"When Words Get In The Way"
Part Four of the 'Words' Saga

**

Part 6
"He that has no fools, knaves, nor beggars in his family was begot by a flash of lightening."


It was dark by the time she reached the Castle again. The moon was only just rising over the dark mountains, changing the distant waterfall that cascaded down into a rippling surge of silver.

The elaborate carriage sitting outside the huge front doors of the Castle, however, greatly overshadowed the distant phenomenon.

Sarah stopped and stared at it. It was the size and shape of a train car, oddly rectangular and made of many shades of green all flowing together in the evening light. But its corners were carefully crafted; every inch of the thing was covered in a swirling, ornate gold design. The windows were covered in shimmering gold cloth, with small rainbows chasing up and down inside the weaving. Gold trappings jangled from every conceivable place, even from the bridles of the two matching delicate golden horses.

Sarah swallowed and furrowed her forehead. There was only place that fantasy carriage could have come from.

It looked like Jareth's family had arrived.

Sarah felt a sudden, absurd flash of nerves. That was silly, though. She was the one of the most powerful beings in the Labyrinth, and besides that this was *her* home, and she was Lady here, the Queen of the Labyrinth, a creature worthy of respect and power herself. Just then, the carriage door opened, and the Queen of the Labyrinth dove behind a nearby statue and watched as the carriage's occupants began to emerge.

The first to appear was tall, with a figure to make poets weep and the grace of a she-panther. The gleam of her fair skin made the golden garriage look suddenly dull by comparison. She was clothed in the most exquisite dress Sarah had ever seen; gold and silver and cream all flawlessly melded together. Her sun-gold hair glittered with tiny gems that had been woven into the elaborate coiffure, and her eyes - from what Sarah could see - were large and dark. This woman could be none other than the Queen of the Fae herself, Titania.

After a few moments of staring in awed fascination, Sarah ripped her eyes away to watch the figure descending behind her. Tall, lithe, and dark, he carried himself smoothly, but there was something distant about his manner, something cold and aloof. His clothing wasn't overly fancy, but the gold trim woven in the outline of exquisite dancing flames on his long coat proved beyond all doubt that he was no mere commoner. Long, dark hair was pulled back into a queue, and like Titania, his eyes appeared to be dark as well. The graceful face structure was reminiscent of Titania's delicate features; if Sarah was correct in her guess, she was looking at Ryo, only *legitimate* son of King Oberon.

*It's a shame his only son couldn't have been someone a little more friendly-looking,* Sarah thought, surprised at her own dourness.

"I see my cousin hasn't improved his kingdom at all since we last visited," Ryo commented dryly, looking down his nose at a squat goblin. "You would think he would take more pride in his lands." He kicked the dirt in front of him with mild disgust. "Then again, considering the dregs he has to work with, I suppose I can understand his lack of motivation."

*Why you bigheaded son of a...* Sarah scowled angrily at the haughty Fae. Hadn't improved?! There had been nothing wrong with it in the first place - and if there had been, well, the entire *Labyrinth* had been reformed after Obadiah's attack! It was more beautiful now than it had ever been, especially with the moon pouring silver light over everything. Sarah bit back the urge to march right out and tell this arrogant jerk exactly what she thought about the 'dregs' of this kingdom - and him as well, while she was at it.

"Ryo, what Jareth decides to do with his kingdom is his own affair," Titania said, glancing at her son reprovingly, and Sarah's anger faded in the music of that voice. She had never heard anything so sweet, so solemn, and yet, so glittering and strong. Titania ran a slender-fingered hand over her glowing gown and spoke again. "I'm sure his wife will make some changes for the better."

"Not likely," Ryo scoffed. "In case you'd forgotten, Mother, Jareth's wife is a mortal woman. Most likely, she will make things worse than they already are. Have you seen what mortals like to decorate their pathetic little gardens with? Pink birds - *dead* pink birds!" He spoke with the utmost of revulsion.

*Flamingos, you twit.* Sarah breathed once, heavily, through her nose. *They're pink flamingos, and I'd sooner tear down the Labyrinth before I put one of those things up.*

By that point, a third person was emerging from the elaborate green carriage. Her garments were made of the same wispy, ephemeral material as the queen, but not quite as extravagant in style. She also had the same graceful, willowy figure, though there was an added quality to her demeanor that Sarah couldn't quite place. Her dark hair was liberally threaded with silver, a sign of her age, but her skin still looked as fair and smooth as someone much younger. When she spoke, there was a warmth in her voice that was lacking in those of her two companions.

"It is an unwise thing to do, insulting a king, his kingdom, *and* his wife in front of the new queen," the woman remarked, sounding vaguely amused. Titania and Ryo both turned to look at her, and Sarah was gaping in disbelief.

"What do you mean?" Titania asked. "Jareth's wife is here? I have not seen anyone besides goblins."

"She has been hiding over there behind that statue from the start of your conversation," Danielle replied smoothly, gesturing to Sarah's hiding spot. Ryo took a few steps nearer.

"I see no one," he stated. In a louder voice, he called, "Show yourself!"

All traces of panic vanished. Whether or not Ryo was the son of the Fae King, he was still talking to a queen - mortal or not - and his rudeness was not to be tolerated. Drawing herself up angrily, Sarah stepped out of her hiding spot and regarded the fae coolly.

"Welcome," she said, for all the world as if she hadn't just been found eavesdropping like a curious child. "Jareth and I have been...looking forward to your visit."

"Good evening," Titania greeted, nodding her head fractionally. She smiled pleasantly, if formally. "We have also been looking forward to meeting you. A mortal queen in this land is...unusual."

"*Very* unusual," Ryo muttered. Danielle frowned at the younger man, then stepped forward and took Sarah's hands in her own, smiling warmly like any grandmother would when greeting part of the family.

"Good evening, child," she said, ignoring Sarah's look of surprise. "You're every bit as pretty as I had imagined you would be. Sorry to have startled you as I did, pointing out your hiding place, but I'm sure you would agree that it is a little more dignified for the Queen of the Underground to welcome her guests formally, rather than hide from them." That tone of friendly amusement was in her voice again, and Sarah found herself smiling in response.

"Yes, you're right," she agreed, chuckling softly. "But how did you know?"

Guessing Sarah's thoughts - which were leaning toward some sort of magical divination - Danielle explained, "I saw you duck behind that statue as soon as you saw our carriage, nothing more mysterious than that."

Before Sarah could reply, the castle doors opened and Jareth emerged, clothed in much better finery than his wife (who hadn't been anticipating stumbling across his family at this time of day).

"My Lady," he bowed deeply to Titania, nodding equably to Ryo (who turned, Sarah noted, a very peculiar shade of pink and barely managed to hide the glower that flashed across his elegant features). Then his smile turned only slightly less formal and he bowed again to the elder Fae. "My Lady Danielle," he murmured, and she smiled kindly at him.

"There you are, grand-nephew, making your usual dramatic entrance."

"You wound me, my Lady," he placed a hand over his heart and favored them all with an extravagant hurt look. "I wish only to greet you in a style befitting those of your stature. And," he added, "Of my own kin."

"A flatterer, as always." Titania observed, not without a slight smile of her own. Jareth inclined his head to acknowledge, and then seemed to suddenly notice Sarah. (*As if he hadn't seen me here the whole time.*) He smirked slightly over Danielle's head, and she allowed herself one frustrated glower before composing her face and offering Titania a gentile smile. The Queen returned the gesture, but to a much more reserved degree.

Sarah glanced at the darker fae, debating mentally for a moment, and then offered him a smile as well. He stared at her as if she had just done something unforgivably rude. The smile faded from Sarah's face. The prince's scowl deepened, and he glanced up at his cousin. "This is your wife?" he demanded. "I'm shocked, cousin," He spat the word as if it were the worst insult he could think of. "If you were going to pollute the royal blood, you could at least have chosen an *acceptable* mortal."

Sarah's face instantly went red, with anger or embarrassment, she didn't know. Both.

Jareth, on the other hand, didn't bat an eyelash. He didn't even look at Ryo, but to his side, where the Queen of the Fae stood looking vaguely shocked at her son's bad manners. "Your Majesty," he said calmly. "I advise you to fire your tutor. He has failed abysmally to teach young Ryo proper manners."

"I do *not* have a tutor!" Ryo said angrily, coloring almost as red as Sarah. "I am older than you!"

"Then pray act as such," Danielle said smoothly, her composure regained. She smiled slightly to Sarah, and her left eyelid almost seemed to drop into...Sarah blinked, momentarily distracted. She'd never seen a fae actually wink before.

Jareth took the short silence that followed as an opportunity to cut in again. "Please, ladies, my lord, do come inside. You must be terribly weary after your long trip, so I have taken the liberty of arranging a modest repast for you."

"That would be delightful," Danielle told him jovially, taking his proffered arm. "And I must say, your new lady wife is quite the lovely creature. How in the underground did you fall in with her?"

"A long tale, my lady," Jareth told her, leading her towards the large doors. "Perhaps best told over a long meal?"

Ryo offered his arm to his mother, who took it coolly, nodding again to Sarah as they swept past.

"M...m'lady?"

Sarah jumped and glanced down...way down....one of the goblin pages was fidgeting nervously from foot to grimy foot, clutching the front of his dirty coat with tense fingers.

"Yes?"

"W...would m'lady like to be escorted in too?"

Sarah smothered a smile. Wouldn't that be a picture, her stooped over almost to the ground, on the rather short arm of the miniscule servant...the very young, minuscule servant, from the looks of him. Sarah crouched to her heels and looked the little guy square in the eyes. "My thanks to you, good sir. But I do believe I will be skipping the meal this evening."

"As m'lady wishes," he squeaked, sounding rather relieved.

"But I pray you will deliver a message for me?"

"Yes, m'lady?"

"Tell the King I have some business to attend, but I will be back before midnight. Can you do that for me?"

"Of course, m'lady. I'll tell 'im anythin' you want...even if he...kicks me for it, m'lady."

"You're a terribly brave one," she told him, rising to her feet. "Thank you, my good sir, and I shall remember your courage someday, hmm?"

"Thanks, m'lady." The page bowed and scraped until Sarah just knew he was going to be permanently crooked, and then finally scampered off to deliver her message. Sarah breathed a sigh of relief - it was hard keeping up that grand lady pretense. If it was this tough around goblin servants, how in the world would she manage it around Jareth's Fae relatives?

She watched the grimy goblin disappear around the large, grandiose carriage, which was now being led away by several small stable dwarves, and suddenly laughed out loud. The man who had ridden in that carriage, a handsome, powerful fae prince, had been the rudest, most obnoxious being she had ever met inside the Labyrinth - but the tiny, ugly, filthy goblin page had screwed up his courage to show her the manners of a true gentleman.

So far, it had been an interesting sort of day.

*I need a long walk*, she thought, and headed for the gardens. *The longer, the better.*

***