~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Crystalline Dreams
Chapter 12/?
By: Dreamspinner and Delilah
Dreamspinner@twilightrealm.com  fritchka@fast.net

    Delilah started awake and looked about frantically. The room was
cast in darkness and it took her a few seconds to realize that the
shades were drawn. She could hear hushed whispers seeping down the hall
just beyond her room and she cocked her head trying to figure out what
was being said. She suspected that the speakers weren't in the best
mood, if anything they seemed worried and a little angry. She pulled the
covers off herself and slowly slipped to the floor gasping momentarily
as the cold stone touched her bare feet. Gritting her teeth she forced
her self up and took a few shaky steps. Somehow she managed to reach the
door and she held onto it tightly for a moment waiting for the dizziness
to leave her head. When she felt she could continue without dropping she
headed toward the voices trying determined to figure out what was wrong.
    "Just one foot in front of the other." She repeated to herself as she
leaned heavily against the wall to keep from falling as she walked. The
speakers must have heard her for the whispers suddenly stopped and
silence descended in the halls. Delilah froze and waited, startled at
the sudden blanket of quietness. When she didn't hear anything else she
started forward again determined to make it at least to the end where
the two halls intersected. She concentrated on her walking and kept in
sight the two large windows that allowed breathtaking sunlight to bathe
the halls and gave her an exceptional view of the western part of the
labyrinth. After a few moments of uncertain stepping she reached her
destination.
    "What are you doing up?" The sound of the demanding voice caused her
heart to leap up into her throat and she shrieked and tried to turn. The
ground seemed to have other plans as it suddenly lurched and angled up
towards her. Two pairs of hands caught her and easily kept her from
hitting the hard floor.
    She forced air into her lungs before glaring accusingly at her saviors.
"What has happened?"
    Gareth quickly glanced at his companion before replying. "Nothing has
happened." Delilah couldn't see how Gawain had reacted to Gareth's
questioning glance since he was behind her but she didn't need to have
seen it to interpret what it had been.
    "Liar," she snapped and tried to stand so she could see both hunters,
"if nothing has happened then why are you whispering?" Gawain let go of
her waist but held onto her arm to give her something to lean on.
    "We didn't want to wake you." He said refusing to actually look at her.
    "Obviously," she replied dryly, "Come on, out with it! Something's
happened and I'm going to find out what it is even if I have to track
down Jareth and ring it from his . . ." She paused when she noticed the
angered looks that flashed over the huntsmen's faces. A disturbing
thought occurred to her and she tried to shove past the huntsmen but
both held her back.
    "Let me go!" She demanded as she struggled against their hold. The
sunlight that had originally been warming the trio was suddenly doused
and they paused for a moment to allow their eyes to adjust. Gawain
regained his sight first and spun her around and she gulped as she lost
her bearings and was forced to hold onto him to keep from falling.
    "There is nothing you can do, just go and rest. It'll all turn out
right." He said softly as he took her face in his hand.
    She glared at him in anger. "You *will* let me go right now," she hissed
dangerously, "or I'll start screaming and bring everyone within this
whole damned castle down on your heads." Gareth and Gawain stared at
each other for a moment and Delilah felt like she was being excluded
from some private conversation. Finally Gawain sighed and released her.
She stumbled a few steps before turning and trying her best to make it
down the hall. Gareth stepped easily into her path and she frowned
deeply at this new obstacle.
    "We'll explain everything back there." He pointed down the hall to her
room. She was about to protest this but stopped when she felt Gawain's
hand on her back.
    "There's nothing any of us can do right now. It simply has to play
itself out." He said. Delilah sighed and reluctantly nodded figuring
that once she knew what was going on she could act. She shivered
slightly at the decrease in temperature the sudden shade had caused in
the castle and she instinctively moved a little closer to the heat of
the elf's body. They had only gone a few feet when the sound of
shattering glass reached their ears and they were buffeted by sparkling
spears and a burst of incredible wind. She choked as the wind was
knocked from her lungs when she hit the ground. All sound was drowned
out by the rushing wind that blew the glass shards across the floor and
into the walls. Delilah winced as she felt a few slash against her skin.
She felt something almost furry brush against her ankle and she turned
to see what it was. The wind kept her from seeing very clearly but
the dark shape she saw looming over her caused her to scream in fear.

******************

    Bane's eyes snapped open as he felt something shift subtly. The
shift had been magical and he hurriedly peered into one of his crystals.
He almost gasped as he saw Jareth's defenses waver about his castle. The
king didn't know what his foolish brother was doing, but the simple fact
that holes were appearing in Jareth's defenses was all that he needed to
know. Jareth was distracted and draining his power. A foolish
combination indeed. Bane quickly used his crystal to identify the weak
spots in the magical webbing and surveyed the castle looking for the
woman he wanted. He cursed as he realized that he could not separate
Delilah's presence from Dreamspinner's. Dreamspinner had been drained by
her attack on him and it was almost impossible to identify her by the
power surrounding the women since Delilah still had traces of
Dreamspinner's magic that had leaked off in the battle with his crystal.
Jareth's magic also seemed to somehow be involved. And they both
appeared to be with huntsmen. Drat. He considered his course for a
moment before shrugging. If he couldn't distinguish between the two,
he'd simply take them both. He closed his eyes and summoned two of his
dark creatures that had been created for just this purpose. He mentally
gave them each an image and sent them on their way. He watched as they
angled towards his brother's castle on their tattered looking leather
wings. They flew and thus the labyrinth did not hinder them, they were
perfect for this. He sat back and recalled his crystal to watch his
newest plan unfold.

*******************

    Both Jareth and Gwydion paused in their little war when they both
felt the tell-tale signs of Bane's involvement. The acidic tang of
Bane's unseelie magic was hard to miss. This new crisis was the *only*
thing that could have united them. With a rueful grin, Jareth looked to
Gwydion and they reluctantly joined their magic to repair the wards and
enchantments damaged during their play. Only two creatures seemed to
have gotten in- and they would not be able to get out. Jareth dropped
the tenuous hold he had on Dreamspinner, and he felt her awareness surge
forth in anger. He imperceptibly winced. If Gwydion found out what
really had happened, and if Dreamspinner remembered, he was in alot of
trouble. He should not have played that particular card yet, and cursed
himself for his impatience.
    Finn and a few other hunters kept silent vigil over their mistress.
Thirteen of Gwydion's best sat in various places around the room, but
all eyes were focused upon the slight form that Finn held so gently in
his tender embrace. The positive energy they naturally radiated was
helping her to regain her strength much more quickly than they dared
hope. Dreamspinner stirred then startled awake suddenly when she caught
the signs of the newest situation, and Finn attempted to lay a gentle
but restraining hand upon her as she attempted to rise.
    *No Bright-One. This war is not for you. Our Lord and the creature
Jareth are doing quite admirably. Please stay here and be safe.* his
thoughts were only for her safety, so Dreamspinner sat down and twisted
her pale hands in her lap. Bane should not have recovered so quickly
from her psychic assault upon him, which did not bode well. Aidan tried
to catch her attention to lessen her anxiety by playfully attacking Bran
with a feather pillow. Bran retaliated with a pillow of his own, and
soon there was a full-scale war taking place. The din and racket the
elves were making sounded like an army blasting about the room. Elves
are normally such quiet creatures...until "fun" comes into play.
    *Gwydion?* she tentatively asked as the feathers floated in the air
around her. She pushed past Jareth's clumsy restraints with a blast of
total fury. So, the flimsy barrier was now broken. Jareth would pay for
that. How dare he!
    *BELOVED!* her soulmate's glad mind-cry echoed throughout her
consciousness, assuring her that everything was indeed all right,
*Forgive me, Bright-One. I should have looked closer. I did not intend
to hurt you, or to allow you to be hurt.* He sent her a surge of magic
which wiped out whatever Jareth had done, cradling her awareness within
his own. She joyfully returned his mental embrace, and Gwydion now had
enough power at his fingertips to destroy that Unseelie King if he so
wished. He and his beloved were totally one once more, goblin king be
damned- and he would never allow any harm to befall her again.
Dreamspinner's tears of fierce joy trickled down her pale cheeks and
the huntsmen in the room collectively gave a vast sigh of relief. Finn
wrapped his arms about her protectively, and she snuggled against him.
    *Thanks Finn.* she sighed. He just smiled and held her all the more
closer. A nice pillow was thrown directly into his face, and they both
jumped up to enter the fray. Aidan caught Finn upside the head, and
knocked him sideways to stumble into Dreamspinner, who fell down to the
floor, with Finn close behind.
    "Aidan, you are going to pay for that," Dreamspinner growled playfully
as she pushed the laughing Finn off of her and conjured a huge pillow of
her own. She leapt up to advance on Aidan, who crouched low in mock
terror.
    *Thwap!* *Boff!* Bap!* she fired, knocking Aidan onto his bottom, and he
didn't even attempt to salvage his dignity- because Conor was stalking
up behind their mistress with pure mischief painted on his handsome
features....

***************

    Strong arms grabbed her and Delilah felt herself being lifted up off
the ground. She stumbled slightly as she slipped from the grip and felt
her feet touch the ground. Bane's creature shrieked in annoyance and
slashed out scraping its claws across the stone. Sparks flew as Gareth
struggled out of the way of the flapping wings.
    "Go!" Gawain ordered her sharply. Delilah turned and glared at Gawain
feeling her old anger flash.
    "You're coming too!" She snapped at him. The hunter roughly shoved her
behind him, never taking his eyes from the floundering creature.
    "Go and find help, then I'll come." He hissed back to her. Delilah was
about to protest but the look he gave her forced her to silence and she
left trying to ignore the sounds of the creature's screams and the dull
sounds of the fight.
    Gareth frowned slightly as he watch the creature move about. It was
incredibly ungainly on it's two feet and something seemed to be keeping
it on the ground for every time it turned towards the shattered window
it would stop and howl in rage.
    Gareth seemed to notice this as well for he caught his concerned look
and shrugged. "Could be worse." He muttered to his friend as they slowly
backed off together.
    Gawain eyed him critically. "Oh?" He asked.
    The older hunter shrugged and smiled wanly. "It could be that damned
wolf!"

*************

    "Jareth!"
    Jareth winced at the sound of a woman shrieking his name. He lifted a
hand to his forehead and turned to the furious blonde who was slowly
stalking towards him. He studied her figure and his eyes narrowed. His
head hurt terribly from the war with Gwydion and Dreamspinner's angry
blast, and Delilah's yelling was only abusing his already raw nerves.
    "What have you gotten yourself into now?" He demanded.
    Delilah glared at him in annoyance, "Do you know that you have some kind
of flying thing in your castle?"
    Jareth paused and cocked his head, "So? I'm sure those hunters can make
themselves useful enough to get rid of it." He said waving his hand in a
dismissive fashion.
    Delilah sighed in disgust and grabbed his arm. "You are coming with me
right now and getting rid of it."
    Jareth raised a delicate eyebrow, "You seem very fond of ordering me
around, my dear. You forget this is my castle."
    "I forget many things but that I haven't forgotten. Your twisted
presence is all over this place. Now go and save your guests!" Delilah
said pointing down the hall.
    The Goblin King smiled and cocked his head, his mismatched eyes
unfocusing for a brief moment before that bored look overtook his
features again, "It does not seem they need me. I told you they did not
need my help." He turned and started to walk away."Perhaps you should go
and wash up, it isn't ladylike to run around looking like that." He
added before laughingly disappearing. Delilah stood still and glared at
the disappearing form before throwing her hands up in annoyance.
    "I'll show you ladylike, you . . . you. . . oh!" She shook her head and
sat down heavily on the floor trying to decide what she wanted to do
next.

********

    After dispatching the monsters to the netherworld, the members of
the Hunt who were involved in the battle and their Lord sent the corpses
to land unceremoniously atop a startled Bane. He cursed in seven
different languages, a marvelous feat indeed.

    Gwydion made rounds to assure himself that everyone was indeed all
right, mentally calling to each member of The Wild Hunt. Their
resounding positive responses put his mind at ease as he made his way to
Finn's apartments. He was greeted at the door by a grinning feather
bedecked Aidan, who quickly ushered him inside. There were feathers
everywhere, and the huntsmen smiled guiltily at their leader. He waved
them away, and they laughed quietly amongst themselves as they
recounted Dreamspinner's victory- she had whirled upon Conor with her
huge pillow just as he had leaned down to try to catch her. He ended up
with a mouthful of feathers for his trouble, and everyone had collapsed
in a fit of uncontrollable hysterics when he whined about the
"mistreatment". Gwydion noted with apparent relief that his wife was
curled up beside Finn, asleep once more. Finn was carefully taking the
random bits of down and feathers from her bright hair as she slept
peacefully against him. Gwydion knew this slumber was not the tainted
one Jareth had imposed upon her. The thought of that creature harming
his sweet wife made his blood boil in fury. He walked over to sit beside
her, and she instinctively turned towards him, causing him to smile. He
could not resist taking her into his arms, and she sighed contentedly as
she readjusted her position into a more comfortable one upon his lap,
her arms moved around his neck, and she buried her face in his hair.
Gwydion peacefully stroked her flame-bright tresses with gentle fingers
as he allowed his amused glance to roam around the room. He had to
stifle his own laughter as he realized the sheer amount of feathers
which were strewn about. They must have torn at least ten pillows during
the battle, and there were feathers everywhere. Gwydion whispered a word
and the feathers disappeared from the room (to mysteriously land all
over Jareth's apartments...). After a moment, Dreamspinner sat up and
opened her eyes to look deeply into his.
    *Gwydion..*
    *My Bright-One...hush now. You are safe. I am here.* he cast his
awareness about her, looking for any signs of Jareth's tainted magic,
then sighed in relief when he found nothing more. He almost hated to ask
her the full extent of what Jareth had done, but he had to know. *What
did he do to you, beloved?* Her husband's unspoken concern and love were
clearly evident in his thoughts, but Dreamspinner still shifted about
uncomfortably when she was pressed for details, and she could not help
but noticed the huntsmen in the room had leaned forward in their seats
to hear her answer. They were as angry as their Lord about this whole
bit of nasty business, many of them had to be held back from harming the
arrogant goblin king repeatedly by Gwydion's strong mind-grip. Finn
moved to kneel in front of her and laced his fingers through hers. His
eyes met Gwydion's, who was clenching his teeth tightly.
    Dreamspinner sighed wearily, *He knew of my weakness after the battle,
and knowing this, he attempted to take control of me and tried to poison
me with his magic. He attempted to break our bond, a bond which cannot
be broken! He hid his intent well.* she was clearly horrified and could
not understand the "why" of such betrayal of trust. Gwydion sent her
calming and comforting tendrils of his thoughts. He had figured as much
from the amount of tainted magic he had washed away from her earlier. He
told himself to start breathing again and to remain calm.
    *It is over now. He cannot hurt you anymore. Hold fast to that
knowledge, my dear bright-one. All is well, this I swear. He has no
power over you- he never has and never will, and this infuriates him. He
unwholesome and he covets that which he cannot possess, much like his
brother.* Gwydion cupped her cheek and traced the smooth softness of her
lips with his thumb. She held onto his hands and looked at him like a
child seeking reassurance, and he smiled and almost smothered her in his
embrace, *Be well, my Flame. Without your light, I would have been lost
long ago. I thank you for your irreplaceable gifts to myself and my
huntsmen. My words and actions earlier were done in haste, for my fear
of losing you was so high...and I was angry for not being called upon to
aid you. I realize what you truly are, Bright-One...make no mistake in
that. But my protective instincts did get into the way, dear one. It was
selfish of me, I know...but I could not bear the thought of you being
harmed in any way. I could not bear it...* his mind seethed with
feelings of horror and despair at the thought of losing her- the absolute
center of his world.
    Dreamspinner caught all of his feelings and more and sank further into
his embrace, all the while sending him feelings of mutual comfort, *It
is okay, my soulmate. I am fine now and all is well once more. After
all, I still have you, do I not? But please, do not drop me into a bath
full of cold water again. You will not like the outcome of such an act,*
she teased. He kissed her soundly in response.

*****************

    Delilah felt a hesitant presence at her back but kept her eyes on
the door in front of her. A hand hovered over her shoulder before coming
to rest on her hair. The woman tossed her head forcing the hand away
from her and buffeting her would-be companion in the face with her thick
mane of hair.
    "I refuse to speak to you." She said simply folding her arms stubbornly.
    "And may I ask why?" The hunter replied as he circled around her.
    Delilah forced herself to keep her eyes off the elf. "Because you're a
pig-headed idiot who could have gotten himself killed," she paused for a
moment, "twice now."
    Gawain laughed humorlessly. "I fear that tally is slightly higher then
two." He said. The woman opened her mouth to reply to that but found she
had no answer so she sat there in silence. Gawain reached out again to take
her arm, this time to help her off the floor, "You need to go back and rest
now. All this excitement isn't good for you."
    Delilah shook her head. "Attacking that. . . that thing wasn't good for
you," she said matter-of-factly, "my predicament pales in comparison to
yours." The elf sighed in defeat and sat down next to her wincing at the
cold that creeped up his skin.
    "So, what would make you get up?" He asked.
    The woman paused and considered his question. "First, somebody tells me
what is going on, and second, you promise not to do anything stupid like
that again!"
    It was the hunter's turn to shake his head. "The first, I can do. The
second, that I can't."
    "Then I'm not moving!" Was the curt reply.
    Gawain shrugged and drew his legs up underneath him. "Then we sit here
and look like fools."
    "Fine." Delilah snapped venomously.

**************

    Bane watched the wolf that snarled and snapped beneath him. The
torchlight flared off the silver band around it's neck. The brown eyes
glared at him in hatred as the teeth ground together. The Unseelie King
smiled down at it and reached out as though he were about to scratch it
between the ears. The jaws snapped closed with deadly precision but Bane
easily removed his unharmed hand from the partially closed mouth. The
wolf howled in rage and the fur on its hackles stood on end. Bane winced
at the racket the creature was creating and glared down at it.
    "Oh, be quiet, Justarus!" He ordered. The wolf immediately shut it's
jaws and sat down on its haunches as though it had been trained to be
obedient from its earliest days as a pup. Justarus entertained himself
by imagining new and inventive ways he could kill this insolent creature
who dared to put him under this demeaning spell.
    Bane laughed at the look on the wolf's face. "Don't look so angry,
wolfling. This may not be permanent. Think of it as a punishment for
defying me. As long as you do not decide to *improve* any more of my
plans you'll be just fine. And soon you won't even notice the collar, I
promise." Justarus longed to tear that leering face apart but still
could not move against the King's wishes. He would have his revenge,
even if he had to die to do it. Bane seemed to have read his thoughts
for at that moment the king leaned back and laughed waving the wolf away
dismissively.
    "Go, wolfling, and fetch me something to play with. That is what you
excel at, anyway." he smirked. Justarus rose and hurried from the throne
room with his ears pinned back against his skull and his tail low. This
servitude would not go unpunished, he swore. He'd enjoy the taste of
fear once he managed to escape and turn the table on that puny king.
Bane watched the wolf lope off into the darkness, a rueful smile
twisting at his lips. He owed Dreamspinner for the useful information
concerning that wolf, but he wondered why she would care enough to warn
him. He pondered this bothersome enigma...this mystery...and stood up
straight suddenly as his twisted mind grasped the blatantly obvious.
Dreamspinner *cared* about *him*?! He almost choked on that revelation.
He smiled. Maybe all was not lost...or maybe she was protecting her own
interests, which someone in his position could understand. He sighed as
he wandered down the shadowed hallway toward the throne room as he
pondered the nature of the situation.

***************

    "I don't know about you but I can't feel my legs." The elf said
conversationally as the two sat in the dying light.
    Delilah blinked and jerked herself awake from the haze she had dropped
off into to and fought down the urge to shiver against the cold.
"Neither can I, but if you can't take it feel free to leave."
    Gawain shook his head and glanced over at her. "That's it, we are going
back and you are going to take a warm bath and then you're off to bed."
He said as he carefully drew himself back up to his feet.
    Delilah eyed him warily. "I told you, I'm not going anywhere till you
meet my demands."
    The man knelt down next to her. "You also said you weren't talking to
me. Now are you coming? Or do we have to do this the hard way?" He got
no answer from the fuming woman so he shrugged. "The hard way then."
Delilah squeaked as a hand closed over her mouth and she was lifted off
the ground. She blushed as a few passing hunters glanced their way
curiously as they passed. One raised an eyebrow and whispered something
to the other and both broke out laughing. She murmured something that
was garbled and Gawain easily set her down.
    "What?" He asked as she spit out strands of hair that had gotten tangled
in her mouth.
    "You are the most insensitive, arrogant, enraging man I have ever met!"
She paused at his disbelieving look and decided to rephrase her wording
slightly, "All right, you're the second most insensitive, arrogant,
enraging man." Gawain eyed her for a moment before walking around her
studying her posture.
    "Insensitive am I?" He asked as he came back around.
    "Yes!" She replied quickly sticking her chin up in the air partially
because he was towering over her and partially because she didn't want
him to see her trembling hands which she hid behind her back. The hunter
hesitated for a moment before reaching out and pulling her chin up to
his face and gently pressing his lips onto hers. Delilah froze and found
herself unable to breathe as his hands slipped around her back bringing
her closer to his body. She wanted to melt against him, wanted it more
than anything, but something held her back. It was that same something
that kept her from responding to his kiss. Gawain finally released her
and she reluctantly pulled away from him feeling heat rise up to her
cheeks. She started to say something then stopped.
    Gawain sensed something wrong and slowly reached out for her. "Lilah..." he whispered as he stepped closer. The woman closed her eyes tightly
and turned away from him and fled down the hall leaving the confused and
startled man standing alone in the fading light.

********************

    "She ran off after you kissed her? I'm going to go out on a limb here
and say
that usually isn't a good sign."
    Gawain winced and glared at his friend. "Oh do tell, Gareth." He snapped
in irritation. Gareth eyed his friend closely before shrugging and
returning to his drink.
    "You know there are other woman who would pose less of a problem for
you." He said.
    The younger elf shook his head. "There's a slight problem with that. I
don't want any of the others, I want her."
    "Then you, my friend, are in quite the predicament. Think about it,
Gawain. She isn't even your race! Go find a nice elven girl to settle
down with a family. At least she will understand your duties as a
huntsman. From what you've told me, Delilah doesn't. Humans don't stand
for being separated from their loves for very long, from what I've
heard." Gareth reasoned.
    Gawain sighed and sat back. "Our Lady is not an elf, she and Gwydion
have made their marriage work." Gawain said hopefully.
    Gareth shook his head. "Our Lady Dreamspinner is not human in any sense
of the word. Open you eyes, youngling. She might as well be an elf
thanks to her powers. Comparing her to Delilah is like comparing a horse
to a unicorn. It doesn't work. Our Lady is of the Faerie Folk, Gawain."
He said reverently.
    "If I can just teach her to understand." Gawain pondered as he stood.
"If I can convince her that I love her yet also teach her why I have to
be a hunter. . ."
    "Give it up, Gawain. This little bird just isn't going to fly. The only
thing you can do is put it in a cage and hang it from the rafters. And
somehow I don't think Delilah's going to let you cage her in."
    Gawain whirled and faced his friend. "I can't just ignore what I feel!"
    "Of course not!" Gareth agreed readily. "Just let it sit, time will wear
it down and you'll eventually see it as the simple burst of passion that
hits us all at one time or another."
    "How can you be sure that this is what I feel? What if it is love? What
if she's the one I was meant to be with?" Gawain demanded.
    The older hunter grabbed his friend's shoulders tightly. "Listen to me,
Gawain. There is no way that she is meant to be yours for life. Forget
about her." He ordered in a deadly serious tone.
    Gawain shook his head sadly. "How can you be sure? I know what I feel."
    "I am sure because I know you! Look, the first time you saw her she was
in danger and she needed your help. Then she falls into danger again
today. She is the perfect damsel in distress, just look at her! Small,
fragile, completely out of her element in this strange world with very
few friends. All that appeals to the huntsman inside of you. The one who
is destined to save people from evil. And what greater evil is there
than Bane? All this excitement has blinded you to the simple facts of
life. Elves just don't bond with humans, unless that human is
extraordinary and somehow special and thus stands out in their race.
Even though Dreamspinner is Fae, it takes incredible will power on both
sides to stay together. Gwydion's will is significantly stronger than
yours, my friend, and even he has problems every now and again keeping
his family together. You and Delilah wouldn't last the year together.
Trust me, Gawain. She isn't your true love and you aren't hers. Just
look at today's happenings and tell me you don't see my words as true."
    Gawain closed his eyes tightly against the pain in his chest. He relived
the moment when Delilah had run away from him, and he saw the look on
her face as she fled. He remembered her words at his actions to protect
her and he felt his heart sink. He sighed and turned away from his
friend and glanced out the window. He felt his hand brush up against a
piece of paper and looked down at the crumpled parchment he had been
scrawling on and blinked as he remembered Delilah's fragmented stories.
She had been frightened to share them with him. She had been angry that
he had tried to read them then had finally, and hesitantly, allowed him
access to them. She seemed almost frightened as he sat and read and when
he had spoken to her about them she had gained confidence. He had been
concerned about the behavior, it reeked of self doubt and possible abuse
in the past. Like someone had once thrown them back in her face. Could
this be the same thing? It was worth a try. No matter what Gareth said,
he knew what was in his heart and his heart was telling him to follow
through on this.

******************

    Delilah ran off in a daze not sure where she was to go but not
wanting to stop. She fled the castle never noticing the shadow she
picked up as she passed through the gates. She passed the run down city
in a blur, momentarily tripping over a goblin who didn't move out of her
way, and entered into the labyrinth. She kept going until her furiously
beating heart forced her to stop and she dropped down among the hedges
curled up in a small ball and glanced up at the stars. She didn't
recognize any of the patterns and the moons looked all wrong for this
twisted place.
    "Decided to take a personalized tour of my labyrinth, my dear?" Jareth
drawled.
    She winced and turned to stare at the white form of the goblin king. "Go
away, Jareth. In case you haven't noticed I want to be alone."
    Jareth walked up to her and stared down, "In case *you* haven't noticed
I don't care what you want. We have a deal, and you promised to keep me
company in return for your disks."
    Delilah shook her head, "I'm not keeping you anything, Jareth. You can
have the disks. Just leave me alone." She turned her face away from him
and stared off into the darkness.
    "You will keep your end of the bargain, my dear." Jareth hissed as he
knelt down next to her. Delilah shook her head and started to stand so
as to move away from him but Jareth grasped her arm and yanked her back
down next to him. She gasped and stared up at him. She didn't want a
repeat of before but she didn't want him to touch her. She tried to pull
her arm out of his grasp but found herself stuck.
    Jareth sighed in disgust. "You just don't get it, do you? You are here
because you agreed to come, that gives me complete power over you, no
matter what you may think. You are the one who is powerless and you
would do well to remember that."
    "I am getting very tired of people grabbing me and trying to hold me
down," Delilah hissed back at him, "I will give you the same ultimatum
as I gave them. Let me go right now or I swear I'll scream."
    Jareth laughed. "Scream all you want, my dear. No one will hear you, or
find you. Why not test my theory?" He said as he pulled her closer.
Delilah winced but did not cry out as he had suggested. "Scream for
help. You are truly alone here, no one will be coming to your rescue
this time. Go on, I want you to know just how alone you are." He
whispered into her ear. She shook her head and shoved against him.
Jareth pulled back and glared at her. "I said scream!" He accented his
order by delivering a bone jarring slap to her face. A yelp of pain
escaped her lips and she held a hand to a tender check. She turned and
glared defiantly at the sneering king.
    "You are a sad lonely man who can only find enjoyment in terrorizing
those weaker than you. I will not do as you say. I hate you, I pity you,
I despise you!" She shrieked at him as she stumbled to her feet. Jareth
glared at her then rose menacingly and grabbed her wrist.
    "Save your feelings for yourself!" He snarled as he twisted her wrist
painfully. Delilah felt new tears forming and tried to hold them back.
She felt the world tilt dangerously and she shook her head to clear it.
    "Something wrong, my dear?" Jareth whispered to her as she blinked to
clear her vision. She was about to answer but was cut off.
    "Let her go, Jareth." A cold quiet voice ordered, barely controlled rage
bubbled underneath the words and she tensed as she recognized the form
in the dim light.
    "Please don't be a hero now." She whispered under her breath as Gawain
slowly stalked forward.
    Jareth glared at the elf for a moment before crushing the woman against
his side, "You huntsmen are severely trying my patience." He snarled.
    Gawain winced as he felt Gwydion momentarily touch his mind in warning
but he forced his leader away with a slight apology. "I said let her
go." He repeated.
    Jareth laughed. "I do not listen to the likes of you. This woman is in
my care and I will do with her as I please. Now leave." His voice
hardened dangerously.
    "I will not." Gawain slowly walked towards the king who sighed in
disgust and tossed his burden to the ground.
    "You don't want to do this, elf." Jareth hissed as he watched the
stalking form.
    Gawain smiled mirthlessly. "On the contrary, I very much want to do
this." He leapt and grabbed the king by the front of his ruffled shirt.
Jareth was about to counter act but a deep voice stopped him.
    "Gawain, let Jareth go, right now." Gwydion's order left no room for
argument and the elf slowly released his grip on his opponent. Jareth
smirked slightly and turned towards the woman who had managed to get to
her feet.
    Gwydion noticed his movement and frowned, "Delilah, come with me.
Gawain, we will talk about this. As for you, Jareth, I care not where
you go as long as it does not involve my wife or any of my huntsmen."
Jareth sneered in response but froze as the Lord of the Wild Hunt
pointedly amassed a great amount of power. Jareth glared at all of them
for a moment before finally disappearing in a burst of glitter.
    Gwydion sighed and shook his head as he took the woman's hand. "Come on,
all of you." He said as they slowly picked their way out of the twisting
maze of hedges.

******************

    When they arrived at Finn's apartments, the sounds of wild laughter,
shrieks, and giggles met their ears before they even opened the doors.
Dreamspinner was on top of Finn and had a lipstick in her hand which she
was unsuccessfully trying to smear on his cheeks, for he had her wrists
captured in his hands. She was similarly painted in a lovely shade of
blue woad, as were most of the others in the room. With a triumphant
yell, Finn reversed her hold on him and now it was she who was pinned.
The lipstick rolled out of her stunned grasp to rest against Gwydion's
boot.
    "Ahem." he said, trying to look stern. Dreamspinner and Finn jolted and
turned guiltily toward the sound of his voice. The rest of the
conspirators started laughing heartily, and Gwydion had to desperately
fight the urge to join in. Was that a puddle of mud on the floor? And
blue paint? What underground happened to the drapes? Was that snow
melting in the corner? Needless to say, the room was trashed.
    "I cannot leave you alone for a minute, can I?" he said to no one in
particular as he paced about the room. Conor covered his mouth with his
hands to keep from bursting out laughing, and Gwydion stopped to stand
in front of him. Conor was turning purple with the need to laugh, and
Gwydion arched an eloquent brow. That did it- Conor could not hold back
the gales of laughter which readily sprang to his lips, and he clutched
his aching ribs. Gwydion smiled as he slowly turned round, stopping
every so often to gaze into the eyes of each of his men, congratulating
each of them for the wonderful diversion- a diversion his beloved sorely
needed. It also pleased him to think on what Jareth's reaction to the
condition of the room would be...heh. Finn was still holding
Dreamspinner, and he rolled with catlike grace to laughingly get to his
feet. He then aided her to rise and they both looked at Gwydion
expectantly.
    Gwydion suddenly grinned, his eyes sparkling with barely repressed
mirth, "Well, I dare say all of you certainly need to get cleaned up. Go
on- off with you." The conspirators each kissed their mistress's
woad-stained cheeks as they left, impish laughter and good cheer echoed
down the hall as they vanished into their own apartments. Gwydion turned
to Finn and Dreamspinner, "And who started this?" They each pointed to
the other, both of their faces the picture of pure innocence. "I see.
Hmm...and since when do my huntsmen carry lipstick?" he asked his wife.
    "Busted." Finn whispered as he elbowed her in the ribs. Gwydion turned
to gaze at him, and Finn held his breath while trying not to smile.
    "Okay." he said as he waved the room back into some semblance of order.
Once the evidence of their play had been magically wiped clean, he took
out a handkerchief and methodically began to wipe the paint off of his
giggling wife's face, "This will have to be washed off. Come on you."
Dreamspinner jauntily waved good-bye as Gwydion took her firmly by the
hand to lead her out of the room and back to their quarters. Slight
movement out of the corner of his eye caused him to pause as he
remembered the original reason for coming here.
    "You," he said returning his attention to the two figures who had
blended back with the shadows on the wall, "behave yourself. I do not
want a repeat of what just happened." He ignored Dreamspinner's
quizzical look, mainly to keep from being distracted by the outrageous
coloring but also to stall any forthcoming arguments.
    Gawain nodded submissively. "Yes, my Lord." He muttered. Gwydion started
out again then stopped as a thought occurred to him and he cast his gaze
at the younger hunter who was quietly making his way out of the room. He
smiled slightly and moved to block the elf's escape. Finn froze and
glanced about trying to figure out another avenue of escape. Gwydion
glanced from one hunter to another then nodded. "Just to make sure this
doesn't happen again, and to make sure Jareth doesn't start getting any
ideas, I want you to stay with either Gareth or Finn. And keep Delilah
with you. Agreed?"
    Finn shrugged while Gawain nodded. Delilah glared at Gwydion as though
she were about to protest but Gawain noticed her look and elbowed her
slightly in the ribs muttering something to her. She blinked in
annoyance but stayed silent. Sure that no one was going to protest his
orders, Gwydion left, his shoulders sagging slightly as he realized he
was about to be in for an interrogation as soon as he managed to get the
paint off of his wife's face.
    *Gwydion, what was that all about?* Dreamspinner's soft mind-touch held
notes of deep concern.
    *What else? Jareth had Delilah, and Gawain attacked him.* he calmly sent
her the mental images of the scene as they quickly made their way down
the hall. Dreamspinner drew a quick intake of breath as he began, then
let it out slowly in an imperceptible whispered song. He kept looking
over at her to gauge her reaction, but her expression was unreadable
beneath the shocking blue face paint. He sent her a questioning tendril
of his thoughts, and she sent him back her concern. They turned another
corner and vanished into their rooms.
    Gawain, meanwhile, lead Delilah out of the newly-repaired quarters
with Finn on his heels. He hated the idea of having the younger hunter
playing baby-sitting with him but he couldn't complain. He had defied
Gwydion's direct orders, and to his surprise he had gotten off rather
light. Finn, with his usual good nature, seemed blissfully unaware of
Gawain's seething temper as he tried to engage the silent woman in
conversation. As they moved to the hall most of the huntsmen used,
Gawain became aware of Gareth's quiet stare amid the chattering and good
natured noises of the Hunt and he bowed his head slightly knowing that
things weren't going to rest as well as he had hoped. Things kept going
from bad to worse.

***************

    Justarus crouched down and waited for the lithe figure to come
within his reach. Tinkling laughter told him that his quarry was still
unaware of his presence and for moment he was able to forget about the
silver band around his neck. A deep voice made his ears perk and he
snarled slightly. He had hoped there would only be one to wander from
the cheerful firelight of the camp, apparently that was not to be. No
matter. He would simply wait for his chance and perhaps bring both back.
That ought to please the fickle king. Bane wanted something to play
with, fine. He's bring something to play with back. Then, while the king
was distracted, he'd be able to escape the paranoid feeling of being
watched constantly.
    The woman laughed and playfully leapt off into the darkness
beckoning her lover to follow. Justarus silently shadowed her as she
ducked behind a tree lifting a pale hand to her lips to hold back the
laughter. The man quietly picked his way through the underbrush
determined to find the woman but Justarus ignored him. There would be
time for him later. Right now, the wolf had other quarry in mind.

**************

    Delilah half smiled as the soothing strands of an ancient song
floated through the air. She felt herself being lulled to sleep and she
snuggled down into the couch partially closing her eyes and watching the
flickering candle light cast colors through her eyelashes. She didn't
want to move for fear the magic would be broken. There was nothing she
wanted more than to let this moment last forever. She was warm, she was in
the twilight of the mind, no longer conscious yet not quite asleep, and she
didn't want for anything. This was nice. Very nice indeed.
    Finn absently plucked at the harp, not really aware of what he was
playing but sure that his fingers knew what to do. He didn't have
anything really planned out but rather just let his fingertips wander
across the strings where they may. He had the true talent and he
discovered it worked best if he just let his mind wander and let the
heart play. He watched as his comrades quieted allowing the soothing
music to carry away their worries. He closed his eyes and briefly
concentrated the music where it was needed most. The heated conversation
between Gareth and Gawain stalled and stopped as both rose wearily and
found their places for the night. The woman was asleep already and Finn
nodded slightly, sure that all was set right. He briefly reached out to
his mistress and Lord and both gave him an encouraging touch before
turning back to their own affairs. The last strains of the harp drifted
away into the night giving the illusion of a place of peace and well
being. All signs of the day's affairs were wiped clean and the castle
stood quietly awaiting for the coming of day.
    Jareth heard the music up in his private rooms and he fought the
effects for a time before sighing and submitting to the elf's music. He
was weary from watching for Bane's subtle interference with his realm.
He was tired of feeling the jealousy eating at him whenever he saw
Dreamspinner and her one true love. He was drained from the anger that
had burned at him, as once again, Delilah refused to submit to him. How
was he to be respected when he couldn't even keep the guests in his
castle in line? The music played across his troubled soul and the goblin
king watched as, one by one, the three moons began their eternal dance
towards the horizon.
    Gawain passed by the playing elf careful not to disturb Finn from
his self induced trance allowing the music to lead him to where he
needed to be. He passed a half opened door and hesitated at the frame
before pressing on into the darkness. He saw the shock of gold on the
pillow and quietly wandered towards the head of the bed. He sat and
watched the sleeping form determined to keep his silent vigil. He
reached out and pushed the hair away from the peaceful face and smiled
slightly. This was where he belonged, now all he had to do was convince
everyone else of that. No easy feat indeed.

***************

On to Chapter 13.............................