After the first four days of her marriage, Sara received a visit from Corlien. "Milady, I'm so sorry for my brother's attitude. I do hope you won't hold it against us. He was good friends with Alamorn and was more than a little angry that you, who had never lived here before, had taken the throne from him."
"I offered my cousin the kingdom but he wanted to take my life as well and almost took Jareth's in the process. I couldn't allow that to happen."
Corlien was amazed. She hadn't heard anything about Jareth being in danger. She respected Sara just a tiny bit in that moment. She still wanted Jareth but she suddenly found herself wanting to know a little more about the woman that had saved his life. To know what it was that he saw in this woman that she would replace.
"What is life like Aboveground?"
So began a tenuous friendship between Sara and the young noble woman.
"You are very clever, dear sister." Jaslen said as he lay holding his sister in his arms. "We will see you married to Jareth yet. To befriend her before we betray her is a stroke of sheer genius."
"So, my lover is pleased with my actions today."
"Only one thing could make me more pleased with the results of this day." With that comment, he took a hold of her hair and pulled her head down between his legs.
"You know, don't you, that once Jareth and I were lovers. It was five years ago. Right after you defeated the Labyrinth. He came to me because he knew I would make no demands on him. He just needed to feel something besides betrayal." Corlien was visiting with Sara for the tenth time in as many days. The two young women sat in the garden under a large tree.
Sara was starting to show and because of this, as well as the heat of the days in the Underground, she wore a dress which was not quite as formfitting as usual. She had her hair pinned up on her head and kept wiping her forehead. Corlien didn't know it but Jaslen had been paying someone for days to lightly poison the queen, just enough to start making her ill.
"You were Jareth's lover?" Sara was amazed. Jareth hadn't said anything to her about this and neither had his family. "For how long?"
"About six months. Just until I miscarried his baby. Then he decided that he could no longer take the chance with me." Corlien hung her head. "I was devastated. Jaslen had all he could do to console me. He would sit by my bed at night until I fell asleep. In fact, there were times when he actually held me while I cried myself to sleep."
"He just dumped you?" Sara didn't think Jareth could be so cruel. He was always so kind to her. He took care of her friends for her. He saved her from her attacker both Above and Underground. He had held her while she cried for her father. He had taken steps to be sure that Karen would never hurt her again. She had access to Toby without hindrance. "I can't believe that."
"Believe it. He just walked out of my life and never again called on me. Of course, when I heard that you were back and staying with him, I was angry at first. After all, it was because of you that he ever came to me in the first place. Now, you were back and I didn't stand a chance with him anymore."
"You have to believe that I didn't come here with the intent of displacing anyone." Sara felt something tearing at her stomach. She stood up.
"Are you alright, milady?"
"Please help me inside, Corlien. I really don't feel well." Corlien stood but before she could touch Sara's arm to help her inside, three armed and armoured guards were there. One of them picked up the queen and carried her inside. One of them took the Lady Corlien's arm and escorted her to a waiting room outside of the throne room.
"You will remain here until the king returns and can decide what to do with you."
'They think I did this. They think I made Sara sick. Jaslen, what have you done?'
Corlien sat down against the wall and buried her head in her arms, praying that the Goblin King wouldn't find her guilty of hurting the Queen.
Jaslen sat in his dining room alone. 'I wonder where Corlien is.' He called for his guards. "Where is my sister?"
"I don't know, my lord. I have not seen her since she left for the Goblin King's castle this morning."
"Things must be progressing faster than I thought. Maybe Sara would not make as strong a queen as Jareth once thought."
The guard turned away, thinking that Jaslen must be up to something. Maybe he should call on his cousin at the King's castle.
"Your Majesty, I swear. I have done nothing to harm the Lady Sara. My brother just wanted me to pretend that you and I had had a love affair after she defeated the Labyrinth. He wanted to make her distrust you. Then, he would try to seduce her in the hopes that you would catch the two of them together. He wanted to drive you apart so that you would marry me instead. He's been trying to figure out how to get you to marry me for years. He figured that if you married me, then we could get rid of you and he could be High King."
"Corlien," Jareth began patiently. "Do you realize that your brother could be executed for plotting against me? My father does not take kindly to people trying to kill his son."
"But what punishment would I suffer?" Corlien was terrified. Would she be found guilty as well? Would she be put to death for trying to place her brother on the throne of the High King of the Underground?
Jareth simply watched the petite brunette tremble as she contemplated her possible fate. She was scared and that was a good thing. He could work with that. Most of the Fae had not considered him terrifying for a long time. Now, back to business as usual.
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A/N: Merry Christmas all. And a joyous Yule. Here's a little present for everyone.
"I offered my cousin the kingdom but he wanted to take my life as well and almost took Jareth's in the process. I couldn't allow that to happen."
Corlien was amazed. She hadn't heard anything about Jareth being in danger. She respected Sara just a tiny bit in that moment. She still wanted Jareth but she suddenly found herself wanting to know a little more about the woman that had saved his life. To know what it was that he saw in this woman that she would replace.
"What is life like Aboveground?"
So began a tenuous friendship between Sara and the young noble woman.
"You are very clever, dear sister." Jaslen said as he lay holding his sister in his arms. "We will see you married to Jareth yet. To befriend her before we betray her is a stroke of sheer genius."
"So, my lover is pleased with my actions today."
"Only one thing could make me more pleased with the results of this day." With that comment, he took a hold of her hair and pulled her head down between his legs.
"You know, don't you, that once Jareth and I were lovers. It was five years ago. Right after you defeated the Labyrinth. He came to me because he knew I would make no demands on him. He just needed to feel something besides betrayal." Corlien was visiting with Sara for the tenth time in as many days. The two young women sat in the garden under a large tree.
Sara was starting to show and because of this, as well as the heat of the days in the Underground, she wore a dress which was not quite as formfitting as usual. She had her hair pinned up on her head and kept wiping her forehead. Corlien didn't know it but Jaslen had been paying someone for days to lightly poison the queen, just enough to start making her ill.
"You were Jareth's lover?" Sara was amazed. Jareth hadn't said anything to her about this and neither had his family. "For how long?"
"About six months. Just until I miscarried his baby. Then he decided that he could no longer take the chance with me." Corlien hung her head. "I was devastated. Jaslen had all he could do to console me. He would sit by my bed at night until I fell asleep. In fact, there were times when he actually held me while I cried myself to sleep."
"He just dumped you?" Sara didn't think Jareth could be so cruel. He was always so kind to her. He took care of her friends for her. He saved her from her attacker both Above and Underground. He had held her while she cried for her father. He had taken steps to be sure that Karen would never hurt her again. She had access to Toby without hindrance. "I can't believe that."
"Believe it. He just walked out of my life and never again called on me. Of course, when I heard that you were back and staying with him, I was angry at first. After all, it was because of you that he ever came to me in the first place. Now, you were back and I didn't stand a chance with him anymore."
"You have to believe that I didn't come here with the intent of displacing anyone." Sara felt something tearing at her stomach. She stood up.
"Are you alright, milady?"
"Please help me inside, Corlien. I really don't feel well." Corlien stood but before she could touch Sara's arm to help her inside, three armed and armoured guards were there. One of them picked up the queen and carried her inside. One of them took the Lady Corlien's arm and escorted her to a waiting room outside of the throne room.
"You will remain here until the king returns and can decide what to do with you."
'They think I did this. They think I made Sara sick. Jaslen, what have you done?'
Corlien sat down against the wall and buried her head in her arms, praying that the Goblin King wouldn't find her guilty of hurting the Queen.
Jaslen sat in his dining room alone. 'I wonder where Corlien is.' He called for his guards. "Where is my sister?"
"I don't know, my lord. I have not seen her since she left for the Goblin King's castle this morning."
"Things must be progressing faster than I thought. Maybe Sara would not make as strong a queen as Jareth once thought."
The guard turned away, thinking that Jaslen must be up to something. Maybe he should call on his cousin at the King's castle.
"Your Majesty, I swear. I have done nothing to harm the Lady Sara. My brother just wanted me to pretend that you and I had had a love affair after she defeated the Labyrinth. He wanted to make her distrust you. Then, he would try to seduce her in the hopes that you would catch the two of them together. He wanted to drive you apart so that you would marry me instead. He's been trying to figure out how to get you to marry me for years. He figured that if you married me, then we could get rid of you and he could be High King."
"Corlien," Jareth began patiently. "Do you realize that your brother could be executed for plotting against me? My father does not take kindly to people trying to kill his son."
"But what punishment would I suffer?" Corlien was terrified. Would she be found guilty as well? Would she be put to death for trying to place her brother on the throne of the High King of the Underground?
Jareth simply watched the petite brunette tremble as she contemplated her possible fate. She was scared and that was a good thing. He could work with that. Most of the Fae had not considered him terrifying for a long time. Now, back to business as usual.
///////////////////////////////
A/N: Merry Christmas all. And a joyous Yule. Here's a little present for everyone.