Disclaimer: I own nothing, although I am still considering chaining Jareth
to a bed in my basement.but that's another story.
Chapter 12: Vampire Repellant
Sarah woke with a start to find Brexis standing dutifully over her, watching her with the infinite patience of one with all the time in the world. However the minute Sarah's eyes were open, she began moving busily about the room, drawing several dresses out of the armoire and loading them into something resembling a carpet bag. Rubbing her eyes, Sarah realized that another dress was laid neatly on the end of her bed, but it was unlike the others, which were lightly colored and of the Medieval/Victorian style that Sarah had worn since her arrival at the mountaintop castle. This one was straight black with no ribbons or adornment whatsoever. In fact, she realized, it was nearly identical to the one that Brexis always wore.
The material was like nothing Sarah had ever seen, having qualities of nylon and cotton and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. As she worked, Brexis explained that it was made from the silk of magna spiders, great, dog-sized arachnids that were indigenous to the Banshee Wood. The vampires raised them and milked for their silk. Sarah barely stifled a laugh at the image of a spider being milked.
"But why am I wearing this?" she asked as she pulled it on. It seemed to stretch and shrink in just the right places to hug her form in a precise and revealing manner. She admired her figure in the mirror. Her body had filled out since her previous visit to the Underground. Her full breasts melded into a slender waist, only to flare into pleasantly round hips and buttocks that became long legs, all of it covered in opaque blackness. On the whole, she felt sexy and mysterious, not minding the dress at all. But it was a change and it piqued her curiosity.
Brexis was fastening the bag as she answered. "Today we leave for the High Court, Miss Sarah. Lady Anikara says that you must travel in disguise, so you are posing as one of my kind," she explained, handing Sarah a veil of the same sort of material, "The veil will cover your face so that travelers will not know you on the road."
Sarah's gave her a perplexed look. "Why should I have to disguise myself? And why don't we just transport to this High Court, rather than take the time to go on horse back?"
Brexis shrugged in her calm, flowing way. "I don't understand the politics of it all, Miss. We cannot travel by transportation because the laws of the various kingdoms conflict, and it is therefore a customary courtesy not to use magic in other lands unless it is necessary. As to why you must disguise yourself," Brexis paused, measuring her words carefully so as not to frighten the young mortal, "there are those in the political infrastructure that do not agree with the Council's ruling regarding Lady Anikara and would find it.useful if she did not complete her task," she finished.
"What?" Sarah exclaimed, "You mean someone might try to hurt me? Or kill me?" This was not part of the bargain.
"It is possible, but that is why their majesties are taking such precautions. You will be traveling with vampires," she continued with a note of pride, "some consider us the assassins of the Underground. We are very effective killers. And you will be disguised as one of us, so it is unlikely that you will be recognized or bothered by any passers by. Oh, that reminds me," she thought aloud, as if interjecting into her own thoughts, "we'll need to get you some Aquias Noctem." At Sarah's inquisitive look, she continued, "Aquias Noctem. Loosely translated it means 'Water of Night'." She paused thoughtfully. "I suppose you could call it vampire repellant. It will keep us biters off you," she finished with an impish grin that surprised Sarah.
"What's got you in such a good mood today?" she inquired, returning her grin.
Brexis sighed lightly. "We will pass through the Banshee Forest tonight, and some of my friends have sent word that they will meet up with us there and travel with us part of the way to the High Court. I haven't been home in far too long, and I guess I am looking forward to seeing some old familiar faces."
Sarah was delighted at this. Brexis seemed almost..upbeat. Sarah hoped that this meant they were becoming friends.
"Come with me," Brexis motioned out the door as she pulled her veil over her head. Sarah followed her down the stairs and around the corner and into a small room with no windows. As her eyes adjusted to the dimmer candlelight, she had to hold back a small gasp of surprise. The walls were lined shelves full of shabby old books and scrolls and riddled with jars and vials of this and that, as well as the tables. A cauldron boiled in one corner, though there was no visible source of heat to fuel it and a putrid stench rising from it like a noxious gas.
And in the midst of it all, behind the largest table in the middle of the room, perched on a rough-hewn chair, sat a tiny goblin, no more than two feet tall. It seemed not to notice Brexis as she approached with Sarah in tow.
"What the.?" Sarah stuttered. That seemed to break the trance. The little goblin looked up from its work on a piece of yellowed parchment, its beady eyes bugging irritably.
"Well then, what is it, what is it, haven't got all day you know, haven't got all day!" As it ranted in a shrill squeaky voice, it hopped off the rickety chair with a rattle and waddled about the room quick as lightening, here and there for no discernable purpose.
"Miss Sarah, may I present Gwib, their majesties' potion maker," Brexis indicated with a dismissive wave, "Nasty little creature, but he knows his art." Before Sarah could formulate a response, Gwib spotted her, sniffed at the air, then, in a flash, scurried up to her and began sniffing around her ankles.
"Hmmm." it pondered aloud to itself, "not vampire, no, no, not vampire, no." Without warning the tiny creature scurried up the side of her dress and clung to her shoulder still sniffing. Sarah winced as the pointed little nose that dominated most of her field of vision. Gwib didn't seem to notice. ".no, no, not mage, no, not fae, not elf, not goblin, not ogre! Not giant, not fairy, not dwarf, not gnome! Not centaur, not pixie, not nymph! No, no, no, none of these. Looks mortal! Smells mortal!." the little creature sprung off of her and began to pace, its squat little body rocking about as it mumbled off a few more creatures and dismissed them just as quickly before stopping and gazing up at her blankly. "Mortal?"
Sarah fought with all her might to keep from laughing out loud. "Yes, I'm Sarah," she smiled, not knowing what else to do. The little creature stared at her for another moment, then shook his head, its pointy ears flopping around its head.
"No, no, no, not mortal, Gwib smells it, smells magic."
Sarah looked to Brexis for help. The thin-faced vampire rolled her eyes and grabbed Gwib by the scruff of his short neck. Once again, he didn't seem to notice. Raising him to eye level, Brexis spoke in a slow, steady tone that held a thinly veiled annoyance. "Gwib, this is Sarah. Lady Anikara brought her here from the Aboveground to present to the council." For a moment Gwib maintained his look of blank ignorance. Then his eyes widened and his ears pressed themselves back against his bald skull, realization bulging in his yellowed eyes. Brexis smiled caustically and dropped Gwib on his rear. A dose of Aquias Noctem, Gwib, and we'll be on our way."
"Thank you!" Sarah added as Gwib scuttled around the room gathering vials and jars in his arms and gathering them around the cauldron. "A handful of beetle shells, powdered bone of a unicorn, pinch of dried snail mucus, two eyes of a labyrinth moss, crow's shadow, six fresh fairy wings and 3 cloves of garlic!" As he said the last word he flashed a malicious little grin at the look of disgust on Brexis's face.
"So vampires really are affected by garlic!" Sarah mused, fascinated.
"Remarkably so," Brexis conceded, trying to maintain her composure. "If you don't mind, I'll wait outside, Miss." Without waiting for a response, she was gone, leaving Sarah with the strange little goblin man and his potions.
"What else, there's something more, Gwib smells it." the little goblin was muttering, scurrying from shelf to shelf, ".something more, yes, yes.ah! Of course!" he cackled. Quick as a wink he was back to the cauldron. As he ladled the green soupy liquid onto the other components of his concoction, they melted away. As he stirred he grinned up at Sarah. "Mustn't forget the bog water! Else how would the little lady drink it?" he cackled once more.
Sarah felt a wave of nausea wash over her. "I have to-to what? Oh no, I don't think so," she exclaimed, taking a step backwards.
"No worries, no, Gwib knows, Gwib smells, Bog of Stench will not cling to pretty young mortal, couldn't have that, no!"
"Whaaaaat?! That's water from the Bog of Eternal Stench? Are you nuts?" Her eyes were fixed on the frothy mixture that the little goblin held out to her. "There is no way in hell I am drinking that stuff!"
To her surprise, Gwib's eyes filled with tears and his lips puckered up and before she knew it, he was squalling like a baby. "Gwib work and work so that pretty lady be safe! Gwib find fresh fairy wings! See?" He held up a jar of iridescent wings, still sticky from where they had been pulled. Sarah couldn't help but wince at the thought, and this sent Gwib wailing again. In this state, the little creature looked so pitiful that Sarah was nearly overcome with guilt.
"I'm sorry, Gwib," she said, crouching to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, his gleaming puppy-dog eye wet with tears, and gave a little snivel as he once more held up the concoction, waving it under her nose. To her complete surprise, it no longer bore that noxiously sulfurous fetor, but rather something that made her think of sun peeking through the clouds after a rainstorm, causing steam to rise from the wet earth. It was not altogether unpleasant, but she was still leery. However, she didn't want to start the little goblin howling again. Taking the bowl, she brought it up to her mouth and, careful not to look at the substance, she drank it down in a few swift gulps.
Bringing the bowl back down, she blinked for a few seconds, waiting for the taste to hit her. When it did, she snorted in surprise and began to laugh at the irony. "Peaches! It taste like peaches!" Gwib looked up at her blankly for a moment, completely nonplussed, then grinned toothily and began prancing back and forth.
"Good, good, good! Pretty Sarah is happy, yes? Good, good, good!" he cackled. Sarah was reminded of nothing so much as an energetic puppy, and couldn't help but allow another burst of laughter escape. And this is how Brexis found them when she opened the door, Sarah in stitches with Gwib capering in ecstatic circles around her.
"Ah, um, Miss Sarah, are you ready? All is in readiness, we have only to get some breakfast and then we will go."
Sarah nodded, still recovering from the hilarity as she made her way to the door. "It was wonderful to meet you, Gwib!" she called over her shoulder at the little goblin, who was already back at his table, scribbling furiously at the yellow parchment. She turned to Brexis and flashed her a playful grin. "So, did it work?" she asked.
Brexis cocked an eyebrow at her and smirked knowingly. "You couldn't pay me to bite you right now."
They grabbed some fruit and bread, eating as they walked. After several winding staircases and long corridors they came to a smaller side entrance that led to the stables and Brexis stopped and helped Sarah put her veil on. She found that, though the material was opaque, she could see through it quite well from the inside. Brexis explained that it was a trick of the weaving that she had never learned, but was supposedly quite easy once it was taught. They also donned gloves, and Sarah was given black slippers.
Outside, Anikara and Ayron were already on horseback awaiting Sarah and Brexis. Other than some small talk, Ayron had been rather quiet, and Anikara suspected he was up to something, though she had no idea what exactly. As the minutes ticked by, she grew impatience with his silence and intentional avoidance of her gaze.
"Well, what is it, then?" she finally demanded, nudging her mount, a dappled gray mare, and moving to where she was right in front of him.
He started at her bluntness. "What? What is what? I don't know what you mean!" he retorted, a bit more insistently than he had meant.
Anikara smiled triumphantly. "Of course you do, or you wouldn't be so jumpy! Come on, then, out with it! You're a terrible liar, Ayron, you know that?"
"I am not!" he exclaimed, then immediately bit his lip, regretting the statement, "And I really have no idea what you are talking about!"
Anikara's eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips. "Fine!" she huffed, throwing her hands up and in doing so, accidentally tossed her reigns to one side. She made a grab for them, missed and, with a cry, fell sideways in the saddle. Ayron reached out to steady her, but his foot missed the stirrup and she pulled him with her. They landed in a tangle heap between the two bewildered mounts. They stared at one another for a moment before bursting into laughter, breaking the prior tension.
Ayron was struck at how lovely she looked sitting there with her hair a bit mussed, laughing sweetly, and he absently reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You know, you're going to get hurt one of these days! What would you do without me here to rescue you?" To his surprise she blushed as his hand passed over her cheek, a wonder in and of itself. She actually looked.shy?
Anikara was surprised herself at his forwardness, but she didn't mind at all. She could feel her cheeks reddening as she flashed a toothy grin and folded her hands over her chest in a rather hammy gesture. "My hero," she teased.
He got to his feet and held out a hand to her, which she took gratefully. He pulled her to her feet in one swift motion that brought her up against him, and without warning, their lips met. The kiss lasted only a moment, and as they separated, there was a deafening silence, as though the world had stopped to watch them. Neither had planned it, neither had expected it, and neither had at all minded it. Anikara felt herself breathing harder as Ayron gazed at her, his eyes full of surprise and something more that she could not place, and she couldn't remember a time he had looked so powerful and handsome, yet so gentle and warm.
The moment did not last, however, for at that instant the creaking of the castle door awakened them from their trance and they looked up to see two figures, clad completely in black, walking down the steps towards them. It was then that they realized, nearly simultaneously, that Ayron had not yet let go of her hand. Dropping each others grasp, they stepped hurriedly apart and Anikara began to mockingly scold them for their tardiness as though nothing had happened. Unbeknownst to them, however, Sarah and Brexis had each caught a glimpse of the two's hands clasped, but said nothing. Instead, all four mounted their horses and eased the horses into an easy walk. Sarah was about to tell them all about the incident with the 'vampire repellant' when a shrill whine erupted from behind them.
"WAAAAIIIIIT!" Gwib wailed as they all reigned their horses and turned to see what all the fuss was about. "Wait, yes, Gwib must come! Yes, yes, yes." he continued, scuttling as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. A stick was propped on his little shoulder and at the end was tied a tiny cloth satchel
"Gwib!" Anikara laughed, "Why in the worlds would you want to come along?"
Gwib made a face. "Too dark inside, yes, yes, too dark, to stuffy! Must needs get air, must needs collect more spider fur!"
Anikara shrugged and nodded. "Alright, I don't see why not." Sarah thought she could almost feel Brexis wilt at the though of traveling with the little bundle of energy, but she said nothing. Gwib squeaked his delight and without further ado waddled over to Ayron's horse and climbed up into one of the saddle bags, his head peeking out from under the flap. He looked altogether rather comical, lounging there as if it were a hammock or something and even Brexis had to laugh. Shaking his head and smiling, Ayron gave his mount, a white gelding, a nudge with his thighs and led the way through the castle gates and they were on their way.
~~*~~
Jareth himself also sat astride his own mount, a black stallion, waiting impatiently. He wore a pair of black tights and knee high boots, as well as a close fitting black shirt and leather frontal vest. On his hands were his ever-present black gloves and the lining of the black cape over his shoulders shifted and shimmered like moonlit water. He gazed up at the sun, which was near its zenith in the clear blue sky, and sighed. What was keeping his young servant?
Moments later a crash erupted from somewhere within the castle and the great oak doors at the front flew open. A man, no older than twenty years old, half ran, half stumbled down the stone stair, approaching the impatient king, who held the reigns of his steed. He was only slightly shorter than Jareth, with a pair of radiant blue eyes and an honest, youthful face. His blond hair was shoulder length and resembled Jareth's, although nothing could match Jareth's wild platinum locks and he wore
In spite of his impatience, Jareth had to smile inwardly. Ever since the boy had stumbled into his labyrinth Jareth had known he had spirit. He had run away from his home in the river valley and had made his way through the labyrinth to the castle with no help at all. Jareth could not remember his real name, but when the boy had asked to stay as the Goblin King's personal servant, he had named him Shayan, which meant 'worthy'.
"And just where have you been?" Jareth demanded, doing his best to sound stern, "I'm not getting any younger, you know!"
"Ah, yes, but," Shayan held up an illustrative finger with sideways smile, "neither are you getting any older."
Jareth let up on his iron mask and let a smile creep upon his striking face. "Point taken! Shall we?" he indicated Shayan's mount, a dun mare, and not the best of choices since she distracted the stallion.
Shayan glanced back at the castle nervously and winced as another loud crash resounded within, followed by raucous laughter and furious chicken squawks. "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave the castle to them, even for only a few days?" Another crash, accompanied by smoke that billowed from a lower window, underscored his statement.
"Not to worry," Jareth sighed. He waved his hand and the billowing smoke disappeared. "I locked away all the ale and goblin-proofed the whole place-" he was cut off by another crash, and this time a chicken actually flew out the window and landed in a tree, "-at least for the most part. They might kill each other, but they won't harm anything else in there."
Shayan shook his head and shrugged. "Your castle, your mess," he grinned as he mounted the mare. "Now, explain to me once more why we are going all the way to the High Court over this dream of yours."
Jareth gave him a disapproving sideways look. "It has nothing to do with my dream!" he lied expertly, not fooling Shayan for one moment, "It has to do with the fact that I have been wronged and intend to have some recompense as such. The Council has the power to find the culprit, they will just need a little convincing, and I can be rather persuasive."
Shayan cocked a curious eyebrow. "Just what exactly was so tormenting about this dream that you feel you should be avenged? You never did give me any details!"
"And I don't intend to!" Jareth smirked before changing the subject, "You really must stop all this prying and gossiping, my boy, you're beginning to sound like one of those silly girls you're always drooling over!" This did the trick and for the duration of the trip out through the labyrinth was spent arguing on the merits of Shayan's taste in women. Jareth succinctly avoided voicing his own.
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, I have been in disposed.I will try to post sooner next time. Please review!
Chapter 12: Vampire Repellant
Sarah woke with a start to find Brexis standing dutifully over her, watching her with the infinite patience of one with all the time in the world. However the minute Sarah's eyes were open, she began moving busily about the room, drawing several dresses out of the armoire and loading them into something resembling a carpet bag. Rubbing her eyes, Sarah realized that another dress was laid neatly on the end of her bed, but it was unlike the others, which were lightly colored and of the Medieval/Victorian style that Sarah had worn since her arrival at the mountaintop castle. This one was straight black with no ribbons or adornment whatsoever. In fact, she realized, it was nearly identical to the one that Brexis always wore.
The material was like nothing Sarah had ever seen, having qualities of nylon and cotton and something else she couldn't quite put her finger on. As she worked, Brexis explained that it was made from the silk of magna spiders, great, dog-sized arachnids that were indigenous to the Banshee Wood. The vampires raised them and milked for their silk. Sarah barely stifled a laugh at the image of a spider being milked.
"But why am I wearing this?" she asked as she pulled it on. It seemed to stretch and shrink in just the right places to hug her form in a precise and revealing manner. She admired her figure in the mirror. Her body had filled out since her previous visit to the Underground. Her full breasts melded into a slender waist, only to flare into pleasantly round hips and buttocks that became long legs, all of it covered in opaque blackness. On the whole, she felt sexy and mysterious, not minding the dress at all. But it was a change and it piqued her curiosity.
Brexis was fastening the bag as she answered. "Today we leave for the High Court, Miss Sarah. Lady Anikara says that you must travel in disguise, so you are posing as one of my kind," she explained, handing Sarah a veil of the same sort of material, "The veil will cover your face so that travelers will not know you on the road."
Sarah's gave her a perplexed look. "Why should I have to disguise myself? And why don't we just transport to this High Court, rather than take the time to go on horse back?"
Brexis shrugged in her calm, flowing way. "I don't understand the politics of it all, Miss. We cannot travel by transportation because the laws of the various kingdoms conflict, and it is therefore a customary courtesy not to use magic in other lands unless it is necessary. As to why you must disguise yourself," Brexis paused, measuring her words carefully so as not to frighten the young mortal, "there are those in the political infrastructure that do not agree with the Council's ruling regarding Lady Anikara and would find it.useful if she did not complete her task," she finished.
"What?" Sarah exclaimed, "You mean someone might try to hurt me? Or kill me?" This was not part of the bargain.
"It is possible, but that is why their majesties are taking such precautions. You will be traveling with vampires," she continued with a note of pride, "some consider us the assassins of the Underground. We are very effective killers. And you will be disguised as one of us, so it is unlikely that you will be recognized or bothered by any passers by. Oh, that reminds me," she thought aloud, as if interjecting into her own thoughts, "we'll need to get you some Aquias Noctem." At Sarah's inquisitive look, she continued, "Aquias Noctem. Loosely translated it means 'Water of Night'." She paused thoughtfully. "I suppose you could call it vampire repellant. It will keep us biters off you," she finished with an impish grin that surprised Sarah.
"What's got you in such a good mood today?" she inquired, returning her grin.
Brexis sighed lightly. "We will pass through the Banshee Forest tonight, and some of my friends have sent word that they will meet up with us there and travel with us part of the way to the High Court. I haven't been home in far too long, and I guess I am looking forward to seeing some old familiar faces."
Sarah was delighted at this. Brexis seemed almost..upbeat. Sarah hoped that this meant they were becoming friends.
"Come with me," Brexis motioned out the door as she pulled her veil over her head. Sarah followed her down the stairs and around the corner and into a small room with no windows. As her eyes adjusted to the dimmer candlelight, she had to hold back a small gasp of surprise. The walls were lined shelves full of shabby old books and scrolls and riddled with jars and vials of this and that, as well as the tables. A cauldron boiled in one corner, though there was no visible source of heat to fuel it and a putrid stench rising from it like a noxious gas.
And in the midst of it all, behind the largest table in the middle of the room, perched on a rough-hewn chair, sat a tiny goblin, no more than two feet tall. It seemed not to notice Brexis as she approached with Sarah in tow.
"What the.?" Sarah stuttered. That seemed to break the trance. The little goblin looked up from its work on a piece of yellowed parchment, its beady eyes bugging irritably.
"Well then, what is it, what is it, haven't got all day you know, haven't got all day!" As it ranted in a shrill squeaky voice, it hopped off the rickety chair with a rattle and waddled about the room quick as lightening, here and there for no discernable purpose.
"Miss Sarah, may I present Gwib, their majesties' potion maker," Brexis indicated with a dismissive wave, "Nasty little creature, but he knows his art." Before Sarah could formulate a response, Gwib spotted her, sniffed at the air, then, in a flash, scurried up to her and began sniffing around her ankles.
"Hmmm." it pondered aloud to itself, "not vampire, no, no, not vampire, no." Without warning the tiny creature scurried up the side of her dress and clung to her shoulder still sniffing. Sarah winced as the pointed little nose that dominated most of her field of vision. Gwib didn't seem to notice. ".no, no, not mage, no, not fae, not elf, not goblin, not ogre! Not giant, not fairy, not dwarf, not gnome! Not centaur, not pixie, not nymph! No, no, no, none of these. Looks mortal! Smells mortal!." the little creature sprung off of her and began to pace, its squat little body rocking about as it mumbled off a few more creatures and dismissed them just as quickly before stopping and gazing up at her blankly. "Mortal?"
Sarah fought with all her might to keep from laughing out loud. "Yes, I'm Sarah," she smiled, not knowing what else to do. The little creature stared at her for another moment, then shook his head, its pointy ears flopping around its head.
"No, no, no, not mortal, Gwib smells it, smells magic."
Sarah looked to Brexis for help. The thin-faced vampire rolled her eyes and grabbed Gwib by the scruff of his short neck. Once again, he didn't seem to notice. Raising him to eye level, Brexis spoke in a slow, steady tone that held a thinly veiled annoyance. "Gwib, this is Sarah. Lady Anikara brought her here from the Aboveground to present to the council." For a moment Gwib maintained his look of blank ignorance. Then his eyes widened and his ears pressed themselves back against his bald skull, realization bulging in his yellowed eyes. Brexis smiled caustically and dropped Gwib on his rear. A dose of Aquias Noctem, Gwib, and we'll be on our way."
"Thank you!" Sarah added as Gwib scuttled around the room gathering vials and jars in his arms and gathering them around the cauldron. "A handful of beetle shells, powdered bone of a unicorn, pinch of dried snail mucus, two eyes of a labyrinth moss, crow's shadow, six fresh fairy wings and 3 cloves of garlic!" As he said the last word he flashed a malicious little grin at the look of disgust on Brexis's face.
"So vampires really are affected by garlic!" Sarah mused, fascinated.
"Remarkably so," Brexis conceded, trying to maintain her composure. "If you don't mind, I'll wait outside, Miss." Without waiting for a response, she was gone, leaving Sarah with the strange little goblin man and his potions.
"What else, there's something more, Gwib smells it." the little goblin was muttering, scurrying from shelf to shelf, ".something more, yes, yes.ah! Of course!" he cackled. Quick as a wink he was back to the cauldron. As he ladled the green soupy liquid onto the other components of his concoction, they melted away. As he stirred he grinned up at Sarah. "Mustn't forget the bog water! Else how would the little lady drink it?" he cackled once more.
Sarah felt a wave of nausea wash over her. "I have to-to what? Oh no, I don't think so," she exclaimed, taking a step backwards.
"No worries, no, Gwib knows, Gwib smells, Bog of Stench will not cling to pretty young mortal, couldn't have that, no!"
"Whaaaaat?! That's water from the Bog of Eternal Stench? Are you nuts?" Her eyes were fixed on the frothy mixture that the little goblin held out to her. "There is no way in hell I am drinking that stuff!"
To her surprise, Gwib's eyes filled with tears and his lips puckered up and before she knew it, he was squalling like a baby. "Gwib work and work so that pretty lady be safe! Gwib find fresh fairy wings! See?" He held up a jar of iridescent wings, still sticky from where they had been pulled. Sarah couldn't help but wince at the thought, and this sent Gwib wailing again. In this state, the little creature looked so pitiful that Sarah was nearly overcome with guilt.
"I'm sorry, Gwib," she said, crouching to put a hand on his shoulder. He looked up at her, his gleaming puppy-dog eye wet with tears, and gave a little snivel as he once more held up the concoction, waving it under her nose. To her complete surprise, it no longer bore that noxiously sulfurous fetor, but rather something that made her think of sun peeking through the clouds after a rainstorm, causing steam to rise from the wet earth. It was not altogether unpleasant, but she was still leery. However, she didn't want to start the little goblin howling again. Taking the bowl, she brought it up to her mouth and, careful not to look at the substance, she drank it down in a few swift gulps.
Bringing the bowl back down, she blinked for a few seconds, waiting for the taste to hit her. When it did, she snorted in surprise and began to laugh at the irony. "Peaches! It taste like peaches!" Gwib looked up at her blankly for a moment, completely nonplussed, then grinned toothily and began prancing back and forth.
"Good, good, good! Pretty Sarah is happy, yes? Good, good, good!" he cackled. Sarah was reminded of nothing so much as an energetic puppy, and couldn't help but allow another burst of laughter escape. And this is how Brexis found them when she opened the door, Sarah in stitches with Gwib capering in ecstatic circles around her.
"Ah, um, Miss Sarah, are you ready? All is in readiness, we have only to get some breakfast and then we will go."
Sarah nodded, still recovering from the hilarity as she made her way to the door. "It was wonderful to meet you, Gwib!" she called over her shoulder at the little goblin, who was already back at his table, scribbling furiously at the yellow parchment. She turned to Brexis and flashed her a playful grin. "So, did it work?" she asked.
Brexis cocked an eyebrow at her and smirked knowingly. "You couldn't pay me to bite you right now."
They grabbed some fruit and bread, eating as they walked. After several winding staircases and long corridors they came to a smaller side entrance that led to the stables and Brexis stopped and helped Sarah put her veil on. She found that, though the material was opaque, she could see through it quite well from the inside. Brexis explained that it was a trick of the weaving that she had never learned, but was supposedly quite easy once it was taught. They also donned gloves, and Sarah was given black slippers.
Outside, Anikara and Ayron were already on horseback awaiting Sarah and Brexis. Other than some small talk, Ayron had been rather quiet, and Anikara suspected he was up to something, though she had no idea what exactly. As the minutes ticked by, she grew impatience with his silence and intentional avoidance of her gaze.
"Well, what is it, then?" she finally demanded, nudging her mount, a dappled gray mare, and moving to where she was right in front of him.
He started at her bluntness. "What? What is what? I don't know what you mean!" he retorted, a bit more insistently than he had meant.
Anikara smiled triumphantly. "Of course you do, or you wouldn't be so jumpy! Come on, then, out with it! You're a terrible liar, Ayron, you know that?"
"I am not!" he exclaimed, then immediately bit his lip, regretting the statement, "And I really have no idea what you are talking about!"
Anikara's eyes narrowed as she pursed her lips. "Fine!" she huffed, throwing her hands up and in doing so, accidentally tossed her reigns to one side. She made a grab for them, missed and, with a cry, fell sideways in the saddle. Ayron reached out to steady her, but his foot missed the stirrup and she pulled him with her. They landed in a tangle heap between the two bewildered mounts. They stared at one another for a moment before bursting into laughter, breaking the prior tension.
Ayron was struck at how lovely she looked sitting there with her hair a bit mussed, laughing sweetly, and he absently reached up and brushed a strand of hair from her face. "You know, you're going to get hurt one of these days! What would you do without me here to rescue you?" To his surprise she blushed as his hand passed over her cheek, a wonder in and of itself. She actually looked.shy?
Anikara was surprised herself at his forwardness, but she didn't mind at all. She could feel her cheeks reddening as she flashed a toothy grin and folded her hands over her chest in a rather hammy gesture. "My hero," she teased.
He got to his feet and held out a hand to her, which she took gratefully. He pulled her to her feet in one swift motion that brought her up against him, and without warning, their lips met. The kiss lasted only a moment, and as they separated, there was a deafening silence, as though the world had stopped to watch them. Neither had planned it, neither had expected it, and neither had at all minded it. Anikara felt herself breathing harder as Ayron gazed at her, his eyes full of surprise and something more that she could not place, and she couldn't remember a time he had looked so powerful and handsome, yet so gentle and warm.
The moment did not last, however, for at that instant the creaking of the castle door awakened them from their trance and they looked up to see two figures, clad completely in black, walking down the steps towards them. It was then that they realized, nearly simultaneously, that Ayron had not yet let go of her hand. Dropping each others grasp, they stepped hurriedly apart and Anikara began to mockingly scold them for their tardiness as though nothing had happened. Unbeknownst to them, however, Sarah and Brexis had each caught a glimpse of the two's hands clasped, but said nothing. Instead, all four mounted their horses and eased the horses into an easy walk. Sarah was about to tell them all about the incident with the 'vampire repellant' when a shrill whine erupted from behind them.
"WAAAAIIIIIT!" Gwib wailed as they all reigned their horses and turned to see what all the fuss was about. "Wait, yes, Gwib must come! Yes, yes, yes." he continued, scuttling as fast as his tiny legs could carry him. A stick was propped on his little shoulder and at the end was tied a tiny cloth satchel
"Gwib!" Anikara laughed, "Why in the worlds would you want to come along?"
Gwib made a face. "Too dark inside, yes, yes, too dark, to stuffy! Must needs get air, must needs collect more spider fur!"
Anikara shrugged and nodded. "Alright, I don't see why not." Sarah thought she could almost feel Brexis wilt at the though of traveling with the little bundle of energy, but she said nothing. Gwib squeaked his delight and without further ado waddled over to Ayron's horse and climbed up into one of the saddle bags, his head peeking out from under the flap. He looked altogether rather comical, lounging there as if it were a hammock or something and even Brexis had to laugh. Shaking his head and smiling, Ayron gave his mount, a white gelding, a nudge with his thighs and led the way through the castle gates and they were on their way.
~~*~~
Jareth himself also sat astride his own mount, a black stallion, waiting impatiently. He wore a pair of black tights and knee high boots, as well as a close fitting black shirt and leather frontal vest. On his hands were his ever-present black gloves and the lining of the black cape over his shoulders shifted and shimmered like moonlit water. He gazed up at the sun, which was near its zenith in the clear blue sky, and sighed. What was keeping his young servant?
Moments later a crash erupted from somewhere within the castle and the great oak doors at the front flew open. A man, no older than twenty years old, half ran, half stumbled down the stone stair, approaching the impatient king, who held the reigns of his steed. He was only slightly shorter than Jareth, with a pair of radiant blue eyes and an honest, youthful face. His blond hair was shoulder length and resembled Jareth's, although nothing could match Jareth's wild platinum locks and he wore
In spite of his impatience, Jareth had to smile inwardly. Ever since the boy had stumbled into his labyrinth Jareth had known he had spirit. He had run away from his home in the river valley and had made his way through the labyrinth to the castle with no help at all. Jareth could not remember his real name, but when the boy had asked to stay as the Goblin King's personal servant, he had named him Shayan, which meant 'worthy'.
"And just where have you been?" Jareth demanded, doing his best to sound stern, "I'm not getting any younger, you know!"
"Ah, yes, but," Shayan held up an illustrative finger with sideways smile, "neither are you getting any older."
Jareth let up on his iron mask and let a smile creep upon his striking face. "Point taken! Shall we?" he indicated Shayan's mount, a dun mare, and not the best of choices since she distracted the stallion.
Shayan glanced back at the castle nervously and winced as another loud crash resounded within, followed by raucous laughter and furious chicken squawks. "Are you sure it's a good idea to leave the castle to them, even for only a few days?" Another crash, accompanied by smoke that billowed from a lower window, underscored his statement.
"Not to worry," Jareth sighed. He waved his hand and the billowing smoke disappeared. "I locked away all the ale and goblin-proofed the whole place-" he was cut off by another crash, and this time a chicken actually flew out the window and landed in a tree, "-at least for the most part. They might kill each other, but they won't harm anything else in there."
Shayan shook his head and shrugged. "Your castle, your mess," he grinned as he mounted the mare. "Now, explain to me once more why we are going all the way to the High Court over this dream of yours."
Jareth gave him a disapproving sideways look. "It has nothing to do with my dream!" he lied expertly, not fooling Shayan for one moment, "It has to do with the fact that I have been wronged and intend to have some recompense as such. The Council has the power to find the culprit, they will just need a little convincing, and I can be rather persuasive."
Shayan cocked a curious eyebrow. "Just what exactly was so tormenting about this dream that you feel you should be avenged? You never did give me any details!"
"And I don't intend to!" Jareth smirked before changing the subject, "You really must stop all this prying and gossiping, my boy, you're beginning to sound like one of those silly girls you're always drooling over!" This did the trick and for the duration of the trip out through the labyrinth was spent arguing on the merits of Shayan's taste in women. Jareth succinctly avoided voicing his own.
A/N: Sorry it took so long to update, I have been in disposed.I will try to post sooner next time. Please review!