AN: I'm terribly sorry that it has taken so long for me to write more of this story. I have to admit that I've been stuck and I don't want to just write some quick filler chapters. I want this story to be written as well as "The Debt". I plan to finish it, it just might take me a little longer to write up. So please have some patience. Thank you all for the wonderful reviews and for reading this story as well as my others. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
A possible ally...
Aiden was walking through the gardens when he found Jareth in Sarah's arms. He didn't make his presence known but just watched the two interact. They had not said a single word since he found them. Sarah was smoothing Jareth's long blond hair with her fingers. Aiden noticed that the arrogant, cruel Goblin King didn't look so powerful at this moment. He looked lost, broken, and teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Sarah on the other hand, looked strong, determined. She was truly a fighter. She was everything Jareth had told him she was. 10 years had not changed her, except to make her stronger. But Sarah had never faced the court before. She had never seen them ridicule another Fae for his or her actions. She had never seen them banish another from the court or embarrass him. Jareth had seen cruelty at it's worst within the Fae court. He had been the poor subject of Cyla and Farris' plans. Banished from court and tricked into becoming the Goblin King.
And now he would face the court again. Aiden knew that Jareth possessed incredible strength of will, even though he did not show it at this moment. Right now all Jareth saw was Sarah being taken from him. He saw his life being ripped apart again as well as his heart. Aiden clenched his fists together. He wouldn't let them take her away from Jareth.
Dinner was served at 8 o clock. Aiden told Jareth and Sarah that the reason for so such a late dinner was due to progressions in the plans for the ball that he didn't wish to pull away from just yet. It was the truth but not the full truth. He hoped that Jareth would take the time to pull himself together in Sarah's presence and his friend did not let him down. When Sarah and Jareth entered the dinning hall, the arrogant, self aware King of the Goblins was back. There was no trace of his depression from earlier. Sarah was trying her best to appear strong, but Aiden noticed in her eyes that she was tired. He hoped that she would make it to the High Court. He prayed that Jareth would make it as well.
As the next few days progressed Sarah noticed a change in Jareth. The Goblin King was back in full swing. The only time he was sweet and caring was then the two of them were in private. Sarah had the feeling that he had dove back into his former self because the nobles that Aiden had invited to the masked ball were beginning to arrive. The ball was still not for a few nights but Aiden had hoped that having a few of his other friends, some of which who had an influence in court, around would help Jareth and Sarah's case.
Two nobles had already arrived. Count Landor and his wife Mira and Lord Orag. Sarah had yet to meet them. Jareth had spoken highly of them. They had been friends of Aiden's father King Varian. They did not understand Varian's belief that mortals and immortals could be equals on some levels, but Jareth was confident that once they met Sarah they might change their minds.
Sarah spent her time in the gardens while Jareth talked politics with the other men. She was sitting on one of the many marble benches looking at the lake spread out before her when she heard someone approaching. She turned to find a tall and elegant woman with curly dark hair, green eyes, wearing a pale green dress looking at her cautiously.
Sarah smiled sweetly. "Hello."
The woman tried to smile in return. "Hello." She said softly. "You are the mortal woman." It was a statement said with some fear, some uncertainty.
Sarah nodded. "That's right." Sarah smiled warmly and she noticed the woman relax slightly.
"Sarah, right?" Sarah nodded again. The woman looked at the bench that Sarah sat on. "May I...may I join you?" Sarah nodded. The woman still appeared to be nervous, as she sat beside Sarah slowly.
"And you are?"
"Countess Mira. But you may call me Mira. I never did approve of fancy titles." She laughed nervously.
"Mira." Sarah let the name roll off her tongue. "You're Count Landor's wife."
"That's correct." The woman smiled, the smile reaching her green eyes. "My husband is off talking politics with King Aiden and King Jareth. I was never fond of talking of such things myself." She smiled.
Sarah smiled. "Me either."
They sat in silence for a short while. "What do you think of the Underground? I hear that the mortal realm is very different from our own."
Sarah tried not to let the hurt she felt be shown at the woman's words. She had begun to believe the underground was her world, of course others didn't know that. "It's very different here, but I love it."
Mira nodded. Clasping her hands together in the lap of her pale green dress. Mira suddenly seemed nervous again. "Perhaps....perhaps you could clarify something for me?" Sarah nodded. "Do you love King Jareth?"
Sarah glared at the woman for a moment but saw that the woman was asking out of curiosity. She was not asking these questions because she was rude or inconsiderate. Sarah realized that she could be an ally.
"Yes. I love King Jareth, very much." It was the truth and Mira nodded with a smile recognizing it as such.
"He obviously loves you a great deal to put his land, his title, his world on the line for you. How curious...."
"What's curious?"
Mira cocked her head to the side. "That he would do such a thing for a mortal. I can not doubt your beauty and King Aiden tells us that you have a strength within you that other mortals simply do not possess. Yet The Goblin King would willingly give everything he has to remain with you."
"Did...did Jareth say that?"
The woman looked horrified for a moment. "You address him so informally. How very insulting!"
"He doesn't seem to think it's insulting. Did.... King Jareth really say that?"
The woman seemed to relax. "Indeed he did. He has had nothing but praise for you. My husband thinks he is crazy to do such things for a mortal."
Sarah looked away. "And what do you think?"
Mira smiled warmly and genuinely. "I think he is doing it for love. Something we don't have enough of here in the Underground. It was obvious by the way he spoke of you inside that he loves you. It was terrible what Cyla and Lord Farris did to him 400 years ago. He deserves happiness in his life."
"Where you there?"
"Yes. Everyone was there. Even those not within the court were called to court to watch. It is truly amazing that he has retained his strength and his dignity after what they did to him. I heard what happened to Farris and I must say that he deserved the fate he got."
Sarah glanced at her. "You...you believe that?"
"Farris was a pig. He seduced my younger sister about 500 years ago." Sarah's eyes widened. "The poor girl, she fell for him and his dark charm and he left her. He went in search of others to seduce and she was but a forgotten memory. It took my sister several hundred years to get over him. Thankfully she did and is now married to a wonderful young Fae. Farris meddled where he should not have. He meddled with mortals, seducing and raping them for sport. He meddled with the lives of other fae, meddled with the court and he meddled with the Goblin King. He definitely got what he deserved."
Sarah smiled at this. Apparently Farris was not so well liked and so respectful as she feared him to be.
"Sarah!" Sarah perked at the voice, seeing Jareth standing by the doorway. He was standing alone dressed in a dark green frock coat, a silver shirt beneath it. He wore his dark tights and his black knee high boots. Sarah smiled when she saw him. He was gesturing for her to go to him and She rose from the bench.
'If you'll excuse me." Mira nodded and Sarah walked to Jareth at a quick pace. Mira smiled as she watched The Goblin King put his hand on the small of the mortal's back and took her hand placing a kiss on the palm. Even from a distance she could see the love in his eyes. He truly loved the mortal with all his heart and she appeared to love him as well. Sarah was whispering something to Jareth and he looked up to see Mira in the garden. He nodded to her and she nodded in return.
Mira stood, watching the Goblin King lead Sarah into King Aiden's marble castle. "Yes..." She nodded to herself. "They shall have my help. Love is too powerful to be ignored.."
A possible ally...
Aiden was walking through the gardens when he found Jareth in Sarah's arms. He didn't make his presence known but just watched the two interact. They had not said a single word since he found them. Sarah was smoothing Jareth's long blond hair with her fingers. Aiden noticed that the arrogant, cruel Goblin King didn't look so powerful at this moment. He looked lost, broken, and teetering on the edge of a cliff.
Sarah on the other hand, looked strong, determined. She was truly a fighter. She was everything Jareth had told him she was. 10 years had not changed her, except to make her stronger. But Sarah had never faced the court before. She had never seen them ridicule another Fae for his or her actions. She had never seen them banish another from the court or embarrass him. Jareth had seen cruelty at it's worst within the Fae court. He had been the poor subject of Cyla and Farris' plans. Banished from court and tricked into becoming the Goblin King.
And now he would face the court again. Aiden knew that Jareth possessed incredible strength of will, even though he did not show it at this moment. Right now all Jareth saw was Sarah being taken from him. He saw his life being ripped apart again as well as his heart. Aiden clenched his fists together. He wouldn't let them take her away from Jareth.
Dinner was served at 8 o clock. Aiden told Jareth and Sarah that the reason for so such a late dinner was due to progressions in the plans for the ball that he didn't wish to pull away from just yet. It was the truth but not the full truth. He hoped that Jareth would take the time to pull himself together in Sarah's presence and his friend did not let him down. When Sarah and Jareth entered the dinning hall, the arrogant, self aware King of the Goblins was back. There was no trace of his depression from earlier. Sarah was trying her best to appear strong, but Aiden noticed in her eyes that she was tired. He hoped that she would make it to the High Court. He prayed that Jareth would make it as well.
As the next few days progressed Sarah noticed a change in Jareth. The Goblin King was back in full swing. The only time he was sweet and caring was then the two of them were in private. Sarah had the feeling that he had dove back into his former self because the nobles that Aiden had invited to the masked ball were beginning to arrive. The ball was still not for a few nights but Aiden had hoped that having a few of his other friends, some of which who had an influence in court, around would help Jareth and Sarah's case.
Two nobles had already arrived. Count Landor and his wife Mira and Lord Orag. Sarah had yet to meet them. Jareth had spoken highly of them. They had been friends of Aiden's father King Varian. They did not understand Varian's belief that mortals and immortals could be equals on some levels, but Jareth was confident that once they met Sarah they might change their minds.
Sarah spent her time in the gardens while Jareth talked politics with the other men. She was sitting on one of the many marble benches looking at the lake spread out before her when she heard someone approaching. She turned to find a tall and elegant woman with curly dark hair, green eyes, wearing a pale green dress looking at her cautiously.
Sarah smiled sweetly. "Hello."
The woman tried to smile in return. "Hello." She said softly. "You are the mortal woman." It was a statement said with some fear, some uncertainty.
Sarah nodded. "That's right." Sarah smiled warmly and she noticed the woman relax slightly.
"Sarah, right?" Sarah nodded again. The woman looked at the bench that Sarah sat on. "May I...may I join you?" Sarah nodded. The woman still appeared to be nervous, as she sat beside Sarah slowly.
"And you are?"
"Countess Mira. But you may call me Mira. I never did approve of fancy titles." She laughed nervously.
"Mira." Sarah let the name roll off her tongue. "You're Count Landor's wife."
"That's correct." The woman smiled, the smile reaching her green eyes. "My husband is off talking politics with King Aiden and King Jareth. I was never fond of talking of such things myself." She smiled.
Sarah smiled. "Me either."
They sat in silence for a short while. "What do you think of the Underground? I hear that the mortal realm is very different from our own."
Sarah tried not to let the hurt she felt be shown at the woman's words. She had begun to believe the underground was her world, of course others didn't know that. "It's very different here, but I love it."
Mira nodded. Clasping her hands together in the lap of her pale green dress. Mira suddenly seemed nervous again. "Perhaps....perhaps you could clarify something for me?" Sarah nodded. "Do you love King Jareth?"
Sarah glared at the woman for a moment but saw that the woman was asking out of curiosity. She was not asking these questions because she was rude or inconsiderate. Sarah realized that she could be an ally.
"Yes. I love King Jareth, very much." It was the truth and Mira nodded with a smile recognizing it as such.
"He obviously loves you a great deal to put his land, his title, his world on the line for you. How curious...."
"What's curious?"
Mira cocked her head to the side. "That he would do such a thing for a mortal. I can not doubt your beauty and King Aiden tells us that you have a strength within you that other mortals simply do not possess. Yet The Goblin King would willingly give everything he has to remain with you."
"Did...did Jareth say that?"
The woman looked horrified for a moment. "You address him so informally. How very insulting!"
"He doesn't seem to think it's insulting. Did.... King Jareth really say that?"
The woman seemed to relax. "Indeed he did. He has had nothing but praise for you. My husband thinks he is crazy to do such things for a mortal."
Sarah looked away. "And what do you think?"
Mira smiled warmly and genuinely. "I think he is doing it for love. Something we don't have enough of here in the Underground. It was obvious by the way he spoke of you inside that he loves you. It was terrible what Cyla and Lord Farris did to him 400 years ago. He deserves happiness in his life."
"Where you there?"
"Yes. Everyone was there. Even those not within the court were called to court to watch. It is truly amazing that he has retained his strength and his dignity after what they did to him. I heard what happened to Farris and I must say that he deserved the fate he got."
Sarah glanced at her. "You...you believe that?"
"Farris was a pig. He seduced my younger sister about 500 years ago." Sarah's eyes widened. "The poor girl, she fell for him and his dark charm and he left her. He went in search of others to seduce and she was but a forgotten memory. It took my sister several hundred years to get over him. Thankfully she did and is now married to a wonderful young Fae. Farris meddled where he should not have. He meddled with mortals, seducing and raping them for sport. He meddled with the lives of other fae, meddled with the court and he meddled with the Goblin King. He definitely got what he deserved."
Sarah smiled at this. Apparently Farris was not so well liked and so respectful as she feared him to be.
"Sarah!" Sarah perked at the voice, seeing Jareth standing by the doorway. He was standing alone dressed in a dark green frock coat, a silver shirt beneath it. He wore his dark tights and his black knee high boots. Sarah smiled when she saw him. He was gesturing for her to go to him and She rose from the bench.
'If you'll excuse me." Mira nodded and Sarah walked to Jareth at a quick pace. Mira smiled as she watched The Goblin King put his hand on the small of the mortal's back and took her hand placing a kiss on the palm. Even from a distance she could see the love in his eyes. He truly loved the mortal with all his heart and she appeared to love him as well. Sarah was whispering something to Jareth and he looked up to see Mira in the garden. He nodded to her and she nodded in return.
Mira stood, watching the Goblin King lead Sarah into King Aiden's marble castle. "Yes..." She nodded to herself. "They shall have my help. Love is too powerful to be ignored.."