As always, special thanks to my beta, Scattered Logic, for her wonderful help and patience and to The Hooded Crow and Lady Jamie for their help and inspiration.
Chapter 8: Settling in
The young British officer in charge, blinked and his eyes widened when he saw Jareth's face. "My lord?" He gazed at Jareth with confused recognition in his hazel eyes.
Jareth's brows furrowed in bewilderment. Did these men know him? Sarah shared his confusion as they glanced quickly at each other.
The young man immediately returned his musket to its scabbard that hung from the saddle. "Sheath your sabers," he ordered and the other men did as they were instructed. "General, we were informed that you were killed when we engaged the rebels."
Sarah's eyes widened. They thought Jareth was…? Her eyes fell upon Jareth, who was standing there like an idiot. He had no idea that the perfect opportunity to escape the woods was sitting on horseback right in front of them. "They think you're their leader. Go along with it," she whispered through gritted teeth. Sarah cleared her throat and coughed after she spoke, making it appear as is she'd had something in her throat the entire time. The men paid her little attention. They were too busy looking at Jareth in disbelief.
Jareth heard her words, and his mind was already whirling with possibilities. "I don't look dead to you, do I?" he replied to the men arrogantly.
"No… no, sir."
Jareth stood a bit taller though his entire body protested. His back and his feet ached from all the walking and his foolish attempt to attack James. He only wished that his appearance were a bit more proper. Covered in mud was not how one liked to greet one's subjects.
As if knowing what Jareth was thinking, the officer spoke. "If you'd pardon my saying, my lord, you look as though you have been through Hell."
Jareth wasn't familiar with any place known as Hell, but his gut instinct said it wasn't a nice place to be and he went along with it. "I ran into a bit of trouble that I did not anticipate." Well, that wasn't a complete lie.
"We'll take you back to camp and have a bath and meal provided straight away. Lieutenant, let General Thompson have use of your horse."
"The woman travels with us," Jareth told them in an even tone. "She is a spy with valuable information." He turned to Sarah, whose jaw had dropped at this new information. Her eyes narrowed at Jareth as he continued to gaze at her. "Trust me," he motioned with his mouth. She seemed unsure of this new situation but she nodded ever so slightly.
Jareth turned his attention back to the men. "She will not cause problems. She and I have an agreement that she will be released once I have properly questioned her. She is to remain under my protection until I have that information."
The young officer looked confused. "General, it is quite unusual to take a woman as prisoner."
Jareth cursed softly in Goblin. How was he to have known that? He had very briefly contemplated saying that Sarah was his wife or his servant, but he didn't know enough about this 'General Thompson' to start making up wild stories. And he didn't know how Sarah would have taken such news.
"What is your name?" Jareth demanded.
"Lieutenant Colonel Jeffrey Elbert, sir, newly appointed," he hastened to add.
Jareth gave a sly, predatory grin as he looked up at the red headed man. "Well, Lt. Colonel, we all must bend the rules on occasion. I'd say this is an occasion to bend them. We are at war with these people."
"War, sir?" The Colonel's eyes widened.
"Do you live in a hole? Have you not heard of the attacks on King George's men?" Jareth told him, feigning anger.
Sarah tried hard not to smirk as Jareth laid into the young officer. Jareth had no trouble acting the role of a tyrant leader and what impressed Sarah even more was his ability to remember the names and situation that this world was in.
"I…was there for the attack, General, and I did just try to threaten you and the lady by claiming you prisoners of war."
"Then you know of what I speak. These people are revolting against us. This woman has information that may help us gain the upper hand and when she is ready to tell me," he shot an angry look at Sarah, who picked up her part, crossing her arms over her chest, narrowing her eyes and turning slightly away, "we will crush the ones who defy us. You shall not question my orders again, Lt. Colonel, is that understood?" Jareth sent the man a hard, angry look and the man practically wilted like a flower.
"Y-yes, sir."
"What was that?"
"I said, 'Yes', General."
"That's better, now lend me a horse so that I can change out of these clothes and have a bath."
The Lieutenant, a dark haired man with a stocky build, scrambled down off his horse and walked it to Jareth who suddenly looked every inch a General except for his odd clothing.
Jareth pushed the lump in his throat away as the horse was led toward him. Some unknown rush of energy coursed through him as he leapt up onto the beast in one try. Gazing quickly at how the other men sat in the saddles and held the reins, he copied their positions perfectly.
To disguise his discomfort of sitting on the horse, Jareth asked a question. "How is that you found us?"
"We heard a shot fired. Colonel Rochester, who has been acting General while in your absence, sent us to investigate. It is good that we arrived when we did. That man was one who attacked us in Concord. No doubt he would have killed you and the lady."
Jareth nodded and his lips twisted into a cruel smile as he glanced at James' body. "Yes, indeed. You have my gratitude." He pulled at his gloves. "How far is camp?"
"A few miles. We are in the process of returning to Boston as was instructed by General Wage. We separated from the main group on Colonel Rochester's order."
Jareth watched the young man as he spoke. The Lt. Colonel seemed to be growing more and more nervous by the moment. "And why did the Colonel make that order?"
The Lt. Colonel looked away. Jareth realized that he had just discovered the source of the young man's discomfort. An order was made that should not have been given.
"Lt. Colonel?"
"He wanted to engage the rebels again, General…They picked off many of our men while we retreated toward Boston. This angered him greatly."
Jareth nodded as he thought things over. "We'll talk of this later. Lieutenant, escort the lady." Jareth shot a threatening look at Sarah. "She'll behave herself or she'll be shot."
Sarah glared back at him as she was expected to.
"Move out," Jareth commanded. He lightly tapped the horse with the heels of his muddy boots and he was delighted when the horse moved into a walk.
The Lt. Colonel moved to ride along side Jareth, while Sarah and the Lieutenant walked behind them and the two other riders rode behind Sarah and the Lieutenant.
"General, I wanted to say that I do not know how it is that you've come back to us. We all believed that you had died." The Lt. Colonel told Jareth. "But it was obviously sheer brilliance on your part. Although we are not supposed to shed our uniforms for many reasons, I am glad to see that you bent the rules and disguised yourself as a civilian. We are in great need of you at this time of chaos."
Jareth merely nodded and kept his eyes on the small path ahead.
"Of course, the civilians do wear strange clothing." The Lt. Colonel continued eyeing Jareth's muddy leather jacket.
Jareth felt his cheeks burn at the insult to his clothing and he could imagine Sarah's amused expression as he heard her chuckle softly behind him. He didn't need to know that she had ducked her head to hide her wide grin.
"Strange indeed," Jareth allowed through gritted teeth. He ignored the Lt. Colonel for the rest of the ride.
* * *
As the British camp came into view, Jareth realized that his hands were shaking slightly. He forced them to still and banished his nervousness. He had never been forced to play such a large role as this. Commanding these men wasn't what bothered him, but this world and its strange ways made him uneasy and unsure of how to act.
He glanced behind him as he rode and noticed that Sarah was walking with her head tucked into her body and her strides had decreased in length. Jareth frowned and returned his gaze to the dirt path in front of him. She looked exhausted.
It only took a short ride to arrive at the center of camp. The Lt. Colonel wanted Jareth to meet with Colonel Rochester, who was in charge immediately, but Jareth waved his hands at the Lt. Colonel and told him he would not meet with anyone until he had bathed and could change into a proper uniform. He also insisted that the prisoner be kept close to him and he made certain that his request was acknowledged. Only after he saw that Sarah had a tent to herself with the bare necessities of a small cot bed and a table and chair, did he take care of his own needs.
Sarah was left with her hands tied to the posts of the bed while Jareth went off to make himself presentable. She sank onto the uncomfortable mattress and tears welled up in her eyes. The pressure of being in such a different time with no one to trust or turn to was becoming increasingly difficult to bear. Still, she forced her tears away with some effort and with a hiccupping sigh, listened to the sounds of the camp.
Jareth settled into his tent and was quite happy to see that it was decorated well. General Thompson was obviously a rich man with exceptionally good taste. Jareth wondered what happened to the man and if he had indeed died on the battlefield.
Jareth had bathed and dressed himself and now spent his time running gloved fingers over the objects in his tent. Strange navigational devices, maps and documents, many books, sculptures of men on horseback, a fancy clock, sculpted candlestick holders.
He stopped to glance at himself in a full-length mirror. Other than his handsome facial features, he almost didn't recognize himself. He looked strange in the red uniform that he wore. He was used to dark colors other than the occasional white poet's shirt or grey breeches. He had tied his wild hair back into a neater more presentable fashion like the other men he had seen. He sighed heavily as he continued to glance at himself. Who was the man that stared back at him? Certainly it wasn't Jareth, The Goblin King.
"General, I see you've made yourself at home," came a voice.
Jareth turned around slowly, attempting to keep the surprise out of his stance. He had not expected visitors. His eyes fell upon a well-built man with dark brown hair worn pulled back and blue eyes. The man had a cocky smile on his face and the way that he had just entered the tent without acknowledging his presence caused Jareth to dislike him already.
Jareth smirked wickedly and the expression would have sent his goblins scattering for the nearest hiding spot, but this man stood his ground and looked unconvinced. "Colonel Rochester," Jareth guessed. No one else would challenge his orders. The other soldiers seemed all too happy for the General's return. It was obvious that they had not wanted to stay behind as Rochester had ordered them to and they were only too willing to return to following the General's leadership.
"In the flesh," Rochester replied. "I must say that this is an….unexpected surprise, my lord. We believed that you had died on the battlefield."
"Well, as you can see," Jareth started, "I am also here, 'in the flesh'."
Rochester arched a brow at the arrogance. "Do you find the tent to your needs?" he asked, changing the subject.
"It's fine," Jareth replied simply.
Rochester sneered for a brief second. He had not liked the idea of being ousted from the General's tent. He realized it was his own fault for becoming too comfortable there. Yet he had served King George well for the last 20 years, why wasn't he allowed to have a tent like this with all its finery as well as the title and everything else that he deserved?
Rochester nodded and changed the subject again. "I've heard from Lt. Colonel Elbert that we have a prisoner. A woman no less."
"She is my responsibility and I am the only one to speak to her and question her. Is that understood?" Jareth snapped. He didn't like this man, didn't trust him and there was no way in the Underground that he was going to let him near Sarah.
"You must be reasonable, my lord. What information do you expect to retrieve from her? How much starch to add to the laundry? How to cook the best meal?" Rochester's expression was one of amusement, but there was also an underlying challenge.
"Do not mock me, Colonel." Jareth's eyes narrowed.
Rochester smile innocently. "I'm not mocking, my lord, simply trying to understand your reasoning."
"My reasoning is my own and you have no need to question it. And should you decide that you need to, there will be a problem as well as consequences. Have I made myself clear?" Jareth spat at him. Disdain dripped from his voice.
"Understood, my lord. Welcome back." Rochester bowed slightly and dismissed himself, leaving the tent in long, dignified strides.
Jareth clenched his fists and then kicked a small stool over with his booted foot. How dare the man treat him in such a manner? He cursed in the goblin tongue and then threw himself down into a nearby chair.
* * *
Sarah didn't know how long she had been lying on the bed with her hands tied above her head, but she knew it had been many hours. It had grown very dark and her stomach had not stopped making noise. She was hungry, tired and cold.
With a heaving sigh, she wondered what Jareth was doing. He was probably being treated like royalty while she laid here in misery.
"My lady?"
The voice startled Sarah so badly that she jumped.
"Y-yes?"
"May I enter?"
"Yes."
A tall soldier with dirty blond hair and warm brown eyes nervously entered the tent. "I was ordered to bring you, my lady." He moved across the tent in quick uneasy strides and began to untie the ropes that bound Sarah.
"Bring me where?"
After he finished untying Sarah, he carefully took her by the arm and led her away.
"Where are you taking me?" She asked again.
When the soldier didn't answer, she began to panic. What if they had discovered that Jareth was not really a British General? What if they were going to hang her and him for their deceptions? She began to struggle against the solder's grip on her arm.
"Let me go." She demanded. His grip only tightened.
"Cease, woman, you're making a scene." He ordered.
Sarah glanced around and noticed that several of the soldiers had stopped what they were doing so that they could watch her. Some were laughing, others pointed. What she feared was most likely true. They knew that she and Jareth were not who they claimed to be!
Sarah and the soldier walked a few moments more and then stopped at a tent. The soldier looked hesitant as he pulled back the flap of the tent with his free hand and held it open for Sarah.
Sarah planted her feet firmly, afraid of what she might find in the tent. Would they hang her in private to give her some dignity? Finally, with curiosity getting the better of her, Sarah peeked in and gasped.
A large metal tub had steam rising from it, a table had been left with a brush, a comb, a mirror, and a bar of soap. A chair sat beside the table with a towel folded on the seat and a beautiful blue dress hung from a post in the ground, along with undergarments.
Sarah blinked. "I…I don't understand." She gave the soldier a confused glance. Did she get a last bath and new clothes before they hung her?
"A hot bath and fresh clothes provided by the General in exchange for your agreement to provide answers to questions that he requires. A hot meal shall be provided when you have finished bathing. What shall I tell him, my lady?"
Sarah smiled widely. Jareth had provided all of this for her and that pleased her greatly. "Tell him that I accept his offer most graciously." She curtsied to the man as if she had a dress on and she eagerly stepped inside.
"You will have your privacy, my lady, I have been ordered to be sure of that. I will be your guard."
Sarah nodded, still so excited about being able to take a bath, change her clothes and run a brush through her tangled hair. Before the man left her alone, she turned to him and asked. "What is your name?"
"John, ma'am."
Sarah smiled sweetly. "Thank you, John."
He nodded and left her to her bath.
* * *
Barking filled the quiet night air. "Colonel, you'd better come see this!" A man shouted.
Colonel Davis rushed over as one of his men held a lantern and attempted to keep the dogs back. Davis sighed heavily as he looked upon James lying dead in the mud. He squatted and looked at the injury.
"Bloody fool got himself shot. Musket ball went clean through his chest. He could not have lived for more than a few moments after. He must have been shot fairly close up."
"Do you think it was that British spy and his woman?"
"Give me that lantern." Davis ordered and he snatched it out of the hands of the other man.
"Perhaps it was them, but I think it was someone else. The British are close by."
"How do you know that, sir? I thought they all retreated to Boston?"
"See these tracks? 4 horses, barred shoes. The British like to shoe their horses with barred shoes. We do also on occasion, but here were 4 horses with barred shoes in the same place. There are more redcoats hanging around somewhere in these woods." The Colonel stood and faced the small party of men he had taken with him. "Take James' body so he can have a proper burial. We'll break camp when we return. There aren't enough of us to fight who knows how many redcoats. There could be hundreds or thousands for all we know. Return to your families and relatives in nearby towns and keep a low profile for now."
* * *
Try as she might, Sarah could not tie the corset around herself. Each time she would manage to tie the back, she would release the bow thinking she'd finally done it only to have the entire corset fall loose on her. She stamped her feet angrily. If she didn't get this ridiculous thing on, the dress wouldn't fit her. And she wasn't even sure if she wanted to wear the dress anymore. It was very low cut and Sarah was suddenly aware of her breasts and that the corset pushed them to new heights. Was she expected to parade around with her breasts popping out? She sat herself in the chair that was set beside the table and sighed.
"Having trouble getting dressed?"
Sarah was on her feet in an instant and instead of being happy to see Jareth standing there, she was horrified. She stood in nothing but an undershirt, a half tied corset and the ridiculous looking white ruffled skirt that would make her dress a little fuller at the bottom. She cried out and reached for the wet towel that she had dried herself with earlier, wrapping it tightly around her.
Jareth chuckled at her reaction and with a wicked grin, stepped further into the tent.
"You obnoxious jerk!" She cried out.
Jareth put a finger to his lips and she took the hint and lowered her voice.
"Can't you give me a little privacy for God's sake? I'm trying to get dressed!" She let out in a hurried whisper.
Jareth's grin only widened. "You forget that I have already seen you in your undergarments." He smirked and Sarah wanted to hit him. "Turn around, " he ordered.
"No, you are the one who should be turning around so I can finish dressing. Actually, I'd like it if you would leave so I can get dressed without an audience."
He stepped closer to her. "You would be here for hours fighting with this. Turn around."
She grunted and turned away from him.
Jareth carefully tugged the towel from her grasp and it fell to the ground.
Sarah shivered as she felt the warmth of his gloved hands brush her arms. 'Wha-what are you doing?" She asked nervously.
Jareth didn't speak, but Sarah got her answer as she felt him tug firmly on the strings of the corset and tie it at the base. "There you are."
Sarah turned slowly, her brows furrowed. "Thank you."
Jareth gave her a lazy smile. His eyes roamed over her for a moment, stopping a few times to gaze at the swell of her breasts. She had brushed her hair out and it fell in long straight strands down her shoulders and back. Dirt and grime no longer covered her face and she smelled of some sort of sweet flower. She was beautiful…and she was standing before him in nothing but her undergarments.
Jareth shook his head and stepped back. "I came to see how you enjoyed your bath, I did not mean to intrude." He stepped away from her, refusing eye contact.
Sarah was slightly surprised by Jareth's actions, but she replied. "I loved it. Thank you."
Jareth stopped when she finished speaking and turned, his eyes finally meeting hers. Had she just thanked him for something without putting up a tantrum or a fight?
"You're welcome. Finish dressing and call for the guard. He'll escort you back to your tent where I will be waiting with a warm meal."
Sarah nodded and watched him go.
* * *
True to his word, Jareth was waiting in her tent with a plate full of food. A few candles had been lit to illuminate the tent and Sarah noticed that a pile of blankets now sat on the end of her bed.
John had escorted her in and had left her for the General to decide what he wanted to do with her.
Jareth gestured to the plate that had been set on the table and Sarah sat herself to eat.
At first she shoveled the food into her mouth and ignored Jareth as he paced around the tent, but her eyes finally fell upon him and she found that she couldn't look away. She had been so horrified by his abrupt entrance earlier, that she had not even noticed that he had changed into a British uniform. He had even tied his hair back in order to blend in smoothly with the fashion of the time.
Sarah watched as he paced along the edge of the tent. He occasionally ran his fingers over the walls and watched as the fabric moved beneath his touch. He looked like he belonged in this time, with the black breeches he wore and the knee high black boots to complete his outfit.
Sarah finally realized that she was staring when Jareth turned to face her. She lowered her eyes to her plate and resumed eating her food.
Jareth watched her for a moment as she ate. He sighed and finally moved to her, taking a seat on her bed nearby. "It will be difficult to fit in here." He told her quietly.
"You seem to be doing a fine job of it." She told him before lifting a fork full of food into her mouth.
'The Colonel is suspicious of me."
Sarah swallowed her food and replied. "Well, of course he is. He just got ousted from the big chair."
Jareth's brows rose. "The big chair?"
"Yeah, the position of command. He was running the show until you showed up and I'm sure now he's trying to tell himself that you're not the General or that you're not real. Anything to make himself feel better."
"I had not thought of that." Jareth rubbed at his chin, looking away as he thought about Sarah's words. Then a stern expression appeared on his face as he returned his gaze to her. "I made it very clear that the Colonel was not to speak to you, that no one was, save for John when he is following orders."
Sarah finished eating the last of her food and put her fork down. Her eyes searched his. She wondered what had caused Jareth to make such an order. Was he trying to protect her and himself from being caught or was there something else? Sarah folded her hands on her lap. "What's the Colonel like?"
"He's arrogant, snobby, does whatever he wishes, has already begun to question my orders and he has shown interest in you. I dislike him greatly." Jareth spat.
Sarah laughed. Did Jareth realize that he was describing part of his own personality there as well?
Jareth shot her an angry look.
"It's his job to do those things," Sarah told him. "You heard what our buddy Jeff said. They don't usually take women prisoners. He's probably just confused like everyone else is."
Jareth stood and, turning away, nodded. "I hope that you are correct." He sounded almost as if he were uneasy about things. Unsure of whether he could pull this charade off.
Sarah sighed. "Jareth, you're an arrogant, stuck up jerk at times but that attitude is going to help you here. I saw how you handled those redcoats earlier. You're doing fine."
He turned to face her, surprise on his features. "I am?" His voice was soft.
Sarah nodded and smiled. "You are."
A small smile appeared on his face at her words and then it disappeared when he saw her yawn. The image of her chin tucked to her chest, her slow exhausted steps as she walked to the camp filled his mind. "You should rest. John will come to tie you. I'm sorry that it has to be done. I'll return in the morning."
Sarah nodded and she surprised herself as she smiled and accepted things.
Jareth called for John as he left and John entered to tie Sarah's hands to the bedposts and to clear her dirty dishes.
He tied her hands a little too tightly but she wouldn't realize that until much later. Right now she was far too busy lying on her back thinking about Jareth. His smile, his eyes, his kindness to her this evening. Perhaps she had misjudged the Goblin King. Maybe he wasn't the villain that she perceived him to be. Maybe she might even grow to like him as a friend.
She closed her eyes and sighed, waiting for sleep to claim her. Moments later the outside world faded and her mind was filled with tomorrow and all it's possibilities.