Chapter 4

"Are you going to give me a tour of the castle, then?" Edana asked, as they sat on the window ledge overlooking part of the hedge maze after dinner.

"Of course. Can I get you some wine?" he offered, already refilling his own glass from the decanter.

Edana thought back to Sarah’s troubles with food. "That depends. What will it do to me?"

"If you drink enough, it will very likely make you drunk," Jareth deadpanned sarcastically, as he tried not to laugh.

"I meant –" Edana began to explain.

"I know very well what you meant," her companion said, pretending to be stern as he shook his finger at her. "And it’s a good idea of you to be concerned. But not yet. I wasn’t planning on trying anything yet." He left it as a sort of threat, and Edana took it as such. "And anyway, do you honestly think I would be consuming as much of it as I am if I had put something in it?"

He made a good point there, and Edana said as much as she poured herself a glass. When she had settled herself on the window ledge next to him once again, Jareth pointed out the window and explained various things that could be seen. The light was fast fading, however, and she did not get a chance to ask about a place she saw, far in the distance, which disturbed her. But there would be plenty of time for that.

They both drank more wine, joking and making friendly banter all the while, but nothing of any importance was said. Edana was very confused as to why Sarah hated Jareth so – could he have changed so much in just a few years, or what it simply that Sarah had never allowed for this side of the man because he had taken Toby? She was beginning to believe it was the latter.

"Shall we go for our tour now?" Jareth asked, dividing the last of the wine between the two of them.

"Okay," Edana agreed, trying with all her might not to appear drunk, and failing humourously at it.

"Maybe I shouldn’t have let you have so much," Jareth laughed, managing somehow to sound concerned at the same time. "Shall I finish that off for you?" he asked helpfully, taking her glass in his free hand, the other being occupied with his own nearly full glass of wine.

Edana snatched her glass back from him. "Oh, not at all – I’ll be careful. I promise not to spill it," she said, not very convincingly, as she took a large swallow of the dark purple liquid.

"That’s really not what I was referring to," Jareth admitted, noticing that he was feeling the heady effects more than he expected as well. "I don’t know that I’m fit to carry you."

"Yes, or maybe you’re just saying that so I’ll trust you, thinking we’ve had this wonderful time together, and you’re just waiting for you chance to do something horrible to me."

"Don’t be ridiculous," Jareth said haughtily. "I behave like the royalty I am, and besides, the chase is most of the fun. I’d never get you drunk first, it would ruin everything."

Edana didn’t know whether to be relieved or indignant that he couldn’t be bothered with her. She did, however, appreciate the fact that he was being so honest.

They took their tour of the castle, though Edana was fairly certain she would remember none of it the next day. Finally they stopped outside of a room in one of the hallways.

"You can stay here, in this room. It’s the nicest – after mine, of course. If you ever need anything, let me know. Don’t bother asking the goblins until you get to know them, just ask me." He looked down at her, and rested one arm on the wall above her shoulder, where she was leaning back against the wall. Some of the shorter locks of her flame-coloured hair had slipped out of her braid and formed ringlets framing her face. "I know you won’t believe it," he told her very seriously, "but you are very beautiful."

Edana laughed without humour. "Now I know there was something in that wine." As an afterthought, because deep inside she was praying he meant what he had said, she added, "Thank you anyway."

"I don’t give idle compliments," he said, impatient that she would accept none from him. But he quickly resumed his teasing. "As to the drink, all I can say is that the dwarves make a damn good wine." He removed the now-empty glass from her hand, then raised her hand to his lips and kissed it. "May you have only pleasant dreams," he said, stepped back with a slight bow, then headed down the long corridor.

Edana entered her room more than slightly dazed. Maybe it was all false charm, she thought, but she could deal with this kind of treatment, that much was certain. She touched her hand. No one where she was from had enough class to kiss ladies’ hands anymore. It had been extremely seductive, though she was sure that was because no one did it anymore. She slid the bolt on the door, then found a camisole laid out for her one the bed by one of the maids. She was glad for it, the night was hot. It must be summer in the Underground as well, she reasoned. Now very tired, she crawled into the spacious canopy bed with – could these be silk sheets? She shook her head in wonder that this was all happening to her, then fell quickly to sleep.

Jareth handed the wine glasses to a goblin, telling him to take them to the kitchen, then began to whistle on the way to his room. Any observer would swear the Goblin King was in love. As usual, however, Jareth was so much more than meets the eye. Instead of making plans for a future queen named Edana, he was congratulating himself on his infallible plan that was, so far, going without a hitch.