Royal Events

The few weeks that followed were strange to both The Goblin King and his companion. Sarah spent nearly every waking moment in the Goblin King's presence. They talked, ate, and walked together. Sarah watched him as he performed his royal duties and found herself admiring his judgement. He seemed to even take her opinions seriously, as she had talked with him about his treatment of the goblins and he was even acting somewhat cordially to them. He was even quite humorous once she gotten to know him. But through all of this she was still plagued by the feeling that she was a captive.

Jareth was confused for what he felt was the first time in his existence. Sarah had been so much more than he had originally conceived. Not only was she quite intelligent and charming, she was not afraid to disagree with him and although he never let on, she sometimes won a discussion. He awoke every morning with anticipation to see her again, and he said goodnight every evening with a feeling of disappointment. But through it all something continued to bother him. Was she here only because he forced her to be, or would she stay if she had the choice?

Several weeks had passed and the evening was very late. Jareth stood before Sarah's door and he was just saying goodnight.

"Have pleasant dreams." He said bending to kiss her soft hand.

Sarah trembled at his touch, "You too."

They stood for a few silent moments that way, her back to the door, holding hands.

Jareth broke the silence, staring deeply into her eyes, "Sarah, tell me what you feel." He released her hand and brought his index finger to her face, slowly tracing her jaw line. He had not so much as touched her since that night in the dining hall, but he could not help himself this time.

Sarah swallowed, "What do you mean?" her voice had a throaty quality she didn't recognize.

"I want to know your every feeling, I am completely fascinated by you." His finger had left her face, traced its way lazily down her throat where it paused over the rapid beat of her heart at the side of her neck.

"I don't know what I feel, Jareth."

He inhaled sharply, that was the first time she had said his name. It sounded beautiful coming from her lips. He bent his head and kissed her lips gently, then he moved down to kiss her soft throat where his finger had rested.

Sarah let out a half sigh, half moan and rested all of her weight onto the door as Jareth continued to shower soft kisses across her throat, shoulders, and face. Jareth leaned farther into her and began kissing her fully on the mouth, his hands roaming her body.

She was so soft and sweet, he thought absently, his mind almost completely consumed with desire. How exquisite this was, how perfect. He was consumed by his love for this woman. Love? Jareth broke away from her. Love? When had that become part of the picture? He looked at Sarah's face, her eyes half-lidded, and her lips, shining in the torchlight.

"Sarah," he whispered.

"What?"

"I…" he stammered, "I…"

"You what?" Sarah was beginning to become more aware, and she realized that Jareth's body was still pressing against her own.

Jareth pursed his lips in self-disgust, what was he going to do, tell her and expect to fall into his arms, giddy with happiness? She was his prisoner, an unwilling guest. He stepped back, " I would like it if you would accompany me to a party that is to be held here next week. As my date."

Sarah nodded, perhaps a little too quickly. For a moment she had been almost sure…but she dismissed the idea. He was the Goblin King, they didn't fall in love with humans. "I'd love to go."

"Alright, I'll see you tomorrow morning."

Sarah opened the bedroom door, "Goodnight." She closed the door behind her. How could I be this dumb? She wondered. How can I love him? I know he will never feel the same way. She remembered his fervent kisses and sighed irritably.


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The week passed quickly, and neither of the two mentioned the tension that had mounted between them. And it seemed like only a blink in time before she was once again being aided by Molina with her clothing. But for this occasion, her dress was much more extravagant.

The motif was once again blue diamonds, laced into the gown of the darkest royal blue. Sarah's hair was swept into a perfect chignon with dark blue flowers woven within it.

"How do I look?" she asked the gobliness.

"You look fantastic. You'll have those other Ladies just blue with jealousy."

"Blue? Don't you mean green?"

"You humans may get green, but the proper color is blue, every goblin knows that."

Sarah nodded, "Of course."

Molina looked as if she were going to add another dose of goblin wisdom before there was an authoritative knock on the door.

"That would be Him, I'm guessing." Molina said.

Sarah smoothed out her gown and opened the door. Jareth stood before her, dressed in graceful black tights and high boots. He wore a dark royal blue shirt that matched her dress. He smiled when he saw her.

"You look absolutely ravishing."

Sarah grinned, "You don't look too bad yourself."

He bowed half-mockingly, "Why thank you My Lady." He offered her his arm and together they walked towards the ballroom.


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The ballroom was decorated in various colors of silver and blue. Silk streamers lined the walls, and massive chandeliers glittered upon the ceiling. Sarah leaned over to Jareth.

"So what exactly is this party for?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you? It is the yearly conference of alliances. This year it has been my…pleasure," he grimaced, "to host."

Sarah let out a small laugh, "Sounds like fun."

"Oh yes, it is, quite the treat." They walked into the room and it was as if the volume dropped because everyone was studying the pair. Sarah felt her heart begin to pound and her breath quickened. Jareth squeezed her arm reassuringly and they walked into the room, swallowed by a mob of people, wanting to meet her.

"Quite lovely…"

"I don't know where she came from!"

"…still the charmer…"

"Never thought I'd see….

"Hello dear, how beautiful!"

Sarah's head was spinning with all of the introductions and comments, she tried to smile and greet everyone all at once but it seemed no good. But just as soon as it had started, the interrogation was over. People still stared and spoke in hushed tones, but they kept a safe distance. Sarah wasn't sure which treatment she preferred. It was at that moment she realized Jareth wasn't by her side any longer. She stretched her neck to see if she could spot him and saw that he was speaking to a small stout man with a long moustache. She turned as she felt a light tap on her shoulder.

A tall, voluptuous woman stood before her, dressed in a form fitting blood red gown. Her mass of red ringlets framed her perfect face softly, and she smiled, her pouty lips slightly parted.

"Well hello, I don't believe we've met." She extended a hand and Sarah shook it.

"No, I don't think so. I'm Sarah."

"I am Lady Mariana." Mariana flashed her white teeth.

"Pleased to meet you."

"I'm sure." The woman said.

Sarah got a definite bad feeling from this woman and was about to pull herself away when Mariana spoke.

"So you're Jareth's new girl?"

Sarah stopped, "It depends on what you mean by that." She began to feel quite irritated.

"Oh you know dear," Mariana put one gloved hand onto Sarah's shoulder and leaned in , "His new lover. I must admit you're much prettier than the last girl." Her eyes surveyed Sarah, "In a cute little villager sort of way."

Sarah smiled, her lips thin. So that's how this woman wanted to play? "Well, of course I would expect you to know all of this Mariana, you do look as though you've been around."

Mariana's eyes glittered. "I have as a matter of fact. I was telling Jareth last year that…."

Sarah cut her off, "Yes, I'm sure it was very interesting, but if you don't mind I have my duties as hostess in this castle." She smiled sweetly, "But it certainly was a pleasure to meet you." With that, Sarah moved away quickly, greeting various strangers, not really paying any attention. Her mind was ablaze with questions, what had that woman meant, 'last girl', and 'new lover'?

"Well c'mon Sarah, you can't have expected him to be waiting for you for eternity." She mumbled to herself.

"Excuse me?" the elderly woman in front of her asked.

Sarah realized she had been holding some sort of conversation with her, "Oh, nothing, just talking to myself."

The woman smiled, "Think nothing of it dear, I do that all the time."


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After some basic mingling, Sarah got the hang of it and could engage and disengage herself with ease into conversations. She found Jareth standing in a group of several men, all speaking at one time. She approached with caution, and Jareth saw her.

"Excuse me gentlemen, but I believe it is time for dinner." He made his way to Sarah's side and took her arm, which she gave gratefully. "So you seemed to have survived this pit of monsters, are you up to the dinner table?"

Sarah let out a sigh, "Hopefully." The crowd was now moving into the dining room and Sarah felt a tug coming from Jareth's other side. Mariana stood beside the Goblin King, trying to whisper something into his ear, but he pulled away.

"Lady Mariana, why don't you have a seat at the table and we can all discuss your concerns there?"

She ran a finger on Jareth's shoulder, "My concerns are not for the table."

Sarah turned to face the other woman, "Well hello Mariana, don't you have a date? Or did you have a little trouble procuring one?"

"Oh no, sweetheart, I never have trouble with that." She gave Jareth a sidelong look.

"Well perhaps you would care to do so now? It must be increasingly difficult for someone advancing into your age." Sarah smiled, her voice dripping honey.

Mariana's smile vanished, "Why you little…"

Jareth cut in, "Ladies, enough!" He turned to Mariana, "Lady Mariana, I suggest finding yourself a seat at this time." He began to walk away, "Sarah, you and I shall also be seated, our guests are waiting." After they had left Mariana's hearing range Jareth let out a low chuckle.

"What's so funny?"

"Oh, it is simply that Mariana has been trying to get into my castle for a very long time now, and I've never seen anyone put her in her place quite as well as you."

Sarah blushed, "Well she was being very rude!"

He nodded, "I do agree, princess, she was."

Princess? Sarah smiled inwardly, that felt pretty nice. She allowed Jareth to walk her to her seat on his right hand side, where the meal was served.


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After the meal, the guests broke off into groups and Sarah was stuck talking to a group of women who called themselves the "Sisters", although they looked nothing alike. One of them was a younger woman, and there was a middle-aged woman, and an old woman who looked as if she could be the first two's mother.

The women were not terribly boring, but they seemed to only speak in cryptic sentences and Sarah soon tired of it. They appeared to understand exactly what they were saying, but when Sarah asked where they were from they just looked at her with strange eyes and said in unison,

"We come from the Caves, where the twisting Loom sleeps."

This was going to be a long night.


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Jareth walked for a moment, enjoying the few rare seconds alone. Where in the devil is Sarah? He wondered and searched the room until he saw her, speaking with…no…she was actually talking to the Fates? Young Clotho, the matron Atropos, and the old woman Lachesis all sat, engrossed in conversation with her.

Jareth furrowed his brow, the Fates never spoke to anyone. They always huddled in their own little group, looking at people, generally making everyone around them nervous. He fingered the ring he had in his pocket. Sarah's ring. He was planning to give it back to Sarah after everyone had left. Jareth had felt magic radiating off of the ring the moment he had laid his hands on it. Why would Sarah have a magical artifact? The fact that the Fates were interested in her raised those questions within him again.

He made up his mind to go and confront the Fates, see if they knew what was going on, but he felt someone grip his shoulder in a friendly clasp. He turned around and groaned inwardly.

"Your Highness! What a great event this turned out to be!" Alorin, Mariana's brother, grinned up at him with eyes that did not smile.

Jareth did not pretend to be delighted at their meeting. Alorin was a disgusting little worm in Jareth's opinion.

"Well, Alorin, I'm afraid I'm much too busy to chat just now, so excuse me." He turned to walk away.

"Wait! I wanted to ask you about something."

"Yes?" impatience threaded in his voice.

"That human you acquired, how is she?" Alorin moved in more closely to Jareth, who resisted the urge to step back.

The Goblin King's eyes narrowed slightly, "What interest is it of yours?"

"Oh nothing, I was just wondering if when your done with her if I could have a crack, she has the most tantalizing…"

He never got to finish his sentence, Jareth grabbed the man by his collar and hoisted him up against a wall. The party went on, no one aware of what was happening.

"You will never speak of her again." His voice was low, and almost congenial, but Jareth's eyes glowed with an inner fire that Alorin had never seen. "And if I catch you so much as looking at her in any way that I do not approve of, your life will end, and it will not be a pleasant experience. Is that understood?" Jareth heard the clock ring midnight faintly in the distance.

Alorin nodded, clutching at Jareth's wrist. "Yes! Yes, let me down…"

Jareth let Alorin go, and the man fell clumsily onto the floor. The Goblin King nudged the prone man in the ribs with his boot, "I am glad we have an understanding." He said, then walked to where the Fates sat with Sarah. But when he looked, the Fates were gone.


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The clock stuck midnight when the guests began to depart. Sarah sat, engrossed in the talk of the sisters. After a short while, Sarah had become accustomed to their irregular speech and found what they had to say interesting.

"We have been away…" said the youngest woman.

"…for a very long time.." the middle aged woman spoke.

"…now and it is so nice to…" the eldest woman said.

"…speak with such a well-mannered young woman." The youngest girl finished the sentence.

Sarah nodded, "Yes, well it has been kind of tough here, getting used to everything." She distantly heard the clock's last ring of the midnight hour.

The eldest woman stood, "It is time for…"

The second woman stood as well, "…us to leave my dear."

However, the youngest woman did not stand, but grabbed Sarah's wrist and leaned in closely, her earnest eyes, delving deep into Sarah's. Absently, Sarah realized the young woman had no pupils.

"Beware of the twin." The youngest sister said.

Sarah was about to ask what she meant when the two other sisters forcibly hauled the younger girl up by her shoulders, their faces were taut with anger.

"Hush! That is none…" the eldest sister said.

"…of our concern!" spoke the middle sister. Then without ceremony, the three woman disappeared. Sarah stood, alarmed by the sudden change in the sister's mood, but they were already gone.

She felt a hand upon her elbow, and turned to see Jareth beside her. She saw a sign of anger in his fine features.

"Jareth, what's happened?"

"Nothing." He said, "Where are the Fates?"

"Who?"

Jareth glanced around, "The Fates…the three sisters you were just speaking to."

Sarah opened her mouth. The Fates? "You mean those were the Fates? Like the whole scissors and loom thing?"

-We come from the Caves, where the twisting Loom sleeps.-

Jareth nodded, then he understood Sarah's wondering expression, "You didn't know who they were?"

"No, they just said they were some sisters…I never thought that." She immediately felt foolish.

Jareth kissed her forehead, "Don't worry, they obviously loved you." His eyes glanced over the ballroom where only one or two people still remained. He reached down and put Sarah's hand within his own. "Well come along Sarah, it appears this party is over."


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Mariana watched her brother as he got thrown about by Jareth. My, isn't Jareth a specimen. She approached Alorin after Jareth had left and stood before him.

"Well hello Mariana, are you going to help you brother to his feet?" Alorin held out his hand.

Mariana snorted, "Come off it, you lazy sod, you can do it yourself. But I do think I can help you with something."

Alorin stood, smoothing out his breeches and shirt, "Oh yeah, what?"

"That little human. You seemed interested in her?"

Alorin became wary, remembering Jareth's threats, "I think she is out of my bounds."

"I can fix it so that nobody would ever know."

Her brother perked up, "Really, how?"

Mariana smiled, "Just do exactly as I tell you, and she will be yours." She knew she had him and leaned forward to whisper her plan.