The Heart of the Labyrinth Part 2

Chapter 4 The Wedding Song

            At long last the day of the ball had come. Wide, long  strips of translucent fabric hung from the ceiling here and there, the chandeliers held a fresh stock of candles that would last for however long the party was, and tables dotted half the ball room.
            Tables were divided into groups of two and three, each with the colors of each Fae group and species that would be attending the event. Light Fae had a beautiful yellow table cloth that wasn’t too bright but still striking; in the centerpiece were sunflowers and daffodils. For the Dark Fae, they were assigned black, with a top layer that was lucid fiber that had a glint in the right light, at its centers were black roses and chrysanthemums. Bright green tables were placed farther in the back of the room for higher ranking races that were not Fae; such as Dwarves, Elves, a few fawns, and some others Juliet couldn’t recall the names of.
            A cerulean blue was given to represent the new comers, the Sea Fae. They had a long table that easily sat nine on one of its rectangular sides, and it was placed on the raised terrace at the left of the room next to an equally long table with black cloth and a deep purple runner down the length of it. Jareth and Juliet had both disliked the two colors next to each other, but with there being no time left and the two of them speaking as little as possible again, they ignored it.
            At the crack of dawn, just as the teen had gotten out of the bed, the chefs were already in the kitchens to begin the preparations for the large scale of food they were expected to produce for the guests, and fish was strictly off the menu. They could be heard from several halls down, yelling at one another mixed with the orchestra of clattering pots, tapping of knives and stirring of spoons.
            Servers came to the Palace at ten AM sharp; many were dark elves, their skin black as the night sky and hair silvery white, akin to the light of the moon. They were all immediately placed under Juliet’s authority for instructions and training.
            Trying not to let her nerves get the best of her the girl walked the servers through what they would need to do. They were divided into food waiters, and drink staff. Every waiter knew what would be served and the table placing and every drink caterer knew where they would go to replenish their trays.
            Noon came and Jareth’s father and brother arrived at the front steps of the Palace. As Juliet deducted he always had, the High King wore a skeptical, judgmental, narrowed eyed expression as he studied every inch while walking into the main entry way.
            Through an open door she could see him looking down his upturned nose at a table, and it made her pray she had cleaned it well enough; the last thing she needed was for him to find a smudge of dirt or speck of dust somewhere. That would be it.
            Calden’s swift, long strides carried him past his perusing father, into where Juliet stood, his face instantly perking up when he saw her. He clasped her forearm and said glancing around before looking back at her.
            “It looks wonderful! I can barely believe you were able to transform this dingy old place into such a beautiful venue.” At the touch of his fingertips, a bolt of happiness was sent through her, brightening her mood instantly. Smiling wide she replied.
            “You’re too kind. It was quite a challenge, but his Highness and I managed though it.” Calden’s face twitched with hardness at the mentioning of his brother; Juliet wondered if they knew they looked and acted the same way every time the other was spoken of. Unlike Jareth’s sour faced expression, Calden’s quickly snapped back to his gleaming, charming grin before he spoke.
            “You seemed to have survived him well.”
            “Yes, I did.” At that moment, Julie could see Jareth approach his father in the front hall, she couldn’t make out what they were saying but it appeared that Jareth was welcoming him like he had known the man his whole life instead of only spotted half rate meetings, while his Majesty remarked about something. Whatever he said, it made the forced smile faultier on the Goblin King’s face.
            “Juliet.” Calden’s voice snapped her out of her locked gaze.
            “I’m sorry,” she apologized. “Please repeat what you were saying.”
            “I said perhaps after lunch you and I could go for a stroll in the gardens together.” Memories of a dream she had once had of walking a garden, accompanied by a handsome man haunted her sight. A few blinks pushed it away from present thought.
            “That would be wonderful.” she accepted with a smile. Calden turned to greet Jareth and their father, saying in his merry tone.
            “How about we have lunch together out on the lawn so the servants can finish their work in here?” The High King and Juliet both began objecting to his idea. Jules could allow herself a small allotted time for a leisurely walk with the prince, but it unnerved her to think of eating alongside them in such a non-formal way. Picnic sandwich dinners on the floor were one thing, but a proper one with the whole family outside was a line she knew better than to play with no matter how much her mind enjoyed the idea of it. She had finally trained it into the role of slave and she didn’t need it getting any more confused than it already was with going to a ball she had helped put together.
            “Oh come, come, now. Why not?” The surprising words came from Jareth. Together, the High King, Calden and Juliet stared in shock at him. ‘This cannot be good. Nothing good can come from Jareth insisting upon anything. Especially this.’ By the stare Jareth received from his father and Calden both, she thought it safe to assume they were all of the same mind.