Chapter 14: The Sylvan King
The Goblin King let out a giant yawn as he stretched and stood from his silk laden bed. The muscles forming his bare sinewy chest shifted under his skin in the sunlight streaming in the large open eastward facing window. Moving leisurely, he made his way to the bathing room where he washed up and brushed his teeth before going back out to stand in front of his closet. He placed a hand under his chin in thought, staring at the different options before him. After a couple of minutes, he smiled and waved a hand, magically dressing himself in the outfit he'd chosen, khaki leggings, a white poet's shirt, an ice blue vest with gold trim, and brown leather boots that went well with the long golden cloak draped about his shoulders.
With a flourish, he disappeared from his bedchamber and reappeared in his office where he left a note for his scribe saying that he would be taking the day to visit the Sylvan King. There was nothing important planned for the day anyway, so he seriously doubted Lord Cumberland would object a visit to a neighboring kingdom, even if he did leave behind his usual retinue.
Finished with the necessities, he moved toward the window and opened it to the bright new day before hopping up onto the ledge then shifting to his owl form, spreading his wings, and taking flight to the west towards the boarder between his kingdom and the Sylvan King's. The journey took nearly three quarters of an hour, and the fae could've simply used teleportation to get to the cabin quicker, but he preferred flight because it allowed him time to think. However he had not reached any conclusions on Sarah's situation by the time he reached the cabin, so he mentally put the matter away for the moment and focused on the small cabin before him that was bathed in the early morning dappled light.
Leaves and forest debris crunched beneath his boots as he walked forward to knock on the door. When there was no reply, Jareth quietly opened the door himself and peeked in. On the floor before the fireplace was his Sarah, snuggled into the beast, Ludo's, massive amounts of fur. Her chest rose and fell in the slow deep breaths of one who is content and without care. Though he suspected that wouldn't be the case once he woke her. "Your Majesty," a high thin voice said near his knees.
Jareth looked down to see Sir Didymus bowing low. "As you were, good knight."
The small fox rose and backed up a few steps in deference. "My liege, I have stayed awake this long night to guard my lady. With your leave though, I shall retire."
"Sir Didymus," Jareth addressed the fox. "It was not required of you to exhaust yourself. Though I am thankful for the measures you've taken to protect Sarah. When I return tonight, I shall put into place some defensive spells so you may sleep at night."
"I thank thee, sire." The knight bowed low and turned towards the fireplace where he circled three times before settling down onto a corner of the blanket that'd been lain out.
The King smiled and moved toward his lady. She had not stirred and was still resting peacefully against the beast who was snoring loudly enough Jareth was surprised it hadn't woken her. He crouched down beside her, his leather boots creaking with the movement, and leaned forward to press his lips gently against hers. The action was oddly familiar, but the thought ceased to exist as Sarah smiled and stretched. Her eyes blinked open owlishly and her smile widened at the sight of him. "Good morning," her voice was rough with sleep, and Jareth found that he quite liked it.
"Good morning, precious. I'm guessing you didn't go to sleep until late last night?"
Sarah nodded then shook her head. "Actually it was early this morning."
A low chuckle escaped the king's throat and he held out a hand to help her up, of which she gratefully took. She stumbled slightly as she got to her feet, but he caught and steadied her. "Thanks," she mumbled.
He merely replied with a smile. "Come, lets get some food into you," he commented and led her towards the kitchen.
"Mmm… after I wake up a little," she mumbled and made her way towards the washroom. Jareth smiled and made his way into the kitchen to start breakfast while Sarah washed up and straightened her appearance.
Upon entering the kitchen, Sarah was thoroughly impressed with Jareth's skills as a chef once again. Ham and cheese omelets were laid out along with fried potato slices and toast. After they were both done eating, Sarah turned to Jareth and watched as he sipped at the last of his tea. "So what are we going to do today?"
"I'm going to introduce you to your host. The Sylvan King is ruler over these woods and I have yet to thank him for allowing me use of this cabin."
Sarah looked hesitant, her lips were pressed together and her eyes had adopted a worried expression. "What about what you told me about most of the Underground being prejudice against humans? I don't want to cause discontent between your two kingdoms."
The blond monarch chuckled again. "No, my dear. You have nothing to fear. The Sylvan King is quite open-minded. His subjects are like mine; they aren't from any one race, but a variety. He has elves, centaurs, and unicorns under his rule, just to name a few sentient races."
"Oh… well that's good I suppose," she said, not sure of how to react to learning that elves, centaurs, and unicorns actually existed.
"Yes, though we need to walk a little bit first because there is a charm around this area that doesn't allow for transportation spells."
Sarah looked down at her pajamas that she'd been wearing since her arrival to the Underground then looked skeptically back up at him. "Any chance I could get a wardrobe change?"
"Hmm… yes, because that certainly won't do for a royal visit." His tone indicated that there might be something else it would be good for and she felt her cheeks redden at the thought. He placed one fist under his chin and looked her up and down thoroughly a few times before snapping his fingers and exclaiming, "I've got it!"
With that both of his gloved hands came to rest on her shoulders and he closed his eyes. Sarah stared in wonder as golden shimmers swept down her body from shoulder to toe. In their wake, her pajamas were changing into something new… something grand and elegant. When he'd finished, Jareth let his hands drop then stepped backwards to examine his work. Sarah was now dressed in an ice blue dress with a split down the middle of the skirt that allowed one to see the white underskirts. Golden thread formed intricate designs along the long sleeves, the edges of the skirt, and the bodice. A golden mantle with white ermine trim covered her shoulders and she could see the toes of brown leather boots peeking out from under her skirt. She smiled when she looked back up at him, noting as she did so that her hair was also pulled back. "You made us match," she commented.
He shrugged, but did not reply, and instead smiled as he took her arm in his and led her out the door. Outside, winter was prevalent. A light blanket of snow lay on the ground, covering autumn's debris. Jareth led Sarah carefully between the trees, maneuvering so they avoided the patches of ice and deeper drifts of snow. Small puffs of fog drifted from their mouths as they meandered under the naked boughs, their boots leaving indents in the white carpet that would be filled by the end of the day by the lazily drifting snowflakes. Sarah shivered and drew her mantle tighter about herself.
She didn't want to complain, because she really was enjoying the quite walk through the forest with the Goblin King, but the cold was starting to make the ends of her fingers go numb. She attempted to discretely tuck them under her arms, but Jareth noticed and stopped suddenly, making Sarah halt too since their arms were interlocked. "Forgive me, Sarah, I forgot how prone humans are to the cold," he commented and gently took her hands in his warm gloved ones, rubbing them a bit before bringing them to his mouth and kissing her knuckles.
"You don't get cold?" she asked, moving closer to him as he continued to warm her hands.
"Yes, but not as easily as you. It's a talent of mine."
"What, keeping warm?" she laughed.
He chuckled with her. "No, I wouldn't have expected you to notice given the amount of fae you've met, but every fae has a special talent. My talent allows me to control the environment around me including making things more winterly, so I simply don't notice the cold as much as you."
Sarah stared at him for a moment then began to snicker. "Is that a word? Winterly?"
Jareth smirked, "Well if it wasn't before, it is now. I just invented it."
"Oh aren't we all high and mighty?"
"William Shakespeare is credited with inventing hundreds of words in the English language. Why can I not invent one?"
"Oh fine, I'll give you that one!" she conceded. "Winterly is now a word, your winterly Majesty." She gave a short curtsy.
The corners of his mouth twitched up even though he was trying to remain indignant. "Thank you. Now, I do believe we've traveled far enough that I can transport us the rest of the way."
"That would be greatly appreciated, Sire, seeing as I think my toes are frozen."
"Well then," he bent closer to her until his mouth was right next to her ear. "Hold tight." He whispered and gripped her tightly before performing the transportation spell to bring them into the welcoming hall of the Sylvan King.
Jareth released his hold on Sarah, but couldn't draw back due to her tight hold on his biceps. He grimaced at the pincer-like grip and gently took hold of her wrists. "You can let go now, love."
Sarah slowly loosened her grip as she opened her eyes. Her burnt sienna orbs widened as she took in her surroundings and Jareth smiled at her wonder. Her eyes darted around trying to take in the magnificent white birch walls that were so smooth, they almost looked like stone except that Sarah could see the grain of the wood under the lacquer. Intricate carvings of small woodland animals wove their way over the inset panels. There were no paintings along the walls; covering the carvings would have been a crime, so instead the hallway held actual living trees that burst from the floor to soar up into the heights of the buttressed ceiling. Tall narrow windows let in sunlight. The entire effect reminded Sarah of a gothic cathedral with trees. "Wow…" she muttered.
"Indeed, I'm glad you approve of my home, my Lady," a deep articulate voice commented.
Sarah spun her head back down so fast she got a crick in her neck. She grimaced slightly, but pushed the pain away as she studied this new fae before her. He was of medium height, probably not much taller than herself, and wore earthy tones that were neither elegant nor sophisticated, but still spoke of his position and enhanced his attributes pleasantly. His long dark brown hair fell just past his shoulders and a silver woven circlet rested on his brow. It was the only indication of status visible on the fae. Sarah found herself comparing him to Elrond from J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings. She smiled slightly at the realization. "It's quite beautiful, my lord," she replied to his comment. "You're craftsmen are to be congratulated on their fine workmanship."
He smiled as he looked her over. "And they say humans are blind to our world's wonders." He turned to Jareth. "You have a delightful fiancée, Goblin King."
"Thank you, Lord Olseth. However I would prefer to keep that as quiet as possible for reasons I'm sure you understand."
"Of course, of course. Well at least let me welcome you into my home properly." He gave a short bow to them both and stepped forward to take Sarah's hand and brush it with his lips. "Allow me to lead you to my private parlor," he said and turned to lead them down the hall.
Sarah glanced over at Jareth to see him smiling, one eyebrow raised. He glanced back at her before offering her his arm and following Lord Olseth. The corridors they walked through were nothing less than magnificent, and Sarah was quite glad to have Jareth to lead her for her head swiveled back and forth trying to see it all at once. She felt as though she were in a fairytale; but then, she reminded herself, she kind of was in a fairytale. The entire Underground was one big fairytale.
It didn't take long before Lord Olseth was ushering them into a warm spacious parlor room. Jareth and Sarah took seats on a small sofa as Lord Olseth poured a hot drink into crystal mugs. He handed one each to his visitors before serving himself and sitting on a matching short sofa across from them. "A special blend of tea my grandmother used to make for us on cold days," he said before sipping at the steaming mug.
Sarah took a sip as well; a sweet mixture of honey and lemon filled her senses and warmth spread through her body all the way to her chilled extremities when she swallowed. "It's delicious," she complimented.
The Sylvan King nodded, a pleased grin on his face. "So what brings you to my hall, Goblin King?" he addressed Jareth.
"I wished to express my thanks for allowing Sarah to stay in the cabin on the outskirts of your kingdom."
"Yes, well I figured I had best give my permission because you would've used it anyway." The Goblin monarch shrugged as though to say, 'true'. "Do you find the cabin meets your needs, Lady Sarah?"
"Well, I've only been there a day, but yes, so far it is wonderful. Thank you." The dark haired fae nodded and took another sip of his tea. "I hope I'm not putting you out though?" she asked.
"No, of course not. The cabin is a kind of retreat for me, but I only use it during the summer."
"Hmm, well with any luck I won't need it that long, your majesty."
"You're welcome to it for as long as you need it, my dear."
Sarah blushed and nodded. "Thank you."
They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes until the Sylvan King broke it. "What's troubling you, my boy?" he asked of Jareth.
Jareth glanced up at him before sighing and continuing to idly stroke the handle on his mug. "I'm sorry, Lord Olseth. My mind has been preoccupied of late."
"Well get it out, lad." He made a motion with his hand indicating for the Goblin King to continue.
Jareth glanced over at Sarah once before answering. "I've been trying to come up with a way to allow Sarah to visit her family, if not permanently, at least temporarily without any side-effects from lack of a magical atmosphere."
Lord Olseth furrowed his brow and glanced over at Sarah as well. The girl was surprised at the Goblin King's ponderings and was giving him a look that Lord Olseth thought might be grateful. "There is something..." he muttered. "I read it a long time ago while doing research for one thing or another." He concentrated, trying to visualize where he'd read it, but all that was coming to him was the image of his personal library. "I'll need to find it again, but it mentioned a way to travel to a non-magical environment for an individual who needs magical support."
Jareth was now sitting on the edge of his seat, mug clenched tightly with one gloved hand. "Lord Olseth, we would be in your debt if you could find that information or point us to where it can be found."
"I'm sorry, my boy, but the only thing I can remember about it at the moment is that it's located somewhere in my personal library."
"So lets go look," Sarah spoke up, a hopeful look on her face. After all, how big could a personal library be?
Lord Olseth grimaced slightly, but nodded and rose without comment. "This way," he said before leading them out of the parlor and down the hall a ways to a door inset with an intricately carved oak tree. He opened the door and ushered them through before following.
Sarah's mouth fell open at the sight of the library before her. It was a two-story affair with walk-ways going around the second story of shelves, a spiral staircase sat in the corner to get to the upper level, a few shelves formed a small maze on the main floor, and a reading area was set off to the side near a fireplace that was crackling merrily. "Holy smokes…" she muttered. "This is a personal library?"
A low chuckle escaped Lord Olseth's lips despite the daunting task before them. "I've been alive for many centuries, my dear. I've had a lot of time to read and collect literature." He moved toward the spiral staircase, Sarah and Jareth trailing behind him, the former still gawking at the expansive collection. "Now," the Sylvan King started as he reached the second level. "My best guess as to the whereabouts of what we're looking for would be somewhere up here. This level is completely non-fiction and reference books."
"Well that cuts it down by forty percent at least," Sarah noted.
"Yes, but there's still a lot to sift through, journals, biographies, court notes, social criticism, political commentary, not to mention the multiple editions of reference books."
The Goblin King grumbled a little, but gestured to the long wall of books and muttered, "Best we get started then."
The first few hours of the hunt went swiftly and Sarah searched through each volume of Times of War and Peace: A Historical Guide to the Underground with enthusiasm despite the dry reading. She was limited in how she could help because of the simple fact that not everything was written in English, however she did what she could while Jareth poured over a magical guide written in the elegantly flowing script of the fae. Lord Olseth had helped at first, trying to remember where he'd seen the reference, but had been called away, leaving only Sarah and Jareth to take on the mountain of literature.
It was getting on toward dusk when the Goblin King finally closed the book he was working through with a soft thump. "I think we need to call it a night, Sarah."
The brunette glanced up at his weary face. "But there's still so much to look through."
"We've made a start, a small dent, but you can't think that we'd find it right away?"
"Well… no, but I can hope…" she turned her face away from him back to the large reference book under her nose, but did not start reading again.
Jareth smiled as he rose from his seat and walked around the table to her. He placed his hands on her shoulders and bent down to kiss the top of her head. "Never stop hoping, Sarah. We'll find it."
"But what if it turns out to be a dead end? What if it doesn't help us at all?" she muttered.
"It will help us. Have faith in the Sylvan King. If he believes it will help, then it will."
Sarah turned in her chair to face the blond fae. "I've been wondering," she started. "You seem very fond and trusting of Lord Olseth. Do you know him well?"
Jareth smiled and nodded. "The Sylvan King was and continues to be a mentor to me. When I ascended the Goblin throne, I was alone. My parents have always been indifferent and too self-absorbed to care much about me. I met Lord Olseth after a trying day with the goblins while I was flying. He had taken the form of a golden eagle and forced me to ground before changing back and berating me for allowing my goblins to run rampant between the boarders of our kingdoms and terrifying his subjects. It took several tries, and much lost pride, but I finally managed to explain to him that I had no control over my subjects." Jareth shrugged here. "He took pity on me and took me under his wing. The rest, as you humans say, is history."
Sarah absorbed all of this with grace. She had a feeling that Jareth had never told anyone this and that telling her now was a mark of just how much he trusted her. "I'm sorry… about your parents, I mean."
He waved a hand nonchalantly. "It doesn't matter. I learned long ago that I don't need their approval." He held out a hand to her to help her up from her chair. "Now, it's past dusk and we still have a bit of a walk."
Sarah groaned, "Fine…"
At that moment though the door to the library opened and a plump woman with dark hair pulled back in a long plait entered. She wore loose robes of emerald over a buttercup yellow empire waist dress. A silver woven circlet, similar to, but more delicate than Lord Olseth's, rested on her brow. "Jareth!" she called out in a bell-like voice.
The Goblin King's face changed from surprise to amusement at the sudden entrance of the woman. "Dearest Athena, I thought you were visiting the dwarves."
She waved him off. "I was, but they absolutely refuse to listen to reason and so I have returned to seek council from my husband, and low and behold that I find my nephew has come and was about to leave without saying goodbye to me!"
Jareth laughed and strode forward to embrace the motherly woman before him. When they'd pulled apart he turned and gestured toward Sarah. "My dear Aunt, I would like to introduce you to Sarah. Sarah, this is my Aunt Athena. Well, she's not a blood relative, but she insists on my calling her family," he joked. "She is Lord Olseth's wife and the Sylvan Queen."
"A pleasure to meet you, your majesty," Sarah rose from her seat and gave a small curtsey to the woman.
"Oh none of that," she insisted and instead rushed forward to embrace the younger woman in a fierce hug. "So this is the girl who's turned my nephew into a proper gentleman?" she asked as she pulled away, but left her hands on Sarah's shoulders.
"Well, I don't know about being a gentleman…" Sarah smiled.
"Oh, my dear, if you'd known him one hundred years ago, you'd think the same as I. He's grown so much since meeting you."
Sarah blushed and Jareth gave a loud snort of indignity. Athena turned to face him. "It's true, my dear, argue it all you want…"
The older fae dropped her hands from Sarah's shoulders and propped them on her waist. "Now, what are you doing in my husband's old stuffy library?"
"Looking for a needle in a haystack," Sarah mumbled.
Jareth chuckled and rubbed Sarah's lower back in reassurance, but Athena frowned, not understanding the reference. "We're looking for an obscure passage that Lord Olseth insists he read in here. It may help Sarah return to the Aboveground," the Goblin King explained.
A sympathetic look entered Athena's eyes. "Been exposed to too much magic?" she asked understanding immediately.
Jareth nodded. "However it's grown late and I need to be returning to the Goblin City."
"And where is Sarah staying? Surely not under Lord Cumberland's nose?"
"No, no… of course not. She's staying on the edge of your kingdom in your husband's retreat cabin."
Athena raised an eyebrow and frowned. "I think we can do better than that, my dear nephew."
"Aunt?"
The elder fae turned to address the now slightly sleepy Sarah. "My dear, what would you think of staying here in the Sylvan Castle?"
Sarah glanced back at Jareth who looked neutral to the idea. "If it wouldn't be too much trouble?"
"Of course not! We'll set you up in a proper guest room."
"That would be great," Sarah smiled.
Jareth remained impassive though. "You're sure, dear Aunt, that her presence will not be known? There are spies everywhere."
"Lord Cumberland's spies have not breached our inner court. They remain on the outer circle of things and only seek to know our thoughts and words about you as you well know. Only our most trusted staff are allowed in the living quarters of the castle." She chastised him as though he should know this.
"Forgive me. I'm merely concerned for Sarah's well-being."
Athena regarded him for a moment before nodding once. "You'd best be off then if you want to keep your kingdom, my dear."
Jareth gave her an appreciative smile then turned to Sarah, raising a hand to gently card his fingers through her hair. "I'll return tomorrow in the afternoon after grievances."
Sarah nodded, not taking her eyes from his. Her hand rose to still his as it came to rest on her cheek. "Be careful," she requested.
"Of course, my love." He bent forward to kiss her chastely, a simple meeting of lips before pulling back and, with apparent difficulty judging by the expression on his face, disappearing in a swirl of glitter.
Sarah remained still, watching as the last bits of glitter fell to the flagstone floor. "Come, my dear," Lady Athena broke the silence. "I'll show you to your room."
Sighing in resignation, the brunette turned to follow the golden haired fae who looked remarkably like the goddess she was named for. Perhaps now that she was staying at the Sylvan Castle, she could continue the hunt in the library later tonight.
o O o O o O o
A/N: I can't say how sorry I am for how long it took me to get this out. The only excuse I have is that August was really busy for me and between work and the plot bunnies leaving for vacation, it just took an extraordinary amount of time to get this chapter written. I'm not even sure I can guarantee that my pace will pick up, but I can promise to try to get chapter 15 out before Christmas! lol… sorry. No really, I'll try to pick up the pace, but no guarantees because it's the busy time at work from now through January what with hunting seasons starting and then Christmas.
Anyway, thanks for sticking with me. I appreciate all of my readers and reviewers enormously! I'd send you all cookies, but I'm afraid the postage would be a bit steep… lol
Oh! One last addendum! I've had a Twitter for a long time, but haven't really started using it till now. I figured out how to tweet from my phone so I actually update it at least once a day. If you're interested in following and finding out what I'm doing instead of writing... *cough* look me up. I'm (at)IsmiraDaugene.
Labyrinth (c) Jim Henson & Co.