In the Eyes of the Queen [ Labyrinth ] ✔

Chapter Thirteen

"What's next?"

"Breakfast," he replies simply, gesturing to the archway that leads to the dining room as if everything about this is normal. "I had them set it up in the private dining room so you would be more comfortable," he adds. "I'll leave you to eat alone." His tone somehow suggests that he is thinking about my almost venomous 'What's next?' "Afterward, feel free to do whatever you wish. Just remember where you are."

'Nothing is as it seems.' I remember the words he is suggesting. Is he warning me to be careful?

Without another word, he walks past me, through the sitting room and out the double door entrance. He walks with too much grace for a human, but he is not human, is he? I momentarily wonder why he did not just disappear and reappear at his destination.

The aroma wafting through the archway draws my attention back to breakfast. I sigh, trying to dissipate the oncoming headache as my mind tries to accept my situation and find a way out of it. This is all much too confusing to philosophize. I will my mind to clear as I close the remaining distance between the table and myself. The table is too long for a private dining room—I estimate it is long enough to seat six people down the length while still giving them generous elbow room. I guess when you are in a castle, though, everything is grandiose. There are only two chairs, one at the head of the table and the other to its right. There is only one place set, the one at the head of the table, so I do not have to choose where to sit.

The food is surprisingly familiar, and I let that comfort me. All the food before me, I like. There are a few ceramic jugs, each paired with a crystal goblet, but I choose to ignore them all without testing the contents. The china is an undecorated off-white, the silver simple in shape and without engraving, and the linen napkin a deep blue similar to the sheets on my bed.

My bed? I throw that thought out quickly and return my attention to the feast before me. There is more food than I can sample, let alone eat in entirety, so I treat it like a buffet. I assume that is how it is supposed to be unless the creatures of this realm have an appetite rivaling that of four hyperactive teenage boys combined. For some reason, I practice good table manners as I eat, but that does not prevent me from heartily enjoying the meal. I eat my fill and push myself away from the table.

Jareth suggested I do whatever I want. I suppose I could explore, but I honestly do not feel comfortable exploring a presumably magical castle alone, especially with all the twists and turns I experienced yesterday. I cannot sit around doing nothing, though, so I let myself study the dining room before I leave. The dark wood of the table legs and chair are carved in intricate patterns. There is another fireplace in this room as well, though much smaller than the ones in the bedroom and sitting room.

I slowly walk out to the sitting room. I do not dare enter Jareth's study. I have already observed the bedroom and this room. I saunter to a more plush couch anyway and study my surroundings more carefully. The pillows and upholstery are all dark velvets—dark red, emerald green, midnight blue, violet. The wood of the furniture is stained different hues of dark brown, though in some places there are intricate gold inlays. There are furs are of every color—white, blonde, chestnut, gray, auburn, brunette, black—but all are of large size. Some seem to be used as rugs, others as couch or chair covers and yet others as blankets. There are other blankets, too—woven blankets, blankets that look knitted but are probably fashioned in a similar but other-world way, and down-stuffed blankets. The colors are similar to the upholstery, with blacks, a variety of medium to dark grays, and chocolate browns as well. Some are velveteen and others cottony.

I rise and wonder what more to do as I wait for my next encounter with Jareth. Briefly, I think about going in search of him instead of waiting, but quickly determine that to be an even less intelligent idea than waiting on his whims. With nothing better to do, I find myself walking into the bedroom and gravitating toward the window with a view of the Labyrinth. I watch carefully, to see if I can detect its movement. I notice changes, but they always happen when I am looking. I remember that was so frustrating when I traveled through the Labyrinth: no noise, no movement in peripheral vision, but suddenly you would look at the same place you had before, yet it was not the same. I guess that tendency might be helpful to the Labyrinth and the Goblin King, though.

My mind drifts to my memories of traversing the Labyrinth, and to the three friends I acquired. I already determined to ignore the goblins as if we have no acquaintance, for their sake and mine, in case Jareth is not already aware of our intertwined lives. My friends are of even greater concern, though. I hold them dear enough that their presence here might become a chink in my armor against Jareth if he chooses to exact revenge rather than banish me. I quiet my thoughts. Watching the Labyrinth change subtly between glances appeases my need for entertainment for an unexpectedly long while.

I find myself yawning and try to analyze the time of day. It is late evening. The aroma of food wafts in through the open door. My stomach grumbles and I obligingly stretch and rise from the cushion on the windowsill. As I exit the room, I note that lamps light the sitting room and the dining room beyond the archway.

I pause a moment once I have stepped out of the bedroom and do my best to survey the room, including the dark corners and shadowy areas not illuminated by the lamps, to see whether or not I am alone. There is still no sign of Jareth. I peek into his study again, but he is not there this time. I sigh with mixed emotions of frustration and relief.

The dinner feast is smaller, but the food still familiar. A crystal carafe has replaced the multiple ceramic jugs that were present at breakfast. It holds a clear liquid I hope is water. Bringing it to my nose, I sniff it but smell nothing. I pour a meager amount into the crystal goblet and carefully sip it. It is water, much to my relief. I fill the goblet the rest of the way, but try not to drink too much so that I will have room for food.

It is all delicious, just like breakfast was. As I finish my meal I begin to wonder whether or not I will have to go in search of Jareth, because it seems he is avoiding me. It is not yet time to retire for the night, however, so I still have some hope of meeting him. If he manages to avoid me all day, I will actively look for him tomorrow. I hope that he stays true to his promise that I can sleep alone. Dabbing the corners of my mouth with the cloth napkin and taking one last sip of water, I rise from the dining chair and exit to the sitting room. I will wait in the sitting room.

I suddenly become aware of another presence inthe room, and it makes me realize I once again fell asleep in the sittingroom. I hear no noise, but I am certainI am not alone. I am too tired, however,to care, and so I drift back to sleep just as I feel a soft touch on myshoulder.