Sarah took a deep breath as she closed her eyes and felt the weight of the diadem upon her head; her stomach rolled as she took another breath calm her nerves that had bothering her the past few days. Now she was in the middle of her coronation ceremony trying to stop herself for vomiting in front of the crowd of dignitaries and courtiers. She felt Jareth hand on her shoulder signalling her to rise; she swallowed hard and rose gracefully as she could. She must have been pale as she saw a look of concern upon his face. He led her to her throne and held her arm as she sat down as she tried not to scratch at her arms that seemed to be on fire. What was happening to her?
She raced towards the nearest privy as soon as the door shut behind them; not caring that he followed her as her stomach emptied itself. Her body shook from the shock of the upheaval; as she wiped her mouth with a handkerchief he handed her.
"You are not well," Jareth stated plainly, turned her head and gave him a look of disbelief.
"Wow, how observant," Sarah rolled her eyes as she felt her stomach roll once more. "It has to be something I ate; I have eaten that strange fried cake thing at the luncheon today."
"Fish," he said simply. "They blasted servants must have mixed up the plates!" His voice rose as he identified the problem. "It's a miracle they didn't send you into shock."
"It won't kill me Jareth," Sarah informed him as he was overreacting. "It just makes me do this," she told him as she bent over the bowl once more as she felt her stomach revolt once more but nothing came up. "How much time do we have before the party?" She asked him.
"A few hours, how about we take you to get some rest, and I will explain what happened and figure out what happened to everyone who needs to know," Jareth answered her as he looked to his pocket watch before tucking it away in his pocket of his dark-blue long jacket. He offered his hand and helped her stand up; picking her up as she wobbled on her legs.
Aida was summoned, and she helped Sarah out of her court dress of long robes and a princess style gown underneath. Thankful for the weight to be off her body and her corset tossed aside as she slipped into the bed in her undergarments, noticing clusters of red bumps on her skin that were begging to be scratched.
But the time Jareth arrived back with a small vial from the apothecary she was frustrated from the itching pain. "It should calm your stomach and whatever else you are experiencing." He took in her scratch marks from her fingernails and went to the vanity and picked up some lotion.
Sarah nodded and drank the vial grimacing at the taste of the herbs mixed together with a mulled wine. "I always wondered what would happen if I ate seafood again after all these years. I seemed to have forgotten those symptoms." She spoke as he rubbed the lotion on her arms.
"Rest, All you need to do tonight is to be presented and make it through one dance, if you retire early it won't be too much of an issue." Jareth spoke as he shed his jacket and waistcoat. "They, most likely will assume you are pregnant."
"Urge doesn't remind me; that has to be coming up soon," Sarah made a face as quickly counted the days on her fingers; pausing as she recounted. She looked up once to Jareth with fear in her eyes; who looked at her sharply, making her miss count once more.
"It's been longer than usual," he concluded for her. After seven months of marriage, he knew well enough of her cycle; he got used to the dark bed sheets days. "You've been drinking the tea? You haven't forgotten?"
"It's only a few days later than usual and with the stress of the Coronation, it's most likely nothing." Sarah told him, actually it was a week overdue, but it wasn't an exact science it came when it came. "I've missed months before we got married, I'm sure it's fine."
"Very well, get some rest I will be in the study if you need me." Jareth nodded and kissed her forehead and tucked into the bed before he left the room.
Sarah laid back on the pillows, trying to ignore what they just talked about; not wanting to think it may be anything more than an allergic reaction and stress. "Yes, that is all it is." She told herself as she hesitantly ran a hand over her lower stomach. She shook her head, no it wasn't that; the tea seemed to work perfectly the months before. It had to be the stress taking a toll on her body.
Jareth sat down at his desk finding new correspondence from Leda. He skimmed over as she spoke about some of her newer girls and how the business was. What surprised him was that one higher standing ladies was with a child, and wanting to settle down to leave the business. The fourth one in the past two months, then again, she ran a brothel if was a side effect of the job.
He looked up and look at the clock; he crept back into the bedroom and found Sarah fast asleep. He quickly changed into his owl form and took out the window; it wasn't a long flight and found himself knocking on the door of the brothel.
"I need to speak with Leda, urgently." He told the lady attendant who nodded without looking at him in the eye and brought him into the sitting room.
"Well Jareth, this is a pleasant surprise on Coronation day of your Queen." She smiled.
"This isn't a social call; it's business. Your last letter you mentioned that a bunch of you girls were pregnant?"
"Yes? Don't worry dearest, it's not like any are yours." She told him with a wistful smile and a light laugh. "But I believe you knew that, so what can I help you with today?" She asked, sitting down gracefully in a chair and motioned for Jareth to do the same.
Jareth followed suit and lounging in the chair with one leg over his knee "Sarah is late, and according to her, it could be just be the stress. However, if four of you girls have become recently pregnant, and they all drink the same tea that you supply." Jareth got straight to the point.
"You think someone tampered with my mix?" Leda looked at him curiously and stood up and went over to her cabinet and pulled out a few tins. He watched her smile and go through them in her hand, "It all seems to be normal. One moment," she told him and left the room, leaving him sitting there for a good five minutes as she came back with two different tins and repeated the process.
Her brow furrowed as she rubbed the leaves between her fingers and watched them break apart. She tasted the broken leaves. "Burnt?" She murmured. "Does Sarah put sugar in her tea?" She asked him.
"Usually yes," Jareth nodded his head.
"The leaves must have been burnt while drying them out; it would be hard to taste the difference with the sugar in the tea. Nevertheless, burnt leaves could, in essence, render the tea ineffective." Leda sighed and sat down. "I am so sorry Jareth,"
"It's not your fault Lee; you were merely doing me a favour by giving me the tea. I know you would never intentionally try to sabotage your own tea." Jareth reassured his friend; he trusted her with his life. It wasn't in her character to do something like this, let alone to another woman.
"What will you tell Sarah?" She asked him curiously.
"I will wait and see if her courses come or not, no need to cause a panic if there is no reason." Jareth retorted after a moment. "She said herself that sometimes they came late."
"I will give you a new batch of tea," Leda offered straight away.
"Thank you, I must get back before I am missed. I left her sleeping after a reaction to some seafood that was mistakenly given to her." Jareth explained as stand up. "I am hoping she will be well enough by the evening; she had a reaction to some seafood she was given accidentally; I am quite surprised she didn't end up being sick on the dais."
Leda nodded and stood, walking him to the door and kissed him on the cheek. "Poor Girl, I hope she is well enough for tonight, and I hope things turn towards the direction that you are wishing for."
Sarah could feel the eyes on her as she tried to pay attention to the party around her. Her dress was deep red and made of velvet with golden embroidery on the neckline. Working with the velvet to create pleats and drapes for visual interest on the bodice of the gown. She was also thankful for the long sleeves that covered up most of the red spots that still showed on her skin. She woke up feeling slightly better; though still had a queasy feeling at the pit of her stomach. She was determined to make it through the night, though. Despite the multiple times, she has been asked who designed her dress, how many similar dresses had she seen of her own gowns that she had worn in public. She sipped her wine and chuckled as she wondered what would happen if the ladies saw her in her trousers. She ran a hand over the curve of her hips, going for a slimmer silhouette that followed the curve of her hips and flared out at her knees than a large skirt.
She felt Jareth look at her sharply at her chuckle. "It's nothing, just noticing that there are a lot of copies of my dresses here. I know they say that imitation is a form of flattery, but I just pictured their faces if they saw me in training gear."
"I am sure their jaws would be on the floor," Jareth nodded to her, but his mind still seemed elsewhere. He was worried she felt that the most. Even despite him trying to keep it away from her. Then again, she was just as worried.
"Come and dance," Sarah took his hand, looking for a distraction for the current situation that owned their minds. They fell into the steps with the natural rhythm they possessed as he pulled her close to him; the waltz, slow and meticulous as he led her through the dance. Too worried to mask whatever emotions that came from the dance they shared, their guest sighed happily at the king and Queen. It nearly looked like the King and Queen were in their own personal bubble, which was partly true. They were in their own bubble, just in different bubbles from each other.
Sarah was dressing for her first council meeting as she grinned as she button herself in a more feminine version of the jacket that Jareth wore to the council. Lace and gold threads adorned the cuffs and around the collar, the bottom of her long black natural form skirt. A flowing white shirt, blazed out of the front with a modest neckline.
"Whatever ever in the world are you wearing?" Jareth's voice boomed behind her.
"I took inspiration from your robes," Sarah smirked at his dropped jaw. "I almost made a pair of trousers, but I thought it may be soon for the council."
"Most definitely," Jareth nodded his head. "Please, Precious promise me to just observe today: I am used to headstrong ideas. However, they are not and I do not wish to frighten them on your first council."
"Where is the fun in that?" She pouted in disappointment, as she rubbed her lower back. "All I wanted to ask for approval for mandatory attendance for girls in the local schools. Half of the young girls are kept at home once they reach the age of ten, to learn how to catch a husband and help their mother with younger children. There is it more to life than learning how to run a household and husbands."
"Sarah-" he warned her with a drawl.
"Don't worry, I will be a good little Queen for today," Sarah rolled her eyes as her tone went more clipped as she clutched the vanity table.
"You should be in bed," Jareth's face softened.
"I'm bleeding, not dying," Sarah shot him daggers in her eyes. She took a deep breath and straightened up. She had never been happier getting her cycle the night before, but now the relief was wearing off. "I'm not going to miss council because of my body's normal functions."
"You skip training and laze about most of the time," Jareth gave her a look and refused to accept her excuse. " I also have never seen you in this much pain.' His voice low, as he watched the pain come across her face once more. "I'm going to the midwife," he informed her and when she went to protest he stopped her raising his hand for her to be quiet. "Stop being so hard headed and admit that this isn't normal."
Sarah gritted her teeth, but she knew he was right; they had been waiting days when she finally started to bleed, she did a small jig. Though what started off normal turned into something that wasn't ordinary; they both knew what was happening, but neither wanting to admit it to each other.
She removed her jacket and skirt, frowning at the need for a fresh rag already as she headed towards the privy with a new one in hand. Tossing the old one into the bucket of cold water, watching the water grow brighter, from the previous ones. Maybe it was time to worry that this was less than normal.
Jareth came back with the midwife shortly after who promptly kicked him out of the room telling him this was no place for a man and helped Sarah out of the rest of her clothing. She went through a series of questions from the days of her last cycle, to more personal questions that made her blush.
"You drink the tea?" She looked at Sarah. "I am not going to shame you for it dear. I just need to know what the circumstances are."
Sarah nodded shyly.
"I had a few girls come to me; it seems that there has been a bad batch going around." The midwife talked as she examined Sarah. "I assume His Grace knows about this? Or is this a secret?"
"It was at his offer," Sarah spoke quietly. "Which I took, but he never said it may not work."
"The Tea is generally effective, but occasionally a woman will fall pregnant while using it. It's nothing you have done. It's not your fault; just as this is not your fault." The midwife explained simply.
"I was pregnant?" Sarah asked after a moment.
"Yes, just a few weeks, It was quite early still you mostly wouldn't have known or another few weeks." The midwife patted her hand. "Stay in bed few days and recover; it will take a few weeks to go back to normal. I don't think this will affect you in the least; you are young and seem to be a strong girl. Continue with the tea, it won't harm you in the least as you recover; nevertheless, remember no bedroom activities until you stopped bleeding for at least a week."
Sarah nodded, still processing the information that she had been given. Lord, she had already failed at the one main duty as a Queen. She didn't even want to have a child yet. She didn't even know how she was supposed to feel; was she supposed to cry and have a pity party for a child she didn't even know existed or even wanted until she was told it was too late?
She heard Jareth enter the room once more; the midwife must have told him as she felt the waves of grief, and sadness hit her. She felt his arm round her shoulder as he settled on the bed beside her. Neither spoke nor looked at each other, neither thought that being told you lost a child whom you just learned about in the same sentence would hit you that hard.
He must have thought ahead as he placed a notebook and some of her pencils on her lap. Something to keep her occupied, she guessed as she flipped to a new page and took a pencil.
"You should get to council," she said quietly. "I'll be fine alone for a while."
"I sent them word that I will not be there," Jareth shook his head at her, looking down at the sheet of paper and seeing how a face was already being drawn out. A small cherubic face with big eyes and rosebud mouth; a general mix, his and her own features. "There'll be others, Sarah."
"I know; it's just strange to miss something you didn't know you had." She answered him quietly, as a tear fell upon the paper. Her resolve cracking as he pulled her closer to him; she let out the anguish that was swirling inside her soaking through his shirt.
So I was in a weird mood writing this. I wanted to at least get to the coronation before jumping ahead, and then it morphed into this sad moment. So sorry
Anyway the weird moods are from me and hubby gearing up to negotiate about summer visitation with his 12-year-old daughter as they live 18 hours away. I am usually asked to stay behind because she can remarry and her husband is the new daddy, but God forbid my stepdaughter to know her actual father's wife. However, enough of that pity party, it's too long of a story anyway.
And anyone who actually reads these.
Check out this band called July Talk. They are Canadian and from Toronto and oh my goodness that man's voice is amazing and slightly Cookie Monster ish. They are an indie/alternative rock band.
Thank you all for reviewing they are always a pleasure to read!
Tina.