Ch. 2: Back to the Underground

Sarah sucked in deeply as a sweet cooling substance dripped on her lips and into her mouth.

"That's it hunny. It will help just drink."

Sarah slowly open her eyes as the sun was dawning threw a small window in her room.

All she could see was the light her vision wasn't able to focus yet. "Where is Dr. Kernel?" She whispered weakly.

"Don't worry Hun you are among friends and you will be okay." The voice was female and sweet. A cold rag was applied to her head.

The sun shined brightly in and she closed her eyes again. "Where are my parents?"

"I'm sorry hun, but they are still in mortal world."

Sarah jumped off the bed completely only to fall back down in exhaust. "I'm back?" She whispered weakly. "I don't believe it. No I believe but I don't want too."

She now forced herself to focus on the woman or creature standing in front of her. Her skin look like it was made of bark and her hair was the color of aspen leaves in the summer. "You're a tree!" She immediately felt bad for her lack of manners but the creature just gave a gravelly laugh.

"I guess you could say that…but round here I am known a elemental, earth elemental." Sarah nodded dumbly not sure what to say after that but she was saved just in time by the old librarian.

His disguise was gone and now stood a stronger but still aged fae with translucent skin and stark white hair.

"I am so entirely glad you are feeling better, my dear. You about gave me the scare of a lifetime. If not for Maia expertise you would have passed on to the Unknown Realm."

Sarah shuddered and placed her mind elsewhere. "WAIT! I don't even know your name?"

"Oh dear, how terrible rude of me! I am Durogon one of the Fairy Elders and Advisor to the Goblin King. I am in charge of interactions with the Mortal World."

"Jar-" Both Durogon and Maia had place their hands over her mouth and cut off Sarah's question.

"Don't say his name child. Very few know his real name and very few are brave enough to speak it. You say it and no doubt it would bring his wrath down upon us." Maia looked pale…for a tree. "Durogon has committed treason by bringing you here. As you can imagine forgiveness is not his strong point and you are one of the few who have stood against him and…"

"Won?" Sarah cut in.

Maia grimaced. "I was going to say lived actually."


Jareth look up from his perch on the window seal. He looked like an owl mourning the loss of the night and he was.

Then he heard/felt it someone almost said his name. No doubt a foolish little Goblin. Jareth almost wish he would have called him then he could teach the little wretch a lesson in the proper way to refer to his King.

The King of the Goblins sighed. In the night he is free to do what he wants but in the morning the responsibility of everyone in the Kingdom falls on his shoulders. Jareth did not ask to be the King of the Underground it was trust upon him because the Mystics feared him and his enormous power.

The highest power in the universe was the realm of Mystics. They took it upon themselves to keep the Universe from twisting and collapsing in on itself. It could not maintain itself with so much magic intertwining with reality.

It was no mystery why the Mystics thought it necessary to send a young rebellious Magic User to an relatively Unpowerful Kingdom where they wouldn't have to fear that he would gain enough Magic allies to overthrow the mystics. Jareth smiled. If he gets the chance he will do that exact thing they feared.

'However' Jareth thought. 'It does have its perks.' Both servants and guard were falling all over themselves to please him at the moment.

Servants were trying to give him everything from a foot rub to a warm bubble bath. When you were King everyone loved you even if they hated you and no one denied you anything, well except one. Jareth gripped his crystal in anger.

A stubby dwarf Guard was going off on some possible spies who may have snuck into the Underground last night while Jareth was lost in his thoughts of enormous power and a girl lost in a Masquerade.

Jareth yawned and took a glass of wine that was being offered to him. "Where are these 'spies' (Goblin imaginations tend to run away with them) supposed to be from?"

"The mortal world, Sire!" he squeaked.

Jareth laughed in his wine. "Oh and I suppose those 'humans' must be plotting something dire?"

The guard blushed and back into the shadows, murmuring about telling the truth and proving it.

"I think I will take that bath now, make sure it is hot this time!" Several servants bowed quickly and hurried out.

Jareth sighed again. Half the creatures in the Kingdom had a lot to say but very little of what they did say had any importance at all.

If only a Kingdom was planning to invade. That would give him something to numb the boredom. He could see himself as a destroying angel wielding the strongest magic that has been seen for several millennia causing pure fear to cross the faces of his enemies.

If one thing could be said about the King is he loved power, and he loved having power in every sense of the word. Control, fear, magic, all of it!


Sarah was getting anxious to see her family and let them know she was alive. She had been here for a week and no black outs or convulsions but the change that Durogon was expecting had not happened yet.

She wondered if the fairy blood had enough power to change her physically. In fact she had no idea what to expect and neither did Durogon as far as he was knew she was the first to have fairy blood and venom mix with mortal blood.

She thought about Durogon. She really liked the man he was nothing but kind and wise. He had forbid her to go anywhere but into the garden and even then she wore a robe with a hood. 'Jareth's spies are everywhere' he warned her.

Sarah was forced to find things to do indoors.

Maia was teaching her many kinds of remedies for ailments of many different now understood she was some sort of doctor in the Underground which is why she had ended up at Maia's cottage.

Maia also was an amazing cook but Sarah decided she didn't want to know what she cooking when it kept trying to jump out of her bowl. Sarah was pretty sure the things were actually some kind of moving vegetable.

Normally if Sarah hadn't have been famished and weak she never would have tried the things but now she was oh so glad she did. Despite having no idea what they were they were delicious. Sarah decided some things just taste better when you do not know what they are.

On the six night of Sarah's time in the Underground Durogon came back looking exhausted just after dinner.

"Are you ok?" Sarah was concerned.

"I'm fine young Sarah but you might be angry with me." He looked in her eyes. "I traveled back to the mortal world today to die up loose ends…Your family was in a lot pain over your disappearance.

Sarah frowned. Last thing she wanted to do was make them hurt.

"I put a spell on them… they will forget about you… until you are able to return."

Sarah put her hand over his. "Thank you. I know you only wanted them happy and I could not ask for more." Sarah pause thinking about how to say the words. "I do have a question though and I want an honest answer even if you think it will hurt me." She paused till he nodded. "Do you think I will honestly get to go home...ever?"

Durogon looked grim. "I don't know if it will be possible but it could take a while or…the next full moon will be when the fae power is highest. We will have to see what happens then and I might have a better idea of what we are dealing with."

Sarah looked down and nodded. "Thank you for being so honest."

While Durogon walked around the table and embraced Sarah a Stubby dwarf was hobbling down the street away from the cottage to tell the King about his discovery.

"He will promote me for sure" squeaked the creature in glee.


Jareth rested lazily on his throne when the Dwarf stumbled in breathing heavily.

"Your majesty! Your majesty! I was right and I have proof!"

"Want do you want?" Jareth growled. He did not like being disturbed during the night.

"A mortal is here! In the Underground and….not just any mortal it is the girl who took back the boy!"

Jareth was across the room in an instant and lifting the unfortunate creature by his shirt collar. "ARE YOU SURE?" he hissed! "Think carefully because if you are wrong…."

The Goblin nodded then got scared and shook his head. "I think so sire! Her name was Sarah but I didn't see her face!"

Jareth dropped the creature and was gone in a flash of magic and glitter.

Everyone in the cottage was woken up by heavy banging on the door. All three of them knew whoever it was…it wasn't good news!

"Hide!" Durogon whispered! Sarah crawled under the bed as Maia stood by the table and Durgon went to open the door.