"Not again," Toby groaned, "I am not sitting down in the grass. I cannot see that bloody tree. What am I supposed to do- listen to the birds singing?"
"You might try it sometime, yes," Jareth answered flippantly, "But I have a better idea. Stand here."
And he let go.
Toby had one moment of sheer disbelief and then he was alone in the middle of the Gods-knew-where, with no sight, no proper sense of direction and more space around himself than he had ever dealt with in his five days without sight. "Jareth!"
The Goblin King stopped immediately and looked around. One sharp glance at the guards at the front entrance to the Castle and both knew better than to take any visible interest in the scene on pain of a large amount of trouble. "Yes?"
Toby hesitated for just a moment and then reached out to his right, where he was certain the fae had been just heartbeats ago. "You are going to leave me here? I could get run over by a goblin."
"They do not move that fast," Jareth retorted, lips twitching. Ah, a brief glimpse of a sense of humour! Maybe adversity did bring out the lighter side in a man. He wondered idly whether he should lame Toby as well; he might turn out to be a riot of fun. "You will be perfectly fine. If you hear or feel trouble coming at you, throw yourself out of the way. Simple."
"But not dignified."
"Would you prefer a dignified death or a less dignified life?"
Toby frowned and shrugged. "I would prefer to live my life with dignity. Whether I die or live a day more is irrelevant."
The guards exchanged looks of suspicion. Their King looked… for want of a better word, he looked interested. Far too interested. Almost predatory. And that was never a good sign because the higher his interest in the chase, the less likely he was to display any kind of fairness.
Mismatched eyes snapped to them and they straightened instantly, quivering a little to have been caught doing something improper. Jareth's fingers twitched but he did nothing, merely let his voice cool just enough to serve as a very audible warning- "Then rest assured, Toby, I leave you in the safest hands in my Kingdom. You are at the entrance to my Castle, with two of my own guard keeping a very close eye on you. They will be most happy to give their lives for yours. Hmmm?"
They saluted instantly with their battleaxes, silent and stiff with precision.
Toby heard the sudden clang of armour and jumped. It sounded very loud, almost as if it was right behind him. And now that he was thinking about it, he could hear the rasp and click of weapons being returned to their holding loops for safekeeping. And was that soft breathing he could hear?
The Goblin King left his ward puzzling out the wide avalanche of sounds bearing down upon him and sashayed away in search of his faithful steed.
His faithful steed was sulking.
"How long has she been like this?" he demanded, gazing moodily at her rump and not liking the view in the least.
The mountain sprite scratched his knotty head and drawled, "Day or two, Your Majesty. Doesn't eat and creates a right fuss at night. No doing anything with her. Just like a woman."
Jareth smacked him upside the head but didn't really bother too much. The mountain sprite lopped away with a rough grumble into his beard. Jareth leaned closer across the stall door.
Serenity twitched her long tail gracefully from side to side.
"Serenity, I apologize."
She actually had the gall to harrumph at him.
"Will you at least turn to look at me? I need your help."
She had nothing to say. Not, in itself, a spectacular thing for a mare that didn't talk, but she had always seemed surprisingly intelligent. Her keeper took it as a bad sign that she gave no sign of hearing him.
Jareth sighed and leaned heavily against the stall door in resignation. "Yes, I suppose this is stupid of me. After all, I am talking to a mare. A winged mare, it is true, but a mute animal none the less. Nothing more than a dumb beast, really, for all her pretty ways and speaking eyes. I should learn not to expect a creature to understand me; and she is just like any other creature in my Labyrinth. Utterly hopeless."
Serenity had heard quite enough. She might not understand human-based people. She might not speak any language at all. She did not even comprehend words or the strange sounds that speaking tongues shaped. But she did understand rejection and derision. Since derision often meant danger for her, she jerked around with a squeal of rage and went for the person she perceived as her attacker, wings stretched to full span above her.
Jareth stepped hurriedly to the side, and stripped off his gloves. He didn't like doing this to his Serenity. She would one day learn to either ignore him or she would refuse to forgive him. The fae really didn't want to lose her either way.
She paused for just a moment at the locked door and pushed against it, snorting and baring her teeth, getting ready to bash the weak wooden structure through with her sharp hooves.
Jareth began to sing in his native tongue, bared hands reaching for her proud neck, barely skimming the haired surface before she twisted away. But she wasn't pushing against the stall door any more and she wasn't rearing up. Even the span of her wings was lowering, the feathers folding gently back into place.
Jareth moved closer to her, standing in front of her and holding out one hand for her to sniff suspiciously at while the other rose cautiously to tangle in her mane.
Serenity huffed, but stilled.
"Clever girl," he soothed, stroking her in all those little places he knew she liked, "Forgive me, Serenity, for putting you through that. I know you hate it. But you really must stop sulking at me."
She nudged his shoulder and whinnied.
"Peach?" he offered, turning a crystal for her.
She scoffed for a while but gave in eventually, nibbling at it in an almost reluctant manner.
"I need your help, Serenity. You remember Toby Williams? My ward? Yes, strange, I know. But he has lost his sight and cannot see. Will you come with me to him? I think you will cheer him up no end. What do you say?"
She didn't reply. She didn't have to. The Goblin King was already opening the stall door and encouraging her out. She followed him, docile and still shaken from that horrible experience with the fear. Doggedly certain that the fae that had fed and cared for a tiny little foal would protect her from any danger. It didn't matter that the danger had come from Jareth himself. Just so long as he was there after everything to calm her, he would remain the one she chose to spend her time with.
"Toby?"
A blond head turned hurriedly towards the sound of his voice. Blue eyes crinkling automatically as the light fell across his brow even though it hadn't registered through the optic nerve. Toby shifted from one foot to the other and waited.
"I have a guest for you," Jareth explained, "Serenity needs exercise. Would you like a ride?"
"A ride?" That, Toby had not been expecting.
"Yes. Serenity usually accompanies me for a walk past the Goblin City to the Tanglewood Forest. She would be happy to bring you with us."
Toby considered that. The last time he had been up on the mare, it had been exhilarating. The kaleidoscope of browns and greens and blues had spread out below him like a patchwork quilt. The air had pushed passed him with a soft howl and a low growl and it had felt like magic to feel the steady stretch of muscles holding him up. Of course, he had been flying then. He would certainly do no such thing now!
"Serenity is quite safe," Jareth tempted, "And I will be there."
"The entire Goblin City could be there," Toby pointed out reasonably, "But I am blind. I cannot see anything at all. What if I lose balance? I can't see to grab a hold of Serenity; at least, not without risking hurt to her."
"She will heal, won't you?" Jareth petted his mare and tickled a soft ear.
Toby sighed and shook his head. "It was a good thought. But no."
"Try it," the Goblin King insisted.
Three minutes later, Toby was smiling to himself as Jareth guided his hands over the horse's flanks and neck. "To get you acquainted and comfortable with the feel of her," the Goblin King claimed. It had been rather a shock to touch something so warm and full of life, to feel the steady rise and fall of ribs even if he was just talking about a horse.
And Jareth's hands- hard, delicate, long fingers that wrapped soft-skinned around his own. Velvet compared to Serenity's soft hide; silk compared to anything Toby remembered.
They distracted him, those hands. They made him remember the flash glimpses in his mind's eye of wild, blond hair tailed out on the pillow; a hunched, pale shoulder meeting a long, slender back to greet him every morning. And there was that one morning when Toby had stayed in bed long enough to watch the fae wake up with a yawn and a mutter and sleepy eyes peering around to see if he was there.
"… so you can get up on her back now."
"Sorry, what?" He blinked a few times to clear his mind of the unwanted images.
A soft sigh and Jareth's rich voice came closer to his ear, hard fingers squeezing lightly before pressing his own hand insistently to take a firm grip on the demure mare's back. "Pay attention! I told you that you could mount her now. Take a ride while I lead."
The worries came flooding back. It was so high! And what exactly could Jareth do when one came down to it. "I still think this will not be a good idea."
"It will be. I am usually right, so you might trust me a little more."
The cocky sneer had probably been meant as a joke, Toby surmised. But the sentiment behind it was real. Jareth had rescued him from an awkward bout of misery. He had barked at him and pushed him and refused to make his blindness any kind of barrier. And for all that Toby would have liked at least an apology, Jareth seemed to be going out of his way to make things better. In fact, the mortal realized, this was probably as close to an apology as he was likely to get. That didn't sound very nice to him. He was going to insist on it. Jareth couldn't just get away with it.
"Toby? Serenity is getting restive."
The mare whinnied softly and bumped against him. Toby considered it. And concentrated. He had done this before, so if he could just consider the measurements again…
Jareth took a step back as the mortal swung up suddenly. Shocked, his first instinct was to grab Toby by the waist and steady him. His second instinct was to shout at the man for being so bloody foolhardy. But the jump had certainly seated Toby, even if Serenity had snorted and begun to sidle a little in aggrieved insult. She settled down easily when Toby crooned softly to her and scratched just behind her left ear.
"Are you sure?" Jareth demanded, taking a deep breath to steady his nerves.
Toby nodded vaguely and continued to look straight ahead, that little furrow deepening between his eyes.
Jareth shrugged and then took a firm hold of her mane. He would never put a rope or bridle on her- unless it was for her safety- and he knew damned well that the first moment he tried such a possessive trick with her, she would baulk. Jareth knew when to yield. At least with Serenity he had always got it right.
He risked another glance at the mortal shifting easily with the rocking motion of the horse carrying him. Toby had a good seat. He was not precisely that heavy because while he was large, Serenity was more than a match for his strength. Jareth felt himself relax.
"I do not know if you have ever read any of Jason Plassi's works, but I think you would enjoy the kind of skill he brings to literature," Jareth said suddenly, "In fact, I insist you read 'Silas'. Possibly one of his best works."
Toby tilted his head and unconsciously shifted warm fingertips to touch the back of Jareth's hand. "I believe I have read it. Not a subtle choice of topic, Jareth. It was about loss of sight."
"Not subtle at all," Jareth agreed companionably, "But there was one very interesting thing about his work that very few people knew- he spent months enduring the themes that he wrote about. In this case, he blindfolded himself for an entire eight months and hired someone to take notes for him on his condition."
"Really?" A spark of enthusiasm. Not politeness this time. Just plain enthusiasm. "I never had heard that before. Are you sure?"
"Very sure. I had it from a reliable source."
"Who?"
"My predecessor, King Hayle. Luka's father."
"Luke's father? He is spoken of very well."
"Yes, naturally. He made it a point to know his artists as friends. He was very good with his people," Jareth remarked, thoroughly without rancour or malice, "Too good. He made them believe that the land was theirs to do with as they wanted."
"Is it not?"
"No. The land is shared. There needs to be a balance," the Goblin King explained, "The land needs to remain wild and free and untamed. It needs to be left in peace. We can only take what we need and try to make do."
Toby was silent for so long that Jareth began to think the conversation had died down. Until the mortal touched the back of his hand again and said honestly, "I cannot help but think you are going in the opposite direction to King Hayle. I certainly agree that some parts of the land need to be preserved. But surely it is too much to ask that every race in the Underground be subjected to claustrophobia because they are too afraid of using a fertile resource?"
Jareth was so pleased by the gentle challenge that he chuckled lightly, noting with pleasure that Toby didn't even seem to realize what he had said that was so funny. "That is true," the fae said quickly, "But logical nature being what it is, you cannot allow free reign. Where does one draw the line? It is easier to keep limits if one is stern and says that 'no' means 'no'. After the fact, allowances can be made with suitable outward outrage."
"So you lie and deliberately set the standard too high, knowing that a few will fall and knowing that you will dismiss the supposed crime?"
"Cleverly put. That is exactly it."
"But that simply breeds guilt in people."
"Not if one looks at it logically. The only people who will- as you put it- fall, will be the ones who have already reasoned out that it is no unspeakable sin and those who are desperately in need. Both categories are the only categories that I might legally consider allowing to have the virgin land in any case, so that would be all right."
Toby laughed, shaking his head in rueful admiration. "Your mind is too circuitous, Jareth. It would be so much simpler to have a set rule that says 'yes' when you mean 'yes' and 'no' when you mean 'no'. But such a thing is beneath the Goblin King. He needs to take basic instinct into account!"
"Toby, life is never going to give you a set rule. It will say 'yes' when it means 'no' and it will say 'no' when it means that you have not the chance of matching me in a game of chess."
"Is this an indirect challenge to match you in a game of chess?" Toby sighed.
"Of course!"
"I cannot see the board, Jareth."
"Oh, stop complaining! Jervohl can make herself useful." Jareth spoke with all the faith of an overbearing older brother.
Complaining? Toby patted Serenity. "I suppose it will not hurt," he allowed, "But when we return to the Castle, there is a talk we need to have."
