Chapter 4 – Dangers Untold
Jareth fell backward, staring at Sarah as she threw the water glass against the wall. The shards sparkled as they rained down on the ground. His brain was working hard to figure out how to respond to Sarah's angry question. Curse that wench, Eithne. How dare she pull a stunt like this? He would deal with her personally… later. Right now there was the much more pressing issue of how to answer Sarah and get her to calm down.
"Sarah, I assure you I can explain who Eithne is." He reached for her arm, noting that her hands were clenched in tight fists, the knuckles white from the pressure she was exerting. Sarah jerked her hand back and turned her back on him, her shoulders noticeably moving up and down with her breathing.
"I'll give you five minutes to explain this." The words were ground out and terse, but he was optimistic since she at least was giving him a chance to explain. He watched her move slowly to her bed where she sat down and glared at him, her green eyes blazing with fire and cruelty. Her eyes could be so cruel.
"I'm not capable of lying to you, so you can believe me when I tell you something. Do you understand?" He watched the expression on her face soften just a bit as she nodded in acknowledgement. Jareth swallowed before he continued. "The female you saw in my chambers is Eithne, my former paramour. I recently broke off all contact with her and am sure that display was designed to get me into trouble with you." He kept his eyes fixed on her face as she stood up and moved over to the window that was open and letting in the warm night breeze.
"So this Eithne is an ex, what, lover?" She narrowed her eyes to small slits and scowled at him. Clearly she was not satisfied with his reply.
"In your world, I suppose that she and I would have been called lovers, but I never had any feelings for her. It was strictly a sexual arrangement. No romantic feelings on either side."
She huffed in a frustrated way. "Right, just a booty call, purely physical. God, you sound as bad as that prick James! Using a woman for your own pleasure. Good grief." She jumped up and came very close to his face before she continued, "when was the last time you were with her?"
He flinched at that question. He hadn't thought she'd care about that. She was inches from his face and there was no hiding or obfuscating the truth. "Yesterday was the last time…but it was before you asked me to have dinner with you." As soon as he spoke the words he knew it was not what Sarah was expecting to hear.
"Are you telling me you fucked her this yesterday and just now you were making out with me? What the hell is the matter with you?" She had started out relatively quietly but with every word got louder until she was shouting. He placed a single finger to her lips and shushed her.
"You don't want your family to come in here." He spoke in a soothing tone. "I know you're upset with me. Would you prefer that I go?" He waited, holding his breath and hoping that this wouldn't be the end of their story.
"I think perhaps you should go. I'm not sure I can talk to you and remain civil and keep my voice down. It's way too much to process." She turned her back to him and he felt deflated and defeated.
"Alright, I'll go. If you should wish to speak again…"
"I know how to call you. Please just go." She kept her back to him and he disappeared in a shower of glitter.
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Toby was lying on his bed, staring at the wall, ignoring the history book laying open in front of him. He could hear his sister yelling at Jareth and then the brief silence followed by sounds of crying. Damn. Obviously the date they went on had not gone as well as he'd hoped. "Ugh." He rolled onto his back and groaned. Fict popped up from under the bed and stared at his master.
"Prince not happy?" The goblin looked concerned or so Toby thought, since it was hard to read goblin faces.
"No, Fict, I'm not happy. I think the king and my sister had a fight." Toby made a disgusted face and scrunched up his features. "Grown ups sure can mess things up. I think we may need to get more involved with getting the king and his lady together. Call the others together – we have work to do."
Fict jumped and disappeared to gather the other goblins up for a meeting with the heir.
SW*SW*SW*SW*SW*SW
The room had grown dark and the breeze blowing the sheer window curtains had turned cool. On the double bed lay the still body of Sarah Williams, staring unblinking at the ceiling. Her face was streaked with the tracks of tears and her mouth was pulled down at the corners into a sad looking frown. Her chest rose steady and evenly, up and down as the occasional groan would be heard falling from her lips.
"What the hell was I thinking?" Sarah was speaking to herself out loud. Not something she was likely to do, but then nothing that had happened in the last week of her life had been likely. "Am I being fair to judge Jareth so harshly? He does or did have a lover… but that wasn't that strange: I did have a fiancé." She rolled over onto her stomach and let her hair hang over the side of the bed, covering her face. "And he had sex with her yesterday… but that was before I asked him out on a dinner date." She sat up awkwardly, shaken her hair down her back and pushing it behind her ears. "And he did say that they were finished. Oh god, I think I cocked things up again." She fell back on the bed and resumed staring at her ceiling. The tears started to well up in her eyes again when there was a soft tapping at her door.
"Sarah? Sar, are you alright?" The soft voice of Toby was calling from the other side of the door.
"Yeah, Toby, come on in. I could use someone to talk to." The door knob turned but it was still locked from when Jareth had locked it.
"Can you let me in, Sarah?" She walked to the door and unlocked it and opened it to give her brother a chance to come inside. "You and Jareth had words, huh?"
She groaned again. "Oh, Tobes, I think I screwed things up. I got mad about his woman, you know the one with the killer body? And I blamed him for having a life and needs. What was I thinking? That he's been pining for me all these years and shaking hands with the unemployed?"
Toby tried not to laugh at the thought of Jareth engaging in self-love. Not bloody likely! He hugged his big sister tightly and patted her back. "Sarah, I've had a long time to get to know Jareth. He made me his heir and we talk, you know, like guys do." He looked at her and brushed a tear off her cheek with his index finger. "He wouldn't like it if you cry because of him."
"I'm not. I'm crying because of how stupid I behaved." Suddenly her eyes went dark and her brow furrowed as her mouth became thin and pinched. "That woman! Oh, I'd like to snatch her bald, that scheming bitch!"
Toby jumped when she punched the wall none too gently, making a small dent in the drywall. "Eithne? You saw her?"
"Oh, I saw her alright, sprawled out naked on Jareth's bed, telling him how horny she was for him. Oh, I could kill her, I could just…"
"Sarah, you're jealous of Eithne. Does that mean you love Jareth?" Toby stepped back to a safe distance and watched as several emotions played on his sister's face. Anger, then shock and then she looked annoyed and finally her face showed realization.
"Toby, I think you may be right. Maybe I am in love with Jareth?" She walked over to the window and stared at the wisps of cloud passing over the moon. The stars were twinkling in the dark skies over Nyack and Sarah faced the truth. She was in love with the most amazing being she'd ever known. He was a fantasy in her world but she knew he was real as she was. But now what to do?
She turned and looked at her brother, really looked at him. He was no longer a child: he'd grown into a young man, nearly sixteen. He was already as tall as herself and would clearly grow quite a bit more. And he had Jareth's confidence. He might be able to help her. But would he? But of course he would.
"Tobes, is there any chance I could get your help in the morning? I think you and your little friends could help me fix this mess. Whadya say?"
The wide, ear to ear grin was all the answer she needed. For now, they would go to bed and start Operation Goblin King in the morning! She returned his smile, ruffling his hair and kissing him good night on the forehead.
TATGPM – TATGPM – TATGPM – TATGPM – TATGPM – TATGPM – TATGPM – TATGPM
Jareth had returned to his study directly after leaving Sarah. He conjured a crystal and threw it against the wall and watched with sadness as it turned to glittering dust, falling on his books and parchments. "Damnit! You're a right foul git, Jareth. Why did you offer to leave? Always being generous to the girl!" No, he stopped himself. Not a girl at all. A woman: flesh and blood, brains and bones! Everything. His everything. "You've sunk yourself alright." He sighed as he flung himself onto the overstuffed beige couch.
There was a rapping at the door. "Yes, come in Ambrós."
The heavy mahogany door swung open, creaking on its hinges as Ambrós entered the room. He was about as tall as Jareth, but a slightly heavier build with powerful looking arms. His hair was flame red, pulled straight back into a low pony at his neck the rest left to fall in curls against his strong back and shoulders. He had a turned up nose and full lips. Under bushy red eyebrows shone bright aqua eyes, revealing the mind behind them was sharp and knowledgeable.
"Sire, have you any orders for the night?" He looked at his king and saw right away that he was out of sorts. Something was wrong. "Do you need anything?"
"Ah, Ambrós, you always know what's going on in the realm, even when events take place in another world. I'm afraid what I need you can not provide me. But, come, pour me a glass of Elven brandy and one for yourself. I wish to talk with you as you are my advisor and I find I am in need of some advise." He shook his head, his untamed mane of hair catching the firelight.
"Trouble with Eithne, my liege?" He looked concerned, knowing that his king had ended his arrangement with that harridan. It was for the best but courtiers were always trouble of one kind or another.
Jareth laughed a sad kind of laugh. How well did his advisor know things. "You could say she's involved. I knew that wench would be a problem one day but I did not count on her plotting to keep me apart from my future queen."
Ambrós fought to stay in his seat, his eyebrows shooting up on his forehead as he exclaimed, "You have found your queen?"
Jareth leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, his chin on his hands. "Oh, I found her years ago, my friend. Years ago. The sister of my heir, the Lady Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth." He sighed and closed his eyes, to escape into his thoughts.
"The Lady Sarah? You've seen her? Spoken with her? Have you proposed?" Ambrós was excited and anxious for his king. There would be much to do: prepare the guest chambers, redecorate the until now, unused queens chambers. Goodness the planning. They would need to staff for ladies in waiting and maids to tend the queen. And more guards, many more guards. Surely the king would want his queen protected.
Jareth finally opened his eyes and responded to the question asked and not yet asked. "Calm yourself. There will be more than enough time for all that I'm sure your agile and busy mind is rattling off to be done. The lady and I are currently not in communication. Eithne has much to answer for in that regard. She is the one that has upset both myself and my beloved."
Ambrós nodded in acknowledgement and understanding. That particular female would be dealt with, if his king had anything to say about it, and he did.
Sorry this chapter is a little shorter than the others but I didn't want you all to have to wait any longer for a new posting. Enjoy, my lovelies!