Underneath the Crystal Moon
a/n: I do not own Labyrinth. For some time now I have not bothered to say it, but I do own all original characters. Ha! Beat that.
Part Two: Damien
Chapter 4
When Xen and Damien returned to the palace it was night, and there was a piece of parchment waiting for them. It was sealed with wax, and the seal stamped into it was that of King Danol.
"Wonder what this is?" Xen said as she broke the seal. And then she began to read.
To her Royal Majesty, Queen Xen, and his Royal Highness, Prince Damien:
We ask that you join us in the Goblin City as soon as possible. Prince Toby and Princess Cara have decided to marry sooner, rather than later. They will be wed in one week's time. We are having the ceremony in the Goblin City due to Queen Sarah's pregnancy. Since we were all here anyways, we thought it would be okay. Hope to see you in the next day or two.
Signed,
King Danol
"Lavina? When did this come?" Xen asked her maid.
"Yesterday, after you left, Your Majesty," Lavina told her.
"Please ask His Highness to come to my chambers," Xen ordered her maid. A minute later Damien knocked on the door. Xen went to open it, and found that the Goblin Prince was wearing nothing but a pair of pajama bottoms. She felt her face grow flush.
"Here!" she said as she held out the letter to him. He frowned and opened it. After scanning it he gave it back to her.
"We leave in the morning. Do you have a horse?" Damien asked her. Xen shook her head, "We will both ride on Daemon. We can make good time on him. It would take a week if we did not have him. I can use a bit of magic to speed the journey. We can be inside the city in three days if we push it. Be ready to go first thing in the morning," Damien said. He turned on his heel and left her in her doorway. He was right of course, but she hated being pushed around. But now she had to spend another three days traveling with this man. Away from her trees, and from her people. She sighed and began to pack.
Xen had seen the siblings briefly at the masquerade Sarah and Jareth had thrown. She had never had the opportunity to speak with them though. She had seen them when they were babies briefly though. By the Lady, had it been that long? It was sometimes difficult for Xen to remember the tall man that was staying with her was only a baby when she had been crowned. Had it been that long? Xen shook her head and began to pack.
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Damien was up early the next morning, and he dressed quickly in his riding clothes before going to Xen's room. Her maid was just about to bring in her breakfast tray.
"I can go ahead and do that if you would like, Lavina," Damien told the sprite.
The sprite gave into her mischievous nature and handed Damien the tray, "Of course, Your Highness. Thank you for offering"
Damien walked into the room and saw Xen was still asleep on her big bed. Her blankets were pulled up to her chin. He sat the tray down and went to her bedside. She looked peaceful. And quiet. She talked so much. But when she was quiet, she had a certain grace to her. She stretched out and the covers slipped down just a little, exposing her bare shoulders.
Bare shoulders?, Damien thought with alarm, But that would mean…
Damien realized with a start that Xen was not wearing anything under her covers. He quickly left the room, and went in search of the impudent little sprite who had almost gotten him in trouble. A blush spread over his cheeks, which only served to make him madder.
Xen woke up and saw her breakfast tray sitting on the table, but no Lavina. Remembering she had a guest, Xen grabbed her robe and headed out onto the balcony. She shrugged when she saw nothing, and began to eat her breakfast, knowing she had to be quick about it. By Damien's count, they would make it to the Goblin City with two days to spare.
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Damien was just strapping the last of the packs onto Daemon when Xen came out of the castle wearing the same short tunic she had worn while they were surveying the forest. She offered Damien a smile as she approached his horse.
"Daemon, this is Xen. She is going to ride with us. Be nice," Damien said to his horse. The horse even snorted as if he understood. Damien mounted and then pulled Xen up behind him on the saddle. Xen settled herself in, holding onto Damien's waist. She prayed her bun would hold her unruly hair in place as they rode. She had given instructions to Xdrea and Lavina, and trusted they would stay out of trouble for five or six days. She waved at them as they took off.
It was fine at first, Daemon cantoring happily through the forest towards the Goblin Kingdom. They were eating up ground at a steady pace. After a few hours Xen's butt began to hurt, and by the time they stopped for the night, her butt really hurt. She spread out her blankets and lie down on her stomach as Damien built a fire.
"Do you want me to help with something?" Xen asked, relishing the fact that her ass pointed up right now.
"No, it's okay. Do you want some laced coffee?" Damien asked her politely.
"Thanks, that would be nice," Xen said, "Do you know if there are any bodies of water near here?"
"Not far to the south there is a spring. It is cold though," Damien added.
"Ah. Well, cold water will do nothing for my backside, so I guess I can wait to bathe," Xen told him with a sly smile. Damien just went about his work, oblivious to her comment. He was so hard to get a reaction out of! Aggravating.
The coffee was soon ready, along with some cheese, bread, and apples Damien had packed. Xen happily chomped on an apple, but refused to roll over onto her back.
After a few minutes Damien spoke, "I know a little healing magic, I could maybe help you. It would require me putting my hands on your posterior though"
Xen tensed up as he mentioned touching her like that, and he noticed. It was almost a visual cringe, as if she would wrap herself in a ball if she could.
"No thank you," was all she said. Damien let it drop. He's be damned if he was going to argue with someone who not only outranked him, but who was also an obviously startled little dryad. It wasn't worth the energy.
They slept under the stars, with a gently fire burning. And at first light, they set off again, with magic on their side as they rode.
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Queen Sarah smiled as she danced a crystal ball on her hand. Damien and Xen were close now. They had been on the road for two days, and would be in the Goblin City by nightfall. Her son looked as if he wished she would stop talking, and she looked like she wished he would say something. It made Sarah smile.
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Daemon skidded to a stop in front of the castle, and a handsome young man came to take Daemon's reins as the sun dropped below the horizon.
"Aidan," Damien said in greeting.
"Your Highness," Aidan bowed. Normally Aidan would have joked with the young prince, but court appearances must be maintained unless Sarah or Jareth told him it was okay. He just took Daemon's reins and headed towards the stables. Xen just wished for a warm bath to ease away the ache in her bottom. She followed Damien into the castle, and towards the audience chamber.
The joint rulers of both the Goblin Kingdom and the Labyrinth sat in their blackwood chairs on a raised portion of the audience chamber, talking quietly. Sarah's hand was resting on her very big belly. She looked up when she heard the footsteps Damien was making. Xen made very little noise at all, her feet were small and she was light. She smiled at them as they walked into the room.
"Xen! So nice to see you! I am glad you could come," Sarah told her sister queen as Xen gave a nod of the head.
"Queen Sarah, it is nice to see you as well. King Jareth," Xen nodded in the direction of the very fair king. He only nodded in response.
"Damien, did you treat the queen well during your journey?" Sarah asked her son.
"Yes," was all Damien said. Xen stared at him. So few words!
"No way mister! My backside hurts!" Xen protested, and she earned a chuckle from the king.
"Xen, your rooms are already prepared if you would like to go bathe and change. Then we will have dinner," Sarah told the dryad.
"I'm going to do the same if you don't need me," Damien told his mother. She waved him off.
"Xen, you are staying in the same rooms as you did the last time, do you know the way or would you like me to summon someone to help you?" Sarah asked Xen.
"No, I can manage, thanks," Xen told Sarah, and she followed Damien down the hallway. But he turned right, and she turned left. She had no idea where his rooms were, and then she had no idea why she even cared.
Xen's rooms were done in the colors she liked best. Sarah had done that with her when she had been staying there. The carpet's were in rich shades of green, and the walls were a very lovely cream color. The bed was made of a light wood, with coverings in shades of reds and golds, like fallen leaves. She loved her rooms here almost as much as she liked her rooms at home. The bathroom was made of natural stone and the bathtub was made to look like a small pond. Sarah had wanted her to feel at home here, and she did. Xen turned the taps and the bath started to fill with warm water. She stripped and tossed her tunic into a corner. Then she lowered herself into the tub and immediately stuck her head underneath the water, rinsing the miles of traveling off her body and out of her hair. She used the fresh smelling soaps and shampoos and scrubbed until she felt clean again. Then she stepped out of the tub and dried off. A small goblin walked in and Xen knew that this was Agee, Sarah's maid.
"Your Majesty, the queen sent me to help you with your hair," Agee told her, and waited patiently. Xen went to her closet and looked inside. She still had gowns here. She chose a golden toned gown made of a silk crepe that fell to mid-calf. It was off the shoulder, with a scoop neck and a princess waistline. The skirt was a-line, and slightly full. She sat down at the vanity and let the goblin work her magic with her hair. Soon her reddish-gold curls were arranged so that they gathered in a bun at the crown of her head, with a long length of curls falling fetchingly over one shoulder. Sarah did not require her to wear shoes since she knew Xen did not like to ever wear shoes, but Xen did feel she could wear the cute golden sandals that she had seen in her closet. So she slipped them on.
"You look very beautiful, Your Majesty," Agee told her, "The family is just about to gather if you would like to join them now"
Xen walked out the door and was met by Prince Eamon, who was leaning lazily against the wall.
"Well met, Your Majesty. Don't you look pretty tonight!" Eamon exclaimed.
"Nice of you to say Eamon. You are such the flatterer. I hear tales everyday of how many hearts you have broken," Xen teased the prince as she took his arm.
"I don't break them. Those girls are just not what I am interested in. Then they get upset because I will not drop to my knees in front of them and propose. What did you do to Damien?" Eamon asked her.
"Huh? I have no idea what you are talking about," Xen told her escort.
"He has been hold up in his room ever since you two arrived, and will not talk to any of us," Eamon told her.
Xen shrugged, "I have no clue"
They continued down the hallways until they reached the dining room.