A.N.- So this plot bunny blindsided me while I was trying to update one of my other fics. I don't normally do darkly bent stories, but this idea would't leave me be. Definitely a more mature story, and is rated as such.
Jareth/Darkish!Sarah pairing
Creature of the Night
The darkness was made even more palpable by the lack of moonlight filtering through the dense forest. A slim figure fled quickly, without making any noise, but soon the silence was broken by the barking and baying of wolfhounds. Then, a couple of horses crashed through the underbrush, following the dogs. On top of the horses, men gazed keenly ahead of them. The men had a wildness about them, with pointed ears and angular features. One of them caught up to another, "King Jareth, we should separate and cut it off."
Jareth glanced at his friend, his blonde hair dancing as his horse ran. "Wise thought, Kieran. I'll go ahead, my horse is faster."
"Be careful, Jareth, the creature has bitten the High King already."
With a nod, Jareth spurred his steed, then they were flying. He had centuries of hunting experience, and he thought he knew where the creature was headed. Speeding onward, he forced Stargazer, his stallion, to maneuver a few sharp turns, then they were in front of a cave. A brief glance around informed Jareth that he had been quicker. He dismounted and hid in the treeline, tying Stargazer to a pine so the beast couldn't run off, and waited. It was no more than a few moments before a blur of a figure darted out of the forest, and Jareth leaped onto it. The creature snarled in his grasp and with a start, he realized it was a woman. The woman used Jareth's distraction to her advantage, managing to twist around and bite him on the neck. The strangest thing happened then, as she seemed to be knocked to the ground by some unknown force, writhing in some amount of pain. Jareth cast a spell, conjuring up some ropes which magically tied around the woman. She couldn't escape now. He took the opportunity to grab a handkerchief from his vest, dabbing it to the wound on his neck. It stung a bit, but was otherwise insignificant. As Kieran showed up, Jareth was observing the woman's features. She had short, chin-length ebony hair. Her eyes flashed an unnatural blue. She was thin, but not bony, and her ears were slightly pointed but not as obvious as one of his kind. "Intriguing," he said to himself.
"What is it?" Kieran asked, having heard the remark.
"She doesn't seem to be typical of her kind."
"Of course I'm not," the woman bit out, breathing heavily. She still seemed to be suffering somewhat, but wasn't in as bad of shape as she had been moments ago.
It was at that point that Kieran noticed the blood at Jareth's neck. "You've been bitten!" He glared accusingly at the woman. "You bit him! And you bit the High King! You've condemned them to be cursed, vampire!"
The woman laughed, "Silly Fae, they won't turn. I'm not a monster, despite my needs."
Confusion was obvious on Kieran's face, as he shook his head, making the auburn curls on top sway. "I thought that you only had to be bitten to turn."
She shrugged, "Maybe for a human. I was not completely human when I turned, though, and I still almost died from the experience. Trust me, I've bitten plenty of Fae before, and none of them have turned."
"Still, you bit the High King, and he's ordered you to be sentenced to the dungeons."
The woman appeared to be only paying half attention, instead staring at Jareth. Finally, it seemed Jareth had had enough of it. "What are you looking at, woman? You said yourself that you'd seen other Fae before, I'm no different."
A slow smirk spread on the woman's features as she replied, "That's where you're wrong...Goblin King."
Jareth was stunned, but Kieran whispered to him, "Don't let her get to you. She drank your blood, so who knows what information she's gained from it." Still, Jareth was unnerved. There was something familiar about this woman... Kieran clapped him on the back, saying, "You seem tired, let me take this creature back to the High King. Go home, you need rest."
Tearing his eyes from the woman, Jareth nodded. "Yes, it's been a long week, and I've been away from my own castle for far too long. Goodness knows what those goblins have been doing in my absence." With one last glance at the woman, Jareth mounted his horse and took off.
Kieran picked up the tied woman, placing her on the back of his own horse, and began the journey back to the High King. The woman didn't say much of anything for a while, so he had somewhat forgotten she was there, when she spoke. "Will the High King kill me, do you think?"
"I'm not sure. Can you even be killed? I know normal vampires can."
"I'm guessing that my head being separated from my body might do the trick."
"Do you care whether you live or die?"
"I used to wish to die every day. Then after I got over my pity party, all the days just kind of blurred together. I had almost forgotten my name. Tonight is the first time I would very much like to keep living."
"What changed?" This conversation was a strange one, thought Kieran. Not that he ran into vampires all that often, since they typically stayed Aboveground, where their food source was. He found himself unintentionally fascinated by this woman.
"I tasted his blood. I think I know how to undo my state now."
Kieran's eyebrows raised. "You mean the High King?"
"No, the Goblin King."
A strange streak of jealousy ran through him as he heard an almost longing tone in her voice. "Well what about me, I'm a prince? Maybe I can help you."
He could hear the grin in her tone as she answered, "As much as I appreciate the offer, I'm afraid I'm not the type to lead a man on. No, the Goblin King is mine, I will have no one else."
As if by magic, the strange attraction was gone, and a thread of fear took it's place. "I won't let you touch him again."
"Oh good, the enchantment is gone. Don't worry your pretty little head, Princeling, I won't hurt him. If by some chance I did, I would suffer as well."
Feeling foolish that he'd been under the spell of a vampire, intended or not, Kieran went silent for the rest of the ride.
The castle was a veritable fortress of stone, enormous in size. Kieran took the woman down to the dungeons. He asked, "If I untie you, will you escape?"
"Not unless the King means to execute me." Kieran's eyes narrowed until she rolled hers, saying, "I promise I won't try to escape, unless my life depends upon it."
He huffed, but cut her ties. "I'd bring you some food, but..."
A hungry expression came over her then, one that he wasn't sure he liked. "If you can find a magical creature, something non-sentient, I'd be grateful."
He was disturbed, but managed an, "Alright, I'll see what I can do." As he was about to go, though, something caught up to him in his mind. "Your eyes are different."
"What?"
"When I first saw you, they were almost a glowing blue. Now, they're closer to green and not so...unnatural."
She leaped up, grasping the bars of the cell, and he stumbled back. "Then I was right! The magic of the Labyrinth is the key!"
Kieran said, "I don't understand. Just who are you, anyway?"
She held out her deceptively dainty hand, "My name is Sarah."
