~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 20:
"Sarah…" he whispered. The black-haired girl turned to him and smiled. She had aged since they had met that first time. But immortality never ceased to amaze Jareth; she looked like she had just celebrated her twenty- fifth birthday.
"Jareth, I've missed you," she said simply. The Goblin King sat in shock for a few minutes, just like all the other fae. Finally, he stretched a hand out to her and began, of all things, to cry. Seeing the uncharacteristic tears, Sarah rushed to his side. "It's alright, Jareth. I'm here… I'm here."
"How? I saw you die two hundred years ago!" It was becoming too much for him. He felt like a child, but could not stop the tears.
"Yes, you did. Give me one second and I'll explain. I'll explain to all of you," she raised her voice a notch to shake the others out of their reverie.
"More than two centuries ago, I was born to the Lady Titania and her Lord Oberon. My given name was Laeli," she paused as there was a collective gasp, "Yes, well, that's only the beginning, mind you. I don't know why, but I was kidnapped and taken to the mortal world and given to the Williams family. I grew up as Sarah Williams, the fanciful little girl who had no idea that she was anything but human. My kidnapper had even managed to disguise my pointed ears."
"It was Lemures," Narcissa broke in, although everyone already guessed it, "He was going to wait until you were eighteen and then bring you back to receive your hand in marriage."
Sarah nodded, "Yes, and that's what would have happened too, I'm sure… if it had not been for the Labyrinth. When I wished my human half-brother away, I had no idea I would face a powerful fae called the Goblin King. But I did, and I won the Labyrinth and my brother back. But the adventure had another affect on me. It awakened my magical powers. Not that I was aware of it, of course. I thought it was simply coincidental that odd things kept happening in the weeks after the Labyrinth. Then, one day when I was leaving the park, I saw a car hurtling towards me. I knew I was going to die, so imagine my surprise at waking up in a warm bed in the palace of the Fae King."
"How is that possible?" Jareth spoke out, "I saw you die with my own eyes. I saw your body lying on the pavement." The tears had dried and his old demanding personality came out in full force.
Sarah's eyes misted over while Titania answered his question, "It was an illusion, Jareth. We obviously knew that Laeli's kidnapper was still around and we couldn't risk that they were watching. Her death had to look real."
Seeing that he was about to protest, Sarah continued, "My mortal parents had to endure my death too. It was the worst part about leaving the human world. But, my fae parents took care of me and I have learned to love them just as much as the mortal ones. They decided that they could not tell anyone of my return, because I was still in danger. Even a mortal kidnapper would be alive after fifteen years. I discovered that I also had a little sister, named Narcissa." Sarah looked at the young queen affectionately, "She was sequestered for her safety and we learned together in our secrecy. We know almost everything there is about magic, battle and so much knowledge that I hadn't even thought was possible in my mortal life. Then, it was decided that Narcissa should marry, to preserve the royal line. For although, in reality I am the heir to the Fae throne, to everyone else, it was Narcissa. You all know the story with Thor so I will not rehash that. I was placed as a servant a couple years ago in this palace to give me access to the society I will one day rule and so I could hear the rumors. Finally I determined that my kidnapper was growing restless. So we arranged this festival for a dual purpose: find a husband for Narcissa and find the kidnapper." She smiled broadly, "At least we've been successful in one of those areas. And I can finally stop being the scullery maid and get back to a real life, one without constant protection even."
Jareth was angry at the deception. "That doesn't explain any of the questions Puck asked," he snapped.
Sarah's face became hard, "Doesn't it? I was there to whisper those clues to you. I was the one who freed you in the cave. I was the one that guided the crystal to the cave and the one who made sure the portal crystal fell safely into my sister's hand. And… I was the one who killed Sobek."
Oberon darkened, "Excuse me, young lady?" His fatherly attitude reasserted itself. No matter how happy he was to see in his daughter as something other than a servant, he could not tolerate murder.
The anger that Jareth knew so well started to rise in Sarah, "I had a perfectly good reason, Father. Sobek was a traitor. I saw him on several occasions betray you."
"It's true, Father," interjected Narcissa, "I forgot to mention it to Puck when we found the body; we were too concerned about Jareth. But I saw Sobek with Lemures; I heard them planning together. Apollo told me about Morpheus and his sickness. I bet you anything Sobek and Lemures thought up that little trick too. Sarah is the hidden savior that Thor spoke of so often; he knew her presence would save us all."
The Fae King paused and finally nodded. Fear was rising in him, despite his attempts to quiet it. He fervently hoped that his princess had not acquired the dangerous fae trait of bloodlust.
Sarah saw the trepidation in her father's features. "Father," she pleaded, "please. You must believe me. If need be, ask the traitor, Wynne. Or Thoth, who has known him for centuries. Sobek was coming to kill them, I had to do something."
"I believe you, child," he responded, his voice a little duller than usual.
"Well!" Titania nearly shouted, trying too hard to lift spirits, "I still think we have a festival to finish and a wedding to plan!"
Narcissa inwardly groaned but one look at her father's face and she knew that her marriage would go ahead, no matter what. The other fae began to smile; one thing would go according to plan, at least.
"I suggest you pick your husband tonight, daughter. For in two days, you will be wed. We expect your decision tomorrow," said Oberon quietly. He glanced around, "My fellow fae! Please, if you would exercise discretion about what has been divulged tonight, my immediate family would be most grateful. I do not want anything other than the Princess Laeli's return to be announced; nothing about the circumstances surrounding it. Meanwhile, I will send people out tonight to retrieve those guests and servants who left during the crisis. We will have reason to celebrate in two days time!"
The fae filed out of the comfortable library. Soon, only Sarah and Jareth remained.
"So," Jareth began, "I am in the presence of the fair Princess Laeli, whose mystery is known everywhere in the magical realm." He had recovered from his earlier shock and was realizing the harsh realities of Sarah's existence. She had lived for the past two centuries and had not released him from his torment. He knew that she had reasons, but chose to ignore them. He had been injured and was not about to forget it.
Sarah frowned, "I had expected a warmer welcome than this, Jareth." She paused, "And I would just like to say that I didn't appreciate it when you sang that particular song to Narcissa."
"You've been spying on me," he growled in return, "Your sister was distressed, I did nothing wrong in trying to calm her."
"That was the song you sang to me!" she yelled back, letting her jealousy get the better of her. No matter how she loved her sister, it had been painful to watch that tender moment in the rose garden. "Do you sing that to everyone, Jareth? Every princess with a pretty face?"
"You were dead! Or did you forget that? Two centuries, Sarah! I've been torturing myself for two centuries about loving a dead woman, only to find that she's alive and the sister of the woman I am courting! I'm sorry if that has jarred my senses a bit!"
Sarah stood very still, suddenly pale. It was true; she had denied him knowledge of her existence. But only because of the dire circumstances, she thought angrily. Her mind went back to the scene in the ballroom, when Titania delivered her invitation to Jareth a month ago. It seemed ages had past, but she still remembered that countenance of anguished love on the Goblin King's face. She was being awful; Sarah had been able to visit him regularly, sometimes just to look upon his sleeping face in rare moments of peace, but he had thought of her as lost for the last two centuries. Even by fae standards, that was starting to add up.
Jareth was still glaring at her. He looked so stubborn and resolute to her, despite his injuries. She walked up to him and dropped to her knees beside his chair. He looked down at her in surprise.
"I am sorry, Your Majesty," she murmured humbly. This was hard for her, but she knew that she had to, so that her dreams could be fulfilled. "I have acted foolishly. Please forgive me."
"Sarah…" he whispered, putting his hands around her arms and pulling her gently onto his lap. "You know that you could never anger me for too long. It's just that the past two centuries…" Jareth trailed off. He suddenly seemed very tired.
"Shhh," she embraced him and he buried his head into her neck. They broke apart and he quickly came back to kiss her. She returned the kiss passionately, feeling the love he harbored for her.
They separated once again and the Goblin King gave her a slight grin. "Marry me."
"What?" she laughed, startled at his spontaneity.
"I mean it. Marry me. Fae chose their spouses quickly like this all the time. Especially the royalty. Look at your sister, she's going to pick a husband from the ranks of men she barely knows," he grinned, sure of the answer, "Besides, I love you."
Sarah bent her head to the side studying him, "All right then, I'll marry you. Even though I should make you wait for the answer, considering how overconfident you are that I'll say yes!" Her silvery laugh rippled once again. She turned serious for a moment, "And I love you as well."
Jareth stood up, shaking imperceptibly while fighting the pain in his body. He quickly caught her in his arms, "That's how I knew you would say yes."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
All right… all together now… "Awwwww!" Well, one more chapter to go and then an epilogue (unless I break down the final chapter, which I might). *Dance of joy* (
Chapter 20:
"Sarah…" he whispered. The black-haired girl turned to him and smiled. She had aged since they had met that first time. But immortality never ceased to amaze Jareth; she looked like she had just celebrated her twenty- fifth birthday.
"Jareth, I've missed you," she said simply. The Goblin King sat in shock for a few minutes, just like all the other fae. Finally, he stretched a hand out to her and began, of all things, to cry. Seeing the uncharacteristic tears, Sarah rushed to his side. "It's alright, Jareth. I'm here… I'm here."
"How? I saw you die two hundred years ago!" It was becoming too much for him. He felt like a child, but could not stop the tears.
"Yes, you did. Give me one second and I'll explain. I'll explain to all of you," she raised her voice a notch to shake the others out of their reverie.
"More than two centuries ago, I was born to the Lady Titania and her Lord Oberon. My given name was Laeli," she paused as there was a collective gasp, "Yes, well, that's only the beginning, mind you. I don't know why, but I was kidnapped and taken to the mortal world and given to the Williams family. I grew up as Sarah Williams, the fanciful little girl who had no idea that she was anything but human. My kidnapper had even managed to disguise my pointed ears."
"It was Lemures," Narcissa broke in, although everyone already guessed it, "He was going to wait until you were eighteen and then bring you back to receive your hand in marriage."
Sarah nodded, "Yes, and that's what would have happened too, I'm sure… if it had not been for the Labyrinth. When I wished my human half-brother away, I had no idea I would face a powerful fae called the Goblin King. But I did, and I won the Labyrinth and my brother back. But the adventure had another affect on me. It awakened my magical powers. Not that I was aware of it, of course. I thought it was simply coincidental that odd things kept happening in the weeks after the Labyrinth. Then, one day when I was leaving the park, I saw a car hurtling towards me. I knew I was going to die, so imagine my surprise at waking up in a warm bed in the palace of the Fae King."
"How is that possible?" Jareth spoke out, "I saw you die with my own eyes. I saw your body lying on the pavement." The tears had dried and his old demanding personality came out in full force.
Sarah's eyes misted over while Titania answered his question, "It was an illusion, Jareth. We obviously knew that Laeli's kidnapper was still around and we couldn't risk that they were watching. Her death had to look real."
Seeing that he was about to protest, Sarah continued, "My mortal parents had to endure my death too. It was the worst part about leaving the human world. But, my fae parents took care of me and I have learned to love them just as much as the mortal ones. They decided that they could not tell anyone of my return, because I was still in danger. Even a mortal kidnapper would be alive after fifteen years. I discovered that I also had a little sister, named Narcissa." Sarah looked at the young queen affectionately, "She was sequestered for her safety and we learned together in our secrecy. We know almost everything there is about magic, battle and so much knowledge that I hadn't even thought was possible in my mortal life. Then, it was decided that Narcissa should marry, to preserve the royal line. For although, in reality I am the heir to the Fae throne, to everyone else, it was Narcissa. You all know the story with Thor so I will not rehash that. I was placed as a servant a couple years ago in this palace to give me access to the society I will one day rule and so I could hear the rumors. Finally I determined that my kidnapper was growing restless. So we arranged this festival for a dual purpose: find a husband for Narcissa and find the kidnapper." She smiled broadly, "At least we've been successful in one of those areas. And I can finally stop being the scullery maid and get back to a real life, one without constant protection even."
Jareth was angry at the deception. "That doesn't explain any of the questions Puck asked," he snapped.
Sarah's face became hard, "Doesn't it? I was there to whisper those clues to you. I was the one who freed you in the cave. I was the one that guided the crystal to the cave and the one who made sure the portal crystal fell safely into my sister's hand. And… I was the one who killed Sobek."
Oberon darkened, "Excuse me, young lady?" His fatherly attitude reasserted itself. No matter how happy he was to see in his daughter as something other than a servant, he could not tolerate murder.
The anger that Jareth knew so well started to rise in Sarah, "I had a perfectly good reason, Father. Sobek was a traitor. I saw him on several occasions betray you."
"It's true, Father," interjected Narcissa, "I forgot to mention it to Puck when we found the body; we were too concerned about Jareth. But I saw Sobek with Lemures; I heard them planning together. Apollo told me about Morpheus and his sickness. I bet you anything Sobek and Lemures thought up that little trick too. Sarah is the hidden savior that Thor spoke of so often; he knew her presence would save us all."
The Fae King paused and finally nodded. Fear was rising in him, despite his attempts to quiet it. He fervently hoped that his princess had not acquired the dangerous fae trait of bloodlust.
Sarah saw the trepidation in her father's features. "Father," she pleaded, "please. You must believe me. If need be, ask the traitor, Wynne. Or Thoth, who has known him for centuries. Sobek was coming to kill them, I had to do something."
"I believe you, child," he responded, his voice a little duller than usual.
"Well!" Titania nearly shouted, trying too hard to lift spirits, "I still think we have a festival to finish and a wedding to plan!"
Narcissa inwardly groaned but one look at her father's face and she knew that her marriage would go ahead, no matter what. The other fae began to smile; one thing would go according to plan, at least.
"I suggest you pick your husband tonight, daughter. For in two days, you will be wed. We expect your decision tomorrow," said Oberon quietly. He glanced around, "My fellow fae! Please, if you would exercise discretion about what has been divulged tonight, my immediate family would be most grateful. I do not want anything other than the Princess Laeli's return to be announced; nothing about the circumstances surrounding it. Meanwhile, I will send people out tonight to retrieve those guests and servants who left during the crisis. We will have reason to celebrate in two days time!"
The fae filed out of the comfortable library. Soon, only Sarah and Jareth remained.
"So," Jareth began, "I am in the presence of the fair Princess Laeli, whose mystery is known everywhere in the magical realm." He had recovered from his earlier shock and was realizing the harsh realities of Sarah's existence. She had lived for the past two centuries and had not released him from his torment. He knew that she had reasons, but chose to ignore them. He had been injured and was not about to forget it.
Sarah frowned, "I had expected a warmer welcome than this, Jareth." She paused, "And I would just like to say that I didn't appreciate it when you sang that particular song to Narcissa."
"You've been spying on me," he growled in return, "Your sister was distressed, I did nothing wrong in trying to calm her."
"That was the song you sang to me!" she yelled back, letting her jealousy get the better of her. No matter how she loved her sister, it had been painful to watch that tender moment in the rose garden. "Do you sing that to everyone, Jareth? Every princess with a pretty face?"
"You were dead! Or did you forget that? Two centuries, Sarah! I've been torturing myself for two centuries about loving a dead woman, only to find that she's alive and the sister of the woman I am courting! I'm sorry if that has jarred my senses a bit!"
Sarah stood very still, suddenly pale. It was true; she had denied him knowledge of her existence. But only because of the dire circumstances, she thought angrily. Her mind went back to the scene in the ballroom, when Titania delivered her invitation to Jareth a month ago. It seemed ages had past, but she still remembered that countenance of anguished love on the Goblin King's face. She was being awful; Sarah had been able to visit him regularly, sometimes just to look upon his sleeping face in rare moments of peace, but he had thought of her as lost for the last two centuries. Even by fae standards, that was starting to add up.
Jareth was still glaring at her. He looked so stubborn and resolute to her, despite his injuries. She walked up to him and dropped to her knees beside his chair. He looked down at her in surprise.
"I am sorry, Your Majesty," she murmured humbly. This was hard for her, but she knew that she had to, so that her dreams could be fulfilled. "I have acted foolishly. Please forgive me."
"Sarah…" he whispered, putting his hands around her arms and pulling her gently onto his lap. "You know that you could never anger me for too long. It's just that the past two centuries…" Jareth trailed off. He suddenly seemed very tired.
"Shhh," she embraced him and he buried his head into her neck. They broke apart and he quickly came back to kiss her. She returned the kiss passionately, feeling the love he harbored for her.
They separated once again and the Goblin King gave her a slight grin. "Marry me."
"What?" she laughed, startled at his spontaneity.
"I mean it. Marry me. Fae chose their spouses quickly like this all the time. Especially the royalty. Look at your sister, she's going to pick a husband from the ranks of men she barely knows," he grinned, sure of the answer, "Besides, I love you."
Sarah bent her head to the side studying him, "All right then, I'll marry you. Even though I should make you wait for the answer, considering how overconfident you are that I'll say yes!" Her silvery laugh rippled once again. She turned serious for a moment, "And I love you as well."
Jareth stood up, shaking imperceptibly while fighting the pain in his body. He quickly caught her in his arms, "That's how I knew you would say yes."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
All right… all together now… "Awwwww!" Well, one more chapter to go and then an epilogue (unless I break down the final chapter, which I might). *Dance of joy* (