Chapter 6
Disclaimer: I do not own Labyrinth (which is totally not fair.) But all the original characters are mine.
Chapter 6 Breakfast with the King
"Rise and shine, Sarah." Sarah could feel a hand prodding her back. She became very aware of the pillow under her cheek and the warm blankets that covered her while she lay on a soft mattress.
So it was all just a dream, she thought. And what a wild dream it had been! Let's see… what was it about again? There was Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus. There was also a woman I had never seen before. And there was… him. That stupid Goblin King! At least it was only a dream…
"Come on, sleepy-head." The prodding continued. Strange. Normally, Irene isn't so touchy when she tries to wake me. And since when does she have a British accent?
"Five more minutes, Irene," Sarah mumbled sleepily, cuddling into her bed.
"Irene? Who's Irene?"
Sarah's eyes snapped open. She turned over from her side to her back and her eyes widened. Above her there was a lush canopy in the middle of a large stone chamber with a woman with auburn hair staring at her.
Sarah sat bolt upright. She blinked several times to make sure she was seeing right. Sure enough, everything was still there. Which meant…. "I'm not dreaming? That all actually happened?" And then realization hit her. "Oh, shit. Oh, shit. Oh, shitty, shitty, shit. SHIT!"
"What?" asked Tatiana, looking at her like she was crazy.
"My parents are gonna freak when they realize I'm gone. I am so dead," she said biting her nail while looking around again, this time observing what she was sitting on. "Hey. How did I end up on the bed? I could have sworn I fell asleep on the floor."
"Yeah, I was meaning to ask you what the deal with that was. I came in to check on you later last night. And what do I find? You sleeping on the floor, tangled in a sheet!"
"So you moved me then?" Sarah asked, still puzzled.
"Of course, I moved you," Tatiana said, placing her hands on her hips. "I wasn't about to let you sleep on the floor.
"Now will you please get up and get dressed? Jareth is in the mother-of-all-bad-moods and we have a lot to get done today. So I would appreciate a little haste from you."
"Why is he in such a bad mood?" asked Sarah as she climbed out of bed.
"Because he's not getting his way," Tatiana said, crossing her arms across bitterly.
"Oh," was all Sarah could say. So typical, she thought. Sarah reached for her jeans which she left on the floor. But Tatiana snatched them away from her.
"No. You are not going downstairs wearing what you had on yesterday. No, you will put on some fresh clothes and make yourself presentable."
"But I don't have fresh clothes to wear."
Tatiana waved her hand dismissively and to Sarah's surprise, a dress appeared at the foot of her bed. It was much like her old costumes. It was simple, yet elegant in a casual way and had a lovely coral color to it. Tatiana smiled at Sarah's expression and said, "You'll wear that. It'll bring out the blush in you cheeks and compliment your pretty green eyes nicely."
The dress was as tempting to her as the food had been the previous night. She couldn't understand why a prisoner was recieving so much kindness. She didn't feel like she deserved it. "Thank you, Tatiana. But I'd rather wear my jeans."
"Why do you insist on being difficult?" Tatiana sighed. "Will you at least wear that dress until I can get your clothes cleaned?"
Sarah considered this. It was a resonable request and she had a feeling Tatiana would find a way to win this argument one way or another so she may as well succumb and do as she's asked. Without speaking, Sarah picked up the dress and walked behind the changing screen. Tatiana smirked triumphantly as Sarah flung her nightgown over top the screen and exchanged it for the coral dress.
Sarah came out from behind the screen and turned for Tatiana to inspect. Tatiana clapped her hands together with glee. Jareth will be pleased, she thought to herself. Aloud she said, "Oh that really suits you. I knew it would make your eyes pop."
"Would you lace the back? I'm afraid I can't reach it."
"Of course," she said and with a wave of her hand the ribbon was laced. Sarah gave a quick gasp at the sudden tightness. "Now let's fix that hair of yours. It looks like a haystack." Tatiana waved her hand again. This time Sarah's wild bed-head was smoothed and braided in a French braid, stopping midway down her back.
Tatiana sighed with satisfaction then headed for the door. "Come along, Sarah. Jareth is waiting for us in the dining hall and I'd rather not try his patience today."
Without another word, she walked out the door with Sarah at her heels. They walked down a long corridor in silence. Then Tatiana turned abruptly into a large hall filled with winding staircases and platforms. Sarah gasped as she recognized this room. The Escher room. Of all the parts of Jareth's labyrinth that she visited, this was by far the most confusing. A labyrinth within a labyrinth.
Tatiana pressed forward. She seemed to know exactly where she was going. Sarah, on the other hand, considered herself lucky she could even keep up.
"Um, Tatiana…. How will I remember my way back to my room? I can barely keep up with you!"
Tatiana smiled over her shoulder at the girl. "Well, I suppose until you can find your way around without getting lost, you'll need an escort. Either Jareth or myself. I would not trust the goblins if I were you. They're very tricky, as I'm sure you've guessed, and would love nothing more than to see you get lost."
Sarah shuddered. But Tatiana's words sparked another question in her head. "And… how long will I be here?"
Tatiana did not respond right away. Nor did she look at Sarah when she said, "Until Jareth sees fit to let you go." Sarah didn't catch the double meaning of Tatiana's words.
They both remained silent for a time until Tatiana stopped without warning. Sarah ran right into her and Tatiana toppled over.
"Sorry," said Sarah guiltily.
To her surprise, Tatiana chuckled. "It's quite alright," she said, picking herself up off the floor and dusting herself off.
Tatiana turned her attention to the wall in front of her. She pressed her hand against it as if she was searching for something. Her eyes lit up when she found it, a little notch that you wouldn't have noticed was there unless you felt it yourself. Tatiana rapped on that spot three times and then stepped back.
Sarah's eyes widened in surprise. The stone wall that was in front of her seemed to melt away, leaving an archway in its place. Sarah stepped through the arch and found herself in another familiar room.
Its ivory walls seemed to glitter as much as they had last time. But it seemed vaster now that there weren't hundreds of people twirling around on the marble floor.
"This is the ballroom," said Tatiana, her voice echoing through the hall. "Jareth holds an annual ball here every year. In fact, it's in a couple of weeks. Perhaps you'll still be around for it. I think you'd rather enjoy it," she said smiling sideways at Sarah.
Sarah could only half-return the smile and say, "Perhaps." She'd rather not, though. Visions of Jareth twirling her across the dance floor filled her eyes. She fought the urge to cringe. But Tatiana didn't seem to notice. She just kept walking through another door to a room with a long table lined with chairs and a huge chandelier hanging above.
"This is the formal dining room. I'm afraid it doesn't get a ton of use. Just when Jareth hosts a ball or a large banquet."
They proceeded into a smaller dining room. This room also contained a table lined with chairs. However, it was much smaller and closer to the standard size Sarah was used to. At the end of the table sat the Goblin King. He was pinching the bridge of his nose as if he was trying to rid himself of a massive headache. Indeed he didn't look like he was in a good mood at all. Sarah wondered to herself why that was, but she didn't give it too much thought. Why should she care?
Jareth didn't look up when the two ladies entered the room. Tatiana rolled her eyes and cleared her throat to announce their presence. Jareth's eyes automatically went to his sister whom he glared openly at. To Sarah's astonishment, Tatiana met his glare with her own death stare. It was funny. Though the two siblings looked very little alike, they both possessed the same arrogant swagger (which Sarah never noticed about Tatiana until that moment).
Unable to contain herself, Sarah tired to stifle a snort. Tried… but failed miserably. This drew Jareth's attention away from his sister to the pretty young lady standing before him. Instantly, the coldness in his gaze evaporated. But the haughtiness remained where it was. Sarah remembered this look from the first time they met face to face.
In his normal purr he said, "Good morning, Sarah. I trust you slept well?"
"I did, thank you," she said, meeting his arrogant gaze with her own stubborn one.
He smirked at her stubborn expression and said, "Well, now that you ladies are here, I think it's time we eat." Jareth snapped his gloved fingers and a parade of goblins, carrying plates of food, scuttled into the room. The goblins set the plates on the table, one where Jareth was sitting and one on either side of him. Then they scuttled back out again, snickering as they went.
Tatiana walked over to the plate on Jareth's left and sat herself down. Sarah followed suit and walked to the place on his right. She was just about to pull out her chair when a voice from behind her startled her.
"Allow me," said the Goblin King, pulling her chair out for her.
Sarah took her seat. She then turned her head to say, "Thank-" but stopped. Their eyes locked. Not like their staring competition earlier. It was something else. Something strange. Sarah wasn't sure what it was but something in his eyes held her there. Neither one was sure how long they stayed that way, staring at each other, but it was Jareth who broke the gaze first with a faint smile on his lips.
"Th-thank you," she stammered. She was horrified to feel heat rising to her cheeks. Was she blushing?
"You're welcome," said Jareth, his arrogant swagger back in place. Tatiana pulled a fan from thin air and used it to hide the wide grin that was now etched on her face.
After the Goblin King took a bite of his breakfast, the two ladies followed suit. Sarah kept her eyes on her plate, afraid to look up and find the Goblin King staring at her. What could he possibly be thinking? thought Sarah as she took a bite of her eggs. Not that it matters, or course, she reminded herself. But still. Why does he insist on staring at me like that?
Meanwhile, the Goblin King was glancing sideways at Sarah with a quizzical look on his face. That was strange, he thought, pursing his lips. She's never looked at me like that before. He grinned devilishly at the thought. He chanced another glance at her and his expression softened. He inwardly sighed. Sarah looks so beautiful. How long will it take to win you over, Sarah, my dear? Jareth thought wistfully.
Tatiana had remained rather quiet throughout breakfast. But she had quite a few pressing things on her mind. She figured it was time to interrupt the two daydreamer's thoughts and bring them back to reality. "Well there's no sense in putting off this conversation any longer, Jareth," she said. "I'm sure there's a great deal of work to be done before your guest arrives this evening. So, what will you have us do?"
Jareth's relatively peaceful face disappeared and was replaced by the deep scowl that Sarah noticed when she first entered the dining room. "I don't think it's necessary to make any preparations, sister," he said, trying very hard not to lose his temper in front of Sarah.
Tatiana scoffed. "Oh, there's plenty to prepare, brother," she hissed
"If that little brat wants to come here, he can take the castle as it is," he hissed back, rising slowly from his seat with a menacing look in his eyes.
Tatiana was about to retaliate when Sarah said, "Wait! I'm lost…. Who's visiting?"
"The Crowned Prince of the Fae, Nicholas," he said, turning to face Sarah.
"Also known as Jareth's nephew."
Author Note: Dun. Dun. Duuuuuuuuuuuuun! Who is this mysterious Fae Prince? Why is Jareth so pissed that he's coming? All this and more to come!
Jareth: (grumbles)
Moi: What?
Jareth: You didn't put any steamy love scenes in this chapter!
Moi: Jeez you're still going on about that?
Jareth: (grumbles) yes
Moi: Let it go, man. It's not gonna happen... well not yet at least. I don't know. I'm not done writing it.
Jareth: You better put steamy love scenes in this story or I'll--
Moi: Throw me in the Bog of Eternal Stench. I know. I know.
Jareth: Um... yes that.
Moi: You desperately need some new material. Anyways (turns to readers) review?
