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Tweak says, "Happy happy joy joy!"

Jareth (goblin_king) wrote in labyrinth_rpg,
@ 2009-03-22 20:29:00

Entry tags:

armand, arrival, caspian, cathal, cimorene, claudia, complete, day four, edward cullen, faith lehane, gabrielle, giselle, hermione granger, ianto jones, jack harkness, jareth, juniper golding, legolas greenleaf, mercy thompson, ned the piemaker, nymphadora tonks, olive snook, pandora, robin of locksley, rose tyler, sarah williams, schuldig, severus snape, tara maclay, the doctor, willow rosenberg, xena, yaten kou, yuna

Who: Jareth and everyone!
When: Day Four, evening
What: The King 'invites' everyone to his masque...
Where: Jareth's castle
Rating: Anywhere from G to R, I suppose
Status: Complete

It had been raining earlier in the day, but it had cleared up a short time ago. Jareth looked out the window of his massive ballroom, empty for now, and felt a little bit disoriented by the fact that the Labyrinth had just disappeared. Of course, he'd made it happen, but it had been a long time since he'd felt so exposed. But he couldn't very well have people needing to wander through the Labyrinth, could he? And the two who had been running it had been transported to the castle already, and he knew from the screams of rage that they were being dressed at this very moment.

The king smiled and turned away from the window, checking out his ballroom. It was quite spectacular, with a large orchestra pit, many snack tables, and, of course, lots of empty space for dancing. This, he figured, would be a night to remember. He snapped his fingers and peered into the crystal that appeared there, scrying on each and every person he'd brought to the Underground. Some, he knew wouldn't come on their own, and he sent crystals floating out to ensare them. Of course, some might just be strong enough to resist that pull, so he had goblins standing by to bring others in. Whether willing or not, everyone would be attending, he'd seen to that.

Dressed in his finery, with an evil looking mask in the guise of a leering demon, he walked over to his throne. Draping himself casually over it, he waited. People would be arriving anytime, now. He didn't fool himself for a moment that some wouldn't take this chance to attack him, which was why he wasn't precisely there. Anyone who tried to attack him, he knew, would find their useless effort wasted against what was no more than a projected image.

He gestured, and a goblin slave brought him a glass of wine. This, he was convinced, was going to be a night to remember.

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keoughr
2009-03-24 09:11 pm UTC (link)

Giselle was among the few who were actually excited about this mandatory ball. She lived for this kind of thing. Dancing, mingling, having fun and getting to know new people. She had a hard time imagining anyone who wouldn't like it, but she knew that there were some. She only hoped she wouldn't run into too many of them. She sang lightly to herself while she got ready and waited for Legolas to come for her.

She had discovered a very pretty gown in her closet upon opening it along with a matching mask. She was delighted with it and stared at it for some time before she actually took it off the hanger and put it on. The multi-hued pink dress (minus the wings) looked to Giselle like a flower with long flowing petals. It was sleeveless, but a ribbon led from the top of the bodice around her neck to keep it up.

She twirled in it once it was on and gasped with delight. She couldn't have imagined a prettier dress. She swept her hair up and piled it in fat curls all over her head while some of the ringlets hung down against her ivory skin. She applied a small amount of makeup and slipped on a pair of ballet flats. She was ready to go except for the mask. She held it against her face and then tied the ribbons behind her head. Grinning at her reflection, she waited for Legolas to arrive.

When he did, she beamed at him and took his arm. They left her room and walked toward the castle in the distance. She felt every bit the princess at that moment. Legolas was dashing in his elven garb and she knew that they made quite a handsome pair. "You look very handsome tonight, Prince Greenleaf." She grinned up at him from beneath the pink mask and wondered how she'd been so lucky.

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princegreenleaf
2009-03-24 09:35 pm UTC (link)

Very rarely did the woodland people that Legolas called kin have anything near this level of formality attached to dancing. If he hadn't been to visit the other elven realms, not to mention the humans, he would have no idea what was going on with it all. So, it was new enough to him that he could be excited about the whole thing, and he certainly was.

It was a bit of a relief, however, to find something familiar set out for him. The silk tunic, cut in the elven style, was something he had often worn while in Middle Earth, when it was necessary to attend some court function. The circlet of beaten mithril rested on his blond head, and a mask that matched the color of his crown rested over his eyes, but left much of his fair elven features bare. For once, he left his bow and knives in his room. It was rude to go armed to a party, after all.

He was ready a little early, so he had lots of time to wander over to meet Giselle. It had been a cloudy day, but was quite clear and lovely out now. The slight wind felt nice on his face, and though he moved with perfect ease in his formal clothing, he did miss his simple tunic and leggings. The wind always brought a longing for adventure. But the party could be an adventure, he told himself, and moved into Giselle's building to pick the pretty redhead up.

"Never have I seen anything so beautiful..." There was sincere admiration behind his words, and though he took her arm in his, he kept one carefully hidden behind his back. Only once they arrived at the ball did he turn to her and show her what he held in the hand he had kept behind his back.

It was another circlet, made of the same material as his, only sized smaller. Gently, he placed it on her fiery hair, admiring the effect of the silvery metal in contrast with the red hue. "Now, you are a princess..." One more, he offered his arm, and led her into the groups of people that seemed to be everywhere.

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keoughr
2009-03-24 10:28 pm UTC (link)

She was completely flattered by his compliment and a blush radiated from her chest up her neck to her cheeks. She ducked her head, grinning like an idiot and concentrated on not tripping as they walked. They arrived at the castle a short time later and Legolas surprised her by presenting a silver circlet to go upon her head. It matched his and she felt tears spring to her eyes. It was such a kind gesture. She really had been lucky that he asked her to go. The tears sparkled at the corners of her eyes but did not fall. "Thank you, Legolas." Her hushed words were incredibly sincere. He could have taken her home that very moment and it would have been the best night of her life.

She took his arm once more, lifting her gown out of the way of her slippered feet and entered the ballroom. It was so lovely. There were so many people and they were all dressed so wonderfully. She looked around with awe and wonder etched onto her features. "Isn't this incredible?" She turned her face up, looking at him through her mask. It was awkward, but she wouldn't dream of taking it off. It was part of the fun.

"Shall we dance?"

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princegreenleaf
2009-03-25 12:48 am UTC (link)

It was a lovely party, really. One of the best things about events like this, for the elf, was that they were so much more colorful here than they had been back on Middle Earth. Of course, he'd taken great joy in elven dances, but in the end, it was a bunch of elves dancing around. This was new, and Legolas couldn't stop looking around at the groups of people everywhere. Some of the costumes were like nothing he'd ever seen before.

But he turned his full attention to her to see her acceptance of his gift, and he bowed his head slightly. "You are more than welcome... it suits you." He gazed down at her, and nodded. "Yes, we should dance. You may have to teach me how. This music is unfamiliar to--"

But he was cut off in the middle of his speech, and in the act of reaching for her hand to lead her onto the dance floor, by a high pitched shriek that hurt his sensitive ears beyond anything. He turned to face it, instinctively pushing Giselle protectively behind him, and wished he had his bow, his knives, anything. "In the name of the Valar, what is that thing?" His voice sounded almost awed as he watched the chained monstrosity rise from the ground.

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keoughr
2009-03-25 08:10 am UTC (link)

She smiled and while she still had a hold of his arm, began to lead him out onto the dance floor. The music wasn't entirely familiar to her, either, but she could pick out enough rhythms to figure out something. Before she could get very far, however, she heard an alarming screech fill the entire ballroom, the music stopped and a hush fell over everyone there. Out of the ground rose a frightening monster.

Not again! She could feel anger rising in her and she pursed her lips, brow furrowing. She was suddenly shoved behind Legolas, but poked her head out from behind him to look. Why was it that every time she went to a ball something bad happened? The last time she'd actually fought a dragon on her own! No one who'd met her previous to that would have believed it, and probably no one here would, either. She just didn't understand why these monsters felt the need to ruin a perfectly wonderful ball.

Her fists clenched and she pushed herself up onto her toes to see past Legolas' shoulder. "What is it? Dragon? I've fought one of those before, I could do it again. Do you see a sword anywhere?" Normally she was the one who was rescued, but she'd found the last time that she enjoyed rescuing others as well.

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princegreenleaf
2009-03-25 12:48 pm UTC (link)

The elven prince had been all over Middle Earth on this fools quest to destroy the ring, and he'd seen all manner of strange things. But even the Balrog hadn't been as horrific as this thing, perhaps because of the clear agony on Anima's face. That was the worst part. The Balrog had gloried in it's evil, but Anima suffered. His eyes could easily pick that much out.

With one arm behind him, he held her by her waist, much more worried for her safety than his own. But he kept watching, wishing he had his bow, and yet, knowing that this foe was beyond him. But anything would be better than just standing here, waiting to see of the creature went beserk and killed people. But there was hardly any time before the thing had disappeared, and he let Giselle go. He turned to the redhead to make sure she was okay.

But her reaction was different than anything he could have expected. His eyebrows rose slightly, but soon, a small was on his lips. She reminded him of Eowyn, suddenly, and he had always sensed the white lady of Rohan was meant for great things. Giselle was giving him that vibe now. "It was no dragon... I do not, in truth, know what it was."

Legolas, despite his way of speaking and his grace, was a warrior. And there was something about the look she was getting over her face now that made her about a thousand times more interesting to him, and he'd already liked her. He shook his head in wonder, and smiled softly. "You are a creature of surprises, my Lady..." He reached down to capture her hand, and then looked at it thoughtfully. "These hands have grasped a sword?"

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keoughr
2009-03-26 10:51 pm UTC (link)

"Hm." She felt slightly deflated that the monster hadn't been a dragon, and that it had disappeared as suddenly as it had. But that was just the adrenaline. She could go back to having a happy ball time now, instead of a party that might have been ruined by a monster. "At least it didn't hurt anyone." She smiled up at him and noticed that he was looking at her... differently. A tiny furrow appeared between her brows as she wondered what it was that made him look at her that way.

She quirked a small smile at his next words and looked down as he took up her hands. She ran her gaze over his arms and back up to his face. She suddenly got the reason he was looking at her differently and remembered that she'd been a bit less lady-like than she ought. "Oh, these? No.. well, briefly. Yes." She looked almost shy and wondered if he would think her less princessy for it. She smiled and shook her head, the mithril circlet staying in place.

"I'd really love to dance now." She gestured toward the dance floor. It was considerably less crowded now. The music had briefly stopped and everyone had halted what they were doing to watch the monster. But now that the excitement was over, they were returning to their former activities.

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princegreenleaf
2009-03-27 01:29 am UTC (link)

The elven prince wasn't aware that he was looking at her any differently, but certainly his attitude toward her had changed. From little more to an amusing diversion, fun to be around but not much else, she had gained something in his eyes. Respect seemed to be the easiest way to put it. To fight a dragon, of all things. He had already liked her, but that liking had gained new depths due to her words and bravery.

Far from being disgusted, he kept her hand in his and tucked it into the crook of his arm. He couldn't seem to stop smiling, really. It was remarkable, what one could find out from day to day. He never would have pictured the tiny redhead on his arm as being capable of swinging a sword. But he sensed she was shy and uncertain about it, so he didn't speak on it at once.

"Of course, let us dance." The prince, still holding Giselle's arm, led her out onto the dance floor. Once there, he looked at her, and then copied the hold that he saw some of the other couples taking. One hand on her slender waist, while the other one held hers up in a waltz hold. "Is this how it is done?"

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keoughr
2009-03-28 09:10 pm UTC (link)

She was uncertain about it. Nothing like that had ever happened to her prior to climbing out the broken window onto the steep building with the slippery roof. It had been raining that night, she remembered. Something had changed in her that night. As soon as Narissa had taken Robert up onto the roof, Giselle had known it was up to her to rescue him. And she had. She'd been taken to Mirage shortly after that and hadn't needed to do anything like that again, but the appearance of another monster had sparked the urge to dispatch it once again.

Smiling, and pleased that she wouldn't have to go much further into the previous subject, she followed him out onto the dance floor. She looked down as he put his arm around her and then held her other hand. She placed her other arm on his shoulder and stepped close to him. "Yes. That's exactly right." She smiled, looking up at him with adoration in her eyes. He was handsome, kind, a prince and he seemed pleased to be with her.

The music began and she started to lead him around the floor, showing him the steps to the dance until he got the hang of them. She was grinning brilliantly. This was her kind of thing. She couldn't have felt more comfortable anywhere else. Except perhaps out in the middle of the woods with a handful of animals surrounding her while she sang. But this was fun and exciting and she enjoyed getting a look at the costumes other people wore.

"Are you enjoying yourself?"

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princegreenleaf
2009-03-29 02:06 pm UTC (link)

The prince might be quiet on the subject, but he was thinking. It seemed that everytime he met a human, he was pretty much doomed to have his preconcieved notions challenged. Aragorn, who would be king, and was more noble than many of the elves he knew, Boromir who had lost his honor and then given all to regain it, the Lady Eowyn, the list could go on and on. And then, he'd been brought away from Middle Earth, and it had continued. Giselle had surprised him, it was that simple, and he wouldn't be able to discount her as 'simply' a human any longer. Not that he put it that way in his head, of course.

The dance was simple enough, and reminded him a little of some of the dances done by the elves of Lothlorien. The steps were different, but the grace of the whole thing was very similiar. Returning her gaze, he quickly picked up the steps, and led her through the dance. As the music ended, he smiled down at her and didn't release her right away.

"I am, very much so." He meant it, too, despite the monster and the lingering reactions from that. Some had run, some were still staring, as if waiting for it to happen again, but Legolas seemed to be lost in some sort of... romantic dream. As he stood there looking at her, he began to speak. The words were in Sindarin, but the magic of the place translated them as he spoke.

"There was once a great king of the elves, in the first days of the world, and he led his people to the sea to take them to Valinor. However, as he was wandering in the woods, he saw a beautiful maiden singing and dancing in a clearing. She saw him, but didn't run. Instead, they were drawn together, and then looked into each others eyes for ten years. The king did not go to Valinor, but stayed with his new love." It was the short version, and he wasn't sure why he'd said it, other than that he couldn't seem to look away from her eyes, and that had reminded him of the old elven story.

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keoughr
2009-03-30 08:21 pm UTC (link)

As the dance came to an end, Giselle looked up at the blond elf and smiled. He was staring at her rather intently and she wondered what was wrong. She gave him a curious look and shook her head slightly. She was glad to hear that he was enjoying himself. "Wonderful! I'm so pleased!" He continued to look at her, though and then he began to speak.

She listened intently to the story. She loved stories, and she especially loved romantic stories. Her mouth opened slowly as the story progressed, and when it came to a conclusion, she put her hand to her open mouth. It was a beautiful story, and the way he spoke only enhanced it for her. She stared right back at him and then kissed her fingers and pressed them against his cheek. "Thank you, Prince, that was a beautiful story."

It had truly touched her heart and she was once more grateful that she had been asked to this ball by him. His fathomless blue eyes were so intense, but it wasn't frightening. It was endearing. "Would you like another dance?" She was content to look into his eyes for a while longer, but was aware that it might make them look a bit strange.

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princegreenleaf
2009-03-31 04:43 pm UTC (link)

The elf shook his head, getting rid of the curiously thoughtful mood that had come over him. It was unusual for him to speak so intensely about anything, and he wasn't really sure where it had come from. He smiled at her in a slightly apologetic fashion, and shrugged with one shoulder as if to explain that he wasn't too sure about where that had come from.

"Oh, yes, we must dance again!" He loved to dance, and was glad to find someone who did just as much. He took her hand and squeezed it lightly. "But this time, in the elven fashion. Stand facing me, and do as I do." Not a dance of Mirkwood, which was more primitive, but an elegant one that elves could be found dancing in Imladris or even Lothlorien.

Facing her, he took both of her hands in his, and then dropped them gently. The music playing wasn't exactly perfect, but it was close enough. It was odd, he'd noticed that around Giselle, things tended to work out somehow, when perhaps they really shouldn't. But he wasn't complaining. Slowly, he began to move through the dance, a simple one at first, to let her get used to it. "Just do as I do..."

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keoughr
2009-04-01 08:33 am UTC (link)

Giselle was not one to complain because of intensity or storytelling. She was intense herself, sometimes. Especially when it came to her moods. She was very, very happy most of the time, but when she got angry, she really got angry. Fright and sadness worked their way in sometimes, too. She had appreciated the story and wished to hear more. "I would like to hear more of the stories from your world, Legolas. If you would consent to tell them to me sometime." She smiled at him before they started in on another dance, this time an elven one.

She stood facing him, as he directed. She was excited to learn a new dance and paid strict attention to his instructions. She felt electric when he touched her and when he let go she felt the loss. Her arms hung lightly at her sides as she followed him in the steps required to make the dance work. It wasn't difficult for one such as herself to pick up the steps. She had been dancing for a long time and she loved it. She had a natural grace and style about her that translated into fluid dance movements.

"Like this?" She was fairly sure she was doing the dance correctly, but she wanted to make certain. She smiled at him as she followed him through the dance, picking it up and going a bit faster after each round. The music sounded around them, echoing off of every plane, every body that moved on the dance floor. She was in faux princess heaven. She laughed, simply because she couldn't help it. All the happiness that was bubbling and building within her could no longer be contained and she had to express it in some way. It was not a mocking laugh, nor derisive. It was a laugh of pure delight.

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princegreenleaf
2009-04-02 01:07 am UTC (link)

"I know many. I would be delighted to tell you as many as you wish. Indeed, you may find that it is impossible to stop me, once I get started!" Which was true. He'd spent many nights singing, sitting around the campfire. Sometimes Aragorn joined in, but more often, it was just the elf. And occasionaly the dwarf, who would spend hours complaining about it. But to find an audience that was so willing to listen, that was something else, and he realized that she was becoming more enchanting to him all the time.

She picked it up quickly. She couldn't know, and he wouldn't tell her, how rare it was for a human to learn these dances. He would have thought it impossible, but she had a natural grace about her that made the dance more beautiful than it already was. He smiled, and then reached forward to pull her close. Suddenly, he picked her up with his hands on her waist and twirled her around. When he set her down, he bowed to her. The dance was complete.

"Yes, like that. The dance tells a story. I think I spoke to you of this story before. The elven princess and the human who loved her, and the trials they had to endure before he could claim her hand." He'd never understood the story, though he'd faithfully learned it. It was romantic, but seemed a bit of a dream to him. But then... he smiled thoughtfully at the redheaded girl. Some humans were remarkable, that much was clear.

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