Ch 9.
Dawn had begun to silver the sky as they wound their way out of the last of the foothills. Sarah had been floating in and out of consciousness for most of the night. Drew had found it uncomfortable, trying to balance a full grown woman on the horse in front of him, but at some stage she had moaned in her sleep and shifted so that he got a waft of her scent. Even dirty and sweaty as she was, she must have put on a flowery scent before she had gotten kidnapped, and it was this that had reached Drew as he had shifted his weight. He had carefully looked at her, but all he could see of her face was her long lashes lying on the curve of her bruised cheek. He had sighed when he had seen the bruising. Even in the pre-dawn light, they had stood out in vivid purple against her pallor.
She had opened her eyes just as he was beginning to worry about her lack of consciousness. She was quiet for quite a while before he even noticed that she was awake. When he saw that she was, he grinned in relief.
"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked in her ear.
She snorted. "How do you think I feel? I have had an arrow removed from my shoulder. I feel in a lot of pain."
"I'm sorry that I'm not a higher-born Fae; I don't have the magic to heal you. I don't even have enough to give you pain relief!"
Sarah had wiggled slightly in his grasp. "What do you mean? I thought all Fae had magic?"
Drew shook his head slightly. "No, not really. Only noble-born Fae have magic, at least, more magic than just being able to light a fire or having really good eyesight." He shrugged. "That's okay, though. If everyone had magic, it would take the fun out of life!"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes it's so much better to be able to do something for yourself rather than just magic it into being."
Drew felt her sigh through his shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up with the King of the Goblins, anyway? There aren't many Fae guys who are into Human Women."
He could just about hear the smile in her voice. "It's a long story," she said. "The short version is that when I was younger, I wished my brother away and Jareth took him. When I got back to Earth, I couldn't stop thinking about him, so I wished for him to take me away." She shrugged, and then winced. She had forgotten her wound. "It turned out that he had been watching me all along and had been waiting for me to realize that I loved him. He asked me to marry him, and I agreed."
Drew smiled. "Sounds nice! I hope it works out well for the both of you."
"What about you? Any special Ladies in your life?"
Drew contemplated the question for a second. "Well, there have been a few women...." he laughed suddenly."That probably isn't a story for ears as young and innocent as yours!" She laughed with him. "Probably the only real Lady I have as a constant in my life is good old lady Luck. She's fickle, but I can't get by without her." He shrugged again. "She was smiling on me yesterday when I saw you ride past, hopefully she'll smile on me today when I get you home."
He felt Sarah move again in his grasp, and adjusted his grip to get more comfortable. She sighed, and he could hear her breathing slow as she slipped back into sleep. "I'm sure she'll smile on you..." she murmured, and Drew smiled. He was certain, too.
He got his bearings as they rode. He had weighed up the decision to take her either to the nearest kingdom, which was just a few hours away, or to take her straight to the Underground, and straight to Jareth. He suddenly realised that Sarah had said that she had been visiting a friend when she had been taken, and that friend was the one whose grandfather would be blamed for Sarah's murder. He did not believe that they had any responsibility for Sarah's kidnapping, but it was better to be safe than sorry. It could also be that there could be a traitor or a spy for Danvar living in the household. He made his decision and turned the horses to his right. He would take her home. It would probably take them all day, but at least he could live with the thought that he had done everything he could to get her home safely.
He blinked. Where had that thought come from? Never before had he been concerned about whether or not a job got finished completely, and never before had he been worried that someone might be hurt if he took the easier option. He shrugged and adjusted his hold again. It was probably because he had spent all this time with her, he reasoned. If she had been just another job, he wouldn't care so much.
He sighed again. After this job was over, he decided, he was going to take a long vacation. Then he crossed his fingers and hoped that the vacation wasn't going to be a one-way ticket to the Bog of Eternal Stench, courtesy of Jareth!
Dawn had begun to silver the sky as they wound their way out of the last of the foothills. Sarah had been floating in and out of consciousness for most of the night. Drew had found it uncomfortable, trying to balance a full grown woman on the horse in front of him, but at some stage she had moaned in her sleep and shifted so that he got a waft of her scent. Even dirty and sweaty as she was, she must have put on a flowery scent before she had gotten kidnapped, and it was this that had reached Drew as he had shifted his weight. He had carefully looked at her, but all he could see of her face was her long lashes lying on the curve of her bruised cheek. He had sighed when he had seen the bruising. Even in the pre-dawn light, they had stood out in vivid purple against her pallor.
She had opened her eyes just as he was beginning to worry about her lack of consciousness. She was quiet for quite a while before he even noticed that she was awake. When he saw that she was, he grinned in relief.
"How are you feeling this morning?" He asked in her ear.
She snorted. "How do you think I feel? I have had an arrow removed from my shoulder. I feel in a lot of pain."
"I'm sorry that I'm not a higher-born Fae; I don't have the magic to heal you. I don't even have enough to give you pain relief!"
Sarah had wiggled slightly in his grasp. "What do you mean? I thought all Fae had magic?"
Drew shook his head slightly. "No, not really. Only noble-born Fae have magic, at least, more magic than just being able to light a fire or having really good eyesight." He shrugged. "That's okay, though. If everyone had magic, it would take the fun out of life!"
Sarah nodded. "Yeah, I know what you mean. Sometimes it's so much better to be able to do something for yourself rather than just magic it into being."
Drew felt her sigh through his shoulder. "If you don't mind me asking, how did you end up with the King of the Goblins, anyway? There aren't many Fae guys who are into Human Women."
He could just about hear the smile in her voice. "It's a long story," she said. "The short version is that when I was younger, I wished my brother away and Jareth took him. When I got back to Earth, I couldn't stop thinking about him, so I wished for him to take me away." She shrugged, and then winced. She had forgotten her wound. "It turned out that he had been watching me all along and had been waiting for me to realize that I loved him. He asked me to marry him, and I agreed."
Drew smiled. "Sounds nice! I hope it works out well for the both of you."
"What about you? Any special Ladies in your life?"
Drew contemplated the question for a second. "Well, there have been a few women...." he laughed suddenly."That probably isn't a story for ears as young and innocent as yours!" She laughed with him. "Probably the only real Lady I have as a constant in my life is good old lady Luck. She's fickle, but I can't get by without her." He shrugged again. "She was smiling on me yesterday when I saw you ride past, hopefully she'll smile on me today when I get you home."
He felt Sarah move again in his grasp, and adjusted his grip to get more comfortable. She sighed, and he could hear her breathing slow as she slipped back into sleep. "I'm sure she'll smile on you..." she murmured, and Drew smiled. He was certain, too.
He got his bearings as they rode. He had weighed up the decision to take her either to the nearest kingdom, which was just a few hours away, or to take her straight to the Underground, and straight to Jareth. He suddenly realised that Sarah had said that she had been visiting a friend when she had been taken, and that friend was the one whose grandfather would be blamed for Sarah's murder. He did not believe that they had any responsibility for Sarah's kidnapping, but it was better to be safe than sorry. It could also be that there could be a traitor or a spy for Danvar living in the household. He made his decision and turned the horses to his right. He would take her home. It would probably take them all day, but at least he could live with the thought that he had done everything he could to get her home safely.
He blinked. Where had that thought come from? Never before had he been concerned about whether or not a job got finished completely, and never before had he been worried that someone might be hurt if he took the easier option. He shrugged and adjusted his hold again. It was probably because he had spent all this time with her, he reasoned. If she had been just another job, he wouldn't care so much.
He sighed again. After this job was over, he decided, he was going to take a long vacation. Then he crossed his fingers and hoped that the vacation wasn't going to be a one-way ticket to the Bog of Eternal Stench, courtesy of Jareth!