AN: Sooooo bloody close... LOL.. Thanks for all the great reviews for the last chapter,
keep em coming!
PS: As sorry a dedication as this is, I'd like to put this chapter up in memory of Kevin
Smith, Ares on Xena: Warrior Princess for those who aren't familar with him. Kevin,
38, died from serious head injuries sustained after falling off of a tower in Beijing
during the last day of filming for his new film. My heart goes out to his wife and
children. Heaven bless...
Standard Disclaimers apply...
************************* Sacrifices: Chapter Twenty Two **********************
"Can she do this?" demanded an irate Tortar to his companion as the Court stopped its
slow procession in front of giant gilded doors that sealed the Room of Fate. Evirey's
dark gaze raked over the arched doorway and landed briefly on the human that had proved
herself more then a pawn.
Sarah Williams stood close to her allies, the Goblin King, the Faerie Queen, and the
supposed neutral, Phoenix King. The Unicorn admitted, if only to herself, that she was
captivating in a way that transcended her allure of simple humanity. There was some
quality in her grave eyes, some uplift to her almost normal features, some shadow in her
pale, upturned face that spoke to the eternal within all immortals. That pulled the gaze
of those who had seen a thousand wonders and held it unwaveringly.
She should not be standing there, here, within this world. Evirey had named her a dreamer
but she was more, more and enough to be the undoing of all that Evirey had set to fall.
The Unicorn Queen knew more of mortals than almost any other at this Court. She held
dozens in her thrall, had seen generations be born and die within the walls of her palace.
And yet still she had underestimated this mere woman, aged, flowered, mundane and yet...
yet...
"Who will stop her?" replied the Unicorn Queen softly to her weak, belligerent ally. The
Troll King blinked and sighed, a hiss of sound that was lost as the Room of Fate groaned
once and slowly started to open.
***************************************************************************************
Jareth captured Sarah's attention as he stepped next to her and laid a gloved hand on her
alabaster cheek as tendrils of silken hair caught and wrapped around his muscled arm.
Mismatched blue and green sought and judged worried amber. "What if I made the wrong
choice...?" whispered the human who stood before him, eyes wide with fear... Fear of
her own fate and, and his.
There was not love in her wavering eyes, not adoration, but a softening, a gentleness he
thought would never survive as she beheld them. There was no anger in Sarah, no fury,
no rage, no spark of rebelliousness against the man who had brought her to this place in
exchange for the future of the only girl she had ever allowed herself to love as a mother
loves a child.
Jareth had always thought, as fiercely as he dared, that, bound to him for eternity, that
Sarah would one day give herself completely to him. Would abandon the knight in shining
armor, would forget her almost daughter, and love him. Return the love he already felt for
her. Always thought, had never believed.
Not even a Goblin King had been that arrogant.
But now?
Jareth took a shuddering breath and let his hand fall away with an act of will power he
doubted he would be able to complete again. "Right or wrong the decision was made by you
Sarah. I don't think you realize how precious, how rare, the honor of forging the path of
your own fate is here, in the Underground. How extraordinary what you have done is." And
the flowered compliment was truth because, because Jareth never lied, not to her.
Knowledge hung heavy between them for a long, immeasurable second.
The doors stopped, wide, inviting, the room behind them anonymous with misleading darkness.
The moment was broken with Cadreth's cleared throat. Sarah whirled and swallowed as the Lord
of the Court bowed shallowly to the immortal human.
"We will await you outside Sarah. You may enter now." His words were careful, political,
but his eyes... his bottomless cerulean eyes were warm with gratitude and thanks, with relief.
Sarah responded to the Phoenix King's incredible eyes with a fierce, suddenly glad smile.
She turned her back on them all then, without another word. Turned her back on the Sidhe
Court and faced the Room of Fate, head cocked as she studied the place that would tell her
her destiny, perhaps, if, if she was truly one of them. If she was truly part of this
devious, cunning world.
Some part of her rebelled at the idea. The part that longed for Devon and Melanie and
Saturday morning cartoons enjoyed in bed. The part of her that missed Starbucks and People
magazine. But another part, another part of Sarah, the part touched by Jareth, the part
that had transpired and beaten this place so long ago, buried, but never forgotten,
whispered softly to her and wanted, wanted so badly for the Room to do what Hellin had said
it would.
She wanted it to tell her who she was and where she belonged, where she belonged in the
Underground because, because a part of her did want to call it home.
Sarah Williams took a deep, steadying breath, and walked inside the grand room. Ornate doors
closed softly, immediately, behind her. The entire Sidhe Court waited with bated breath.
*********************************************************************************************
The darkness lifted the moment the doors clicked together and sealed her in. It was exactly
as Hellin had described it, but more grand. The whiteness, the pristine magical presence of
the room was overwhelming, especially since it was made to accommodate thousands upon
thousands of children of every shape and size, not one lone human woman.
The ceiling, as in the Ball Room, was high and obscured by rolling fog. Chandeliers hung,
suspended from crystal chains that came out of the fog, sparkling, glittering creations of
diamond and pearl and quartz. Candles floated on porcelain dishes like the gold lanterns of
the Ball as well. They drifted slowly, lazily almost, white wax dripped down as guttering
flames softly illuminated the already bright room.
The room was indeed immense and eerily silent, gleaming. It was waiting for her, Sarah felt
it, felt its intelligence in the pit of her clenched stomach. She took several tentative
steps further, her dress making a hiss of noise as silk rubbed against silk. It was unnerving,
the feel of ivory walls watching her, judging her, looking into her soul.
Her arms came up, protectively, and folded across her chest, a shield, defiance, Sarah wasn't
sure which and was hardly inclined to find out.
'So Sarah Williams... you have come to find out who you are and where you belong.' Sarah
jumped, startled, at the voice inside her head and, and her heart. Jumped at the intrusion
and, stifled a cry when she recognized it.
"Mama?" The whisper was torn from an incredulous, tight, throat as the warm, honey toned
voice of a woman scorned but never hated invaded depths of her soul that no Dragon mind
voice had ever reached. Amazing how this place could make her feel so very young sometimes.
Sarah swallowed as vague memories of fairy tales, bedside stories, chocolate chip cookies,
and milk, were pulled from a repressed, half forgotten past with the recognition of her long
lost mother's voice. It was suddenly very apparent why creatures never lied about what the
Room of Fate told them. Not if it spoke in the voice every being most longed, individually,
to hear.
'You want to know yourself human? You are a mortal immortalized, a woman, a mother; you are
living sacrifice. You are beauty, truth, defiance that will never be broken, strength that
will always be tested, will that cannot be killed. You are fire and chocolate and some
mixture of darkness that could light any room. You are the gray that you see in the world.
You are the past and the future.
'You are many things Sarah but you only belong in one place, in any plane, any existence, any
world. There is indeed only one place that all that you are will ever be able to embrace as
home. Sarah Williams you belong...'
**********************************************************************************************
Sarah stumbled out of the open doors of the Room of Fate. The Sidhe Court watched quietly,
respectfully. None of the Sidhe here had ever been in that dreaded room. High Sidhe were
born High, if not by blood then by inherent power. They had never had to be told who they
must be. They were always arrogant enough to know.
But every other, everyone they had spoken to, there was always an air of mystery and things
forbidden when the Room of Fate was spoken of. Jareth took a hesitant step forward, unsure
for the first time in his immortal life, but stopped at a fierce glare from the Faerie Queen.
The choice had been made, Sarah stood on her own here, before them all.
"I... I..." Sarah trailed off as she stared at the Sidhe Court, wide eyed, unnoticed tears
pouring down her brutally open face. She looked vulnerable, frail, but there was a steel in
Sarah that could never totally be overcome. The Underground could destroy a lesser human but
Sarah, Sarah would never be one of them.
Amber eyes found Jareth's and the earnestness, rawness in them would haunt the Goblin King as
long as he drew breath. She grounded herself in his questioning eyes though, drew strength
even as he marveled that she dared, that she allowed him to give that much of himself to her.
Sarah had grown up in so many ways.
"The Room of Fate has spoken to me." Her beautiful mature voice was steady, despite how
shaken she was, and it reached every assembled creature's ears. Sarah licked suddenly dry
lips before continuing, "And has let me keep my word. I am a subject of the Goblin King."
keep em coming!
PS: As sorry a dedication as this is, I'd like to put this chapter up in memory of Kevin
Smith, Ares on Xena: Warrior Princess for those who aren't familar with him. Kevin,
38, died from serious head injuries sustained after falling off of a tower in Beijing
during the last day of filming for his new film. My heart goes out to his wife and
children. Heaven bless...
Standard Disclaimers apply...
************************* Sacrifices: Chapter Twenty Two **********************
"Can she do this?" demanded an irate Tortar to his companion as the Court stopped its
slow procession in front of giant gilded doors that sealed the Room of Fate. Evirey's
dark gaze raked over the arched doorway and landed briefly on the human that had proved
herself more then a pawn.
Sarah Williams stood close to her allies, the Goblin King, the Faerie Queen, and the
supposed neutral, Phoenix King. The Unicorn admitted, if only to herself, that she was
captivating in a way that transcended her allure of simple humanity. There was some
quality in her grave eyes, some uplift to her almost normal features, some shadow in her
pale, upturned face that spoke to the eternal within all immortals. That pulled the gaze
of those who had seen a thousand wonders and held it unwaveringly.
She should not be standing there, here, within this world. Evirey had named her a dreamer
but she was more, more and enough to be the undoing of all that Evirey had set to fall.
The Unicorn Queen knew more of mortals than almost any other at this Court. She held
dozens in her thrall, had seen generations be born and die within the walls of her palace.
And yet still she had underestimated this mere woman, aged, flowered, mundane and yet...
yet...
"Who will stop her?" replied the Unicorn Queen softly to her weak, belligerent ally. The
Troll King blinked and sighed, a hiss of sound that was lost as the Room of Fate groaned
once and slowly started to open.
***************************************************************************************
Jareth captured Sarah's attention as he stepped next to her and laid a gloved hand on her
alabaster cheek as tendrils of silken hair caught and wrapped around his muscled arm.
Mismatched blue and green sought and judged worried amber. "What if I made the wrong
choice...?" whispered the human who stood before him, eyes wide with fear... Fear of
her own fate and, and his.
There was not love in her wavering eyes, not adoration, but a softening, a gentleness he
thought would never survive as she beheld them. There was no anger in Sarah, no fury,
no rage, no spark of rebelliousness against the man who had brought her to this place in
exchange for the future of the only girl she had ever allowed herself to love as a mother
loves a child.
Jareth had always thought, as fiercely as he dared, that, bound to him for eternity, that
Sarah would one day give herself completely to him. Would abandon the knight in shining
armor, would forget her almost daughter, and love him. Return the love he already felt for
her. Always thought, had never believed.
Not even a Goblin King had been that arrogant.
But now?
Jareth took a shuddering breath and let his hand fall away with an act of will power he
doubted he would be able to complete again. "Right or wrong the decision was made by you
Sarah. I don't think you realize how precious, how rare, the honor of forging the path of
your own fate is here, in the Underground. How extraordinary what you have done is." And
the flowered compliment was truth because, because Jareth never lied, not to her.
Knowledge hung heavy between them for a long, immeasurable second.
The doors stopped, wide, inviting, the room behind them anonymous with misleading darkness.
The moment was broken with Cadreth's cleared throat. Sarah whirled and swallowed as the Lord
of the Court bowed shallowly to the immortal human.
"We will await you outside Sarah. You may enter now." His words were careful, political,
but his eyes... his bottomless cerulean eyes were warm with gratitude and thanks, with relief.
Sarah responded to the Phoenix King's incredible eyes with a fierce, suddenly glad smile.
She turned her back on them all then, without another word. Turned her back on the Sidhe
Court and faced the Room of Fate, head cocked as she studied the place that would tell her
her destiny, perhaps, if, if she was truly one of them. If she was truly part of this
devious, cunning world.
Some part of her rebelled at the idea. The part that longed for Devon and Melanie and
Saturday morning cartoons enjoyed in bed. The part of her that missed Starbucks and People
magazine. But another part, another part of Sarah, the part touched by Jareth, the part
that had transpired and beaten this place so long ago, buried, but never forgotten,
whispered softly to her and wanted, wanted so badly for the Room to do what Hellin had said
it would.
She wanted it to tell her who she was and where she belonged, where she belonged in the
Underground because, because a part of her did want to call it home.
Sarah Williams took a deep, steadying breath, and walked inside the grand room. Ornate doors
closed softly, immediately, behind her. The entire Sidhe Court waited with bated breath.
*********************************************************************************************
The darkness lifted the moment the doors clicked together and sealed her in. It was exactly
as Hellin had described it, but more grand. The whiteness, the pristine magical presence of
the room was overwhelming, especially since it was made to accommodate thousands upon
thousands of children of every shape and size, not one lone human woman.
The ceiling, as in the Ball Room, was high and obscured by rolling fog. Chandeliers hung,
suspended from crystal chains that came out of the fog, sparkling, glittering creations of
diamond and pearl and quartz. Candles floated on porcelain dishes like the gold lanterns of
the Ball as well. They drifted slowly, lazily almost, white wax dripped down as guttering
flames softly illuminated the already bright room.
The room was indeed immense and eerily silent, gleaming. It was waiting for her, Sarah felt
it, felt its intelligence in the pit of her clenched stomach. She took several tentative
steps further, her dress making a hiss of noise as silk rubbed against silk. It was unnerving,
the feel of ivory walls watching her, judging her, looking into her soul.
Her arms came up, protectively, and folded across her chest, a shield, defiance, Sarah wasn't
sure which and was hardly inclined to find out.
'So Sarah Williams... you have come to find out who you are and where you belong.' Sarah
jumped, startled, at the voice inside her head and, and her heart. Jumped at the intrusion
and, stifled a cry when she recognized it.
"Mama?" The whisper was torn from an incredulous, tight, throat as the warm, honey toned
voice of a woman scorned but never hated invaded depths of her soul that no Dragon mind
voice had ever reached. Amazing how this place could make her feel so very young sometimes.
Sarah swallowed as vague memories of fairy tales, bedside stories, chocolate chip cookies,
and milk, were pulled from a repressed, half forgotten past with the recognition of her long
lost mother's voice. It was suddenly very apparent why creatures never lied about what the
Room of Fate told them. Not if it spoke in the voice every being most longed, individually,
to hear.
'You want to know yourself human? You are a mortal immortalized, a woman, a mother; you are
living sacrifice. You are beauty, truth, defiance that will never be broken, strength that
will always be tested, will that cannot be killed. You are fire and chocolate and some
mixture of darkness that could light any room. You are the gray that you see in the world.
You are the past and the future.
'You are many things Sarah but you only belong in one place, in any plane, any existence, any
world. There is indeed only one place that all that you are will ever be able to embrace as
home. Sarah Williams you belong...'
**********************************************************************************************
Sarah stumbled out of the open doors of the Room of Fate. The Sidhe Court watched quietly,
respectfully. None of the Sidhe here had ever been in that dreaded room. High Sidhe were
born High, if not by blood then by inherent power. They had never had to be told who they
must be. They were always arrogant enough to know.
But every other, everyone they had spoken to, there was always an air of mystery and things
forbidden when the Room of Fate was spoken of. Jareth took a hesitant step forward, unsure
for the first time in his immortal life, but stopped at a fierce glare from the Faerie Queen.
The choice had been made, Sarah stood on her own here, before them all.
"I... I..." Sarah trailed off as she stared at the Sidhe Court, wide eyed, unnoticed tears
pouring down her brutally open face. She looked vulnerable, frail, but there was a steel in
Sarah that could never totally be overcome. The Underground could destroy a lesser human but
Sarah, Sarah would never be one of them.
Amber eyes found Jareth's and the earnestness, rawness in them would haunt the Goblin King as
long as he drew breath. She grounded herself in his questioning eyes though, drew strength
even as he marveled that she dared, that she allowed him to give that much of himself to her.
Sarah had grown up in so many ways.
"The Room of Fate has spoken to me." Her beautiful mature voice was steady, despite how
shaken she was, and it reached every assembled creature's ears. Sarah licked suddenly dry
lips before continuing, "And has let me keep my word. I am a subject of the Goblin King."