Part 7
Sarah opened her eyes to the singing birds. To her surprise, she was not tired at all after the late night she had had. She grinned, remembering it. The look on Jareth's face when that crystal had burst over his head, had been priceless. Glancing at the sun outside, told her it was way past her usual rising time and she hurried to get up and dress. She did still have responsibilities, even if she had partied the night before.
Dressed in her usual white tunic and gray leggings with black ankle boots, she bounded down the stairs to her throne room to see if there were any complaints from the servants, or anything that needed immediate attention with her subjects. To her surprise, Jeffery and Anna had already completed her work, and told her to go outside, that she needed a break. After all, she had been studying very hard for six months, and had then plunged directly into running the kingdom. She deserved time off. Sarah shrugged and went outside. She did feel the need for a bracing ride.
"My lady!" "Sawah!" "Sarah!" came three familiar, very dear voices.
Sarah looked up to see her three best friends come running towards her. "Ludo! Sir Didymus! Hoggle! I've missed you all, and I didn't get much of a chance to talk to Hoggle when he was here before." She hugged all three of them, to Didymus' and Hoggle's embarrassment. Then she grinned. "What are you doing here?"
"We have come to protect our king from the vagabonds and charlatans that abound in this realm, Your Majesty," Didymus explained.
Sarah fought back her laughter. Jareth needing protection indeed. Instead she smiled at her friends, and then walked with them over to where Aryssa and Karen were playing with Toby. Karen was laughing at something Aryssa was saying.
"Good morning," Sarah greeted them, "What's so funny?"
Karen started laughing harder.
Aryssa smiled, "I was just telling your stepmother about things your father and Jareth used to do. They were quite the pranksters." Sarah's shock must have shown on her face, because Aryssa then laughed trillingly. "Yes, I know, he does seem to have grown up a bit since then."
"Speaking of my father and Jareth," Sarah began. She watched as Ludo carefully took Toby and went off with Hoggle and Didymus to leave the women to their talking. "Where was I? Oh yes, where are all the menfolk? I've only seen Jeffery today, and he's with Anna."
Karen sighed. "Oh they went with Myst to see that scroll he found. Garrick seems to think it's something important, and I have no clue why Robert and Jareth would want to see it." She flicked at an imaginary piece of something on her blouse. Then she looked up with watchful eyes to see Toby sitting enthralled as Didymus told a story of bravery and chivalry unmatched by any. Sarah listened for a minute and then blushed when she realized he was talking about her. Karen smiled.
"While their occupied, why don't we go see what's so interesting about this thing hmm?" her stepmother asked.
Sarah and Aryssa immediately acquiesced and walked back inside the castle. The turned down the long corridor that Sarah had walked through on her first day, and stopped at a door in the middle. It was a rather small door, and Sarah smiled when Karen gasped at the large library when they stepped inside. Myst, Garrick, Robert and Jareth were all seated around a large table, with a scroll spread out on the table. Robert and Jareth both had confused expressions on their faces, but the elf and the unicorn both wore worried frowns.
"Where did you find this?" Garrick was asking of Myst.
The unicorn looked grim. "It was in an old cellar that hasn't been used since the first Queen. This was most likely written during her reign."
Garrick nodded. "Over a thousand millennia. A very long time. No wonder the visions are getting clearer." He looked down at the scroll, an expression of weary sadness on his elven features. "I had hoped that perhaps this time they were wrong, but this, this proves it."
Sarah frowned and walked over to the table. "What proves what?" She asked, curious.
Myst smiled at her, and motioned for her to take a seat, then did the same for the other two when he noticed them hanging slightly behind. Aryssa shook her head, and said she preferred to be outdoors. The elf had a strained expression, as she turned to walk out. Karen, despite her curiosity, walked out after her, saying that she didn't quite trust those three characters with Toby for very long.
Sarah quickly took her seat by Myst, where he pushed the scroll in front of her. "Tell me what you think of this, Your Majesty."
Sarah frowned and studied the parchment in front of her. It was written in The Second Language, which was an ancient language that only the Elven and Fairy Kingdoms used. Myst had insisted she learn it. The first few paragraphs were innocuous enough, simply telling of the day to day running of the kingdom. Then, at about the middle of the page, a small paragraph was written in the First Language, not too different from the Second, except that it was only understood by those in the Fairy Line. These words had a rather ominous portent to them, though they were few.
"When the First and Second Monarchies are destroyed by Evil, the peoples of the Magic Realm will be divided," Sarah read aloud, "War will settle over the land, and only if the Faerie's Gold and the Silver Moon come together, will there be peace, and the peoples reunited."
She frowned and looked up at her advisor, then over at Garrick. "It's some kind of prophecy," she said hesitantly, "Only, I have no clue as to what it's trying to say except that there will be war. The rest makes no sense."
Jareth cleared his throat. "That, Sarah, is the purpose of prophecy, to be vague. If it were not ambiguous enough, you would be able to change what is to occur."
Sarah blinked and looked over at him. She had forgotten he was there. "I know that, but it would make it easier...oh never mind," she snapped irritably.
Jareth's lips curled up into that dreadful mocking smile he used so often. "You want it to be a.... piece of cake perhaps?"
She glared at him. "Very funny, Goblin King."
"I thought it was."
Her father suddenly cleared his throat. "Now you two, your arguments are what got us into that mess last night. Please try and act like adults here."
Before either of the two in question could retort, Jeffery came running in with an elf messenger.
"King Garrick," the elf started, "I have grave news. An ogre is attacking the kingdom. The army is not faring well."
Garrick abruptly stood up. "I will come immediately." He turned to Jareth. "Remember what we spoke of last night," he said softly, then he turned and walked smartly out after the messenger.
Sarah frowned in confusion, the decided she would probably be better off not knowing. She looked out the window, and saw Aryssa and Garrick take off, and fought off a chill of foreboding.
Sarah opened her eyes to the singing birds. To her surprise, she was not tired at all after the late night she had had. She grinned, remembering it. The look on Jareth's face when that crystal had burst over his head, had been priceless. Glancing at the sun outside, told her it was way past her usual rising time and she hurried to get up and dress. She did still have responsibilities, even if she had partied the night before.
Dressed in her usual white tunic and gray leggings with black ankle boots, she bounded down the stairs to her throne room to see if there were any complaints from the servants, or anything that needed immediate attention with her subjects. To her surprise, Jeffery and Anna had already completed her work, and told her to go outside, that she needed a break. After all, she had been studying very hard for six months, and had then plunged directly into running the kingdom. She deserved time off. Sarah shrugged and went outside. She did feel the need for a bracing ride.
"My lady!" "Sawah!" "Sarah!" came three familiar, very dear voices.
Sarah looked up to see her three best friends come running towards her. "Ludo! Sir Didymus! Hoggle! I've missed you all, and I didn't get much of a chance to talk to Hoggle when he was here before." She hugged all three of them, to Didymus' and Hoggle's embarrassment. Then she grinned. "What are you doing here?"
"We have come to protect our king from the vagabonds and charlatans that abound in this realm, Your Majesty," Didymus explained.
Sarah fought back her laughter. Jareth needing protection indeed. Instead she smiled at her friends, and then walked with them over to where Aryssa and Karen were playing with Toby. Karen was laughing at something Aryssa was saying.
"Good morning," Sarah greeted them, "What's so funny?"
Karen started laughing harder.
Aryssa smiled, "I was just telling your stepmother about things your father and Jareth used to do. They were quite the pranksters." Sarah's shock must have shown on her face, because Aryssa then laughed trillingly. "Yes, I know, he does seem to have grown up a bit since then."
"Speaking of my father and Jareth," Sarah began. She watched as Ludo carefully took Toby and went off with Hoggle and Didymus to leave the women to their talking. "Where was I? Oh yes, where are all the menfolk? I've only seen Jeffery today, and he's with Anna."
Karen sighed. "Oh they went with Myst to see that scroll he found. Garrick seems to think it's something important, and I have no clue why Robert and Jareth would want to see it." She flicked at an imaginary piece of something on her blouse. Then she looked up with watchful eyes to see Toby sitting enthralled as Didymus told a story of bravery and chivalry unmatched by any. Sarah listened for a minute and then blushed when she realized he was talking about her. Karen smiled.
"While their occupied, why don't we go see what's so interesting about this thing hmm?" her stepmother asked.
Sarah and Aryssa immediately acquiesced and walked back inside the castle. The turned down the long corridor that Sarah had walked through on her first day, and stopped at a door in the middle. It was a rather small door, and Sarah smiled when Karen gasped at the large library when they stepped inside. Myst, Garrick, Robert and Jareth were all seated around a large table, with a scroll spread out on the table. Robert and Jareth both had confused expressions on their faces, but the elf and the unicorn both wore worried frowns.
"Where did you find this?" Garrick was asking of Myst.
The unicorn looked grim. "It was in an old cellar that hasn't been used since the first Queen. This was most likely written during her reign."
Garrick nodded. "Over a thousand millennia. A very long time. No wonder the visions are getting clearer." He looked down at the scroll, an expression of weary sadness on his elven features. "I had hoped that perhaps this time they were wrong, but this, this proves it."
Sarah frowned and walked over to the table. "What proves what?" She asked, curious.
Myst smiled at her, and motioned for her to take a seat, then did the same for the other two when he noticed them hanging slightly behind. Aryssa shook her head, and said she preferred to be outdoors. The elf had a strained expression, as she turned to walk out. Karen, despite her curiosity, walked out after her, saying that she didn't quite trust those three characters with Toby for very long.
Sarah quickly took her seat by Myst, where he pushed the scroll in front of her. "Tell me what you think of this, Your Majesty."
Sarah frowned and studied the parchment in front of her. It was written in The Second Language, which was an ancient language that only the Elven and Fairy Kingdoms used. Myst had insisted she learn it. The first few paragraphs were innocuous enough, simply telling of the day to day running of the kingdom. Then, at about the middle of the page, a small paragraph was written in the First Language, not too different from the Second, except that it was only understood by those in the Fairy Line. These words had a rather ominous portent to them, though they were few.
"When the First and Second Monarchies are destroyed by Evil, the peoples of the Magic Realm will be divided," Sarah read aloud, "War will settle over the land, and only if the Faerie's Gold and the Silver Moon come together, will there be peace, and the peoples reunited."
She frowned and looked up at her advisor, then over at Garrick. "It's some kind of prophecy," she said hesitantly, "Only, I have no clue as to what it's trying to say except that there will be war. The rest makes no sense."
Jareth cleared his throat. "That, Sarah, is the purpose of prophecy, to be vague. If it were not ambiguous enough, you would be able to change what is to occur."
Sarah blinked and looked over at him. She had forgotten he was there. "I know that, but it would make it easier...oh never mind," she snapped irritably.
Jareth's lips curled up into that dreadful mocking smile he used so often. "You want it to be a.... piece of cake perhaps?"
She glared at him. "Very funny, Goblin King."
"I thought it was."
Her father suddenly cleared his throat. "Now you two, your arguments are what got us into that mess last night. Please try and act like adults here."
Before either of the two in question could retort, Jeffery came running in with an elf messenger.
"King Garrick," the elf started, "I have grave news. An ogre is attacking the kingdom. The army is not faring well."
Garrick abruptly stood up. "I will come immediately." He turned to Jareth. "Remember what we spoke of last night," he said softly, then he turned and walked smartly out after the messenger.
Sarah frowned in confusion, the decided she would probably be better off not knowing. She looked out the window, and saw Aryssa and Garrick take off, and fought off a chill of foreboding.