Disclaimer: Same as other chapters.
A/N: So guys, I'm really sorry this chapter is so late. Honestly, life happened, my focus shifted from this story to others, and regrettably, the rough draft of this chapter lay for months in my computer's hard drive waiting for me to proofread and post it. But now that I have had a small break in my finals studying time, I will now post it here for your viewing pleasure! Again, I am deeply sorry that this is so late. I hope that it is worth the wait.
A Princess Revealed
Once they were done chuckling at their small joke, James and Viola approached the sleeping girl as silently as possible in case any noise should wake her up.
As they stood over her, James frowned, turning to the girl's face. "She has the appearance of someone from the Latvanian Royal Line . . ." he observed before he turned to the crown in her hands. His frown deepened and he touched the tip of one of the blood crusted spires, "And she carries the crown of the Latvanian Queens. Perhaps she is their Princess?"
"Or either she has just worked in their castle," Viola reasoned, studying the girl before them with a frown on her lips and her arms crossed, "Remember. There are many who have been born as descendants from Geneva's line who have not taken the throne. Those Fae possess the appearances and characteristics of Latvanian Royalty. Many of them may also work in the castle, as well as the rest of the Latvanian kingdom in its many villages and towns. Furthermore, those Fae are bound to create families, which in turn produce even more descendants possessing the characteristics of the Latvanian royal line. The bottom line is, this girl could be anyone who has worked in the castle, whether she be the head maid or the lowest servant girl. We can't just assume that because she has the royal line's physical characteristics that she is Princess Arissa."
James blinked at the woman, then turned back to study the girl's face, "But then who is she? And why did Jareth feel such a need to send her here and away from the battle in Latvania? What was so special about her?"
Viola blinked, following his gaze and taking in the angelic looking pale face, "I have a feeling that the answer to all of those questions is the same." James sighed and leaned forward, whisking a silvery hair that was over her cheek away from the girl's pale skin.
As his gloved finger touched her skin, a bright golden spark formed at the area of contact and he gasped, his hand moving quickly back in his surprise. The small ball of light formed by that spark flew from her cheek and slammed into the wall in a shower of sparks. As the two Fae neared the wall, the light formed a message which hovered just in front of the stones of the castle.
James frowned at the message and began to read it slowly, "James. If Viola isn't already present, please go get her. You both need to read this message."
Viola frowned and walked forward, glancing at the redheaded Fae before turning to the message and continuing to read it, "The Fae woman I have sent to you is Princess Arissa of Latvania. She is the last remaining descendant of the Latvanian Royal Line. I transported her to you in order to preserve the line, and to preserve and protect the Latvanian Kingdom. I did so by giving her an enchanted peach to drain her energy and cause her to go into a deep sleep. The effects of it should wear off in about 13 hours. I must remain in Latvania to drive the Bosnians out from the land, so please keep her in my old room until I arrive back home. I don't think she is greatly injured physically, but please check to make sure. Viola, please tend to any wounds she might have, give her a bath, and allow her to rest until my return. You are the only one I would ever trust with this task. James, once you have helped Viola in getting Arissa up to my old room, please return to the Throne Room and continue to wait for my return. I have suffered no serious injury thus far, and should be home soon."
The two Fae then murmured at the same time the cursive writing at the bottom of the message, "Sincerely, Jareth, the Goblin King." Turning to the girl, the two sighed in unison with shoulders slumped in pity and walked over.
Gazing down at her, Viola allowed a sadness to enter her eyes. Reaching down, the Fae woman let her hand rest on the child's forehead and begin to rub the pale forehead beneath the white locks of hair. Arista gave a slight twitch at the movement, but didn't wake. Viola felt a tear linger in her eye for the newly orphaned princess. This was the second time she'd seen a royal babe orphaned far too early in life. "Poor thing. That means her father died in the battle. . ." the Fae woman murmured.
James nodded solemnly, gazing at the Fae Princess with empathy in his heart, "Yes, and we both know we will certainly need to give her emotional support later because of that. But right now, we have to deal with anything physically wrong with her . . . after all, that was the order that Jareth gave us, and that is just what I plan on doing." Leaning back, he rolled up his sleeves, cracking his neck from side to side.
Viola nodded firmly at him, taking a step back, "As do I. Her emotional wounds must wait to be mended. At least for a little longer." James smiled and nodded in agreement, "They'll be dealt with soon enough. But for now. . ." He sucked in a deep breath and shut his eyes tight, before turning to the princess and thrusting out his right arm, palm faced down and fingers outstretched. At least a foot lay between it and Arissa's pale body. In the next instant, a golden stream of light raced down his arm, wrapping around it in loops before meeting at his hand. A golden ball of light began to form around his right hand, going from just a slight hue to an intense golden energy ball as he held his hand over her forehead. Letting his breath out, he opened his eyes and they began to glow a bright golden color that matched the orb of energy beneath his hand. As Viola watched on in silence, the Fae's hair floated around his head as he called upon the magic within himself. He took in a deep breath once more and the orb sent out a bright beam of light down upon Arissa's sleeping face. Viola leaned over and clasped his shoulder, a silent encouragement to the Fae male, knowing that what he was doing was delicate work that required the deepest of focus.
James frowned, his forehead creased in concentration. Letting out the deep breath, he gritted his teeth as he slowly moved his hand- and as a result the beam beneath it- down the girl's body from the head to her toes, the beam widening to accommodate the varying widths of her frame so that as it moved it covered the entire section of her body that his hand was currently hovering over. Once he had reached her toes, he took a quick breath and let it out and then moved his hand back up again, running the beam slowly along her body until he was back at her head, the beam of light assessing her body's condition as his hand moved.
As Viola waited patiently, he closed his outspread fingers into a fist, shattering the beam of light into millions of pieces that then evaporated into thin air. He sucked in a deep breath and brought his fist back towards himself and close to his chest as he let the breath out. Viola blinked at him and rubbed his shoulder gently, "What did you figure out, dear?" The Fae male bowed his head and took in another deep breath, closing his glowing eyes as his left hand moved rubbed the back of his right one gently, before opening his eyes, which had returned to their normal color, letting out a soft sigh.
He gazed at the Princess for one second longer, and then turned to Viola, "I sense no major physical injuries within her form. Only a great amount of tension in her energy streams. We need to take care of that as soon as possible."
Viola nodded in agreement, blinking at the younger Fae, "Very well. Then all we need to do is get her upstairs to Jareth's old bed chambers. There I can clean her up, dress her in some clean clothes, and tuck her into bed."
James nodded firmly, "Right. Let's get her up there, then." Turning to the Fae Princess's sleeping form he leaned forward and reached out with his two hands towards the crown. The Fae male sighed deeply as he slowly pried the ornamental piece from her clenched fingers and handed it over to Viola so that the Fae woman could put it in one of her pockets for safe keeping. As the Viola did so, he turned to Arissa and moved his right hand up to be palm up and in front of him. He gritted his teeth, mustered up his magic within him once more, and snapped his fingers, a flash of light emitting form his eyes. A great gust of wind seemed to emit from beneath the Fae Princess and she shot up quickly to hover in the air, her hair floating on the magic holding her up. James smiled weakly. That way, it'd be easier to move her to the bedchambers.
With that having been done, Viola turned and walked out of the Throne Room briskly, moving down a hallway and into the entrance hall. James soon followed with two steps for each of hers, the body floating between them as the two Fae travelled through the castle, Jame's hand still held up in order to guide Arissa through the corridors and up the many flights of stairs to the tower which held Jareth's old bedchambers. As the two passed through the entrance hall James gazed around a little, taking in the freshly cleaned and polished stone that made up the wide floor, tall walls, and arched ceiling which contained rather ornate rafters.
He understood that as a part of their punishment for helping the mortal Sarah Williams through the Labyrinth, Jareth had ordered the knight Sir Didymus, the gardener Hoggle, and the beast Ludo to clean this hall, along with many other rooms within the castle, including the massive banquet hall on the third floor, the Throne Room, and the Escher Room. The three had easily already finished the first three rooms, but they were still working at cleaning the Escher Room. James truly felt sorry for them. He knew all too well that the standing record for the quickest cleaning of that room was one year . . . and that was with a whole legion of goblins! There were so many passageways in that room . . . every ceiling and every wall could be a walkway that would need cleaning . . . the bottom of one staircase could represent the stairs for another, as well. Because of all those characteristics, the room was hard to clean even if one knew their way around it. Dependent on how well those three might be accustomed to the room, the red headed Fae could imagine that any one of the trio might have cleaned one section of the room, moved off to clean another section, and before they knew it, would be back cleaning the section they'd just finished! James sighed. Still, they were lucky they weren't dumped head first into the Bog of Eternal Stench. . . and on the bright side the Entrance Hall and Throne Room had never looked cleaner. . . as he thought this, he gazed up at the massive wrought iron chandelier hanging up above them with the numerous magically glowing golden candles inside of it giving off beautiful golden light.
When he had finished looking at the chandelier, the young Fae male turned and gazed at the various tapestries containing full body pictures in their stitches of all of the Underground's Kings and Queens from over the years, dating all the way back to King Ajavet. Between each tapestry were either statues of the rulers that had ruled over the land, statues of various goblins and other creatures of the Underground, or black suits of armor. The last tapestry, close to a massive staircase that led up to the third floor of the castle at the end of the hall opposite the giant stone castle doors, held the current castle seamstress's rendition of Jareth. James blinked, gazing at that tapestry, which, like all the others, had ornate Fae symbols sewn into its edges in bright golden hues. The red head frowned into the mismatched eyes of his older brother as he walked along the hall. Jareth was the only one that wasn't on the two walls leading to the staircase. Rather, he was located on a section of wall to the left of the staircase. On the section of wall to the right of the staircase, there was a long blank space. That would hopefully hold a tapestry with Jareth's queen upon it . . . someday.
James blinked and turning, faced Viola's back as the woman had made her brisk way across the massive hall and went up a small staircase that she'd revealed by opening an oak and wrought iron door. In spite of her great age, he had to hand it to Viola: she moved quickly. Of course, she was the Lady of the House, and had worked and lived here for centuries.
Carefully, he floated Arissa's body through the doorway and closed the door behind him. With the closing of the door, the two made their way up the stairs and onto a long winding corridor. James frowned, turning to the walls, which, aside from having wrought iron and wooden doors set into them, also had black suits of armor standing against them, tapestries that showed pictures of the Labyrinth and the creatures within it on their walls, and ionic pillars before them. On each of these pillars was one of two things. On some were vases of beautiful flowers plucked from the royal gardens that were decorated with intricate Fae art upon their porcelain surfaces. On other pillars were small stone and metal sculptures depicting various types of Fae faces, Fae bodies, goblins, fairies, unicorns, and other magical creatures.
Illuminating the hallways that they passed through were various torches in wrought iron holders, their golden glows causing the otherwise dark hallways to be filled with a bright light. Viola took a turn to the left and James followed obediently with Arissa. The two climbed three stairs, and then walked down a more open air passageway. James turned, and gazed at the Labyrinth and Goblin City now basking in the darkness of night and stretching out before him, as the three Fae passed by beautiful arched windows that looked out over the massive moving Labyrinth and the city it protected. On the wall to his right, away from the windows, was a long tapestry of a black background with golden vines and spires sewn into it that stretched the length of wall opposite the windows. He breathed out calmly, a set of three small glowing chandeliers hanging from the high ceiling above them, allowing them to still be able to see their way around.
It was then that Viola silently turned to the right and opening a door, headed down a hallway that led deeper inside the castle with James once again following obediently behind her.
They passed through many more hallways and corridors much like the first they'd entered into upon climbing the stairs from the Entrance Hall until finally they came to a dark oak door with wrought iron set into it. To ignorant newcomers, it looked like any other door. But Viola and James knew of its significance. On either side of it were two torches glowing an odd, deep blue light that shone in sharp contrast to the golden glows of the other torches in the castle. The doorknob looked to be coming out of the mouth of a wrought iron goblin head set in the door, and the key hole was set below the knob into the wrought iron face.
Viola frowned and turning to her ring of keys, picked out the proper one, a heavy wrought iron one with shimmering blue sapphires inlaid in its handle. The Fae woman gave a soft smile to the key. After all, she had not used it in quite some time . . . turning, she slid it into the lock, gripping the door handle as she moved the key with a gentle click! Twisting the knob and pushing open the door, the woman gazed at what lay beyond for only a moment before she lifted up the hem of her dress and set about climbing the tall winding staircase located just off and up from the five foot long landing that lay behind the door, with James following silently behind her with Arissa's floating body. The trio passed various tapestries with goblins and Fae upon them which lined the walls of the narrow staircase that twisted and turned as it made its way around a central stone wall within the tower they'd just entered.
James glanced around, the tower's stairs illuminated with torches akin to those just outside the door which had now slammed closed after them via magic. The red head let out a sigh. He'd not been up here for years. And he assumed that Viola hadn't either. . . "Almost there," the Lady of the Castle murmured calmly, blinking ahead of herself as she climbed the well-worn stairs, beginning to gently murmur as she climbed, "40. . . 41. . . 42 . . . 43. . . 44. . ." James blinked, realizing that the Fae woman had memorized how many stairs there were in this tower. Her memory after so many years amazed the young Fae as he proceeded up the stairs, continuing to hold his hand up in order to keep Arissa before him. "49. . . 50. . ." Viola finally sighed, and with that the two stood on a landing illuminated by a small chandelier above them glowing with blue candles.
The flickering light provided by the fixture illuminated the wrought iron J set into the door with massive blue sapphires set into it. They'd reached it. Jareth's room that the Fae King had had as a prince during the long summers he'd spent at the castle. Viola sighed deeply and let a small smile cross her face, reaching up with one hand and running her pointer finger along the J. She'd had to tend to many a distraught Jareth in the room beyond.
Jareth and James had, contrary to most Fae royalty, not lived in the castle year round as most Fae royalty did whilst learning their royal lessons. One the contrary, they'd primarily spent the fall, winter, and spring months learning from royal tutors at their family estate in the western countryside made up of massive rolling hills in the Underground, coming only to live in the castle during the summer months. And whilst another nanny took care of James, Viola had personally tended to Jareth. She remembered well the young Jareth clinging to the hem of her skirt as she did her duties, following her around. She remembered even when he grew older the nights spent in his room. Often times he would have gotten in trouble with his grandfather who rarely saw eye to eye with the young Fae prince, and after a swift and harsh spanking from Viola Jareth would sit still and aid the nanny in her sewing. It helped to clear his mind, and in the end, he often fell asleep curled up at her side as she stroked his blonde, shimmering locks of hair with gentle velvet fingertips. Viola and Jareth bonded greatly, and often times she despised the fact that she only got to care for him in the summer months.
At least, that was until their father and mother died. From that point on, the two princes spent all year at the castle, continuing on with their royal lessons until Jareth was deemed worthy and wise enough to become the Goblin King. At that point, Jareth had moved from his bedchambers in the high North Tower of the Labyrinth's castle and into the royal bedchambers on the fifth floor of the ten-story structure. James had then proceeded to move from his own chambers in the South Tower to an estate he had obtained near the seaside trading town he was governor of on the Southeastern Coast of the Underground. There, James oversaw all trade that went on in what was considered the Underground's primary trading center, where fishing boats were constantly bringing in bountiful catches, livestock and equine animals were held in holding pens and yards before being traded or auctioned off, and crops were traded with textiles, animal goods, and artisan crafts.
The town itself was always bustling with Fae, Goblins, and other creatures of the Underground which filled its cobblestone streets. The town contained inns for those who had traveled far from the predominantly agricultural or textile areas of the Underground to trade for fish and other things that were prominent along the Southeastern coast, townhouses for the village's permanent residents, pubs for those looking for a good, hearty time, a blacksmith's home and workspace, a wagon and cart repair shop, and other shops full of luscious, beautiful things. In the streets there were always vendors with various Fae Jewelry, fish that were fresh from the harbor, and fruit from grand gardens. The town itself was always filled with music from various musicians who would go out in the street. In short, the town always had a lively feel to it.
James preferred his own estate to the town, set a bit away from the bustling trading port in the middle of some great rolling hills that led to some cliffs that looked out over the sea just beyond the Underground's border. It was from that quiet estate that he handled the economic affairs of the seaside town, along with the economy of all the Underground. It was also from that estate that he carried out his small equine breeding business. He loved breeding Unicorns, Pegasi, and Draft Horses together to create fantastic creatures of swiftness, beauty, and color. He himself personally rode a red chestnut stallion cross between a Unicorn and Draft Horse. The creature was called Firebird, and had the strength and size of a mighty Shire and the speed and horn of the Unicorn. Because of such a combination, upon Firebird James could easily ride the fifty miles between the estate and town in only five minutes. Overall, James loved all of his creatures that he bred, along with the estate and its orchards, servants' cottages, and gardens. He just knew that he would love to share it with his bond mate someday, whenever he found her.
Now James watched as Viola unlocked the door with another one of her keys and pushed it open, walking inside. Turning to him, she motioned for him to enter into the massive bedchamber. James nodded and walked on through, Arissa hovering before him. And gazed around. For someone who had never been up there, the large chambers spilling out before him were a sight to behold. There was the black oak king sized bed with a tall, midnight blue glittering canopy that shimmered on the light breeze coming through a tall open window across from him and Viola which when its midnight blue drapes were pulled, could act as a closed off window that stood between the room and the outside world. The drapes of the window matched the canopy of the bed.
On the bed, on top of an exquisite goose feather mattress was a silky midnight blue sheet, a large silver comforter, and a silver and midnight blue swirled blanket made of the softest sheep's wool. At the head of the bed was a long silver body pillow of the smoothest of silk and other pillows of blues and silvers as well. The latter pillows were as soft as the blue and silver blanket and were dotted in intricate Fae designs. Torches set into the walls emitted a deep midnight blue light upon the room, which also housed a small pit with various midnight blue and silver cushions on top of a matching blue couch that had been placed there for the room's occupants to recline upon at their pleasure.
Such a couch was set before a massive fireplace that looked like it was made up of stone goblins standing on top of each other and holding up a long stone mantle that had a dark oak clock resting upon it. The fireplace itself now housed a massive midnight blue fire. It currently only emitted a slight heat and its temperature would change as needed by the occupants automatically. Along with the torches it succeeded well in filling the room with a deep blue light.
Where the wall behind the bed and the wall that housed the door leading from the staircase into the room met and formed a corner, a small black oak desk could be found with various books that taught one about the ways of magic sitting upon the shelves around it or on the surface of the desk. One book was still open, just the way Jareth had left it years ago. The desk, along with its dark oak chair that had a nice luscious midnight blue cushion on it, was beside an ornate black oak dresser with a mirror atop it. Beside the window on the opposite wall was a tall black oak wardrobe, housing whatever clothes that weren't in the dresser behind its tall doors. James knew that a dark oak door off to the side beside the fireplace led to a stone bathroom.
Viola gazed about the room for a moment and walked over to the bed, gazing down at the blanket atop it and running her hands over it, lost in her memories. Looking about the room, she saw Jareth, his palm clasping his forehead and sweat running down his neck as he struggled to learn new magic skills at his desk, as she stood behind him, stroking his back between his shoulder blades, willing him to continue to try to learn. She saw Jareth standing on the ledge of his window, breathing hard, as she stood cautiously behind him, waiting for him to transform into an owl for his first big test flight over the land that would one day be his. She saw him sitting in the cushion pit before the fire as a young lad, gazing with wide, mismatched eyes up at her as she reclined on the cushion, telling him a goblin tale before bed. She even saw him curled up on the bed, fast asleep with tears racing down his cheeks even as a teen at the loss of his parents, and her lying in the bed behind him, stroking him and cooing to him, gazing with pity down at the Fae lad, longing to help him as best she could through his pain. Viola had tended to Jareth's father before him in this room, but that time didn't resonate nearly as much as her time with young Jareth had. Perhaps it was the fact that she had just recently had her own son grow up to work in the castle, and she had clung to Jareth as a mother who needed her empty nest filled again. Regardless of the reason, she treated Jareth as if he were her own, and couldn't have been prouder of him when he'd become King.
A part of Viola honestly didn't want Arissa to stay in this room. To her, it would always be Jareth's, whether occupied or not. But it's what Jareth wishes, and so I must comply, the Fae woman thought with a sigh, and walked briskly over to the wardrobe, gripping the door handles and wrenching the doors open, gazing at some of Jareth's old clothes that he had worn when he was a Prince which still hung prim, proper, and ready to be worn inside. The Lady of the Castle blinked, "We'll take these out in a little while and move some more suitable clothes for Arissa into the wardrobe as soon as possible. It should be a relatively simple process. Only a matter of tailoring some clothing we already have here in the castle to fit her size and shape." She turned to James who blinked across at her, "When you leave, just send a goblin to find the castle's seamstress. Tell the goblin to tell the seamstress that I wish to see her immediately regarding accommodations to be made for a new Castle guest." James nodded, blinking, mutely agreeing with the woman.
Viola smiled weakly at James before before turning and closing the drapes on the window, now all effectiveness and less sentimentality. She had orders to carry out, after all. "Now, we can't very well let the cool night air give our little guest a chill. Follow me," she remarked and then turned on her heel and marched quickly to the bathroom, pulling open the door and entering it as if she'd just been in the room yesterday. James blinked and followed quickly. Despite being of a slightly higher rank than Viola since Jareth had put him in charge of things while Jareth was away, James knew that at the moment he needed to just do what the Lady of the Castle said. After all, Viola had been of the first generation which had been born since the Fae had gained their freedom back from the Demons. She had grown up in the time of his grandfather's childhood, and had been a maid in the castle since she was 30 years old. She'd taken care of James's father, and Jareth, when they were both young. There was no denying that as far as taking care of younger Fae was concerned, she was highly experienced. And, of course, James knew that he'd have a furious Jareth to deal with if he didn't do what Viola said. The bond between the King and his Lady of the Castle was very strong. Viola might as well be Jareth's biological mother, or even perhaps more than that.
Viola gazed around the large bathroom with her hands on her hips. A massive stone shower with a shower head made of marble shooting down from the ceiling to hang in the dead center of the small cut off area stood in one corner with black drapes across the entrance of it that could be pulled back so that the occupants of the bathroom could then enter the structure. The shower itself had jets set into the walls of it which could be turned on if such an action was in line with the occupant's desire. In another corner of the room behind a small stone partition was a stone chamber pot attached to the wall which could be emptied of its waste and water and then refilled with crystalline water after each use by pulling on the marble handle of a long black chain that extended down from the ceiling above the pot. On the other side of the partition closest to the door to the bathroom was a long stone counter with a sink set into it housing a marble faucet and set of knobs. The mirror over the counter stretched all of the full length of the counter. Beside the counter was a large black oak cabinet which contained linens and a black wrought iron vanity stool with clawed feet at the ends of its four curved legs. Atop the stool was a black cushion that was always comfortable.
But the best thing in the entire room was the large bath just to Viola's right. The size of a small pool, it was a massive marble structure that was deep enough to come to her waist while she stood inside of it when filled. Along the sides of the tub was a ledge to be used if a Fae didn't wish to stand in the tub and instead elected to sit on the edges of it. The tub had jets on the insides of it and numerous faucets, each of which would unleash a different scent of liquid at varying temperatures when twisted. Set on the platform on the edge of the bath, which had steps set into it all along its length for easy access, was a woven basket full of containers of different bath salts meant to soothe and heal a Fae's body as the occupant soaked in the waters of the tub. Set into the wall on the other side of the bath was a large stained glass window that portrayed an aerial view of the Labyrinth in varying hues. The entire bathroom was lit as the bedroom had been with blue torches set into its walls.
Viola smiled calmly at the bathroom and turned to James as he walked in with Arissa's body floating just ahead of him, "Just hold her there for a moment," the Fae woman remarked before she turned and walked over to the faucets of the bath. Clucking her tongue slightly, the Lady of the Castle ran her gloved fingertip over a few before finding the one she wanted. It was a faucet that emitted water with a nice clean mint scent . . . she turned it on full blast and with heat, removed her gloves, and touched the water flowing out of the specified tap with her fingers. And smiled. Nice . . . water hot enough to soothe tight and worn muscles, but not too hot for a Fae of Arissa's age . . . She grinned. Such an ability to move water magically up and around via pipes to be released into baths and sinks and showers at just the right temperature was a very good invention of the Underground Fae. The original Fae who had come up with it should have surely been honored in the history books. Because of such an invention, one never ran out of hot water, never had to boil water in order to use it, and the water was instantly at a good hot temperature when one turned on the faucet for it. There was no waiting required for the water to heat up, and therefore much time was saved. Turning to a wrought iron handle that was sticking up and out of the side of the bath's ledge nearby, she gripped it and turned the lever at its end to point upwards. Turning her eyes to the tub, the woman watched as the large black drain at the bottom of the bath was closed off as a stone slab slid into place just beneath its rim. With that having been done, the bath began to fill up quickly with the hot water.
The Fae woman smirked, turned, and marched over to the wicker basket on the tub and found some mint scented soothing salts in a closed vial there . . . she turned and dumped half of the vial into the water. Instantly, bright blue bubbles began to form on the liquid's surface. She smiled and after adding a dash more of the salts turned and corked the vial before putting it away and walking over to the cabinets, pulling out two long black fluffy towels. Placing them on the edge of the tub beside the basket of vials, she turned to the mirror of the room and walking over, quickly took down her hair ribbon and wove her long brown hair up into a tight braid. Once that was done and she'd tied her ribbon tightly around the base of the braid, she wrapped the braid around her head and into a tight bun. As one hand held the bun, she put her free hand into a pocket of her dress and found two long silver hair pins with black onyx beads set into the ends. Sticking the end of one between her teeth, she gazed at herself in the mirror as she stuck the other into her hair from the right side, the beads pointing up at the end of the pin pointing down, and then took the other and put that into her hair in similar manner from the left side. Satisfied, Viola smiled at herself calmly with her hair firmly in place. Turning to James, she rolled up her sleeves and held out her arms to him, "Alright. I'm ready."
James nodded slowly, and walked closer, still holding his hand up to guide Arissa, until Arissa was suspended right in front of Viola's face and above Viola's waiting arms. Slowly, he lowered his hand and the girl lowered as well, to rest as light as air just on top of Viola's arms. With a snap, he let his magic let go of the girl, and Viola effortlessly took on the weight of the Fae Princess, using her own strength to counteract the pounds brought on by the young princess. The woman smiled calmly, and turning, nodded to the towels, "Please, leave one near the basket and roll out the other onto the ledge right beside it?" James nodded and rushing over, quickly did as asked. In no time Viola had laid Arissa on the towels, using the still folded one as a pillow. She turned to James, and ticked off her orders on her gloved fingers resting a hand gently on Arissa's slow rising chest as the girl slept, "Okay, so get a goblin to inform the seamstress to go directly to the landing outside of this bathroom. And tell the kitchens to prepare a cholorita drink to soothe Arissa's energy streams for when she wakes up."
James blinked, "Is that it?" "That's all," Viola murmured, smiling calmly at him, "I've got it from here." He smiled, nodded, and turning, walked out. Viola turned to Arissa, and sighed deeply, running one hand along the girl's cheek. Moving her hand away, the woman undressed as the bath magically stopped when it was full down to a long black plain gown with narrow straps that just rested on her shoulders, her outer dress and corset lying abandoned now on the floor. Turning to Arissa, she slowly, carefully, picked the princess up before walking up the stairs herself and down some others on the inside of the bath until she sat on the ledge within the hot waters. Propping the princess's head up onto her shoulder, Viola set about getting the dressing gown off of Arissa.
Minutes later, the girl's undergarments and dress were on the floor on the other side of the tub as well, and the Lady of the Castle set to work with a black hand towel from the basket of bath salts scrubbing at the child's body, being careful to get all of the blood off as the girl laid on the ledge and Viola whilst propping up the girl's head with one arm stood off from the ledge and worked dutifully at her task, Arissa's pale face remaining relaxed in sleep. Viola blinked, breathing out gently as she worked. She couldn't remember the last time she'd had to bathe a child in this bath . . . centuries ago, at least. She supposed any normal Fae of her position would be appalled at being given the job of a hand maiden. But perhaps it was the fact that taking care of children was a job she enjoyed that in turn made her happy to help the younger Fae woman. Therefore, Viola smiled calmly and began to hum the tune to a well-known Fae lullaby as she continued to work.
James walked into the Entrance Hall, blinking, and caught sight of a young female goblin in a long beige dressing gown walking at the other end of the hall towards a small stone door set into a wall. Turning to the creature, he called out, "Hey!" The female goblin turned to him, her long frizzy blonde hair going down the sides of her face in long braids.
She was one of the female goblins who helped the maids in the castle tend to its many rooms. The goblin had tan leathery skin but was very clean considering her species, and quite attractive as far as goblins went. She walked over immediately at his summons, her hands clasped before her, her bright green eyes blinking up at him as she craned her neck back, only coming to his waist "What may I do for ye, Governor James?" she curtseyed politely to the Fae male.
James smiled and bowed his head in greeting to the goblin lass, then knelt down on one knee before the tiny creature, "I was wondering if you could find some people for me, little one and send them a few messages."
The goblin nodded, her large ears flopping back and forth as she bounced on her balls of her feet, "Of course, Governor James!" she grinned, "Who be the ones for Esmel to find?!"
He smiled calmly at the goblin's enthusiasm, grateful that she was excited to help and not about to do as he asked begrudgingly, "I need you to find Creshenda, the castle seamstress, and Oswald, the castle cook. I need you to send Creshenda and some of her dresses up to meet Viola in King Jareth's old bedchambers in the North Tower. Immediately. And I need you to tell Oswald that he needs to make our new castle guest a cholorita drink."
"WE HAVE NEW GUEST?! WE HAVE NEW BABY?!" the goblin said happily, clapping her hands together, excitement filling her face as she hopped up and down, her hair braids flopping.
There was no secret that the goblins, especially the female ones like little Esmel, absolutely adored human babies. They loved watching over them, and since only a few were wished away every hundred years now that the barrier was up between the Underground and the Aboveground, it was a rare occasion that they got to see babies any more. So of course she was excited. Sadly, James couldn't please such excitement, and such a fact truly tugged at his heartstrings.
He shook his head, smiling weakly, "'Fraid not, Esmel. We have a Fae Guest. You see, when King Jareth was fighting in Latvania, he came across a very important lady that needed saving immediately. So he sent her here for us to take care of. At least until he returns. She's the Princess Arissa of Latvania."
The goblin, who had frowned a bit in disappointment at first at the thought of it not being a baby, soon widened her eyes to the size of one of Jareth's largest crystals, "A Princess?! Esmel will be helping to take care of a Princess?!"
James smiled at the goblin's obvious excitement, "Yes, Esmel. Now, can you go tell the seamstress and cook what I've just said?"
"OF COURSE!" Esmel said, grinning, "Esmel get right to it, sir!" turning, she rushed over to a stone in the center of the room, and grunting, lifted it up. Low and behold, the small floor stone came up out of its molding, revealing the dark hole of a tunnel beneath it. Squealing, the goblin hopped in and out of sight. A golden light then formed around the edges of the stone, and it slid, grating, over the hole again, fitting into place as the Labyrinth righted itself, forever looking after its somewhat scatter-brained occupants.
James smiled and turning, walked back into the throne room. Immediately, the torches, which had been dying out since they'd sensed that no beings were in the room, flared up to life once more, casting the room into a deep golden light. Glancing around, James walked over and sat on the edge of the throne, his hands clasped and hanging before him between his knees, his elbows supported on his set apart knees, gazing out into the darkness that now lay beyond the window. Night had truly set in now. . . James sighed, and turning, gazed around the flickering throne room, utterly alone. He'd fulfilled his orders and now he was to wait and hope that his brother would return safely.
James always got nervous whenever Jareth had to go off to war. He figured it was because his father had gone to war so long ago and never returned alive. That was his greatest fear, that Jareth would not return alive. And while some more devious Fae would be thrilled at the aspect, in that James would then take over the throne, James shuddered at the thought. He honestly had no idea how Jareth managed to run an entire kingdom. He knew that it took great skill and patience, that was for sure. . . He sighed, and continued to twiddle his thumbs, waiting in anticipation for Jareth to return, and praying that that return would be a safe one.
A/N: So what'd you think? Be honest, please. I'm not ENTIRELY sure when the next chapter will be posted, since I am in College, I have a paper due Tuesday, and Finals loom on the horizon. But I will get the next chapter written asap!