A Necessary Deception
by Scattered Logic
Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson. Everyone else is mine.
Author's Note: Thank you to everyone who reviewed. It truly does make you want to write faster! And a special thanks to Cormak and Lady Jamie.
As always, a very special thanks to Sara McGee, a wonderful beta!
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Ethain knocked on Sarah's door and waited. In a moment, she answered. He could see shadows under her eyes and she appeared tired.
"Good morning," he said. "I've come to see if there is anything you need. You have had breakfast, haven't you?"
"Yes, Twylla brought it. She's my maid?" Sarah asked, questioning to make sure Twylla wasn't mistaken in her instructions.
"His Majesty thought you would be more comfortable with someone to attend to your needs."
"He did?" Sarah was skeptical.
"Well, he agreed to it, anyway." Ethain smiled.
Sarah couldn't help it. She laughed softly. "You must be very persuasive to convince him to make me comfortable."
Ethain decided it best to ignore her comment. "Then perhaps I can convince you to take a tour. I've some free time and I would be happy to show you the castle and some of the grounds."
Sarah nodded, "Yeah, let's get out of here."
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Ethain's tour of the castle was thorough, naming off each room as they passed, but Sarah became quite lost after the first few twists and turns. Goblin servants scurried through the hallways, always bowing or curtsying to Ethain. He made certain to point out areas that Sarah should consider off-limits.
There were, surprisingly enough, only two: the King's private office, where she had been taken the night before, and the King's bedchambers. Sarah snorted in an unladylike fashion.
"You don't have to worry. I have absolutely no desire to go either place."
She'd been on the brink of asking him why everything seemed so neat and clean when they stepped through a doorway into what Ethain referred to as the sparring room. She gasped. Swords, staffs and other instruments of battle were displayed on racks along one wall. She immediately gravitated to the rack holding the swords. Foils, epees, sabres, broadswords and other blades were on gleaming display.
Ethain walked to her side and said, "Pretty, aren't they?"
Sarah grinned and gestured toward one of the swords. "May I?"
"It isn't a toy, Sarah," he cautioned. "Be careful."
She took an epee from the display reverently. Grasping the hilt, she moved several feet away from Ethain and drew it through the air. "It's beautifully balanced."
Ethain was surprised. "You know something about swords?"
She grinned, saluted him with the epee and moved into the en garde position. "A little."
Ethain grinned back, astonished. "You fence?"
Sarah dropped into a lunge and then stood. Returning the sword carefully to the rack, she turned to face Ethain again before speaking.
"I took lessons for about eight years, including all four years in college. I haven't fenced in months, though. Not enough time and not enough money. I miss it." She looked at him and noticed his dumbfounded expression. "I take it women in the Underground don't fence?"
"No," he said, "they don't. I wasn't aware that women in the Aboveworld did. Perhaps you'd like to resume your lessons? Once a week, Brennan, our garrison commander, spars with us. I think he'd be delighted to have another pupil."
"Us?" Sarah said warily.
"Yes, Brennan spars with both Jareth and myself."
"That's the first time I've heard you call the King by his name."
"Ah, I try not to do that. It must be the room we're in. Here we try to be just friends. Not monarch and subject."
"I'd like the lessons, but I'm not sure about the King part." Sarah made a wry face.
"I'll talk to Brennan and see if he has time to take you on as a private pupil if you like."
Sarah smiled. "That would be great."
"Why don't we go down to the kitchen and get something for lunch. It's a beautiful day. We can take our food outside and I'll show you some of the grounds."
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They took their sandwiches into a well-maintained garden. She recognized roses, gardenias, and lilies, but there were many more varieties of flowers and plants that she didn't recognize all organized into tidy beds.
"Everything is so neat and so clean. This isn't anything like I remember. What happened?" Sarah asked.
Ethain said, "That's for the King to explain. He wishes to speak to you after dinner tonight. I'm sure he'll answer your questions at that time."
Sarah frowned, but nodded. Her face brightened, "I had friends when I was here before. Are they still here?"
Ethain hesitated and Sarah's heart dropped. "Are they all right? Did the King do something to them?"
Ethain gestured to a bench and said, "Sit down, Sarah." At her panicked look, he held up his hand, "No, His Majesty did nothing to your friends."
She sank down onto the bench and asked, "Then can I see them?"
He sat next to her. "It really isn't my place to explain, but you'll be more upset if I don't answer. Sarah, your friends weren't real. Your mind decided that you needed assistance through the labyrinth and so they were provided for you."
Sarah was stunned. "But...I could touch them, I hugged them."
He smiled, "They were extremely realistic illusions, but nothing more. They had depth and breadth and emotion. But they were your creations. They were real enough that even the King could interact with them and he used them. But they were merely extensions of your will."
"This is confusing." Sarah said. "The King was, and is, real but my friends were never real?" Her eyes suddenly narrowed and she looked Ethain over suspiciously.
He laughed heartily. "I'm real, too."
"Then were you here before? Why didn't I see you?"
"You didn't need me." He said simply. "If you had, I would have been there."
"I don't understand all this." She said.
"His Majesty will explain tonight." Ethain said.
She sat silently, trying to comprehend everything she had been told. Ethain said gently, "Eat your lunch. I have to prepare for the hearing of grievances." He thought for a moment and said, "Would you like to see a part of the King's duties?"
"Not if he's going to yell at me." She said flatly.
Ethain laughed again, "Then, to be safe, we'll just keep you out of sight, shall we?"
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He led her to back into the castle and up the stairs to a small alcove overlooking the throne room. Without warning, a chair appeared near the window, far enough back so as not to be seen from the floor below. Sarah gaped at him.
"I didn't know you could do magic, too."
"Yes, I have magic," he replied. "Not as much as His Majesty, but magic nonetheless." A wave of his hand produced a black hooded cloak. "Put this on and raise the hood. The dark color will help to prevent you from being seen."
She put on the cloak, sat down and looked over the empty throne room.
Ethain smiled reassuringly. "I think you will find this very interesting. Remain still and silent and, when it's over, I'll come back for you."
Ethain left and Sarah waited.
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After a few minutes, the large doors to the throne room opened and people began to enter the room. Goblins, dwarves, even what Sarah assumed to be elves were there.
They quickly took seats along the walls, and began talking among themselves. The alcove in which she was sitting provided her with a perfect view of the throne sitting at the head of the room directly across from her.
She could hear snatches of the conversations going on below. The words flowed together and overlapped like waves at the ocean.
"...don't think I'll ever get all those weeds out of the garden..."
"...hear that Essel's wife is expecting? Yes, again..."
"...so I told her it wouldn't do a bit of good, that boy's going to do what he..."
A large goblin dressed in a military uniform and carrying a long pike entered the throne room. As he banged the wooden end of the weapon on the stone floor, the crowd calmed down.
"All rise for His Majesty, Jareth, King of the Goblins, Prince of the Sidhe, Heir to the High Throne of the Underground."
With much rustling, everyone in the throne room rose to their feet and waited in complete silence as the Goblin King swept into the room and took his throne. With a graceful gesture, he indicated that his subjects should take their seats.
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When Jareth entered the throne room, she was aware again of how beautiful he was. He was handsome, yes, but the word beautiful was more accurate, as if describing a work of art. He was dressed more formally than last night, in unremitting black. The odd medallion he wore around his neck gleamed against his fair skin. His bearing was regal and utterly self-assured.
Ethain stood to the right of Jareth, holding a sheaf of papers. Leaning down, he spoke quietly for a moment and then handed Jareth a single sheet of paper.
Reviewing it briefly, Jareth spoke, "Doslin and Kandar, approach and be heard."
Two dwarves hurried from different parts of the room to bow before the King.
Jareth regarded them seriously for a moment. "Doslin, you have filed a grievance charging that Kandar refuses to pay the balance of the dowry owed to you upon the marriage of your children."
Sarah listened, fascinated, as Jareth negotiated an equitable settlement between the two dwarves and moved onto the following grievances. Each time, he paid careful attention to each opponent, asking questions to clarify matters, and then issuing an impartial judgement.
When the last grievance was heard, the King left the throne room and his subjects filed out, quietly talking to one another.
Sarah continued waiting, looking over the empty room until Ethain came into the alcove.
"What did you think?" Ethain asked.
"I'm surprised. He was very fair."
"He makes a determined effort to be fair to his subjects. I have to return to the King in a moment. He has agreed to have some of your personal belongings, your clothing and things, brought here. They should be in your room when you return from seeing Dorenil. Is there a particular item you want?"
Sarah was surprised. Having her own things here wasn't something she'd considered. "There's a picture of Toby, my brother, on the table in the living room. I'd like to have that."
"I'll see to it. I do have to go." Ethain hastily gave her directions to the healer and returned to the King.
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Her session with Dorenil went much the same as it had the night before. He brusquely ordered her about and then performed the spell. Again, she felt the warmth flow through her and he looked her over with glowing eyes.
"You'll need to come back once more before I'm certain it's gone. I'll see you again tomorrow afternoon."
He abruptly ushered her to the door.
"Well, it was so nice to see you, too." Sarah muttered as she found herself standing in the hallway.
Looking around, she couldn't remember if she should turn left or right.
"I'm never going to learn my way around this place," she muttered. Stopping a passing servant, she got directions and made her way to her room.
The first thing she saw when she walked into the room was the picture of Toby on the table under the mirror. The reality of her situation hit her like a sledgehammer. She was never going to see him again. Bursting into tears, she crossed the room and picked it up. Sitting on the bed and holding it to her, she rocked back and forth and cried until she had no tears left.
Exhausted, she lay her head back on the pillow and dozed off. She woke to someone tapping on her door. Setting the picture aside, she went to the door to find Twylla.
The goblin woman hurried in and began speaking in a rush. "We've got to get you ready for dinner. I'll draw your bath. Have you decided what you're going to wear? You've only got an hour and His Majesty won't like it if you're late, so don't dawdle."
Sarah was confused. "Wear? This is all I've got to wear." She gestured to the same clothes she'd had on since last night.
Twylla frowned. "His Grace said he'd have your things here." She threw open a large armoire and pointed into it. "Whose are those, if not yours?"
Sarah shook her head. She'd been so overwhelmed at seeing Toby's picture that she hadn't even looked around the room. An armoire full of her clothing stood along one wall. A vanity was opposite it, containing her cosmetics and jewelry. A chest of drawers now stood beside the vanity. Peeking into a drawer, Sarah confirmed that her nightclothes and underwear were inside. Her cheeks hot, she wondered if Ethain had picked through her things.
Twylla clicked her tongue and moved behind the carved screen. "Come along, into the bath with you."
Following the goblin, Sarah saw that the bathtub was full of steaming water. "How did you do that?" She asked, surprised.
"It's enchanted. Wave your hand over it and it'll fill. When you're finished, wave your hand the opposite direction and it's empty. How do you do it where you come from?" Twylla was puzzled.
"Not that way, that's for sure." Sarah said, bemused.
She stripped off her clothing and sank into the hot water. Sighing, she closed her eyes. She felt a shift in the air and opened her eyes to see Twylla peering at her intently.
"Have you been crying? Your eyes are puffy." Before Sarah could answer, Twylla shook her head disapprovingly. "I'll get something for that."
Twylla scurried away and returned with a cold compress. Laying it over Sarah's eyes, she went back to the armoire.
"What're you going to wear? None of these things look right. We're going to have to get you a decent wardrobe." Sarah could hear the faint disgust in Twylla's voice.
"Is it a formal dinner, casual, what?" Sarah asked.
"Well, it's not as if you'll be going to a ball. But they usually dress up nicer than their regular clothes."
Sarah muttered under her breath, "If the King dresses up 'nicer than his regular clothes,' I'm not sure I can stand all that sartorial splendor."
"What?" Twylla asked.
"Nothing, never mind. I appreciate your help, Twylla, but I'm not used to having a maid and I can dress myself." Sarah said. She frowned, remembering the Goblin King's hand twisted in her hair. "Maybe I should've taken a dip in the Bog of Eternal Stench. That would keep him at bay." She murmured to herself.
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Her first thought had been to make herself as unattractive as possible. After their encounter last night, she certainly didn't want to look appealing. However, after careful consideration, she had changed her mind. If the Goblin King wanted to revenge himself on her in that manner, her appearance wouldn't matter. He'd do whatever he wanted. Her best bet would be to go in with as much confidence as possible. She'd faced him down once before and she could do it again. 'You hope,' she thought.
She took great care in applying her cosmetics and in dressing. She'd settled on an elegant black and white linen suit. The black pants were plain, as was the white sleeveless blouse, but the white jacket was accented with black cuffs, pockets, lapels and collar.
After slipping into pumps, she looked at herself in the mirror. Not bad, she thought to herself. Perhaps not up to the Goblin King's dazzling standards, but not bad at all. She leaned forward and examined her makeup critically. The slight hint of smoky eye shadow and lipstick gave her a more sophisticated appearance.
She brushed her hair to a glossy sheen and picked up her only bottle of truly expensive perfume. A birthday splurge to herself, she remembered. Sarah hesitated for a moment; maybe the perfume would be a bit much. No, she thought wryly, if I'm going to seem brave, I might as well go all out. She touched the applicator to her wrists, the base of her throat and the nape of her neck, surrounding herself with a subtle scent of exotic flowers and spices.
All too soon, Twylla knocked on her door and announced that it was time for dinner. Suddenly nervous, Sarah felt as if she'd swallowed a lead weight. Following Twylla's directions, Sarah came to the open dining room door. Looking inside, she could see that the King and Ethain were there, along with another man she'd never seen before. He, too, was blond, but his hair was short and much darker than Jareth's ashen gold. The three men were deep in discussion and hadn't noticed her yet.
Jareth suddenly laughed at some remark Ethain had made and Sarah felt her breath catch in her throat. She'd never seen him like this, laughing in genuine pleasure. She was having difficulty reconciling the images she had of the Goblin King. Who was he? Her sneering opponent of nine years ago? The impartial judge she'd seen hearing grievances this afternoon? This man before her with the wonderful smile and the musical laugh? Or was it the triumphant King who'd sworn that one of them would die before he relinquished his control over her?
Shaking off her thoughts, she forced a smile onto her lips, lifted her head high and walked into the room.
"Good evening, gentlemen. I hope I haven't kept you waiting."
Three pairs of eyes turned to her. As she approached them, Sarah had time to see Ethain's look of amazement and the unknown man's look of frank interest. The King's eyes widened slightly and then his implacable mask slammed firmly into place.
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