{insert usual disclaimer: Just took Jareth outta his box to play with
him awhile...he's no worse for wear...uh, well, sorry about the sprained
ankle<eg>} and all the rest of the stuff in this lil weaving © copyright 1998 to Me.

"Just a Wish"
by
*Dreamspinner*
Chapter 3/?


    Alan glared at the stone facing him in absolute hatred, imagining it
to be that foppish creature-thing and willing it to crumble, die, or
whatever. The wall had swung closed behind him and now he found himself
trapped...at least for the moment. He huffed indignantly as he kicked
the wall with apparent relish. Quickly, it occurred to him to look
up...and he smiled to himself in smug satisfaction. With apparent ease,
he found the disturbingly small hand and foot holds as he scaled the
stone wall, saying softly to himself while trying not to totally crack
up and lose his rather precarious footing, "I am VENGEANCE! I am the
NIGHT! I...AM...BATMAN! Mwahahahah!" He scaled the wall and dropped down
softly upon his sneakered feet as he entered another part of the
ever-changing maze, the watchful eyes of the Goblin King carefully
planning more adventures for the boy...ones just long enough to keep him
out of the way. Jareth smiled. 13 hours indeed...he was certain to make
sure there were NO clocks in there and had swiped Alan's titanium wrist
watch before they had entered his realm. 13 hours can seem like an
eternity...or could be an eternity.... Jareth pulled off his leather
gloves and stared at his palms. Both bore the red tatto-like images of
the great Spiral, a constant reminder of the oath he had sworn...and
they twinged from time to time- especially when he chose poorly. He
clenched his naked fists and uttered a soft oath, "I shall do well by
you, little queen...I shall...but the boy might be more of a problem
that I had ever anticipated. Such gifts he has! One would wonder if he
has faerie blood, much diluted of course, but it is there none the less.
As it is within you..." Jareth sighed as he pulled on the leather gloves
and contemplated what he should do next. If the Lady found out from the
wrong person what his plans were...Goddess, he hated to think of those
beautiful twilight eyes glaring at him in accusation.
***************
    Fiona walked silently in the garden under the watchful eyes of her
unseen attendants. Misha had insisted that she needed some fresh air and
had suggested a walk in the gardens after she had a wondrous soak in the
exquisitely carved rose quartz tub. Tub? Ah, it was a small pool
really...and she stripped down to her shimmering shift with apparent
relish. She had loved the bath...it was so nice and comforting. A few
faeries splashed and played in the water beside her, and she watched
their frolicking with mild amusement. She was surprised by the new
number of attendants who were now surrounding her, but she said nothing.
With a weary sigh, she had watched the Misha and a plethora of faerie
attendants look through the stunning array of gowns to find one which
suited her and the occasion. How Fiona wished for a tunic and
leggins...and Misha had been quite adamant(indignant!) about her never
wearing anything of the sort. The other faerie maidens giggled good
naturedly behind their hands- as they found Jareth's taste in women's
clothing to be more foppish and frilly than was reasonable. After a
heated discussion(where Fiona's hair had come down from Misha's
painstakingly elaborate creation), they settled upon a soft flowing
gossamer silk under-dress in pale pale blue with an exquisitely
embroidered overdress of peacock blue/green/gold studded with tiny
diamonds in the many shades of blue upon the neckline, sleeves, bodice
and hem- representations of the cosmos swirled in their never-ending
dance, twinkling as Fiona moved...the silk dress shimmered like a
peacock's feather, and was pleasantly light as well as wondrously smooth
to the touch. There were lovely soft ballet type dancing slippers to
match, with crescent moons embroidered upon the top as well as a fair
sprinkling of tiny diamonds. Misha had partially caught up Fiona's
wayward lavender scented tresses in an intricately engraved circlet of
platinum set with tiny twinkling diamonds in many shades of blue. After
Misha gave her final approval, the poor child had all but flown from her
chambers to be out in the light of the gloriously full moon. The other
Faeries she had tried to touch earlier had found her and were playing in
her lavender scented hair while singing wondrous songs to her, all the
while weaving fresh blossoms throughout her vibrant tresses. Their
patient and loving attentions only added to the beauty of her ensemble-
her lovely starlit dress shimmered and swirled about her frail dancer's
body like a lover's caress. Fiona smiled absently as she took in the
garden's undeniable beauty. She moved gracefully in her dreamstate, her
feet barely seemed to touch the earth, and not even a blossom upon the
petal strewn path was bruised by her light footfalls. One of the garden
faeries in particular spent his time whispering mysteries into Fiona's
perfect but now delicately pointed ears...mysteries about the whys of
her abductment, who was involved, and what possible routs she could take
in her own defense. She listened to all of this intently, easily
catching the faerie's disgust with the whole sordid matter, but appeared
to be off in some other world to anyone who happened to gaze upon her.
She finally reached up for the faerie in open invitation to land upon
her fingers, and smiled at him as he drifted down to perch there, his
marvelously opalescent wings fluttering slowly as he carefully seated
himself in her open palm. He was ever so handsome; his golden circlet
rested upon his regal brow as his beautiful sea green eyes bespoke his
goodness of heart as well as his sense of strong honor, which pleased
her greatly. His skin shone with a pearlescent hue, which only added to
the dreamstate Fiona thought she was in. She did not know why or
how...but only knew that he and his kin could be trusted, which made her
feel not quite as lost as the babe in the woods she really was.
    "Have you eaten?" he asked seriously, his deeply musical voice
magical in its perfect pitch, tone, and melody. This shook her out of
her reverie and she sighed. How could she even think of eating now? She
shuddered slightly in the softly scented breeze- the breeze smelled as
wildly exotic as a Sultan's garden, and she vaguely tried to identify
which herbs and flowers she was familiar with. The Faerie looked up at
her, his face betraying strong emotion as he watched her consciousness
drift away from him once more. With a determined smile, he patted her
hand, efficiently calling her attention back to him, her eyes clearing
only for a moment as she tried to remember the question he had asked.
    "No...I do not feel like eating...I have not for some time now." she
said softly. The Faerie looked at her with worry plain in his beautiful
sea green eyes. He flew up to touch her cheek softly, then darted to
take her sleeve in hand to pull her toward the marvelous fruit trees in
the garden. She felt the world shift and gasped, reaching out to steady
herself. He stroked her fingers, but silently urged her onward as if
this was of some great importance. He ignored all of the many tempting
varieties of fruit, save one located in the center of a circle of
glorious trees of its kind- trees which bore both flower and fruit- and
this magnificent tree bore golden apples which glimmered in the pale
moonlight.
    "Eat of this, Brightest Star. It will heal you. I can offer you
naught better than this. And you so need a healing...," his deeply
musical and compassionate voice trailed off as he pulled her sleeve
upward and towards an exquisite apple which glimmered like a small sun.
His strength was amazing for such a small creature, but she lost this
shimmering thought as soon as her eyes captured the vision of loveliness
before her. Entranced, she reached for the apple, and it came away from
the tree with a delicious sigh.
    "I am dreaming even while I am supposedly awake. I am caught
somewhere in-between. How can I eat something of such great beauty?" she
murmured. Gran had always warned her not to eat anything of faerie
bounty, but now it did not seem so important, for it felt to be the
right thing to do, and she always knew to follow her instincts. The
Faerie calmed her with gentle murmurs of her name woven exquisitely
within the gentle song he was softly singing.
    Fiona smiled up at the tree as she gracefully curtsied, saying,
"Thank you for your gifts to me." and was rewarded by a wonderfully soft
whirling of gentle mindtouchs from the tree...it bade her sit beneath it
and freely enjoy of its bounty. The faerie had caught his breath at the
exchange, and then smiled in deep pleasure. The tree's promise that it
would watch over her and a cool breeze from the north added to her
amused contentment. She gracefully sat down, apple blossoms floating in
the air about her, caressing her skin wherever they happened to touch
her. She sighed in sweet innocent ecstasy as those silky petals caressed
her exposed flesh as she leaned back against the welcoming tree, her
heart at peace for once in what seemed to be a very long time. The
Faerie lord watched in silence as Fiona delicately bit into the apple,
her face so tranquil as she swallowed the abundant nectar the fruit
provided. It was so blissfully sweet...and she felt the warmth of it
moving through her body like a lover's caress. It was so like the sweet
meade she loved...so like it that she savored every drop- swirling the
juices about her tongue to catch all the wonderfully indescribable
feelings and memories it brought to her. Her smooth alabaster skin
regained the delicate pink blush upon her cheeks even as her lips
blushed a lovely shade of crimson. Her twilight eyes, cleared now of
dreamstuff, avidly took in her surroundings with great excitement. The
faerie noble watched her and smiled. She was going to be well and he was
most glad of it. Deciding to reveal himself for who he really was, he
shifted into his normally elven-sized self to sit beside Fiona, who made
a faint cry of amusement at this newest and unexpected incarnation. He
was taller than she, and so lovely to gaze upon. His wings shimmered
into nonexistence, but once in awhile she could make out a faint
sparkling in the space behind him where his wings should be. She almost
forgot the apple she was holding while she studied him intently,
blushing ever so delicately when he noticed her innocent contemplation
of him. He smiled and cupped her hand to bring the apple to her lips and
bade her to eat a bit more, but only if she wanted. She smiled and did
as he bade her, allowing the soft, tender mind caress of the tree to
wash away all the pain in her heart as well as the left over injuries
due to the tragic accident...
    *No, dearest childling, do not dwell on the past,* the tree was
quick to remind her, *All that is over and done now. Live for the
future.* Fiona sent sleepy thankful thoughts to the tree, which reached
out its awareness to hold her tenderly in its embrace. She sighed in
true contentment, leaning her head upon the shoulder of the man now
seated beside her. He stroked her hair and hummed a lovely lullaby, and
she felt herself slipping into a deeply healing slumber. It all just
felt so right...she could not explain it...
    "What are you called, King of the Faeries?" she asked him so softly.
    "Ah...Truesight. I should have guessed. You may call me whatever you
wish." he replied, his smile warm and his voice sounding very pleased,
"Name me, My lovely one. Name me and make me yours."
    She closed her eyes and concentrated- but a name came to the
forefront of her consciousness like an arrow shot from a marksman's bow.
    She whispered, "Liam." The Faerie King smiled at her remarkably
correct choice of a name for him. 'Protection...' he thought, 'yes,
indeed. More so than you will ever know, dear one.' He had sensed her
almost call him Conor...and sadly traced the sweet softness of her cheek
with his fingertips. Her eyelids flickered open and she smiled at
him...such a smile she had...like the dawn. He slipped his arms about
her and added his own considerable powers to that of the tree...and
together they wiped away all of the bindings Jareth had placed upon her,
but the protections they left, as well as adding a few of their own. She
would not be constrained again. Her choices would truly be her own as
they should be.
    Misha smiled from her perch in the branches of another tree. This
was well done- very well done. Poor childling...it was about time. She
had sensed King Liam's presence in the gardens, but could only hope he
would take such an interest in her charge. He had even swept Fiona
through the portal between his realm to his own to provide her with the
Golden Apples of Tir Na Og...the apples which would never grow
here....very well done indeed.
****
     After what seemed to be a sweet eternity, Fiona roused herself and
felt the arms about her tighten for just but a breath of time before
letting her go with great reluctance. Liam smiled at her, his
Silvery-green hair alive in the moonlight as he shifted to allow her
complete freedom of movement. How she longed to run her fingers through
his hair! But her natural shyness asserted itself and she merely blushed
and looked up at him through the fine veil of her red-gold lashes. He
carefully reached up to move a stray lock of her vibrant tresses from
her face, allowing his fingertips to trace her cheek as he did so.
Suddenly, with a boldness she never knew she possessed, she cupped his
hand with her own while he gently cradled her cheek.
    With a regretful sigh, she finally asked him, "Are you involved in
this contest as well? I will only wed for love...no matter what stakes
or claims Jareth makes. I am not going to be a pawn in this,
Liam...no..I will not." her demeanor had changed as suddenly as a summer
storm blows in upon the horizon, her eyes blazing fierceness worthy of a
valkyrie. Fire...her element...Dragon's Daughter...of the earth and sky
to bind them all...Liam shook his head to clear it of the ancient
snippets of prophecy, riddle and bard craft which flooded into his mind
as he watched her.
    Liam nodded seriously as he gave his affirmative reply to her
question, then took her by the chin to force her to meet his eyes,
"There is more resting upon this than you know. Our land...our land..."
his voice became sad and slightly tense as he tried to tell her what she
needed to know without scaring her, "The land is...not well, M'lady...."
Fiona gazed at him in confusion, and he smiled, "You have not felt it
yet, then? Well, I promise you shall know it when you see it. You will
know what you must do when the time arrives. The magic constrains us all
to a certain degree...and it is imperative that you come to KNOW this on
your own. That is the only way."
    "If that is the way, then that is the way I shall do it...but you
must know I was taken- stolen from my own world as a part of something
else. I do not know how I shall fit into this tapestry..." she frowned
at the ground as she traced a spiral in the soft dirt with her
fingertip. Liam almost gasped, but managed to barely keep his composure
at her choice of images.....the crescent moon cupped the Moonmother's
abundance ever watchful around the spiraling circle...her fingertips
traced the spiral, following it to it's center and back out again in a
gracefully repetitious motion. Amused, she continued drawing, blissfully
unaware that Liam was growing ever more agitated until he finally
startled her by placing his hand over hers as he uttered a strangled
whisper, "Enough. Please." She glanced at him, uncomprehending the
sudden change in him. His tight smile and reverent gaze confused her
even further, and she gazed at him in wide-eyed alarm.
    Slowly, he seemed to relax, and caressed the hand he still held, "Do
not worry. There is time enough for the knowing later. Calmly now,
little fawn. I did not mean to upset you with my own concerns." She
wordlessly nodded, but her expression was still one of concern. He
laughed lightly and conjured a small rose for her, which she took and
breathed deep of its sweet scent. A slight scuffing upon the path made
them aware that someone else was approaching, and with an amazingly
quick surge of motion, Liam quickly pulled her back through the portal
so that they were calmly seated upon a garden bench by the time Jareth
rounded the corner. Her being slightly out of breath only served to
cement the facade that they had stopped touring the gardens for her to
rest.
    Jareth gazed mildly at the two, but secretly fumed at the obvious
meddling someone had done to his little Oisin. All of his bindings were
gone from her, and he was not pleased.
    "My little Oisin...how do you fare? You look radiant...positively
radiant. One would think you had been somewhere else...ah, but how could
that be, hmmm?" Jareth gazed at her then shifted his awareness to the
Faerie King. Sparks seemed to fly between the two as a mental
conversation heated the air around them, making Fiona very
uncomfortable. She favored him with a faint smile, but her eyes were
bright and keen. The faeries who were tending Fiona rushed forward to
pull upon Jareth's hair to annoy him. He uttered a mild curse as he
swatted at the darned creatures, fully about to blast a few into
cinders- but he caught Fiona's shocked expression at his behavior and
stopped mid swat. This only amused the faeries, who took great glee in
the fact that he could do nothing to them at this moment. They returned
to the safety of the shadows behind Fiona and their King- some taking up
residence in her hair.
    "You are positively crawling with faeries, child! King Liam, I ask
that you restrain your subjects." Jareth ordered.
    Liam picked up one of Fiona's many curling tresses, savoring the
sweet scent (~she smells like spring~, he thought wistfully) and kissed
it before replying, "She does not seem to mind them." Fiona hid her
smile behind her hands and tried not to laugh when the look of utter
indignant outrage flashed across Jareth's pale features before he could control it.