Ok, firstly, so no one sues me, I'd like to thank the Starwars Characters book for some "inspiration" with the names Sarah comes up with. (Maybe she's a SW fan too?) Trying to find any original names nowadays is really a hunt!
And a bunch of reviews when I didn't expect anyone would find this- what a wonderful surprise! I would like to take the time to thank everyone who has already emailed me with comments; the knowledge that even one person enjoys what you're doing is more than enough reward for most artists, whether they draw, sculpt, act or write.
Thanks to: lizz, Addie, Arianne, Graffitibox, Solea, Silver Space (Thanks, trying to keep Jareth in character is sometimes difficult! And Sarah will wake up, I promise!), Winter (thanks also. Here is another chapter, just for you. *wink* And I'll keep posting as often as I can!), Roses_Red, Zabella, PeachDreamer, Dark Mage Mistress, and lastly, Sway, who's comment I really appreciated: "I love the way Sarah's inner strength transforms along with her body. You've written all of your characters so far very well."
Thanks!
Andrea
Chapter 3: Warring emotions and butterflies, white shirts and pants?
"Yikes," Sarah said, sighing as she flopped down on the bed. "'Try me,' I tell him." God, she could have kicked herself for that reply. Still, the man had merely arched an eyebrow and smiled that damned Cheshire-cat grin of his. Though she still did not know her exact location, she had at least, finally, gotten the strange man to leave the bedroom.
Before he had left, he had slowly brought one gloved hand up and placed it on her shoulder, gently tracing the spaghetti strap of her nightgown with a finger. 'I shall leave you to get dressed,' he had said, his mouth mere inches from hers, she recalled. She had shivered at his touch, then broken eye contact, quickly looking down at her feet so he could not see the sudden blushing of her cheeks. Though she hadn't seen him, he had grinned, then dropped the strap and told her to meet him for breakfast. After that, he claimed he would explain everything to her.
Though she was not a particularly shy creature around men, the way he kept staring at her; letting his eyes linger over her form, left her feeling as if she should be looking for a robe or a blanket to hide behind.
No, no, having him see her in a strappy little silk number felt like it were the most natural thing in the world next to breathing. Well, maybe not breathing, she reasoned, but close.
Sarah shook her head to clear it. Part of her felt like she should run from this stranger while she still could, and the other part felt as if she'd known this man her whole life. She had never seen this man before, yet he looked so familiar… Either way, it was giving her the creeps.
And the chills. Ooh the chills...
*****
A small crystal ball perched on the fingertips of the blonde-haired man. A pair of mismatched blue eyes gazed intently into it, following the figure portrayed inside.
When he could tell she was becoming uneasy with his presence, he had left her in the room when he could tell she was becoming uneasy with his presence, telling her to dress and meet him for breakfast. Only after she'd eaten would he explain anything to her.
He watched as she made her way to a large door set in the wall. Good, she's discovered the closet. He figured she would find it soon enough. Curiosity always had run deep inside of her; she was bound to investigate her surroundings eventually.
He looked away from the crystal for a moment and covered it with a gloved hand when she started lifting her nightgown over her head to change. He was an honorable king; stubborn and arrogant he was often told, but honorable, and would not disgrace Sarah by watching her without her knowledge. He had never watched any woman undress unless she had acknowledged his presence and still chose to bare herself before him.
Though the Goblin King would not watch her, he did not stop his mind from imagining how she looked. He knew that stubborn female in the other room was more beautiful than any other woman he'd ever seen. While he could bed any woman in his kingdom by birthright as King, he had not been with anyone in a long time. Almost seventy years, he realized. Something about that young, dark-haired mortal girl he remembered from before had captivated him.
After a decent amount of time, he moved his hand and looked into the crystal again. He should have allowed her a bit more time, he realized, as he caught her just as she was buttoning up her pants. A brief flash of her panties and stomach was all he saw, so he let his honor reside.
He squinted at the crystal and frowned as he realized what she was wearing; a drab pair of brown pants and a plain white shirt. Nothing patterned, no colors… And pants? He frowned. Had she not seen the beautiful dresses he'd had placed in there?
He realized she was leaving the room, out to search for him for breakfast no doubt, so he tossed the crystal he held into the air where it promptly disappeared. Making a motion with his hand, he produced another crystal, and tossed it at the wall. It disappeared with a shower of glitter before impact, and a soft, yet clear ping ping ping resounded down the hallway.
*****
Sarah turned a corner and sighed in frustration as she realized she had passed that particular tapestry before. She had only noticed it before because it depicted a beautiful dragon in brilliant red dyes. She'd loved fairy-tale things as a child, so naturally it had caught her attention.
She'd been wandering for a short while, though she had no clue where she was going. Sarah stopped admiring the hanging and turned around sharply as she heard a noise behind her in the hallway. A small crystal ball bounced around a corner, moved towards her direction, and finally came to a stop a few feet away on the floor.
At first she tensed, waiting for that peculiar blonde man from earlier to follow it around the corner, but he did not appear. She breathed a sigh of relief. Strangers had never bothered her before, but he was quickly changing that. What was his name anyway? He'd never told her.
Everyone had a name of course, and she had always loved entertaining herself when she was younger by making up names for strangers she saw in town. Childish names such as "Roy" and "Timmy" eventually became "Reginald" and "Tobias." That was it; she'd make him a name. Besides, it wasn't as if she had anything better to do while roaming the hallways.
Hmm… this was going to take some thought. Sarah contemplated for a minute, screwing up her face in thought as she stared at the ball on the floor. He wasn't just some ordinary guy off the street; he carried himself differently… more aloof; almost regally. An ordinary name just wouldn't do for him… it had to be… more exotic. And since she knew nothing about him, the name had to be doubly special. It had to be a bit quixotic and foreign.
Mikhail? No. P'ter… Rilloah? No, she decided, his name would be more towards the beginning of the alphabet. Dennik? No… Gilad? Better, but still not quite right for him.
Sarah thought for a while longer, mentally exchanging letters and vowels in the names for other letters, and finally came up with her own name for the strange man. She said it several times in her mind, but did not want to speak it out loud until she could ask him his real name. She couldn't wait to find out what it was and compare the two.
Part of her still longed to see that handsome blonde man, but the other part still dreaded having to speak with him. She knew she had to though, if she wanted to go home. She still had no clue as to where she was.
The crystal still sat on the floor where it had come to a stop earlier and she bent down to pick it up. It smoothly rolled a few feet away from her and came to a stop. As she stepped forward again to pick it up, the crystal bounced further down the hallway.
Ah hah… she thought. Follow the bouncing ball…
Tossing her hair over one shoulder and figuring she might as well get this over with, she followed the crystal ball around the corner, and out of sight.
*****
Ping ping ping. Not quite audible, but still perceivable.
Jareth sensed the faint noise approaching down the hallway and rose from his seat at the end of a long mahogany table. The footsteps stopped outside the door, and a moment later it was slowly pushed open. A timid hand appeared on the frame of the door, hesitated a moment, then the door was pushed open more boldly and Sarah stood resolutely in the entrance.
Jareth let his gaze fall over her, now that she was properly dressed and not glaring at him in a somewhat revealing silk nightgown. What surprised him was, now that he saw her in person, the plain pants and shirt looked extraordinary on her. The drab brown pants that were actually soft leather, and more of a tawny-chestnut color than brown, hugged her slender hips just enough to be sensuous without appearing audacious. And the simple white shirt was actually a very striking shade next to her dark hair. He supposed some women were naturally beautiful, no matter what they wore. Even if they wore pants.
Sarah noticed that the man had not changed out of his blue jacket outfit, though it did look like he had tamed his hair. Slightly.
After immediately disregarding the dresses and skirts, Sarah had practically torn the closet apart looking for the least appealing set of clothing in there. The brown pants were the only pair that were long enough in the legs for her, and the shirt's neckline didn't plunge past her bra like the others, so she'd grabbed that. It had a slightly scooped neckline, but overall it was good enough; it would not enhance anything on her to draw his attention. He'd looked her over more than enough while she was standing in her pajamas earlier.
Jareth bowed slightly and motioned for her to enter. "Come, come. Sit." he said, and pulled out a chair out for her. She remained in the doorway for a moment, hesitating perhaps, then slowly walked over to the seat, though she did not sit down yet.
Sarah avoided meeting his eyes; she didn't want him seeing her so edgy, and looked down at the beautiful table instead. When she saw his inverted form staring at her from the reflection on the polished wood, she turned to inspect the room.
She simultaneously had butterflies in her stomach, couldn't remember the name she'd made for him earlier, and felt glued to the spot in fear. Her emotions; the desire to see this man and find out more about him, and the maddening urge to flee, were warring inside her, churning in her stomach like acid. At this rate, she didn't think she'd be able to eat anything or she'd throw up.
She quickly glanced at him and belatedly realized that he was staring at her from his seat, where he still stood, waiting for her to take her seat first.
"Is something wrong?" he asked, raising an eyebrow questioningly.
Trying not to appear nervous, she shook her head and quickly sat down in the chair he'd pulled out for her.
As she sat down and leaned forward to pull her chair in closer to the table, the neckline of her shirt dropped forward slightly, rewarding Jareth with a brief view of the pale skin and lacy bra that lay hidden beneath.
Smirking slightly, Jareth slowly took his seat. He knew she'd have a freckle there.
*****
More to come soon!
