CHAPTER 7.
"Yes, they are aren't they dear, I'm sorry about before but it was
just after we were speaking about the Bog incident I've told you about
in brief detail." Said Dursey, she smiled sweetly to her daughter.
Jareth still looking at their arms interlocked in each other's. Jane
pulled away when she saw the distressed look on his face.
"I'm sorry, I feel quite hungry, I shall be back in a moment." She
said and to her surprise she found herself in the kitchen at once
beside the sink. How had that happened? Had Jareth materialised her
there or had she done that herself? Jareth appeared a moment later.
scorn in his eyes.
"Did I just see that? Or was I just having a nightmare?" asked Jareth.
He approached her silently but fire in his eyes heated her senses.
"He approached me when I finished speaking with Casper, he offered his
Arm and we walked into the Dining Hall together.. Jareth, please,
you're scaring me." She said as she backed up against the sink,
pressed flat against the tiling. She felt as if she couldn't sink
further. She felt threatened by him; his eyes showed a fury within him
that she thought never possible.
"Is that all that happened, or did you wish something else to happen
too?" asked Jareth. He was definitely the jealous type, and Jane
didn't feel safe like this.
"Why would I want him when I have you as a husband? My body stings
when he is near, my spine hurts with unimaginable pain when he is
anywhere near. But when you are you near, I am in Euphoria." She said,
tears streaming down her cheeks. She held his shoulders and they
materialised in their bedroom. She kissed him gently but pulled away
soon afterwards. She had broke away from their embrace and walked
towards the window that looked over the courtyard where Ivy stood.
"Jareth, you scared me a moment ago, I never knew of such a fire that
was burning in your eyes. I am yours, you know that, and I would never
betray you, you have to believe me. I would never do anything that
hurt you. But please, do not talk to me like that.. Ever. I was hurt
once before; I do not wish to be hurt a second time by one I am
falling in love with. Your power scares me, and I am scared that your
power may suffocate and smoulder my own. If you bare such a grudge
over me ..." she said. She hugged her herself, trying to release
herself of the fear that crept up her spine.
"What grudge? I just felt so intensely jealous when I saw your arm in
his. You are my bride, I wish you to remember that at all times!" said
Jareth.
"Jareth, GET OUT!" she yelled at him, she flew her hand and the door
opened as she looked at him with a piercing cold gaze. He stared at
her with disbelief; she was ordering him to leave the room, their
bedroom.
"How dare you say that!" she said, "That's all I do think about, maybe
It would have been best if we had not wed!" said Jane. She stood
still, gazing out the window, waiting to feel his absence hit her like
a tonne of bricks.
He left the room without a word. It was the day after their wedding
and they had already argued and shouted. Was this really what she had
in mind of a perfect life?
She stood there for half an hour, not moving, not speaking, not
crying, just thinking, deeply, about what she had just said to the man
she was falling in love with. She felt so insulted by the words he had
spoken and so ashamed of herself for her own actions. What had
possessed her to shout at him? He did scare her, that much was true,
but she should expect that, a man with that much power gained respect
from peoples fear.
"I'm sorry," she whispered, but the words had not been left upon deaf
ears as she had hoped. She felt a hand on her shoulder; it was warm
with touch and as she winced by the appearance. She stood still, deep
in thought and not wanting to face him with her puffy eyes and red
cheeks. She felt another hand on her other shoulder and as she
tightened her crossed arms she was pulled backwards and held close
against his chest. She tried to pull away but her body didn't move, it
didn't want to move away from his embrace. She moved her arms and
turned around. "My arm was in his, because he offered his arm, and I
didn't want to be rude. That's all it meant. I was being your bride,
he was meant to be a friend. But I cannot trust my senses when he is
near; I experience the worst pain possible when he is within even a
metre of me. My spine, something will happen soon, I can feel it. I
smiled weakly before, trying to hide the pain. I made my excuses and
left as soon as I could. Please, don't punish me for something I could
not control." She said, Jareth was looking deep into her eyes and saw
the dark colour shine brightly in their core.
"I believe you, I'm sorry I didn't trust you, I should control my
anger, I couldn't control my feelings. They were spiralling inside my
head and I was a mix of emotions. I'm sorry for what I said, I know, I
was cruel. I can't believe what an idiot I was for saying that." Said
Jareth. He kissed her gently and tried to hold her closer but she
moved away before his grip tightened.
"I cannot be just a plaything with you, all we do is argue or kiss.
That is not what I had in mind for a relationship with such power."
Said Jane. She walked towards the bed and lay down.
"I do not consider you as just a plaything, you are much more than
just that to me!" said Jareth. " I just want you to know how much I
love you before we leave this place for my castle. It can feel so cold
and isolated there that I wanted you to know that I am your friend as
well as your lover. I know I am the first one to share your bed and I
just wish that you knew how happy I am that I that person you gave
yourself willingly and that you can rest assure. you are my first."
Said Jareth.
"But, I cannot rest.. You were like a monster before, your
possessiveness showed a side of you that is more uglier than the bog
of stench!" said Jane. A single tear ran down her cheek and she turned
on her side, pulling her knees to her chest and hugging them tightly.
"I'm sorry, my jealousy got the better of me. I guess that's what I
should have expected waiting how long I have for a bride. I want to
ask you. If it were to improve things somehow. would you leave this
house now and travel with me to the castle. Blake and Ivy can stay
here for a while longer. I promise.. We will not leave until you are
ready." Said Jareth.
"Yes, may we leave now, with all my belongings and clothing? Maybe
then we may enjoy our honeymoon. I can't cope with all these
interruptions." Said Jane. She sat up and ran a hand through her dark
hair, untangling it from its previous restraints.
"I shall walk downstairs with you to tell your parents." Said Jareth.
He offered a hand and Jane accepted, she wanted terribly to feel the
way she had about him this morning but she'd now seen a darker side to
him.
"Jane, I cannot excuse the way I spoke to you earlier, it was out of
order, I hope that I may make it up to you soon, somehow."
"I'm sure you will, but for now I need to leave this house.. Could we
take a walk? I'd like to stroll the grounds. Maybe then when I've
cleared my head, we may.. Talk again about leaving today. But not yet,
I'd like to walk." She said and they materialised downstairs near the
coat rail. She picked a long black cape and as she let it sit on her
shoulders Jareth fastened the tie for her so it couldn't fall off. She
smiled dazedly up at him and didn't see the usual leer he often used.
But a sympathetic smile, one that was out of tension, stress, pain,
strain, she could sense he was sincerely sorry about what was said
before but "what's said is said, we cannot turn back time!" said
Jareth, "I hope I can make it up to you soon. I hope we may be able to
put the events of this afternoon behind us."
"I hope so too, oh how do I hope so." Said Jane, she held his arm and
they walked down the steps to the gardens. "Jareth, that pain I feel
about Blake, I've never felt anything like it, I feel he and Ivy are
not who they make out to be." She looked up at him and noticed he
quite agreed with her.
"If they aren't who they make out to be, who are they?" asked Jareth,
he had one idea but wasn't sure how to rule it out.
"I don't know, maybe it could be. you know who. Merrick!" said Jane;
subtly she turned around to face him, planting a passionate kiss on
his lips. "So.. Do you think I can perform a spell to defeat them? I
mean if one of them is Merrick, I'll give you one bet, Ivy's a bad
seed too!"
"And you can perform spells to banish them? Take their powers and..
Defeat them?" asked Jareth, he looked at her in disbelief, could she
really defeat them so easily? " I don't think it's Merrick but I think
we should find out who they are exactly!"
"How? I mean I don't exactly have my resources with me do I? And we
can't wait much longer in case they plan attack on any one of us."
Said Jane.
"We can defeat them back at the castle, we just need to keep them occupied
for now!" said Jareth. He picked her up and held her close, they kissed and
materialised in the hallway in the big house.
