Chapter 37
I hope you all enjoy it!
Thank you to my lovely beta who is awesome!
Jareth hadn't been joking when he mentioned Sarah taking lessons of her own when they were looking for a tutor for Anna. They had managed to find a relatively young, half-Fae Lady to start figuring out what sort of education Anna already had. Tabitha Winters remembered the Goblin King well from her hours at the castle. She had been about eight when her older sister wished her away. While he was quite terrifying to the runners, the King always charmed the wished aways;entertaining them. She was a tall, slender woman who looked to be in her mid-twenties with dirty blonde hair and ice blue eyes. She had been in her early twenties when she married a Winterland man and took his blood, letting her live longer than any of the wished-aways who chose to remain human. Although her husband wasn't Fae, his kind was still blessed with the longevity that most of the Underground's residents possess.
"She is quite cautious when it comes to strangers," Jareth told her. "She is used to the men of the castle, although sometimes if they surprise her she will panic." He continued explaining. "Generally she will calm herself down, realizing there is nothing to fear. But you can always bring her to Sarah or me if she doesn't." Tabitha nodded.
"I will do my best to keep her fears at bay, Your Majesty. I put together a schedule and syllabus for Anna so that she can work at her own pace. You said she can read which is good to know. When do I get to meet my student?"
"I believe Anna and Sarah are in the conservatory practicing piano at the moment. "Jareth recalled what Sarah had told him earlier in the day. "I will bring you down and introduce you to them so that you may become aquatinted with one another while I have my next appointment." Tabitha smiled and waited for the King to rise before rising herself.
Jareth opened the door and motioned for her to pass through. She followed him down the hallway and around the corner to the conservatory. Jareth rapped his knuckles on the door to announce himself before walking through the open door.
Tabitha followed him and although she had seen sketches of the Queen and caught a glimpse of her in the marketplace once, seeing the Goblin Queen up close, she could see how young and beautiful she actually was. It was a surreal experience, to say the least.
"Precious, we have a guest," Jareth called out to her as she played the piano with a young girl.
Sarah looked up at the announcement, smiling as she stood up gracefully and went to greet her husband and his guest, picking up Rosalea who was playing on the floor as she passed by.
"Hello, darling." Sarah smiled at him before turning to the woman and smiled brightly once more. "You must be Mrs. Winters."
"Tabitha please, it's a pleasure to meet you, Your Highness." Tabitha with a small curtsy.
"Call me Sarah in private if you wish," Sarah told her. "This is Rosalea, who should be ready for her nap soon I believe."Tabitha smiled and let Rosalea sleepily grab her finger and shake it. "Hello, Princess."
"I will take her to Lydia." Jareth offered to take his daughter into his arms.
"I will leave and let you three get better aquatinted. You will show her the rooms you've set up?"
"Of course," Sarah told Jareth before turning her attention to Rosalea. "Have a good nap little one," Sarah kissed the infant's hair, before giving a quick kiss to Jareth. "I will see you later."
Jareth nodded before turning on his heel and heading toward the staircase down the hallway.
"How was your trip?" Sarah asked leading her over to the sofa and offering her a seat before sitting down herself.
"It was easy enough," Tabitha told her, looking at the child still tapping away lightly at the piano. Sarah smiled and turned to speak to Anna. Sarah smiled and turned to speak to Anna.
"It sounds like you have improved, but that should be alright for today. Tea will be here any moment." Sarah told Anna.
Anna nodded shyly and went over to Sarah, standing in front of the adults. "Anna is this is Mrs. Winters, she is going to be your teacher… I guess the word here is governess, though.."
Sarah told the young girl. "It's nice to meet you," Anna told her quietly before sitting down next to Sarah.
"I hear you like to read?" Tabitha asked the young girl with a kind smile, who nodded in response.
" I do as well, maybe we can find a few good books for you then, I quite enjoy books from the aboveground. My son often goes above and gets a few novels for me when he can." "How old is your son?" Sarah asked her.
"Oh, he must be nearing at least 1200 by now give or take a year. I know I am a horrible mother for not keeping track, but even the best of us forget our ages after a while." Tabitha laughed at herself as the tea was brought in by a maid.
After tea, Sarah brought them both up to the floor above where the guest suite was. They had remodeled one of the rooms into a school room.
"Anna's room is to the right, there is an adjoining door to make life easier for everyone and your room to the left, also with an adjoining door," Sarah explained. "Anna helped pick out the colours since you came fromWinterland she thought you might like something bright and cheerful," Sarah explained.
"I managed to get her to tone it down a bit. She enjoys colour that is for sure, once you see her room you'll understand."
Tabitha nodded and went to check out her rooms, they were painted a muted mauve purple, with light coloured furniture. The bedding was a darker mauve that matched the curtains hanging in front of the large bay windows. "It very nice. I like it very much, thank you." She told her employer and charge.
"Come see my room," Anna spoke for the first time as she looked at Sarah who laughed.
"Well then, lead the way, Anna." Tabitha smiled and took the young girl's proffered hand. Anna then took her across the schoolroom and opened her own door. She had it decorated in various shades of bright pink, purple, and teal from walls to bedding. Even her Vanity was a bright teal varnished wood.
"Jareth likes to complain about the brightness but I like it," Anna told her. "Well, all the matters is that you enjoy it. It is your room after all." Tabitha smiled at her.
"What's Winterland like?" Anna asked her changing the subject.
"Well, it's winter there most of the time, lots of snow and white animals, It was my husband's home. When we married I moved to be with him, as married women do."
"Why did you leave to come here if you have a husband?" Anna asked innocently. Sarah stepped in,
"Anna, it's not polite to pry into people lives."
"Oh, it's Alright," Tabitha laughed, waving it off. "Well, you see, we had plenty of good years together and our son but we just woke up one day and decided that it wasn't working anymore. I missed my own homeland and so we went separate ways for a while. We occasionally visit one another. But it is very hard to find the time as he is technically a polar bear half of the time."
Anna's eyes went wide.
"You're married to a polar bear!" Tabitha laughed. "I guess you can say I am. During the daylight hours, he is a bear, but once dusk arrives he is a man."
"That reminds me an of an old fairytale," Sarah spoke thinking about it. "A Norwegian/Scandinavian folk tale I once read as a child."
"Where do you think they got it from." Tabitha laughed. "All folklore comes from when our worlds were less divided, before the humans hunted us, forcing us to build are barriers between the worlds."
Jareth's next appointment was for Sarah's tutor. He had asked his father to help him find someone who could explain the laws and ways of the Underground to Sarah as well as giving her basic knowledge and background of all the kingdoms.
"Your Majesty if I may ask, why not just teach your wife yourself." The older gentleman who was named Simon asked his king. He was a short, round Fae with greying hair and a beard.
"She fights me on the littlest things every day, trying to get her to study is just like pulling teeth. I am hoping with a proper tutor she will be more willing to learn."
Jareth told him, leaving out the part about her wearing low-cut gowns to distract him.
"Well, I don't take foolishness or excuses," Simon told him. "I don't believe in tardiness, granted she is Queen and I understand she has her duties as such, along with having a child. But sessions should be child free so that she can concentrate without distraction." Jareth nodded in agreement.
"The grand duchess usually naps for a few hours in the afternoon. So say three times a week, I will get Sarah to meet with you in the library next door, on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays."
"That sounds suitable," Simon told him nodding, not realizing how much effort he was going to have to put forth with the Goblin Queen.
Getting Sarah to her first lesson proved to be quite a chore for her husband. She didn't realize that he hadn't been joking about getting her a tutor. It was safe to say that Sarah was not happy about it and she made damn sure that her husband knew that.
"I am not sitting in the library for two hours, while some stuffy old dude tells me what to do! I have better things to do with my time!" Sarah shouted at her husband.
"You will, and you are," Jareth growled at her. "You are a queen and with that comes responsibilities, you may need to know a few things about running a kingdom if I am not here to do it for some reason. So go in there and sit your pretty little arse down and learn until I say you know enough."
"I didn't ask for this!" Sarah whined, stomping her foot like a child.
"No but you agreed to it, so deal with it, Sarah," Jareth told her deathly calm. He never yelled at her, even in their worst arguments. Sure he growled, but he knew it was a lot more terrifying to be deathly calm than to let your emotions get the better of you.
"You're acting worse than Anna, she's twelve and never complains about her lessons. Stop being an insolent child and act like an adult for heaven's sake. I do plenty of things I hate during the day, but I do them without complaint."
Sarah looked at him glaring.
"Your look of contempt will not work my dear," Jareth told her as he opened the door. "Now you will go in and apologize to Simon for making him waste countless minutes because of your fit." Jareth nudged her in through the doorway. "Just think of this as college, somewhere you were planning go to once you finished school. Welcome to college."
Sarah huffed and refused to look at, or answer her husband. She went and sat demurely at the small desk, crossing her legs at the knees which was deemed unladylike. Simon looked at the young woman who was dressed in trousers and a loose shirt, which surprised him slightly. Most women wore dresses still, only a few wore menswear, and especially not Queens. "
Your Majesty, it's a pleasure to see you here." Simon began. "I will start today off easily, just figuring out what you know about the underground. The types of beings and their kingdoms, as we progress we will get into laws and treaties of kingdoms and what happens with war."
"Well, I know of the Goblin Realm where we are now. Its residents are mostly goblins, but there are also many mortals and Fae." Sarah started. "There is the High Palace, the residence of the High King and Queen and High Court,surrounded by Diamond City. Between these two realms is the open market. We are more central on the map, High Palace is west of us, while on the east coast is Atlantica where the Merpeople reside. Actual fairies live throughout the realms, but most are born in Emerald Forest. Winterland is to the north
and it is the home of constant winters. Some its inhabitants are born with shapeshifter magic." Sarah told him and in a matter of fact way "I have read quite a lot about my new home." "So it seems, but it's not nearly enough," Simon told her and handed her some books. "We will be starting with this." He told her pointing to the top book.
Lessons were extremely well for Anna and Tabitha after they got used to each other. Anna knew quite bit more than everyone thought and was a naturally bright young girl. She enjoyed reading and loved learning how to use a quill and write in cursive. Math was touch and go, some days she could grasp it easily and other times it just boggled her mind. She still had music lessons with Sarah in the morning before luncheon, as Sarah went for her own lesson after. Which despite how much she complained, Jareth refused to let her skip.
Simon was stuffy and strict after years of court and dealing with idle young boys. Sarah was his first female pupil in actuality. He was adamant that Sarah stayed for a full two hours, if she was five minutes late, she would stay five minutes later. Sarah who had attended a pretty progressive school where, as long as you did the work you could move freely about the room, and washroom sign-out was just a piece of paper by the door was struggling to adjust.
She was working on a chapter when she felt her bladder warn her, and she now knew after pushing out an eight-pound baby that you don't try and hold your bladder. When it tells you to go, you go." "Where are you going?" Simon asked as she got up.
"I have to use the ladies room," Sarah told him rather stunned. "I assumed I didn't need your permission to use the washroom." "You were fifteen minutes late already today and now you have to use the washroom," Simon told her treating her like a child. "My daughter is teething, in pain, and refusing to eat." Sarah shot back at him.
"Forgive me for caring for my child instead of worrying how late I would be, I will be back in a moment." Sarah stalked out of the room, heading to the toilet on that floor. Rosalea had been up crying all night and she was exhausted from trying to soothe her when Jareth had been called away by a wished away. Sarah was surviving on coffee and tea and sheer desperation to stay awake the whole morning.
She sighed as she washed her hands and splashed some cool water on her face before heading back to the library. Simon looked at her and then the clock.
"Finish the chapter, then we will go over what you read." Sarah just sighed,gulping her cold cup of coffee and wishing that she had more. The words danced off the page as she tried to read them. She didn't know how long she had stared at the page when a knock rang out.
"I'm sorry I know you're not to be disturbed, but she won't stop crying and I think something's wrong." Lydia stammered out holding the crying infant who was red in the face with swollen cheeks and drool all over her chin. Sarah jumped up, racing for her child who reached for her mother.
"Wait a moment," Simon spoke up before being cut off.
"If you dare try and tell me that I cannot tend to my child, you will regret your words, Sir." Sarah turned sharply to Simon who shrank back at her proclamation. She seemed soQueenly as she said her piece. Sarah took Rosalea who was howling, feeling the heat coming from the baby she knew she was burning up. "Lydia go get Mathilda please." She told her lady in waiting.
"Jareth!" She shouted out. "I need you!" Sarah turned to Simon. "She burning up,"
"Burning up?" He asked not knowing what he meant. "She has a fever, a high fever, Jesus Christ. Let me guess Fae don't get fevers do they?"
"We are rarely sick, besides a few childhood illnesses," Simon told her. "Damnit." Sarah cursed. She had no idea what to do with a sick child, she was so used to living in a realm where sickness was few and far between. Iron was more a threat to them than a fever. "Jareth!" Sarah yelled again.
Finally, Jareth appeared. "What's wrong?" He asked, taking in the scene as he went to take Rosalea from her. "Sarah, why is she radiating heat?" "Did you call Mathilda?" Jareth asked as she nodded.
"Let's get to the nursery." Once in the nursery, they had their daughter stripped down to a nappy. Trying to lower her temperature with cool cloths. It was only a few moments before Mathilda and Lydia appeared.
"Let me see the child." Mathilda directed her gaze to them after a few moments of examining the child. "She's too young for anything I have. Even mortal children here rarely get sick here."
Sarah looked at Jareth in disbelief before speaking. "Take me to my family." She told him thinking that Irene must have something that she used with Toby.
Jareth nodded, wrapping his arms around Sarah who was still holding Rosalea.
"We will be back." He told the other two. They materialised in the middle of the day when Irene was cleaning, she shrieked slightly as Sarah and Jareth appeared in the hallway she had been vacuuming.
"Are you trying to give me a heart attack-" She started as Rosalea whimpered in her mother's arms.
"She has a fever, do you have anything?" Sarah asked getting straight to the point. Irene nodded and felt the baby. "Sarah that dangerously high, she needs a hospital!"
"We can't, it's not safe for her, not being human," Sarah said shaking her head. "Tylenol, anything she can have. We need it."
Irene nodded and rushed upstairs to the medicine cabinet. Grabbing what she usually gave Toby who was recently recovering from chicken pox whenever he ran a fever." Irene stopped dead in her tracks and swore as she headed down the stairs.
"How much does she weigh?" She asked looking at the instructions.
"About 20 pounds," Sarah told her as she watched Irene use a dropper and get the correct dosage and hand it to Jareth.
"Stick it in her mouth and squirt it in, it works pretty fast." She told him. Jareth nodded and did as was instructed as Toby toddled in covered in healing pox scars. "What happened to him?"
"The day after you visited, he woke up with a fever and chicken pox," Irene explained. "I am so sorry, I meant to write but I was so busy trying to keep him from scratching. Rosie was around when he was contagious and that's probably what's causing her fever, along with her teething." Irene explained.
"What are chicken pox?" Jareth asked confused by the spotty boy who was hugging Sarah's legs and babbling about why Rosie was crying.
"It's a childhood illness," Sarah told him feeling calmer now she knew what was happening. "I had them when I was young. They are itchy blisters that develop all over your body and they can scar if you scratch and pop them"
Jareth nodded. "We have something similar, young fae often get pixie bites."
"Give her a lukewarm bath, and you can give this every 4 to 6 hours," Irene told them handing them the bottle of children's medicine. "Keep her hydrated as best you can."
Sarah nodded as she kept trying to soothe her daughter. "Thank you, Irene, really thank you," Sarah told her making sure to really express her gratitude.
"No one knew she could catch chicken pox, she looks so fae that at times we forget that she's part mortal," Sarah told her.
"Anytime Sarah," Irene told her. "Now you best get her back home." Sarah nodded and said goodbye to Toby, promising to see him soon, Jareth then wrapped his arms around them,dematerializing and going back to the castle.