Chapter 10

Amira gathered her dark powers and summoned the will to teleport from her room in the Royal Garden's to an empty chamber in Jareth's castle. She hadn't been to the labyrinth much since Jareth had become its King, but she had been there enough to know that its library was hardly, if ever, populated. She glanced around and proved her suspicions correct, none knew she was here yet. Amira laid a long finger on her chin as she contemplated her next move. Should she seek out Jareth on her own, she knew where his chambers were, or should she announce herself to a servant and have him brought to her. Both thoughts delighted her. The first because she might run into that mortal once more and hopefully come up with new thoughts on how to rid herself and Jareth of this creature. The latter because should she announce herself and have him summoned before her, it would mean that he would have to come to her and leave whatever he was doing. Hmm, decisions decisions. Amira quickly decided on the latter and moved to the main corridor where she was quickly spotted by a goblin and he rapidly moved her to a sitting chamber and left her saying he would retrieve Master Jareth. Amira leaned back in her chair and smirked. Moments later, a young female goblin placed a red glass of wine and finger cookie/cakes on a table for her to nibble. She also informed Amira, that Helga had been sent to retrieve the Master. Amira's smirk only grew, how she loved this feeling of power, this being able to summon Jareth to her, for he wouldn't be so rude as to ignore her when she had followed all the appropriate rules this time round.

Jareth inched his lips closer to Sarah's and wondered if he would finally be able to capture that kiss that he had so longed to have. Sarah's eyes closed slowly as if in anticipation and Jareth smiled. Her arms had crept from laying stiff and unmoving by her sides to resting gently on his shoulders. "Where would this lead?" was the thought echoing through both of their minds, what would come of this? Both were highly anticipating the next move when….

Knock Knock Knock

The loud noises took both by surprise. It wasn't but another second before Helga's head bounced into view.

"I'm so sorry to ….." Helga began but ground to a halt as she turned and was able to see the couple. What had she interrupted? Helga flushed red and mentally began to berate herself, she had halted what they had all hoped would happen. She could just kick herself. However, she quickly recovered; regardless of what she had hoped was occurring here, as she knew that another woman that Jareth would need to deal with was awaiting him downstairs.

Sarah's cheeks grew extremely warm and red and she turned her head down and buried it against Jareth's chest. She tried to squirm out of Jareth's arms, wanting desperately to be away from this highly embarrassing scene. She couldn't believe she had been about to let Jareth kiss her, what was she thinking. Jareth tightened his hold on her and moved one hand to cup her behind the head, cradling her on his lap. He hated that she had to be dealt this embarrassment but it was only Helga and she was someone who had desperately wanted this for them, so it wouldn't lead to a scandal for Sarah. He ached to soothe her, to comfort her new fears but he also cursed the distance that had now come between them again. She had allowed him close, he wasn't sure why and now she had returned to the woman who wanted him far from her side. However, he refused to let her go.

"Helga, this had better be pretty damn important for you to have interrupted us." Jareth barked out angrily. He wanted to wring the dwarf woman's neck. Sarah head shot up and she gave him a glance filled with poison at his tone towards Helga. She cared for his people. Sarah couldn't believe he would talk to Helga that way; she would have only come in if it were something extremely important. Besides that, did he have to make it sound like that, he made it sound like they were closer than they were and that they were …. Sarah stopped her thoughts there and went back to trying to escape his iron clad grasp, even knowing it was futile. Helga cleared her throat.

"I'm sorry, Your Majesties, to have disturbed you. My lord, Princess Amira awaits you downstairs in the sitting room." Helga said simply, bowing her head slightly to the two of them.

"Amira." Jareth growled. How dare that wench come to his castle after being informed of his approval to marry Sarah? He knew she would have taken it badly, which is why he had left it to her parents, so why was she here. What could she possibly want now?

"Amira?" questioned Sarah. Jareth quickly scanned Sarah's face as she said Amira's name. She couldn't know Amira so why did she question the name as though it were someone she knew. Perhaps she thought Amira was another woman with whom he was with.

"Sarah, she isn't anyone you need worry…." Jareth's sentence was quickly interrupted.

"I know." Sarah stated simply, surprising both Jareth and Helga, who looked up in curiosity.

"What do you know?" Jareth questioned. Sarah tried to turn her head away from Jareth's prying gaze but Jareth caught it. Pinching her chin gently in his right hand, he made her face him. "Sarah, what do you know of Amira?"

"She visited here not long ago. She stated she was looking for you when she found me. She left after that, when I went after her, she had vanished just as suddenly as she had appeared." Sarah responded, keeping her eyes downcast. Jareth quivered, desperately seeking control of his growing anger. What had Amira's purpose been to visit Sarah here? He knew that Amira hadn't been here looking for him, he had been at the Royal Garden's at the time, a fact she well knew. Amira also wasn't one to back away lightly from a challenge, which is what he knew she viewed Sarah as. So what had her purpose been? Jareth stood angrily, keeping a good grip on Sarah, so that she wouldn't fall to the floor. He then placed her gently away from him; he cupped her cheek and sighed.

"Just when it was getting good" he whispered for her ears only before he turned all business. "Helga, escort Sarah to her rooms and keep her there until you have been given the all clear. I will go see to Amira."

"Jareth" Sarah started to speak out, trying not to get hurt over his sudden treatment of her. She then recovered and kept quiet. She didn't want him to think anything more than he already did as she didn't even fully know what her feelings towards him were. He turned to her and she noticed his eyes did soften and he then surprised her by explaining himself, something she knew he didn't do for anyone else.

"It's for your safety only, Sarah. I don't know what the woman plans and she isn't as nice as you seem to recall. She is a woman who always gets what she wants, any way necessary and I'm not planning on allowing her to get her way in her most recent endeavor. I wish only to protect you." Jareth explained and Sarah nodded, not daring to say anything. She didn't want to blurt out that she didn't want him to go, that she wanted him to stay with her and have one of his servants get rid of Amira, but she didn't want him to stay either for then she would have to confront whatever these feelings were that were accumulating in her chest regarding him. With that, Helga moved and escorted Sarah to her rooms and Jareth stomped from his down to the sitting rooms.

Sarah sat upon her bed, still pondering what had just occurred. Helga patted her knee, she couldn't believe fully what she had walked into but it warmed her heart to see it. Perhaps her mistress had missed the master more than she had ever let on.

"I was sorry to have interrupted you, Mistress Sarah." Helga said, "Though I was glad to see that you have started to reconcile with the Master."

"Nothing like that will ever happen again, Helga." Sarah said, still stunned. Helga's jaw dropped.

"But why, Mistress Sarah? Surely you must have realized the Master loves you just as you seem to love him, else I would not have walked in on such as scene as I did." Helga stammered out. Sarah looked at her with sad eyes.

"Helga, it will not work between us. We have too much history. Not only that but this isn't a world in which I belong. Besides he is Fae, I am mortal. Our union is short-lived at best." Sarah said. She couldn't deny the fact that the feelings she had for Jareth were of love. She had loved the man ever since she had escaped the labyrinth and possibly even before. When had she realized that though her ordeal through the labyrinth was tough, it was never impossible? There were times when it seemed Jareth had more than helped her out. Others, when it had appeared that he was only there to hamper her progress, she could sense later that that might have been his way of fighting his own overwhelming feelings. However, regardless of the way they felt towards one another, Sarah knew she could not live a life with Jareth where she was bound to die long before him.

Jareth stormed into the sitting rooms, to find a smug Amira awaiting him.

"At last, you have appeared. I was beginning to wonder how long you would make me wait." Amira complained, sitting up to engage in conversation with him.

"I was busy." Jareth countered coldly.

"Busy with what?" Amira questioned, standing to face him. The air around them grew tense. "Ahh, were you with your little mortal?" Amira scoffed. "What can she provide you that a Fae cannot, that I cannot? You know it is not within us to love a mortal. They all too easily wither and die. Any union between the two of you is a momentary memory. I would hate to see you go through such pain when she is gone." Amira sneered.

"Upon our union, Sarah will be endowed with all that we Fae posses, in turn making her one of us." Jareth rebuked, his eyes narrowed on the Fae woman in front of him. He watched as Amira grew pale, then the anger flare in her eyes.

"Are you for sure of that, Jareth? How do you know that such a thing will occur for it has never happened before in our history of a race?" Amira taunted, quickly finding the sore point that was Jareth's own worry. It became apparent on his face that he had similar thoughts of that but had disregarded them. Amira grinned coldly at him.

"I will allow no other alternative." Jareth ground out. He couldn't face the prospect that he wouldn't get to keep Sarah that perhaps, the magic would not work in such a way and he would lose her forever. He refused to dwell with these thoughts and promised himself that he wouldn't lose Sarah.

"Hmmm perhaps the magic will work and she will turn Fae upon your union. What if she doesn't survive to said union? She is mortal, after all, until then and therefore weak and vulnerable." Amira uttered out, pushing Jareth to the edge. He took an angry step towards her, determination evident in every line of his body.

"You will not touch her!" Jareth demanded. Amira laughed lightly.

"Jareth, as if I would even dare." Amira warned. "But I'm not the only one who doesn't agree with this union. Just keep that thought in mind." With those lingering words, Amira disappeared from the room with a darkened flash and was gone. Jareth ground his teeth. How she had turned through the years, she was no longer the carefree young girl with whom he had so easily played with a child. Her thoughts had turned dark and so had her recent actions. However, she had made a point. She wasn't the only one against his union with Sarah, could she be right that she wasn't the only threat.