A Necessary Deception
by Scattered Logic
Disclaimer: Jareth and Sarah belong to Jim Henson. Everyone else is mine.
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The next morning, Twylla brought Sarah's breakfast tray and told her that Ethain had apologized, but he wouldn't be able to join her today. Sarah would be on her own. Twylla then gave her an envelope addressed in an elegant hand. Opening it, Sarah found a small map of the castle and an attached note:
Sarah, I trust this will help. Jareth
She was pleased that he'd remembered. Sarah was slightly embarrassed as she recalled the dream she'd had last night, but shrugged it away. It wasn't so strange she'd dream of him. He was an attractive man and she was a healthy woman. She'd just have to keep those thoughts under control.
While she ate her meal, she looked over the map. She was still studying it when Twylla reappeared with a young goblin woman.
"Paslia will take measurements for your clothing." Twylla gestured for Sarah to stand up.
"I have my own clothes." Sarah protested as Paslia nonetheless began wrapping a measuring tape around Sarah's hips.
"You think those things will please the King?" Twylla said derisively. "He's used to ladies wearing beautiful dresses, not a woman fitted out as a man."
"I'm not trying to please the King," Sarah said stubbornly as Paslia pushed her arms wide and began taking her bust measurement.
Twylla looked shocked. "But you belong to him. Don't you want look nice for him?"
Sarah dropped her arms and Paslia hissed in displeasure. "I belong to myself and looking nice for the King isn't a priority."
"You don't know the way of things in the Underground, girl." Twylla sighed and placed her hands on her hips. "The King brought you here and that makes you his. You'll disgrace him if you look like a ragamuffin. Besides, which of those things you call clothes would you wear to a ball or to a state dinner?"
Sarah frowned at the "that makes you his" comment, but had to admit she had nothing truly formal to wear. Balls and state dinners weren't something she'd had worry about in her old life.
"I doubt I'll be going to many of those," she said, but reluctantly lifted her arms back up at Paslia's urging.
"One's all it takes and then you'll want a pretty dress to wear." Twylla said, glancing over at Paslia, who nodded. "Well, Paslia's got your measurements now. She'll prepare a proper wardrobe."
Sarah threw up her hands as the two women bustled out of the room. Folding the map and tucking it in the pocket of her jeans, she headed for the library. She'd always loved to read and the sheer number of books there tempted her.
In the library, she wandered around, looking at the titles and was exasperated to realize they were all in the same unfamiliar lettering as the plaques on the portraits in the gallery. She found a dusty stack of maps but, after unrolling them on a long table, saw that she couldn't read the labeling on those either.
Stuck here for the rest of her life with a huge library full of books she couldn't read. She was going to have to learn. Finding blank paper and a fountain pen, she wrote out a note. Waving the paper to dry the ink, she stepped into the hallway and flagged down the first passing servant to take the note to Ethain.
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The young goblin male found Ethain in Jareth's office, discussing the latest budgetary demands with the King. Ethain read the note and smiled, explaining to Jareth what Sarah wanted.
Jareth looked up from a ledger. "She wants a child's primer? For which language?"
"The note doesn't say. I'm not certain she realizes that the library books aren't all in the same language. The various alphabets do appear similar to the untrained eye."
"Teaching herself to read another language is admirable, but a bit optimistic," Jareth said, raising an eyebrow. He motioned to the servant, still waiting for a reply to the note. Conjuring a crystal, he tossed it to the goblin, "Give her this. Tell her that all she has to do is hold it in her hand. It won't harm her."
The servant scurried away, crystal in hand. Jareth bent his head over the ledger once again.
Jareth hadn't mentioned Sarah all morning, and Ethain's curiosity was intense. This seemed to be the perfect opening. Pouring a glass of water and taking a casual sip, he asked, "So, have you and Sarah settled your differences?"
Jareth smirked. "In a manner of speaking. After she damned me to hell, I agreed to give her an extraordinary amount of freedom. In exchange, she's promised to show me a modicum of respect."
Ethain looked surprised at this arrangement and Jareth waved away his questions. "It's a long story." Turning his attention back to the ledger, he asked, "Where were we?"
Moments later, the servant returned. Frowning, Jareth saw that he still held the crystal.
The young goblin stammered, "I told her what you said, Your Majesty. That all she had to do was hold it in her hand, and that it wouldn't hurt her. She said... She said..."
"Well?" Jareth couldn't imagine what had disconcerted the servant so.
"She said to tell you she'd heard that one before and she hadn't trusted those men either." The servant said with a blush.
Ethain choked on his water. Jareth was astonished for a moment, then threw back his head and laughed. Rising, he took the crystal from the servant and glanced at Ethain with a sly smile, "I'll be back in a moment."
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Sarah was leaning over one of the maps, studying the topography when she heard Jareth behind her. "I merely offered you a crystal. What did those other men want you to hold?" He asked, sounding amused.
Turning, she saw him standing in the doorway, lightly tossing the crystal from hand to hand.
"Nothing I considered very magical," she said dryly.
He laughed softly.
So," she continued, glancing at the crystal, "what does it do?"
"It's a translation spell." He walked over to her. His eyes took on a knowing gleam and he held the crystal toward her in his upturned hand. "Do you want it?"
Then forget the baby.
The words echoed through Sarah's mind and she flinched. The event may have been a charade, but the fear and horrible temptation she'd felt at that long ago moment had been very real.
He looked at her mockingly. "I'm disappointed, Sarah. You used to be so brave."
She looked up sharply at the challenge. Her eyes narrowed and she snatched the crystal from his hand. It felt surprisingly warm and solid, and had an unexpected weight. Looking into it, she saw nothing except her own distorted reflection in the curved surface. With no warning, the crystal burst in a glittering shower and a faint tingling sensation shot through her eyes. She flashed a startled look up at Jareth.
He chuckled and gestured toward the maps. "Can you read them now?"
Turning to the maps, she could clearly read the labels. A quick glance showed her Mount Arranz, the Goblin City, the Salt Caverns, and the Firey Forest, among others.
"This is great." She said with delight. "How long will the spell last?"
"Until I remove it," he said, looking down at the table. He turned one of the maps so that it was properly oriented. "You seem to be very fond of maps."
"That comes from having a lousy sense of direction." She smiled and pulled the map he had given that morning her out of her pocket. Holding it up, she said, "Thank you for this one, it's been very helpful."
He inclined his head. "You're welcome."
She smiled as he walked toward the door. Who would have ever thought that she and the Goblin King would be getting along? Her eyes widened at that thought and she called out quickly, "Are we going to be friends?"
He stopped and turned back to her. His expression was guarded. "Do you want that?"
"Well...sure. It kind of seems like we're headed down that path already." She said. "Unless you don't want to," she added hastily.
"I would be glad to have you as my friend." He said slowly.
She nodded, satisfied. "What are the rules with being friends with a king? Do I curtsy or..." She made a vague hand gesture.
"Only in very formal situations," he said. "And here in the castle, you should call me Jareth."
"Ethain and Brennan call you 'Your Majesty,'" she pointed out.
He said with quiet intensity, "You aren't Ethain or Brennan."
At his words and tone, her stomach did a slow back flip and he looked into her eyes as if searching for something. She could feel herself blushing and glanced down, feeling absurdly shy. When she looked back at him, he had an oddly pleased expression on his face.
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After Jareth had returned to his study, Sarah looked around the library and, picking a shelf, began to peruse the books. The library was full of books on magic, biographies of people she'd never heard of, and much more. She even found a small section of Aboveworld authors but no one more current than John Donne. Selecting one at random, she settled into a comfortable chair and began to read.
Hours later, the opening of the library door drew her attention and a goblin servant announced that Dorenil wished to see her.
Sarah jumped to her feet, surprised to realize she'd read through lunch and most of the afternoon. Rushing through the corridors, she arrived at the healer's office where she was finally pronounced cured. She tried again to thank the brusque Elf, but he merely nodded his head and disappeared back into his own quarters.
Returning to her room, she took a leisurely bath and washed her hair. Standing with a towel wrapped around her wet hair, she was holding up her second best pants suit when Twylla came in to help her dress. Once again Twylla grumbled about Sarah's style of dress.
Sarah rolled her eyes. The goblin woman was obviously obsessed with her clothing. Sarah put on her make up and dressed quickly. Twylla convinced Sarah to allow her to weave Sarah's damp hair into a loose french braid and, after one last glance in the mirror, Sarah set out for the dining room.
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When she arrived, she found Ethain and Brennan waiting. Looking around, she smiled. "Good, I beat Jareth here. I hate being the one making everybody wait."
She saw Ethain and Brennan exchange a quick glance. Ethain said, "His Majesty won't be joining us tonight. He informed me earlier that he has another engagement."
"Oh." She said, feeling a flash of disappointment. She shrugged and said lightly, "Well, I still have two handsome men to keep me company. I suppose I shouldn't be greedy."
Brennan again held her chair for her, and he sat by her side through the meal, giving her flirtatious smiles as he entertained her with stories of the goblin army.
Ethain watched the exchange closely. Brennan was being particularly charming, which was usually enough to fully hold any woman's attention. But Sarah's eyes strayed more than once to Jareth's empty chair. She didn't realize that the Goblin King would not be returning to the castle tonight. He never did when he visited Lady Vivienne.
Ethain frowned. He would dislike seeing Sarah hurt. Although Ethain wasn't certain what had happened between them in the past two days, it was obvious that Jareth intrigued Sarah. Perhaps it would be kinder if he allowed Jareth's location to slip? The King would be furious with him, of course, but surely it would be better for Sarah to know now.
Before Ethain could formulate a discreet way to interject the desired information into the conversation, Sarah finished her dinner and stood. The two men courteously rose.
"I'm going to change and I'll meet you in the sparring room," she told Brennan. "I can't wait for my fencing lesson."
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At that moment, Jareth was watching the auburn haired woman who had been his lover for the past two years pour them each a glass of wine. Vivienne was extraordinarily beautiful, he thought. Tempestuous, but beautiful.
"While I'm delighted to see you, I wasn't expecting you tonight." She said as she sat beside him on the sofa and handed him one of the glasses. Vivienne placed her wine on a side table and carefully arranged her long skirt.
"I came because I need to speak with you about something important." He looked at her, his expression serious.
She looked up at him and his heart fell as he recognized the expectant look that flashed through her green eyes. She was hoping for a proposal of marriage. He cursed himself for inadvertently giving her false hope. One of her hands had come to rest on his thigh and was making small circles there, slowly moving upward.
Jareth grasped her hand gently, stilling its movement. "As much as I've enjoyed our intimacy, I must regretfully end that aspect of our relationship."
Vivienne drew away from him in confusion. "But why?"
Jareth hesitated, and understanding began to dawn in her eyes. "There's someone else?"
"Not as yet." He looked at her evenly. "But the potential is there and I have far too much regard for you to treat you dishonorably. We've known each other for a very long time, Vivienne, and I have no wish to damage our friendship."
"I...I know that we agreed this would only last as long as it was convenient for both of us, but I am a bit surprised." Vivienne made an unsuccessful effort to appear indifferent. "Is there any point in asking who she is?"
"I'd rather you didn't," he said gently. "That relationship is still developing. It may all come to naught."
Vivienne forced a smile and said, "Well then, I must wish you good luck." She leaned forward the pressed a kiss against his cheek and he lifted her hand to his lips.
"Forgive me, Vivienne, if I have hurt you." He said.
She raised an eyebrow and shrugged elegantly. "Of course you haven't hurt me. I'll miss having you as my lover, but even you, Jareth, can be replaced."
He smiled faintly at the barb. That was more like the Vivienne he knew. He'd been expecting recriminations; restrained acceptance was unlike her. Thinking that, at this moment, retreat was the wisest course open to him, he took leave of her.
Vivienne waited until Jareth had gone before calmly picking up her wineglass and flinging it across the room. A moment later a vase of flowers and a porcelain bowl added to the broken glass on the floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught sight of a servant peeking into the room.
"You there." She said, her voice taking a shrill tone. "Tell Lord Marcan I wish to speak to him. Now."
In a few minutes, a tall man entered the room. His black hair fell smoothly to his shoulders and his green eyes regarded the furious woman and the damage before him with some amusement.
"I see Jareth has gone." He drawled. "Lover's spat?"
"Do you still have connections inside Jareth's castle?" Vivienne demanded.
"Connections?" He gave her a blank look.
"Don't bother playing the innocent. I know you have some sort of ineffectual little spy there." Her eyes were blazing.
"Ineffectual? What makes you think that?" He raised an eyebrow.
Vivienne's voice raised to a near shriek. "Because, if they weren't completely incompetent, I'd already know who it is that Jareth is seeing."
Marcan's eyes lit up with delight. "He threw you aside for another woman?" He roared with laughter.
"You're my brother, I wouldn't think you'd take such pleasure in my pain." She said sulkily and flounced into an armchair.
He sobered quickly and his voice became bitter. "Half brother. As you so often remind me. You tried to ignore my existence completely while seeing Jareth."
"It was an awkward situation." She said with a shrug.
"Yes. Your bedding my cousin was awkward. Especially for me. Why my mother ever remarried after my father's death is a mystery. Particularly since that second union only produced a simpering little fool like you." Marcan's words were venomous. "If my father had--"
"Yes, yes." Vivienne interrupted in a bored tone. "If your father had been born a few minutes earlier, then he would have been High King instead of Jareth's father and you would be High Prince. But that's the unfortunate way of twins, isn't it? One of them is always the eldest."
Marcan's jaw clenched and he looked at her with glittering eyes. "What is it you want?"
"I want to know the name of Jareth's newest pet. There has to be some way to bring him back to my side. The first thing I need in order to accomplish that is information."
"Why should I care?" He looked at her coldly.
"Because, dear brother, if Jareth marries me, then someday I'll be High Queen and your stock in the Seelie Court will rise along with mine." She smiled. "Do you understand?"
"What makes you think that he'll ever marry you?"
Vivienne looked at him, a flinty look in her eyes. "I can convince him to marry me. All I need is a clear playing field."
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