Chapter Three: Underground Again
Everything was spinning. Sarah pulled closer to Jareth feeling as though she might spin off into space if something wasn't anchoring her. But a moment later the spinning stopped and they were standing in the middle of Jareth's throne room. Sarah quickly pulled away from Jareth.
"Welcome back, Sarah." He said, "Or should I say welcome home."
"Home. Ha!" she scoffed, "This place will never be my home."
"Oh, but my dear I have thoughts quite the contrary. This place is your home so I would advise you start making to best of it."
Sarah rolled her eyes and turned away.
"You do know, my darling Sarah, that it is rude to turn away when someone is trying to converse with you." Jareth purred, grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. "Now, if you will follow me I will show you to your quarters."
Jareth kept his firm grip on her arm and led her down a series of hallways until they reached a large and elegantly carved wooden door. He opened the door and led her into the room, closing the door behind them.
"Here we are."
Sarah pulled her arm out of his grasp and looked around the room. It was elegantly decorated with burgundy and emerald colored furniture and window curtains. There were multiple bookshelves, a fireplace, 2 couches, several chairs, a desk, and other small tables scattered throughout the room.
"I hope these rooms will be to your satisfaction." He said, "The door on the right leads to your closet, the left your bathroom, the one in the center leads to your sleeping area and this room of course is your sitting room.
Sarah was amazed at the grandeur of the room and she could only imagine what the others looked like, but she wasn't going to let Jareth know that.
"If you do not have any problems with your accommodations, I do believe we have some terms to discuss about your stay."
"Haven't I been through enough for one night, Jareth? I have just had my whole life turned upside down again. Could you please just be content with the fact that you have finally found a way to make me stay here forever and just let the situation rest for tonight?" Sarah yelled.
Jareth stared at her, slightly taken back by her out burst.
"Please?" she asked faintly, gaining her composure.
Jareth nodded, "Very well. I will see you in the morning." Jareth turned and strode to the door. "Good night." He added before exiting the room. Without having to lift a finger the door closed behind him.
Sarah sat down on the couch and pulled her knees up to her chest wrapping her arms around them. Great job, Sarah! What have you gotten yourself into now? I can't believe I am back in this horrible place againShe sat there for a while staring blankly into space, before her thoughts drifted to the people whom she cared about and had been force to leave behind. Her tears started to flow as she thought of her dad, Toby, Jason, Nathan, and even Karen. After letting her tears flow freely for a while, she wiped her face and stood up.
Sarah wandered into her closet to see if by some chance she would have clothes that she could change into. She gasped when she entered to see all the racks and shelves full of dresses, cloaks, shoes, and other assorted necessities. She ran her hand along all the clothes; the fabrics were all soft and silky. She hunted through the dresses looking for something to sleep in. Sarah finally found the area of the closet where there were a number of nightgowns and robes. She removed a white silk v-neck nightgown and a light blue robe from the rack. Sarah slid off her shoes and quickly changed into the nightgown and put on the robe.
She returned to the sitting room and browsed through the many books on the shelves. When she found one that was to her satisfaction, a book on mythology, she returned to her spot on the couch and began to read. Soon her eyelids began to droop, as sleep threatened to take her. Sarah fought to stay awake and focus on the book until she finally lost the battle and drifted to sleep with her head on the couch arm and the book resting in her lap.
Jareth sat in his study trying to get some work done but he could only seem to focus on Sarah. He decided he would peek in on her and see if she was still awake. Jareth made a crystal appear and focused on Sarah, he looked into her sitting room and saw her laying on one of the couches asleep. He chuckled to himself, not surprised to see her asleep with a book in her lap. Probably some fantasy nonsense… Jareth decided he would quietly move Sarah from the couch to her bed.
Jareth appeared outside Sarah's room a moment later and then quietly opened the door. He walked over to the couch on which she was resting and removed the book from her lap. Before picking her up, Jareth placed a sleep induction spell on her to keep her from waking as he moved her from the couch to her bed. He gently slid one arm under her legs and cradled her head and shoulders with other. Jareth cradled her against his chest and headed to the other room. The door quietly opened as he approached and the blankets turned down so that he could easily lay the sleeping girl in bed. Jareth gently placed her down on the bed and pulled the covers over her. He hesitated for moment appreciating the opportunity to be in the same room with Sarah without being able to feel the tension and hostility. You're mine now, my darling. I'll have your affections too once you've been away from that silly boy long enough to realize I can offer you so much more than he could ever dream of offering you. Jareth brushed stray chocolate tresses from her face. He then exited her quarters, the doors closing almost silently behind him.
"M'Lady. M'Lady, wake up." A small female goblin said shaking Sarah slightly.
"Hmmm?" Sarah mumbled keeping her eyes closed.
"Wake up, M'Lady. His Majesty says to get up and get ready for breakfast he will be here to escort you to breakfast at a quarter after eight. It's just a little before seven now, Miss, and I would recommend you hurry. His Majesty doesn't like to be kept waiting." The goblin stated.
"What's your name?" Sarah asked groggily.
"Akara."
"It's very nice to meet you Akara. But as for the orders of the Goblin King, I have a message for you to take back to him in return." She said sitting up.
"Very well, M'Lady."
"Tell him that I must unfortunately decline his request to join him for breakfast."
Akara curtsied and scurried out of the room. As soon as she had gone, Sarah laid back down pulling the blankets over her head. She had almost drifted back to sleep when she heard footsteps and then felt the blankets being pulled away from her body. Sarah turned over to see Jareth standing over her.
"Get up, Sarah." He said plainly. When she started to roll back over and ignore him, he added, "Do not test my patience!"
Sarah sighed and rolled out of bed. Before she even had time to say anything Jareth was pushing her towards the bathroom. "Go bathe." He said, pushing her into the bathroom.
"But I don't have anything to-"
"I'll hang something on the door. Now go." He replied shutting the door behind her.
Sarah started the water in the enormous bathtub. She then removed a towel from the cabinet and laid it on the large tiled edging around the tub. Then she selected a lavender scented shampoo and soap from the many that lined one side of the tub. After the tub was full, she turned off the water removed her robe and nightgown and stepped into the extremely warm water.
She soaked in the water; then washed her hair and body and stepped out of the tub wrapping herself in a towel. As soon as she had dried herself off, the tub began to drain itself. Sarah put on her robe once more and opened the door to find a dark emerald scoop-neck dress with a thick black satin ribbon that tied around the waist. There were also shoes and other items sitting on the floor in front of the door. She removed the dress from the hanger, picked up the items from the floor and stepped back into the bathroom. She towel dried her hair once more and then got dressed. Sarah quickly brushed her chocolate hair and then allowed it to hang free to air dry. She examined herself in the mirror and then walked into her sitting room. Sarah quickly glanced around the room for Jareth and to her surprise he wasn't lurking anywhere.
"Amazing." She mumbled to herself.
"What's amazing?" Jareth asked appearing behind her.
"Nothing."
Jareth nodded, "Are you ready to be escorted to breakfast?"
"Not really… But I don't have much of a choice, now, do I?"
Jareth extended an arm to escort her, "Let us be off then."
Sarah stared at him like he was crazy and proceeded to brush pass him to the door. But before she could take more than two steps, she felt a firm grip on her arm.
"I think not. It is royal custom for the Ladies of the Court to stay at their Lord's side." He explained, "And this brings me to my first term of you being here. You will learn and obey the etiquette of the royal court." Jareth released her arm and waited for a response. "Oh, and let me remind you that if you do not agree to the terms, then I reserve the right to bring your beloved Jason back into the equation."
Sarah stared at him blankly for a moment and then slid her arm into the crook of Jareth's arm resting her hand on his forearm.
"Very wise decision."
The two then exited Sarah's room and proceeded down a series of hallways to a dining hall. Jareth stopped at the end of the table and pulled out Sarah's chair. Sarah sat down and Jareth went to other end of the table and seated himself. He then beckoned for his servants and gave them instructions to bring out food and serve the meal.
Sarah sat quietly through the first portion of the meal, moving her food around on her plate with her fork. Jareth stared at her across the table and finally broke the silence.
"If you're finished eating, I do believe we have a few things to discuss." Jareth stated, rising from his seat.
Sarah nodded and stood up. Jareth took Sarah's arm and they headed down the hall towards his study. He opened the door and motioned for Sarah to enter.
"Take a seat," he said, pointing to a large cushioned chair in front of his desk. He then settled himself into his seat behind his desk. "Now, we need to discuss the terms under which you will be remaining here."
Sarah nodded emotionlessly as she settled herself into the chair.
"The first term you are already aware of, however I will state it again, you will learn and obey the etiquette of the royal court. Second, you will learn Underground history and languages. Thirdly, you will be groomed to be my future queen---"
"Queen?" Sarah yelled, jumping up, "There is no way I am going to be your queen. If you think for one minute--"
"Need I remind you, my dear, that if you do not agree to these terms I will be forced to bring a certain someone back into this." Jareth said calmly.
That caused Sarah to reign in her temper almost immediately; she slowly sat back down and returned her attention to Jareth.
"Much better." he said victoriously, "As I was saying, you will be groomed to be my future queen and wife and you will act accordingly. Finally, defiance is not acceptable, especially when it is in front of others members of the kingdom or royal court. In short, you will obey my commands at all times for I am King and you, sweet Sarah, belong to me. Now, are going to agree to these terms or will you defiant and stubborn as usual?"
Sarah's jaw hardened. She was seething underneath the surface, but she knew she had no other choice except to agree to the terms presented to her.
"I will…accept you terms."
"I'm glad that you are being amenable..." he replied, "Shall I escort you back to your room?"
Sarah nodded and took Jareth's outstretched arm. The two walked to Sarah's room in silence. Neither speaking until they had entered Sarah's sitting room.
"Here we are, love."
"Thank you..." Sarah said meekly as she moved away from Jareth.
"My dear, there is no reason to despair. This is not the end of the world." Jareth said walking over to Sarah.
Sarah looked down at the floor, not wanting to meet his gaze.
Jareth placed his hand under her chin as raised her head so that their eyes met. "You shall never want for anything... I can offer you so much more than that petty mortal boy."
Sarah jerked away the moment Jareth mentioned Jason as being a petty mortal. "How dare you!" she shrieked, "You have no right!"
"Sarah, calm yourself this instant!" Jareth commanded.
"No! You insult someone I deeply care about and then expect me to remain calm." Sarah yelled, tears beginning to roll down her cheeks.
"Defiance, love, defiance." he chided, "Are you going to break your word so quickly?"
She took a deep breath; attempting to regain what self-control she had left. "Jareth, please just leave... I do not want to say or do anything that I will regret... So, please just leave me be. I have agreed to your terms, what more do you want from me..."
"I am going to let this little incident be forgotten, and I will even admit that I provoked it, but my dear, you must learn to control yourself. There will be consequences next time." Jareth replied, "I will send Akara to fetch you later. Your lessons will begin today."
Sarah turned away from Jareth wiping her tear-stained face with her hands.
"Darling, what did I tell you about turning away when someone is speaking to you..." Jareth said as he grabbed her hand, attempting to turn her to face him.
"I'm sorry, M'Lord, I was trying to regain my composure." Sarah said, as she turned around, trying to act as submissive as possible.
"All is forgiven." He cooed, kissing her hand. "I must be going, Akara will return shortly." Then with a quick turn of his heel Jareth strode out of the room, the door clicking shut behind him.
"Argh...that man is-!" Sarah ranted, as soon as Jareth was gone. "He's pompous, arrogant... and completely insufferable."
"Who's completely insufferable?" a voice asked behind her.
Sarah cringed and turned to see Jareth standing behind her. "No one. I was just rambling..."
Jareth smirked, "Of course you were."
"May I ask why you have returned so soon?" Sarah asked, changing the subject.
"I realized that I failed to inform you that we will be having very important guests joining us for dinner tonight."
"Important guests?"
"Yes... my brother, Amarus and his wife, Serane. Amarus is in line to take control of my kingdom, if I should fail to marry by the end of this year, and I am sure his reasons for being here aren't merely to have a nice family reunion. " Jareth explained, "I'm sure he is looking for weaknesses he can exploit."
"I'm sorry, but I fail to realize why this has anything to do with me?" Sarah said
"You, my dear, are going to play the part of the adoring fiancée.." Jareth said sweetly.
"Beg pardon?" Sarah said.
"Don't play coy, Sarah. You know all to well what is expected of you." Jareth replied, "I am having my study prepared now, so that your lessons can begin today. My advisor and I will be teaching you the important things you need to know in order to survive the dinner tonight."
"But, Jareth, I can't..." Sarah started to protest.
"There is no room for debate on the matter. You always wanted to be an actress, so here is your chance."
Sarah started to protest once more, but was interrupted by a knock on her door.
"Enter." Jareth answered.
The door slowly opened and Akara peered into the room.
"Your Majesty," she said curtsying, "Areon sent me to inform you and Lady Sarah that the study is prepared."
"Thank you, Akara." he replied.
The little goblin nodded and quietly exited the room.
"We should be going, dear, it is rude to keep people waiting." Jareth said, taking Sarah by the arm.
"I can't Jareth. I won't. I'm not going to pretend to be your anything..." Sarah replied, trying to pull her arm away.
"But, my sweet, you are already my fiancée..." Jareth stated, as he kept a firm grip on Sarah's arm, attempting to pull her towards the door, "The only thing you have to do is pretend to be the 'adoring' kind".
Sarah realized that he was right, she wasn't his adoring fiancée...but she was without a doubt his fiancée. Jareth continued to pull Sarah towards the door, until she finally quit fighting and walked to his study willingly.