A/N: Thank you to yodeladyhoo - my 100th reviewer. Posted extra quickly, just for you. :)
Fable
How you've turned my world, you precious thing...
She was decidedly not in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. Soft earth had cushioned her fall somewhat, although she knew that she'd be bearing the bruises for a few days and the lovely goose egg that was blossoming at her temple was a new addition. She unsteadily pushed herself up from the ground to sit upright.
Everything hurt.
"Do be careful, dear. You've taken quite a tumble."
As soft and gentle as the voice behind her was, Sarah couldn't help but wince as it shot through her head like a solid, streaming, wave of pain. If she wasn't in the castle, then where was she, and what happened? The last thing she remembered was Ivory taking her back to the park, and being followed home by yet another thing that was hellbent on getting her. Then there was Toby...
Oh God.
TOBY!!
She had to find Jareth! She had to know if Toby was alright! She began attempting to scramble to her feet, but nausea overtook her instead. Hands caressed her back as she fell back to her knees and gagged.
"Don't rush. It'll only make it worse."
The moment passed and Sarah moved to a sitting position that faced her companion. The woman smiled cheerily at her, "See? That's much better now, isn't it?" She kindly passed Sarah a full water skin, "The disorientation will pass quickly enough. Now drink, and I'll see if I can't find you something to eat."
There was something off here, but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Who are you? Why are you helping me?"
The woman waved her hand nonchalantly, "Oh, no one in particular. I just saw your fall, that's all. Drink up."
Eying her warily, Sarah raised the container to her lips, fully intending to only take a sip, but when the water touched her lips, she realized how thirsty she was and gulped at it greedily. The water was pure and clean, quenching her thirst with its sweet coolness. The woman watched closely, and nodded in approval, "Now you wait here. I'll be right back."
The woman skirted off into the trees, leaving Sarah to wonder just where she was. It certainly wasn't a part of the Labyrinth that she was familiar with, although the tangy spice of magic in the air told her that she was definitely Underground.
Well, nothing to do but to look around a bit.
Trees surrounded her, nearly blotting out the sky with their outstretched branches. Leaves crowned the brown trunks like puffy green clouds, reminding Sarah of the crayon drawings that her kids would give her at the Library. Red smudges here and there indicated that they were definitely of the fruit-bearing kind. She took another drink of the water as she contemplated the four-petalled flowers that stood proud and tall amongst the grove.
Rustling caught her attention, and the woman who had aided her appeared from between the trees. She held her dirty apron out in front of her, carrying something that Sarah couldn't make out. She couldn't have been much older that Sarah, she thought, as she dropped to the ground next to her, spilling her treasure on the soft ground.
"Here you are, dear. Eat up – you should rebuild your strength a bit before you need to be moving onward."
The fruit was beautiful against the healthy green of the grass. Shining red apples, glistening pears, rosy peaches... Sarah shook her head and started to rise.
"Thank you so much for your help, but I need to get to the Castle."
"Nonsense, dear. You should eat something."
"No, I-"
"I insist."
There was something compelling about the woman's voice, and Sarah found herself sitting back down and selecting a bit of fruit under the her stern gaze. Under the pressure of her hawk-like gaze, Sarah took a large bite out of the apple and nearly swooned. It was so perfect and delicious!
"There, there. I said you'd feel better, didn't I?"
Oh, and she did. With each juicy morsel she swallowed, she felt more relaxed and at ease. She picked the apple down to the core and sighed in contentment, "I don't know what came over me."
"Have another, dear. Tell me a bit about yourself."
A sweetly-scented breeze flirted with her senses and she breathed deeply before making her next selection. There was nothing to fear here, obviously, otherwise this kind lady wouldn't have been here to help her while she got her bearings back, right?
"My name is Sarah. Sarah Williams."
"Sarah Williams?! The Sarah Williams?!"
The soft pear dribbled as she bit into it, "You've heard of me?"
"Heard of you? My dear, there isn't a soul in the Underground who hasn't!"
Sarah blinked, things were starting to look fuzzy on the edges. She blinked again, and it went away. It must have been a play in her mind. She did bump her head after all.
"Sarah is such a pretty name."
The sky was so blue. The clouds were so puffy and white.
"What's your name?"
"My name?" The lady seemed surprised, "I... I don't... I don't remember. But that doesn't matter."
She was admiring the lovely way the lady's hair was waved and she frowned. Her hair would never do anything so nice for her, it just wasn't fair... "I'm sure your name is something marvelous, like... like Mercedes or Anastasia or something. Sarah is boring."
"What a silly thing to say, dear. Sarah is lovely. Do you know what your name means?"
She took a vicious bite, deciding she was quite jealous of the lady's pretty gown, "No."
The lady laughed lightly, a tinkling, melodic sound that made Sarah scowl harder, "It means 'princess', dear."
Sarah was silent, swallowing the last bite of pear and wondering what she should try next. It was just so yummy! "I sure don't feel like a princess."
"Why not?"
"I'm not dressed for it," She said, picking up yet another piece of fruit, "I don't have my lipstick, and my hair's a mess."
"I think I may be able to fix that for you," The lady laughed and produced a crude wooden comb from a pocket in her apron. She scooted over next to Sarah and began to draw the comb through the girl's hair in long, soothing strokes. It felt so nice, Sarah thought, it had been a long time since anyone had brushed her hair for her since Mother left...
"Would you like me to tell you a story?"
She looked up eagerly; she loved stories, "Really?"
The lady nodded, a kind smile on her face, "If you'd like."
She nodded emphatically, "Yes, please. I love stories."
"Of course, dear. Just relax and let me take care of you," Skilled fingers continued their ministrations as she began to speak again, "Once upon a time, there was a girl, much like you, and she was a princess."
"Was she a beautiful princess?" Sarah breathed, falling easily into the role of a starstruck little girl. She raised her final selection to her mouth and took a greedy bite. The peach was soft and tender in her hands – sweet and juicy against her lips.
"Oh yes. She was lovely. With deep hazel eyes and long sable hair. And she lived very happily in the palace with her father, the King, and her mother, the Queen. But one day, the Queen left without a word, and the King was very sad. The Princess, however, was devastated."
Sarah frowned; it all sounded familiar. But it was just a story.
"The Princess mourned for many days and many nights. Eventually, the King was forced to take another wife, but the Princess could not accept her, instead turning into a wretched creature whom no one could love. The New Queen gave the King a son, and the Kingdom celebrated their new Prince. The Princess was pushed aside and forgotten. She spent her days alone and lonesome in the North Tower, only venturing out when required."
"It must have been horrible for her."
"It was, dear. But there was hope. There was a man in the crowd who saw her one day, and she saw him. She found him intriguing and he began to seek her. He would sing at her window and send letters tied with ribbon, urging her to leave everything she ever knew to join him."
"How romantic! Did she?"
Her scalp tingled as the lady began to run her fingers through her hair, ensuring that all the tangles were gone, "Eventually. She knew that there was no one to love her for what she was – a horrible, selfish thing – and left in the dead of night. No one noticed her desperate flight into what she hoped was what she craved. She pledged herself to the man in a quiet ceremony in the darkest woods.
"'Do you love me?' He asked.
"'More than life.' She said.
"'Do you fear me?' He asked.
"The Princess hesitated before nodding, because she feared he would leave her and she would be left alone once again if she did not.
"'Then I am your slave.' He said, drawing her close and kissing her sweetly."
"Did they live happily ever after?"
"No. He had lied, as all men do. He used her cruelly and left her to die with the vermin."
The girl shuddered as the lady began to coax thick tendrils of her hair into a plait, "What a terrible man! Who would do such a thing?!"
The lady smiled tightly, "I'm not sure, dear. It truly is an awful thing to do."
"How could the Princess let herself be tricked like that?"
"Many people do strange things in the name of love."
"It's not fair!"
"Of course it isn't. But some good came of it. After the princess was betrayed in the darkness, she was discovered by someone who truly cared for her."
"Who?"
"The Queen. She gathered her daughter up in her arms and kissed her tears and soothed her heart, as all good mothers do. She told the Princess that there was a King in a faraway land who wanted to meet her and make her his Queen, much as the her father had done for her mother, many years ago. And this King would keep her forever and she would want for nothing."
"Did she?"
The lady smiled kindly, "That is yet to be seen. Now come, we don't want to keep him waiting, love."
The girl blinked lazily, magic slowly working through her mind, "What was the Princess's name?"
"Sera. Her name was Sera."
The girl shook her head, "But that's... That's my name," She slurred.
The Queen smoothed her hands over her forehead and kissed her cheek, "Of course it is, love. If we don't hurry, the man will come back, and you'll never meet your King."
Sera straightened and grabbed the Queen's arm, "Please don't let him find me. He did such horrible things!"
The Queen pulled her "daughter" into a tight hug, "He won't, love. I promise you." She smiled lazily to herself as Sera quivered and sobbed in her arms.
"I won't let him."
oooOOOooo
The transformation from owl to man was fluid as Jareth landed in the heart of the orchard. His cape billowed behind him as he began to stalk through the trees. There was magic here. The thick sort that coated his tongue with bitterness and bad memories.
She was doing the trespassing.
After five minutes of hunting, his search turned up empty handed. He scanned the trees one more time with owl eyes before turning to walk to the great gate that lead to the rest of the Labyrinth. His boot landed on something soft and he almost stumbled.
It was a half-eaten peach.
He began to swear darkly.
I... I can't live... within... you...