Jareth materialized in his private room with the bowl of cookies in his hand.  He took
another one and, again, he smiled.  It reminded him of his childhood... a really long time ago. His grin widened as he remembered how mischievous he had been then, always
annoying his maids... but in the end, they always had given him anything he had
wanted... including chocolate cookies.  He laughed.  It seemed that some things never change.



One hour later, Jareth returned to the dining room.  When he entered, he was greeted
with a delicious smell. His maid stood there, giving the last details to the now set table.

"Everything is ready," Lili informed him.

He nodded and took his seat, however, when he saw the food, his face fell in disappointment.  It was just a simple beefsteak, together with rice and
tomato salad.  It was just plain, home-cooking... definitely not the appropriate meal for a king.  And if that were not enough, she had dared to accompany it with... orange juice!  He looked at her as if saying are-you-insane?

"Do you really expect me to eat this?" he asked in disbelief.

Lili tilted her head, puzzled.  "What is wrong with the food?" she asked, not seeing anything out of place.

"It is home cooking!" he exclaimed, annoyed.  "I cannot eat this!  Take it away!" he ordered.

Lili blinked.  "Why--"

"Do as I say!" he barked.

Biting her lip for not to scream in annoyance and wondering how a grown up man could be so... spoiled, Lili hurried to comply.

"I am sorry," she whispered with a hint of annoyance, as she held the glass of juice with a
shaking hand.  "I am not a chef," she added, reaching for his dish.

"I can see that," he said dryly, her annoyed tone not lost to him.  He was about to add
something else, when he noticed her wrist was wrapped in a piece of cloth.  "What happened to your wrist?" he asked, even though he had a good idea of the answer.

"Nothing," Lili said, quickly withdrawing her hand. 

She looked at him with such and offended and hurt gaze, that, in spite of himself, Jareth felt like an Ogre.  "Wait," he suddenly said.  "You can leave it here."

Startled, Lili nodded and then a small grin played on her face.  "I can cook, but I am not a
chef, your Majesty," she explained, giving him her best it-was-not-my-fault-I-didn't-ask-to-
come-here look.

Jareth rolled his eyes and held a fork and a knife.  After a little hesitation, he took a small
piece of meat... and then took another one... and another... "It is not bad," he admitted, not bothering to tell her that it was delicious.  "However," he continued, "you must always accompany my meals with a cup of good wine.  In this occasion, I believe the better choice would be a Cabernet Sauvignon," he added and, snapping his fingers, a cup of wine replaced the glass with orange juice.

Lili gasped in surprise.

The Goblin King chuckled at her reaction.  "Soon you will get used to it," he said, amused.  "Remember that magic is present everywhere and in everyone here in my kingdom."

"Except in me," she noted with a shrug.  Then, assuming that he would like to eat alone, she excused herself and turned to leave.

"Lucy," he suddenly called her.

"Yes?" she asked, facing him again.

He sighed.  "Never leave my presence until I tell you so," he admonished her.

Lili blinked and, for a second, he reminded her of her teachers.  Banishing the thought, she
nodded and remained on her spot, her hands on the back.

At her grounded-child look, Jareth had to suppress his laugh.  "You are dismissed," he said
at last.

Lili mentally rolled her eyes, made a little bow and left.

"Not bad, really," Jareth repeated to himself, taking another piece of meat.  He smiled.  She may not be a chef, but she could cook.


Thirty minutes later, Lili came back with the dessert and after taking away the empty dish, she placed it before him.

"Lucy I--"  Jareth began to say, but abruptly stopped when he saw what it was.  His jaw fell in disbelief.  She had given him... a peach!

"Is it something wrong?" Lili asked at his strange reaction.  "If you don't like peaches, I can bring you something else... strawberries, perhaps?" she offered.

Jareth forced himself to recover and cleared his throat.  "No.  Peaches are fine," he
answered.  "You may retire."

Lili gave him a last puzzled glance and then left the dining room.

Jareth watched her leave and then returned her gaze to his unusual dessert.  "Peaches," he
repeated, amused.  The last time a woman had offered him peaches, had been in a far less
innocent... circumstances...  Not to mention that he had always enjoyed giving enchanted
peaches to his vic-- summoners.  "Indeed peaches are fine," he whispered, chuckling.



"Well, I think I have finished for today," Lili said, looking around her. After serving
Jareth his diner, she had returned to the kitchen, only to find out that the goblins had mess
up with everything... again.  Fortunately for her, she had been able to convince them to
clean... again. "Not bad... for my first day," she added, with a morbid sense of humor.
The truth was that she already missed her family, she was tired and her wrist hurt... a lot. 
Not to mention that she was talking to herself again...  Sighing and hoping that her new... boss didn't want anything else, she went to her room. Once there, she took of her shoes and, jumping at the cold stone, she had to put on her panda sleepers.  She grabbed her pajamas -with pandas also printed on it- and, stifling a yawn, headed to the bathroom in desperately need of a warm shower.  She had walked a couple of steps, when someone knocked the door.

She blinked and after a little hesitation, she opened and was surprise to see Pete standing
there.  He was serious and seemed worried by something.

"Hi, Pete, please, come in," she invited him.  "What's wrong? She asked, guiding him to the only chair.

He took off his red hat and looked intently at her.  "I... I've... something to ask you," he said shyly.

"Yes?" Lili prompted gently.

"Can you teach me how to... whistle?" he almost begged, his eyes shining.

Lili blinked and smiled kindly.  "Sure, but why?" 

To her amusement, he blushed.

"I... there's someone... who... I mean... she's..."

Lili tilted her head and her grin widened.  "I see," she said, giving him a knowing look.

"Will you teach me?" he insisted hopefully.

"Of course, but can you tell me her name?"

Pete smiled.  "Chala," he answered.

"Beautiful name," Lili said kindly.

"Yes," Pete agreed, excited.  "Now, please, teach me!" he begged again.

"Now?" a tired Lili asked, all that she wanted to do was tend her wrist and sleep, but seeing his smiling face, she just could not deny.  "Okay," she said and then, she began to explain him how to whistle.

Fifteen minutes later, Lili had to admit it was really difficult to teach a goblin how to
whistle... and his short fingers didn't help.

"Perhaps you can do something else to impress her," she suggested then, seeing a now
desperate Pete seated with his head bowed.  Suddenly and idea occurred to her.  "Maybe I
can name you... my assistant!"

"Your... assistant?" he asked, raising his head, his eyes shining again.

"Yes.  You can help me with the other goblins," Lili added, going to her wardrobe and
taking out a purple ribbon.  "With this, I name you my official assistant," she said, carefully tying the ribbon around his neck.  "What do you think?" Lili asked, as he
looked at himself in the mirror.

Pete put on his hat again and a proud smirk played on his round face.  "Chala will love me."



In his private chamber, the Goblin king was seated on his favorite armchair, with a
book in his hands.  He started to read, but after twenty minutes, he got bored and put the
book on a side table.  Unbidden, a smile drew on his face as he thought of his unusual
dessert.  He did not know Lucy at all, but he could tell she was rather shy.  If she ever knew what peaches meant to him, the poor child would have a heart attack.  His grin faded and, not for the first time, guilt began to rise within him. ‘Poor child’, indeed.
She was an innocent victim of his revenge...
No, Jareth corrected himself.  Lucy was not such a victim after all.  True, he had rudely separated her from her family and from the -limited- world she had ever known...  But what kind of life was that, anyway?  She was just Sarah's maid...  Well, now she was his, but at least, she would not age. Yes.  He had made that girl a favor and it would not take her long to realize it.  Fortunately for her, she seemed to have already accepted her fate -not that she could have done anything to avoid it.  She had obeyed him without complain and it appeared that she could control his goblins.  That alone was amazing.  The only problem with her was that she was too...
sensitive.  Jareth rubbed his chin as he realized he had not so much experience with people
like her.  He could still see the hurt look in his eyes when he had ordered her to take the
food... and when he had noticed her injured wrist--

Jareth abruptly stiffened and shook his head.  What in the Underground was he thinking?
Was he... worried about her?  Lucy was just his maid, a servant!  She was-- He sighed and relaxed.  Yes, she was his only maid, but he was not a monster -not an evil monster anyway- and he knew her burn needed to be taken care off.  An injured maid would
not do her job properly, would she?

Rolling his eyes at his sudden soft heart, he rose from his seat and headed to his secret lab.  As he could not use healing magic in her -her body would not tolerate it- he would be forced to do it in the old, traditional way, with herbs and ointments.



Lili stood in the bathroom, brushing her hair.  After Pete had gone, she had taken her
shower and had put on her favorite pajamas.  Suddenly, she stopped brushing her hair and
had to release the brush.  Her wrist was killing her!

"Great," she muttered, taking off the cloth and examining her wrist.  She knew it would
leave a nasty scar and probably it would get infected.  She shook her head.  If she were at
home, she would use the proper medication, but what could she use here?  She had already put it under cold water, but that was all.

"Great," she repeated, annoyed, and went to get another piece of cloth.  She found an old,
clean handkerchief among her things.  "This will have to do," she said to herself.  She sat on her bed and started to wrap her wrist, when someone knocked the door again.  She smiled and rolled her eyes; surely Pete had forgotten something... or perhaps he wanted another... decoration.  "Come in," she said, without raising her head, her gaze focused on her wrist. She heard the door open and footsteps approaching.

"What do you need, Pete?"

"I am not Pete," a deep and slightly annoyed voice replied...



Jareth materialized before the closed door and was about to simply enter, when
suddenly it occurred to him that he should knock first.  He tilted his head.  Never had he
knocked a door in his castle before.  A small grin appeared on his face -but he quickly controlled it- as he realized this would have to be another of his... indulgences to his maid.  He smiled again.  In spite of what he had done to her, he had the odd feeling that Lucy considered him to be... a gentleman.  Oh well...  He knocked.

"Come in," a soft voice said.

He entered and, as he saw her trying to tend her wrist, he confirmed he had been right in his assumption; she needed help.

"What do you need, Pete?" she asked then, obviously without looking up at him.

At her question, Jareth blinked in disbelief.  First, she had dared to cook for his goblins and now... she confused him with one of them!

"I am not Pete," he stated, don't knowing whether to be annoyed or amused.

He was rewarded with her surprised reaction.  Truly startled, Lili jumped from her bed and stood before him wide opened eyes. 

"Your Majesty!" she exclaimed, blushing furiously.  "Is there anything that you need?" she
asked, nervously smoothing her pajama.

Jareth denied with a shake of his head, but did not say a word.  He had noticed her pajamas -and sleepers- and now could not help but staring at her.  Definitely, she was so different from the other women he had known...

"Your Majesty?" Lili insisted, interrupting his thoughts.  At his stare, she dropped her gaze
to her feet.  "I... I... like pandas," she explained, embarrassed, mentally kicking herself for
not having put on a robe before telling her 'guest' to enter.

"So I see," he noted, but then, he shook himself.  "No.  I do not need anything, but you do," he stated.  "Let me see your wrist," he added, at her puzzled look.

Lili blinked in surprise and only then she realized he was holding a small bowl.  Not without suspicious, she extended her arm.

Jareth rolled his eyes at her expression.  "As I told you before, I am not a monster, Lucy," he said, as he gently held her hand.  "It looks bad.  Now, sit down," he told her, indicating the bed.

She looked at him, not fully convinced, but still, she sat.  He sat by her side and gave her the bowl.  "Hold this."

"What is it?" Lili asked, as she eyed its content: a green paste and a little spatula.

"An ointment made with the proper herbs to heal your burn," he explained matter-of-factly.

Her eyes lit up.  "Do you know of medicine plants?" she asked, truly interested.

Jareth looked at her with curiosity and then he shrugged.  "Yes, but I rarely use that
knowledge.  I prefer to use magic to heal."

Lili's eyes widened.  "Then you are a... healer," she noted seriously and then, a faraway grin played on her face.  "That's my dream... to become a doctor... a healer..."

She paused for a second as she suddenly remembered her new identity and that she had to be careful with what she said.  "It... it was not in my plans to be Mrs. Byron's maid forever, but now... I suppose... it doesn't... matter, after all... I was in the wrong
place at the wrong time," she finished with a helpless shrug.

Jareth blinked at her words.  No one had ever called him... healer... and no one had ever
talked to him like that, so... openly.  He stared intently at her, the sadness in her voice not
lost to him.  "Lucy, you understand your situation, do you not?" he asked.  "You are my
maid now."

"And that is how I will remain for a long time.  I know," Lili said, also knowing that that
situation was not the worst of her problems.  "It was just a thought, that's all," she added
with a small -sad- grin.  "But you are a healer," she repeated.

He cleared his throat, suddenly feeling a little... overwhelmed by her way of speaking to
him... so... meaningful.  "I am the Goblin King," he stated and then returned his attention to her burn.  He held the spatula and took a little of paste.  "This will hurt," he warned her.

Lili nodded and when the substance touched her injured skin, she had to bite her lip to keep from screaming though a couple of rebel tears slid down her cheeks.

"It will soon pass," Jareth soothed her and, just for a second, he was tempted to sweep her
tears away, but he recovered his kingly mode immediately.  She was just his servant!  He
materialized a bandage and carefully wrapped her wrist.

"Thank you," Lili whispered, drying her eyes.

"You are welcome," he replied, unable to stop himself at her grateful expression.  He took
the bowl from her hand and rose.  "Tomorrow your wrist will be completely healed," he
added, walking to the door.

"Thank you... your Majesty," Lili repeated with a shy smile.

He nodded and left the room.

Lili watched him leave and then looked at her wrist.  She sighed, confused.  Maybe he was not such a monster after all.  In fact, he had been kind enough to come to her chamber only to help her.  Then, why did he want to hurt Sarah -and her, Lili Williams-
so badly?  She tilted her head in a thoughtful mode.  Could it be that he had double
personality or something like that?  That he could be cruel and generous? Lili shook her head and quickly dismissed that possibility.  She leaned back on the bed and pulled up the covers, leaving only her eyes exposed.  No, that was not it.  Jareth just suffered an extreme case of bad temper... not that she could blame him, though... with all that hyperactive goblins running all around the castle.  At that thought, Lili chuckled.  But they were not evil; extremely annoying, yes, and mischievous, but not evil.  And now, she even had an assistant!  Lili suddenly became serious and shut of the lights.  Jareth was not evil
either; the only problem was that he hated the Williams sisters... to death. With her last thought to Sarah -and to Jareth, in spite of herself- and tired by the incredible day, Lili fell sleep almost immediately.



As Jareth left the girl's room, he could not help but smile.  Lucy was really strange, but she was not that bad... and he actually liked her... as his maid, of course.  He vanished
the bowl he still held in his hand, and decided to return walking to his own chamber.  He
distractedly made his way through the corridors, when suddenly a distracted goblin bumped into him. 

"Pete," Jareth muttered, annoyed.

"So... sorry, your Majesty," a now scared Pete apologized.  He had been visiting his friend, Chala -he had showed her his new decoration- and he really had not expected
to find the king.

Jareth rolled his eyes and opened his mouth to tell Pete that he should look where he was
going, when he noticed the perfect -purple- lace the small goblin had around his neck.

"What is it that you have around your neck?" Jareth asked looking at him with a raised
eyebrow.

Pete blushed slightly and cleared his throat.  "Lucy gave it to me," he explained.  "She
named me her assistant!"  He added, beaming with pride.

Jareth's eyes widened.  "Her assistant?" the king asked in disbelief, his bad temper menacing to explode.  He balled his hands into fists.  Was that child crazy?  Did she not know HE was the only one who ruled here?  Without a word and, to Pete's great relief,
he vanished.  A second later, a serious Jareth materialized in Lili's room.  However, all
his annoyance melted away when he saw her sound asleep; she looked so... peaceful.  It
occurred to him that he had overreacted after all-- Jareth slightly stiffened at that thought.  He let out a sigh and rolled his eyes... as he realized he had been tolerant again.  Giving her a last glance he silently disappeared.
Chapter 3
Chapter 5