I'm kind of proud of this chapter. It was hard to start at first, BUT the moment I started writing it, it just basically wrote itself! That happens to be my favorite thing about writing, sometimes the story writes itself.
Excentricaluli- Thanks, I'm glad to be back. :)
Honoria Granger- Lol, I think I would be extremely upset if ANYONE treated Kate like that! I love her. She's AMAZING! And I do believe Jareth would have been a WONDERFUL name for the future king. Too bad they didn't use it! :/
not written- Is Jareth ever really fair? Lol, but thank you. Hope you like this chapter!
Xepher06- Jareth has crazy mood swings! One day he's nice, the next he's horrible. Maybe one day he will have a happy medium. I think Sandra might get a happy ending.
Nim Tophatz- I know, I wanted to portray him that way! I felt like it made the story more interesting. :)
Well, I hope you all like this chapter. It's a bit longer than the last ones. I'm going to get started on the next chapter seeing as how I have no work for two weeks, I might be able to get up a couple of chapters! Which would be nice.
Enjoy! ;)
How could Jareth do this? How could he lock her back in the tower? Jareth obviously didn't understand what a marriage was. No matter how many times he said that he did, he didn't. Sarah had been festering in the tower for a day now. It could have been more. She didn't know exactly. All she knew was that she was sleeping almost all the time. Was it because of the pregnancy, or because Jareth had used to magic to make her sleep? Next time she saw him, she would have to ask.
Sarah hadn't eaten since she had returned to the Aboveground. She was hungry. Every time someone came with food, she was sleeping. Sitting up, Sarah noticed that her stomach had swelled within the first few days. Usually when girls were this big, they were like six months pregnant. At least from Sarah had seen. She hadn't seen many pregnant people, but when she did, she had noticed the stomach.
How could he do this again? This was all Sarah kept thinking about while being locked in the tower. "I hate him." Sarah whispered. "I hate him!" This time she screamed and punched the door. The door flew off, and she was free to exit. If she was allowed to exit now, why was she so worried about leaving? "That door should not have opened that easily." Sarah said to herself. In fact, she thought that the door shouldn't have flown off.
Sarah took a deep breath and walked out into the hallway looking both ways to make sure that Jareth was no where in sight. When she didn't see him, she ran for it. Just as reached the end of the stairs, she realized she would have to go through the throne room to make it outside. Instantly, she turned around to go find another way out. When she did, she bumped into Jareth. "Where do you think you are going?" He asked her in a sinister manner.
Sarah gulped and bit the inside of her cheek. What would he think if he knew she was trying to get away? Then she groaned. Of course he knew! He could read her mind. He already knew her thoughts! "I had to get out of that room!" She pointed towards the tower. "It's actually not even a room. It's a dungeon, but not a real dungeon! How could you do that Jareth? How could you lock me in there again?" She was crying by now. "I'm your wife. I'm the mother of your child." Sarah wiped away the tears. "I don't want to live with you anymore if you lock me away every time I don't listen to you."
Jareth took Sarah and wrapped his arms around her. He was in no way about to let her go anywhere. He wasn't even going to let her go back to her room. Jareth stood firmly with his beliefs. Fae women in the Underground were supposed to listen to their husbands. It was the way of their world. This wasn't the Aboveground anymore. He pushed Sarah back gently and cupped her chin. "Darling, you have to understand, there are rules here." He gestured wildly around him. "In the Underground. You have to abide by them."
Shaking her head, she backed away a little bit. "I hate you!"
Jareth laughed and caressed her face. "Come come now, you don't hate me." He tsked at her. "You are just very mad at me." Walking behind her, he kept talking. "You'll get over it soon." Instantly he turned to look at Sarah. "Have you eaten anything? I believe I heard your stomach growl."
Instead of answering him, Sarah walked back up the stairs and found her way to her old room. The room she had before they got married. Slamming the door she screamed and walked to the bed to sit on it. "What's wrong?" Sarah jumped and looked to see where the voice was coming from.
"Rowanda! How did you get in here? Jareth isn't exactly letting me have visitors or allowing me to visit anyone."
Rowanda replaced the perfume bottle she had in her hands and walked over to Sarah. "I can do anything I pl-" Once she stopped in front of Sarah, she failed to make any more words. She just stared at Sarah. Pointing at her stomach, Rowanda was finally able to form words. "You're pregnant! Really?" Sarah nodded and rolled her eyes. "This isn't a joke? This is real?"
Sighing, Sarah stood up and allowed Rowanda to rub her stomach. "Not a joke. I'm really pregnant. It's not like Jareth cares." Rowanda gave her a curious look. "When I just saw him, he didn't even notice my stomach. It wasn't there last night. At least not when Jareth locked me in the tower."
"He did what?"
Just as Sarah was about answer Rowanda, she popped out of the room and Sarah had no idea where she went. Until she heard the screaming. Jareth and Rowanda were screaming at each other. She opened the door and before she made it downstairs, she heard more people join in on the screaming. Once she rounded the corner, she saw Rowanda and Jareth in each others face, King Abott and Esmerald were standing on either side of the two screaming, and there was Darin standing in the corner laughing.
All the arguing was giving Sarah a headache. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. "Quiet!" She screamed as loud as she could, and when she did, everyone fell to the ground. The first thing she did was run over to Rowanda and helped her up. "All of your yelling is not helping me! I'm not feeling well, and I'm starving!"
This was the first time that Esmerald and King Abott had seen Sarah since the wedding. Esmeralds eyes popped open and she ran to Sarah rubbing her stomach. "My grandchild?" Sarah nodded. "Jareth is taking care of you, correct?"
Sarah inclined her head to the right. Jareth, should I tell her? She saw him shake his head. Smiling sweetly, she turned to Esmerald. "I mean, you could say that."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, by his standards, he's taking care of me. He's had me locked in the tower. Hasn't fed me. And he hasn't even noticed that my stomach has grown since yesterday! Not to mention, he said I have to listen to every word he says. I have to do every thing he says."
Esmerald wrapped Sarah in a hug. "Believe me, we will handle this matter." Esmerald let go of Sarah and turned to Jareth and King Abott. "Rowanda, go with Sarah and help her pack her things." Rowanda tried to speak up along with Jareth, but Esmerald stopped them. "I mean it! Go do it!" Rowanda and Sarah left the throne room together.
Jareth turned to his father. "Father, make her stop this. I will not have my wife taken away from me!"
King Abott looked at Esmerald. "Darling, we can't take her away. She is after all, his wife."
Esmerald walked over to King Abott. "Do you want to go into this right now? In front of our kids?" king Abott shook his head. "I didn't think so."
"Father! You're going to let her talk to you that way?" King Abott shrugged and sat down. "Mother is supposed to listen to you! That's the way it's always been!"
Esmerald laughed and king Abott smiled. "Do you truly believe that son?" Jareth nodded and King Abott laughed. "Well, that's not the way it works." King Abott stood up and walked over to Jareth. "Marriage is a two way street my son. You don't imprison your wife because she doesn't listen to you. You talk through things. You give and take. You do not order your spouse around. It is not the way of our people. Why you came up with that, I will never know. You are equals. You make decisions together."
Jareth walked away from King Abott and over to Sarah. "You will not leave! You are my wife. You are staying here!" Just as he was about to transport Sarah to the tower with a stronger door, he ended up sitting in a seat that was surrounded by a bubble. "Mother, I must insist that you let me out of this chair."
Jareth would have done magic to get out of the chair and the bubble, but the bubble was there to stop any magic from going in or coming out. Esmerald let her jaw drop. "Me? You think I did this?" Jareth nodded. "No my dear son, I did not this. I don't even have the power to do this." She turned to King Abott. "You?" He shook his head. "Then who did it?"
"I did." Darin finally walked out of the corner and over to Jareth. "He doesn't deserve her. I do!" King Abott and Esmerald were now put in a chair in the middle of a bubble. "I've wanted her ever since I saw that she had beaten Jareth's labyrinth." Darin walked around each bubble giving each of his family a smirk. "I was the one who was Aboveground trying to get her to go out with me."
Jareth growled and jumped up from his seat. "You were the bafoon who was stalking her?" Darin nodded as he laughed. Jareth tried to run at him, but when he touched the edge of the bubble, he got zapped and fell to the floor.
Darin snarled and turned around to look up the stairs. "Don't worry Jareth, she'll be happy with me. I can promise you this." Darin pointed at the stairs. "I think I'll go get her and leave." He waved at Jareth, Esmerald, and King Abott.
"Sarah, are you ready?"
Sarah turned around as did Rowanda. "What the hell are you doing up here? You should be downstairs waiting." Rowanda chastised him.
"Mother and father sent me to get you two. They already left and Jareth went on a walk somewhere." He walked over to them and smiled. "So, are we ready to go?"
Sarah looked around the room and then back at them. "I'm not exactly sure that I should leave." Rowanda had a glimmer of hope in her eyes. "I mean, he is my husband. Shouldn't I try to work this out with him?"
The truth was that Sarah really didn't trust Darin. Especially not after what he tried to do to her. Not to mention, she really did love Jareth. She just didn't want to have to deal with stroking his ego. Listening to his every word would get annoying, but shouldn't she at least give him a chance? He once was demanding, but he had softened to her a little. Jareth hadn't always been to mean to her. Maybe Sarah could get him to be like that again. "We really must go." Darin hugged Rowanda. "You can talk to my mother and father once you get to our castle. Once you talk to them, you can decide, but for now, let's just go."
Sarah nodded and grabbed her bag. "I'll get that Sarah. I don't want you to hurt yourself. After all, you're carrying my niece or nephew!" Rowanda was glowing with happiness when she grabbed the bag from Sarah. The bag didn't really have a lot in it. Just what Jareth had given her while she was here. Sarah walked over to Rowanda and held on. "Are you telling me Jareth still hasn't taught you to transport?"
"Nope. He doesn't want me to go back home and not come back."
Rowanda nodded and smiled. "Well, maybe I'll teach you while you stay with us, if you choose to stay with us." Rowanda looked at Darin. "Aren't you coming?"
He nodded. "I'll be right behind you."
Once they got to the castle, Sarah let go of Rowanda and sat down. Every time she had transported, she got dizzy. It definitely was not a feeling that she liked. "Why don't we ever take a car to get around?"
Rowanda laughed. There were no cars in the Underground. They had carriages, but they almost never used them. Teleporting was the main way of getting around. "You have a lot to learn Sarah." Rowanda put Sarah's bag down and looked around. "Where are my mother and father?" She looked at Darin who had started to look nervous. "Where are they Darin? I thought you said they would be here."
He rolled his eyes. "Of course I said that. I had to get you two here somehow!" Instinctively, Rowanda stood in front of Sarah protectively. "Do you really think that you can stop me from taking what I want? I told you all that Sarah would be mine. I'm just taking what I want."
"You can't have her! You know this. She's married to Jareth and is carrying his child." Rowanda tried to reason with him. It was getting her nowhere. Darin didn't seem the type to actually care what anyone said to him. He was going to get what he wanted, regardless of who he hurt. He just didn't care.
"Doesn't matter to me." He breathed in deeply and smiled at Rowanda. "I really hate to do this to you, because, of course, you are my favorite one in this stupid family." Rowanda regarded him carefully. "I really do mean it sister. I love you more than any other in this family, but I have to do this for myself." Her lip quivered. Rowanda had never fought anyone in her family before, and she didn't want to start now. "Don't worry. I am not going to kill you. I'm just going to do what I did to mother, father, and Jareth." All of a sudden, Rowanda was sitting in a chair in the middle of a bubble in the corner of the room.
Sarah turned around and ran towards Rowanda. She wanted to help her. Instantly, she was stopped in her tracks. "Darin, you know you aren't allowed to touch me! You get zapped every time you do." He was suddenly in front of her, and she couldn't move. She just couldn't get away from him. "Let me go. Let Rowanda go. Let your family go."
Darin subtly shook his head. "Do you want to know when I first met you?" Sarah shook her head, saying that she didn't care. "Sarah, it was me at the restaurant. I was following you for years. Ever since you defeated my brothers labyrinth."
"That's impossible! Jareth would have noticed it was you! I would have noticed you when I first saw you here!"
Darin laughed as he looked Sarah up and down. "Us Fae know how to hide our true form. Jareth wouldn't have known it was me, unless he was really looking for me, which he wasn't. He was always concentrated on you."
Suddenly, Sarah fell and Darin caught her. She looked into his eyes. "You didn't get zapped." He shook his head as he smiled. "Why? Why didn't you get zapped?"
"Because, you and Jareth are fighting. You have doubts, which makes the rings power not work."
"I don't have doubts. I love him! I want to be with him."
Darin touched her again. Nothing happened. "You still have doubts." He smiled at Rowanda then back at Sarah. "While you're here, you'll be staying over here." Darin pointed over at the other corner in the room. Sarah found herself in the corner and behind bars. She was literally in a cage. Sarah ran to the bars to try to pry them apart, but when she touched them, she fell to the ground in pain. Then she started screaming out while she was laying on the floor. A puddle formed around her and Darin looked at her. "Keep playing games, I don't believe for a second that you are in pain. You probably had a bottle of water and just dropped it on the floor to make me feel bad."
Rowanda ran to the edge of the bubble and touched it. She fell to the floor in pain. Rowanda jumped up and pleaded with Darin. "She's in labor Darin! She's going to have the baby! Let me help her."
"No."
"Darin! She needs help. If not, she could lose the baby, or worse, her own life." She had hoped saying that Sarah could lose her life would help get Darin to let her go help Sarah. "Darin! I obviously wouldn't do anything to risk having you hurt me or Sarah. Not to mention her unborn baby. Just let me help her, and then I'll help you. I'll keep her here."
He scoffed at her. "No you won't. You will just end up helping her leave me."
Furiously Rowanda shook her head. "No, I swear it on my life. I will keep her here!"
The moment she said those words, she knew she had to keep the promise. If she didn't, she would end up dying and she definitely didn't want to die. "You swear it on your life?" Rowanda nodded and silently said a sorry to Sarah who was still screaming in pain on the floor. "Fine, then help her and then help me."
Rowanda was released from her bubble and Darin transported her into the cage with Sarah. "Breath Sarah, breath! It won't be long now. I promise." She hadn't said that she swore on her life, because she didn't know if it would be long or not. Rowanda knelt down in front of Sarah and lifted her dress. She looked at Darin who staring at them. "Excuse me, give us some privacy."
"Why would I do that? You'll take her away."
Idiots! Everyone in this family is an idiot! Rowanda thought to herself. "I just swore on my life that would keep her here! Not to mention, I can't get out of this cage without your help brother, so please, give us some privacy. I will let you know when we are done." Darin sighed and gave a curt nod before he left.
Rowanda turned her attention back to Sarah who was breathing rapidly and still screaming. "Come on Sarah, you can do this. The baby is crowning. Give another push." Sarah pushed and the baby came out. "Sarah, you did it! You have a beautiful baby girl!" Rowanda looked at Sarah and she noticed that Sarah was pale and unconcious. She didn't know if Sarah would regain conciousness or not, so she did the only thing she could do. She kissed the baby and put her in Sarah's arms. "I'm so glad I got to meet you my darling niece. I hope they tell you lots of amazing stories about me." A tear fell out of Rowandas eye. She grabbed Sarah's hand and transported them all back to Jareth's castle. Before Rowanda died, she popped Jareth's bubble and collapsed on the floor.
Jareth didn't know who to go to first, so he popped both of his parents bubbles and ran to Sarah. King Abott and Esmerald ran to Rowanda. Tears fell from Jareth's eyes as he saw that Sarah was unconcious and that the baby wasn't crying. Had he really lost three of the most important people in his life? Jareth picked up the baby and she started crying. "It's alright little one, daddy's here. I'm going to protect you." He looked over at Sarah and summoned up the Underground doctor.
When the doctor arrived, he was about to ask Jareth what he needed, but he saw the aftermath. Instantly he knelt down by Sarah and checked her pulse. He turned his head to Jareth. "Don't worry your majesty, she will be fine. She was just in so much pain that it caused her to pass out." He ran over to Rowanda, who had miraculously started stirring. "Does anyone know what happened to her?" the doctor asked everyone in the room. Everyone shook their heads, too stunned to answer. "No matter, we will figure it out."
Rowanda opened her eyes, and sat up. "Darin."
Esmerald grabbed her and wrapped her in a hug. "What did he do to you?"
"He locked me in a bubble much like you all, then he stuck Sarah in a cage." She looked over at Sarah and gave a sad smile. "That's when Sarah went into labor. I told him to let me help her. He refused at first, at least until I swore on my life that I wouldn't let her leave the castle. But when I saw that she was unconcious and her beautiful daughter was born, I knew that she had to come back here. I knew she needed Jareth. So I sacrificed myself to make sure that Sarah and her daughter would survive without any limits."
Esmerald looked at the doctor. "Why isn't she dead? She swore on her life, then she did anyways."
The doctor sat down next Esmerald and Rowanda. "My only explaination is that she really was going to keep Sarah there, and when she decided to break that promise because it was matter of life or death, the magic didn't work."
Jareth put the baby down next to Sarah and landed next to Rowanda. "You were going to keep my wife and my daughter away from me? How dare you!"
The anger flaring out of Jareth was warranted and Rowanda knew it. This was why she just let him scream at her until he was out of breath. Then she grabbed his hand and squeezed it. "Brother, I was only going to keep her there and stay with her until either you or mother and father came to get her. I was going to protect her from Darin. You know I would never keep her away from you intentionally. Not without cause. I love you. I love Sarah. I would do anyting to protect you all."
Jareth looked like he was about to strike out at Rowanda, but he just hugged her instead. If her intentions were of the nature she was speaking, she was being noble. She didn't want anything to happen to Sarah or Jareth. Futhermore, their daughter. Who had yet to be named. Jareth heard a stirring behind him, and he saw Sarah starting to sit up. "Darling, take your time. You passed out."
She nodded and closed her eyes. "Where is my baby?" Opening her eyes, she looked at Jareth who was know kneeling next to her. "Where is my child? Please tell me it's a child."
Jareth smiled and handed their daughter to her. "We have a little girl. Why would you think it wouldn't be a child? We are-" He faultered. "Well, we are sort of humans, but not exactly. We weren't going to have a cow." Sarah and Jareth laughed.
"I'm glad you're laughing, because I'm not." Everyone looked in the corner of the room. "Rowanda, shouldn't you be dead my dear sister? You know for not following with your promise."
"I guess I'm still alive because I sacrificed myself to save Sarah and the baby."
"No matter. I'll take care of that. Soon enough, you'll all be dead. Sarah, I, and the baby shall live a happy life together."
