"It's time." Sarah spoke up, breaking the silence.
"So it is." Jareth sighed and stood. "Take my hand."
Sarah gripped his gloved hand, feeling the warmth through the leather. A magical tingle and the blink of an eye she stood in a diamond shaped meadow. The wind howled in a chilling manner, disturbing the light snowfall that blanketed the ground. Sarah shivered. Beside her Jareth stood tall and regal, despite the fact that the only magic he had was teleportation. A sudden weight on her shoulders turned out to be a cloak of sapphire velvet to ward off the chill and hide Excaliber.
"Thank you." Sarah smiled up at him.
"I love you." Jareth replied with a tiny quirk of his lips.
"I love you too."
"How very touching. I'm getting cavities from the sweetness of it all." A cold, hard voice floated on the breeze.
Jareth's head snapped up to see Caleb on the other side of the clearing, wearing black compared to Jareth's light gray. Lee stood at his side, hands bound behind his back, face bruised. Other than that Lee looked healthy.
"Okay Caleb, Eliatan Protocol. Let Lee go." Jareth looked at Sarah. "Walk toward Caleb, don't look back."
His heart broke as she nodded and began to walk. Yes, he knew he wasn't truly giving in to Caleb and his demands, but he still worried about Sarah. She stood tall and defiant, loose brown hair fluttering in the breeze. She looked like an angel, a vengeful angel. Lee also began walking and Jareth felt sympathy for the frailty of mortals. Jareth saw Lee's hazel eyes dart between Sarah and himself and Lee winked.
'So Lee knows something's gonna happen.' Lee sped up slightly, not enough to alarm Caleb, but enough to reach Jareth before Sarah made her move.
Sarah was glad Lee knew her so well, being able to read her eyes. She knew they were a light honey brown now, a mix of anger, regret and warning. Using scattered thoughts Sarah sought to throw Caleb off.
'I've never been so terrified in my life. I can handle the toughest of the Russian KGB, but I'm scared senseless when it comes to pissed Fae.' She was scared, that was no lie. 'What will Caleb do to me? God, I don't want to know.'
Sarah was now about a yard away from Caleb, and evil smirk on his lips. 'Eww, he's terrible at scowling. Jareth's better at it.' Suddenly Caleb's hand lashed out but Sarah was faster. MUCH faster.
Excaliber glinted in the sunlight and Caleb howled in agony. A severed gloved hand lay on the ground and the King of Shadows was cradling his arm, hatred burning in his eyes. Jareth swallowed hard at the scene, Sarah wielding Excaliber with a cold and deadly precision. What happened to the woman he had fallen in love with? He was frightened by the coldness in her eyes, as if she were dead inside.
"He's in for it now." Lee commented, the ropes around his wrists sawed through. "Nobody can beat her at the sword, not even Valiant. And he started the class."
"It's part of her magic, her changing blood." Jareth replied watching Caleb closely.
"She's becoming Fae, isn't she?" Lee asked quietly, not sounding surprised.
"Yes."
"Give up Caleb, don't make me kill you." Sarah growled, having sliced open his left arm and torso.
"Never, you scheming bitch." Caleb said through clenched teeth. Sarah lunged but Caleb sidestepped. Oh, by the way, Sarah is just as good with her left hand as with her right. With a deadly spin about Excaliber bit into the soft flesh, gutting Caleb. Time seemed to freeze as the Fae's eyes glazed over and blood trickled out of the corner of Caleb's mouth. Sarah removed the blade and blood gushed from the wound as he collapsed onto the ground.
"Give Chang-ie my regards when you reach Hell." She said calmly as Caleb's life fled his body. Then the poison of Excaliber's blade went to work, eating the body from the inside out.
"Who's Chang-ie?" Jareth asked.
"Oh my goodness, are you okay Lee?" Sarah ran to Lee, but not before stopping to clean Excaliber. She used the grass at her feet to wipe the blood off the blade.
"I've been through worse; Chang-ie." There was that name again.
"Who is this Chang-ie?" Jareth sighed as he led them from the meadow.
"Let's get back to the castle first." Sarah suggested slipping Lee's arm over her shoulder. "Jareth needs to check you over."
Jareth laid a hand on their shoulders and transported the three of them back to his castle. They materialized in one of the guestrooms, Lee stretched out on the bed.
"Beloved, I think you should return Excaliber while I see to Mr. Stetson." Jareth murmured into Sarah's ear. She opened her mouth to speak but he continued, "You know the words. Use the throne room."
Sarah found the throne room empty and clean, a haven for private thoughts. There were now two thrones, but one was definitely feminine. She smiled at the thought of ruling beside Jareth. Standing in the recess in the stone floor Sarah held Excaliber aloft.
"Thank you, mighty Merlin for lending me Excaliber's invincible presence." Her voice echoed off the walls, filling the air. "My pursuit had been fulfilled, the shadow has been destroyed. Take the sword, it's purpose done!"
Wind whipped around her, tugging at her hair. The tornado centered around the raised sword. Magic surrounded Sarah, so powerful she could taste it. Slowly the sword was lifted from her grasp and her fingers released the hilt of the sword. She watched as the sword slowly disappear, but felt the magical tempest whirl around her faster, concentrating on her ring. 'What?'
Looking down Sarah saw a cream colored, Renaissance style dress appear in place of her Aboveground clothes. Somehow she felt the wind slice through her, filling her with it's magic. Merlin's voice drifted past her ear,
"Well done Queen Sarah, welcome home."
"So it is." Jareth sighed and stood. "Take my hand."
Sarah gripped his gloved hand, feeling the warmth through the leather. A magical tingle and the blink of an eye she stood in a diamond shaped meadow. The wind howled in a chilling manner, disturbing the light snowfall that blanketed the ground. Sarah shivered. Beside her Jareth stood tall and regal, despite the fact that the only magic he had was teleportation. A sudden weight on her shoulders turned out to be a cloak of sapphire velvet to ward off the chill and hide Excaliber.
"Thank you." Sarah smiled up at him.
"I love you." Jareth replied with a tiny quirk of his lips.
"I love you too."
"How very touching. I'm getting cavities from the sweetness of it all." A cold, hard voice floated on the breeze.
Jareth's head snapped up to see Caleb on the other side of the clearing, wearing black compared to Jareth's light gray. Lee stood at his side, hands bound behind his back, face bruised. Other than that Lee looked healthy.
"Okay Caleb, Eliatan Protocol. Let Lee go." Jareth looked at Sarah. "Walk toward Caleb, don't look back."
His heart broke as she nodded and began to walk. Yes, he knew he wasn't truly giving in to Caleb and his demands, but he still worried about Sarah. She stood tall and defiant, loose brown hair fluttering in the breeze. She looked like an angel, a vengeful angel. Lee also began walking and Jareth felt sympathy for the frailty of mortals. Jareth saw Lee's hazel eyes dart between Sarah and himself and Lee winked.
'So Lee knows something's gonna happen.' Lee sped up slightly, not enough to alarm Caleb, but enough to reach Jareth before Sarah made her move.
Sarah was glad Lee knew her so well, being able to read her eyes. She knew they were a light honey brown now, a mix of anger, regret and warning. Using scattered thoughts Sarah sought to throw Caleb off.
'I've never been so terrified in my life. I can handle the toughest of the Russian KGB, but I'm scared senseless when it comes to pissed Fae.' She was scared, that was no lie. 'What will Caleb do to me? God, I don't want to know.'
Sarah was now about a yard away from Caleb, and evil smirk on his lips. 'Eww, he's terrible at scowling. Jareth's better at it.' Suddenly Caleb's hand lashed out but Sarah was faster. MUCH faster.
Excaliber glinted in the sunlight and Caleb howled in agony. A severed gloved hand lay on the ground and the King of Shadows was cradling his arm, hatred burning in his eyes. Jareth swallowed hard at the scene, Sarah wielding Excaliber with a cold and deadly precision. What happened to the woman he had fallen in love with? He was frightened by the coldness in her eyes, as if she were dead inside.
"He's in for it now." Lee commented, the ropes around his wrists sawed through. "Nobody can beat her at the sword, not even Valiant. And he started the class."
"It's part of her magic, her changing blood." Jareth replied watching Caleb closely.
"She's becoming Fae, isn't she?" Lee asked quietly, not sounding surprised.
"Yes."
"Give up Caleb, don't make me kill you." Sarah growled, having sliced open his left arm and torso.
"Never, you scheming bitch." Caleb said through clenched teeth. Sarah lunged but Caleb sidestepped. Oh, by the way, Sarah is just as good with her left hand as with her right. With a deadly spin about Excaliber bit into the soft flesh, gutting Caleb. Time seemed to freeze as the Fae's eyes glazed over and blood trickled out of the corner of Caleb's mouth. Sarah removed the blade and blood gushed from the wound as he collapsed onto the ground.
"Give Chang-ie my regards when you reach Hell." She said calmly as Caleb's life fled his body. Then the poison of Excaliber's blade went to work, eating the body from the inside out.
"Who's Chang-ie?" Jareth asked.
"Oh my goodness, are you okay Lee?" Sarah ran to Lee, but not before stopping to clean Excaliber. She used the grass at her feet to wipe the blood off the blade.
"I've been through worse; Chang-ie." There was that name again.
"Who is this Chang-ie?" Jareth sighed as he led them from the meadow.
"Let's get back to the castle first." Sarah suggested slipping Lee's arm over her shoulder. "Jareth needs to check you over."
Jareth laid a hand on their shoulders and transported the three of them back to his castle. They materialized in one of the guestrooms, Lee stretched out on the bed.
"Beloved, I think you should return Excaliber while I see to Mr. Stetson." Jareth murmured into Sarah's ear. She opened her mouth to speak but he continued, "You know the words. Use the throne room."
Sarah found the throne room empty and clean, a haven for private thoughts. There were now two thrones, but one was definitely feminine. She smiled at the thought of ruling beside Jareth. Standing in the recess in the stone floor Sarah held Excaliber aloft.
"Thank you, mighty Merlin for lending me Excaliber's invincible presence." Her voice echoed off the walls, filling the air. "My pursuit had been fulfilled, the shadow has been destroyed. Take the sword, it's purpose done!"
Wind whipped around her, tugging at her hair. The tornado centered around the raised sword. Magic surrounded Sarah, so powerful she could taste it. Slowly the sword was lifted from her grasp and her fingers released the hilt of the sword. She watched as the sword slowly disappear, but felt the magical tempest whirl around her faster, concentrating on her ring. 'What?'
Looking down Sarah saw a cream colored, Renaissance style dress appear in place of her Aboveground clothes. Somehow she felt the wind slice through her, filling her with it's magic. Merlin's voice drifted past her ear,
"Well done Queen Sarah, welcome home."