Dislaimer: Still not mine. Titania and Oberon are Will's, everyone else is mine...
Chapter 5: Glorious sadness.
Her search was fruitless. She finally gave up and went to the room that Titania had prepared specially for her, but had planned that she slept in it for only one night. She washed her face in the coldest water she could have brought up and brushed her hair, placing pins in strategic locations to give it the illusion of conforming to Fae Court standards. The dress she would wear for dinner was cream and burgundy, it hugged her body slightly, but the bodice was simple and lacked the extravagance of her other corsets. .
She was nearly dressed when the knock came to her door.
It was brief, and loud, it startled the brush out of her hand, it clattered to the floor. She left it, the only thing left to put on was the actual dress, and she was covered so she and went to the door. Jareth stood there. His face looked weary. "Come," she said quietly, moving aside to let him in. Behind his back she scurried all the maids out, her only words were, "Jareth can help me, shoo!" She thought not for a moment what the servants would say, only that he looked upset. She took him by the hand and eased him over to the lounge attached to her room. "Sit," they had thirty minutes before they needed to be down stairs for dinner, there was time to talk.
"There are some things that I must tell you before you we say our vows, even if it is only for a season," he stopped her from hushing him. "No, you must listen. They are things that may break your heart, but they may ease you as well."
"Go on."
"I haven't taken a lover since you and Emily came to be with me."
She nodded, surprised, but unwilling to interrupt him. There were always women in the castle, maids, courtiers, visiting dignitaries, and she had seen him in intimate discussion with them in public, but she had to admit to herself that she had never seen a woman coming from his chambers, or going in for that matter.
"I thought that when you and Emmy came that you would be gone in a few years. So it was never important, but by the time that you were old enough to take a husband for yourself and to go back to your own land I felt that it would be wrong of me to bring another woman into the castle. My castle, full of nasty Goblins that the maids are threatening to boil in the pots, the Labyrinth filled with strange and terrible beasts, as it is, no longer belonged to me alone. The place is yours, every where I look around the place your influence is there. I felt it was wrong to take a woman as my lover when the only one that the Labyrinth would accept was you." Remaining quiet, she moved from her chair to sit next to him, and laid her head on his shoulder. He had many burdens on his soul, and she felt at ease for the first time in weeks.
"When you came I know that my mother thought acting the part of the father would humble me, and teach me a lesson that would be good to know for when I take the throne, I fought it, but not nearly as actively as I once had. When I saw you laying there, bloodied and scared I couldn't help but wonder what kind of woman you would become, and then I was blessed with being able to find out." He smiled at her, and stroked her hair like he had done every night that she had a nightmare. "I know that you may not be happy with this marriage, but please, let me prove to you that I am what you need."
"Shhh, Jareth," she dropped to her knee's on the floor and laid her head on his chest, the material of his shirt scratched her face. She was happy that he wanted to be her husband, but she wondered how long he would be happy with it. When he realized that she was nothing like the women that he usually preferred he would caste her aside, but it didn't matter to her anymore. She would have him for the season, and it would have to be enough.
He pushed her away from him to look at her, he lifted her face and ran a finger over her chin and then bent and kissed her lips. She had been waiting for that moment for a long time, she couldn't remember a time that she didn't desire it, but now that it had come it felt surreal. His mouth was gentle and sweet, caressing her with a tenderness that she didn't believe could exist. He broke away and looked at her with his sad eyes.
With no words, he got up and left. When she heard the door close she laid her head on the seat that he had just exited. There were no tears, there was no noise. She simply sat until she heard the toll ring the hour. She got up and finished dressing. She looked around the room, at herself in the mirror, and frowned. She wondered what was going through his mind, if what he had said was the truth. Deciding that the truth of the matter was of no consequence she left the solitude and comfort of her room for the dinning hall.
Chapter 5: Glorious sadness.
Her search was fruitless. She finally gave up and went to the room that Titania had prepared specially for her, but had planned that she slept in it for only one night. She washed her face in the coldest water she could have brought up and brushed her hair, placing pins in strategic locations to give it the illusion of conforming to Fae Court standards. The dress she would wear for dinner was cream and burgundy, it hugged her body slightly, but the bodice was simple and lacked the extravagance of her other corsets. .
She was nearly dressed when the knock came to her door.
It was brief, and loud, it startled the brush out of her hand, it clattered to the floor. She left it, the only thing left to put on was the actual dress, and she was covered so she and went to the door. Jareth stood there. His face looked weary. "Come," she said quietly, moving aside to let him in. Behind his back she scurried all the maids out, her only words were, "Jareth can help me, shoo!" She thought not for a moment what the servants would say, only that he looked upset. She took him by the hand and eased him over to the lounge attached to her room. "Sit," they had thirty minutes before they needed to be down stairs for dinner, there was time to talk.
"There are some things that I must tell you before you we say our vows, even if it is only for a season," he stopped her from hushing him. "No, you must listen. They are things that may break your heart, but they may ease you as well."
"Go on."
"I haven't taken a lover since you and Emily came to be with me."
She nodded, surprised, but unwilling to interrupt him. There were always women in the castle, maids, courtiers, visiting dignitaries, and she had seen him in intimate discussion with them in public, but she had to admit to herself that she had never seen a woman coming from his chambers, or going in for that matter.
"I thought that when you and Emmy came that you would be gone in a few years. So it was never important, but by the time that you were old enough to take a husband for yourself and to go back to your own land I felt that it would be wrong of me to bring another woman into the castle. My castle, full of nasty Goblins that the maids are threatening to boil in the pots, the Labyrinth filled with strange and terrible beasts, as it is, no longer belonged to me alone. The place is yours, every where I look around the place your influence is there. I felt it was wrong to take a woman as my lover when the only one that the Labyrinth would accept was you." Remaining quiet, she moved from her chair to sit next to him, and laid her head on his shoulder. He had many burdens on his soul, and she felt at ease for the first time in weeks.
"When you came I know that my mother thought acting the part of the father would humble me, and teach me a lesson that would be good to know for when I take the throne, I fought it, but not nearly as actively as I once had. When I saw you laying there, bloodied and scared I couldn't help but wonder what kind of woman you would become, and then I was blessed with being able to find out." He smiled at her, and stroked her hair like he had done every night that she had a nightmare. "I know that you may not be happy with this marriage, but please, let me prove to you that I am what you need."
"Shhh, Jareth," she dropped to her knee's on the floor and laid her head on his chest, the material of his shirt scratched her face. She was happy that he wanted to be her husband, but she wondered how long he would be happy with it. When he realized that she was nothing like the women that he usually preferred he would caste her aside, but it didn't matter to her anymore. She would have him for the season, and it would have to be enough.
He pushed her away from him to look at her, he lifted her face and ran a finger over her chin and then bent and kissed her lips. She had been waiting for that moment for a long time, she couldn't remember a time that she didn't desire it, but now that it had come it felt surreal. His mouth was gentle and sweet, caressing her with a tenderness that she didn't believe could exist. He broke away and looked at her with his sad eyes.
With no words, he got up and left. When she heard the door close she laid her head on the seat that he had just exited. There were no tears, there was no noise. She simply sat until she heard the toll ring the hour. She got up and finished dressing. She looked around the room, at herself in the mirror, and frowned. She wondered what was going through his mind, if what he had said was the truth. Deciding that the truth of the matter was of no consequence she left the solitude and comfort of her room for the dinning hall.