"Up up lady" Matty said as she pulled the covers off Savannah. The tired girl let out a loud moan and slammed a pillow over her head. "Now now lady, we's dont's wants to keeps the king wait'in do we?". Ugh! What does he want now. All she wanted was to get some good sleep, but no...she had to "take care of business". Realizing that her snooze time was clearly over, Savannah got up and looked at her crystal ball. Her siblings were off at school. She smiled and sat it down on her pillow. Horridly, she went to the bathroom where she found a tube full of warm water. She stripped and plopped down sighing as she felt the water cover her body. The goblin woman entered with a towel "Now you's hurry up's, today's another big days".
When she was finished Savannah walked out to find Matty holding a velvet colored dress and flats to go with it. "That's a pretty dress" she commented. Matty smiled and began to work her magic. She pulled and tugged until finally Savannah was ready. "Boys yous sure looks right pertty!" Savannah looked in her mirror. Today her hair was curled in the same familiar fashion. Her hair was pulled back from her face with ruby hairpins. The dress she was wearing flowed really well with her curves and she felt confident now that she was wearing flats. "Oh! I's almost forgotten. I's mades ya breakfast" Matty claimed bringing her a tray of food. "Well at least this looks normal!" She replied picking up a piece of toast. "Here Matty have some, you deserve it!" Savannah handed Matty some of her toast and slices of apples. "Well thanks ya lady!" The goblin woman happily ate beside Savannah. Once they were both done Matty escorted her through the escher room to Jareth's study.
Before opening the door, Matty tugged on Savannah's sleeve "Please dont's argue with him!" She pleaded. Savannah nodded and opened the door. "Ah I see you are awake" said Jareth "Come sit, we have business to attend to". The girl went and sat directly across from the man. She looked at him "I'm all ears". "As you know, my kingdoms laws state that we can not get married until you are sixteen. With your birthday being next week, I figured we could hold a ball both welcoming you and celebrating your birthday" he began "All the kingdoms will be there, so you need to know as much as you can about this kingdom and all the other kingdoms. Your knowledge will show everyone that you are fit to be queen. That being said, I have scheduled for you to start history lessons with Mr. Chauve. Lessons will begin tomorrow." He paused and looked at her.
This was so much information to take in! She didn't really want to be queen, but she didn't want her siblings to be brought back here either. "Ok. I was at the top of my class in history, so this should be a breeze". The king smiled and continued "I'm putting you in charge of the decorations and the food for the ball..." Savannah's eyes widened "Me! I mean I know how to cook and I'm pretty good with decorating, but are you sure you want me to do it?" Jareth smirked "Well...it is your birthday" He was right, but she had never made that much food for that many people. She didn't even know what kind of food they would eat or more importantly what recipes to use! "What kind of food will I fix them!" He paused then replied "you may not know this, but down in the underground we do have all the basic human food. We normally don't eat it because it's very fattening..."
Well, she could think about what to make later. "What about entertainment?" She asked. "I will get one of the best fortune tellers in all the kingdoms and if they get board with that, then we will think of something" he answered. Savannah nodded. "Now we will discuss the marriage" Jareth began. Oh boy! "The wedding will be held once I get the approval from the other kingdoms. There are something's you will need to know once you become queen, but for now I will give you the basics. First, you will have to sign a contract to your duty as queen which I will show you once we are wed. Second, when we are wed, you will obtain a small amount of power" Savannah interrupted "What kind of power?" He eyed her and continued "You will be able to transform into a bird of my choice, but you can only fly within this kingdoms boundaries. You will be able to transport anywhere within the kingdom. Finally, you will be able to create crystals just like me".
Wow! She could do a lot! Savannah didn't really like the fact that he got to choose her bird form, but hey it's better than nothing. "Finally, after our wedding, you will become immortal". So, she had to spend the rest of her life with him? On top of that, she had to watch her loved ones pass! She was about to say something, but held her tongue remembering Matty's words."I look forward to our wedding night" he said with a smirk. "Yeah! I will go back to my room, and you will go back to yours. Can't wait!" She replied. Jareth laughed he knew that one day she would give herself to him...he had eternity. "Is that it?" Savannah asked. Jareth nodded and the girl sighed with relief. "Well, the day after tomorrow, the goblin fair will be held. I expect that you will come with me". He added. Savannah loved fairs, so of course she would go. Even if that meant going with him.
"I'm done going over work for today. What say we go and have a picnic out in my garden?" Jareth asked. Savannah completely forgot how hungry she was. "Ok!" The king grabbed a basket from under his desk. "He had already planned this?" She thought. Jareth guided her out into the garden and Savannah gasped. The garden looked exactly like the one from her dream or whatever it was. She still hated the fact that he did that, but at the moment she really wanted to eat. Jareth showed her to a small area of the garden that was full of flowers. He waved his hand and in the bare place appeared a bench. "Sit" He said as he pulled out sandwiches and chalices. The man handed her a sandwich and poured her some wine. She was going to have to get used to its bitter taste because it seemed like this was all she had drink.
Once they were finished Savannah went and laid out on the grass. She gazed up at the sky forgetting about all her anger, the labyrinth, and Jareth. His voice brought her back to reality. "Now for dessert" he sat beside her and handed her a peach. How did he know she loved peaches? She never really got the chance to eat them at home. For some reason her parents never bought any. Savannah then remembered that Sarah had always told her to stay away from the velvety fruits. The elderly woman always claimed that they were poisoned. Quickly she wiped the thought from her mind.
She brought the fruit up to her mouth and took a bite. It was super sweet and soft. Definitely one of the best she had ever had. Glancing over she saw Jareth eating his, the juice running down his mouth. "How could any woman find that attractive?" She thought, but watching him she really took in his features. His blonde hair gently blew in the wind and the sun made his glittery over coat shine. "Wow...he is kind of attractive..." she then snapped out of it. "What are you thinking Savannah! He ruined your life! He's forcing you to marry him!" She took her gaze off of the man and back to the flowers.
There were millions of different breeds of flowers. Most of them were native to the labyrinth, but every so often she could see some of the basic breeds. She laid back and closed her eyes listening to the sounds around her.
Jareth's Point of View
She had finished her peach and laid down on the grass. He laid down beside her and watched as the wind ruffled her dress. Her breathing was slow and he knew that she was relaxed. "My how you amaze me" He thought. Yesterday she was furious with him and today she was more calm. He lowered his hand down to hers, but she withdrew. "Someday dear...someday you will love me to". Jareth then closed his eyes and joined her in relaxation.
Savannah's Point of View
She re-opened her eyes and found that Jareth was sleeping. "I can't just leave him here...that will make him angry" so, she gently shook him and his eyes shot open. "How long was I sleeping?" He asked. "A couple minutes...I've never seen someone fall asleep so quickly!" She replied laughing. Jareth stood and helped her up "Since we don't have anything else to do, would you like me to show you around the labyrinth?". Savannah nodded and Jareth led her to the labyrinths entrance.
He showed her around for the rest of the day. When they had finally gotten back to the castle, it was time for dinner. The two walked back to the dining room and sat in silence. Today's dish was what looked like Chicken Alfredo. It was Savannah's favorite so far. She even asked for seconds. After dinner Jareth walked her back to her room "I enjoyed today" he said opening her door. Savannah simply nodded, she was too tired to really talk. "Tomorrow Matty will help you to your history lesson. I have invitations to send out". He added. "Well then I better get some sleep so I can memorize the content". Savannah replied smiling. Jareth said his goodnight and left.
Once she was in her room, she was greeted by Matty. "So how'd it go?" The woman asked. "Well I was informed about a lot of information. I'm just really tired...I'm actually not looking forward to my birthday this year. I don't want to marry him. There are plenty of other girls throughout the kingdoms I'm sure that will be happy to take my place" The girl replied. Matty changed the subject and helped her into her night gown. She sat with her until she was asleep. Bella joined her owner on the bed and curled up against her stomach. "If only yous knew how much he wants to love ya and how lonely da king has been...maybes yous understands" the maid said as she left the room. Another day had passed and an even bigger day awaited tomorrow.
Wahoo! Chapter twelve done! This chapter played out nicely I think and I've finally come up with the way I want the story to go. Again, I would like to thank everyone for their support. Savannah is starting history lessons tomorrow...I really hope she was telling the truth about being the top student in her class. Lol. Chapter thirteen will appear tomorrow.