~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Crystalline Dreams
by: Dreamspinner and Delilah
Chapter 4



    Delilah cursed as she stumbled over the hem of the ridiculously long and frilly dress. She didn't mind dresses in particular but this one was pushing her limits. It had been the most conservative one she could find and still it bristled with lace and sequins. It had taken her close to twenty minutes to find and do all the straps and snaps that held the thing in place. She passed a mirror and paused to make sure that nothing had come undone. The deep red color enhanced her blue eyes turning them a teal color. She had taken her hair out of the tie that she normally used to bind it to the back of her neck and allowed it to spill over her shoulders. Absently she made a note to have her hair cut, the split ends were beginning to show. She had smeared some of the skin colored cream she had found in one of the jars on her face and she found that is smoothed the lines of her face and hid any blemishes quite nicely. She also couldn't resist touching up her lips to make them match the dress.
    She shook her head in annoyance. She was playing Jareth's game by making herself up but she just felt wrong in the dress without making some attempt at fixing up her features. The thought of Jareth made her blood boil and she whirled away from the
mirror determined to find the absent monarch. There was no way she was going to stay here without a change of comfortable clothes. And as far as she was concerned comfortable did not mean what she had found stuffing her closet. She walked a ways more before realizing that she was thoroughly lost. The castle was almost as bad as the maze, she was sure of it. She opened a random door and found herself staring down a flight of stairs. She hesitated not really wanting to try the stairs in her
dress but found she had no choice. Voicing her objection the entire way down she somehow managed without falling.
    Another corridor met her eyes and she shriek in annoyance. This place was so infuriating! She stamped at the floor and glared, knowing that she was being childish but at this point not caring. The sound of voices and footsteps caused her to catch her breath in hope. Lifting the edge of the dress she hurried forward hoping against hope that she would catch whoever it was. She turned a corner and paused trying to get her bearings. When she was sure she knew where she was going she hurried
off again.
    Another corner brought her faced to face with a woman she had never seen before but at least she looked human. Her bright strawberry blonde and auburn hair stood out in sharp contrast to the black clothes she was wearing. Delilah briefly admired the silver embroidery before she realized that there was another person behind the woman. This person definitely was not a human. Her violet hair and eyes gave her away almost as quickly as the wings. She didn't look dangerous but then again a tiger didn't look dangerous until it actually tried to kill you.
To her surprise the flame-haired woman smiled and spoke, "I take it you are Delilah."
Delilah blinked in surprise. "Yes," she replied slowly, "how do you know who I am?" The woman seemed to sigh in relief. "My name is Dreamspinner, I've been looking for you."
"Oh! Well then in that case maybe you can answer a question for me."
"And that is?"
Delilah smiled and fingered her dress. "Where did you get those clothes?"


********

    Dreamspinner sighed in relief now that she had found Delilah. She felt very comforted by the other woman's presence. For some reason, a random thought flashed through her mind, 'and then there were *three*'.
Dreamspinner smiled at Delilah and extended her hand in greeting, "So glad to finally meet you face to face, even under the present circumstances."
Delilah smiled in return and shook Dreamspinner's proffered hand firmly, "Yeah, me too."
"Oh, you wanted a change of clothing... let me see..," Dreamspinner's concentration turned inward and with a burst of wild magic, Delilah found herself wearing a soft white raw-silk over-gown which had long billowing split sleeves and fanciful cut-work embroidery surrounding lace panels on the bodice. The lovely blue silk under-dress had form-fitted sleeves that came down to a point on her hands. Sturdy but soft leather slippers completed her new ensemble. Delilah reached up and felt a
circlet of roses on her brow, and gave Dreamspinner a small pout.
"Well, you did want it be something like what Guinevere would wear!" Dreamspinner smiled impishly, then suddenly swayed and slumped into a sitting position on the stair she had been standing on. Her alabaster skin now took on a faint luminosity.
Genna knelt by her side, "M'lady...if you wish to keep yourself from fainting, it would be wise not to do that little maneuver again," she gently admonished.
Dreamspinner smiled ruefully up at the two concerned women by her side, "Okay, but I knew Delilah wanted out of that dress!"
"Everything is changing... I can feel it." Dreamspinner's eyes glazed over as she seemed to be looking elsewhere. Genna shook her gently by the shoulders, "Come back, childling, come back from the edge of that precipice. There will be time enough for that later."
Dreamspinner shook her shining mane, and looked back up at Genna, "I hope Jareth has no clue about any of this," she stated grimly.
"None whatsoever." Genna smiled maliciously, turning to Delilah, "Come, let us away before our dear king can find us."
"Too late for that my lovelies," Jareth's sinister voice slithered up the stairs to raise the hairs on the back of the two women's necks, "Good, I knew you two would find one another."
Dreamspinner glanced about wildly, for Genna was no longer there. Delilah made an almost imperceptible movement with her left hand to signal Dreamspinner to stay put for the moment. It suddenly became apparent to the two that Jareth thought Delilah had been talking. Dreamspinner hid her smile with a long-fingered alabaster hand.
Jareth knelt by Dreamspinner's side, "Not feeling well, my pet? Let me aid you," he said gallantly as he aided her to rise unsteadily to her feet. Dreamspinner pulled away from him and wrapped her arms about herself as she watched him warily.
He made no move to touch her again, almost sighing in regret, "Why do you think I mean you harm? Have I not made your stay here comfortable?" When she didn't answer him, he frowned. He glanced at her pale aura through slitted eyes thinking to himself, 'She needs rest, and alot of it.'
"Wait... you two look different...," Jareth cocked his head to the side and regarded them silently, then lost all composure as his demeanor slipped into one of barely-concealed rage, "WHERE did you get those clothes?!? I had nothing of the sort made for you! Why are you not in your dresses?" Almost as suddenly as the outburst had occurred, the king's demeanor fell back into one of calm pleasantness.
"Hmm, my lovelies? Did you not like the gowns I so laboriously had prepared for you?" he already regretted his outburst, for Dreamspinner looked as if she were about to bolt from the room. Jareth calmly circled around behind her to cut off her easy exit, making sure she would have to face him if she planned on leaving any time soon. He smiled apologetically, but Delilah glared at him with unconcealed scorn, and moved to stand beside the pale woman who was, at the moment, the focus of Jareth's attention.
"My friend needs not answer the likes of *you*," she spat as she pulled Dreamspinner past the goblin king and out of the door.
Jareth allowed them to pass, but caught Delilah's arm and said softly, "You might win this little battle dear, but not the war."
"We'll see," she tossed him a curt reply, tearing her arm from his tainted grasp.  Jareth stood there for a moment, reviewing what had just occurred over in his mind. He should not have frightened Dreamspinner, and he knew it. He made up his mind to check in on her later, without anyone else around to distract him. He smiled.

~~~~on to Chapter 5