Unnaturally Beautiful

Chapter 11: The Ball

Three nights later, Merik found his king lounging in the near empty throne room. He paused at the door, watching as the last remaining goblins scampered away upon noticing his presence.

Jareth cracked his eyes open, knowing already that it was Merik, “Yes?” He asked, pulling himself up lazily to sit slouched in his ornate chair.

“I was wondering if you’d come to a decision. We’ve received another notice from the Autumn Queen. She demands to know if you’re going.” Merik said, stepping into the room slowly, looking about as if he’d never been their before.

Jareth snorted, “As if there’s much choice. I’ll never hear the end of it from the Great Queen if I don’t.”

“Yes, we’ve already determined this much last time we talked.” Merik mused, fingering a dusty table littered with candles and dripping wax.

Climbing to his feet with remarkable grace, the Goblin King pressed a hand to his temple, “And I already know your next question.”

Merik turned, holding up a finger, “But it’s the Autumn Queen who wants to know. Who will you be accompanying?”

Jareth started out of the room, knowing Merik was following, “I haven’t decided.”

“The question is simple. Will you or won’t you be taking the boy?” Merik said, his tone frustrated, quite unlike himself.

Stopping in the middle of the hall, Jareth turned, “I don’t know. I want to take him, to show him off, but then I don’t. What if the Great Queen mandates that he should be turned into a goblin? Or sent Aboveground? Or worse, put to death? It’s too risky.”

Merik couldn’t help it, he found himself laughing outright, clutching his stomach, “Don’t be silly! You’re exaggerating things.”

Frowning, Jareth placed his hands on his hips, “This isn’t a laughing matter.”

Calming himself, Merik stood up straight, “I’m sorry. It’s just, if you take young Tobias, and the Great Queen is angered, the worst would be perhaps… She’d order you to separate. Maybe she’d insist he be turned into a goblin, but such a decision would take forever! You know how slow the Court is. Should anything come of this, you’d have plenty of time to send him home. And you can’t keep this secret forever. As far as I know, there’s already talk spreading to other kingdoms thanks to Wren and the servant girls.”

Jareth glared at his would-be friend, “I’ll leave it up to Tobias. I’ll talk with him tonight.”

Merik raised his eyebrows, a wide, knowing grin spreading across his face, “In bed?”

Cruel teeth were exposed as the Goblin King laughed out, rolling his eyes before slapping his friend hard, yet playfully, on the back.

Merik watched his king continue on, turning the corner up ahead, no doubt heading for the sitting room where Tobias had retired after dinner to get some work done. He should have known better than to expect his king to speak of bedroom happenings, but Merik was curious. How close had the two become? They shared a bed, yet there was no evidence they were lovers. No one overheard anything, servants hadn’t noticed anything amiss with the bedding, and these were all signs they’d used before to know their king’s intimate life. It was strange, quite different from all the times Jareth had taken lovers before. They shared a bed but didn’t have sex, and they conversed so much. Merik had never seen his king take so much interest in a lover.

He waited a considerable amount of time before heading back, tromping down the stairs and making his way to the garden. Julianne was there as expected, standing beneath a small tree, plucking little yellow fruits from the branches and gathering them in a fold of her skirts. Merik watched her a moment before coming closer, making his presence known.

She visibly jumped , turning and dropping several fruits from her skirts, “Oh! Merik, you scared me!”

He chuckled, sweeping a hand through his unruly, dark, reddish-brown hair, “Sorry.” He bent to retrieve the fallen fruit, handing them back to her.

“So, did you speak to him?” She asked, stepping away from the tree and to a bench where she had a basket. She deposited the fruit there before taking a seat.

He sighed, “Yes, again.”

“And?” She patted the place beside her.

Merik sat, keeping his gentlemanly distance, “It’s the same. He wants to take the boy, but then he doesn’t. He’s conflicted as to whether he should expose Tobias or not.”

Julianne sat forward, leaning on an arm, “But everyone’s going to find out sooner or later.”

Merik nodded, “He’s realized this. So, he plans to leave the decision to the boy.”

“That’s rather…nice of him.” Julianne said, sitting back, slouching against the bench, “I’ve never seen him behave so…differently. Normally, he’d throw orders about.”

Merik chuckled at this, knowing it to be quite true, “Yes, he seems to be attached to Tobias.”

“Mmm…” Julianne said, thinking, “Seems to me he’s trying to seduce the boy with kindness.”

Merik waved the issue away, preferring not to speak of such things with a lady, “No matter. It’ll be what it’ll be.”

She nodded, rising to her feet with a smile on her sweet lips. She reached for the basket, but Merik retrieved it first, “Thank you.”

He smiled, gesturing for her to go first as they headed towards the castle.

………………………………...

Tobias hadn’t actually counted, but he had something like twenty drawings done and even more sketches. He spent most of his time now in the sitting room, working with his art. Before, he’d always worked on it at school, only bringing special projects home to work on. Now it was as if his passion for art had doubled, no, tripled. He couldn’t get enough of it. He’d always known he liked drawing and painting, but he knew now that he loved it, couldn’t live without it.

He had four paintings completed, two watercolor, two oil. He was working on another oil painting at the moment, larger than the rest. He’d had to construct the canvas himself to get it large enough. It was something like three by four feet.

The image was that of the first drawing he’d done in this place. The one of Jareth in the throne room, draped over his chair, eyes closed, goblins all about him. So much larger now, he had much more detail to work with. He redid most of the goblins, sketching their forms into the actual goblins he knew as well as others he’d seen about.

The background was finally dry, dark stone and vivid drapery, candles and their glow… Now it was time to start the foreground. He decided to begin on the throne, mixing just the right colors for the sparkling jewels and the massive gleaming white horns at the top.

He spent over an hour working on it, getting it just right. He’d just finished when Jareth stepped into the room, “Oh, you’re still working on this one?” The king asked as he stepped over.

Tobias nodded, “I’m being picky with it.”

Jareth smirked, leaning in, kissing the boy’s temple chastely, “Time for bed, there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Tobias was hesitant at first, what was this going to be about? Neither of them had really had a serious conversation after their little fight. “Okay, I’m coming. Let me put all this away real quick.”

Jareth nodded and left the boy to his task. He changed into a pair of loose-fitting sleeping pants and was lying in bed when Tobias came into the room, closing the door behind him. The boy silently went about selecting bed clothes and heading for the restroom. Jareth listened to the sounds of the water splashing in the wash basin, clothes rustling, Tobias scrubbing at his teeth and spitting.

Returning to the room, Tobias managed to fight the rising blush. Jareth was watching him so intently. He suddenly felt naked even though he was wearing a T-shirt and boxers. He went for the candles, to blow them out, but suddenly they were all extinguished. He turned to the Goblin King, seeing that the look in the man’s eyes was serious. Without word, he moved to the bed and climbed in, sitting up, waiting for whatever it was they were going to talk about.

Jareth reached out, running his fingertips over the boy’s back, “It’s about the ball.”

A shiver ran down Tobias’ spine all the way to his groin. He turned to Jareth, carefully concealing his excitement. The half naked man lying there looking up at him didn’t help. “What about it?”

“There’s going to be some hardships whether you go or not, once others discover you’re my lover. I’ve decided to leave it up to you whether you want to go or not, but…”

The pause was so long, Tobias wasn’t sure Jareth was going to continue, “But?”

Sitting up, the Goblin King placed a wet kiss on the boy’s lips, “Don’t be hasty with your decision. The ball will be at the Autumn Queen’s palace, a massive room filled with beautiful beings that will all be looking at you as if you were an insect. Royalty can be cruel.”

Tobias smiled, “Are you worried about me?”

Jareth smirked, “Perhaps. You’re my little insect, I don’t want you hurt.” The first was said in jest, but the sentence was ended in a whisper.

It was definitely swoon worthy, but Tobias resisted. He didn’t want to appear so feminine and weak. He was a man, after all. “I want to go. I want to know everything about this place.”

Jareth brushed the hair back from the boy’s face, “You’re sure?”

“Of course,” Tobias said with a smile, “I love you. I want to go with you. Even if it’s horrible, I want to be with you.”

He didn’t let the happy grin appear on his face, he was the Goblin King after all. No need to act like a complete goof. However, that didn’t stop the emotion from coursing through him. Tobias was capable of bringing such happiness to his heart! The boy was completely devoted and in such a short amount of time. Would it last? Was it the boy’s youth? He’d wait and see.

Instead of showing his silly grin or speaking more mushy sentiments, Jareth leaned in, kissing his lover with bruising force. He want to consume him! Warm hands came to his chest, not pushing him away, just touching, holding. Jareth angled the kiss, biting gently on the boy’s top lip, sucking gently at it’s fullness before he moved to the bottom lip, not as full as the other, but just as delicious. Tobias had become rather talented in this, making his mouth pliant when Jareth wanted to ravage him, or creating his own force when their passion got the best of them.

Those hands moved low, resting on his hips, sliding up and down slightly. Jareth moved his own hands, firm on the boy’s back, lower, slipping them beneath the T-shirt against hot skin. Tobias gasped, no doubt in response to his cool hands, but there was no complaint. In fact, the response seemed to be rather pleasurable. Jareth was sure he could get a moan out of the boy, if only… He deftly slipped a hand around to the front, running skilled fingers over an already pert nipple.

“Nnn…aahhh…”

Jareth smirked into the kiss, watching the boy’s cheeks flush. He pulled back before Tobias did, knowing it was coming. The boy didn’t like their foreplay to go too far. He watched as his young lover caught his breath, lips red and swollen. With a downward glance, he glimpsed Tobias’ arousal and was even more pleased with himself.

“Shall we sleep?” He asked.

Tobias swallowed, nodding, not quite trusting himself to speak. How much more could he last? He wanted to wait for love, but my God… He fought the heat and the arousal and pushed all such thoughts from his mind. He lie down, nestling against the Goblin King, wondering if waiting was what he really wanted. Was he just afraid maybe?

………………………………...

Lyn was cheerful as ever. Tobias sat in her kitchen alone, watching her prepare a multitude of pastries as snacks for all those who would come running in hungry throughout the day. He’d just finished his late breakfast and was enjoying her idle chatter. She spoke of a servant girl that couldn’t quite grasp the simple chore she was to perform and of a little goblin that had come down with a horrible cold yesterday but was already looking better. It was the kind of talk he’d never really heard all his life. It was a woman’s talk, a mother’s or grandmother’s. His own mother had always been so strict and formal, more like a employer than family. And Sarah had always been his sister, his best friend, never someone with authority who could give and take such love. He liked to pretend Lyn was his mother. She was perfect for such a role. In fact, he could see now that she played mother for the entire castle, managing all the cooking and cleaning and gossip. She was even involved with everyone’s health despite Dr. Lazlo.

“Lyn…”

She turned, “Yes, honey?”

He smiled, “Nothing.”

She crooked an eyebrow, half-laughing, “You’ve been acting a little strange this night. You okay?”

He shrugged, “There’s been a lot on my mind.”

“Things always work out, don’t worry over them, just let ‘em be.” She said, turning back to her pastries, as if her words solved all.

“Tobias!” Julianne had burst into the room, making them jump.

“Goodness.” Lyn murmured, never taking her hands off the dough.

“What is it?” Tobias asked, a little worried.

The lovely brunette hurried into the kitchen laughing, pulling up a seat beside the boy, dropping a hefty basket onto the tabletop, “I just heard! I’m so excited.”

He was speechless for a few moments, then it dawned on him, “Oh, the ball?”

She nodded, smiling wider than he’d ever seen her smile, “I’ve only been to one ball, a long time ago when I was knew. I went as a servant for Jareth’s mistress a long time ago. What are you going to wear? You know, I think this will be the first time anyone has ever taken a same sex companion to such an important ball.”

Tobias held his hands up in the air to stop her endless talking.

Lyn had turned to face them then, “You’re going to the Autumn Ball, Tobias?”

He sighed, lowering his hands in defeat as he nodded.

“Don’t you think it’s going to be…not so good?”

He shrugged, “Doesn’t matter. I can tell Jareth wants me to go. And I want to go. Even if it’s bad, I want to experience it with him.”

Julianne calmed, sitting back, “I hadn’t realized you’re so romantic, Tobias. You’re much more grown-up than I thought.”

A bit of a pause filled the air, and Lyn noticed the basket, stepping over, “What’s this?”

“Oh,” Julianne said, turning to the cook, “I picked these yesterday from the garden. Thought you could use them.”

“Why, thank you, sweetheart. I most definitely can.” Lyn hefted the basket to the counter and set to work washing and slicing the citrus, arranging them on a large platter.

Julianne turned back to Tobias, “We have to get a tailor. The ball’s only a week away. A messenger has already been sent to the Autumn Queen, informing her that Jareth’s going and will be bringing a date. Suzette is the best seamstress. We have to get her here as soon as possible.”

“She should be in the Goblin City. She’s helping with the little sick one.” Lyn said, never turning from her task.

“Wait… Do I have to wear tights and puffy sleeves?” Tobias asked through a frown.

Lyn laughed out, glancing over her shoulder, “You can’t very well where a dress!”

He couldn’t help but laugh as well, “No, I mean… Can’t I wear clothes from…Aboveground?”

Julianne thought on it a moment, “I’m not sure. I mean, there’s no specific requirement so long as it’s formal and sparkling. What would you wear to such an occasion Aboveground?”

Tobias sat back, it was his turn to think, “A suit or tux maybe. Nn… Probably something more like for a costume party.” He laughed at his own thoughts.

“A suit?” Julianne asked in all seriousness, not understanding the word.

He waved it away, “Don’t worry, Jareth will probably blink me something. Poof!”

Julianne shook her head, “No, magic’s not allowed around royalty. It’s dangerous should someone be concealing their appearance for foul play. Glamour’s allowed though, and there will be plenty of it.”

“Glamour?” It was Tobias’ turn to not understand.

“Sort of like magic, but more subtle. To enhance features and hide slight imperfections, create a glow, things like that.”

“Oh.” Tobias said, realizing this was going to be a bit of a problem, “I guess we will need someone who can sew then. I’ll sketch something.”

Julianne nodded, rising, “Right. I’ll see what Suzette’s up to.” She was out of the room before Tobias could reply.

Lyn laughed, “I haven’t seen that girl so excited in quite a while.”

Tobias smiled. He hadn’t realized this was such a big deal. It pleased him, but at the same time, it brought out a slight fear. He’d never been one to care what other’s thought, but he cared what they thought of Jareth. Would he make the Goblin King look bad?

………………………………...

After a talk with Jareth, Tobias decided to wear an outfit in Aboveground style. Jareth had said his clothes would be the least of their worries and no matter what he wore, they wouldn’t approve. Perhaps it was best he wore Aboveground clothes. It angered them both to think anyone should criticize him of trying to pass for someone from the Underground.

So, it was decided, and Tobias had went to work sketching numerous outfits. Julianne helped in choosing which would be best. They finally selected one with low-waist pants that fit snug in the thighs and loose below the knee, a pipe-leg cut. They decided on a shimmering black material. Tobias himself attached delicate, silver chains to the side so that they draped in three arches just below his right hip. The shirt was a long-sleeve dress shirt that would be left untucked. For this, they selected a rich, burgundy material that was light and lay over his narrow chest in a flattering manner. The sleeves at the wrists flared slightly, the cuffs left open, slits cut nearly to his elbows. The collar was a bit too wide, but looked good when the top two buttons were left undone. Then there was a vest he was to wear open, done in the same material as the pants, sparkling with the light. It was short-waisted, formfitting, more of the little dainty chains attached to the left side in a small draping manner. Last but not least, shoes. Simple, shiny, black boots lacing tightly up his ankles for support. He’d been informed there’d be dancing, and with the slight heels, he was thankful for the ankle support.

Tobias was pleased with the results. He didn’t show Jareth, deciding to save it for the day of the ball. He worried now about the little things.

Come the day before the big event, he set to work painting his nails black and selecting simple jewelry from Julianne’s collection since all of his was provided by Jareth’s magic. He chose a choker of thin black cord with a little silver charm of a strange but lovely flower. He also selected several delicate, silver rings and bracelets as well as a pair of earrings, simple stones, dark red, almost black.

In front of a mirror, he stressed over the little things. One that bothered him more than the rest was his roots. About an inch of brilliant blonde hair was obviously visible. God, he hadn’t seen his natural color in so long. He’d forgotten how strawberry blonde it was, nearly white. It aggravated him. Julianne knew nothing he could do about it, suggested he leave it alone, let it grow out, she loved the color. Lyn didn’t know of anything he could do either, suggesting he cut it short so that it was only blonde. It was his new goblin friends that provided the solution.

“Why don’tcha just use clothes dye?” San had nearly shouted, pulling at her black rag of a garment.

It was a fabulous idea, and he was disappointed in Julianne and Lyn for not having thought of it. He managed to get a hold of some of the dark powder from Suzette who’d cautioned him against it.

Leaning over the bathtub, he’d managed to accomplish his goal. It worked! Though, it wasn’t like the dye he was used to. It didn’t shimmer with blue highlights like the rest of his hair, was rather a dull black. He had to use oil to get all to shine evenly.

He then finished up, plucking a few stray eyebrow hairs and some new arrivals that graced his chin. Pluck, pluck, gone. Everything was ready, and he found that he was more excited than he’d realized. His painting got no work those final days, and Jareth was staring at him more often than not with an amused smile.

………………………………...

On the day of, Jareth felt like the typical man waiting on the woman. He’d dressed quickly enough into an outfit the talented Suzette had created some weeks in advance. It was typical of his attire, only more sparkly and uncomfortable for the occasion. It consisted of knee-high black boots, black tights, and a dress shirt that might as well have been made of glitter. It was deep green in color with an excess of draping material than hung in all the right places, making him appear the graceful knight. The wrists flared with black lace and ribbons as well as the neck which hung open, showing plenty of skin halfway down his chest. His hair was it’s typical wild, wispy blonde, pale and golden and covered with nearly microscopic bits of glitter. He couldn’t deny that he liked it, but secretly, he loved it. He knew his appearance was much envied and adored. Never mind the slight discomfort, it was worth it. A servant girl had been shaking with nervousness as she’d applied his make up. White eye shadow that arched high up to his eyebrow, thin black liner about his eyes, black paint for his lashes, just a bit of pale, peach powder over his cheeks and chest and hands, giving a slight shimmer to his exposed skin, and lastly, a slight amount of balm to his lips, just enough to create a shine. He wore no jewelry except for the heavy crescent pendant about his neck, resting in just the right place on his bare chest. He’d had it polished, and it shone bright silver now, the jewel in it’s center sparkling.

He stood now at the entrance of the throne room, waiting. They should have left already. No one was allowed to materialize or dematerialize with royalty, they’d have to travel in old-fashioned style, and if Tobias didn’t hurry, they were going to arrive late.

As his frustration reached it’s peak, he heard a throat cleared and turned. Julianne was standing at the other end of the hall, not so far away, grinning like a Cheshire cat. Behind her were the others; Merik smiling so knowingly, Talbot looking the pleased old man, Trei, serious as always, even Lyn was there, her cheeks rosy. Wren was no where to be seen and hadn’t been for the past week. Dr. Lazlo was off tending to a sick goblin along with Suzette or he suspected they’d be there as well.

He eyed them suspiciously, knowing Tobias had to be there somewhere, he could practically sense the boy these days. And then Tobias stepped out from behind the corner, the others making room. His young lover was an image to behold, especially with that shy smile. The clothes were amazing, fitting him perfectly in all the right places; shapely thighs, narrow waist, a thin line of skin exposed at the hips where the shirt curved up at the sides, narrow chest and shoulders accented by the vest. Everything shimmered, from the glittering material to the faint glitter on the boy’s skin. The eyes were the best, brilliant blue outlined with such thick, black lines upturned at the outer corners, long lashes painted black, faint pink eye shadow, pink, glossy lips… Jareth smiled, reaching out his hand.

Tobias nodded, stepping forward. As the boy approached, Jareth changed his offering, bending his arm and offering his elbow as he would a mistress. Was Tobias not his mistress? He knew no better term. The boy accepted without hesitation, looping his arm through the offering, bring them side by side as they started down the stairs. Tobias waved back to the others as they wished them luck.

They walked along the outer hall, passing the courtyard and the garden, turning then to the right and coming to a massive, ornate room that opened out onto a street with numerous doors. Tobias was a bit confused. He’d surely have discovered this with all his wonderings. No doubt it had something to do with magic. He didn’t comment on it, deciding to leave his questions for later.

They stepped out into the cool, night air, a full moon brilliant above them. A huge white carriage waited in the street, headed up by three black horses and one white. It was quite the thing, the wheels silver, edging and trim done up in molded silver designs. It all seemed to glitter, even the horses coats.

Tobias noticed the driver was dressed spiffily as well in a nifty outfit of tights and puffy sleeves. Two servant girls wearing equally lovely dresses, made sure they were in, Tobias first followed by Jareth, before getting in a smaller, separate compartment in the front.

Alone, the whips snapping, the carriage rolling, Tobias moved from his seat across from Jareth, to the one beside him, “I’m so excited.” He whispered, reaching out to finger the black lace at his lover’s chest, “You look amazing.”

Jareth smirked, taking the boy’s hand in his own, “So do you, absolutely beautiful.”

Tobias blushed, knowing that on any other day, this would be the moment when the Goblin King would lean in and steal a kiss. He was disappointed when it didn’t happen as he’d expected.

Jareth chuckled, “I wouldn’t want to ruin your perfection. When we get back.”

This caused Tobias’ blush to worsen, and he felt silly suddenly, like a love-struck girl.

………………………………...

The ride was comfortable enough, only slightly bumpy now and then, nothing to complain about. It took longer than he’d expected, but again, Tobias wasn’t one to complain. He was peering out the little windows as they approached. It seemed they traveled an impossibly long road of stone archways and plentiful rose bushes before he finally caught sight of the palace. It seemed a more modern version compared to Jareth’s. The Goblin King’s castle was like something from a Dracula movie while the Autumn Queen’s was more like something Princess Diana would have been accustomed to.

It was wide, with endless amounts of windows and columns. The entire structure gleamed white under the moon’s brilliant light. The carriage came to a stop, people were everywhere! The servant girls opened the doors and suddenly there were servants all about them with anything they could possibly want. Tobias reached out and took Jareth’s arm before it was offered, afraid suddenly of being separated. The moment he got the chance, he stood on tiptoe and whispered in the man’s ear, “Don’t leave me tonight.”

Jareth chuckled, “Of course not.”

To be continued…

I realize my Jareth is fairly OOC, but I think that’s because I have him interacting with either Tobias or his close friends only. Let’s see if we can bring out some of the cruel Goblin King we all love come the next chapter. Until then…