Lynetta walked down the long hallway, her footsteps echoing softly on the cold stone floor. She was heading to her room, but when she opened the door and entered, she froze in place.
"Jareth?" Her half-brother sat slumped on her bed, looking utterly defeated. "What are you doing here?"
He lifted his head and forced a strained smile. "Hello, Lynetta."
Lynetta frowned and walked over to him. "Is there anything I can do to help you? You look awful." She gently reached to straighten his dishevelled hair, but he brushed her hand away.
"I don't know." He took a deep breath, and a heartbreaking sigh escaped from his chest.
"What's bothering you?" Lynetta wanted to know and sat down next to him.
"It's about Tonight," Jareth replied, looking at her helplessly. "I'm terribly anxious. And so unbelievably nervous. What if she doesn't come?"
Lynetta looked at her brother with a soft, cheering look. She placed a reassuring hand on his arm. "Don't worry about it. She'll come. I'm sure of it."
"How can you be so sure?" he shot back, his voice louder than he'd intended. He pressed his lips together and sighed. "Sorry. I'm just all over the place." He took a deep breath, trying to collect himself, and finally asked, "Did the delivery of the invitation go smoothly?"
Lynetta chuckled softly. "Of course, dear brother. It went perfectly. I transformed into a robin and flew into her window."
"Why as a robin?" Jareth interrupted, frowning.
"Well, I found out she loves robins and thought it was a sweet idea," Lynetta replied with a mischievous grin. "Anyway, I left the invitation on her windowsill and perched on the tree outside her window so I could see what was happening inside." She gave him an encouraging look. "Trust me, she'll come."
Jareth looked at his sister, and for a moment, a smile crept on his face. It wasn't quite as strained as before, but it was far from carefree. Sarah loved robins. He felt a flicker of joy at learning something new about her. But then his thoughts darkened, like a brewing storm. He imagined Sarah finding the invitation, tearing it up, and throwing it away without a second thought. Or worse, laughing because she doesn't understand how he thought she would respond.
Lynetta broke through his brooding silence. "Her best friend, whose name is Debbie, by the way, went to the window and took the letter. She read it and then went to Sarah to tell her the news. Sarah seemed a bit confused, I must admit, but she wasn't upset. Not at all." She grinned at him. "Stop overthinking this. You'll give yourself wrinkles."
Jareth pressed his lips together. "Very funny," he muttered, but his sister just laughed. She knew exactly how vain he was and how to get him on the palm with such teasing. But he could never be angry with her.
"I just don't know what I'm going to do if she doesn't come,". He buried his face in his hands and another sigh escaped him. This wasn't like him at all. Sure, he'd often thought of Sarah, had missed her. But that feeling – that despair – was new. Except perhaps for that fateful day when she had defeated and rejected him.
Lynetta, now rummaging through her wardrobe, turned back to him. "You should only worry about that if it actually happens. You're going to drive yourself crazy."
Jareth looked at her. She was so different from him – a whirlwind of energy. Always cheerful, always smiling, with kind words for everyone she met. Lynetta had been born 155 years ago, when Jareth was already 150. Same mother, different father. Lynetta's father, a human, had once stumbled into the world of the Fae and been saved by their mother. That encounter had resulted in Lynetta. She was Jareth's half-sister, but more than that, she was his best friend.
He had told her about his labyrinth and how a young girl named Sarah had summoned him to take her brother Toby. He had told Lynetta everything – how Sarah had defeated him, how he had fallen in love with her, and how she had rejected him to save her brother. Lynetta was the only one he could share such things with.
"You're right," he finally said. "But it's so hard. Sarah is always on my mind. I wish she'd take a break from it." And I wish so desperately that she'll come to the ball, he thought longingly.
"We'll see what happens," Lynetta said calmly, as if she could read his mind. She looked at him critically. "Now, you'd better get going. You should start getting ready. You can't show up looking like that."
That earned her a sharp but half-hearted glare from Jareth. But then they both laughed. With a small smile, Jareth left the room, ready to face whatever fate had in store.
