Here is the next chapter. I hope you enjoy it!!!! Onaree
Standard disclaimer: see chapter one
Chapter 4
Lord Abraxas appeared out of the shadows in Sarah's bedroom, crept quietly over to her sleeping form and scattered a fine dust over her. He melded back with the shadows only moments before Jareth arrived. Not daring to leave, as the Goblin King would feel the power of his magic, he watched as events played themselves out before leaving himself.
He then reappeared in King Mananaga's study in a flash of light.
"Were you able to mark her?"
"Yes, and not a moment too soon."
Mahanaga's head shot up at that, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, that I barely had time to hide myself before Jareth appeared in her bedchamber." Abraxas grinned.
"He didn't sense you?" Mananaga was on edge, if Jareth suspected he would most likely kill them.
"No, he was far to interested in the woman and the lack of magic in that world to even bother to check. He simply wrapped her in a fine blanket and taking nothing save her own self back to his domain."
"Then let us see what his next move is." Mahanaga produced a large crystal that he placed on the desk in front of him. Despite being perfectly round it stayed where he put it. Inside they could see Jareth, his head pillowed on Sarah's chest holding her in his arms.
They then saw her sleepy movements and her eyes shooting open before Jareth waved them closed again.
"That fool is besotted with her." chuckled Mahanaga.
Abraxas leaned against the wall, "this could get boring if he plans to sleep in her arms for the rest of the night."
Several minutes passed when a goblin guard came into the room and started to speak with his king. Mahanaga and Abraxas watched as Jareth tried to send the guard away but finally follow him out of the room.
Unseen by everyone, Neeka scuttles quietly along the walls of the castle. Unless it looked like she might get herself in trouble, none of the other goblins would bother her when she roamed the castle. Neeka saw the Goblin King leave a chamber she wanted to go up to him but she thought her herself -- Gob'n King angry, not nice then -- and decided to take a look in the chamber he just left. She went into the room and quickly jumped onto the bed -- Gob'n King beds soft with warm blankets. Not Gob'n King's bed, ok to sleep here -- she found an edge of the blanket Sarah was sleeping in, rolled herself into it closely against Sarah's body.
Mahanaga and Abraxas waited fifteen minutes to see if Jareth would return.
"Excellent," Mahanaga gloated. "Concentrate on bringing her here."
Soft chanting could be heard as they focus on the image of Sarah in the crystal. Soon her image faded from the crystal as she faded from the chamber. She reappeared on the floor of Mahanaga's study.
Picking her up, Abraxas studied her sleeping form. "Jareth has put a natural sleep spell on her. She should wake naturally in about six or so hours."
"I intend that she should never wake." Mahanaga malevolently chucked. "Take her to Finvarra's lands and kill her."
Rolled up inside the blanket Neeka shivered in fear -- bad Fae -- she thought to herself.
"I see, Jareth with blame him or his sister for her death. He will be much weakened if he must guard his land against Finvarra."
"Yes, they have been in good will for so long that little effort has been made to make their mutual border defensible." Mahanaga smile at the thought of a despondent Jareth being plagued from all sides. "Now go!"
So Abraxas went from the study to a forest close by to Finvarra's castle. He put Sarah down and pulled out his dagger from his belt. Looking down at her he thought to himself, she is too fine a prize to kill. Mahanaga is a fool to waste her.
With a wave of his fingers, Sarah is now wearing a revealing nightdress. He takes the blanket from around her, and using his knife Abraxas cuts her palm and rubs blood over numerous areas of the blanket. He then heals her hand and leaves the blanket before both he and Sarah disappear.
Neeka tumbles out of the blanket when Abraxas pulls it off Sarah and the little goblin runs off behind a nearby tree watching Abraxas' actions.
***
Having solved a minor difficulty Jareth went to the kitchen to get breakfast for Sarah. Carrying a tray to her room he finds the bed empty. Leaving the tray on the bed he strides over to the bath but it too is empty. "Where could see be," he whispered to himself. Jareth threw open the wardrobe with more force than was necessary and stared into it.
Urk sidled up to the king nervously but before he could speak Jareth turn to him. "Urk, have you see anyone leave this room."
Urk shook his head.
"Then she is gone, with nothing but the blanket she slept in. No clothes are missing. Where are you my Sarah?" He said softly to himself. "Guards!!" he yelled. Several joined Urk in the chamber. "Call out all the guards, she must be found." The guards ran out of the room to start the search for her.
Jareth sat on the bed, desolate, "Where are you, Sarah?"
The guards and castle staff fanned out and searched the castle top to bottom. When she wasn't found in the castle the guards started the search in the grounds and Labyrinth.
A troop of mounted guards rode to the Bog of Eternal stench to make sure that no stone was left unturned (no matter how bad it smelled).
There they found Sir Didymus with his muzzle in his paws, shaking his head at the antics of his two "helpers". At the sound of their approach, Didymus got up and ran over to them. "What news do you have from the king good sirs."
The captain replied, "The king has sent everyone in search of his Sarah who is missing."
"Lady Sarah?" Didymus pondered. "Doth thou knowist if this is the same Lady who bested his maze?"
"Aye, and a fine temper he is in. Best we find her as soon as possible."
"Then I will assist you in your quest."
"What of those two?" the guard pointing at the two goblins who seemed to be fighting each other with the wood beams rather than building with them.
Dismissively Didymus replied. "Verily yonder goblins couldn't find their own arse with both hands. Leave them." Then asked the guard, "but I ask that thee leave a man here as my Lady may try to find me as I doth helped her last time. She knows where I am to be found. Verily, she may also seek out Sir Hoggle who doth also helped."
The captain pointed to two of his men. One he left waiting to see if Sarah made for this place. Although he couldn't imagine anyone *wanting* to go to the bog. He realized that if she wanted to find somewhere in the kingdom, the bog would be a hard place to miss. The other he sent to the gate where Hoggle lived to make sure she wasn't there.
Sir Didymus then lead the captain and his troop along the edges of the bog, checked for any signs that she had come to the area.
Hoggle was sitting on the top of the wall, watching all the activity down in the maze below. Originally he had put the ladder against the wall so that he could search for any fairy nests, but the activity had caught his attention. What was going on to have, it seem to him, everyone out searching.
"Oggle, Oggle," called the voice of the worm.
Hoggle looked down to see worm next to him. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Yea, Lady Sarah has disappeared. Been told that he just arrived with her last night and she gone now. He's in an awful temper having lost her. Sent everyone after her."
Sitting with his mouth open Hoggle wondered aloud. "It can't be the same one."
Worm answered, "I'm told it's the girl who beat him. I've also been sent to see if anyone has gone thru the gate and if they have to report back to the guards."
Hoggle shook his head, "Nobody been thru here in some time."
"Good, good. Then you are to search beyond the gate and I'm to wait for your report."
"I'll start now." Hoggle started walking towards the nearby hill. It had an excellent view of the outside of the labyrinth. It was the perfect vantage point to decide where to search first.
***
Jareth stormed through the halls of his castle, kicking any unlucky goblin that can within reach of his foot.
Clio, who had been waiting for him by his chamber, asked "Where were you," she asked provocatively, "I got cold in that big bed all by myself." Practically draping herself on him as she spoke, rubbing her hands across his chest.
Too distracted to pay attention to the meaning behind her words or actions, he answered "You said have called a servant to fetch you a blanket, that's what they are there for."
Clio stepped away from Jareth and stood with her mouth in shock at the comment.
Jareth then turned and looked at her, as if see her for the first time, "I thought you and your brother had gone home already?"
Narrowing her eyes at him, Clio countered. "Finn left a few hours ago. What is all the ruckus about?"
Running his hand thru his hair anxiously, Jareth paced in front of her. "She is gone. I left for only an hour and she had disappeared. She is nowhere in the castle. How could she have gotten so far."
"Who is she?" Clio retorted with a sharp edge in her voice that went unnoticed by the Goblin King.
Jareth spoke in a abstracted manner, "Sarah", before turning to leave Clio behind.
After his encounter with Clio, Jareth decided to await new in his throne room.
Sir Didymus strides into the room. "You, majesty," he bows then begins, "I have a report to make."
In no mood to be patient Jareth snapped. "What are you doing here?"
"I have come to report that no sign of the fair lady has been found any where around the bog. When mounted guards informed me that the fair lady hast gone missing I knew that she would like be in the area."
Jareth just rolled his eyes and spoke *very* slowly. "Why would she even go near the bog?"
"Because she knows I am there and knows the way. Forsooth, where would a fair damsel go but to a knight for assistance?" Sir Didymus struck a noble stance at the end of his words.
Jareth opened his mouth to argue the point, when he realized sir Didymus was correct. She would go to her friends for help. She knew the right direction to go from the gate. And it isn't as if you can *miss* the smell of it. He gestured for Didymus to go on.
"I have spoken to other guards and Hoggle reports that none have passed by the gates, but he will search the outer area."
Vexed, Jareth pounded his fist on his thigh. "She defies me even now." He stands and starts to pace. "When I get her back I'm going to lock her in a high tower."
"My, Lord," Didymus calls to gain Jareth's attention. When he has it he continues in a more hesitant manner. "Methinks yon lady did not willing leave."
"What do you mean?"
"No sign of her passage has been found anywhere. Yet, unshod and clothed only in a blanket she traversed the castle, the inner court and thru the goblin city and gate on market day. And no one saw her? Nay, an impossibility to my mind."
Again Jareth found himself speechless. Even at such an early hour the town would be bustling for a market day. Many merchants arrived the night before, or arrived well before dawn. Sarah would draw notice in any dress.
Lord Abraxas strode into the chamber where Sarah slept. He sat on her bed and caressed her cheek as she started to wake up.
"Where am I?" Sarah asked sleepily.
Abraxas smiled possessively. "You are in my castle, my dear."
Sarah sat straight up. This wasn't Jareth's voice! Where was she?
Smugly smilingly Abraxas continued. "What do you think of your chamber, my lady?"
Sarah looked around her. It was a smallish room, about 10 feet in diameter and circular. There was lots of light from windows set ever few feet around the walls but each window was only about a foot across and the sides were angled. The walls and floor were stone blocks. Several chests were placed under the windows and a small rug on the floor. The only piece of furniture in the room was the twin bed.
Abraxas watched Sarah as she looked around at the chamber. When her eyes returned to him, he stroked her cheek again with his palm. "I think you are worth every gold piece that Jareth set for you."
Sarah pushed his hand away and frowned at him. "What do you mean, every piece of gold?"
Abraxas smile became even more smug. He was going to turn her against Jareth, not that it seemed she had much trust in him. "I bought you from him. He put a very high price, but I have never found them unfair. I'm very lucky he owned me a favour so he gave me first choice. I don't think I could have afforded you otherwise. You could have easily fetched a much higher price on the open market."
"He sold me!!" she almost screamed.
"Of course, what do you think he does with the children that are wished away?"
"I thought he turned them into goblins." Sarah said quietly pulling the blanket closer to herself.
Abraxas laughed. "Why would he *want* more goblins. Anyway they breed like vermin."
Getting up off the bed, Abraxas pointed to a chest. "There are clothes in that chest when you are ready to dress. Although I see nothing wrong with your current attire." He gave her one last leer before leaving.
Sarah looked down at herself, seeing the lace nightgown that left little to the imagination, she threw the blanket over her head. "What am I going to do now?"
Standard disclaimer: see chapter one
Chapter 4
Lord Abraxas appeared out of the shadows in Sarah's bedroom, crept quietly over to her sleeping form and scattered a fine dust over her. He melded back with the shadows only moments before Jareth arrived. Not daring to leave, as the Goblin King would feel the power of his magic, he watched as events played themselves out before leaving himself.
He then reappeared in King Mananaga's study in a flash of light.
"Were you able to mark her?"
"Yes, and not a moment too soon."
Mahanaga's head shot up at that, "What do you mean?"
"I mean, that I barely had time to hide myself before Jareth appeared in her bedchamber." Abraxas grinned.
"He didn't sense you?" Mananaga was on edge, if Jareth suspected he would most likely kill them.
"No, he was far to interested in the woman and the lack of magic in that world to even bother to check. He simply wrapped her in a fine blanket and taking nothing save her own self back to his domain."
"Then let us see what his next move is." Mahanaga produced a large crystal that he placed on the desk in front of him. Despite being perfectly round it stayed where he put it. Inside they could see Jareth, his head pillowed on Sarah's chest holding her in his arms.
They then saw her sleepy movements and her eyes shooting open before Jareth waved them closed again.
"That fool is besotted with her." chuckled Mahanaga.
Abraxas leaned against the wall, "this could get boring if he plans to sleep in her arms for the rest of the night."
Several minutes passed when a goblin guard came into the room and started to speak with his king. Mahanaga and Abraxas watched as Jareth tried to send the guard away but finally follow him out of the room.
Unseen by everyone, Neeka scuttles quietly along the walls of the castle. Unless it looked like she might get herself in trouble, none of the other goblins would bother her when she roamed the castle. Neeka saw the Goblin King leave a chamber she wanted to go up to him but she thought her herself -- Gob'n King angry, not nice then -- and decided to take a look in the chamber he just left. She went into the room and quickly jumped onto the bed -- Gob'n King beds soft with warm blankets. Not Gob'n King's bed, ok to sleep here -- she found an edge of the blanket Sarah was sleeping in, rolled herself into it closely against Sarah's body.
Mahanaga and Abraxas waited fifteen minutes to see if Jareth would return.
"Excellent," Mahanaga gloated. "Concentrate on bringing her here."
Soft chanting could be heard as they focus on the image of Sarah in the crystal. Soon her image faded from the crystal as she faded from the chamber. She reappeared on the floor of Mahanaga's study.
Picking her up, Abraxas studied her sleeping form. "Jareth has put a natural sleep spell on her. She should wake naturally in about six or so hours."
"I intend that she should never wake." Mahanaga malevolently chucked. "Take her to Finvarra's lands and kill her."
Rolled up inside the blanket Neeka shivered in fear -- bad Fae -- she thought to herself.
"I see, Jareth with blame him or his sister for her death. He will be much weakened if he must guard his land against Finvarra."
"Yes, they have been in good will for so long that little effort has been made to make their mutual border defensible." Mahanaga smile at the thought of a despondent Jareth being plagued from all sides. "Now go!"
So Abraxas went from the study to a forest close by to Finvarra's castle. He put Sarah down and pulled out his dagger from his belt. Looking down at her he thought to himself, she is too fine a prize to kill. Mahanaga is a fool to waste her.
With a wave of his fingers, Sarah is now wearing a revealing nightdress. He takes the blanket from around her, and using his knife Abraxas cuts her palm and rubs blood over numerous areas of the blanket. He then heals her hand and leaves the blanket before both he and Sarah disappear.
Neeka tumbles out of the blanket when Abraxas pulls it off Sarah and the little goblin runs off behind a nearby tree watching Abraxas' actions.
***
Having solved a minor difficulty Jareth went to the kitchen to get breakfast for Sarah. Carrying a tray to her room he finds the bed empty. Leaving the tray on the bed he strides over to the bath but it too is empty. "Where could see be," he whispered to himself. Jareth threw open the wardrobe with more force than was necessary and stared into it.
Urk sidled up to the king nervously but before he could speak Jareth turn to him. "Urk, have you see anyone leave this room."
Urk shook his head.
"Then she is gone, with nothing but the blanket she slept in. No clothes are missing. Where are you my Sarah?" He said softly to himself. "Guards!!" he yelled. Several joined Urk in the chamber. "Call out all the guards, she must be found." The guards ran out of the room to start the search for her.
Jareth sat on the bed, desolate, "Where are you, Sarah?"
The guards and castle staff fanned out and searched the castle top to bottom. When she wasn't found in the castle the guards started the search in the grounds and Labyrinth.
A troop of mounted guards rode to the Bog of Eternal stench to make sure that no stone was left unturned (no matter how bad it smelled).
There they found Sir Didymus with his muzzle in his paws, shaking his head at the antics of his two "helpers". At the sound of their approach, Didymus got up and ran over to them. "What news do you have from the king good sirs."
The captain replied, "The king has sent everyone in search of his Sarah who is missing."
"Lady Sarah?" Didymus pondered. "Doth thou knowist if this is the same Lady who bested his maze?"
"Aye, and a fine temper he is in. Best we find her as soon as possible."
"Then I will assist you in your quest."
"What of those two?" the guard pointing at the two goblins who seemed to be fighting each other with the wood beams rather than building with them.
Dismissively Didymus replied. "Verily yonder goblins couldn't find their own arse with both hands. Leave them." Then asked the guard, "but I ask that thee leave a man here as my Lady may try to find me as I doth helped her last time. She knows where I am to be found. Verily, she may also seek out Sir Hoggle who doth also helped."
The captain pointed to two of his men. One he left waiting to see if Sarah made for this place. Although he couldn't imagine anyone *wanting* to go to the bog. He realized that if she wanted to find somewhere in the kingdom, the bog would be a hard place to miss. The other he sent to the gate where Hoggle lived to make sure she wasn't there.
Sir Didymus then lead the captain and his troop along the edges of the bog, checked for any signs that she had come to the area.
Hoggle was sitting on the top of the wall, watching all the activity down in the maze below. Originally he had put the ladder against the wall so that he could search for any fairy nests, but the activity had caught his attention. What was going on to have, it seem to him, everyone out searching.
"Oggle, Oggle," called the voice of the worm.
Hoggle looked down to see worm next to him. "Do you know what's going on?"
"Yea, Lady Sarah has disappeared. Been told that he just arrived with her last night and she gone now. He's in an awful temper having lost her. Sent everyone after her."
Sitting with his mouth open Hoggle wondered aloud. "It can't be the same one."
Worm answered, "I'm told it's the girl who beat him. I've also been sent to see if anyone has gone thru the gate and if they have to report back to the guards."
Hoggle shook his head, "Nobody been thru here in some time."
"Good, good. Then you are to search beyond the gate and I'm to wait for your report."
"I'll start now." Hoggle started walking towards the nearby hill. It had an excellent view of the outside of the labyrinth. It was the perfect vantage point to decide where to search first.
***
Jareth stormed through the halls of his castle, kicking any unlucky goblin that can within reach of his foot.
Clio, who had been waiting for him by his chamber, asked "Where were you," she asked provocatively, "I got cold in that big bed all by myself." Practically draping herself on him as she spoke, rubbing her hands across his chest.
Too distracted to pay attention to the meaning behind her words or actions, he answered "You said have called a servant to fetch you a blanket, that's what they are there for."
Clio stepped away from Jareth and stood with her mouth in shock at the comment.
Jareth then turned and looked at her, as if see her for the first time, "I thought you and your brother had gone home already?"
Narrowing her eyes at him, Clio countered. "Finn left a few hours ago. What is all the ruckus about?"
Running his hand thru his hair anxiously, Jareth paced in front of her. "She is gone. I left for only an hour and she had disappeared. She is nowhere in the castle. How could she have gotten so far."
"Who is she?" Clio retorted with a sharp edge in her voice that went unnoticed by the Goblin King.
Jareth spoke in a abstracted manner, "Sarah", before turning to leave Clio behind.
After his encounter with Clio, Jareth decided to await new in his throne room.
Sir Didymus strides into the room. "You, majesty," he bows then begins, "I have a report to make."
In no mood to be patient Jareth snapped. "What are you doing here?"
"I have come to report that no sign of the fair lady has been found any where around the bog. When mounted guards informed me that the fair lady hast gone missing I knew that she would like be in the area."
Jareth just rolled his eyes and spoke *very* slowly. "Why would she even go near the bog?"
"Because she knows I am there and knows the way. Forsooth, where would a fair damsel go but to a knight for assistance?" Sir Didymus struck a noble stance at the end of his words.
Jareth opened his mouth to argue the point, when he realized sir Didymus was correct. She would go to her friends for help. She knew the right direction to go from the gate. And it isn't as if you can *miss* the smell of it. He gestured for Didymus to go on.
"I have spoken to other guards and Hoggle reports that none have passed by the gates, but he will search the outer area."
Vexed, Jareth pounded his fist on his thigh. "She defies me even now." He stands and starts to pace. "When I get her back I'm going to lock her in a high tower."
"My, Lord," Didymus calls to gain Jareth's attention. When he has it he continues in a more hesitant manner. "Methinks yon lady did not willing leave."
"What do you mean?"
"No sign of her passage has been found anywhere. Yet, unshod and clothed only in a blanket she traversed the castle, the inner court and thru the goblin city and gate on market day. And no one saw her? Nay, an impossibility to my mind."
Again Jareth found himself speechless. Even at such an early hour the town would be bustling for a market day. Many merchants arrived the night before, or arrived well before dawn. Sarah would draw notice in any dress.
Lord Abraxas strode into the chamber where Sarah slept. He sat on her bed and caressed her cheek as she started to wake up.
"Where am I?" Sarah asked sleepily.
Abraxas smiled possessively. "You are in my castle, my dear."
Sarah sat straight up. This wasn't Jareth's voice! Where was she?
Smugly smilingly Abraxas continued. "What do you think of your chamber, my lady?"
Sarah looked around her. It was a smallish room, about 10 feet in diameter and circular. There was lots of light from windows set ever few feet around the walls but each window was only about a foot across and the sides were angled. The walls and floor were stone blocks. Several chests were placed under the windows and a small rug on the floor. The only piece of furniture in the room was the twin bed.
Abraxas watched Sarah as she looked around at the chamber. When her eyes returned to him, he stroked her cheek again with his palm. "I think you are worth every gold piece that Jareth set for you."
Sarah pushed his hand away and frowned at him. "What do you mean, every piece of gold?"
Abraxas smile became even more smug. He was going to turn her against Jareth, not that it seemed she had much trust in him. "I bought you from him. He put a very high price, but I have never found them unfair. I'm very lucky he owned me a favour so he gave me first choice. I don't think I could have afforded you otherwise. You could have easily fetched a much higher price on the open market."
"He sold me!!" she almost screamed.
"Of course, what do you think he does with the children that are wished away?"
"I thought he turned them into goblins." Sarah said quietly pulling the blanket closer to herself.
Abraxas laughed. "Why would he *want* more goblins. Anyway they breed like vermin."
Getting up off the bed, Abraxas pointed to a chest. "There are clothes in that chest when you are ready to dress. Although I see nothing wrong with your current attire." He gave her one last leer before leaving.
Sarah looked down at herself, seeing the lace nightgown that left little to the imagination, she threw the blanket over her head. "What am I going to do now?"