Chapter Four

Healing is difficult business

A week had passed since the girl and the babes had fallen into the Underground from Above. Candon had been so busy with the girl, he'd nearly forgotten the two children she'd arrived with. Sarah had not awakened, in all that time. But the burns were beginning to recede. Her hands and feet were still warped in healing bandages and gauze. Her face was healing, but scared. Her parched lips were now looking human again.

Sahan gazed at the girl on the cot. "I am told she was a great beauty at fifteen."

Candon nodded, "I did not have the pleasure of seeing her then."

"I did." Came a voice from the doorway. Hoggle the dwarf who was the King's gardener stood, hat in hand. "She was the most beautiful thing to ever enter our kingdom."

Candon motioned him to approach. "She has been robbed of that, perhaps forever." He pointed to her. "But she heals."

"Sarah will live?" The dwarf asked quietly.

"Yes." Candon rubbed his eyes. "You may sit with her, if you like."

Hoggle hobbled over to the bed and rested his hand softly on that of the girl. "I'm here Sarah. I'm here."

Sahan frowned at Candon. "The King will not be pleased."

Candon frowned right back. "He does not care enough to come see her. Why should I turn away one who does?"

Fear shown in the younger healer's eyes. She was truly afraid of the King. She had heard of how despondent the King had been when the girl deserted him three years before. She had witnessed his anger at having her in the kingdom again. She had heard him refuse to have her name spoken, and had seen him take the children from the sick rooms. She feared how he'd react to the dwarf's visit, as he'd been vile over the constant homage being paid on the lawns below.

Candon saw Hoggle sit and talk softly to the girl. He knew that contact was good, and helped the healing process. The healing process was not going well to begin with. And he was loath to admit he should never have used the Crystal vial. There was no telling what was going to be the end result. He'd have expected the girl to heal much quicker, and wondered if the King had used a spell to keep the healing slow, as a punishment to the girl.

Candon and his staff had gotten use to the constant influx of fairies that flowed in and out of the room. They had stopped trying to prevent them when it appeared there was no way. The little fairies would come and flutter round the girl, sing and leave. They had been the only visitors the girl had received until the dwarf.

Hoggle hobbled over to the healer. "She should be better."

Candon noted the tone, it was one of accusation. "I agree." The healer sighed.

"He's done something to her!" the glare in the eyes of the little man was harsh. "That rat!"

The healer suspected the dwarf was right, but could not say for sure. "We've never tried to heal a mortal so badly injured."

Hoggle hobbled to the door. "I don't blame you, I blame him!" He paused and looked back at the girl. "I will come again, if I may."

Candon ignored the looks from his staff. "Anytime you can, Hoggle. Come sit with her."

Hoggle hobbled down the corridor of the castle, he knew where he needed to go. Where he dreaded to, but had to. No one! Not even his King would be allowed to hurt Sarah. He found Jareth in the throne room with Toby dangling on his knee. "Aren't' you a pretty picture." He snarled. "You monster."

Jareth looked up with a smirk. "Hogs brain, what brings you where you have not been called?" He bounced the boy lightly.

"What did you do to her?" roared the angry dwarf.

Pretending ignorance, the king continued to play with the baby in his arms. "What ever do you mean? What did I do, to whom?"

"Sarah!" Defiantly the little man said the forbidden name.

Toby looked at the dwarf at the mention of his sister's name. "Sarah." The child repeated.

Jareth quieted, "Toby, its time for you to go with Nanny and eat your lunch." Watching the child toddle off he then looked with resentment and exasperation at his servant. "You dare speak her name?"

"I dare more than that! I've just come from sitting with her." Glared Hoggle. "She is not healing! What did you do to her?"

Jareth looked away, disinterested. "Why should I do anything to her?"

Hoggle forgot his nature, he forgot he was a coward, taking off a shoe he hurled it at his King. "Because you hated losing to her! Because you want to get even, because you wants to hurt her!"

Jareth looked at he shoe that had struck him fully in the chest, "You miserable little scab!" He denounced the dwarf.

Hoggle was too far-gone to care. "You stopped us from visiting her! You left her alone on that side. With no one to confide in! You didn't even bother to look and see if she was safe, all because of your stupid Kingly pride!" the dwarf broke down it to tears. "Now she's not healing."

Jareth stared at the dwarf, he'd expected a wave of anger but hardly the despair. "Now you see here, Hog Heart…"

"It's Hoggle!" A yelp declared.

"Right. See here, it was none of my concern what happened to her once she was gone from here. I could have tossed you and the other two conspirators into the bog. But I showed mercy and let you all go back to your duties!" Jareth defended his honor. "What happened to her…" The King stopped himself as he was about to declare she'd gotten what she deserved. Even he could not say that.

Hoggle howled as if in pain. "You may as well have lit the match."

Jareth suddenly crumpled under the wave of guilt. "Get out of my sight." When the dwarf had exited, the King went to the infirmary. He glared at the healer who was waiting for him. "I have just received a visit from the dwarf."

"I thought you would." Confided the healer. "He was most upset at the girls lack of progress. As am I."

Jareth raised one elegant brow. "I suppose you want to blame that on me as well." Taking a moment to tighten his glove, he sighed. "As if it has anything to do with me."

Candon glared. "I don't believe you, Goblin King, so save it." Jareth pushed past him, only to have the Healer at his elbow. "Where do you think you're going?"

"To see the invalid." Jareth shot a look of seething toward the healer. "Dare you stop me in my own castle?" At that the healer stepped back. Jareth moved to where the girl lay still on the hard cot. Satisfaction is what he felt, but only for a moment. He looked down, on what was left of his beautiful Sarah. Her face was a mass of scaring tissue. Her lips, those lips he'd desired and dreamed of were misshapen blisters. Deep inside him, the King felt the pangs of love beat in a stone cold heart. Removing his glove, he placed his hand on her forehead. "What trouble you cause me." He lamented and felt her stir. "No matter what I do for you, someone always has a complaint." He too was a bit taken about at how slow she was healing. He had not held back, or at least not on purpose. "Sarah, you must heal." He ordered her.

There was a little flutter of eyelid, as lips parted. "For what?" The voice was coated in hopelessness.

Jareth frowned, the little nuisance was causing this herself, refusing to let the magic heal her as it should. "Stop being a brat." He growled.

"Why should I heal? What do I have left?" she asked her voice barely perceptible.

"You have life." He said, refusing to bring the children into the equation. He was not planning on sharing them with her. They belonged to him now. But for that matter so did she. How dare she not allow the magic to heal his property!

"Not enough." She signed and made to go back to the darkness. "It's not enough."

"I want you to." He'd bent to her ear. "I want you to live." He felt it, the magic moved from his hand as she accepted it now. 'I want you to live so I can extract from you every ouch of dignity you have left foolish girl.' He thought heartlessly as he forced more healing onto her. He wondered if he should leave her disfigured, so that her beauty was but a fleeting memory. Looking down at the once beautiful face he found he could not even do that to her. As much as she'd taken from him, he could not leave her like this.

"Recover, be as you once were."

Candon watched from the door, not welcomed at the side of the King as he gave magic healing. He found the entire exchange between king and convalescent disquieting. Even more so when he heard the king demand that the girl heal. He began to wonder what there was about the two of them that he didn't know. He'd read the reports on the incident that had brought her to the Underground before. He wondered if anything had been left out of the report.

Jareth looked down on the woman, her skin was beginning to renew it's self. Soon her face would resemble the girl who had stolen his heart, instead of this burned creature. "Heal." He commanded once more. Jareth could feel the eyes boring into him, "Candon, if you are going to stand there, you may as well come in here and be of use. Bathe her face."

Candon entered, bowed and did as directed. The herbed waters cooled down the burns and allowed the healing to work on new tissues. "Thank you, my King." The healer said.

Jareth stood a mask of indifference once more in place. "Who gave permission for this one to receive visitors?"

The healer looked up, shock on his face. "I saw no harm."

Jareth pointed to the gathering of fairy creatures on the windowsill. " I suppose you see no harm in them either." The swarm of little fairies rose as one and came to gather round Sarah's bed, singing and wailing. "Quite." Jareth ordered, surprised when they obeyed. "You may stay with your mistress."

Candon moved closer. "Sire, are there facts missing from the official report of her last visit?"

Jareth glared, "What are you suggesting?"

The healer bathed the charred face yet again, kindly. "It just seems there are things about her last visit that are not covered."

"Such as?"

"When did she become Mistress of the garden fairy swarm?" Candon asked.

Jareth held out his gloved hand, the swarm Queen came to land on his upraised palm. "When this one bit her, just before entering the Labyrinth." Jareth and the little queen smiled at each other, knowingly.

The little queen looked at the healer, it was the same fairy who'd sounded the lament. "I see." The healer shook his head. "Is there a reason that was left off the report?"

The Goblin King smiled, "It seemed an unnecessary detail." He had his secrets, and intended to keep it that way.