Labyrinth Pt. II

24. Focus On My Voice

For breakfast I dressed in a tailored linen dress that held a simple floral pattern. The flowers looked like roses mixed with ivy. They climbed up the dress and stopped at my waist. The dress was lilac colored and the design was a just slightly darker lilac. The sleeves were long, so I rolled them up to my elbows. My hair was braided and out of my face.
When I was finally comfortable with my appearance, I sat on the edge of my bed and thought about the night before.
I didn't feel tired, like I hadn't slept. In fact I felt great. That made me wonder if it actually happened.
Did I want it to be real? Why was it that when I thought of it being a dream, my chest hurt?
These questions circled my head and before I could find an answer to them, my door opened.

"Is my lady ready?" Nyx entered the room dressed in his signature colors of blue and white. He looks dangerously handsome.

"If you mean me, then yes I'm ready." I stood and paused briefly. He was examining my appearance, and when he was done I knew I looked acceptable. I met him where he stood and took the arm he offered.

"Did you sleep well, snowflake?" He offers a chance for conversation while we walk to the dining hall.

"I'm not sure if I slept well, since I remember my dream, but I do feel refreshed." I answer honestly.

"You remember your dream? What was it about?" I lightly smack his arm and smile.

"It's not polite to ask about someone's dreams. Plus, dreams are private. They are rare moments that we get to have, that are made just for ourselves. When we share them, they loose their specialness. Unless you decide to share them with someone special. Then they become a chance for hearts and minds to bond. Even then, i would feel awkward speaking about my dream aloud." I ramble.

"Interesting view. Dreams were always hallucinations that we had when we did not sleep well, in my opinion. It is pleasant to here someone think highly of them." We arrive at the dining hall and he turns to look at me when he finishes speaking. "Forget your dream, and let us break our fast in preparation for the coming day."

I smiled and we entered the hall. It was filled with the same people as the night before but everyone was dressed for the day, rather than for revelry. Fae smiled at me as we made our way to the head table.
There I saw Jareth, sitting in the same chair as before. I threw my gaze to the floor before I worked the nerve to look back up at him. When I did, he was looking right at me as well. I couldn't help the small blush on my face, thinking of the dream.

I can't believe I dreamt of him. How embarrassing.

He winked at me and took a drink from his water. We walked the rest of the way to our seats, Nyx in the center and me on his left. He raised his cup again and said something in another language.
My eyes widened at hearing the words and sound that came from his mouth. It tickled my ears and forced me to smile.
Everyone else raised their glasses in response, so I did as well. Then we drank in unison before people consumed the meals placed in front of us.
I ate in silence and listened to Nyx speak about different political things with other fae. He seemed serious about what he was discussing but relaxed. It seemed complicated and I was sure there could be simpler ways to handle some of the situations. However, I definitely don't know the whole picture of how things are run here.
Nyx finished his food and I was just about done before his hand rested on my knee. My body shuddered in response to his touch. As I kept eating his hand went higher and higher on my leg.
I knew I should tell him to stop, that I was in danger if he went further, but my body liked the sensations he caused.
My veins felt cold and my skin felt like it was being poked by needles. My heart beat was going so fast but I could sense it slowing down. The dining hall noises faded until I could no longer hear anyone or anything.

"You like what my touch does to you." Nyx was speaking to me. His voice was harsh but I drew closer to him. "How do you feel when I am close to you, like this?"

His breath brushed my ear and sent my nerves haywire. My breath shallowed and my eyes closed.

"It feels like my body is at two ends of the spectrum." I breathe out.

"How so?" Nyx's voice clipped.

"I feel alive but on the brink of death."

"Do you not like it?" He asked a question but he made it clear only one answer was acceptable.

"I- I want it." I said those words but my head was screaming no. "Please..."

I had no clue what I was asking for but my body was acting out of my control.

"Focus." A voice other than my own spoke inside my head.

Oh great, now I'm hearing voices.

"I'm not just a voice. Love, you need to focus." It responded. "Your lips are dark blue and your skin is paling."

Those facts and the title used caught my attention.

What do you mean?

"The prince is whispering to you in his language. He has his hand on your thigh. If he keeps going, you may be in danger."

Danger?

"It's taking every effort in my body to not rip him off of you. I can't physically save you from this, love. You have to focus your mind."

Focus my mind. How can I focus when there's a voice talking to me. Ever since last night I've been going crazy. First I have a lucid dream, now I'm supposedly in danger! With a voice in my head!

"Lucid dream? Love, last night, the so called dream, it was real. You and I were together in a shared memory."

J- Jareth?

My breath hitched and was stuck in my throat. A thick moan escaped my body, when Nyx's hand moved from my thigh, to my hip, to my waist. His breath tickled my neck. My shudder repeated itself but in a more violent manner. It didn't stop.

"Sarah. You need to focus. Your body can't take more of this."

Okay. Focus. What do I focus on?

"Dammit, Sarah! I don't know but you need to do it now!" Jareth's voice sounded desperate.

Jareth. My shuddering stopped when I focused on Jareth's voice. Jareth, remember when you sang to me at your ball? The last time I was in this world?

"Yes, love, I remember. Keep doing what you're doing, it's working."

You sounded so desperate, so sad. I think about that song, on occasion. Usually when I'm sad. Do you remember the words?

"Do you?"

Yes. I know it by heart.

My veins burned away the chill. I sang the song loudly in my head. My heart beat returned to normal and my body could move again. Nyx's hand was moving up my torso and before it could go any further, I used my own hand to stop him. Although I still felt out of breath, I could sense it evening out.

"Nyx, stop." I whispered. With eyes open, I could see how close our faces were, and i could also see my breath. His eyes snapped to mine and they were a storm of things. He was angry, shocked, lustful, and... proud? "What happened?"

"Nothing. Nothing happened." The prince moved away from me and snapped his fingers.  "See that the lady gets escorted to her room and remains there until further notice. Oh, and take the goblin to the holding room."

"Nyx, what's wrong?" I asked confusedly. "Are you mad because I stopped you from touching my in public?"

"As if I would waste the energy to feel anything towards you, you human pest." He snapped at me. The anger I saw in his eyes took center stage in him.
I was taken aback by his response, seeing as how he's been nothing but a gentleman to me since I've met him. So I simply nodded and followed the guards. I spared a small glance at Jareth and he was fuming. Not at me, but at the prince. As if feeling my eyes on him, he looked at me like he was relieved.

"We will see each other soon, love. I promise."

Please comment, like, and share the story! 🖤🖤