Chapter Thirteen

Third Person POV

Jareth stood in the doorway of the castleʼs library, leaning against the door frame as he watched Lily reading in one of the many chairs. He had been informed the night before that Lilyʼs dress was done and was ready for the wedding. Jareth glanced at the window and he felt his heart flutter in his chest.

There were only a few more hours till the sun set and this day was over. The next day was their wedding. He finished up the last of the paper work moments ago and he planed on spending the rest of the evening with his intended. He walked into the room almost silently and stood behind the chair Lily was sitting in.

"Didnʼt anyone ever tell you itʼs rude to spy on people?" Lily asked, never looking up from the book in her hands. Jareth chuckled and rested his arms on the back of the chair. "I wouldnʼt have gotten anywhere if I hadnʼt done some spying, love." he responded. Lily looked up from her book and raised an eyebrow. She closed the book, placed it on the table next to the chair, and turned so she was sitting on her knees and facing the Goblin King. "Oh really?" she asked, amusement shining in her eyes.

"Really." he said and before she could retort to his response, he leaned forward and captured her lips in a gentle, but silencing kiss. Lily grinned into the kiss and pulled away. She cupped his cheek with her hand and smiled brightly at him. "Thank you." she whispered. Jareth raised an eyebrow in curiosity. "What for, my dear?" he asked, placing his hand over hers, absently running his thumb over her ring.

"For everything. I finally feel like Iʼm somewhere I belong with someone who loves me. Sure my uncle loved me, but I didnʼt belong in the Elf Realm. I may not belong in this realm, but I feel like I do because Iʼm with you." she told him. Jareth gave her a small smile and closed the small distance between them to give her a loving kiss. Her hand fell from his cheek and wrapped around his neck.

When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers and opened his eyes, smirking when hers never opened. "You should feel at home here. After all, youʼre going to be here for forever." he told her, letting his eyes wander over her facial features. When Lily opened her eyes, she looked into his and smiled. "I feel more at home here then I have anywhere else." she whispered, running her fingers through his wild hair.

"Good." he said, pulling away from her grasp and laughed when she gave him a bad look. "How would you like to join me for a walk around the kingdom? It will also help for when you become queen." he asked, his voice not giving away any of his amusement as he fixed his gloves.

She faked thinking about his offer, then hoping off the chair and walking up to him. He got a good view of the outfit she was wearing today. She was wearing a wonderful blouse that showed off a wonderful amount of cleavage. Her skirt went up to her waist and flared out at the bottom. With the heels she was wearing, the top of her head came

up to about her nose and when she wrapped her arms around his waist, he could smell the strawberry scent her hair gave off.

"Iʼd love a tour around the kingdom." she told him, resting her chin on his chest and looking up at him. He smiled down at her and wrapped his arms around her as well. "I hope youʼll come to take as much pride in it as I do some day." he told her softly, brushing his fingers across her cheek.

"Iʼm sure I will." she responded softly, closing her eyes and leaning into his touch. He smiled down at her and kissed her on the forehead.

She gave a light giggle and pulled away. He took her hand and led her out of the library, talking about what it was like ruling over the Goblins and some of the other races that made this realm their home during and after the war. He lead her down stairs and to her surprise they didnʼt head outside.

"I thought we were going for a walk." she said, looking up at him confused. He chuckled and gave her hand a small squeeze. "We are. Just not what you had in mind." he told her, giving her a mischievous grin. She raised an eyebrow at him, but followed him nonetheless.

She became even more confused when he led her down to the stables. He motioned towards a Satyr. The Satyr nodded at the king and disappeared from their sight. Jareth turned to Lily and looked down at her, a smirk on his face. "I want you to close your eyes." he told her, bringing her hand up to kiss it before letting it go.

Lily looked at him skeptically, but took a deep breath and did as he asked. Jareth walked behind her and placed his hands on her hips. He waited for the Satyr to return and smirked. "Thank you, Arthur. Thatʼll be all." he said. The Satyr bowed respectfully and left his king and his lady alone in the stables.

"How much do you trust me, my Lily Pad?" he whispered into her ear, smirking when she shivered a little. She took a moment to get her thoughts back before answering so her voice wouldnʼt reveal how much he really affected her. He knew exactly what she was doing and this caused him to smirk even more. "With my life." she answered when she was sure her voice would work properly.

"Good." he purred, using his thumb to rub smooth circles into her hips. "Open your eyes." he told her. She complied and was speechless at what she saw. Her eyes widened and she spun around to look at Jareth. "Really?" she asked, her voice a little more higher pitched than normal due to the excitement lining it.

"Really." he told her, smiling at her reaction. She gave out a small squeal and threw her arms around his neck. "You have no idea what this means to me." she whispered, kissing him to the cheek and pulling away, much to Jarethʼs disappointment.

She spun back around to look at the beautiful beast that had been brought into the stable. Unicorns were extremely rare now and could only be found if they wanted you to find them. People hunted them because even the smallest drop of their blood could grant the drinker immortality. The immortals, of course, had banned the killings and the penalty was banishment to the Void.

No one was stupid enough to anger the Immortals enough to be banished to the Void. No one had ever been nor would anyone want to go willingly.

This unicorn was special though. It was evident in its coloring. It had black fur, a white mane and tail, and its horn was gold. What was most peculiar about this particular unicorn was its eyes. Its eyes were solid, light blue. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

Jareth watched as Lily walked forward and run her hand over its muzzle. The Unicorn closed it eyes and leaned into her touch. She turned to him, not taking her hand off the beast, and smiled. "Whatʼs its name?" she asked.

He walked over and stood on the other side of the Unicorn. "Her name is Cassandra." he told her, a smile pulling at his lips as he looked at both Cassandra and Lily. "Sheʼs one of my most prized possessions. I found her when she was just a foal. She had managed to make her way into the Labyrinth. When I found her, she was badly injured and it took my most skilled healer to get her back into good health." he told her.

Lily smiled and looked at Cassandra with admiration. "Sheʼs beautiful. I can see why you take pride in her." she said softly. Then a sad expression came across her face. Jareth looked up at her. "Whatʼs wrong?" he asked, completely forgetting everything that didnʼt involve what might be upsetting her.

She looked up at him and the expression left her completely. "Nothing." she said, smiling. He could still see something deep in her eyes, but decided if she didnʼt want to talk about it, he wouldnʼt push her to.

Deciding to lighten the mood, he walked further down and stopped at the stirrup. Placing his foot in the hold, he jumped up and swung his leg over so he was mounted atop Cassandra. Lily looked up at him surprised. "I did say we were going for a walk. I didnʼt specify who would be doing to walking." he told her, giving her a smirk and offering her his hand. "Jareth, you know how I feel about riding horses. I donʼt mind being around them, but riding them is another thing." she said, shaking her head slightly.

Jareth just rolled his eyes and smirked again. "Iʼm well aware of your fear of horseback riding, dear. You wonʼt be riding alone. Iʼll be here the whole time. I wonʼt let anything happen to you. And Iʼm sure Cassandra wonʼt either. Sheʼs taken quite a liking to you." he said, giving her a mischievous grin. Lily bit her lip and contemplated her next move.