"What is this?" I ran my fingers gently over the tapestry covering the stone wall in the hallway. Jareth stopped a few paces ahead of me, a cool look on his face as he observed the fabric.

"That is one of the many views of my Labyrinth from the tower." He replied, rolling out a small crystal in his hand and beginning to spin it about almost absently. It was as distracting as it was beautiful to watch. The colors reflected in the simple glass ball molded together, creating an enchanting picture within it, a world of promise whispering seductively in my ear. I tore my eyes away, clearing my throat and feeling my face grow hot at the smirk Jareth wore. It suited him, as much as I hated to admit it. This whole 'soulmate' business left me uneasy at best, and the fact that he kept looking at me like I was a long lost princess only made my heart skip more beats than I needed it to while I muddled through this. "You seem flustered, lady Winter."

"I was just wondering how you knew my name." I stammered out, wringing my fingers and looking at the tapestry again. "I asked you yours at breakfast, but you knew my name without asking."

It was such a strange contrast how his eyes stayed cold but his smirk became warmer, bordering on a smile.

"What did I tell you when you awoke?"

"You said that you see all, not that you know all." I pointed out.

"As your gill I can see inside your dreams, as you can see inside of mine." He made a flourish with his hand and the crystal disappeared. I caught myself staring again in awe and shook my head to get a grip on myself.

"That's invasive."

"I suppose that depends on your definition of the word." He challenged, walking ahead of me again. I followed, my bare feet padding on the warm stone steps.

"The definition of 'invasive' is intruding on someone's privacy, which means without permission." I sassed him, speeding up to try and keep pace with him. While he was maybe a head taller than me at most, his stride was languid and long. I was almost jogging to try and not fall behind, which I couldn't help but notice was probably on purpose. His eyebrow twitched, but otherwise his face didn't change. Did that strike a nerve?

"And you think that a natural connection that formed the moment we made contact is defined as 'intrusive'? Your vocabulary differs greatly from mine." His voice was laced with sarcasm, and I couldn't help the stupid smile that ebbed it's way forward.

"Maybe we should take notes, learn one another's language. And perhaps a little more about one another, apart from that you are the walking definition of graceful and I'm a little too sarcastic for my own good?"

He slowed his pace, and his chin raised slightly in thought. I got the impression that he was used to getting what he wanted when he wanted to get it. I suppose being a king and everything would make a person a little more apt to self assurance. I knew he was a king on instinct... so that connection really did spread to me as well?

It was uncanny how close this was to the plot of my worn old book. It was both unnerving and exhilarating, like a world I had known since childhood was real, tangible. Was this really the Jareth I had grown up with? Had I died in that water and this was the result of my own heaven manifesting?

I glanced up, realizing that I had stopped walking while the thoughts overtook me. He was staring at me, one blue eye and one brown eye gazing out behind a clouded expression that I couldn't quite make out. I bit my lip, wanting so badly to throw out a hundred questions per minute. I wanted to know everything but this didn't feel like the right time to bombard him.

A small goblin passed near us, a pan on his little head, and I pounced on the distraction shamelessly.

"Hey there, sweetheart. Where are you headed?" I asked him, and he bounced over to me, blinking up fearfully at Jareth. I smiled at the tall glass of water sweetly. "Can I take him back?"

"You don't need to ask; this is your home now." He said simply. That was going to take some getting used to but I could deal with that later. I nodded and held out my hand for the small goblin. He hesitated, but grabbed onto it and broke out into a jog, pulling me with him. I grinned, skipping alongside it and feeling... content. For the first time in a while, I felt at peace with where I was.

Jareth's POV

I watched her padding away with the small goblin boy, a more recent addition to my subjects, and the view was spectacular. I flicked my wrist, gripping the crystal in my hand and glancing inside. The bridge inside was overlooking a lake, reflecting the moonlight on the surface of the water. Humans could not look into my crystals, infused with my magic, and not be drawn into them. Winter was continuing to astound me.

I brought out a second crystal and twirled them in my hand, turning and wandering to the window overlooking the small village. The goblins bustled about on their business, loud voices echoing off the stone and allowing me to listen to every conversation. My children of the Labyrinth, immortal and free from their chains, were starting to fade. My Labyrinth was dying, as slow a process as that was.

She passed the second test, to resist my magic. I found my gill when I had all but given up, and now I had to risk her to save my world.

Time is the cruelest of mistresses.