A/N: I'm so glad that many of you enjoyed my last chapter. Thanks for continuing to read and favorite/alert this story. It means a lot to me to see everyone enjoying it so much. Special thanks to EmeraldAnne, lovelycelticopera, freak-4-God, CeliaEquus, and chichi89 for their most kind reviews. Please keep the suggestions coming. The men need ideas for dates and for feats of strength and intelligence to prove themselves to our Fair Lady Sarah. Please review. Reviews make me happy and happy people update faster.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I still don't own Labyrinth or its characters, can you believe that? I used a lot of songs to express the feelings and personalities of many of the characters. I don't own any of them either.
The four suitors stared each other down in the office of the High King. For reasons, known and unknown, they were all summoned here together. Jareth's mismatched eyes danced dangerously. What ever had possessed him to petition for courting rights? He'd never done that before in his long life. It was the way he felt watching Liam holding Sarah. She looked so beautiful. He wanted to be the one to put a smile on her face. The feeling he had when he looked at her made him queasy. What did it all mean?
Liam was staring at Jareth as if he were planning the murder of the man. All of his life, Jareth managed to take everything Liam had and make it better. If he had a new toy, Jareth got a bigger and better one. When they started learning magic, Jareth always had to show off by creating more and better crystals. This time, though, the Goblin King would not win. Sarah was beautiful, funny, smart, and kind. He would not be bested in this. She would be his at the end of the 90 days. In that he was sure.
Pryderi and Gough were sizing up their rivals. This was not personal for either of them. The right to marry the stunning Labyrinth Champion was just too intriguing to pass up. Gough felt that he had a leg up on some of the competition, as everyone knew that royalty was a hard thing to overcome. He looked over at Jareth and sighed. Being the heir to the High King's throne was certainly more interesting that just being the King of the Dwarfs. Pryderi thought that his good looks and Sarah's beauty would be perfect together. Anyone could see that.
The High King walked in on the tension and frowned. He motioned for all of the men to take a seat. Grudgingly, they all obliged. After they had been seated and some refreshments served, the High King got to the reason he had brought them all together.
"Gentlemen," he said. "I've brought you here to discuss your courtship of Lady Sarah."
He was met by stares from all of the men. This wasn't going to be easy. The High King was well aware of the power that each of these men carried. That's why he needed to bring them together. They had much to discuss.
"All of you are of noble blood," he said. "Two of you are Kings of your prospective Kingdoms. That is why we need to talk. I refuse to allow a war to break out simply because you may get rejected by a female, though strong and lovely she may be. You are to behave like the noblemen you are. I expect that this will not come to fisticuffs. We've never had such a situation. In the next 90 days, you will each get a chance to prove yourself to the Lady. You may challenge each other to friendly games and you may spend time with the fair Lady. Please keep this honest and act like gentlemen. Do I make myself clear?"
"Yes father," came Jareth's reluctant reply.
"Yes uncle," came Liam's equally reluctant reply.
"Yes, Your Majesty," replied Gough.
"Yes, Sire," responded Pryderi.
"Good," said Raghnall. "I'm glad we're all in agreement. I shall be attending the Summer Solstice ball at the Kingdom of my son, Fagan. At that time, I will gage the progress of your courtship. Remember, Lady Sarah may reject some of you, all of you, or none of you. Be prepared to bow out gracefully, if necessary."
Each man nodded his agreement. One by one they transported to their respective Kingdoms. The High King knew that he had two more people to talk with: Lady Sarah and his sister, Catrin. He sighed and made out the summons to be delivered immediately.
Sarah wiped at her eyes and looked up at her friend. They had been sitting there for almost an hour. Allison let Sarah cry until she was finished. Sarah sniffled and Allison handed her a tissue. Sarah blew her nose and laughed when Allison cringed. She knew that Allie had some weird aversion to the sound of a person blowing their nose.
"Sarah," Allie said quietly. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"About what?" Sarah said sarcastically. "The fact that I impulsively agreed to court Liam? The part where Jareth stepped forward as a rival and I agreed? Or maybe the part where two other guys I don't even know came forward as rivals and I couldn't say anything to stop it?"
"Or maybe the part where a bunch of other guys stood up to court you and King Raghnall got all pissed and yelled at them?" Allison teased. She began to giggle. Sarah couldn't help herself and began to laugh as well. "You always did want to be part of the popular bunch."
"Popular maybe," Sarah conceded. "But this was just crazy. Those men didn't want to court me. They were excited by the idea of me being the Labyrinth Champion. I'm just a freak."
"It couldn't have been because you're, ummmm," Allie replied, "hot?"
"Oh Allie," Sarah said, dismissing the thought.
"Sarah, come on," Allie replied. "You know you're gorgeous."
Sarah rolled her eyes. This was an old argument. Sarah would never see herself the way others saw her. It was probably because she tended to see the beauty within rather than focus on outward appearances. She really didn't think she was the beauty that everyone else thought she was.
A knock came at the door. Both girls turned and Allie got up to answer it. The court page stood in the doorway with a summons for Sarah. She asked him to give her a moment to freshen up. After fixing her hair and wiping her face with a wet cloth, she deemed herself ready. Sarah walked out into the hall and took the page's arm. He transported them both back to the High King's castle.
Sarah walked into the King's office and saw that he was sitting at his desk waiting for her. He drank in her appearance and noticed that she had been crying, but said nothing. Instead, he gestured for her to have a seat in the chair before him. She obliged, silently.
"Lady Sarah," he began. "I wanted to talk to you about what happened here today."
Sarah looked at him and nodded. She figured that would be the reason for their little tête-à-tête. She smiled and raised an eyebrow, looking at him to continue.
"This has never happened before in my long reign as King," he confessed.
"You mean I'm the first person to have four suitors?" she asked, incredulous.
"Quite frankly, yes," he replied. "We've only had a handful before that have had more than two. Really only a fraction of our courting couples have ever even had a rival to the courtship. I had to look up the rules governing more than two suitors."
Sarah sat looking at him for a moment. "I admit I have been very overwhelmed by the whole situation," she declared.
"I could see that," he said kindly. "It wouldn't be so bad if two of the men you are courting weren't Kings and the other two were not noblemen."
"You forget that one of them is the heir to the throne," she reminded him.
"I could never forget that, my dear," he laughed. "My son is the man I'm most worried about."
"I guess you wouldn't be much of a father any other way," she replied. He laughed and nodded. "What worries you the most about Jareth?"
"I'm actually more worried about what he might do to the other suitors," he said, seriously. "My son can be very impetuous. I don't want a war started over all of this."
"A war?" Sarah said, frightened.
"It could happen," Raghnall replied. "I don't mean to frighten you, my Lady. It's just that Kings have a lot of power in any realm. Wars have been started over much less."
"This is like Helen of Troy," Sarah said, almost to herself. It was hard to admit that she could be the cause of suffering. The thought pained her.
The King looked at Sarah and noticed the pain in her eyes. "My dear, you care far too much. I think that is one of the many reasons my son is in love with you."
"What?" Sarah asked.
"Oh, my Lady," Raghnall replied. "I know he has a difficult way of showing it, but he cares about you more than even he realizes."
"I find that hard to believe," Sarah said.
"Get to know the boy," Raghnall requested. "Spend the next 90 days getting to know all of the men. At the Solstice Ball, we will talk about it. Before then, if you ever need someone to talk to, please know that my door is always open to you."
"Thank you, Raghnall," Sarah replied, smiling. She really did like the High King. His kindness went far in her heart. He stood and she followed. Holding out her arms, he embraced her in a friendly hug.
"Take care, Lady Sarah," Raghnall said. He gave her a crystal and she used it to transport herself home.
Sarah found Allie waiting for her. The young girl looked at her friend with questioning eyes.
"Well?" she said finally, when Sarah still hadn't dished any details.
"He wanted to talk to me about what happened," Sarah said finally. "He told me that because the men were all of noble blood, that wars could break out if I wasn't careful in my dealings with them."
Allie's eyes got wide. She hadn't considered that possibility. "Wow Sar," she replied. "What will you do?"
"He asked me to make sure I got to know each of the men," Sarah continued. "I guess if I do that, I'll be able to figure out how to make them all happy and keep them from killing each other."
"Sounds highly logical," Allie said, contorting her hands into a familiar Sci-Fi gesture.
"Oh shut up Spock," Sarah replied. Allie always made fun of her when she tried to approach every situation using logic. "Logic can be a very good thing when warring Kingdoms could be at stake."
Allie couldn't refute her logic and so she said nothing. Sarah gave a triumphant smile at having bested her friend in a war of words. Pretty soon both women were laughing again. Sarah hugged her best friend and, for the first time, felt ok about her situation.
"Oh Sar," Allie said suddenly. "I almost forgot. Fagan is throwing a party. I talked him into having a Karaoke party tonight and inviting all of his friends."
Sarah winced. She hated Karaoke. Not that she was a bad singer, she just didn't like all the drunk people massacring perfectly good songs. Not to mention that all of her suitors would probably be there. She sighed. It might be a good way to start getting to know some of the guys. The songs that people chose said a lot about them.
"Ok," Sarah surrendered. "I'll come."
"Yay!" Allie exclaimed.
Sarah signed and rolled her eyes. What had she gotten herself into?
Sarah and Allie decided that if they were going to sing on stage, they were going to look like rock stars. Sarah had suggested that everyone dress in Aboveground clothes and Fagan thought it would be a fun idea. He had given Allie a crystal to conjure up whatever they wanted. Sarah wore black leather pants, a leather halter top, and spiked leather bracelets. Her hair was teased and styled until it towered over her head and fell down her back in waves. She wore dark eye makeup and dark red lipstick. To top everything off, she wore black stilettos. Allie thought that her gorgeous friend looked even hotter than normal, if that were possible. For her part, Allie wore a red minidress with spaghetti straps. Fishnet stockings, a red beret, and red stilettos completed the outfit. Both women appraised themselves in the full length mirror and smiled. They were going to knock them dead tonight.
Allie went to the door to open it when she heard the knock. Fagan stood before her in his Aboveground outfit of blue jeans, T-shirt, and sneakers. At the sight of her, Fagan nearly choked. He'd never seen such a delicious looking creature in such a stunning outfit. That is, until he saw Sarah. The man blinked twice, trying to keep his mind in check. 'The little minxes,' he thought. He chuckled, finally, and held out both of his arms. The girls ran to him and he put an arm around Allie's waist and Sarah's shoulders. He didn't envy the four suitors tonight. The women let him escort them to the room he had prepared for their little party.
The three of them walked in and all conversation stopped immediately. Sarah felt like Sandy in Grease. The men were ogling her. For the first time, she thought that perhaps she may have made a slight error in judgment. Maybe she should have worn something a little less provocative.
Fagan sat both girls at a table with other ladies wearing Aboveground clothes of various styles. Pretty soon, all women were settled into a friendly conversation. The Fairy King went to join his brother, who had been sitting alone at one of the tables. Jareth was staring at Sarah without abandon. Fagan had to hand it to the woman, she sure knew how to make an entrance. He began to snap his fingers in front of his brother's face in an attempt to get his attention. Jareth blinked and finally came out of his daze.
Fagan laughed and said, "My brother, we sure are courting two of the loveliest creatures in the Underground."
"What in the Underground are they wearing?" Jareth remarked. Although many of the other women were in similar outfits, none were as alluring as these two.
"I don't care Jareth," Fagan replied. "I'm just enjoying the view."
Jareth had to laugh at that. Both men turned and watched the women talking and having drinks. Their own drinks came and both men drank and talked about the day's events and tonight's party.
The D.J. entered and walked up to his equipment. He still wasn't sure of how he had gotten here, but a gig was a gig. He checked everything and called for a volunteer to get the party started. Allie raised her hand and grabbed Sarah to go up with her. Sarah gulped down her drink of liquid courage and ran up to the stage with her friend. Allie gave her song choice to the D.J. and away they went.
Blame it all on my roots
I showed up in boots
And ruined your black tie affair
The last one to know
The last one to show
I was the last one
You thought you'd see there
And I saw the surprise
And the fear in his eyes
When I took his glass of champagne
And I toasted you
Said, honey, we may be through
But you'll never hear me complain
'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places
Well, I guess I was wrong
I just don't belong
But then, I've been there before
Everything's all right
I'll just say goodnight
And I'll show myself to the door
Hey, I didn't mean
To cause a big scene
Just give me an hour and then
Well, I'll be as high
As that ivory tower
That you're livin' in
'Cause I've got friends in low places
Where the whiskey drowns
And the beer chases my blues away
And I'll be okay
I'm not big on social graces
Think I'll slip on down to the oasis
Oh, I've got friends in low places
At the end of the song, the girls took a bow to the catcalls and applause of their "audience." They stepped down and Fagan took their place. After looking through the catalogue for a moment, he settled on a song. Picking up the microphone, he sang:
Get your motor runnin'
Head out on the highway
Lookin' for adventure
And whatever comes our way
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
I like smoke and lightning
Heavy metal thunder
Racin' with the wind
And the feelin' that I'm under
Yeah Darlin' go make it happen
Take the world in a love embrace
Fire all of your guns at once
And explode into space
Like a true nature's child
We were born, born to be wild
We can climb so high
I never wanna die
Born to be wild
Born to be wild
He left the stage in applause and grinned wildly. This was a lot of fun. He'd have to have parties like these more often. It definitely fed into the ego. A few of the other guests got up and sang various songs. Sarah was having a really good time. The amount of liquor flowing didn't hurt either. Finally, Pryderi took the stage. Sarah had only gotten a glimpse of the man when he had stepped up to ask for courting rights. Now she saw how completely gorgeous the man was. He had chiseled features, green eyes, and brown hair. His muscles rippled underneath his shirt. Allie giggled and made a gesture with her napkin as if to wipe the drool from Sarah's mouth. Sarah laughed and watched the Fae sing his song.
I'm too sexy for my love too sexy for my love
Love's going to leave me
I'm too sexy for my shirt too sexy for my shirt
So sexy it hurts
And I'm too sexy for Milan too sexy for Milan
New York and Japan
And I'm too sexy for your party
Too sexy for your party
No way I'm disco dancing
I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I do my little turn on the catwalk
I'm too sexy for my car too sexy for my car
Too sexy by far
And I'm too sexy for my hat
Too sexy for my hat what do you think about that
I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I shake my little touche on the catwalk
I'm too sexy for my too sexy for my too sexy for my
'Cos I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk
Yeah on the catwalk on the catwalk yeah
I shake my little touche on the catwalk
I'm too sexy for my cat too sexy for my cat
Poor pussy poor pussy cat
I'm too sexy for my love too sexy for my love
Love's going to leave me
And I'm too sexy for this song
Pryderi preened throughout the song and Sarah rolled her eyes. The man was nothing but ego. What a turn-off. If he had thought he impressed her with that song, he was sadly mistaken. He grinned at her and took his seat. Sarah sighed again as Liam took his turn to sing.
Maybe it's intuition
But some things you just don't question
Like in your eyes
I see my future in an instant
and there it goes
I think I've found my best friend
I know that it might sound more than
a little crazy but I believe
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
There's just no rhyme or reason
only this sense of completion
and in your eyes
I see the missing pieces
I'm searching for
I think I found my way home
I know that it might sound more than
a little crazy but I believe
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
A thousand angels dance around you
I am complete now that I found you
I knew I loved you before I met you
I think I dreamed you into life
I knew I loved you before I met you
I have been waiting all my life
Liam had been looking at Sarah throughout the song. It was a very sweet gesture and Sarah smiled at him. The song was a much better choice than Pryderi's. Liam took his seat, convinced that he would be the one to win Sarah's love in the end. Gough was not going to let the others get away with serenading Lady Sarah without getting his chance. He took the stage next and began singing.
One way or another I'm gonna find ya
I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha
One way or another I'm gonna win ya
I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha
One way or another I'm gonna see ya
I'm gonna
meetcha meetcha meetcha meetcha
One day, maybe next week
I'm gonna meetcha
I'm gonna meetcha,
I'll meetcha
I will drive past your house
And if the lights are all down
I'll see who's around
One way or another I'm gonna find ya
I'm gonna getcha getcha getcha getcha
One way or another I'm gonna win ya
I'll getcha, I'll getcha
One way or another I'm gonna see ya
I'm gonna
meetcha meetcha meetcha meetcha
One day, maybe next week
I'm gonna meetcha, I'll meetcha
And if the lights are all out
I'll follow your bus downtown
See who's hanging out
One way or another I'm gonna lose ya
I'm gonna give you the slip
a slip of the lip or another
I'm gonna lose ya, I'm gonna trick ya
One way or another I'm gonna lose ya
I'm gonna trick ya trick ya trick ya trick ya
One way or another I'm gonna lose ya
I'm gonna give you the slip
I'll walk down the mall
Stand over by the wall
Where I can see it all
Find out who ya call
Lead you to the supermarket checkout
Some specials and rat food
get lost in the crowd
One way or another I'm gonna getcha
I'll getcha, I'll getcha getcha getcha getcha
(Where I can see it all, find out who ya call)
One way or another I'm gonna getcha,
I'll getcha, I'll getcha getcha getcha getcha
(Where I can see it all, find out who ya call)
One way or another I'm gonna getcha
I'll getcha, I'll getcha getcha getcha getcha
(Where I can see it all, find out who ya call)
Sarah was completely unnerved by his song. It gave her the creeps. Any man who picked that song as his Karaoke serenade was not the man for her. She was afraid to be in the same room with him. Another Fae got up and took the time to serenade his wife. Sarah looked at Allie and excused herself. She wanted to get a breath of fresh air before continuing with the party. Allie gestured Fagan over and he began to escort her out of the room. A tap on his shoulder made him turn. Jareth stood there and offered his assistance. Fagan looked to Sarah, who only nodded. Jareth took Sarah's arm and continued to escort her outside.
"You're looking lovely this evening," he said, after they had walked a fair way up the hall.
"Thanks," Sarah replied. "You look very nice, too." Jareth's outfit of black pants, black and red button up shirt, and black boots had not escaped her. Nor had she not noticed the way the pants accentuated some of his "assets."
"Enjoying yourself?" he asked.
"Quite," she admitted. "I haven't seen you get up there yet. Larry, Moe, and Curley have all tried their hands."
He chuckled at her reference to the other suitors. "I pride myself on being unconventional, my Lady," he replied.
"Uh huh," she said. "Sure you're not chicken?"
"Chicken?" he asked. "I'm never chicken. I just don't waste my time on silly pursuits."
Sarah frowned. "I think it's fun," she countered.
"It may be fun, but what is the point?" he asked. "I don't need to prove myself to you. None of those other men stand a chance next to me."
"Oh they don't?" Sarah asked, getting angry. "I supposed you think you're God's gift."
"I've never had any complaints, precious," he purred, seductively.
"I'm ready to go back in now," Sarah said, irritably. Jareth turned her around and walked her back into the party. He went to escort her to her seat, but she removed her arm from his and walked up to the stage. Whispering her song choice to the D.J., she picked up the microphone and began to sing directly to Jareth.
You walked into the party
Like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror
As you watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner, and
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?
You had me several years ago
When I was still quite naive
Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me
I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?
I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?
Well, I hear you went up to Saratoga
And your horse naturally won
Then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun
Well, you're where you should be all the time
And when you're not, you're with
Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend, and
You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you? Don't you?
Sarah watched as Jareth left the room and smirked. She was glad he had understood how upsetting he could be to her. She didn't like the fact that some considered her such a "prize." She liked it even less that he believed that she could be "won" so easily. She took her seat next to Allie and the two girls had a chat.
Fagan went out to find his brother. He knew that Jareth had made a severe mistake when Sarah walked back into the room. The girl was radiating anger. What in Hades had Jareth said to provoke such a reaction? The song was definitely directed at his brother. He needed to investigate. He caught up with Jareth, who was leaning against one of the walls further down the hallway.
"What happened?" Fagan asked.
"I don't know," Jareth replied. "That girl infuriates me. How dare she sing that song to me?"
"What did you say to her?" Fagan asked.
"We talked about this party and she insinuated that I was a coward for not getting up and singing. I simply told her that I didn't see the point. It's not as if the others are serious competition anyway," Jareth explained.
Fagan rolled his eyes and sighed. No wonder the girl had sang such a song. "Jareth, my brother," Fagan replied. "You cannot go around telling women such things. They think you vain and arrogant. You must fight for them. Let them know how you feel."
Jareth looked at the ground and said nothing. Had he really made an error in judgment? The results really spoke for themselves. He had angered Sarah and made her think less of him. He frowned. He wasn't used to having to fight for the affections of the opposite sex. He was going to have to step up his game if he had any hope of winning her. His mind made up, Jareth walked back into the room and up on the stage. He informed the D.J. of his song choice and sang to Sarah.
"Everybody needs a little time away," I heard her say, "from each other."
"Even lover's need a holiday far away from each other."
Hold me now. It's hard for me to say I'm sorry. I just want you to stay.
After all that we've been through, I will make it up to you. I promise to.
And after all that's been said and done,
You're just the part of me I can't let go.
Couldn't stand to be kept away just for the day from your body.
Wouldn't wanna be swept away, far away from the one that I love.
Hold me now. It's hard for me to say I'm sorry. I just want you to know.
Hold me now. I really want to tell you I'm sorry. I could never let you go.
After all that we've been through, I will make it up to you. I promise to.
And after all that's been said and done,
You're just the part of me I can't let go.
After all that we've been through, I will make it up to you. I promise to.
You're gonna be the lucky one.
Sarah's breath caught in her throat. She knew that it must have taken a lot of courage for him to sing that to her. Jareth left the stage and walked back out of the room. He was too embarrassed to be with anyone right now. He'd poured his heart into that song. As High Prince, he'd never apologized to anyone in his life. Now he'd done it in front of everyone. What was that woman doing to him?
He turned around to see Sarah running after him down the hall. He stopped and looked at her cautiously.
"Did you mean it?" Sarah asked.
"Yes," he said, turning away.
"I accept your apology," Sarah replied. Jareth turned and looked at her. She was smiling earnestly at him. Sarah stood up on her tip toes and pulled his face down to her. She kissed him quickly on the lips and then turned and ran back into the room. Jareth leaned against the wall, his hands at his mouth. What was she doing to him indeed?
