A/N: Heeeeeere's Jareth! Enjoy (
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 10: A Crash Course in Fae Magic
Jareth paced back and forth agitatedly before the dying embers in the fireplace of his study. Outside, the sun had set and a chill breeze drifted through the open window, pushing aside the silky drapes to reveal the star-speckled sky. There was no moon tonight, reflecting Jareth's dark mood perfectly. For days he had been trying to discern the source of the magic that had so deeply struck at his heart, and he felt like he had been chasing his tale the entire time. The trail led Aboveground and back several times and was shrouded in charms. Whoever had perpetrated the act had covered their tracks well and it served only to make him more irritated.
Grabbing the iron poker from beside the fireplace, Jareth stoked the embers, causing them to flare slightly, then restore to a full flame with the aid of magic. Tossing the poker back against the stone with a clang, Jareth threw himself into one of his great red armchairs, exhausted. He would find this dastardly mastermind, he assured himself, if it took a century, but he could press no farther tonight. Rubbing his temples, Jareth tried to get his mind off it and on something else. Unfortunately, up bubbled those torturous memories of those fateful thirteen hours. Perhaps it was because of recent events, or perhaps because he was too exhausted to fight his desire or worry about his pride, but he conjured up a crystal. Gazing intently into it, he willed it to show him Sarah. To his worry and irritation, he saw nothing but a billowing darkness, accented by white sparks. His eyes widened, then narrowed in wrath. Concealment charms! He felt a renewed rage boil up inside him and he hurled the blackened crystal against the wall, causing it to shatter with a satisfying crash. Damn them! Not only was he robbed of his dignity and self respect, now he was denied what little indulgence he allowed himself. Hissing strings of obscene invectives that would have made the crudest of his goblins blush, he leaned back and glared into the fire, arms crossed over his chest pressing his amulet against his pale flesh. Whoever it was that had orchestrated this little game would regret it, he promised himself.
~*~
The next morning Sarah awoke to find herself already dressed in a thin billowing shirt and brown breeches. Sunlight filtered airily through the window as she pulled on a pair of sturdy shoes that she found near the foot of her bed, and she realized it must be rather early. With a yawn and a stretch she wondered how she had come to be dressed so as she meandered lazily out of her door. She was nearly to the staircase when a voice from behind startled her.
"No, young miss, not the stairs," came the clear tenor voice, "your first lesson shall be transportation." Turning, Sarah came face to face with Ayron. He was dressed as Sarah, in a thin shirt and breeches, though his shirt opened at the front. Sarah made a sour face.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded irritably. It was simply too early for ambiguity.
"Your first lesson," he repeated, advancing to no more than a foot away, "I am to show you how to use your new powers and make you fit for presentation to the council within the week, and so we have no time to waste." He took in her decidedly skeptical look before sighing. "Look, I am not pleased with circumstances either, but work hard and in a week and a day you'll be free to do as you please for all eternity if you like."
It was Sarah's turn to sigh with resignation. At least this was better than going to boarding school, and would take a lot less time. Suddenly a thought struck her. Boarding school? Oh God, what about father and Karen and Toby? They must be worried sick! What would they think?
To her surprise, Ayron had an answer before she could voice her questions. "And as soon as you have mastered these powers, you can return to the Aboveground and give you family whatever explanation you please. But I must warn you, using magic Aboveground, so very far from the source of power, is difficult and dangerous and can sap the strength right out of you, so never use excessive force when traveling Aboveground."
"Source of power?" Sarah's curiosity was suddenly piqued, and with the question of her family eased for the moment, she realized the infinite possibility that lay before her and wanted to know more.
"Yes, miss, the source of power. There are usually no more than five or ten magical creatures Aboveground at once. The fae draw on this natural, inherent magic in order to maintain there own, and in return, we keep order and peace where there would be anarchy. Its quite the symbiotic relationship." He smiled at the thoughtful look on Sarah's face. Was he ever so young and naïve? He doubted it. "But back to the lesson at hand," he continued, "Where were you going just now when I stopped you?"
Sarah thought for a moment and realized she hadn't really known where she wanted to go when she began walking. The day before, Anikara had shown her every nook and cranny of the vast castle, so she had had a wealth of places she could go.
"I don't really know where I was off to, but since it seems such a nice day, I suppose the garden courtyard would be a nice choice," she suggested with a small shrug.
Ayron nodded once. "Right then. Now I want you to take us there. All you have to do is picture yourself and me there, and then make it be so." Sarah just stared at him, and her steady incredulous gaze spoke volumes. "Think of it this way; close your eyes, if you must, and believe that we two are standing in the garden courtyard. Picture it as reality and the rest will fall into place." He paused to see Sarah glancing longingly at the stairwell and sparing baleful glances at him for making her play his games so early in the morning. "Humor me," he added quickly, "and we'll get breakfast straight away."
He relaxed as she gave a consenting huff and closed her eyes. He was relieved and more than a little annoyed. Who knew mortals could be so stubborn? He felt the world around him stretch and flux all of a sudden, felt the pull of Sarah's thoughts. "Good, good," he urged, "just push a little harder!"
Sarah did her best to imagine the garden courtyard as she had seen it yesterday, the dizzy-sweet scent and exploding rainbows of exotic Underground flowers, the worn stone path underfoot, the light mountain air, the quaint little fountain in the midst of it all. She had enjoyed the fountain best because it looked so inviting, with its little sheets of water bubbling and flowing like glass and soft as silk about the little figures of mermaids and sea turtles. She had wanted very much to touch it, had imagined reaching out to caress the easy contours of the cool water..
And with a cry of dismay, she lost her footing and then came up sputtering. She sat waist deep in the little fountain, with Ayron nearby already struggling to his feet. She blushed as she realized that she had been concentrating on the fountain and had accidentally set them down right in it.
"Not bad, but next time, aim for dry land," Ayron muttered irritably as he helped her to her feet and out of the fountain's pool. "This is going to be a long week," he huffed as he led Sarah off to get the breakfast he had promised. This time they took the stairs.
A/N: K, you got some Jareth, I want some reviews.:D get to it :P
Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Chapter 10: A Crash Course in Fae Magic
Jareth paced back and forth agitatedly before the dying embers in the fireplace of his study. Outside, the sun had set and a chill breeze drifted through the open window, pushing aside the silky drapes to reveal the star-speckled sky. There was no moon tonight, reflecting Jareth's dark mood perfectly. For days he had been trying to discern the source of the magic that had so deeply struck at his heart, and he felt like he had been chasing his tale the entire time. The trail led Aboveground and back several times and was shrouded in charms. Whoever had perpetrated the act had covered their tracks well and it served only to make him more irritated.
Grabbing the iron poker from beside the fireplace, Jareth stoked the embers, causing them to flare slightly, then restore to a full flame with the aid of magic. Tossing the poker back against the stone with a clang, Jareth threw himself into one of his great red armchairs, exhausted. He would find this dastardly mastermind, he assured himself, if it took a century, but he could press no farther tonight. Rubbing his temples, Jareth tried to get his mind off it and on something else. Unfortunately, up bubbled those torturous memories of those fateful thirteen hours. Perhaps it was because of recent events, or perhaps because he was too exhausted to fight his desire or worry about his pride, but he conjured up a crystal. Gazing intently into it, he willed it to show him Sarah. To his worry and irritation, he saw nothing but a billowing darkness, accented by white sparks. His eyes widened, then narrowed in wrath. Concealment charms! He felt a renewed rage boil up inside him and he hurled the blackened crystal against the wall, causing it to shatter with a satisfying crash. Damn them! Not only was he robbed of his dignity and self respect, now he was denied what little indulgence he allowed himself. Hissing strings of obscene invectives that would have made the crudest of his goblins blush, he leaned back and glared into the fire, arms crossed over his chest pressing his amulet against his pale flesh. Whoever it was that had orchestrated this little game would regret it, he promised himself.
~*~
The next morning Sarah awoke to find herself already dressed in a thin billowing shirt and brown breeches. Sunlight filtered airily through the window as she pulled on a pair of sturdy shoes that she found near the foot of her bed, and she realized it must be rather early. With a yawn and a stretch she wondered how she had come to be dressed so as she meandered lazily out of her door. She was nearly to the staircase when a voice from behind startled her.
"No, young miss, not the stairs," came the clear tenor voice, "your first lesson shall be transportation." Turning, Sarah came face to face with Ayron. He was dressed as Sarah, in a thin shirt and breeches, though his shirt opened at the front. Sarah made a sour face.
"What are you talking about?" she demanded irritably. It was simply too early for ambiguity.
"Your first lesson," he repeated, advancing to no more than a foot away, "I am to show you how to use your new powers and make you fit for presentation to the council within the week, and so we have no time to waste." He took in her decidedly skeptical look before sighing. "Look, I am not pleased with circumstances either, but work hard and in a week and a day you'll be free to do as you please for all eternity if you like."
It was Sarah's turn to sigh with resignation. At least this was better than going to boarding school, and would take a lot less time. Suddenly a thought struck her. Boarding school? Oh God, what about father and Karen and Toby? They must be worried sick! What would they think?
To her surprise, Ayron had an answer before she could voice her questions. "And as soon as you have mastered these powers, you can return to the Aboveground and give you family whatever explanation you please. But I must warn you, using magic Aboveground, so very far from the source of power, is difficult and dangerous and can sap the strength right out of you, so never use excessive force when traveling Aboveground."
"Source of power?" Sarah's curiosity was suddenly piqued, and with the question of her family eased for the moment, she realized the infinite possibility that lay before her and wanted to know more.
"Yes, miss, the source of power. There are usually no more than five or ten magical creatures Aboveground at once. The fae draw on this natural, inherent magic in order to maintain there own, and in return, we keep order and peace where there would be anarchy. Its quite the symbiotic relationship." He smiled at the thoughtful look on Sarah's face. Was he ever so young and naïve? He doubted it. "But back to the lesson at hand," he continued, "Where were you going just now when I stopped you?"
Sarah thought for a moment and realized she hadn't really known where she wanted to go when she began walking. The day before, Anikara had shown her every nook and cranny of the vast castle, so she had had a wealth of places she could go.
"I don't really know where I was off to, but since it seems such a nice day, I suppose the garden courtyard would be a nice choice," she suggested with a small shrug.
Ayron nodded once. "Right then. Now I want you to take us there. All you have to do is picture yourself and me there, and then make it be so." Sarah just stared at him, and her steady incredulous gaze spoke volumes. "Think of it this way; close your eyes, if you must, and believe that we two are standing in the garden courtyard. Picture it as reality and the rest will fall into place." He paused to see Sarah glancing longingly at the stairwell and sparing baleful glances at him for making her play his games so early in the morning. "Humor me," he added quickly, "and we'll get breakfast straight away."
He relaxed as she gave a consenting huff and closed her eyes. He was relieved and more than a little annoyed. Who knew mortals could be so stubborn? He felt the world around him stretch and flux all of a sudden, felt the pull of Sarah's thoughts. "Good, good," he urged, "just push a little harder!"
Sarah did her best to imagine the garden courtyard as she had seen it yesterday, the dizzy-sweet scent and exploding rainbows of exotic Underground flowers, the worn stone path underfoot, the light mountain air, the quaint little fountain in the midst of it all. She had enjoyed the fountain best because it looked so inviting, with its little sheets of water bubbling and flowing like glass and soft as silk about the little figures of mermaids and sea turtles. She had wanted very much to touch it, had imagined reaching out to caress the easy contours of the cool water..
And with a cry of dismay, she lost her footing and then came up sputtering. She sat waist deep in the little fountain, with Ayron nearby already struggling to his feet. She blushed as she realized that she had been concentrating on the fountain and had accidentally set them down right in it.
"Not bad, but next time, aim for dry land," Ayron muttered irritably as he helped her to her feet and out of the fountain's pool. "This is going to be a long week," he huffed as he led Sarah off to get the breakfast he had promised. This time they took the stairs.
A/N: K, you got some Jareth, I want some reviews.:D get to it :P