Chapter Six
With a boldness he wouldn't have believed himself capable of, he'd made his way to Lily's chamber the next day to check on her recovery. She wasn't there… her friend mentioned that she and Lily had Healed the ankle when they woke, and that Lily wanted to take a turn around the garden before the noon meal.
He wandered over to the garden, seeing her ensconced on a bench, her eyes closed and a small smile on her upturned face. She was wearing a simple, shell pink dress and her hair was unbound. She seemed to be enjoying the Spring air. He was about to turn around and leave when her eyes snapped open and focused on him.
"Well, hello. If it isn't Garthan the Boar-Slayer."
Her smile was infectious, and he found himself smiling back. "Hello, Lady Boar Bait."
She laughed delightedly and motioned in an invitation for him to join her. "It's a fine morning, is it not?" At his nod, she gave a soft sigh. "It's one thing I love about home… I would go out into the garden in the early morning just to listen to the birds and feel the breeze. I figured I'd better get some relaxation in before the ball tonight."
The ball…
Dancing.
As if sensing his discomfort, she continued "At least I have an excuse to sit out most of the dances. I suppose I'll have to dance with the King at some point, but once that duty is over, I can sit on the sidelines and people-watch."
She saw dancing with the King as a duty and not a pleasure?
"I thought you liked dancing."
She shrugged, "I do if I'm in the mood for it. Unfortunately, this ankle has other plans. I figure I have about three dances in me tonight before it screams at me to stop." She looked at him, merriment in her eyes, "I have to admit, I'm a little embarrassed at how easily I was thrown yesterday. Since I was born, I've spent almost as much time in the saddle as I have walking, but you'd never know that by how fast my horse and I parted company."
He laughed, softly. Sweet Danu, she is so easy to talk to…
They continued on in conversation for quite some time before her friend came to find her.
"Lily, it's time for the noon meal," she said, her eyes wide at the sight of them, sitting so closely together on the bench.
Lily smiled, "I'll be along in a bit, Danai. Go ahead."
Her friend nodded, dipped a curtsy to him and scampered off. Lily sighed, "I suppose we have to put in an appearance."
Garthan rose from the bench and held his hand out to her. She took it with a smile. He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm and started walking with her back to the castle.
Damn… what I wouldn't give to kiss her right now…
She came into the ballroom with her friend, glancing around. When her eyes found him, she smiled.
Garthan, on the other hand, could only stare at her open mouthed. She was wearing a gown of dusty rose silk with appliqué flowers embroidered with crystals. Her glorious hair was loose and fell to her hips in a golden cascade. She wore a coronet of matching appliqué flowers. She looked so beautiful that he thought his heart would melt at the sight of her.
Then Jareth claimed her for the opening dance, and Garthan felt his world fall apart.
"Are you enjoying your stay in Caladh, my lady?" asked the King as they danced.
"Oh yes, Sire. It's been quite… entertaining," she responded. The King was certainly handsome, and very charming. He wasn't Garthan, though. She tried to look for him with her peripheral vision without being obvious.
The dance continued in silence for a few moments, then the King chuckled. "You know, my dear, it's considered rude to ogle another gentleman when you're dancing with your King."
Lily's eyes flew back to his, "Sire… I…"
Jareth laughed and squeezed her hand. "I jest, my lady. If anything, I am glad to see your interest in my High Councilor." His face grew contemplative, "Every year, the butterflies come here, trying to catch my attention. When that fails, they somehow think it's a compliment to the other gentlemen that their wiles are then expended on them. It's actually refreshing for once to see a lady who would step right over me to get next to my friend."
Lily laughed, "Am I that obvious?"
"To me, yes. To Garthan… no. I'm afraid you'd have to club him over the head and drag him away before he'd get the message." His expression became a bit more serious. "I would warn you… no, not warn you. I would… entreat you to understand, he is not the type to be comfortable in these kinds of social situations. I pray that you will not take his taciturn attitude as anything other than a bit of shyness. He is quite taken with you."
"I'd already noted that he is uncomfortable with much of the interaction that comes with these events. And…" she blushed a bit and smiled, "I'm quite taken with him, too."
Jareth gave her a beaming smile.
He watched as Lily danced in Jareth's arms. He saw how she smiled, how he smiled. Jareth appeared more at ease in this dance than he ever had with any other lady.
It made Garthan want to vomit.
They were laughing together, Jareth's countenance completely content. He didn't want to watch anymore, but he was frozen in place, unable to look away as the love of his life went sweeping by him in another man's arms.
That's what she is. The love of my life. And maybe… Jareth's new queen?
The dance ended. The King gave her a sweeping bow and kissed her hand. He watched as Jareth glanced over at him and held his gaze for a moment. His expression was… odd. It wasn't besotted, like he would have expected. It was almost… mischievous.
He said a quick word to Randel, who then claimed Lily for the next dance. For a few moments, Garthan felt real alarm when he saw his friend take Lily onto the floor. He watched them as they spun around to the intricate dance, but oddly, as the dance went on, he relaxed minutely.
Randel had a specific expression he used when he was on the hunt. A mix of lust and daring, which never failed to at least intrigue his female partners. This look was utterly absent. He chatted with Lily, who returned his sallies with laughter and amusement, but there was no… flirtation. No lustful exchanges. From his face, Garthan could tell that Randel was charmed, but… not in a carnal way. They interacted like old friends, or maybe even siblings.
I suppose that's fitting if she's going to be Queen.
When the dance ended, Randel escorted Lily to one of the chairs lining the walls of the ballroom. He executed a gallant bow and took himself off, nodding to Jareth with a grin. Lily looked around, and when her gaze found him, she smiled.
He swallowed and looked away. Unfortunately, he looked right over at Jareth, who was wriggling his eyebrows in an odd manner and looking between Garthan and Lily. Finally exasperated, Jareth motioned him to approach.
He's going to tell me she's The One. I know it.
He'd walked across battlefields, treading over corpses, with less nausea than he did right now, walking over to his King to hear him say he'd found his Queen.
The woman Garthan loved.
Jareth laughed inwardly to see how slowly Garthan was walking towards him. After drawing it out for as long as he could, he finally approached his monarch. The High Councilor tried to school his features into polite inquiry, not knowing how very unsuccessful he was until Jareth raised an eyebrow at him.
"Any luck, so far?" Garthan asked in a strangled voice, dread visibly roiling in every cell of his body. Jareth snorted. Garthan glanced over at Lily, "Well, this year they seem prettier than before. I thought…"
"Only one of them rises above the forgettable," Jareth said with a smirk. "That one." He indicated Lily and watched with some amusement as a mixture of pain, lust, and love played out on his friend's face. "Garthan," he said sternly. His friend met his gaze, all emotion wiped from his eyes. "Ask her to dance."
Garthan looked at him dully. "I think not, Sire."
"You are one of the bravest men I have ever known. Things you have done for our Kingdom and for your King would frighten lesser men. And yet, you won't ask a pretty girl to dance?"
Garthan shook his head, grimly. "I guarantee she would regret the experience."
"How do you know that? You haven't asked her." Jareth turned to face him, his countenance firm. "Garthan, she wants you. Her eyes follow you when you aren't looking, just as your eyes follow her. Don't make a mess of this just because you are hesitant to take a chance. Ask her."
Garthan looked at him, a mix of hope and wariness in his eyes. "But… I thought for sure you would… like her."
Jareth chuckled. "She's a lovely girl, and certainly charming. But she made her choice long before tonight. She chose you. I saw that at the stables, before I'd even met her, when she couldn't take her eyes off you. Ask her to dance. Court her. Be happy. That's a command."
Garthan made his way slowly over to where Lily was sitting, walking like a man going to his own execution.
Thanks, Jareth. Revenge is sweet, and someday I will see you knocked on your ass by a girl. I swear I will. When I do, I'll laugh and remind you of this moment.
Then again, Jareth had made it clear that while he found Lily to be both lovely and charming, he was not going to pursue her. Not only that, but he'd given every indication that Lily preferred him to the King in any case and encouraged him to court her. He couldn't believe his luck.
But to dance with her… under orders, no less.
All too soon, he found himself standing beside her. She looked up at him, her eyes warm and a sweet smile on her face.
"My lady… would you… may I…" He frowned. "May I have the next dance?"
Wordlessly, she rose, took his arm and they walked to the dance floor. They didn't speak, mostly because he was too busy trying to remember the steps and execute them without stepping on her toes. He could feel the rest of the room receding… until it seemed that only he and Lily were there. She continued to smile at him, her topaz eyes sparkling. That in itself was a distraction… her beauty was so mesmerizing that he was having trouble thinking clearly. That lovely scent of hers made him feel like he'd drank a bottle of Mountain Troll firewater.
Thank the Fates, the dance ended without him stepping on her toes or tripping over his own feet. He prayed that she wouldn't suggest another…
"I think I'd best sit down for a bit," she said, her expression soft, but a bit pained. "I Healed the ankle, but it's still a little tender."
"Of course," he responded. He placed his hand rather possessively at the small of her back and led her away, toward one of the many balconies that ringed the ballroom. A servant came to them as they walked, and Garthan passed her a glass of wine before taking one for himself. They went outside in the balmy air, settling themselves on one of the stone benches.
Say something, Garthan… say something…
"Your friends are quite the characters," she said with humor in her voice. "The Lord Martial reminds me of my younger brother, right down to having the same laugh."
Younger brother… that wouldn't be attractive to a woman to be reminded of her sibling…
"Oh, he's a character all right. They ought to put a sign on him, warning the ladies of imminent danger."
She laughed, delightedly. "My brother is the same way. He's already managed to run through a good portion of the girls from home. Now, he's in Carrendale with the Army, sampling the local wares." Her expression was one of fond exasperation. "I suppose he feels that since our oldest brother has already continued the line, he has time to enjoy his freedom before he gets tied down."
"Randel's attitude is much the same, although he has no intention of ever getting tied down."
She laughed. "I'll bet the King wishes he could do something similar. That poor man. Trotting him out for the beauties to look over as if he were a juicy mutton chop."
"He once told me that he wanted to dip himself into the Bog of Eternal Stench, just to see how many of them still wanted to pursue him."
Lily burst into giggles, tears coming to her eyes. "I would pay gold to see that!"
"So would I."
Their shared laughter felt… wonderful. And as he sat beside her, gazing into her eyes, he knew… right down to his bones…
He was hers. Body and soul. Hers.
