Chapter Five:
Heather led the way, but she paused again half way down the stairs, once the floor below came
into view. She held her hand out behind her to stop Justin as well. Jareth was sitting up on the
couch still bruised but looking much better than he had last night. He had removed the compress,
and it was lying discarded on the carpet. Sarah was on the floor slumped over the sofa leaning on
the Goblin King fast asleep. Jareth raised his finger to his lips, motioning for them to be quiet.
With his other hand he caressed her silky brown hair, occasionally glancing down at her with soft
eyes. Without a sound Justin rushed down the stairs and knelt before his King. Jareth smiled at
him, and whispered in a hoarse voice, which proved he still had a lot more healing to do, that he
had preformed well. Heather came down the rest of the stairs and stood behind Justin, who soon
raised. At the sound of Jareth's voice Sarah stirred, slowly raising up her head and sleepily
looking around. Her brown eyes came to focus on Jareth, and she whispered.
"I thought I dreamed you."
Jareth shook his head, not wanting to alarm her with the harsh sound of his voice he looked at
Justin. He took his cue perfectly, speaking for the King.
"We had nowhere else to go."
Sarah looked around at Justin and realized she had been sleeping on the Goblin King, she
turned an odd shade of purple, and quickly stood up. After all, the last time she had seen the man
he was her enemy. As if Justin had just read that thought he spoke again.
"Sometimes, Sarah, some enemies are less dangerous than others."
The confused girl looked back at Jareth.
"What happened to you?"
Again it was Justin who spoke.
"We had some trouble in the kingdom you know as Underground. A man called Renan
forcefully expelled milord from his rule. He is the leader of the Anisisti tribe, and a Sidhe warrior.
We barely escaped with our lives."
Heather then spoke up.
"There is often war between tribes isn't there?"
"Yes, unfortunately there is. This isn't the first war and it won't be the last." Justin replied.
"Heather, how do you know?" Sarah asked her friend.
"The Sidhe operate in tribes like the clans of my people. There was always fighting among the
clans, and the Sidhe are no different."
"I still ask why you know so much?"
"I'm Scottish Sarah, you know that. They are the Fair Folk of my heritage. I know my history
and folklore. The Sidhe play an important role."
"So you mean. They're not human?" Sarah said motioning to Jareth and Justin.
"Exactly." Jareth croaked, rubbing his throat.
Justin spoke up for him again.
"Our realm inhabits the same space on earth as your realm, except we're in what you would
call another dimension, a higher plain of existence. Yet like humans we are earth bound, and not
deities."
"I see." Sarah said, though she was still a bit confused. "So you're not human." She seemed
disappointed, but tried not to let it show. "I often wondered what you were." She said as an after
thought. "So what are you going to do?"
"We are going to rest and recuperate, and then battle our way back into the kingdom." Justin
said as a matter of fact. "Renan is an evil man and the kingdom will suffer, I am afraid." There
was a melancholy tone in his voice he could not hide.
Heather wrapped her arm around Justin's waist and pulled him close. Both Jareth and Sarah
saw this gesture, but only the Goblin King guessed its true meaning. Like Justin, he could also tell
that Heather was half Sidhe, he guessed that she had also figured that out. There was bound to be
a love growing between the two, of that he was sure. She was a strong girl; he had witnessed that
first hand, the way she had handled the situation last night was proof enough. Yes, she would find
a perfect niche in his kingdom, perhaps as Justin's bride. His part of Underground was always
wanting in women; there hadn't been any actively living there for eons. In fact the Sidhe race was
dwindling, isolated to a few separate tribes here and there. Most Sidhe, like Justin's mother, had
resorted to interbreeding to create heirs, and carry down the family genes. Justin's mother had
chosen to live among the humans though, and he was already a man when he came to Jareth. His
mother had kept his lineage a secret from him for many years. Male Sidhe sometimes would take
a human concubine to produce heirs. The poor mortal hardly ever knew just what her lover was.
Then later if he hadn't chosen to abandon the baby, he would later come back and abduct it. A
common practice among Sidhe. In Heather's case it seemed she was one of the abandoned ones.
Probably because she had been born female. Jareth knew she would have to make a difficult
choice soon. She had claims to both worlds, and could never really fit into either one. Which one
would she choose? It was easy to picture her in his kingdom, her beauty didn't exactly escape his
tasteful eye, but he could already see that she belonged to Justin. And he would leave it at that.
What really baffled him was the caring attitude Sarah had adopted. He knew all along she had
been beside him all night, finally, falling into a reluctant sleep in the small hours of morning. The
thought of her beside him, his one time enemy, somehow brought comfort to his pain filled
trance. He had been right when he told Justin to bring him here. He hadn't counted on Heather
though, but he was glad she was here. Her simple medical skills had come in handy; it was also a
lucky to find her a half Sidhe. There are many more Sidhe men than women, even half-breeds.
Men out number women ten to one. She was exceedingly interesting to him. He wondered if both
females would be accompanying them back Underground.
Justin leaned into Heather's embrace. He felt her warm body next to his, and allowed his eyes
to shut for a moment. He wondered what was going on in inside her mind. There were moments
when he could capture her thoughts, but then there were moments of silence. Last night he could
read almost every idea in her head, but today nothing. He attributed it to her weariness last night.
Her unconscious mental block had been dropped in her moments of stress. Today she had hold of
her emotions and thus, her feelings were shielded from his prying eyes. But, judging by her
actions she was feeling the same as he. She was handling her race news pretty well. It was as if
she was expecting it. Perhaps, she had always felt different than others around her, as he, himself,
had growing up. No wonder she had sought out Sarah as a companion, she, who had been touched
by Fae magic. Justin yearned to find out how deep Heather's powers ran. If he could convince her
into traveling Underground with him, her magic would really be released. Just the contact with
other magical beings brought out her powers. The human realm put a damper on any magic, and
any charm worked in this realm was a product of an experienced magic user, and required a deep
strength of will, and a complete understanding of magic. There has to be magic available to draw
from in order to use any king of power. Justin and Jareth could draw this power from their realm
even though they did not inhabit it at the moment. It was like an aura surrounding both of them.
Heather was able to suck a bit of energy from this last night. But Justin let his endless thoughts
drop for a moment and merely let Heather hold him. Before he turned and smiled at her.
"We will find a way to dethrone this man." Heather said to all in the room.
Justin and Jareth both had their answer as to whether or not she would chose to accompany
them in their quest. Justin could not help but smile at her even brighter than he had before, and
Jareth nodded his head, his question satisfied. That left only Sarah, who was still trying to figure
things out.
"And what of you Sarah?" Jareth spoke his voice becoming better by the moment. "You know
the challenges that await you in the Labyrinth, but it has become a much darker place since I left.
By the way, how is Toby?"
Sarah blushed, a violent shade of purple at his reference to their past. It had been a long time
since she had seen him, and was suddenly painfully reminded of her supposed hatred. This man
had been her enemy. But what was he now, but an outcast king looking for a way back into his
kingdom. She remembered suddenly Heather's words last night. "How long have you been in love
with him. Jareth isn't unconscious. He is healing his wounds. At the moment they are just taking
all his energy, but he can hear everything said to him, or about him."
"He's fine, he's in Arizona with my father and step-mother." She said shakily, while her mind
was screaming "Oh my God! He knows I love him!"
Jareth did, of course, know exactly what was going on in Sarah's mind, but he thought wisely
that this was not the best time to tell her he could read her mind. Instead he decided to play the
fool for her benefit. He would not mention her comment last night, and the fact that he had heard
it, or even the fact that he had woken up to find her cuddled against him sleeping quite soundly,
with her long fingers curled in his hair.
"So will you be coming with us?" Jareth asked out right.
"Yes." She answered without thinking. "But first you have to get your strength back."
"Of course." Justin answered for his king.
With all that said, Jareth leaned back against the couch. The wounds on his face were
becoming better by the minute. But it would be several days before his magic reserves were filled
again. It took a lot out of him to heal them in Sarah's world, and right now he needed rest.
Heather led the way, but she paused again half way down the stairs, once the floor below came
into view. She held her hand out behind her to stop Justin as well. Jareth was sitting up on the
couch still bruised but looking much better than he had last night. He had removed the compress,
and it was lying discarded on the carpet. Sarah was on the floor slumped over the sofa leaning on
the Goblin King fast asleep. Jareth raised his finger to his lips, motioning for them to be quiet.
With his other hand he caressed her silky brown hair, occasionally glancing down at her with soft
eyes. Without a sound Justin rushed down the stairs and knelt before his King. Jareth smiled at
him, and whispered in a hoarse voice, which proved he still had a lot more healing to do, that he
had preformed well. Heather came down the rest of the stairs and stood behind Justin, who soon
raised. At the sound of Jareth's voice Sarah stirred, slowly raising up her head and sleepily
looking around. Her brown eyes came to focus on Jareth, and she whispered.
"I thought I dreamed you."
Jareth shook his head, not wanting to alarm her with the harsh sound of his voice he looked at
Justin. He took his cue perfectly, speaking for the King.
"We had nowhere else to go."
Sarah looked around at Justin and realized she had been sleeping on the Goblin King, she
turned an odd shade of purple, and quickly stood up. After all, the last time she had seen the man
he was her enemy. As if Justin had just read that thought he spoke again.
"Sometimes, Sarah, some enemies are less dangerous than others."
The confused girl looked back at Jareth.
"What happened to you?"
Again it was Justin who spoke.
"We had some trouble in the kingdom you know as Underground. A man called Renan
forcefully expelled milord from his rule. He is the leader of the Anisisti tribe, and a Sidhe warrior.
We barely escaped with our lives."
Heather then spoke up.
"There is often war between tribes isn't there?"
"Yes, unfortunately there is. This isn't the first war and it won't be the last." Justin replied.
"Heather, how do you know?" Sarah asked her friend.
"The Sidhe operate in tribes like the clans of my people. There was always fighting among the
clans, and the Sidhe are no different."
"I still ask why you know so much?"
"I'm Scottish Sarah, you know that. They are the Fair Folk of my heritage. I know my history
and folklore. The Sidhe play an important role."
"So you mean. They're not human?" Sarah said motioning to Jareth and Justin.
"Exactly." Jareth croaked, rubbing his throat.
Justin spoke up for him again.
"Our realm inhabits the same space on earth as your realm, except we're in what you would
call another dimension, a higher plain of existence. Yet like humans we are earth bound, and not
deities."
"I see." Sarah said, though she was still a bit confused. "So you're not human." She seemed
disappointed, but tried not to let it show. "I often wondered what you were." She said as an after
thought. "So what are you going to do?"
"We are going to rest and recuperate, and then battle our way back into the kingdom." Justin
said as a matter of fact. "Renan is an evil man and the kingdom will suffer, I am afraid." There
was a melancholy tone in his voice he could not hide.
Heather wrapped her arm around Justin's waist and pulled him close. Both Jareth and Sarah
saw this gesture, but only the Goblin King guessed its true meaning. Like Justin, he could also tell
that Heather was half Sidhe, he guessed that she had also figured that out. There was bound to be
a love growing between the two, of that he was sure. She was a strong girl; he had witnessed that
first hand, the way she had handled the situation last night was proof enough. Yes, she would find
a perfect niche in his kingdom, perhaps as Justin's bride. His part of Underground was always
wanting in women; there hadn't been any actively living there for eons. In fact the Sidhe race was
dwindling, isolated to a few separate tribes here and there. Most Sidhe, like Justin's mother, had
resorted to interbreeding to create heirs, and carry down the family genes. Justin's mother had
chosen to live among the humans though, and he was already a man when he came to Jareth. His
mother had kept his lineage a secret from him for many years. Male Sidhe sometimes would take
a human concubine to produce heirs. The poor mortal hardly ever knew just what her lover was.
Then later if he hadn't chosen to abandon the baby, he would later come back and abduct it. A
common practice among Sidhe. In Heather's case it seemed she was one of the abandoned ones.
Probably because she had been born female. Jareth knew she would have to make a difficult
choice soon. She had claims to both worlds, and could never really fit into either one. Which one
would she choose? It was easy to picture her in his kingdom, her beauty didn't exactly escape his
tasteful eye, but he could already see that she belonged to Justin. And he would leave it at that.
What really baffled him was the caring attitude Sarah had adopted. He knew all along she had
been beside him all night, finally, falling into a reluctant sleep in the small hours of morning. The
thought of her beside him, his one time enemy, somehow brought comfort to his pain filled
trance. He had been right when he told Justin to bring him here. He hadn't counted on Heather
though, but he was glad she was here. Her simple medical skills had come in handy; it was also a
lucky to find her a half Sidhe. There are many more Sidhe men than women, even half-breeds.
Men out number women ten to one. She was exceedingly interesting to him. He wondered if both
females would be accompanying them back Underground.
Justin leaned into Heather's embrace. He felt her warm body next to his, and allowed his eyes
to shut for a moment. He wondered what was going on in inside her mind. There were moments
when he could capture her thoughts, but then there were moments of silence. Last night he could
read almost every idea in her head, but today nothing. He attributed it to her weariness last night.
Her unconscious mental block had been dropped in her moments of stress. Today she had hold of
her emotions and thus, her feelings were shielded from his prying eyes. But, judging by her
actions she was feeling the same as he. She was handling her race news pretty well. It was as if
she was expecting it. Perhaps, she had always felt different than others around her, as he, himself,
had growing up. No wonder she had sought out Sarah as a companion, she, who had been touched
by Fae magic. Justin yearned to find out how deep Heather's powers ran. If he could convince her
into traveling Underground with him, her magic would really be released. Just the contact with
other magical beings brought out her powers. The human realm put a damper on any magic, and
any charm worked in this realm was a product of an experienced magic user, and required a deep
strength of will, and a complete understanding of magic. There has to be magic available to draw
from in order to use any king of power. Justin and Jareth could draw this power from their realm
even though they did not inhabit it at the moment. It was like an aura surrounding both of them.
Heather was able to suck a bit of energy from this last night. But Justin let his endless thoughts
drop for a moment and merely let Heather hold him. Before he turned and smiled at her.
"We will find a way to dethrone this man." Heather said to all in the room.
Justin and Jareth both had their answer as to whether or not she would chose to accompany
them in their quest. Justin could not help but smile at her even brighter than he had before, and
Jareth nodded his head, his question satisfied. That left only Sarah, who was still trying to figure
things out.
"And what of you Sarah?" Jareth spoke his voice becoming better by the moment. "You know
the challenges that await you in the Labyrinth, but it has become a much darker place since I left.
By the way, how is Toby?"
Sarah blushed, a violent shade of purple at his reference to their past. It had been a long time
since she had seen him, and was suddenly painfully reminded of her supposed hatred. This man
had been her enemy. But what was he now, but an outcast king looking for a way back into his
kingdom. She remembered suddenly Heather's words last night. "How long have you been in love
with him. Jareth isn't unconscious. He is healing his wounds. At the moment they are just taking
all his energy, but he can hear everything said to him, or about him."
"He's fine, he's in Arizona with my father and step-mother." She said shakily, while her mind
was screaming "Oh my God! He knows I love him!"
Jareth did, of course, know exactly what was going on in Sarah's mind, but he thought wisely
that this was not the best time to tell her he could read her mind. Instead he decided to play the
fool for her benefit. He would not mention her comment last night, and the fact that he had heard
it, or even the fact that he had woken up to find her cuddled against him sleeping quite soundly,
with her long fingers curled in his hair.
"So will you be coming with us?" Jareth asked out right.
"Yes." She answered without thinking. "But first you have to get your strength back."
"Of course." Justin answered for his king.
With all that said, Jareth leaned back against the couch. The wounds on his face were
becoming better by the minute. But it would be several days before his magic reserves were filled
again. It took a lot out of him to heal them in Sarah's world, and right now he needed rest.
