddie warned, narrowing his ebony eyes to slits in mock anger towards his dear friend.
Jareth nodded in agreement, merely elated to be able to approach the fair Shayna
alone, without his constantly joking friend at hand. With a deep breath, and struggling to
keep composure, Jareth strode quickly beneath the curtain of leaves, and into the open,
where he was met with a startled gasp from the water.
Shayna started with fright. She splashed to the bank, struggling with heavily
watered-down garments, which clung to the craggy rocks that lined the lake on all sides.
Before she could have gathered her clothing together, Jareth was at her side, blocking her
retreat with his own body. She relented and instead covered herself as best she could with
her damp and dirty dress.
"I have wanted to speak to you for some time," Jareth said gently, daring a step
nearer to her.
However, she instinctively backed away from his advances. Shayna cast her
sapphire eyes to the ground, looking at her bare feet, that were now coated in mud. She
scraped a bit off on the rock, but found that suddenly Jareth had gripped her arm, and his
warm palm was lighting fires along her icy flesh.
"Please, my lord," Shayna begged, jerking backwards.
She slipped, and nearly fell into the shallow water at the bank. Jareth caught her,
gathering her body into his arms, so that their heaving chests pressed against each other.
Nothing, save the wind and their damp clothing separated them in that moment. Jareth
swallowed, unable to speak, save one sentence that instantly broke into his fogged mind.
"Jareth, not 'my lord', or I will be forced to call you 'my lady,'" Jareth stated
somberly, his flashing eyes boring deeply into her own widened gaze.
She pushed against him and then backed away once more, running a hand through
her mass of tangled, soaked locks of hair. She could not look at him, not after being so
close, too close for comfort. Such positions were what brought scandals upon young
women, tales that would not be easily shaken away.
"I beg you, let me leave," she whispered, her downcast eyes pooling with
crystallized tears.
Jareth watched, still silent with an overload of emotions forcing their way
throughout his system. He had been able to win over any female, with but the stroking
velvet of his voice, the debonair charm in his mannerisms, and the flashing intensity in his
eyes. Every aspect of his body spoke 'seduction' and yet Shayna would have none of it,
which left him at a loss for words.
"I only wish to talk," Jareth begged, reaching out to take her hand in his own.
Shayna recoiled, as if it were a snake that reached for her and not this young noble
from her town. Jareth did not give up easily. He instead averted his hand and stroked her
silken cheek with the very tips of his fingers. Shayna shivered, and instantly brought her
eyes up to meet with Jareth's.
"Talking is not why you keep me here," Shayna relented, knowing very well that
Jareth was not interested in mere conversation.
Jareth smiled and sat down upon a nearby rock. He gestured for Shayna to follow
suit, and sit across from him. She glanced warily at the rock, and then placed herself
delicately upon the slick thing. She folded her clothes on her lap, still clutching some of
the cornflower blue material over her undergarments, in which she had swam.
"You're right," Jareth agreed, nodding to show her that she had guessed correctly
at why he wished to speak to her, "I have far more on my mind."
Shayna managed an embarrassed smile, which flitted momentarily across her full
lips. Her cheeks where highlighted with a red flush, as she quickly averted her gaze from
Jareth and 'what he had on his mind.'
Jareth reached out, and quickly took hold of her slender hand. She allowed it
without a word of refusal. In fact, he could actually feel her grip tighten around his as he
drew closer, leaning from the rock to kneel on the sandy ground directly before the fair
lady.
"Shayna, I cannot live without you, must we both act as if we can allow this
emotion to go untouched?" Jareth questioned gently, kissing her palm to accentuate his
plea.
She removed her hand from his grip and then ran her fingers through his lovely
mane of pale blonde hair. Jareth's heart leapt again, and he wrapped his arms tightly
about her slender waist, burying his face against her wet garments. Her scent was one so
pure and fresh, like flowing water in springtime, and blossoming flowers, and it covered
his senses as he drew so close.
"You may call me Shay, Jareth," she whispered.
He upturned his face and allowed a broad smile to pass across his face. He rose
then, drawing her up next to him, so that they stood but a breath apart, eyes locked upon
each other. Then he slowly slipped his warm hands around her waist, bringing them
together so that their heartbeats melded into a unison.
"Then I shall," Jareth replied, brushing back a stray strand of hair that had matted
against her lovely face.
The world seemed to stand still for a moment, for just the briefest of time as they
gazed into each others eyes, and saw the purity of their emotions so raw, and unhindered.
Not a breath of air rushed through the clearing, nor did a sound form animals who dwelled
in the forest erupt suddenly. No bird took flight, no twig snapped. It was almost as if the
setting had been displaced from reality.
Overhead the sun's rays filtered through the trees, laying golden streamers down
upon the smooth surface of the lake. Bits of dirt and insects flitted through the showers of
sunshine.
It felt like magic, and fantasy, and everything that could be perfect in the world had
suddenly seized the moment to take control. And Jareth leant forward, his lips meeting
with Shay's. Their kiss broke through passionate intensities, and burst forth, hunger
raging within both.
In his soul, Jareth could feel a power growing, a strange, almost electric sensation.
Shay backed away a touch, just so that she could look into his eyes that raged with more
emotion than anything in the world. His eyes were without depth, without end, and
cloaked in an open trust that she instantly loved.
"I feel magic in your touch," she whispered, as she laid her head upon his shoulder.
Jareth held her close, adoring the feel of her body against his. Still, the sensation
of magic, of power that roared through his system, so strong that it nearly burst his
nerves.... invaded his thoughts. He had never sensed such a feeling as now raged in his
system, nor did he believe that it was merely driven by his love for Shay..... There was
something else, something deeper within himself that he could not guess at, at least not
yet.
All too soon, however, he would know the answer to the mystery.
* * * * * * * *
Those were the days of our lives
The bad things in life were so few
Those days are all gone now
but one thing is true-
When I look, and I find- I still love you.
* * * * * * * *
Jareth shook himself from his memoirs of the past. A single echoing drip of water
was the only sound in the darkness of the castle. Night had fallen some time ago and the
goblins had... at long last... bedded down for a brief rest before more chaotic, and surely
brainless, antics ensued the next dawn.
He rose, joints stiffened from sitting so still, in his throne, for many hours. Still, it
had not felt as long as had actually been. The Goblin King stretched. He looked out the
near-by window, his powerful eyes scanning the dark ground, the twists and turns of the
far-reaching maze, and the lands beyond.
It was all his, and still he felt like the young boy who thought about excessive
monetary objects as trivial. He was still the adolescent who needed no more than the love
of one woman who had run into him unexpectedly. Surely this pomp and circumstance
would suit another far better.
"Freddie," Jareth spoke the name that had been silent for so very long.
He had not thought about his dear friend for the length of a year, at least. Perhaps
the pain that would follow the memories had forced him to keep the thought of his dearest
companion far away.... so that he would not hurt anymore, would not suffer anymore,
would not inflict anymore wounds on his already damaged soul.
But now there was no hiding the face that had risen in his mind like a ghost,
refusing to leave. The times he had had with Freddie were innumerable, and perhaps the
best moments of his life. Like so many others, Jareth's dear friend had been the victim of
his rising to Goblin King. Freddie had, most likely, died in the village with everyone else.
It had been a scant three years, not enough time to even begin to heal, since he had
lost everything, and suddenly gained everything as well. Nonetheless, in that amount of
time Jareth had forgotten his best friend, and laid to rest his love. As the reminiscing
ensued, however, he realized just how little had changed.... and just how much he still
loved Shay with all his heart.
"What did I do?" Jareth asked, momentarily losing his composure as he banged his
fists against the overwhelmingly massive door, which led to his private chambers in the
confines of the monstrous castle.
He had made the entire, lengthy walk down the turning and twisting passageway to
his room, without a single thought as to where he was going. Jareth glanced around, his
gaze falling upon a solitary sleeping goblin, and then continued on into his chambers.
Everything he did felt strangely familiar... almost eerily so.
Jareth walked slowly within, the door closing behind him of its own accord. It
sealed itself in the frame, without a slam resounding throughout the halls. He reached out
with a single slender hand and grasped the bed post firmly. The Goblin King's knuckles
blanched out, a brilliant whiteness spreading across his tightly clenched hand.
He hung his noble head, blonde wisps of hair draping over his face, blocking the
show of emotion from the room... the room which lacked anyone. He was alone, so
alone, and it was all because of himself. Surely there could have been a way, some way to
go back and change it all.
"Time waits for nobody... at all," Jareth stated simply and then slowly rose to his
full height and dragged himself to the balcony, to look down at the now darkened,
well-kept garden below.
Shay lived there, in those beautiful buds and flowers, in the flowing ivy that draped
upon the fine trellice, and the seemingly living golden bench (wrought into vine-like
structures of artwork). She was in every shadow, every burst of light, each flitting
butterfly and passing bee. The song of the bird, and the cool reflection in the well, was all
Shayna. It was there that he knew, where Jareth could actually sense that she had not ever
left, and was still watching over her lover with a careful eye.
"And I will never forget you, my Shayna," he called out into the night. For a
moment he thought that, perhaps, a light flickered within the garden.
* * * * * * * *
The greater part of a month had passed without another sight of the awe-striking
woman, Shayna. Jareth searched, and nearly allowed himself to stoop to the level of
knocking on doors to merely ask if such a girl dwelled anywhere. However, his rational
prevented such a course of action. Surely, that would lead to speculations about the
young noble and his bride-to-be.
Summer had fully overtaken the land, bathing everyone in hot, unrelenting rays.
Solace was found only in the lake, where cool waters soothed burning flesh from the sun,
for a few moments of fleeting relaxation. There in sapphire pools, crystallized in the dull
shade of large oak trees, serenity bred.
Jareth leapt over a rock, then paused and, turning about once more, tackled it. He
climbed his way to the top as he gazed over the vast expanse of forest floor. Nature was
such a mesmerizing appearance. It was a present, a gift to behold. He watched the flitting
insects through the filtering golden traces of light, breaking their way through the thick,
green canopy of leaves overhead.
"Well?" Frederick inquired, leaning against the sturdy trunk of one of thousands of
other trees.
Jareth averted his attention and grinned, leaping down with innate grace, so as to
walk beside his friend. Certainly there had never been two individuals more different than
them, but still they made the closest of companions.
"Have you never wanted to look at our forest? I take time to enjoy it. Here is
perfection, Freddie," Jareth stated, gesturing around them with a sweeping movement of
both hands.
The other said nothing, but merely ducked beneath a low-hanging branch. A
curtain of foliage draped down from the tree limbs, but had been tied aside with some
roughly cut twine. Now it no longer hid the private alcove, the solace from summer
weather.
"That is your mistake, darling, this is perfection!" Freddie stated, a positively evil
grin upon his handsome face.
Freddie leaned, once again, against the tree, gazing at something in the pool of
refreshing water. His eyes spoke tales of what it was, and Jareth knew without asking that
a female was taking time to cool herself in the lovely lake. The noble walked beside his
friend, brushing the overgrown leaves a bit more to the side so that he might see around
enough to catch a glimpse at who was enjoying the water.
At once Jareth's heart leapt into his throat and his breathing hitched. He turned,
coughing slightly at the shock he had sustained from the sight. Freddie turned as well,
watching his friend now, a curiously questioning look dwelled within those obsidian eyes.
"One mustn't watch nature too much, eh Jareth?" Freddie asked with a light bout
of laughter and then started towards the pool, where he would certainly frighten the girl to
death.
Jareth jumped at his friend, catching Frederick's arm tightly. He forced Freddie
back, away from the lake, and the alluring promise of refreshing water... among other
things. Jareth placed a single finger to his lips, silencing them both from partaking in any
form of conversation yet.
"That is her, the one I spoke...."
"Ah, I see now why. Such a lucky devil, always finding those most lovely vixen,"
Freddie cut in and then turned around to parade out, perhaps shouting welcome to Shayna
and frightening her away once more.
Again Jareth reigned in his friend, forcing Freddie back into the hidden area,
behind the curtain of foliage and trees, as well as thick undergrowth. Shayna would not
know, would not guess, if she had not yet seen them, or heard their silenced discussion.
She did not seem to have left the lake, for there was no sound of quickly rushing
footsteps as she ran away. Nor did Jareth hear the splashing of water. There was only the
gentle lap of her hands, as she swam out into the center of the cool lake. The image of
her, golden hair floating on the surface around her angelic face, brought shivers to his
body.
"Must you be this way? I have not spoken to her, since... the celebration," Jareth
conceded, though his words were thick with conviction.
Freddie eyed his friend and then crossed his arms across his chest. The silk of his
shirt rustled together, creating something of a sweet lullaby allusion. He pursed his lips, in
thought, debating whether to easily leave or demand reason behind Jareth's most humble
requests. He finally sighed and turned to return to their town... alone.
"Very well, but we shall not take such treatment lightly in the future, Jareth,"
Freddie warned, narrowing his ebony eyes to slits in mock anger towards his dear friend.
Jareth nodded in agreement, merely elated to be able to approach the fair Shayna
alone, without his constantly joking friend at hand. With a deep breath, and struggling to
keep composure, Jareth strode quickly beneath the curtain of leaves, and into the open,
where he was met with a startled gasp from the water.
Shayna started with fright. She splashed to the bank, struggling with heavily
watered-down garments, which clung to the craggy rocks that lined the lake on all sides.
Before she could have gathered her clothing together, Jareth was at her side, blocking her
retreat with his own body. She relented and instead covered herself as best she could with
her damp and dirty dress.
"I have wanted to speak to you for some time," Jareth said gently, daring a step
nearer to her.
However, she instinctively backed away from his advances. Shayna cast her
sapphire eyes to the ground, looking at her bare feet, that were now coated in mud. She
scraped a bit off on the rock, but found that suddenly Jareth had gripped her arm, and his
warm palm was lighting fires along her icy flesh.
"Please, my lord," Shayna begged, jerking backwards.
She slipped, and nearly fell into the shallow water at the bank. Jareth caught her,
gathering her body into his arms, so that their heaving chests pressed against each other.
Nothing, save the wind and their damp clothing separated them in that moment. Jareth
swallowed, unable to speak, save one sentence that instantly broke into his fogged mind.
"Jareth, not 'my lord', or I will be forced to call you 'my lady,'" Jareth stated
somberly, his flashing eyes boring deeply into her own widened gaze.
She pushed against him and then backed away once more, running a hand through
her mass of tangled, soaked locks of hair. She could not look at him, not after being so
close, too close for comfort. Such positions were what brought scandals upon young
women, tales that would not be easily shaken away.
"I beg you, let me leave," she whispered, her downcast eyes pooling with
crystallized tears.
Jareth watched, still silent with an overload of emotions forcing their way
throughout his system. He had been able to win over any female, with but the stroking
velvet of his voice, the debonair charm in his mannerisms, and the flashing intensity in his
eyes. Every aspect of his body spoke 'seduction' and yet Shayna would have none of it,
which left him at a loss for words.
"I only wish to talk," Jareth begged, reaching out to take her hand in his own.
Shayna recoiled, as if it were a snake that reached for her and not this young noble
from her town. Jareth did not give up easily. He instead averted his hand and stroked her
silken cheek with the very tips of his fingers. Shayna shivered, and instantly brought her
eyes up to meet with Jareth's.
"Talking is not why you keep me here," Shayna relented, knowing very well that
Jareth was not interested in mere conversation.
Jareth smiled and sat down upon a nearby rock. He gestured for Shayna to follow
suit, and sit across from him. She glanced warily at the rock, and then placed herself
delicately upon the slick thing. She folded her clothes on her lap, still clutching some of
the cornflower blue material over her undergarments, in which she had swam.
"You're right," Jareth agreed, nodding to show her that she had guessed correctly
at why he wished to speak to her, "I have far more on my mind."
Shayna managed an embarrassed smile, which flitted momentarily across her full
lips. Her cheeks where highlighted with a red flush, as she quickly averted her gaze from
Jareth and 'what he had on his mind.'
Jareth reached out, and quickly took hold of her slender hand. She allowed it
without a word of refusal. In fact, he could actually feel her grip tighten around his as he
drew closer, leaning from the rock to kneel on the sandy ground directly before the fair
lady.
"Shayna, I cannot live without you, must we both act as if we can allow this
emotion to go untouched?" Jareth questioned gently, kissing her palm to accentuate his
plea.
She removed her hand from his grip and then ran her fingers through his lovely
mane of pale blonde hair. Jareth's heart leapt again, and he wrapped his arms tightly
about her slender waist, burying his face against her wet garments. Her scent was one so
pure and fresh, like flowing water in springtime, and blossoming flowers, and it covered
his senses as he drew so close.
"You may call me Shay, Jareth," she whispered.
He upturned his face and allowed a broad smile to pass across his face. He rose
then, drawing her up next to him, so that they stood but a breath apart, eyes locked upon
each other. Then he slowly slipped his warm hands around her waist, bringing them
together so that their heartbeats melded into a unison.
"Then I shall," Jareth replied, brushing back a stray strand of hair that had matted
against her lovely face.
The world seemed to stand still for a moment, for just the briefest of time as they
gazed into each others eyes, and saw the purity of their emotions so raw, and unhindered.
Not a breath of air rushed through the clearing, nor did a sound form animals who dwelled
in the forest erupt suddenly. No bird took flight, no twig snapped. It was almost as if the
setting had been displaced from reality.
Overhead the sun's rays filtered through the trees, laying golden streamers down
upon the smooth surface of the lake. Bits of dirt and insects flitted through the showers of
sunshine.
It felt like magic, and fantasy, and everything that could be perfect in the world had
suddenly seized the moment to take control. And Jareth leant forward, his lips meeting
with Shay's. Their kiss broke through passionate intensities, and burst forth, hunger
raging within both.
In his soul, Jareth could feel a power growing, a strange, almost electric sensation.
Shay backed away a touch, just so that she could look into his eyes that raged with more
emotion than anything in the world. His eyes were without depth, without end, and
cloaked in an open trust that she instantly loved.
"I feel magic in your touch," she whispered, as she laid her head upon his shoulder.
Jareth held her close, adoring the feel of her body against his. Still, the sensation
of magic, of power that roared through his system, so strong that it nearly burst his
nerves.... invaded his thoughts. He had never sensed such a feeling as now raged in his
system, nor did he believe that it was merely driven by his love for Shay..... There was
something else, something deeper within himself that he could not guess at, at least not
yet.
All too soon, however, he would know the answer to the mystery.