Chapter 9
Amira groaned as she leaned against her door back to where the Royals had all gathered and where she was expected to be and have been this whole time, how had she failed. Amira thought back to what had occurred and wondered what it was about the mortal that was protecting her. Damn, she should have paid more attention to the mortal before trying to pour poison on her, maybe then she would know what protected her. Blah, she still couldn't even bring herself to say the mortal's name; it was like lead in her mouth. Amira jerked upright when a knock occurred on her door, startling her. Recovering quickly, Amira turned and opened it with her brightest smile ready, only to have her parents waiting outside.
"Yes?" she questioned them.
"We need to talk." Malik, her father's, replied quickly. This concerned Amira. They were usually never so brusque with her and her mother couldn't look her in the eye. What was going on here? She opened the door wider and gestured that they join in her in her room. They all moved to sit in the comfortable chairs placed in front of the fireplace in her chambers, a section reserved for conversations.
Time lengthened and stretched between them all and Amira found herself beginning to fidget. She was pinching and plucking at the skirt of her dress as she sat in the chair awaiting her parent's discussion.
"What was it that you needed to talk with me about?" She finally questioned, unable to handle the growing silence anymore. Her father cleared her throat while her mother's head drooped lower.
"We've come to discuss Jareth with you." Her father stated simply. Amira struggled to contain her frustration. What about Jareth did they need to discuss?
"What about Jareth?" She blurted out when it appeared nothing more was forthcoming from her father.
"Well, regarding the marriage that you highly coveted with him. I am afraid that such a union will no longer be possible." Malik explained. How was he to explain to his daughter that the man she had loved for so long had refused to marry her and had finally gained the other Royal's approval to marry Sarah, the mortal?
"WHAT?" Amira demanded as she stood up angrily from her chair. "This cannot be!" she fumed. She began to pace furiously in front of her parents. "Why?" she spat angrily at her father, who only looked at her curiously.
"He expressed his desire to marry the mortal that won the labyrinth and after much discussion, it was agreed upon that his wish should be granted." Malik said softly and quietly.
Amira screamed and grabbing a vase from a corner table, smashed it by throwing it against a wall across the room. The deafening smash made Ledia jump and Malik stiffen; however, it also brought Ledia out of her quietness.
"Amira!" Ledia scolded, "That is not appropriate behavior for a Fae Princess." Amira turned and glowered at her, she didn't care what was appropriate or not at this time.
"How could they let him marry a mortal and grant upon her Fae Powers! How could you have let them! You knew I wanted him!" Amira screamed and raged. When it seemed that she was not to be consoled or calmed, both Malik and Ledia left her to her rage. Both were concerned about her, hers was not the typical behavior of a Fae, however, their daughter had always been a little different. Amira found herself staring at herself in the mirror after destroying everything in her room and yet her anger was still waned in its intensity. Slowly, a malice filled smile lit her face. She wouldn't let something like this stop her, she would have Jareth.
Jareth appeared in his chambers and breathed a sigh of relief at being home and being granted the permission of the council to marry Sarah. Now, came the hardest part; to convince Sarah. Jareth glanced around taking in his room and its cleanliness, Helga and the others must have cleaned it once he left. He made for the door, and then glanced to the side. Turning, what he had seen came clearer into view. The sheets on his bed were rumpled and messed, had the goblins or Helga cleaned his room, his bed to would have been put back together. He also had not sleep on it for several days, having spent a good portion of his nights away from here for fear of going to Sarah. Jareth found himself extending a hand down to caress the pillow and that's when he found it, the evidence of who had been in his room. There lay a long dark strand of hair, a hair that could be none other than Sarah's. She had been in his room, cleaning his chambers, sleeping in his bed. Jareth closed his eyes and groaned as the thought of Sarah sleeping in his bed crossed it. Images of her laying there, draped in the scantily clad black nightgown he had ordered for her, flitted across his vision, and was made worse when his imagination threw him into the mix; him kissing her, him caressing her, and that's when Jareth abruptly stopped that train of thought. He couldn't continue on that path and then think that he could appear calm and composed when he was to see her. He laid the strand back on the pillow and walked from the room.
"My Lady! My Lady!" a voice called, waking Sarah from her dreams of Jareth. She wasn't sure why but her dreams had been filled with him more than ever since she had been brought back to the Labyrinth. She wasn't for sure if there was a correlation or not. Slowly, she focused in on the voice and how Helga was calling for her. She rolled over and opened her eyes to see Helga standing there looking all excited.
"Yes, what is it Helga?" Sarah asked sleepily. She knew she should get up but she had been having such a lovely dream of Jareth that she really wanted to go back to sleep and dream of it more.
"My lady, you must get up. The master has returned!" Helga said, tugging gently on Sarah's arm. Helga wasn't for sure, but it wouldn't surprise her if Jareth entered these rooms any minute now to see Sarah, they all knew it had been torture for him to have her so close but not be able to truly spend time with her. Sarah's eyes widened at Helga's word sunk in, Jareth was here! Her eyes widened even more and she bolted upright in bed, holding the sheet to her chest, as her room doors were slammed open and he was standing there. Before any of them knew what was happening, Sarah was running across the room, clad only in the long black nightdress and throwing herself into Jareth's arm; which had come open to receive her when she had started running for him. Wrapping her arms about his neck, she could feel the texture of his leather jacket as she crashed up into his chest, and getting on her tiptoes she sought her lips with his. Only the barest of whispers separated her lips from his when she came to her senses. He was looking down at her with a mixture of curiosity and lust and Sarah grew mortified at her behavior. What had she been thinking running at him like that and trying to kiss him, she couldn't let him know what her true feelings were and she continually denied the fact that she thought she loved him Sarah tried to draw back but Jareth's arms only tightened around her back, refusing to give her any release, keeping her tight against him. His eyes shot above her head and with a direct look to Helga; he had her scurrying out the door and shutting the doors behind them.
"Jareth, let me go." Sarah pleaded, trying to wiggle away from him again.
"I like you right here." Jareth stated simply, moving them farther into the room as he scooped her up keeping one hand behind her back and the other under her knees. "You should greet me like that every time, only maybe from now on, you might actually complete the kiss instead of leaving me hanging. I was rather looking forward to that kiss." Jareth complained before sitting down in one of her chairs before her fireplace and setting her on his lap. Sarah tried to wiggle away but again Jareth only tightened his grip, keeping her firmly on his lap and against his chest.
"I wasn't fully awake when I ran at you like that. It will never happen again." Sarah said stoically, doing her best to stay stiff against him.
"Ah, that's not what I wanted to hear." Jareth complained. "And here I thought we were finally making progress towards your liking me?"
"I will never like you!" Sarah spat out. She really needed to get off his lap and away from his warmth. This too closely resembled some of her fondest dreams that had gotten her through the years that had separated them. She didn't know how long she could hold up her harsh demeanor towards him if he continued to hold her like this. Why couldn't he go back to being the arrogant jerk she had so thought him to be when she had first been in the labyrinth? Why did her thoughts of him change to love and despair of never seeing him again shortly after her escape? Why couldn't he have just stayed in this fantasy world and allowed her to live out her short life safe in the reality of the mortal realm? What did he expect for them when she was mortal and he was Fae? And why was she thinking down this path again, for it had only ever brought her despair?
"Sarah." Jareth said simple, placing his fingers under her chin and tilting her head up to look at him. Sarah skirted her eyes away when he had her face positioned in front of his but couldn't fight it for long and soon found her green eyed gaze locked on his blue/brown one. "Shall we agree not to lie to one another?" He questioned before moving to close the distance between them, the distance between their mouths. Sarah's only thought was, she would just die if he kissed her.
