Let's get right to it, shall we?
Disclaimer: and then there were four. I own John, Quillan, Brenna, and Aiden. As for the rest… do you honestly think I'd be writing this if I did?
In the Ballroom
"What the hell?"
Deep in violent fantasies about what he'd like to do to John when he saw him again, Jareth didn't notice another person enter the room and was caught off guard by the yell that pierced his senses. Turning around, he was confronted by a young woman with shoulder-length black hair and green eyes cracking with an emerald fire. Make that a very irate young woman.
Seeing that she had the stranger's attention, Brenna Caradine, Sarah's roommate, unleashed the three main questions in her mind.
"What the hell happened in here? Who the hell are you? Where the fuck is Sarah?"
Unnerved by the fact that he had let a mortal sneak up on him and unused to such rudeness, Jareth adapted his best "you-should-be-grateful-I-have-not-crushed-you-like-a-bug" pose and spoke in supercilious tones. "I believe that is none of your business. I'll tell Sarah you dropped in. Good-bye."
"Since Sarah's my roommate as well as best friend, I think it damn well is my business! You tell me what's happened or I'll kick you so hard, your son will be singing soprano!"
As the girl adapted a standard fighting stance, Jareth realized that she just might be able to make good on her threat. Not that I couldn't stop her with my magic of course. Maybe a condescending attitude wasn't the best way to deal with this situation. The two stood a moment longer, tensed, waiting for the other to move, when Jareth raised his hands in front of him.
"Very well, then. You say you're Sarah's friend? How long have you known her?"
Brenna looked at him warily, then slowly relaxed. "'Bout three years, we met at orientation."
"You know her well?"
"Better than anyone else."
"Perfect." Jareth snapped his fingers and a moment later the room was empty and as he'd found it, except for the two circles of gold glitter gracing the floor.
**
Dining Room
Quillan sighed, obviously he wasn't meant to finish breakfast today, and looked up. "Good morning Aiden. How are you? I'm fine, a tad bit hungry though." Another glance at the decorated toast and then he looked at the fae prince standing in front of him, who had the good grace to look contrite. Prince Aiden was the son of King Tristan, who ruled over the Enchanted Forest that bordered the Labyrinth. Aiden was a frequent visitor to the castle, not to mention one of the few fae that Jareth counted as friend. The prince was dressed in green and brown hunting attire, which just happened to compliment his hazel eyes and dark brown hair.
"Sorry about that, Quillan. I thought Jareth would be in here." He looked down, but not before Quillan had gotten a glimpse of the mirth dancing in his green eyes.
"Hmph. So I gathered. Care to tell me what brings you all the way out here? Surely you didn't come merely to chat with Jareth?"
"Chat? No, I thought I'd dip him in that bog that he's forever threatening people with!"
Quillan took in the seriousness on the normally good-humored prince's face. "Any particular reason why? Or have you simply grown weary of The Enchanted Forest?"
The prince's face darkened. "Oh, there's a reason alright. Seems that when he was visiting last quarter, Jareth had a lovely conversation with my mother. Something along the lines that it was high time I'd gotten married and started producing heirs. Never mind that Jareth's three years older than I and a KING, I'm the one who should be married! And of course, Mother agreed since Jareth wrapped her around his finger just as he's been able to do to any female since he was a child. So now I've been forced to attend ball after ball and dance with every eligible girl there. Now I know how Charming felt before he found that country girl- you know, the one who sat in the hearth? What was her name? Terribly peculiar, spending your time sitting in fireplaces. Anyway, I can't even go riding into the forest anymore without an entourage of young maidens and their hopeful mamas coming along. Just yesterday, a girl was almost gored by a wild boar and then today, I had to rescue a different girl from a mermaid who tried to drown her when she drank from the river! I have the slight suspicion that it wasn't an accident, too. Every child born near The Forest knows not to drink from the river! I haven't had a moment of peace in more than a fortnight, and it's all Jareth's fault!"
Quillan observed the prince again, who was now pacing agitatedly as Jareth had done not less than an hour ago.
"Hm."
Quillan was saved from having to make any further reply by the sound of a crash and a yell from the adjoining room.
"What the devil was that?"
"It came from the Great Hall. I suspect Jareth's gone and complicated things even further, if that's possible." Quillan rushed from the room, Aiden right behind him.
**
The Great Hall, one-minute prior
Brenna remembered standing in her dorm room, facing off against some strange guy and then suddenly she was weightless, floating in a gray haze. Just as suddenly it ended and Brenna returned to reality with a "thump", and realized she was standing behind the guy from the dorm, with considerably less distance between them. Thankful that her mother had insisted she take self-defense classes, Brenna kicked him in the back of his knee, which knocked his feet out from under him and sent him crashing into the table he'd been standing in front of, knocking various things onto the floor.
Brenna adapted her fighting stance again. "I don't know what kind of sick game you're playing, buddy, but you picked a hell of a target. You better tell me where Sarah is right now and if she has so much as a headache…" Brenna let the threat hang in the air. The only answer she got was a groan as Jareth made to stand up. She went to stop him, only to find that she couldn't move. She tried to scream and found that she couldn't speak either.
"I think it'd be best if you just stayed right there."
Brenna tried to turn her head to identify the speaker, but her sight was forcibly fixed on the man lying before her. She saw a shorter man wearing glasses come and try to assist the man up. He, however, ignored the man and got up and brushed himself off.
"That's quite enough, Quillan. I'm fine." He directed his sight toward the person still standing in back of her. "Aiden, what a surprise. Nice bit of magic there, was about to do the same myself."
I suppose that's as close to 'thank you' as I'll get "Of course. But if you wouldn't mind explaining exactly what's going on? Surely, things aren't so slow that you've taken to turning adults into goblins?"
Aiden had walked over to Jareth and a small part of Brenna was glad that she was frozen in place, because otherwise her mouth would've been hanging wide open. That same tiny, almost insignificant, part of her whispered that the one called Aiden was hot! Before that little piece of her could go into raptures over his forest colored eyes and his hair that was surely too many subtle shades of color to be classified as brown, she snapped at it to shut up and focus on the fact that she'd been kidnapped by some really strange people, and they had probably done something to Sarah, too.
"As though I want more goblins running around. No Aiden, this is unrelated to the Labyrinth-"
"You should know by now, Jareth, that nothing you do is unrelated to the Labyrinth. Even you are not above the rules; there are still consequences for your actions. You'd be wise to remember that."
The one who spoke, Quillan she thought he was called, faced her direction, but his gaze was someplace far away. Okay, this has gone way past weird and scary and become something else entirely. Brenna repressed a mental shudder as Quillan looked back at the man who taken her in the first place. "I'm going to go check on your other guest, while you explain the situation to Aiden and this girl."
If Jareth thought there was something odd about Quillan's words, he hid it well. He simply nodded his head and spoke.
"Very good. Make sure she eats something, won't you? She'll probably give you a hard time about it, since she's the most stubborn creature I've ever known, but don't let her win."
Quillan bowed and left the room. Aiden desperately tried not to laugh at the idea of the Goblin King calling someone else stubborn, and was he imaging things, or did Jareth's face soften when he talked about his guest? Aiden sighed, his anger at Jareth momentarily forgotten, and glanced at the girl he had momentarily suspended. Well maybe he can't charm every female after all.
"Jareth, whatever it is you're getting me into, it's not going to be anything like last time is it?"
Jareth looked shocked. "Of course not." Then he smiled. "You don't have to stay you know. This really doesn't involve you."
Aiden snorted. "That's exactly what you said last time." He paused. "I'm already involved Jareth." He returned the smile. "Besides, I'm curious to learn about this mystery guest of yours."
**
Jareth's Bedroom
Sarah just stared at the mirror. She didn't really recognize the girl staring back at her. Her shocked mind took in the bruising that covered the left side of her face and commented that the reason her left eye wouldn't open all the way was because it was very badly swollen. She also noticed a bandage on her forehead. What's happened to me? She stumbled to the edge of the bathtub, and sat on the edge, staring dazedly before her. She was still sitting there when, five minutes later, Quillan arrived to check on her.
Hey, I didn't end this one with a cliffhanger! There will be more Sarah in the next chapter, I promise. She was being so stubborn though. (Personally, I think she was just jealous that Brenna got to spend the whole chapter with Jareth and Aiden). But hey, now that school's out the chapters are getting longer. Unless of course everyone prefers the short ones. ;)
~Raissa
Unknown Reader- but wait, what did Aiden mean about "last time?" You didn't- *gets hit by flip-flop*
Author-gee, I have no idea how that happened. Oh well. *steps over unconscious body* Review please and let me know what you think.