Sorry this took me so long. :(
I've been super-busy, super-stressed, and super-irritable lately, and haven't had any time to get any writing done. If I hadn't already had this chapter mostly written down in my notebook, you probably wouldn't be seeing anything from me for another week or three. You see, I've got 13 school days before I graduate, and my grades are the hugest factor in all of it, in that, if I fail even a single class, I will not graduate high school. This is why I tell all my freshmen friends not to fuck around too much, because it's biting me in the ass right now. So I've been busting my ass on extra credit and making my final projects look amazing, because I'm going to need every single last point.
Add into the mix that I've taken on being a team captain for the American Cancer Society's Relay for Life, which puts me in charge of a dozen teenagers who can't keep track of paperwork, requires team meetings, and sacrifices an entire weekend's worth of work, AND a dwindling social life that I'm trying to keep a hold of AND a horrible relationship with my mom that doesn't look like it's getting any better, and I'm pretty much exhausted. I've gotten full nights of sleep for the past few days, from 10 PM - 6:30 AM, and I'm still tired and yawning in the morning, and all day long. I now have three hours in which to work on finals before I'm going to bed, and still, most of that time won't really be spent on finals because my psychotic teachers want most of the work done in class. Right. Thank you.
The good news? My cast is off! My ankle is stiff and weak, but I can still walk, and it's not broken. And I can take showers now rather than baths. I hate baths, so you can imagine my dismay...
Don't know when the next chapter will be posted, especially since my imagination has gotten the summer itchies and I've gotten a hold of several old ideas that I can now totally run with... I think I'll be able to finish this, but at the moment, don't expect another chapter for at least a week. Sorry!
Sarah had recovered from the despair of losing her family before the ball. Jareth claimed that it was because she was so damned busy. She was planning the holiday ball, with the wedding coming in second, and the baby's room as a third. Three months later, she still wasn't showing her pregnancy, but Jareth and the others had been sheltering her already, especially the day of the ball. Almost every guest was suspicious within hours of their arrival at the castle. Finally, Sarah pulled Jareth aside and told him, "If you don't stop babying me, everyone is going to find out. A baby is considered a weakness, isn't it?" She tilted her head at him.
He laughed. "You sound so much like me now," he replied, and kissed her to make her angry look go away. "My excuse is that you have fragile health and have been under a lot of stress lately. It's a sympathy ploy. It may only work on wives, but you know what kind of effect they can have on their husbands." He grinned at her, and she couldn't help but to smile back. He kissed her forehead. "And besides, my precious thing, children are so invaluable to the Underground that most people never dream of harming them." He wrapped his arms around her happily. He had been ecstatic that the only things that he had to do for the ball were approving Sarah's decisions and making a pleasant appearance.
"It's that other group I'm worried about," she mumbled, pressing herself against him. She was dressed in a costume that reminded her of when her mother played Maid Marian in a play about Robin Hood. She pushed away the thought, and inhaled Jareth's scent. She blinked and pulled away to scowl at him. "Why aren't you in your costume?" she demanded.
He held his hands up innocently and replied, "The ball doesn't start for over an hour." He sounded like a protesting child.
An hour later, Sarah stood on Jareth's left side, allowing him to shake hands with the men with his right hand and allowing herself to greet the women with a kiss on the left cheek, the men kissing the back of her left hand. Jareth introduced her as, "My fiancée, Sarah." She noticed the younger, unmarried daughters eying her with distaste as they approached them and while Jareth wasn't looking, but smiling politely as they were greeted.
She tugged on Jareth's arm in between a few of them. He leaned down to off her his ear. "Some of the girls seem jealous of me," she said worriedly.
He nodded and replied, "I know. I'm not surprised... I used to be quite the bachelor." He greeted a new family that was entering. As they walked away, he told her, "Don't accept any food or drink that I don't fetch and hand you myself." She looked up at him, alarmed. He didn't look at her. She chased away the unease and greeted the next group.
After staying attached to Jareth's hip for most of the night, socializing, eating, and dancing, Sarah was getting irritated. She enjoyed herself for the most part, but she had declined several dances with other men due to Jareth's warning and jealousy, and it was bothering her. Perhaps she could make a better impression by dancing and being genial. She thought she was being rude, especially because she danced with Nathan once or twice. Abernathy wasn't happy because her husband, the High King, was nowhere to be found. He was running late, supposedly. Sarah wasn't complaining, she was in no hurry to meet Jareth's father.
As Jareth planted another kiss on her temple, she excused herself from his presence for a breath of fresh air on the outdoor balcony. She had placed chairs outside for that reason, and they were being used thoroughly. She found an empty one and sat down heavily, wishing that she could remove her bodice so that she could breathe. It wasn't nearly as tight as it had been before they discovered that she was pregnant, but it was still tight compared to the t-shirts she was used to in her own world.
She hadn't been there for very long before a small group of girls descended upon her. They sat on either side of her and stood in front of her, blocking all exits and looking jealous and angry with her. She sighed and said, "I don't suppose you're here to congratulate me on my engagement?" sarcastically.
They weren't. The two on either side grabbed her by her arms and heaved her upward. Sarah scratched, kicked and fought, but it was a short walk to the edge of the balcony, where they tossed her over with inhuman strength. She had just enough time to scream, "Jareth!"
Fortunately, she was caught by someone on the front steps of the ballroom. He set her gently to her feet as she began a long-winded apology, brushing herself off. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to -."
The man laughed and said lightly, "A bit early in the night to be jumping from balconies, isn't it?"
"I'm so sorry," she said again.
Jareth, who had come running at the sound of her scream, swung her into his arms. "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Did you fall? What happened?"
She leaned into him and shook her head, greedily taking comfort from his presence. "I'm fine. They threw me, but he caught me." She gestured towards the man, who had been waiting patiently. It suddenly occurred to her that he was wearing a crown. The only other person besides Jareth who was allowed to wear a crown, according to etiquette, was the High King.
"Father!" Jareth said delightedly, his eyes brightening. "Mother was furious that you hadn't been on time." Flabbergasted, Sarah stood straighter. Her cheeks burned a bright magenta color. Jareth turned towards her with an encouraging smile. His hand slipped around her lower back comfortingly and he said proudly, "Father, this is my fiancé, Sarah. Sarah, this is my father, King Zeker."
For a moment, she had to search her memory for the appropriate way to greet a King. Specifically, the High King of the Underground and the only person that her future husband answered to. She settled on a muted curtsy, going for respect and humility. Jareth's hand tightened on her back and she straightened quickly to see what she had done wrong.
The High King and Jareth were both laughing at her with teasing looks in their eyes. She scowled. "What? What did I do wrong?" she asked indignantly.
"I should have specifically prepared you, Sarah, I apologize," Jareth said and kissed her temple softly. The High King took her hand and laid a soft kiss upon her knuckles. "Regardless of his being the High King of the Underground, he is currently a guest in my land, where my lady has more power and demands more respect," Jareth explained in her ear. He bit it lightly and his father pulled away as if he had sensed it. Sarah shivered.
She recovered well though and told Zeker, "I'm sorry. I'm new at all of this political etiquette stuff." She frowned, embarrassed by her faux pas.
The High King shrugged his shoulders and replied, "It's all very confusing, I know. I still have to make sure my queen behaves herself... She hasn't caused any trouble yet, has she?" he asked suspiciously.
Jareth shook his head. "No, she's been a help to both Sarah and myself. She may have been around the wine tonight though," he murmured, and looked around for a sign of her. A thought struck him and looked down at his father, "What do I have you standing outside for? Come inside, enjoy yourself." He led the way, placing his arm around Sarah's. He leaned into her and asked, "Can you point out the girls that threw you?" He kept his face and body language pleasant, but his voice was murderous.
She scowled. "They're just jealous, Jareth," she protested.
Growling, he replied, "They endangered your life and subsequently the life of our child, Sarah. I will not tolerate it." He stopped and pointed out his mother to his father, who was receiving multiple bows, greetings, and respects.
"It will blow over. We're not going to see them again for awhile, and by then, they'll give up." She put her arms around him as if to contain his anger.
He snapped at her, "No! They will not give up because if you are dead, I will be eligible again, regardless of children. I must make it clear right now that you are not to be fooled with." He folded his arms around her. "You must understand, Sarah, love. I could tattle on them to their respective parents or guardians, but they would like their daughters to be queen as much as they would like to be queen themselves, and they would not be disciplined. I have to do something about this. I don't want to lose you, Sarah." He kissed her done-up hair. "I wouldn't be able to stand it. Not again."
Sarah understood. "Don't kill them," she said sternly, as her only condition.
Grinning, he replied, "Oh, I won't. I have a much better plan. Just point them out, won't you?" Sarah did. Jareth waved in a few guards and whispered their instructions to them. Sarah watched as each girl was escorted civilly out of the party. He turned to her and said, "Now I will leave you with two women I actually trust." He led her further into the ballroom, and approached a pair o girls who looked exactly identical, down to the freckles on their faces. "Sarah, this is Tabitha and Ophelia. They're my nieces, so you needn't worry about jealous rages." he turned to the girls and said, "Girls, this is my fiancée, Sarah. Keep an eye on her while I attend to some business, won't you?"
They answered together, "Of course!" The chime of their voices at once made somewhat of an echo. It was eerie. At least they didn't dress to match, though they could probably trade clothing.
Jareth gave her a tender kiss and said, "I'll be back before you miss me." He squeezed her shoulders.
"I always miss you the moment you're gone," she told him.
He laughed and said, "I love you," quietly before he turned away and disappeared into the crowd.
Sarah turned towards the twins with a smile that was brighter than she felt. "So," she said happily, "where are you from?"