Chapter five,
As the world falls down
Ray stepped out of the carriage last and stepped down onto the stone. She wore some half-inch dark-red heels Capeka had found and they clacked as Ray walked. She felt over-dressed, but was sure she would feel under-dressed once she stepped into the ballroom.
A tall, thin, green-skinned goblin with a suit on showed them into the ballroom and Ray lost her breath. It was even more beautiful than any ballroom she had ever seen! Crystal chandeliers hung form the ceiling, the light reflecting off them and casting little diamonds of light everywhere. Music played softly in the background and the chatter of the whole room flowed into Ray's ears. "Oh I feel so out of place..." Ray whimpered.Bornia patted her hand. "Don't worry 'hun, you'll be fine." she said as all six of them walked down into the mass of people.
Ray looked around at all the people and their fancy suits and dresses. "Zari?" she asked, for Bornia had gone off with Alopa and Gutaki to get drinks, "Why are all the men wearing masks?" she asked. All the men in the room wore ornate and elaborate masks while the women's faces were bare, except for makeup. "I guess it was the dress code they were given. The King has his reasons."Zari said. Ray nodded, understanding just a little more about his place than she did before.
Bornia, Alopa and Gutaki came back with tall glasses of champagne. Bornia handed Ray a glass. Ray looked down into it. She never had champagne before. Curious, Ray took a small sip. "This is good." she said, taking a slightly lager sip now.Gutaki laughed. "My dear, what did you do before you came here?" she asked. Ray sighed. "Not anything this exciting. Thats for sure. I've never been to an event like this, never had champagne, never wore a dress so wonderful. My life was.... ordinary." she said.Gutaki smiled. "Well, we'll change that for sure!" she and the others clinked their glasses, Ray did so as well. "To a better life?" Gutaki proposed. "To a better life." Ray answered. "Hear, hear." the others said, and they all took a sip of champagne.
Ray followed behind the six little goblin women and talked to the people they talked to and found that she was getting more comfortable with herself. "So, darling," said a round goblin who was just an inch shorter than her, "Do you dance?" that caught Ray off guard. "Um, yes. But not very well, I'm afraid." she said sheepishly. Another goblin women Ray's height chuckled lightly. "At least I know I'm not alone." she said with a smile and a wink. Ray smiled, also glad she was not alone.
For a few hours everyone just talked and snacked on little bite-sized snacks. But then the music changed and the men went around asking the women to dance. Ray held her breath, almost hoping no one would ask her do dance. She didn't want to embarrass herself on her first fancy occasion in her life.
So far, so good.... Ray thought as she stood against the wall. Everyone she had talked to had been asked to dance or left to talk to someone else and Ray was left alone to watch the women twirl in their beautiful dresses and stare at the wondrous masks. Her feeling of being so out of place came back as a knot in her stomach and pain in her chest. "Oh, I wish I knew how to dance better, so that maybe I'd feel better about myself right now.." she sighed.
Ray was admiring the craftsmanship of one mask that seemed to stand out more then the others when Bornia came back for a rest. "How are you holding up, dear?" she asked. Ray shrugged. "Alright, I guess." she said, still looking at the mask. It looked like a large lunar moth, except it was a pale blue in color.Bornia followed her gaze and smiled. "They all look so beautiful." Ray said. "I've never seen masks like this in real life, and the ones I've seen on TV just don't compare." she said.Bornia nodded. "Oh yes. And I know a wonderful little shop where you can make your own. I'll take you sometime." she said." Ray smiled. "You're the best,Bornia." she said. Bornia chuckled. "Oh thank you dear. Your pretty good yourself."
Bornia's partner came back and Ray was left again to stand alone against the wall. The man with the lunar moth mask had disappeared while Ray andBornia had been talking, but when Ray looked up to gaze at another mask, the knot in her stomach turned to butterflies. The man with the lunar moth mask was standing where he had been before and his eyes gazed into Ray's.
The man slowly wound his way through the crowd towards Ray. She had to remind herself to breath. As he came closer, a tune Ray recognized floated into the air. That song! she thought, remembering Sarah. Thats the song that Jareth played for Sarah when he tried to make her forget! As the world falls down, Sarah said was what it was. She was looking down as she thought this and when she looked up, he was there in front of her. "May I have this dance?" he asked in a soothing voice. The butterflies in Ray's stomach multiplied and all she could do was nod.
He took her out onto the floor and they began to dance. Ray felt her feet move themselves as she stared up into the eyes of her partner. He had beautiful eyes, and Ray felt like she had seen them before, but the could not put her finger on where.
The words Sarah had sung did not accompany the music, just the tune, and as Ray listened, she felt herself go into a sort of trance. She didn't even have to worry about where to put her feet, for they found where they were supposed to go all on their own. It was a slow song, and that might have been what helped Ray out, but still, she felt like she wasn't doing anything at all.
Her partner said nothing as they danced, he just showed her which way to move. Slowly, the song came to an end and Ray found herself dreading having to leave this mysterious man. But the music stopped, and so did he. For a moment he gazed down at Ray through his mask, and then, he just wasn't there anymore. Ray sighed dreamily and went back to where she had been standing before.
Borni was waiting with Zari and Capeka at the wall with a glass of champagne for Ray. "I saw you dancing with that handsome man with the lunar moth mask." she said. Ray blushed. "Yeah, it was pretty nice. He was a really good dancer." Ray said.Zari and Capeka chuckled and Gutaki and Alopa came back. "Well it seems like we all had a good night." Zari said with a smile. "Yeah, best night I've ever had." Ray said. "Well lets make sure you have this much fun all the time." Bornia said and then it was over.
As they rode back to the shop in the carriage, Ray thought about the man she had danced with. Even more enchanting than his mask were his eyes. Where have I seen those eyes before?! She asked herself in her mind. The answer was on the tip of her tounge, but still she couldn't bring it into words. Then it hit her. "Oh my!" she gasped. The five goblins looked at her. "Are you alright dear?" Capeka asked, worried. Ray nodded. "Sorry, I just realized something. Nothing to worry about." she said with a smile. The goblins, to tired to ask questions, shrugged it off and went back to minding their own business. Those eyes.... Ray thought, almost scared to think the words. Those mismatched eyes... They could only belong to one man... Jareth, the Goblin King!
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