In The Blood

Chapter 12 - The Devil's In The Detail

Arriving back in Greenwich to an empty house, Billie felt relief at not having to face her family. Her stepmother had left a note on the kitchen counter saying she and Stephen had gone to stay with her parents in the country for a couple of days. Her father had been called away to New York on urgent business and wouldn't be home until after the weekend. It put her family out of harm's way for the immediate future, which was one weight off Billie's mind. Jude had been eager to try hypnosis again even though Dracula would most likely be inactive during the day. But if Billie could pick up some small clue to assist them it would be worthwhile. She wearily complied, desperate to get it over with as quickly as possible and it didn't take long for Jude to put her into a trance. However, as expected, all she could sense was the vampire at rest in his lair. After some discussion, they agreed to try again later. The three of them were in dire need of rest and recuperation. Sarah decided against attempting to nap in favour of a long soak in a hot bath. There had barely been time for her to catch her breath and Jareth would be back to call on her before she knew it.

Billie's vanity unit wasn't too dissimilar from the one in her own bedroom, and Sarah was glad of some sense of familiarity as she brushed out her freshly blow-dried hair. Glancing over at the bed where she had laid out the nicest dress she'd brought with her, she wondered if it would be going overboard. But she felt certain the Goblin King would arrive in all his finery, and she didn't want to let the side down. Sarah told herself that if she was making an effort it was purely for her own self-esteem, and not because she wanted to impress Jareth. Disconcertingly, the fancy clothing and shoes he'd conjured up for her when he'd whisked her away to his kingdom had disintegrated into glittery dust the second she removed them. It was as if she had somehow broken the spell by taking them off. The light-filled crystal ball he'd gifted her remained intact, although she still expected it to pop like a soap bubble at any moment. Evidently, Jareth's magic did have its limits.

"You're going to an awful lot of trouble just to tell him to get lost," Billie sneered as she leaned against the doorjamb watching as her friend carefully applied her makeup.

Sarah pursed her lips and tried to keep her temper in check. "I intend to hear him out, I told you that," she stated while carefully dusting on her face powder.

The room fell silent except for the clicking of the clock on the nightstand. Time was slipping away as the numbers intermittently flipped over, bringing the Goblin King's arrival ever closer. Billie had flopped face down onto her bed and it appeared she'd fallen asleep. Sarah blotted her lipstick on a tissue and eyed the bottle of Calvin Klein's Eternity in her vanity case. A quick spritz of her new favourite fragrance wouldn't hurt, she reasoned.

"Do you want to know what I think?"

Her friend's voice startled her and she almost dropped the bottle.

"I thought you were sleeping," Sarah gasped as she recovered herself.

Billie sat up so they were eye to eye. "I think you want to be the Goblin Queen." There was spite in her words and harshness in her eyes, but her voice remained calm and measured. "You've wanted it - him, all along, and this is the perfect excuse. You can play the hero and the martyr at the same time, just like you did when you wished Toby away."

Sarah could feel her face heating up as righteous anger burned inside her. How could her friend say such a thing? Of all the ungrateful, insensitive… She opened her mouth to let loose a tirade, but thought better of it and decided to bite her tongue instead. Billie wasn't herself; Dracula's poison had got to work in her veins. Even if she did secretly harbour such thoughts, she would never have crassly spoken them out loud without his evil influence. The Billie she'd come to know wouldn't intentionally be so cruel. It wouldn't be fair to hold her accountable for things she wasn't able to control. Besides, her words wouldn't have stung so much unless they held a grain of truth. Sarah couldn't deny she'd fantasised about becoming Goblin Queen. But it was one thing to imagine it, and quite another to make it a reality. "We've been through this," she said determined to keep her cool and be practical. "I'm going to hear what he has to say, that's all. With things the way they are, it would be stupid not to explore every avenue open to us," she insisted.

"Haven't I made myself clear? This is my problem and I will deal with it," Billie snarled, a feral look in her eyes.

It alarmed Sarah to see the transforming effects of Dracula's blood taking hold. How long would they have before the venom inside took her over completely? Mina Harker had almost reached the point of no return a month after being infected. The Count had set them a grim deadline, regardless.

"Have you forgotten, I almost got bitten too? If not for Jareth, I'd be in the same predicament as you," Sarah reminded her. "None of us will be safe while ever Dracula lives."

Despondently, Billie fell back onto her bed. "I'm so tired," she whimpered.

"Then get some sleep," Sarah went to her friend's side and tenderly stroked her dark brown hair. "We will find a way through this, together," she vowed.

"I'm sorry I've been such a bitch," Billie's eyes shone with tears. "I'm so afraid of what I'm turning into," she wept.

Sarah hugged her tight and murmured words of comfort. Blinking back her own tears in an attempt to preserve her makeup, she gently rocked her friend to sleep. She needed to stay strong and clear-headed to deal with the Goblin King.

She found Jude slumped over his books and journals when she got downstairs. He had set up camp at the kitchen table and weariness had obviously got the better of him. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions to sleep in, but she didn't want to disturb him. Rest was hard enough to come by in their present circumstances and she didn't need another lecture about Jareth. Sarah stifled a yawn, wishing she could join her friends in the Land of Nod. The ticking of the clock on the wall told her that was impossible. In ten minutes, the Goblin King was due to reappear and her stomach began fluttering in nervous anticipation. She stepped out onto the garden patio, welcoming the feel of the fresh breeze against her skin. All at once, the sky seemed to darken and slate grey clouds rolled in, threatening rain. A sudden flash of lightning made her jump and as she looked up to the heavens, she saw a barn owl appear. She watched in awe as the graceful and beautiful creature spiralled towards her on silent wings. Another blue flash lit up the sky, and in the time it took to blink, she found the Goblin King standing before her in all his glory.

"Hello, Sarah," he greeted her with a seductive smile. His eyes moved appreciatively over her peach coloured dress; it was a 1950s swing style with a flared skirt and tight bodice. The sweetheart neckline and off the shoulder sleeves flattered her figure without being too revealing. It pleased him to see her agog over his appearance. Gone were his flamboyant otherworldly fashions, and in their place, he wore a simple charcoal suit with a light blue striped shirt. His usually flowing golden hair appeared now to be collar length, swept back at the front. "I thought we could go out to dinner." The Goblin King suppressed a smirk at the way she was positively drooling over him.

Sarah shook herself from her trance. "Dinner?" She questioned, thrown off balance by how delicious he looked.

"Isn't it a mortal custom to propose marriage in an overpriced restaurant?" He inquired with amusement.

Her eyebrows shot up; she supposed it did often happen that way. It wasn't what she'd been expecting from the Goblin King, though. Sarah's gaze drifted back to the house and Billie's bedroom window. Her friend needed her to keep a clear head, she couldn't afford to get carried away with romantic notions. "Looks like it's gonna rain," she pointed towards the storm clouds. "How about we take shelter and then you can answer some of my questions like you promised."

Jareth tilted his head up towards the sky and smiled. "Would my future-queen prefer sunshine?" With a wave of his hand, the clouds scattered to reveal clear blue sky.

Sarah let out a gasp, he constantly surprised her and, at the same time, he frustrated her too. The power the Goblin King wielded could solve all her problems. He knew it and he was determined to hold her to ransom for it. There was an arbour seat set among a trellis of white roses and lavender at the bottom of the garden. She took his hand and led him to it so they could sit and talk. "I hope Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus are okay," she fretted frowning with concern. Her mortal friends were her priority, but that didn't mean she'd forgotten about her underground comrades and their lengthy incarceration. "I'm almost tempted to ask you to take me to see them," she said not content to take his word for it.

"The only way you can return to my kingdom now is if you become my queen," the Goblin King earnestly informed her.

"But you took me there last night," Sarah puzzled not understanding why he couldn't just whisk her away again.

"There are ways and means," Jareth enigmatically declared. "Four times a year, the veil between your world and mine is thin enough for me to pull you through it without your consent. One of those times is Litha or Midsummer if you prefer," he explained and then began to fidget uneasily. "I am not yet so far gone as to take you by force."

"When you say take me by force…?" Sarah trailed off unable to give voice to the things she'd read about how the fae could enslave mortals by having sex with them.

Jareth scowled at her lack of faith in him. "I really would be no better than the vampire if I used that method to get what I wanted," he professed. In his opinion, his restraint deserved to be rewarded. Due to his regard for her, he was going against his true nature.

From the little she knew about his kind, it appeared he was at least attempting to be honourable in his own way. However, striking a bargain with such a creature, let alone contemplating marriage to one, wasn't to be entered into lightly. Aside from anything else, they barely knew each other.

"You know the reasons for what I want, but why do you want to marry me?" Sarah inquired. Was it because she'd beaten him? As a king, and a handsome one at that, he surely wasn't lacking in admirers. Modesty prevented her from believing she could ever hold his attention for so long if not for her victory over him.

Jareth scrutinised her in an owl-like way, calling to mind his feathery alter ego. "It isn't so much that I want to marry you," he eventually admitted, frowning. "Rather, I've come to realise I have no choice but to make you my wife."

His gaze was so intense Sarah was forced to look away.

"I don't understand," she spluttered feeling the urge to run from him as fast as she could, and yet she did not. Magic wasn't preventing her this time. She knew she had to stay and face her fears.

The Goblin King stood up and held his hand out to her. "Come, let us go for a walk. I have a story to tell you."

Sarah hesitated and then she saw Jude striding out through the patio doors towards them.

"Is everything alright?" He asked, warily eyeing the fae king.

Jareth regarded the young man as an unwelcome intruder and didn't hide his impatience. "We are going for a walk and you are not invited," he sharply announced.

Jude ignored the king's rudeness and focused his attention on Sarah. He didn't say another word but he stood his ground and waited for her to respond. She knew he probably had something up his sleeve, quite possibly one of his iron daggers. There was no occasion for any unpleasantness, she would hear Jareth out. They still needed his help after all, if it could be negotiated.

"I'll be fine," she assured Jude. "Take care of Billie, and don't push her too hard. She's already changing and she knows it."

Reluctant as he was to let her go, desperate times called for desperate measures.

Sarah took Jareth's hand and they vanished into thin air.

"I know this place," she exclaimed as they rematerialized in a spot close to the River Thames.

The Cutty Sark clipper ship was dry docked a short distance ahead. It was one of the places she'd visited with Billie a few days before, although it felt much longer ago than that. Near to where they'd landed stood a small circular building with a domed glass roof. The sign informed her it was the entrance to the Greenwich foot tunnel, a walkway that ran beneath the river.

"There is a pretty-ish park we can take a turn in while I tell you my story, shall we?" Jareth held out his arm in invitation.

Sarah declined to take it and he didn't press the matter. The two of them set off walking side-by-side at a steady pace, unremarkable to passers-by except for being a good looking couple. "I thought you were gonna tell me why you have to marry me. I don't have time to waste listening to you spin fairy stories," she complained, impatient for answers.

"I will come to that," Jareth brusquely retorted giving her an icy glare. "To understand the present one must have some knowledge of the past." He ignored the rolling of her eyes and began his tale. "Once upon a time there were two brothers. The eldest was named Alaric and the youngest, Rodwin. They were the children of the High King and Queen of the Underground and, unusually for our kind, the brothers were close in age. As they grew, Alaric and Rodwin became fierce rivals. The two of them fought over everything, especially the affection of their parents. Eventually, and fatefully, they both fell in love with the same highborn lady. Rodwin was the spare, not the heir, and the throne wasn't his birthright. However, considering himself to be the most handsome of the pair, he sought to steal away all of his brother's romantic conquests. This caused much friction between the siblings, even though no serious attachments were broken. Then along came Lady Clarinda; the most dazzling creature they had ever set eyes upon. With her flowing golden hair, pale blue eyes and radiant beauty, she stole the hearts of both brothers. She was considered a suitable match for Alaric, as heir to the high throne. Rodwin, being the younger sibling, was expected to set aside his interest but he found he could not. For her part, Lady Clarinda fell head over heels with Rodwin. She was ambitious and determined to be high queen, but she wanted passion too. They began a secret and torrid affair, even as her wedding to Alaric was being arranged. Rodwin begged her to marry him instead and run away with him, but she would not. He loved her so much he was prepared to take the crumbs she threw him. However, on the day of her wedding to his brother, she told him they couldn't continue their affair. Rodwin was filled with rage and threatened to expose their secret love. Lady Clarinda persuaded him to bide his time and promised, one day, both she and the throne would be his. He left that day to plot ways of overthrowing his brother. Returning briefly to the palace upon the death of his father, he stayed to witness Alaric being crowned high king alongside his beloved Clarinda. Rodwin began to doubt the new high queen's love for him and again threatened to tell his brother about their affair, but she vowed her heart still belonged to him. He told her he was raising an army in order to claim both her and the crown. Things did not go to plan, as almost a year later when he returned to wage battle, Alaric and Clarinda had recently been blessed with a son. The citizens of the Underground loved their High King, Queen, and newly-born Prince, and rallied to the defence of their royal family. Rodwin was outnumbered and his rebellion easily quashed. As punishment, Alaric decided that if his younger brother wanted a throne so badly, he would make him Goblin King. The High King used his powerful magic to bind Rodwin and his bloodline to the Goblin Kingdom for all eternity. He, and any heir he might beget and so on, would be cursed to remain there forever. We fae are long-lived, but we are not immortal and the desire to procreate is strong in our mid-years. However, the Labyrinth deterred others from venturing into the Goblin King's domain. None but you have ever successfully navigated it. As Rodwin could never leave his kingdom, aside from brief visits to the mortal realm, it seemed likely the curse would die with him. For a thousand years he ruled as Goblin King. Then one day, as he was celebrating claiming yet another wished away child, he drunkenly fell into one of his own oubliettes and broke his neck. That should have been the end of his sorry tale. Alas, there was to be no happily ever after for Rodwin, or the poor unsuspecting heir he left behind." Jareth paused to let out a wistful sigh. Sarah's eyes widened, confident she had worked out the plot twist. But given how annoyed he was to be interrupted before, she thought it best to let him reveal it. The Goblin King stopped in his tracks and glanced out across the River Thames to the heart of the City of London. "Your kingdom as great, hmm?" His voice had a distant quality as if he was thinking of another time and place.

Sarah knew exactly what he was recalling. "Why don't you finish your story?" She urged him. Despite time being of the essence and her earlier attempt to hurry him along, she wasn't eager for him to get to his marriage proposal.

Jareth again held out his hand to her and, seeing he was in need of comfort, Sarah took it. "One minute I was Prince Jareth, heir to the High King of the Underground. The next, I was cast out. The curse transported me to the Goblin Kingdom the instant my true father died. My younger brother Loric, as the actual son of Alaric, became his rightful heir. My mother Clarinda's attempt to buy Rodwin's silence regarding their affair had resulted in my birth. She swore to her husband that my father forced himself on her and she could never be certain I was his son. My fate was sealed, regardless. Despite being raised as Alaric's heir, I had been doomed to become Goblin King. My mother begged for mercy, but the man I'd called father refused to grant any. He insisted that the curse would remain in place until Rodwin's bloodline died out. In desperation, my mother confessed the truth of her affair with my father, she admitted she willingly gave herself to him. She hoped Alaric might be willing to punish her with exile instead. But my mother loves her life at court; the parties and the society, she would die without them. I couldn't let her lose all of that. Besides, I suspect my uncle knew the truth all along. He can forgive my mother but not Rodwin, nor me for being his son."

The sorrow in his expression touched her heart and Sarah impulsively threw her arms around him. "Oh, Jareth," she sighed hugging him tightly as he gratefully returned her embrace.

"I tried not to fall in love with you," he murmured against her hair. "When you wished Toby away, I had reigned as Goblin King for a thousand years, just like my father before me. Your victory could have hastened my end; you saw it in the dream I sent you. If I hadn't regained power over you, my kingdom and I would have crumbled to dust. But the memory of you put fire in my blood, it gave me the will to keep going and made me determined to one day claim you as my own. I thought I could be content to keep you as a slave to my desires, hence that first shameful offer I made to you. But when you rejected me for a second time, I knew my heart was already yours." He dropped down on one knee in front of her. Appropriately, their walk had led them into the grounds of the Queen's House in Greenwich, built as a royal palace for the wife of James I, as if he'd planned it that way. Sarah felt suddenly breathless, not believing for a moment it was real. The Goblin King was so handsome and could be very charming when he wanted to be. Part of her had fallen for him three years ago, even if it could be classed as nothing more than teenage infatuation at the time. Jareth gazed up at her with his odd eyes full of hope. "Be my wife, Sarah. Come and keep me company in my cursed existence. If you will, I promise to be your slave and vanquish Dracula forever."

The temptation to say yes overwhelmed her. It would be so easy to let herself get swept up in the tragic romance of it all. But, in the end, there was only one answer she could give and, in her heart, she'd known it all along.


The Devil's In The Detail is a song by a duo called Lewis and Leigh.

I did mention in an earlier note that, although I'd recently watched the 1992 movie version of Dracula (with Gary Oldman as the Count) I am basing this story around the book version of Dracula. I hope that isn't disappointing too many readers as I must admit I never cared for the tacked on Dracula/Mina romance in the Francis Ford-Coppola version. Anyway, thanks for all your feedback and please do keep it coming - Mrs P.