Ok. I know this has been up before, but I removed it to do some much needed editing. So now it has been 'patched up' it's back better than ever. Thanks go out to my Beta Kat. You rock. Anyway, on with the story. Reviews are welcome but as always no fire balls. They burn way too much. Ok, enough with the lame jokes. Enjoy.
Disclamer: Jareth, Sarah and the Underground all belong to Jim Henson.
"Hey Audrey, wait up!" came a voice as the sound of running feet grew increasingly closer.
"Hey Sarah" came Audrey's reply as a rather out of breath Sarah came to a stop beside her friend. Audrey McIntosh was Sarah's best friend and had been ever since they started at the New York Ballet Company three years earlier. Both girls had been eighteen at the time and had managed to successfully audition for a spot within the company. Now best friends they were quite accomplished dancers. At 187cm tall, Audrey with her shoulder length red hair and blue eyes was the taller of the two.
"How the hell did you make it through Rueben's class?" asked an exhausted looking Sarah. "I thought I was going to die. If he asked us for the allegro exercise again, I would have!"
"Aw come on Sarah, it wasn't that bad" replied Audrey in the same tired tone. "However, having said that I am going straight to bed the minute we get back to our room."
"Right behind you" was Sarah's only reply as both girls entered the boarding house.
As soon as they reached their room the two girls simultaneously dropped their bags on the floor and collapsed on their beds. The classes today had been extra difficult to prepare everyone for the up coming performance auditions. However, the classes had left everyone exhausted. The worst of it was still hidden behind cotton socks. Sarah was afraid to take them off and look at the damage. If the pain was anything to go by she was going to need a few bandaids and some bettadine. She'd bath and clean the blisters later on. First she wanted to close her eyes for a few minutes and regain a small portion of the energy she was currently lacking. Yes, at that moment sleep was the only option.
What had started as only a few minutes of rest turned out to be a two hour nap. When Sarah woke she found that it was nine pm and that she had missed dinner.
Crap she thought. How could I have slept for so long! I was only closing my eyes for a few minutes. I don't even remember taking my shoes off, let alone falling asleep. It was only after comprehending that she was no longer wearing any shoes that Sarah remembered her poor, blistered feet. Looking down at them she realized that she was still wearing her socks and that by now the blisters would be stuck to the cotton. Wincing at the thought of how she was going to remove them, Sarah moved from her bed and crossed to the girls shared desk. There on one of the shelves was a homemade first aid kit consisting of everything the girls would need for dance injuries.
"Well I guess I had better start soak my feet and start cleaning these blisters if I am going to be right for class tomorrow," Sarah mused. Noticing that she was alone in the room Sarah looked down at the desk for the note she knew would be there. To her surprise she found it lying next to a plate of food.
Sarah,
I woke before you and decided to go over to Alice's for the night. I'll be back in time for class in the morning. I got you some dinner for when you wake up and there are bettadine and bandaids in the kit. I replaced them yesterday.
Audrey
Reading the note Sarah wondered how on earth she'd missed the aroma rising from the plate. The Macaroni Cheese which was usually pretty dodgy (being cafeteria food and all), looked irresistible in Sarah's famished state. Standing there looking at the food and deciding whether the state of her feet was more important than her stomach was the hardest decision Sarah had had to make all day. Eventually her feet won out. Grabbing the kit and a bowl of warm, salted water Sarah sat down to doctor her injuries.
:....................................................................................:
Above the Labyrinth the sky was dark gray with the hint of rain to come. However, Jareth took little notice of it as he wearily trudged through the ever increasing mound of paper work. It seemed as though there were very few days when the Goblin King could forget about all of the documents that were always in urgent need of his attention. Sign this, read that. It was all starting to become a haze of black scribble. It was at this point that Jareth decided to take a break and indulge in his preferred activity. Conjuring a crystal, Jareth looked deep inside to view the image of a person running. It was Sarah.
I wonder why she's running he thought with some amusement. Ahead of her another girl could be seen walking towards a large building. A cry from Sarah to wait answered his silent question. It seemed as though she was in a hurry to catch up with her friend, whom when they met walked wearily towards their destination. Jareth continued to watch the girls as they dumped their bags on the floor and fell onto their respective beds. It appeared as though both girls had had a rather tiring day and needed to rest before going to dinner. It was at this stage that the king decided that he had procrastinated his work for long enough. If he kept up this pace he would most certainly fall behind before the next morning.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the king's mind wandered back to the chocolate haired beauty. It had been six years since his last encounter with Sarah, although he watched her frequently. He always found it intriguing and somewhat obscure when he watched her dance. She was graceful and poised yet she did some very complicated and what looked like painful movements. When she couldn't get something right and became frustrated Jareth couldn't help but laugh. However, one night when Jareth had decided to check on his adversary he had found that Sarah was performing in front of a very large audience. Although he had seen her dance the particular piece before he was astounded by the amount of energy and grace she appeared to possess on stage. She had never had that much in practice, and it was obvious that she was enjoying every minute of her time on stage, as she never once stopped smiling.
"Jareth! For god's sake Jareth, would you come back to reality," exclaimed a familiar voice. Voice? Comprehension that he was no longer alone was all the king needed to snap him out of his reverie. Blinking a few times Jareth found that he was now in the company of a good friend and relaxed the muscles he hadn't known he'd tensed. "Abriel, I hope that you have a good reason for bringing me back to 'reality' as you put it," Jareth menaced. It was only after saying this that the monarch realized there was infact one other person in the room.
"Good evening Lady Constance. I did not realize that you were also present."
"That's quite all right Jareth, let's see that it doesn't happen again. Hmmm," the lady replied with a smile. Both Constance and her brother Abriel had known Jareth since childhood and knew that his menacing voice was just a front. Besides there was a glint in his eyes that could never be associated with menace.
"So! What brings you and Lord Abriel to this part of the Underground?" said Jareth with just a hint of a smile. "The Fae courts not boring enough for you?" Jareth taunted. He knew exactly why they were here but he could never help himself when it came to teasing. It was well known to Jareth that Abriel and Constance hated being at court and very rarely went.
"Jareth! You are insufferable!" exclaimed Constance. Although Constance Le Je and her brother were regulars at the castle beyond the Goblin City, they were hardly ever there on the express invitation of the High Prince himself. Don't get the wrong idea they were always at the castle, it was just never with an invitation.
"My dear Constance, you should know by now that I am never insufferable. I am just rarely tolerable!" smirked Jareth. At this all three Fae burst into laughter. Once everyone had settled down it was Abriel who was the first to become serious.
"Well Jareth you beckoned and we came. Can you tell us when the event is going to take place?"
"Unfortunately, my friend, I can not. All I know is that it is going to occur soon and that I must be ready for the arrival," replied Jareth with a rather solemn look on his face.
"In all honesty I had hoped that the day she would be returned here would never occur. The last time she was present in my Labyrinth she destroyed my city. I sincerely hope that this time will be different."
"Now Jareth I think that you are talking more of wounded pride than of destroyed goblin cities. You know as well as I do that the city wasn't in the best of shape, and it would have only been a short time before the goblins destroyed it themselves. I think that you are too proud to admit that she did you a favour," Constance carefully told the king. She knew that although Jareth was her friend she was currently treading on dangerous ground. One wrong word and she would regret it. Jareth wouldn't physically hurt her, but there were so many other forms of punishment that left no visible trace.
Constance could see that Jareth was glaring at her and so was very surprised when she heard him say, "You may be right little sister." Little sister was an affectionate term that Jareth often used when referring to Constance. "Perhaps I am talking of a wounded pride, however, she will not know the truth until I am willing to tell her!" the Goblin King replied putting emphasis on will not.
"Very well your majesty. With your permission we will retire to our usual chambers for the night and perhaps continue this discussion over breakfast in the morning," Abriel politely suggested.
Jareth dismissed them, "I have some documents left to finish, but you may retire for the evening. I will see you in the morning."
Truth be told, Jareth wasn't going to finish any documents. He was too tired and his mind was preoccupied with other thoughts. Although he knew that her return was inevitable he was worried about the way both she and his kingdom would react to it. Never in the history of the Underground had a mortal returned for a second time. Jareth just hoped that when it happened it would be a smooth transition. Oh he knew that she would not cope well with the relocation, but that could not be helped. She would return as the prophecies decreed, whether she liked it or not!
With one final thought on the subject Jareth left his study for the comfort of his bed and one final night of good rest.
:....................................................................................:
Sarah sat on her bed as she watched the closing scene to a movie. She had always liked "The Road to Eldorado" since its release, and never grew tired of watching it. However, it was now eleven pm and although she wasn't tired she knew that if she did not go to bed now she would be cranky and late for her early morning class. Not the best way to start the morning. Besides, she needed to work harder on her adage tomorrow or there was no chance that she was even going to get a look in for the lead in the next performance piece. With that in mind Sarah turned out the lights and crawled into bed. It would not be long before she drifted into a dreamless slumber.
The next morning Sarah awoke with a start. She had not heard her alarm go off and knew that she was late for class.
Ms French is going to kill me, Sarah thought as she frantically threw back the covers. It was then that she realized that something was wrong. The covers, although cotton, were not the same ones she had fallen asleep on. Come to think of it, neither was the bed. Anxiously looking about Sarah saw that she was definitely not in the same room she had gone to sleep in. Everything was different and older. Much older and the silence was deafening. With a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach Sarah turned to take in all of her surroundings. Nothing looked even remotely familiar. Not even the sunlight was the same! Feeling the panic starting to grow inside the pretty ballerina said the only thing she could think of, "Where the hell am I and why am I here?"
Disclamer: Jareth, Sarah and the Underground all belong to Jim Henson.
"Hey Audrey, wait up!" came a voice as the sound of running feet grew increasingly closer.
"Hey Sarah" came Audrey's reply as a rather out of breath Sarah came to a stop beside her friend. Audrey McIntosh was Sarah's best friend and had been ever since they started at the New York Ballet Company three years earlier. Both girls had been eighteen at the time and had managed to successfully audition for a spot within the company. Now best friends they were quite accomplished dancers. At 187cm tall, Audrey with her shoulder length red hair and blue eyes was the taller of the two.
"How the hell did you make it through Rueben's class?" asked an exhausted looking Sarah. "I thought I was going to die. If he asked us for the allegro exercise again, I would have!"
"Aw come on Sarah, it wasn't that bad" replied Audrey in the same tired tone. "However, having said that I am going straight to bed the minute we get back to our room."
"Right behind you" was Sarah's only reply as both girls entered the boarding house.
As soon as they reached their room the two girls simultaneously dropped their bags on the floor and collapsed on their beds. The classes today had been extra difficult to prepare everyone for the up coming performance auditions. However, the classes had left everyone exhausted. The worst of it was still hidden behind cotton socks. Sarah was afraid to take them off and look at the damage. If the pain was anything to go by she was going to need a few bandaids and some bettadine. She'd bath and clean the blisters later on. First she wanted to close her eyes for a few minutes and regain a small portion of the energy she was currently lacking. Yes, at that moment sleep was the only option.
What had started as only a few minutes of rest turned out to be a two hour nap. When Sarah woke she found that it was nine pm and that she had missed dinner.
Crap she thought. How could I have slept for so long! I was only closing my eyes for a few minutes. I don't even remember taking my shoes off, let alone falling asleep. It was only after comprehending that she was no longer wearing any shoes that Sarah remembered her poor, blistered feet. Looking down at them she realized that she was still wearing her socks and that by now the blisters would be stuck to the cotton. Wincing at the thought of how she was going to remove them, Sarah moved from her bed and crossed to the girls shared desk. There on one of the shelves was a homemade first aid kit consisting of everything the girls would need for dance injuries.
"Well I guess I had better start soak my feet and start cleaning these blisters if I am going to be right for class tomorrow," Sarah mused. Noticing that she was alone in the room Sarah looked down at the desk for the note she knew would be there. To her surprise she found it lying next to a plate of food.
Sarah,
I woke before you and decided to go over to Alice's for the night. I'll be back in time for class in the morning. I got you some dinner for when you wake up and there are bettadine and bandaids in the kit. I replaced them yesterday.
Audrey
Reading the note Sarah wondered how on earth she'd missed the aroma rising from the plate. The Macaroni Cheese which was usually pretty dodgy (being cafeteria food and all), looked irresistible in Sarah's famished state. Standing there looking at the food and deciding whether the state of her feet was more important than her stomach was the hardest decision Sarah had had to make all day. Eventually her feet won out. Grabbing the kit and a bowl of warm, salted water Sarah sat down to doctor her injuries.
:....................................................................................:
Above the Labyrinth the sky was dark gray with the hint of rain to come. However, Jareth took little notice of it as he wearily trudged through the ever increasing mound of paper work. It seemed as though there were very few days when the Goblin King could forget about all of the documents that were always in urgent need of his attention. Sign this, read that. It was all starting to become a haze of black scribble. It was at this point that Jareth decided to take a break and indulge in his preferred activity. Conjuring a crystal, Jareth looked deep inside to view the image of a person running. It was Sarah.
I wonder why she's running he thought with some amusement. Ahead of her another girl could be seen walking towards a large building. A cry from Sarah to wait answered his silent question. It seemed as though she was in a hurry to catch up with her friend, whom when they met walked wearily towards their destination. Jareth continued to watch the girls as they dumped their bags on the floor and fell onto their respective beds. It appeared as though both girls had had a rather tiring day and needed to rest before going to dinner. It was at this stage that the king decided that he had procrastinated his work for long enough. If he kept up this pace he would most certainly fall behind before the next morning.
Unfortunately, it wasn't long before the king's mind wandered back to the chocolate haired beauty. It had been six years since his last encounter with Sarah, although he watched her frequently. He always found it intriguing and somewhat obscure when he watched her dance. She was graceful and poised yet she did some very complicated and what looked like painful movements. When she couldn't get something right and became frustrated Jareth couldn't help but laugh. However, one night when Jareth had decided to check on his adversary he had found that Sarah was performing in front of a very large audience. Although he had seen her dance the particular piece before he was astounded by the amount of energy and grace she appeared to possess on stage. She had never had that much in practice, and it was obvious that she was enjoying every minute of her time on stage, as she never once stopped smiling.
"Jareth! For god's sake Jareth, would you come back to reality," exclaimed a familiar voice. Voice? Comprehension that he was no longer alone was all the king needed to snap him out of his reverie. Blinking a few times Jareth found that he was now in the company of a good friend and relaxed the muscles he hadn't known he'd tensed. "Abriel, I hope that you have a good reason for bringing me back to 'reality' as you put it," Jareth menaced. It was only after saying this that the monarch realized there was infact one other person in the room.
"Good evening Lady Constance. I did not realize that you were also present."
"That's quite all right Jareth, let's see that it doesn't happen again. Hmmm," the lady replied with a smile. Both Constance and her brother Abriel had known Jareth since childhood and knew that his menacing voice was just a front. Besides there was a glint in his eyes that could never be associated with menace.
"So! What brings you and Lord Abriel to this part of the Underground?" said Jareth with just a hint of a smile. "The Fae courts not boring enough for you?" Jareth taunted. He knew exactly why they were here but he could never help himself when it came to teasing. It was well known to Jareth that Abriel and Constance hated being at court and very rarely went.
"Jareth! You are insufferable!" exclaimed Constance. Although Constance Le Je and her brother were regulars at the castle beyond the Goblin City, they were hardly ever there on the express invitation of the High Prince himself. Don't get the wrong idea they were always at the castle, it was just never with an invitation.
"My dear Constance, you should know by now that I am never insufferable. I am just rarely tolerable!" smirked Jareth. At this all three Fae burst into laughter. Once everyone had settled down it was Abriel who was the first to become serious.
"Well Jareth you beckoned and we came. Can you tell us when the event is going to take place?"
"Unfortunately, my friend, I can not. All I know is that it is going to occur soon and that I must be ready for the arrival," replied Jareth with a rather solemn look on his face.
"In all honesty I had hoped that the day she would be returned here would never occur. The last time she was present in my Labyrinth she destroyed my city. I sincerely hope that this time will be different."
"Now Jareth I think that you are talking more of wounded pride than of destroyed goblin cities. You know as well as I do that the city wasn't in the best of shape, and it would have only been a short time before the goblins destroyed it themselves. I think that you are too proud to admit that she did you a favour," Constance carefully told the king. She knew that although Jareth was her friend she was currently treading on dangerous ground. One wrong word and she would regret it. Jareth wouldn't physically hurt her, but there were so many other forms of punishment that left no visible trace.
Constance could see that Jareth was glaring at her and so was very surprised when she heard him say, "You may be right little sister." Little sister was an affectionate term that Jareth often used when referring to Constance. "Perhaps I am talking of a wounded pride, however, she will not know the truth until I am willing to tell her!" the Goblin King replied putting emphasis on will not.
"Very well your majesty. With your permission we will retire to our usual chambers for the night and perhaps continue this discussion over breakfast in the morning," Abriel politely suggested.
Jareth dismissed them, "I have some documents left to finish, but you may retire for the evening. I will see you in the morning."
Truth be told, Jareth wasn't going to finish any documents. He was too tired and his mind was preoccupied with other thoughts. Although he knew that her return was inevitable he was worried about the way both she and his kingdom would react to it. Never in the history of the Underground had a mortal returned for a second time. Jareth just hoped that when it happened it would be a smooth transition. Oh he knew that she would not cope well with the relocation, but that could not be helped. She would return as the prophecies decreed, whether she liked it or not!
With one final thought on the subject Jareth left his study for the comfort of his bed and one final night of good rest.
:....................................................................................:
Sarah sat on her bed as she watched the closing scene to a movie. She had always liked "The Road to Eldorado" since its release, and never grew tired of watching it. However, it was now eleven pm and although she wasn't tired she knew that if she did not go to bed now she would be cranky and late for her early morning class. Not the best way to start the morning. Besides, she needed to work harder on her adage tomorrow or there was no chance that she was even going to get a look in for the lead in the next performance piece. With that in mind Sarah turned out the lights and crawled into bed. It would not be long before she drifted into a dreamless slumber.
The next morning Sarah awoke with a start. She had not heard her alarm go off and knew that she was late for class.
Ms French is going to kill me, Sarah thought as she frantically threw back the covers. It was then that she realized that something was wrong. The covers, although cotton, were not the same ones she had fallen asleep on. Come to think of it, neither was the bed. Anxiously looking about Sarah saw that she was definitely not in the same room she had gone to sleep in. Everything was different and older. Much older and the silence was deafening. With a queasy feeling in the pit of her stomach Sarah turned to take in all of her surroundings. Nothing looked even remotely familiar. Not even the sunlight was the same! Feeling the panic starting to grow inside the pretty ballerina said the only thing she could think of, "Where the hell am I and why am I here?"