A/N: *peeks around corner and ducks large blunt object aimed at head*.I
know its been a while. heh heh heh.sorry? Please don't hate me, I know
I've been a while, college has been hell.but I am posting, so your not
allowed to kill or maim me yet.I am so grateful to all of you who have been
so patient and those of you who have reviewed my story, you have no idea
how much it means to me! Oh, I love you *cry* .anywho, hopefully there
will be more soon, I can make no garuntees, since my professors have an
inherent need to punish me for living, but I can tell you that I am writing
as often as possible.give you any idea about how evil my professors are? :D
well, enjoy, hope it tides you over till next time :)
Chapter 17: Silent Surrender
When Shayan returned to the road, Jareth noticed that his wound had healed splendidly, but he did not look any better for it. As a matter of fact, not only did he still look cowed and wretched, now he looked nervous and confused as well. Something was very wrong. The centaurs noticed too as they began stamping their hooves, shifting about as they sensed the intense emotions flying within him.
"Is anything wrong, Shayan?" Jareth inquired, trying to maintain his icy façade but unable to hide his concern as his brow creased with worry. His young servant looked as though he might be sick. Shayan shook his head frantically, then gulped and managed a halting reply.
"Oh, I'm alright Jareth! How are you?" Jareth raised a questioning eyebrow, but said nothing. There would be time enough to interrogate him later on what had happened in the woods. Meanwhile, the centaurs continued their ceaseless stamping, their heads darting this way and that, as though Shayan's sudden apprehension was catching.
"We must leave this place," Ilo stated matter-of-factly, "There is darkness here. Retrieve your beasts if you will, but we must not tarry here any longer. The Lightlessness will return, for it did not intend for us to meet. The Lightlessness will return and it will be stronger, we must not tarry here any longer!"
Ayron was inclined to agree with the centaur, since the sun had passed its zenith and night would descend quickly in the thickness of the woods. "She's right. If that.that thing comes back after dark, we won't know it until it's too late. We should make for the western edge of the forest. Once there we will have more light by which to keep watch."
Anikara graced him with perturbed, if conciliatory glance. "By the gods, he speaks," she muttered irritably. She wanted nothing more than to be rid of the hot dress she wore, bathe in cool water and forget the whole damned venture. But of course, he was right, as per usual. "I'll go get the others," she sighed wearily as she hitched her skirt up and walked apathetically into the woods.
When she reached the clearing, she saw that Sarah was being helped to her feet by two of the males. She was still a little shaky, but she looked no worse for wear. Anikara frowned to see that her veil had been removed and asked Brexis about it. Brexis was not happy.
"The elf saw her face, Lady," she replied shortly, indicating Sarah's bare head, "I told him that if he spoke a word of it to the Goblin King that I would hunt him down and suck his body dry. And if he does, I have every intention of doing it."
"No wonder the boy looked so afraid when he came back," Anikara laughed, shaking her head, "But you can't kill him. None of this is his fault." She gave Brexis a sidelong look and added playfully, "That's not to say you can't have a little fun with him. Hell, I still play with my food, and I'm at least 500 years older than you." Brexis laughed at this, her stern disapproval of the situation melting into a sated smirk as Sarah approached them.
"I'm really sorry I blew it, you two," she said meekly, eyes down and cheeks flaring. "I don't know what came over me."
"Well, what's done is done, and there's no more time for splitting hairs now. We have to get out of the woods before dark sets in, just incase that black thing comes back. But first, I have to ask you, what is the last thing you remember before you passed out?"
Sarah thought hard and realized she thought she'd seen Jareth on a great stallion, looking powerful and majestic. It had been a breath taking sight, but it must have been a hallucination. "Well, I remember Ayron pulling me out of the way, then the whole world was dancing and I was seeing stars." she gave a wry, thoughtful smile and cast her eyes downward, remembering, ".and of all things, I think I imagined I saw Jareth on this incredible stallion.I must have been hit pretty hard on the head, huh?" she grinned. When Anikara didn't respond right away, Sarah's looked up in confusion, "Anikara?" she frowned, confused and slightly disturbed.
"That wasn't your imagination, darling," Anikara sighed sympathetically at the sudden pallor that crept over Sarah's features.
"But.but I.he.I thought.but you said." Sarah's mind whirled and tore in a thousand directions at once at the implications and she suddenly felt dizzy again. Shaking off the sensation with effort and barely containing her panic, she returned to the present. "Well, shit. Now what?" she demanded, still trying to squelch the urge to just sit down and cry. I was just too much. She wasn't ready to face Jareth! She had imagined their meeting at least a million times, going over it again and again in her head, but now that it came down to it, she realized she had absolutely no idea what to do.
"Well, I have some good news and some bad news, depending upon how you look at it," Anikara replied slowly. Famous last words, she thought. "The bad news, I suppose it goes, is that we have decided, in light of recent events, it would be safer to travel in a group. So Jareth and his companions have joined our party," she explained, wincing at the look on Sarah's face as she continued quickly, "But the good news is, he still doesn't know who you are. As far as he knows, you are just another one of my maids, a vampire like the rest. We will have to keep an eye on that elf, Shayan, though. He's bound to realize that you're not what you seem, but I think he's sufficiently terrified of Brexis that he won't be any trouble to us." The look on Sarah's face was indecipherable, a twisted mix of relief, apprehension and something else, Anikara thought. She certainly didn't envy the young mortal's predicament. "Being as this is the case, Sarah, you should have no trouble keeping your identity a secret.unless you wish it otherwise," she finished, a satisfied grin lighting her features in spite of the scathing glare she earned.
Replacing her veil, Sarah composed herself as best she could, steeling herself for the moment when they would emerge from the woods and she would lay eyes on him firmly for the first time since that fateful night. She only prayed that she wouldn't faint or throw herself at him, the two things she was sure were entirely possible at the moment. The rest of the vampires, who had been conversing idly nearby, now stood and gathered around Sarah protectively. She felt a hand on her shoulder and, turning, came face to face with one on the females, Akiris, she thought.
"Don't worry yourself, little one," she soothed in a slow silky voice that bespoke dark grace, "We'll not let harm come to you. If you should get anxious, fall back and ride in our midst. We'll shield you from unwelcome eyes," she smiled knowingly and Sarah felt a surge of gratitude well inside her as she returned the creature's sentiment, nodding her thanks.
To her surprise, as they walked, Sarah noticed several dark shapes moving through the woods as they moved en masse back to the road. After a moment, she realized that they were actually horses, jet black and sleek as night. The vampires' mounts, no doubt. As they stepped back onto the road, Anikara jumped into action, ordering the men onto their horses and such, doing her best to draw attention away from everything but herself, and with good reason. Sarah was two steps onto the road when he saw him and stopped.
He was playing with one of his crystals, twirling it about rather importantly. As they emerged from the stand of trees, his eyes darted up as though he had been jarred from a trance and for one moment that lasted for about a million years, their eyes met. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that he really didn't know it was her, that he had no idea she was anything other than your run-of-the-mill blood-sucking creature of the night, but that didn't stop her from realizing who he was and that he was this close to her. She felt a wave of liquid fire rush through her veins and her breath caught in her throat as she colored a lovely shade of bright pink beneath her all-consuming veil. The very sight of him was enough to make her body burn. Heaven forbid he should touch her! Luckily, she was still surrounded by the horde of vampires, and they swept her along easily, bringing her back to her senses. It also helped that Jareth had looked away, diverting his attention back to the crystal, then to his stallion.
Once back in the saddle, Sarah followed Akiris's advice, riding among the vampires so that she didn't do anything stupid, like blurt out loud that she was incredibly attracted to Jareth and even though it was against her better judgment, she wanted to..she shook herself forcefully. Not going there, nope, not gonna think it, she assured herself as her treacherous mind went right along imagining what he could do to her body and make her feel..she wanted to scream with frustration. Instead, she concentrated on the movement of her horse, falling into the motion of the beast's slow even pace, her eyes boring into Jareth's back the whole time. Miserable, she resigned herself to chewing on her lower lip and watching his regal form ahead of her for the duration of the journey through the woods and silently surrendering her self respect to the unhappy truth of the matter: she wanted him.
A/N: Well, how was that? I really hope I am not getting rusty after so much time away from the story.anywho, I am already working on the next chapter, so hope for it soon, but don't get your hopes too high, just in case. Please review and I will do my best to get this next chapter up asap :) Cya on the inside!
Chapter 17: Silent Surrender
When Shayan returned to the road, Jareth noticed that his wound had healed splendidly, but he did not look any better for it. As a matter of fact, not only did he still look cowed and wretched, now he looked nervous and confused as well. Something was very wrong. The centaurs noticed too as they began stamping their hooves, shifting about as they sensed the intense emotions flying within him.
"Is anything wrong, Shayan?" Jareth inquired, trying to maintain his icy façade but unable to hide his concern as his brow creased with worry. His young servant looked as though he might be sick. Shayan shook his head frantically, then gulped and managed a halting reply.
"Oh, I'm alright Jareth! How are you?" Jareth raised a questioning eyebrow, but said nothing. There would be time enough to interrogate him later on what had happened in the woods. Meanwhile, the centaurs continued their ceaseless stamping, their heads darting this way and that, as though Shayan's sudden apprehension was catching.
"We must leave this place," Ilo stated matter-of-factly, "There is darkness here. Retrieve your beasts if you will, but we must not tarry here any longer. The Lightlessness will return, for it did not intend for us to meet. The Lightlessness will return and it will be stronger, we must not tarry here any longer!"
Ayron was inclined to agree with the centaur, since the sun had passed its zenith and night would descend quickly in the thickness of the woods. "She's right. If that.that thing comes back after dark, we won't know it until it's too late. We should make for the western edge of the forest. Once there we will have more light by which to keep watch."
Anikara graced him with perturbed, if conciliatory glance. "By the gods, he speaks," she muttered irritably. She wanted nothing more than to be rid of the hot dress she wore, bathe in cool water and forget the whole damned venture. But of course, he was right, as per usual. "I'll go get the others," she sighed wearily as she hitched her skirt up and walked apathetically into the woods.
When she reached the clearing, she saw that Sarah was being helped to her feet by two of the males. She was still a little shaky, but she looked no worse for wear. Anikara frowned to see that her veil had been removed and asked Brexis about it. Brexis was not happy.
"The elf saw her face, Lady," she replied shortly, indicating Sarah's bare head, "I told him that if he spoke a word of it to the Goblin King that I would hunt him down and suck his body dry. And if he does, I have every intention of doing it."
"No wonder the boy looked so afraid when he came back," Anikara laughed, shaking her head, "But you can't kill him. None of this is his fault." She gave Brexis a sidelong look and added playfully, "That's not to say you can't have a little fun with him. Hell, I still play with my food, and I'm at least 500 years older than you." Brexis laughed at this, her stern disapproval of the situation melting into a sated smirk as Sarah approached them.
"I'm really sorry I blew it, you two," she said meekly, eyes down and cheeks flaring. "I don't know what came over me."
"Well, what's done is done, and there's no more time for splitting hairs now. We have to get out of the woods before dark sets in, just incase that black thing comes back. But first, I have to ask you, what is the last thing you remember before you passed out?"
Sarah thought hard and realized she thought she'd seen Jareth on a great stallion, looking powerful and majestic. It had been a breath taking sight, but it must have been a hallucination. "Well, I remember Ayron pulling me out of the way, then the whole world was dancing and I was seeing stars." she gave a wry, thoughtful smile and cast her eyes downward, remembering, ".and of all things, I think I imagined I saw Jareth on this incredible stallion.I must have been hit pretty hard on the head, huh?" she grinned. When Anikara didn't respond right away, Sarah's looked up in confusion, "Anikara?" she frowned, confused and slightly disturbed.
"That wasn't your imagination, darling," Anikara sighed sympathetically at the sudden pallor that crept over Sarah's features.
"But.but I.he.I thought.but you said." Sarah's mind whirled and tore in a thousand directions at once at the implications and she suddenly felt dizzy again. Shaking off the sensation with effort and barely containing her panic, she returned to the present. "Well, shit. Now what?" she demanded, still trying to squelch the urge to just sit down and cry. I was just too much. She wasn't ready to face Jareth! She had imagined their meeting at least a million times, going over it again and again in her head, but now that it came down to it, she realized she had absolutely no idea what to do.
"Well, I have some good news and some bad news, depending upon how you look at it," Anikara replied slowly. Famous last words, she thought. "The bad news, I suppose it goes, is that we have decided, in light of recent events, it would be safer to travel in a group. So Jareth and his companions have joined our party," she explained, wincing at the look on Sarah's face as she continued quickly, "But the good news is, he still doesn't know who you are. As far as he knows, you are just another one of my maids, a vampire like the rest. We will have to keep an eye on that elf, Shayan, though. He's bound to realize that you're not what you seem, but I think he's sufficiently terrified of Brexis that he won't be any trouble to us." The look on Sarah's face was indecipherable, a twisted mix of relief, apprehension and something else, Anikara thought. She certainly didn't envy the young mortal's predicament. "Being as this is the case, Sarah, you should have no trouble keeping your identity a secret.unless you wish it otherwise," she finished, a satisfied grin lighting her features in spite of the scathing glare she earned.
Replacing her veil, Sarah composed herself as best she could, steeling herself for the moment when they would emerge from the woods and she would lay eyes on him firmly for the first time since that fateful night. She only prayed that she wouldn't faint or throw herself at him, the two things she was sure were entirely possible at the moment. The rest of the vampires, who had been conversing idly nearby, now stood and gathered around Sarah protectively. She felt a hand on her shoulder and, turning, came face to face with one on the females, Akiris, she thought.
"Don't worry yourself, little one," she soothed in a slow silky voice that bespoke dark grace, "We'll not let harm come to you. If you should get anxious, fall back and ride in our midst. We'll shield you from unwelcome eyes," she smiled knowingly and Sarah felt a surge of gratitude well inside her as she returned the creature's sentiment, nodding her thanks.
To her surprise, as they walked, Sarah noticed several dark shapes moving through the woods as they moved en masse back to the road. After a moment, she realized that they were actually horses, jet black and sleek as night. The vampires' mounts, no doubt. As they stepped back onto the road, Anikara jumped into action, ordering the men onto their horses and such, doing her best to draw attention away from everything but herself, and with good reason. Sarah was two steps onto the road when he saw him and stopped.
He was playing with one of his crystals, twirling it about rather importantly. As they emerged from the stand of trees, his eyes darted up as though he had been jarred from a trance and for one moment that lasted for about a million years, their eyes met. She knew somewhere in the back of her mind that he really didn't know it was her, that he had no idea she was anything other than your run-of-the-mill blood-sucking creature of the night, but that didn't stop her from realizing who he was and that he was this close to her. She felt a wave of liquid fire rush through her veins and her breath caught in her throat as she colored a lovely shade of bright pink beneath her all-consuming veil. The very sight of him was enough to make her body burn. Heaven forbid he should touch her! Luckily, she was still surrounded by the horde of vampires, and they swept her along easily, bringing her back to her senses. It also helped that Jareth had looked away, diverting his attention back to the crystal, then to his stallion.
Once back in the saddle, Sarah followed Akiris's advice, riding among the vampires so that she didn't do anything stupid, like blurt out loud that she was incredibly attracted to Jareth and even though it was against her better judgment, she wanted to..she shook herself forcefully. Not going there, nope, not gonna think it, she assured herself as her treacherous mind went right along imagining what he could do to her body and make her feel..she wanted to scream with frustration. Instead, she concentrated on the movement of her horse, falling into the motion of the beast's slow even pace, her eyes boring into Jareth's back the whole time. Miserable, she resigned herself to chewing on her lower lip and watching his regal form ahead of her for the duration of the journey through the woods and silently surrendering her self respect to the unhappy truth of the matter: she wanted him.
A/N: Well, how was that? I really hope I am not getting rusty after so much time away from the story.anywho, I am already working on the next chapter, so hope for it soon, but don't get your hopes too high, just in case. Please review and I will do my best to get this next chapter up asap :) Cya on the inside!