CHAPTER 19

Sarah told the King that she gave the Cathmere to Hagen to keep and heal. He thought it was a perfect idea. Merlara was happy too, because she said she knew Hagen would heal her and he would be good to her.

Sarah and Merlara were going with the whole royal family to the joust together. Sarah put on her knife, gun, money purse and Azure in his pouch. She wore her warm cloak.

The festival was crowded. The field was being surrounded by people who were filling in the gaps. Sarah, Merlara and Kieran were in the stands as royals. They were able to avoid the crowd. Azure was poking his head out peeking to see what was going on around them.

The contestants lined up Jareth and the Unicorn Kingdom's Prince Lorsan. They did seventeen runs and four lance breaks. On the run before the last, Jareth's lance broke and a piece of shattered lance pierced a crack in his armor and wedged a piece of wood in his thigh. The last run Prince Lorsan was unseated. The crowds were cheering each run and Azure was sticking his whole head out and poked through Sarah's cloak watching and wondering what all the ruckus was about. She was petting his little head. Sarah gasped when Jareth got hurt and remained seated with his injury and won. The wood would have to be removed and it would be painful. After the joust was over Sarah hurried down to the field to get to Jareth. He was laying on a cot with his leg stretched out bleeding. They had gotten the armor off of him.

Sarah ran into the tent to see him and said, "Jareth!" He looked up and smiled at her concern.

He said, "Hello precious. Come to watch me bleed?" She sat next to him and fake hit him.

She said, "Stop it. Are you in a lot of pain?" She swiped the hair out of his face caressing his cheek. She was looking in his eyes and saw he was, but was masking it. He grabbed her hand and kissed the palm.

He smiled and said, "I feel better now that you're here." He was glad she cared and was by his side.

She childed him and said, "You incorrigible flirt. Where's the healer?"

He said, "Oh he's probably taking a splinter out of Lorsan finger or something." He waved his hand back and forth.

She said, "I didn't see him get hurt. Did it go all the way through?" The chunk of wood was sticking out three inches above his thigh through his pants and looked bloody and revolting.

He said, "No. It has missed the bone too which is good or it could have broken it."

She put her hand on his face in concern and was emitting healing magic into him. He sighed and laid back, closing his eyes, and reveling in the feel of her touch and her magic. Its soft tendrils were flowing into him. It was so very relaxing to him. Her magic felt so different than anyone else's he ever felt before. It was kind and loving magic. I felt soft and silky moving in him. He said, "Precious, your magic feels so very unique and beautiful."

Sarah asked, "What magic?"

He said, "You're emitting healing magic inside of me through your touch. It is soft and wispy. It feels so good. I've never felt anything like it before." He opened his eyes and she was closer to him. He raised up and kissed her lips. Just a light kiss. It surprised her and she looked curiously into his eyes. He said, "By the gods, Sarah, you're the most lovely person inside and out. Your magic is an incredible feeling."

A fae healer entered the tent and said gruffly to Sarah, "Leave human." No asking, just telling her rudely. She looked at him like he was an asshole.

Jareth sat up, winced in pain and said, "You will keep a civil tongue in your head, while addressing a Lady of the royal court healer, or have it removed." The healer backed off his attitude.

He said, "Yes, your majesty. I'm sorry, milady."

Sarah patted Jareth's face and said, "I'll wait outside." He grabbed her hand and kissed the palm again. She smiled and went outside. After a few minutes, she flinched when he screamed in pain. All that false bravado for her sake and he was in such pain. After the healer went out of the tent, Sarah went in. Jareth was laying with eyes closed and his pant leg was cut off. He had a healing poultice on his thigh. She sat next to him and was caressing his face and emitting her healing magic again. He was awake, but relaxed feeling her magic weave inside him calming his soul from the pain of the wood removal. Azure cried out and Sarah pulled him out. He was looking at what Sarah was doing to Jareth as she sat him in her lap and petted Azure and Jareth. Sarah was looking at Azure and when she looked up Jareth was staring at her with a look on his face that she couldn't place.

Jareth said, "Sarah, I know that you don't trust me yet, but I'm so terribly in love with you. I would give you my life in your hands, knowing it would be safe there. I have been such a fool wasting time doing the wrong things when I could have had you in my life just like this moment where you are taking care of me. Your forgiveness in whatever form you give me in humbling. Perhaps, one day you'll stop running and find me. I would love to share my life and myself with only you. You move my loneliness further away when you're near me. Your magic is the most beautiful feeling inside me. I have never felt a woman's life force inside her magic before. You're so delicate and honest. It is a profound feeling." Sarah was compelled to kiss him. She fought with the drive to do it.

She found her fight losing as she leaned over and pressed her lips to his gently. He let her do what she wanted and he had never let another have control in any situation. She moved her lips slowly and had her mouth slightly open. Her tongue lightly touched his lips. He opened his mouth and was given the softest tongue he ever felt that consumed him in a warm fire. Her tongue massaged and moved with his own in languid dance stirring feelings so deep within him. He wanted to cry for the first time in centuries. It was soft and sincere. Sarah broke the kiss and her hand stroked his cheek. He opened his eyes.

He said, "Your eyes are beautiful but I love the emerald color with the jade ring around your irises with the dark chocolate locks of your original colors." His hand moved up and touched her lips with his finger tips.

Sarah said, "I'm afraid of you. You could hurt me so deeply that I may never recover from the heartbreak. My spirit would shrivel and die or want to if I let you in and you betrayed my trust. You scare me more than anything in my life. I want what I can't trust. I will die so quickly like a flame on a match, but you will continue on. I will always wonder if my minute existence could affect yours at all, in that yours is so long lived. Could I make an impact that would truly change you for the better for the rest of your life? I would give myself to you and show you exactly what true love feels like. It heals, it makes you vulnerable, it gives you purpose, it is honest, it is frightening and profoundly soul baringly pure, but it would rebuild you and strengthen your resolve and give you courage. It would be worth the jump off the cliff to commit yourself fully to another or die on the rocks below. That's what I hold in reserve from you. The best part of me. It is a rare gift to be shared, not a prize to attain and conquer. It's a totally different battlefield of risk and reality."

He knew he built that wall of fear inside her. The things she speaks of inside her are what he craves in his soul. He knew that she was the only thing he wanted and needed from the moment he saw her as a child. He just didn't know how to attain it properly. His father and his ultimatums could go to hell. He would walk away from it all to have her true love. Nothing else would matter anyway. He would live without the monarchy and he would live without magic just to be by her side and share her with no one else.

Jareth sat up taking her lips. Azure growled. Jareth broke the kiss and looked at the tiny blue kitten between them. Jareth said, "Your Cathmere is warning me not to hurt you. I think?"

Sarah said, "My Cathmere is named Azure. He is mine as I am his. He has been my little love pretty much since I've been here in the Underground. He loves me dearly as I do him. He has my heart in his little tiny blue paw."

Jareth said, "What a beautiful and lucky cat to hold something so loving in his paw. I promise and swear on my life I will not hurt you again. I need you to teach me to love you the right way. I am willing to learn only from you Sarah. Your forgiveness is divine and merciful if I ever get privileged." He caressed her face.

Sarah looked down and had a tear run down her cheek. She looked into his eyes and he knew in that moment that she truly wanted him for himself, not fae, not king, not riches or things, but him.

Sarah begged and whispered, "Please don't hurt me. I don't want to die unloved." He never heard such crushing emotion from another being. It was touching a place in his heart that was virgin territory. He ran his thumb over her lips.

He said, "Never. You will never die without me with you. I know this is all I ever needed and wanted in my life. I want you, Sarah. I want you." He kissed her lips in a deep soul searching kiss. He put his whole being into that kiss. He wrapped his fingers in the nape of her neck as his thumb caressed her cheek. His tongue searched for her in his kiss. Want. Desire. Desperate Need For Love.

Merlara walked into the tent and saw Jareth passionately kissing Sarah. She was shocked after all that had happened between them. Sarah had her hand cupping his chin as his thumb caressed her cheek bone. Merlara was amazed and fascinated seeing it. She hoped she could feel like that some day for someone.

Merlara cleared her throat and said, "Sarah, we are returning to the palace and my father wanted to know if you were joining us?" Sarah and Jareth broke the kiss but Jareth couldn't stop touching her.

Sarah said, "Yes, I'll come with you." She caressed his lips. She said to Jareth, "I'll see you later, Jareth. Are you still coming to the ball?" He stole a kiss.

He said, "I'll be there. This is a magical poultice. My leg will tire easily but I will be able to stand and dance sensibly. Til later, Sarah, my love." She smiled at him. She scooped up a bored sleepy kitty, kissed him, put him in his pouch under her cloak and stood up. She stepped out of the tent and looked back at him, then left. All he knew was that, he knew she was his match in every way and would give her anything she wanted of himself. He was totally and desperately in love with her.

—--

Sarah was with Merlara getting ready for the ball. Merlara had a dress made with her own for Sarah. It was a cerulean blue and sea green combination. It would set her eyes off and her shiny long black hair. It had an empire waist with silver threads shot through several panels draping down. It was completely off the shoulder and long tight sleeves. A corset was worn underneath and garter belt and stockings. The shoes were silver with a mid heel. She had her hair styled in a mass of curls in a Greek roman style with a silver braided rope wrapping around and crisscrossing pinning her hair up with curled tendrils here and there. The silver was a beautiful contrast to her black hair. She had silver blue topaz drop earrings and her opal owl pendant. She did her and Merlara's makeup, smokey eye and dramatic eyeliner with matching colors to their dresses. Merlara had her royal eye markings high up near her slanted brows in a pattern like she had seen on Jareth in the ballroom dream years ago. She had on her gun and knife strapped to each thigh. She wore all her jewelry.

She left Azure with Hagen, the royal healer for the evening. She gave him his milk and jar of meat. She kissed Azure and told him to be a good boy until after the ball was over.

Sarah and Merlara were ready, the king and queen were announced first by the herald. Then Merlara and Kieran were announced. Jareth suddenly appeared at her side taking her hand and putting it around his arm. The herald announced, "His Majesty, King Jareth of the Goblin Kingdom and Lady Ashar of the Fairy Kingdom!"

Jareth led Sarah in and stood off to the side. King Elwin announced, "Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining us tonight for the Fairy Kingdom's Winter Festival Ball! Please enjoy yourselves!"

Everyone started mixing and mingling. The musicians started playing. Jareth led Sarah to the punch bowl and poured them both a cup of punch. A very attractive blonde woman approached and took a cup of punch from Jareth's hand. She said in a sultry way, "Thank you Jareth for getting me one." Sarah thought, 'A high-handed bitch.'

Jareth bitingly said, "My Alidonna, aren't you being pushy tonight. I haven't seen you in three years and here you are acting like a territorial bitch. Now why is that?"

She said smoothly, "Oh Jareth, come talk with me. I'll tell you all about it."

Jareth said filling another cup after giving the other one to Sarah, "I think not. I am with someone who is much better company compared to you. Besides, why would I want to listen to you blather on about yourself as usual. I'm just not interested." He shrugged and led Sarah away.

Sarah asked, "An old conquest?"

Jareth looked at her and nudged her in the arm and said, "No way. That shark? I'd rather sit and listen to the goblins tell me why their toe jam is tastier than the goblins sitting next to him." Sarah started grossing out and cracked up at the same time. She whacked him on the arm and he started laughing too.

Sarah said, "That's, nasty."

He asked , "Then why are you laughing?"

She said, "As disgusting as that is, it's ridiculously funny. Who knew you were hiding a sick sense of humor under that blonde mass of wild hair." He laughed.

He said, "That's not all I hide under my refined good looks."

She said hip checking him, "Oh, I bet. Perhaps, that indomitable modesty."

He bumped her back gently grinning, "Exactly. Dance with me, my Sarah?"

She looked at him over her punch cup and sat it down. She said, "Ok." He led her out to the dance floor and swirled her into the crowded dance floor.

As they danced, unknown to them, a few sets of eyes were watching. Alidonna went up to a group of three men and said, "She has a magical transportation blocking spell on her, a magical and physical attack blocking spell. It's jewelry. Good thing Garrick heard her name is Sarah from the Goblin King slipping at that breakfast. Nobody would have recognized her change in looks. Even that stupid bounty hunter missed it. The High King put that bastard out of his misery."

The man said, "Then we use the full magical jewelry blocking patch my father invented. Too bad he only invented one of them before he died. It has to be placed on her skin. Which means one of us three will have to dance with her and put it on her skin. Then we can transport her directly to the High Palace's dungeon. The High King will pay us our fortune and you will have the Goblin King forced into a marriage in three days time. I must say the human is clever to have thought of damn near every possibility except one, my father's brilliance. Too bad it didn't save his life when I plunged my dagger up to the hilt into his chest cavity. A fatal mistake on his part."

Alidonna said, "Yes. Fatal, like this human bitch when the High King fucks her repeatedly and he plunges the knife into her ribcage after a bit of his blood sports.