This is what we need
Sarah moaned, dropping the crystal, jumping up and running into the forest. She ignored the shocked looks that the Dryad Princess and the Pixie King sent after her, not even seeing Eli get out of her way as she ran off into the forest. She ran as fast as she could, passing the silent trio once, twice and again in the next few minutes and it didn't seem to be enough. Stopping finally in the trees Sarah screamed "Why can't I just be normal?" and listened to the echoes as she gasped for breath. She sank down onto a nearby tree root and let herself cry for a minute before hearing someone's hesitant footsteps following her.
"Sar," Eli called out softly, not sure if she was more scared of getting an answer or not.
"Go 'way, Eli," Sarah muttered, wiping at her eyes half-heartedly.
"Sar, come on. It can't be that bad," Eli said, her eyes finding her best friend on a nearby tree.
"What part can't be that bad? I've got a Goblin King who's trying to court me and my step-mother's now the Fairy Queen. I'll have to get married to some magical idiot because Princesses can't be old maids and now I'm using Goblin magic on my own. It was okay when I thought that it was just Jareth lending me a crystal now and again but this," Sarah couldn't even think any more. She was so tired, tired of everyone's expectations and ideals.
"Sarah Catherine Williams, will you stop feeling sorry for yourself," Eli yelled and Sarah glared at her angrily. "You've got a King trying to court you, you're a real Princess and you can use magic. Do you know how many girls would trade places with you in an instant? This is what you've been dreaming about since we were little girls."
"This isn't a dream, Eli. It's a nightmare. I'll be stuck in a medieval type era now, I'm going to get married because Mom needs the allies and so will Toby, and after that, I look forward to being considered the property of my husband. It won't be advisable to really love him because people still consider kidnapping and ransom a good way of getting what they want," Sarah told Eli harshly, gesturing at the surrounding area before getting up and pacing. "I'll be considered a valuable resource, like livestock perhaps, and I'll have nothing to do except attend balls and keep myself pretty for my husband to show off before he goes and sleeps with his mistresses. Eventually, I'll turn into what people think of me. I'll become the air-headed Princess and the ditzy Queen." Sarah stopped, seeing that Eli wasn't even paying attention to her. She followed Eli's calculating gaze and saw Felanist and Houterence staring at her with wide eyes. She snorted, pursing her lips to try and keep the angry words inside. She turned away quickly and hugged herself before she lost control of her temper. She wanted to blame them but she knew it was her own fault and she didn't really want to hurt them more than she might have already.
"Is that what you truly think, Sarah?" Felanist finally asked softly. Sarah couldn't answer. Felanist traded worried glances with Houterence and went to stand in front of Sarah while Houterence stayed behind. She would have to face one of them, if only partially.
"You do not have to marry if you do not wish to. I want to marry because I have been waiting for my destined wife for many hundreds of years and I am lonely. The same, I believe, goes for the Goblin King though I am not sure," Houterence told Sarah softly and Eli backed away slowly to allow them some room. Sarah didn't even turn around, only stood staring vaguely over Felanist's shoulder.
"I am lonely too. There aren't very many of our people any more and new friends are hard to find. I haven't any real friends because everyone thinks I'm too rambunctious. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before but I haven't had a chance. Every time I managed to get you alone, something always interfered and I didn't think you wanted me to just blurt it out in front of everyone," Felanist said softly, her brows wrinkling as she tried to get Sarah to understand her situation. Sarah scoffed slightly and Felanist frowned worriedly, studying Sarah to try and figure out what kind of apology would earn her forgiveness.
"I will return you to the mortal realm if you wish. I had only taken you to keep that interfering Goblin King away; he will keep getting between your mother and I if I approach her about being allowed to court her. He is stubborn that way. I asked for you to write your mother because I did not wish her to worry. I would have taken care of anything you asked me to," Houterence finally said, waving his hand. Sarah felt the spider-web spell fall away from the area and knew that the Mobius spell was gone but the problems it had created weren't; she was still here and she knew that she could never again summon a crystal without the painful reminders.
"Which mother do you want to court?" Eli asked him and Sarah looked at her disbelievingly. The king obviously only knew one of Sarah's mothers. Houterence and Felanist looked between Sarah and Eli curiously.
"Eli, they only have ever met Karen. I doubt they even know about my mother," Sarah explained when she felt everyone looking at her.
"You have another mother?" Felanist asked. The Pixie King just looked from one woman to the other.
"Karen's my step-mother, my dad's wife. I just call her mom. She's only been married to daddy since I was ten or so. My mother, Catherine Leane Williams, lives in New York. She's an actress," Sarah explained.
"But that's impossible," Houterence finally exclaimed and Sarah looked at him queryingly. He took a deep calming breath and sat down on a nearby tree root to think for a minute. Sarah and Eli exchanged glances and sat down on a tree root facing him, Felanist hesitantly joining them.
"What's impossible?" Felanist asked finally.
"When I was born, a centaur prophesied at my cradle. Everyone thought it was nonsense but I've always hoped it was true. 'The Goblin King will be defeated and the maiden will leave him heart-broken. Your wife will be her mother.' I eventually stopped wishing for the prophecy to be true and started looking for a Queen to marry but I always secretly hoped to find my destined wife. When you defeated Jareth and he showed all the signs of heart-break, I began to hope and tried to find you and your mother," Houterence told Sarah, his eyes vaguely disappointed.
"And then when Jareth said that he was fascinated with Karen's daughter, you jumped to conclusions," Felanist finished sourly and he blushed.
"It was a natural conclusion to make," Eli pointed out fairly. Sarah sighed and shook her head, reaching back to rub her neck muscles tiredly.
"Listen, I haven't seen or heard from my mother in a year now. If I look her up and introduce her, do you promise to leave me alone?" Sarah finally asked Houterence in irritation. He stared at her wide-eyed, almost like a little kid begging for a treat, and Sarah had a hard time keeping a smile off her face. She glanced him over, evaluating him as if she might be interested, and found him a decent looking man with dark-blond hair and brown eyes. He was stocky, in a muscular sort of way, and small. Definitely not her type but maybe her mom would like him. Sarah shrugged, shaking her head slightly and ran back to the clearing. The others followed behind her and watched as she scanned the ground. "This is what we need," Sarah exclaimed, scooping her crystal off the ground and turning to the others. She slowed her breathing, thinking of her mother in New York. Everyone bent close as an image appeared in the depths of the crystal. Felanist and Eli gasped and Sarah eyes opened wide as she gazed into the crystal. "Mother," Sarah said sorrowfully.
Sarah moaned, dropping the crystal, jumping up and running into the forest. She ignored the shocked looks that the Dryad Princess and the Pixie King sent after her, not even seeing Eli get out of her way as she ran off into the forest. She ran as fast as she could, passing the silent trio once, twice and again in the next few minutes and it didn't seem to be enough. Stopping finally in the trees Sarah screamed "Why can't I just be normal?" and listened to the echoes as she gasped for breath. She sank down onto a nearby tree root and let herself cry for a minute before hearing someone's hesitant footsteps following her.
"Sar," Eli called out softly, not sure if she was more scared of getting an answer or not.
"Go 'way, Eli," Sarah muttered, wiping at her eyes half-heartedly.
"Sar, come on. It can't be that bad," Eli said, her eyes finding her best friend on a nearby tree.
"What part can't be that bad? I've got a Goblin King who's trying to court me and my step-mother's now the Fairy Queen. I'll have to get married to some magical idiot because Princesses can't be old maids and now I'm using Goblin magic on my own. It was okay when I thought that it was just Jareth lending me a crystal now and again but this," Sarah couldn't even think any more. She was so tired, tired of everyone's expectations and ideals.
"Sarah Catherine Williams, will you stop feeling sorry for yourself," Eli yelled and Sarah glared at her angrily. "You've got a King trying to court you, you're a real Princess and you can use magic. Do you know how many girls would trade places with you in an instant? This is what you've been dreaming about since we were little girls."
"This isn't a dream, Eli. It's a nightmare. I'll be stuck in a medieval type era now, I'm going to get married because Mom needs the allies and so will Toby, and after that, I look forward to being considered the property of my husband. It won't be advisable to really love him because people still consider kidnapping and ransom a good way of getting what they want," Sarah told Eli harshly, gesturing at the surrounding area before getting up and pacing. "I'll be considered a valuable resource, like livestock perhaps, and I'll have nothing to do except attend balls and keep myself pretty for my husband to show off before he goes and sleeps with his mistresses. Eventually, I'll turn into what people think of me. I'll become the air-headed Princess and the ditzy Queen." Sarah stopped, seeing that Eli wasn't even paying attention to her. She followed Eli's calculating gaze and saw Felanist and Houterence staring at her with wide eyes. She snorted, pursing her lips to try and keep the angry words inside. She turned away quickly and hugged herself before she lost control of her temper. She wanted to blame them but she knew it was her own fault and she didn't really want to hurt them more than she might have already.
"Is that what you truly think, Sarah?" Felanist finally asked softly. Sarah couldn't answer. Felanist traded worried glances with Houterence and went to stand in front of Sarah while Houterence stayed behind. She would have to face one of them, if only partially.
"You do not have to marry if you do not wish to. I want to marry because I have been waiting for my destined wife for many hundreds of years and I am lonely. The same, I believe, goes for the Goblin King though I am not sure," Houterence told Sarah softly and Eli backed away slowly to allow them some room. Sarah didn't even turn around, only stood staring vaguely over Felanist's shoulder.
"I am lonely too. There aren't very many of our people any more and new friends are hard to find. I haven't any real friends because everyone thinks I'm too rambunctious. I'm sorry I didn't tell you before but I haven't had a chance. Every time I managed to get you alone, something always interfered and I didn't think you wanted me to just blurt it out in front of everyone," Felanist said softly, her brows wrinkling as she tried to get Sarah to understand her situation. Sarah scoffed slightly and Felanist frowned worriedly, studying Sarah to try and figure out what kind of apology would earn her forgiveness.
"I will return you to the mortal realm if you wish. I had only taken you to keep that interfering Goblin King away; he will keep getting between your mother and I if I approach her about being allowed to court her. He is stubborn that way. I asked for you to write your mother because I did not wish her to worry. I would have taken care of anything you asked me to," Houterence finally said, waving his hand. Sarah felt the spider-web spell fall away from the area and knew that the Mobius spell was gone but the problems it had created weren't; she was still here and she knew that she could never again summon a crystal without the painful reminders.
"Which mother do you want to court?" Eli asked him and Sarah looked at her disbelievingly. The king obviously only knew one of Sarah's mothers. Houterence and Felanist looked between Sarah and Eli curiously.
"Eli, they only have ever met Karen. I doubt they even know about my mother," Sarah explained when she felt everyone looking at her.
"You have another mother?" Felanist asked. The Pixie King just looked from one woman to the other.
"Karen's my step-mother, my dad's wife. I just call her mom. She's only been married to daddy since I was ten or so. My mother, Catherine Leane Williams, lives in New York. She's an actress," Sarah explained.
"But that's impossible," Houterence finally exclaimed and Sarah looked at him queryingly. He took a deep calming breath and sat down on a nearby tree root to think for a minute. Sarah and Eli exchanged glances and sat down on a tree root facing him, Felanist hesitantly joining them.
"What's impossible?" Felanist asked finally.
"When I was born, a centaur prophesied at my cradle. Everyone thought it was nonsense but I've always hoped it was true. 'The Goblin King will be defeated and the maiden will leave him heart-broken. Your wife will be her mother.' I eventually stopped wishing for the prophecy to be true and started looking for a Queen to marry but I always secretly hoped to find my destined wife. When you defeated Jareth and he showed all the signs of heart-break, I began to hope and tried to find you and your mother," Houterence told Sarah, his eyes vaguely disappointed.
"And then when Jareth said that he was fascinated with Karen's daughter, you jumped to conclusions," Felanist finished sourly and he blushed.
"It was a natural conclusion to make," Eli pointed out fairly. Sarah sighed and shook her head, reaching back to rub her neck muscles tiredly.
"Listen, I haven't seen or heard from my mother in a year now. If I look her up and introduce her, do you promise to leave me alone?" Sarah finally asked Houterence in irritation. He stared at her wide-eyed, almost like a little kid begging for a treat, and Sarah had a hard time keeping a smile off her face. She glanced him over, evaluating him as if she might be interested, and found him a decent looking man with dark-blond hair and brown eyes. He was stocky, in a muscular sort of way, and small. Definitely not her type but maybe her mom would like him. Sarah shrugged, shaking her head slightly and ran back to the clearing. The others followed behind her and watched as she scanned the ground. "This is what we need," Sarah exclaimed, scooping her crystal off the ground and turning to the others. She slowed her breathing, thinking of her mother in New York. Everyone bent close as an image appeared in the depths of the crystal. Felanist and Eli gasped and Sarah eyes opened wide as she gazed into the crystal. "Mother," Sarah said sorrowfully.