Chapter Three

Morning came, as it always did. He was not looking forward to this day.

He went through his morning routine, sighing to himself at the futility of it all. Every year, the beauties came, jockeyed for position, sorted themselves out and then went to their various new homes. The city would eventually get back to normal and the day-to-day castle life would regain its simple rhythm. At least until next year.

Foregoing his usually more ornate clothing in favor of simple black hunting leathers and a black woolen cloak, Garthan grabbed his sword and made his way to the stables. He didn't pay much attention to the girls that were appearing in ones and twos, mounting their horses, and giggling together while awaiting the King's appearance. He checked over his trusty mount Vorlan, nose to tail, making sure the horse's equipment sat comfortably on the animal's body before mounting up. He led Vorlan out of the stable and over to the side, watching the crowd with little interest.

Until she walked out.

If he'd thought a good night's sleep would lessen the impact this woman had on him, he was sadly mistaken. She was just as breathtaking in the daylight as she was last night, maybe even more so. Her glorious hair was braided back from her face and tumbled down behind her in waves, with little wisps that floated about her face in an adorable manner. Unlike the rest of the beauties fluttering around her, she wore simple riding leathers with very little ornamentation. Brown leggings and boots, a cream-colored shirt and a fitted brown leather jacket that flared into a hip length peplum. She wore a dagger at her waist and leather gloves. Her nondescript hairstyle and clothing only served to make the beauty of her face even more pronounced.

He watched her as she came out of the castle foyer, blinking at the bright sun. She turned, laughing to her companion, and moving toward the stables in what appeared to be a lighthearted conversation. After a brief word to the stablehand, she stood aside to await her mount. Her eyes swept over the area casually, looking at the horses with interest, her gaze getting closer and closer to him. He felt her eyes pass over him and sweep to his right.

Then they immediately returned directly to him. Those topaz orbs locked on to his, burning a path right into his soul.


Can these girls get any more ridiculous?

Lily shook her head internally. They were going on a hunt… which meant riding. Long hours of riding. Yet these little doves wore court-level finery for the occasion. She laughed inwardly, wondering how many of them anticipated the mud and manure that would be splattered all over them by the time they returned. Her leathers at least could be wiped off. Their silks would just absorb the detritus they picked up during the ride.

Pleased to meet you, Your Majesty. Don't mind the smell…

Speaking of the King, he hadn't made an appearance yet. As soon as he did, these lovelies would all be on their best behavior, pouring out the charm in a waterfall. Poor Jareth. She hadn't even met him yet and she felt sorry for him. Half of these girls had already decided that even if he didn't heart-bond to them, they wanted to at least try him out after hours. Lily hoped he'd have the stamina to keep up.

As she and Danai came out of the dim foyer and into the sun, she blinked at the brightness. It was a lovely day. Just the perfect day for a ride. The spring air was balmy and carried with it the scent of flowers. She wished that she could just wander the paths through the King's Forest alone, enjoying the outdoors.

"Oh bother… he's not here yet."

Lily looked over at Danai and laughed, "Patience, Danai. He'll be here soon enough."

"Easy for you to say, Lil… you don't really care if you meet him or not. I do." Danai sighed, dramatically. "I heard that he's gorgeous… and he's due to find a queen soon. Why not me?"

"Why not you, indeed?" Lily returned. Gorgeous. Sure. He probably was.

But he was also a king… which meant he had a lot of responsibilities that would by extension fall to any woman he chose as his queen. Danai was welcome to it. Lily wanted a normal life. No amount of handsomeness was going to make her want the matrimonial crown. If she could just ride off without the bother of meeting the King at all, she'd do it right this very moment.

They moved towards the stables, smiling and nodding to those around them. The stableboy asked Lily a few questions about her riding skill and vanished within the main stable building to get her a mount. She moved over to the side to not be in the way of riders exiting the stable. Danai was still chattering about meeting the King, but Lily paid no mind. Instead, she looked around the stable courtyard, admiring the various horses being assembled. One thing she could say for the King, he had an eye for good horseflesh. As her eyes swept around her, they drifted over a gentleman mounted off to side of the courtyard, about twenty feet away. Before she could even register what was happening, she felt her eyes swing back to him.

He was mounted on a magnificent horse, of a brown color so dark that it was almost black, with a black mane and tail. What was surprising was that her eyes skipped over the horse entirely and went right to the rider.

Oh… oh, my.

He was dressed entirely in black, a stark contrast to his braided platinum hair. His features were chiseled… almost harsh… and yet, handsome. He had sweeping dark brows over a pair of silvery, ice blue eyes.

And he was looking right at her.


Oh, sweet Danu… she's looking right at me!

She was even more beautiful up close, but that was secondary and almost irrelevant. There was something about this girl… something indefinable. He could feel his heart pounding in his chest with every passing second. Those eyes drowned him, the noise of the courtyard faded away and he could swear that all he heard was his own heartbeat. Her lips were parted slightly, her expression almost… dreamy.

I think I'd sell my soul if I could know what she's thinking right now…

He didn't know how long he'd sat there like an idiot just gaping at her. The stableboy came out with her mount and her friend nudged her shoulder. The girl mounted with the easy confidence of an experienced horsewoman. Quickly getting her horse under control, she moved over to the side of the courtyard to wait for the hunt to begin.

Garthan's eyes followed her the entire time.


Lily felt the impact of his stare as if a horse had just kicked her in the stomach. She felt her lips part, as if they were trying to take in some air, but none would come.

I wish he'd smile… I'd love to see him smile…

But he didn't. He just stared at her. And there she was, staring back at him, frozen like a panicked rabbit. She could feel her heartbeat speeding through her chest, felt her lungs burn for want of oxygen, yet she could not move, could not breathe.

The stableboy came up with a lovely grey palfrey for her to mount. Danai, finally noticing her predicament, nudged her shoulder. The spell broken, Lily grabbed the reins and lifted herself into the saddle. She moved over to the side, trying hard not to glance back at the rider… but she did anyway.

He was still watching her.


Garthan couldn't pull his eyes off the girl. He saw her glance over at him again briefly, then turn back to her friend, continuing their conversation. At that moment, a commotion from inside the castle dragged his attention away.

Jareth had made his appearance.

Oh, and look there, Ladies and Gentlemen… watch the little butterflies flutter around him, jockeying for position to be presented to His Majesty in the best possible pose.

It was almost sickening. If he didn't already know that Jareth thought it to be sickening too, he might have been envious of all the attention.

But he did know… and he knew that tonight, Jareth would be bending his ear with some bitterness at the situation. The whole thing made him feel like a piece of meat. It reminded him too much of Ardalon, with the Fae maidens in hot pursuit of a crown, so much so that they'd even consider bedding down with a Goblin. Jareth had once jested that he should dip himself into the Bog of Eternal Stench and see how many of these maidens still wanted to pursue him.

He was only half joking.

There was nothing of that in Jareth's face as he greeted the ladies kindly. Garthan looked over to his girl (wait… his?), steeling himself for the sight of her fluttering over the King like the rest of them.

That didn't happen.

She didn't even move her horse forward. She looked at the throng surrounding the King with a rather mocking expression on her face. Almost like she found the whole thing as distasteful as he did. He watched as the King's eyes met hers. She nodded to him, a polite smile on her face. Jareth nodded back. And then, she did something utterly shocking.

She turned her face away from the King and looked at Garthan directly.


Another year, another crop of flowers to sort through. This is so tedious.

Jareth tried to settle his expression into one of friendly interest. Kissing hands, nodding politely, smiling…

Thank the Fates that this is only going to go on for another week.

Utterly bored by now, he looked around for Garthan. His Councilor hated this beauty pageant just as much as Jareth did. Oh, he understood why they did it. Some of these girls came from small villages and towns; if they didn't come to the capital, they could go centuries without meeting an eligible male. By holding this event for a week every year, he avoided being inundated with these butterflies all year round. He knew that they would face no censure for failing to capture his interest, but it still made the whole thing annoying.

His gaze finally fell on Garthan. Immediately, he could sense something… odd. Garthan sat in his saddle almost stiffly, something an avid rider like him would never do. He looked… uncomfortable, like something was bothering him. He was looking over the courtyard at…

Ah. Well, that explains it.

She was lovely, this girl, no doubt. Not quite his type though. A little too angelic in her beauty… the kind he wouldn't want to defile with something so base as lust. He preferred something a bit more… sensual. She sat her horse with ease, looking over at the tableau with subtle mockery in her eyes. So… she thought this just as ridiculous as he did. He glanced back at Garthan, whose gaze apparently never left the girl. He'd never seen his friend so enthralled by a woman before.

Garthan was an amazing councilor and spymaster, a battle-hardened warrior, a man as crafty and intuitive as Danu Herself. But when it came to socializing with women… the poor man was hopeless. He couldn't put a flowery phrase together if he was paid a dragon's treasure trove to do so. He could follow the intricate steps of a dance, but his discomfort at executing them was obvious. He couldn't flirt if his life depended upon it, and most girls, while happy to try and start a conversation with him, soon moved on when he didn't engage in banter. It saddened him; Garthan had it in him to make a woman very happy, if only he could find one that would look past his shyness and give him a chance.

He looked back over at the girl. Their eyes met, and she nodded respectfully with a pleasant smile, but he could detect no romantic interest on her part. Good. She didn't strike him as the type to want a casual fling, and while she was certainly a beautiful woman, she just didn't spark his interest in that way. As he watched, she turned her head and looked over at Garthan.

Well, well. What have we here?

From the look of it, Garthan was completely smitten with this girl. He was a little surprised that she didn't go up in flames with the heat of his gaze. For her part, she looked over at Garthan shyly, but with a sparkle of interest in her eyes.

Hmmm. Let's see what we can do about this, shall we?