Okay, no more beating myself up, I promise. I think the strange advantage I gained by feeling so frustrated and awkward and damned GRRR while writing that chapter, was that the emotions were conveyed a lot stronger than they would have normally been. At least, many of you told me that you really felt the frustration and awkwardness. So, in that case... good. Eh heh. I just hope Sarah and Jareth give me a break from writing "frustrated" for a while.
In a great contrast, this only took me about 3 hours to write, as opposed to an agonising three weeks for the last one. Whee!
Jareth opened the door to his quarters without acknowledging the guards posted beside it. He strode through and with a flick of his fingers, lit half a dozen candlesticks that were positioned evenly around the room. Sarah followed after him, her stomach roiling with nervousness. She wished he had not asked her to come so soon after eating, as she now felt that she needed time to calm her stomach. Neither had spoken a word on the walk to his chambers. One of the wide windows had been left open, and a cool breeze was beginning to blow through it, bringing with it a distant smell of rain. Sarah had not noticed any clouds gathering in the sky earlier. Jareth walked straight to his desk and sat down behind it, before noticing Sarah still standing awkwardly in the doorway. He jumped up just as quickly, looking around the room for a moment before pulling a wooden chair towards his own, padded armchair. He stood looking at them, before seeming to make a decision and seating himself on the wooden chair.
Indicating that Sarah should take the armchair, he settled back as she walked slowly over towards it and seated herself. It was not lost on her that this was obviously Jareth's chair, and for some incomprehensible reason he had surrendered it to her. Jareth leaned back in the chair, before suddenly leaning forward, elbows resting on knees. It occurred to Sarah suddenly that he seemed nervous, and this change in behaviour was enough to set her on edge also. She had not imagined that he could actually be nervous.
"Sarah," Jareth began, and paused immediately, looking at her with his head tilted to the side. He stood again, and began to pace back and forth in the space between them. "How many years have you been in the Underground?" Sarah was surprised by the question, but saw no reason not to answer.
"Just over three years." She did not know whether to call him Jareth or Your Majesty, and so used neither.
"So that would make you twenty-one years of age, would it?" Sarah was again slightly mystified with the direction of his questions, but nodded. Surely he did not need her to help him work out her age. And why was this important? Jareth sat again, leaning forward in the chair.
"Sarah, there is something that you must know." As if on cue, a low rumble of thunder sounded through the open window, bringing with it a fresh gust of storm-scented air. "Ah, some days ago now, I received a Call, a summons. From the Above, your world." Sarah was unsure exactly what Jareth was getting at, and it must have shown on her face.
"A call, like the one you made to me. Except, not like it. What I mean to say is..." he rubbed his forehead with long fingers, looking down at the floor. Without meeting Sarah's eyes, he said "...it was your brother."
"Toby?" At her tone of voice, Jareth raised his head again. Sarah's eyes were lit up, and there was a curious mixture of shock and joy intermingled on her face. "You saw him? Did you speak to him? Is he all right?" Her eyes became wet with tears as she spoke.
"Yes, I did speak to him. He seemed in excellent health. He, ah, asked after you." Jareth watched Sarah's face freeze.
"He did what? Why would he do that?" Another rumble of thunder sounded, seeming closer than before. It would seem a late summer storm would soon be upon them.
"He seemed to think that you were here, with me. That I had taken you Underground again." Jareth was not enjoying the uncomfortable feeling that this interview was stirring within him. He was used to being unquestioned and in the right, as his position benefited him. "I was not aware of your presence here at the time, and assumed that you had either gone missing or died." Sarah nodded slowly. So he really had not been watching her, as she had first imagined.
"Toby seemed distraught that I could not give him the answer he had been hoping for. To comfort him, I, ah, decided to grant him a wish." Sarah was beginning to see where this was headed. "I brought him back, Sarah, to the Underground." He said in a rush.
"Toby's here? Where?" Sarah stood and shoved the heavy chair backwards, ready to run in whichever direction Jareth pointed her. Here! He was here! She did not know whether to laugh or cry or reach across and throttle Jareth. She settled instead for launching herself at him, not really thinking about what she was doing, just needing some way to express her emotions. Jareth, who had stood after Sarah had, found himself with a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, attached to a trembling woman. It was certainly not the first time he had found himself in such a position, but never under such circumstances. After a moments hesitation, he was about to fold his arms around her, when she suddenly tore herself away as quickly as she had flung herself at him. A small part of him protested at the departure. Sarah's face was red, but she was smiling.
"Where is he?" Sarah's voice was trembling with excitement. Jareth paused for a moment, unsure how to answer. Sarah's smile began to fade at the delay, and he spoke quickly to reassure her.
"I was in the Summer Palace when he summoned me, and that is where I brought him. However, he is on his way here as we speak." A white blaze of lightning flashed outside the uncovered windows, and a loud boom followed almost immediately after.
"The visitor? It was Toby?"
"Yes. He is traveling with an old friend of mine, who offered to give him safe passage when I had to leave suddenly." It suddenly occurred to Jareth that Caoilainn was going to be very intrigued by the presence of Sarah, and he would have to do some explaining when she arrived. For now, he was pleased with the way Sarah had reacted. She had not responded in anger or lashed out at him as he had expected, and in fact seemed to be rather happy.
Sarah sat back down and felt herself shaking with anticipation. Toby was here! She would get to see her dear brother, after all these years of being apart. It did not matter to her how he had arrived; only that he was nearby, and she would see him soon. Lightning flashed again, and a heavy rain began to fall, splattering in fat drops against the windows and hissing on the tiled roof.
"Your adviser, did he say they would be here tomorrow?"
Jareth nodded. "Cuinn believes they will arrive then, yes." Sarah's hands were clasped in front of her, and Jareth could see her eyes growing shiny with tears again. Jareth smiled benevolently, feeling that it had gone as well as it could have, and rather pleased with himself. He was rewarded with a brilliant smile, and felt just a little smug as he stood and crossed the room to close the open window, which was now letting the rain in. He seated himself across from Sarah again, who although smiling, was now crying in earnest; using a dirty piece of cloth she had pulled from her pocket to wipe her eyes. Jareth pulled his own impeccable handkerchief from his pocket and offered it to her, feeling generous. She gave him a watery smile and tucked the rag back into her pocket, taking his instead.
Inspecting it briefly, she almost expected it to be monogrammed, but it was simply a square of fine white linen, hemmed at the edges. Burying her face in it to wipe away her tears, Sarah suddenly remembered that she had thrown her arms around the Goblin King in a fit of happiness. Thankful that her face was hidden from him, she squeezed her eyes shut and bit her lip. Jareth had not pushed her away or punished her, so she assumed that he had overlooked what must have certainly been a breach of etiquette. She had a brief memory of how he had felt; lean and muscular, like marble clothed in flesh, and her face flushed again, but for a different reason.
Although she became more accustomed to his presence the longer she spent in it, the contact had still been quite strange. For such a long time she had imagined what touching him might be like, particularly after returning to the world Above the first time. Even though she had tried her best to forget him and everything that had happened, he had been the object of many of her dreams. Forcing herself to breathe normally, she looked back up at Jareth. Nothing mattered now, because Toby was coming here. A piece of her life left behind, someone who knew and loved her.
"Perhaps it is time to rest now, Sarah." Jareth saw that she had gained control over herself again, and thought he had better end the interview now, while things were on a positive note. Sarah nodded at this and stood.
"You will tell me when they're here?"
"Of course, Sarah." Jareth sounded amused. Sarah impulsively put out her hand to shake his. Unknowingly mirroring Eamon's gesture earlier that day, Jareth took it and bowed over it, although there was no mockery in the gesture that Sarah could detect. Before releasing her hand he raised it to his mouth, and with a touch so light it could have been imagined, brushed his lips over the back of it. The contact sent a shock through Sarah, and she jumped, trying to pull away. Jareth's grip was strong, however, and he held it a second longer before releasing her. Sarah pulled her hand back towards her chest, and without thinking, thrust the hand that held the handkerchief towards him. He smiled and shook his head.
"Keep it." Before he could touch her again, Sarah turned and half ran from the room, just as the rain began to pour down harder.
Seated on the edge of her bed and listening to the rain pound on her wooden roof, Sarah looked at the two squares of cloth spread out before her. One was rough and unhemmed, ambiguously stained, the homespun linen rough under her fingers. The other was fine and white, woven carefully with a smooth texture, almost silky. Although both had served the same purpose, they were very different. Crumpling them both up into her hands, she shoved them underneath her pillow, before standing to unlace her dress and pull it over her head. Draping it over the end of her bed, she crawled under the blankets, her mind repeating the mantra, Tomorrow, tomorrow, Toby will be here tomorrow. The rain lulled her to sleep.
Awake at dawn and out in the rain-washed garden, Sarah felt as though every muscle in her body was humming with excitement. She pulled weeds with gusto, making certain not to get too much mud on her dress (she had remembered to wear a gardening apron today), and hummed to herself as she worked. Although the clouds had not dissipated, and the air was heavy with humidity, nothing could dampen her enthusiasm. All night she had dreamed of Toby and her family, remembering things they had done together, good and bad. Oh, when would he arrive?
Noon came and passed without event. Sarah, who had missed breakfast that morning, decided to venture down to the kitchens for a midday meal. Cruet welcomed her with a glad cry and, surprisingly, a hug. He barely came up to her chin, and was all angles and knobs, rather like being embraced by a branch. She could see the top of his wild, tangled hair, and decided to herself that it really did look like a bird had nested in there once. Knowing the strange ways of goblins, she certainly would not be surprised. Fussing over her like she was a baby, he propelled her to a long bench and made her sit, insisting on serving her himself. He bellowed orders to the other cooks and fired questions at Sarah, all the while spooning food onto a number of plates for her.
"His Majesty is lucky he let you out o' that cell, little sprout. Did he hurt you? What have ye been doing the last day? Did ye give the King what for?" Sarah grinned. She had never been happier to be questioned before.
"It was a… misunderstanding, Cruet. And no, he didn't hurt me."
Cruet stopped suddenly and peered at Sarah. "You look uncommonly bright eyed today, missy. Have ye got something that needs telling to old Cruet?" He winked a tiny black eye at her, touching his nose with one finger. Sarah looked at him blankly for a moment before she realized what he might have been implying.
"Oh! No, it's nothing, I'm just happy because my brother is, um, coming to visit! I haven't seen him for a very long time, and I heard yesterday that he is coming here."
"A brother, eh? Now ye never really talked about any family before. I was wonderin' what the story might be there." Cruet put a plate of food down before Sarah and sat down beside her on the bench, wiping his spindly hands on his apron, looking as though he was ready for a good tale.
"A story? Well, my brother is the only family I have in… this place." Cruet was watching her with keen eyes as she stumbled through her words. Although she was fond of the cook, she also knew of his weakness for gossip, and did not want to give everything away. To hide her awkwardness, Sarah began to eat.
"Are ye not one of His Majesty's children, then?"
Inhaling sharply, Sarah choked on a piece of food that lodged itself in her windpipe. Eyes streaming and coughing furiously, she dropped her spoon with a clatter, hands going to her throat. Cruet thumped her once or twice between the shoulder blades, which seemed to do the trick, and she was again able to breathe freely. She reached in her pocket for a handkerchief before realizing that she had left both of them behind in her room. Cruet offered her the stained corner of his apron with a grin and she wiped her eyes.
"No, I'm not." Her voice was raspy now, and she coughed once or twice more. Her comment caused Cruet to look at her with new curiosity. "I came… well, that is, I was…" She looked helplessly at Cruet, not able to tell him. "I can't say, Cruet. I mean, I shouldn't." His eyes narrowed a little, and he looked at her seriously.
"Do ye need protection from somethin', sprout? His Majesty, perhaps?"
"No, no! It's nothing like that. At least, I think so. I'm all right, Cruet. I'll be fine." She summoned up a smile which must have been less than convincing, but he relented, patting her on the hand and standing once more. The look in his eyes meant trouble for anyone who would hurt her. Sarah felt a rush of gratitude – she had thought that there was no-one here who really cared about her, but it seemed she had an ally in this funny little man. And Eamon, her mind prompted, he was friendly to you as well. Sarah turned back to her food quickly so that the cook would not see the quick flush staining her cheeks, and began to eat again.
Evening had fallen, and a light but consistent rain was soaking into the ground. Sarah sat in her little cabin, both lanterns lit, staring out into the darkness. There was still no word from Toby. She had summoned the courage to ask Gwyneth, who had been brewing something smelly in the workshop after Sarah's return from lunch, but to no avail. The lady had not heard any news either. She considered going to Jareth himself to ask, but realized that protocol probably would not allow her to simply waltz into his throne room. Besides, she did not quite know where the room was, anyway. So she returned to work, with slightly less enthusiasm than before, but still anticipating Toby's arrival. The rain did not begin again until later in the afternoon, but was so light initially that she continued working through it. By the time the gloom settled over the land, it was a little heavier. Sarah made her way to the workshop once more, and although Gwyneth was not present, there was a tray of food there for her. Thankful to whoever had been considerate enough to think about her, she ate alone.
As she walked through the rain and back to her cabin in full darkness, she tried not to think of Toby on horseback out in the rain, and was sure they would have found shelter for the night by now. Perhaps that was why they were delayed; maybe the rain was falling heavier where they were. The high state of excitement she had been in for most of the day had left her feeling drained, and now she sat, nothing to do, looking out at the rain. Sarah would have been thankful for almost any task to take her mind off the waiting, but the workshop was already spotless, and she certainly could not work outside in the dark. The thought of cleaning the little shed did not really appeal to her, as she still had not discovered who the perpetrator of destruction was. But it was certainly better than sitting here doing nothing at all.
The door was slightly ajar when Sarah approached, and she was thankful for the lantern that was held in one hand. Feeling a sudden apprehension, she paused with her hand on the latch before pushing it open fully and walking in, lantern held high. The same mess she had left earlier greeted her eyes, nothing more. She set the lantern down on a benchtop and looked about, wondering where to start. If only she had metal barrels or drums to store her fertilizer in, she was sure it would prevent as much damage from being done.
Metal, or at least metals that contained iron, seemed to be used sparsely here, with many of the utensils made from other materials, such as silver and stone. Gwyneth used bronze and earthenware pots in her work, and some of her knives were finely honed stoneware. Sarah wondered if the fairytale that spoke of iron being poisonous to the Fae was perhaps partly true. It was certainly kept to a minimum as far as she could see. She had not been able to inspect any weapons to see what they were made of, but now that she thought about it, they had a peculiar silvery grey sheen that was unlike any she had seen. Perhaps it was not so much that iron was poisonous, but perhaps it was not available in this land. It was something she would ask Cruet next time she saw him. She did not know very much about minerals or mining or even exactly how such metals were forged.
Suddenly a swift movement in the corner of her eye caught her attention. In the shadows by the wall, a tiny figure darted behind an old flowerpot. Sarah thought she may have been seeing things for a moment, but no, there it was again – a tiny, sharp-nosed face peering out, tiny eyes sparkling in the lamplight. Before it could duck out of sight again, Sarah lunged forward and grabbed for the little figure. She felt her fingers close around it, and lifted it into the light. No taller than her hand, it wriggled and fought to get free, and Sarah tightened her grip around its waist. Mindful of sharp teeth, she looked closer. It looked a little like the fairies in her garden, small and feminine in appearance, but skin a deep shade of brown. Tiny green eyes were surprisingly bright, and the creature had no wings that she could see, but oddly enough, it had two waving antennae atop its head. Its hair was short and black, and Sarah could see sharp little white teeth in its mouth as it spat and hissed at her.
"Ah hah. So it's you that has been tearing apart my hard work, hm?" She shook it a little, and the creature screeched loudly. "Now see here, I'll be watching for you now, you little monster. If I catch you again, it'll be the same fate as for the garden fairies, you see?" The tiny being twisted and squirmed, managing to sink its pointed teeth into the fleshy part of Sarah's hand, between her thumb and forefinger. With a yell of surprise she nearly released her grip, but after a second she recovered and squeezed tighter. She felt a flash of anger boil up inside her, like a thin current of heat, and before she knew what was happening, a thin tendril of green fire snaked around her arm and over her wrist. In a split second it had wrapped itself around the tiny creature's neck and disappeared, as it went limp and still in her hand. Sarah stared in shock for a moment, her stomach lurching, before opening her hand and dropping the little thing onto the ground. It did not move, not a twitch or shudder. Without stopping to pick up her lantern, Sarah turned and fled back out into the night.
Uh oh... now we can have a debate about power and good and evil... or I can just shut up and write more! He hee.
Oh, and if I missed replying to anyone's reviews, let me know! I try and do all of them, but sometimes I lose track... my natural colour is blond, after all.