*
AN: *makes a triumphant sound because she used the word 'elevator' instead of'lift'* Hah! My American is getting better, you see! Right, but thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Thanks Born-Of-Elven-Blood for the chocolate covered Jareth. The whip cream had melted off his nose and he'd eaten the cherry himself by the time he showed up at my flat. He was a bit angry as well. Saying something about how chocolate sauce wasn't his colour and he was much more of clotted cream and strawberry syrup sort of bloke because it complements the soft highlights in his hair. Ah, well. Can't have everything. :D
*
There was a stunned silence around the table as Sarah's friends watched she and Jareth run out of the restaurant without anything in the way of an explanation.
"Right, what happened in that bathroom?" Griffon joked tersely, earning a glare from everyone. "What!"
"Should we go see if everything's all right?" Timothy said slowly.
Fiona and Emily exchanged a look. "Perhaps we should---" Emily started to say and then Fiona stood up quite unexpectedly.
"I'll be right back" she mumbled.
Timothy sent Emily a glare as Fiona left the restaurant. "Right, we deserve to know what's going on" he said, exasperation tingeing his voice.
"Nothing going on" Emily said weakly
"Nothing?" Griffon lit another cigarette and blew smoke her direction. "Sweetie, you are *so* lying"
"I'm not" Emily insisted
Timothy and Griffon shared a look. "Tell us" Timothy demanded
She sighed heavily and took a hearty gulp of wine "You're not going to believe me but---"
*
Jareth watched Sarah's form waver and disappear. He clutched desperately at the air her body had previously been occupying and swore furiously when his hands came up empty. This wasn't happening. She couldn't have gone. It wasn't possible.
He muttered every curse he knew from all mortal, Fae, and Goblin vocabularies but it did not ease the panic running rampant through his mind.
It was not often that Jareth felt panic, and he didn't like it. But Sarah was gone. He didn't know why, but she was gone. No magic spell that some mere Nosferatu could conjure would be any match for his enchanted crystal. It just didn't make sense.
Jareth put his hands to his face and backed up into the steel elevator door. Sarah's hitched breathing was echoing in his mind and her panicked eyes were all he could see.
This wasn't possible.
The elevator jumped to life and started to move upwards.
*
Sarah hit the soft grass with a hard thud that knocked the wind out of her. She looked down at the broken chain in her hand and felt slightly stupid for having ripped the necklace off her own neck in a moment of panic. There was a soft breeze blowing now and the air felt cooler then it had been moments before. She pushed herself to her feet and instantly stumbled on her high heels.
About twenty yards away was Prince Dacian, his hand was held out and his face contorted into a look of concentration. His black eyes snapped open and poured over her. Sarah felt fear and rage sweep through her stomach and she quickly took check of her surroundings to see if it wasn't to silly to just start running.
"Sarah" Dacian whispered and started towards her.
She took a few steps back. "What have you done" she was happy her voice sounded firm and clear unlike she felt.
"I have brought you to me, my love" Dacian smirked "Are you not pleased?"
"No, I am not pleased" Sarah snapped angrily, she clutched at the necklace and prayed it would bring her some kind of protection now. "What do you intend to do to me?"
Dacian had begun to walk slowly towards her and Sarah began to back up. She soon realized this was a stupid thing to be doing as she was in the middle of giant field and there would be no barriers or roads for miles.
"I should think that would be obvious" he purred, "I am to make you my Queen"
"You can't do it," she said quickly. "You can't"
"Really?" he feigned interest "Why ever is that, my love?"
"Jareth won't let you" Sarah said shakily. She looked down at the silver chain in her hand and realized she had snapped the clasp. What a stupid thing to do. She should have trusted Jareth, perhaps she wouldn't be in the middle of a bleeding felid if she had. Or perhaps, she would be lying unconscious in an elevator. No, Jareth wouldn't have let that happen. Did this mean she trusted him? Yes, of course she did.
Now was not the time to be contemplating her feelings for Jareth, she realized. Now was the time to be figuring out how to get away from the Nosferatu prince who was slowly advancing on her. She pulled the chain and crystal around her neck and tied several desperate knots, hoping it would stay in place.
Dacian found this entirely too funny. "Jareth!" he laughed and looked around "I don't see the high prince anywhere, my darling. How is he to save you?"
"He will" Sarah insisted "Just like last time, he'll save me"
Dacian was suddenly at her side and Sarah jumped with fright. She was sure that he had no magical power, so how did he move so fast?
"I don't have magical power" he purred in her ear, as if reading her mind. He laughed at her wide-eyed look and grasped her elbow. "I cannot read minds, my love, but I can read faces easily enough. And we Nosferatu--- we are very---" she showed up on her other side as if he had vanished himself there. "Very Quick"
Sarah rolled the crystal around in her hands wishing with all her might that Jareth would show up and save her like last time but it seemed rather hopeless. She was still alone with Dacian and that didn't seem to be changing.
He pressed his lips to her ear and Sarah tensed, feeling his warm breath against her cheek. He smelled of ginger and dreadfully heavy scented perfume. It was heady but utterly repulsive.
"You are mine, Sarah" he murmured silkily, scraping his teeth over her neck. "My one and only"
Sarah felt terror slam into her chest and tried to pull away from him but he held tight to her waist with preternatural strength. His arms were crushing her and Sarah felt light headed. Was she really going to die? Or worse, be made Nosferatu?
"Mine" Dacian whispered again, there was a moment's hesitation, in which the wind began to blow again. And then the Nosferatu Prince sunk his teeth into the young girl's neck.
*
Fiona pressed the down button on the lift until she heard a small ping that signalled it's return. The shiny metal doors slid open ominously and inside the plate glass structure stood a rather confused and angry looking Goblin King.
She'd not had the chance to size him up before, as it had only hit after several minutes of staring across the table where she knew him. Fiona had tried to forget him, forget her baby, forget everything. And she had nearly managed it with the help, of course, of several mind altering substances.
What kind of sick coincidence was it that the man who had taken her baby, was the same one who her good friend Sarah would fall for. How strange was it, after all these years to come face to face with him again. Unlike Sarah, Fiona had not changed immaculately from a spoilt young girl to a secure older woman. She was still as confused and lost in the world as she had been at a very pregnant fourteen.
"Where's Sarah--- what's going on?" she said in a rush.
Jareth looked in her direction and seemed distracted by her clomping black boots before he found her face. He pulled out a crystal and cocked his head to the side. "Sarah's gone" his voice was cold and he beckoned Fiona inside the glass elevator with his fingers.
"Gone where?" Fiona's voice rose and she noticed that Jareth was looking and sounding a bit strained at the moment.
"I don't know" he admitted strangely, bouncing the crystal around.
Fiona stared at him "Are you alright?"
He didn't answer, only stared at his bobbing crystal.
"Jareth?" she tried again, snapping her fingers "What's up? Where's Sarah gone? What was up with her hyperventilating?"
As the elevator began to descend the building Jareth bounced the crystal faster until it was just a silvery blur in his hand. He ignored Fiona's question and concentrated on the task at hand.
She tried a different tact as Jareth seemed quite out of it at the moment. "What is that? Last time I saw one of those you used it to send me away from my daughter"
Jareth looked up at her sharply. "So that was you," he said, sounding distracted
"Yes, that was me" Fiona fought the irritation from seeping into her voice. "Where's my baby?"
"Awen is fine" Jareth said softly he caught Fiona's gaze. "I must go now, but perhaps you would like to know that your daughter is a Princess" he gave her a soft smile and tossed the crystal to the floor. Mere moments later he had vanished and Fiona was alone.
She made an enraged sound and pressed the button for the lift to head back up.
*
When Sarah awoke she was dreadfully aware of the stiff mattress beneath her and the burning sensation in her neck. It was as if someone had placed a white hot poker to her throat and let it sear through her skin. She opened her mouth to gasp and was then aware of a coppery taste in her mouth.
It hit her hard what that aftertaste was: blood. Sarah felt her stomach lurch and it was all she could do to roll over and be sick. The contents of her dinner fell over her hand and the side of the bed.
There was a clicking sound, like someone was chastising her for her weak stomach. Sarah lifted her head, her hair obscuring her vision. Her nose and throat were burning with bile and her belly was quivering like she'd just gotten off a roller coaster.
"Dacian" she spat out, whipping her shaking hand on the bed spread and then pushing back her hair.
A dark figure perched in front of her, carefully avoiding the sick and it was all Sarah could do to keep herself propped up.
"Finally awake, my darling" he said smoothly, his face twisting into a cruel grin as he petted her hair and pushed her back onto the bed.
"Get the fuck away from me" she hissed, trying to sound as dangerous as she could. Her voice shook and Dacian smirked at her unconvincing show.
"Now, now darling" he whispered, and took a few tissues from the bed side table which he then used to blot her mouth and hands. "That's no way to talk to your king"
Sarah felt dread fill her. "What have you done to me?"
Dacian ignored the question, he set the tissue on the side table and traced his hands over her delicate features. "You are quite beautiful my love" his index finger traced her lower lip and then moved down her throat to the place, Sarah realized, he must have bitten her. She felt her stomach lurch again and then Dacian was tracing her collar bones and the bones in her chest, his finger like an ice cube over her warm human body.
"Stop it" she commanded, she still wore the cocktail dress from earlier and she didn't much like the way he was looking at her. Dacian brought his hand up to the crystal necklace and finally looked at her face.
"This is Jareth's gift, my love?"
"Yes" she said, "Jareth's gift, his protection--- what have you done to me Dacian?"
He gave her an amused sort of look. "I had thought that when I transferred my blood to you, you had been unconscious and that was the reason why there was no change." His lips curled into a grin. "But now I rather think it was because of this necklace"
Sarah was so relived she sighed before glaring triumphantly . "Yes, that's right. That's why"
"Hmmm" Dacian mused, bouncing the crystal in his hand "Well, we can't have that" his face contorted into cruelty and he snapped his wrist, intending to break the crystal off it's chain.
Sarah winced, and closed her eyes. The only thing to protect her would be gone and then what would happen? Couldn't Jareth have made it a bit more unobvious? A giant bobbing crystal was just asking to b torn from one's neck.
Instead of hearing the snap she was so sure was coming, Sarah was amazed when Dacian made an enraged sound and pulled away. He shook his fingers as if he had been burned and glared at her. "He has bewitched it!"
Sarah looked down at her necklace and touched it tenderly. It seemed to be giving off a soft blue glow that warmed the tips of her fingers. In very abstract way the crystal seemed positively proud to have hurt the Nosferatu prince.
"Vile thing" the prince muttered, his eyes dancing around the room with some new panicked emotion in his eyes. Sarah realized that he was frightened and confused. He didn't know what was going on and things were most definitely not going his way.
Sarah pushed herself into a sitting position against the bed's headboard and took a moment to look around the room. She was startled to discover that it was some sort of soft looking country-English styled chamber. There was an oak dressing table in the corner, a rocking chair and large quilt that someone had most likely spent painstaking time on, tacked up on the wall for display. The floor was hardwood and terribly scuffed, the bed was rickety with a pretty blue flower duvet and squashy feather pillows. All along the walls were wires that had been plastered and painted over, a sure sign that Sarah was still in England.
"Where are we?" she asked Dacian, who had turned his back to her and was now muttering things under his breath. She wondered if he was some sort of mad cracker. Well, obviously.
He turned back to her, his cold dark eyes piercing and angry "Well, now, my love, why don't you take a look"
He gestured to the single pained window with a heater underneath the sill and heavy hotel-like drapes blocking the view. Sarah slid off the bed to her feet, her knees quaking and walked past Dacian, unable to help feeling like she was being set up. What would be out that window? Some sort of molten lava pit? A labyrinth? Black space?
Sarah pushed the drapes back slowly and felt Dacian's eyes upon her. To her complete surprise there was no terrifying sight outside the window, but a quiet little English town. Rickey streets and crumbling Edwardian houses as well as a large MacDonald's sign sticking up reassuringly in the distance. Sarah felt a relived smile flick across her face.
A cool hand touched her hair and then moved down to her heart. Sarah felt the smile drop off her face as Dacian slung his other arm around her waist and buried his face in her hair.
"Does that make you happy, my darling Queen?" he purred, Sarah felt cold fear seep through her veins but couldn't pull away from his inhuman grip.
"Yes" she gritted out. "My world makes me happy, whereas you make me generally miserable, and I am certainly *not* your Queen"
"But you could be" Dacian breathed, brushing his cheek against hers and pulling her steadily back into his chest. There was a note of hopefulness in his tone when he next spoke. "You could be, and I could make you happy, my Queen. My beautiful Queen. I could make it like this for you there, and you would love me and be happy"
"I will never be your Queen" Sarah said stonily, she concentrated hard on the McDonald's sign, glittering gold and red in the dark night.
Dacian's hands tightened on her and Sarah felt his nails digging against the pale flesh of her chest. She cringed and Dacian snarled low in his throat. "So you would be Jareth's Queen, then, wouldn't you? You would take that fool over me? He knows nothing, you know. Of course he is beautiful and of course he would pretend to love you but you could never know for sure that it would be true. Unlike me, my love. I love only you, now and forever it will only be you" he pressed his cold lips to her throat. Sarah swallowed and she could feel him grin cruelly. "He doesn't love you" he hissed.
Sarah vision began to blur and she couldn't believe she was going to start crying over it. It was so stupid, she told herself, not even worth listening too.
"He'll never love you---" Dacian continued, seeing he had struck a nerve. He brushed the curtains close, closing off Sarah's view of her world and pulled her back. She began to resist and the next thing she knew, Dacian was pushing her down on the bed and crawling atop her, his dark hair creating a curtain around her face as he kissed her.
"Gerroff me!" she yelped, twisting her face away. Dacian responded by sinking his teeth into her neck again. Sarah gasped and grabbed at the duvet as the pain hit her. The world was becoming hazy around the edges, like burning photograph and Sarah wondered if he would really kill her. She looked up at the paint chipped ceiling and as it faded out, she wondered if it would be the last thing she ever saw. But her last thought was not of chipped ceilings as she fell way to unconsciousness.
It was of Jareth.
*
Jareth was torn between extreme anger and extreme sadness as he appeared in the large field. His hands were shaking and all though cold was not the reason for the tremors, he realized he was now freezing cold as well. He sneered in disgust, for these were not thoughts the goblin king had. The goblin king did not go around snivelling about the cold or shaking over some girl. What was *happening* to him?
He was sure it was Sarah's fault. Whether it was a good or bad change he wasn't yet sure.
One thing was for sure, he was sick of sitting around waiting. He felt idle and slack for not taking charge of this situation sooner, and now what? Sarah had been kidnapped by a deranged member of the Royal Underground.
He strode over to the stones and as he did so, pulled his hands together to form a large glittering crystal. The world slowed down, a pigeon flying over head began to flap slowly as if stuck in molasses; the wind moved through his hair at a delayed pace and a car coming down the road hardly appeared to be moving at all.
Jareth took a deep breath and tossed the crystal about in his hand until the bird began to fly backwards, the wind moved in reverse and the car rolled backwards. He closed his eyes, so to concentrate on mortal time, looking for the moment, the exact moment and suddenly it was there.
As if nothing at all had happened, Jareth opened his eyes and continued on his way to the Stonehenge. He crossed his arms and let out a long breath. Reordering time was not an easy thing. But it was the only way to use the portal. The Fae clock struck thirteen and Jareth disappeared from the stones.
*
Gwendolyn had taken to wringing her hands and looking around nervously. Jareth had been gone nearly two days and although she knew he was safe with Sarah it did no good to ease her worrying. Princess Aislinn and the High Queen had requested her and Ilareo's presence to discuss their upcoming marriage that morning and the fact that the high Queen had invited The Nosferatu Queen to the meeting was setting Gwendolyn further over the edge.
Ilareo did not fail to notice that his fiancée was having somewhat of a nervous breakdown. He sighed and put a comforting hand over hers. "Calm down, Gwen" he mumbled under his breath to that the Royals present could not hear him. "Everything is going to turn out fine, stop worrying"
She shot him an anxious glance and nodded firmly.
"Isn't it just so exciting?" Queen Moria tittered, "Weddings are always such happy affairs, there really should be more of them"
Gwendolyn had to bite her tongue from saying anything rude. "Thank you" she bit out and then narrowed her eyes when Aislinn giggled into her tea cup.
"Have you thought more about if you would like the ceremony in the grand ball room?" the High Queen asked, tapping her temple as if she had a headache coming on. Frankly, this whole situation with the Nosferatu Prince and the peace with the trolls and Sarah's disappearance was becoming a bit of a strain on Mariead. She was after all, over eight centuries old; she was not some young thing anymore. Catering to Moria's wishes was not helping the situation.
"We couldn't possibly" Gwendolyn gushed, grasping Ilareo's hand in a vice like grip. "We haven't that many people to invite, just a small ceremony--- our family and close friends"
"Lady Gwendolyn," Aislinn said softly, placing her teacup down and fixing her cold blue stare on the couple in front of her. "Do you not consider Jareth to be your brother? For that would make you my sister and I would not miss a sister's wedding for the world"
"You're too kind, Princess" Gwendolyn mumbled.
"Besides, who doesn't want a large grand affair of a wedding?" beamed Moria.
"Indeed" the high Queen agreed, smiling "You shall do us a great service in letting us plan your special day, Lady Gwendo---"
The High Queen was cut off when in a sparkle of glitter her son appeared in the middle of the room. The glitter, which normally looked so perfectly dramatic looked a bit strange with the attire the High Prince had on, Gwendolyn noted. Strange black trousers, a white shirt and a trench coat cinched at his slim waist.
"What have you done to your hair?" Aislinn shrieked while Mariead jumped out of her seat with alarming speed and pulled her son into her arms.
"Oh my Zeus! I'm so glad you're all right my little Prince!" she cried.
"Mum!" Jareth said, his voice disgruntled at having his much shorter mother hug him so tightly in such a show of emotion that Fae weren't partial too.
"Where's my Dacian?" Moria demanded, clambering to her feet.
Jareth pushed his mother aside and faced the pale dark haired woman who was probably older then all of them combined. "Queen Mariead" he said, his voice cold and arrogant, the Goblin King was speaking.
She raised her chin. "Yes, your highness?"
Jareth sneered at her "I feel I should let you know that your son the Nosferatu Prince is to be charged with treason, kidnapping and attempted murder upon his return to the Underground" Jareth felt his stomach muscles clench as the words 'attempted murder' flowed out of his mouth. He certainly hoped it had only been attempted.
"What are you talking about?" Moria hissed, she looked at Mariead, "he's mad, surely"
"My brother is not mad" Aislinn said snidely "And he does not prattle off accusations with out good reason"
"Of course I wouldn't" Jareth shot Aislinn an amused look before turning to look at his aghast mother. He then launched into an explanation of what had been going on. Gwendolyn twisted her hands further as he got to the bit about Sarah disappearing. She couldn't help feel despair at how bland and toneless and utterly bored Jareth's voice sounded. It was like he was purposely making himself dull.
Ilareo had clamped his hand down tightly on her shoulder and was staring at his King with wide eyes, waiting for his command. Once Queen Moria had left the room, ranting about the unjustness of it all, Jareth gave him them.
"Ilareo, assemble the guard" Jareth said softly.
*
AN: Weee! How would everyone feel if once I finished up this story, I continued with a part two? Eh? Eh? Bad idea, or what?
Remember to REVIEW
AN: *makes a triumphant sound because she used the word 'elevator' instead of'lift'* Hah! My American is getting better, you see! Right, but thank you all for the wonderful reviews. Thanks Born-Of-Elven-Blood for the chocolate covered Jareth. The whip cream had melted off his nose and he'd eaten the cherry himself by the time he showed up at my flat. He was a bit angry as well. Saying something about how chocolate sauce wasn't his colour and he was much more of clotted cream and strawberry syrup sort of bloke because it complements the soft highlights in his hair. Ah, well. Can't have everything. :D
*
There was a stunned silence around the table as Sarah's friends watched she and Jareth run out of the restaurant without anything in the way of an explanation.
"Right, what happened in that bathroom?" Griffon joked tersely, earning a glare from everyone. "What!"
"Should we go see if everything's all right?" Timothy said slowly.
Fiona and Emily exchanged a look. "Perhaps we should---" Emily started to say and then Fiona stood up quite unexpectedly.
"I'll be right back" she mumbled.
Timothy sent Emily a glare as Fiona left the restaurant. "Right, we deserve to know what's going on" he said, exasperation tingeing his voice.
"Nothing going on" Emily said weakly
"Nothing?" Griffon lit another cigarette and blew smoke her direction. "Sweetie, you are *so* lying"
"I'm not" Emily insisted
Timothy and Griffon shared a look. "Tell us" Timothy demanded
She sighed heavily and took a hearty gulp of wine "You're not going to believe me but---"
*
Jareth watched Sarah's form waver and disappear. He clutched desperately at the air her body had previously been occupying and swore furiously when his hands came up empty. This wasn't happening. She couldn't have gone. It wasn't possible.
He muttered every curse he knew from all mortal, Fae, and Goblin vocabularies but it did not ease the panic running rampant through his mind.
It was not often that Jareth felt panic, and he didn't like it. But Sarah was gone. He didn't know why, but she was gone. No magic spell that some mere Nosferatu could conjure would be any match for his enchanted crystal. It just didn't make sense.
Jareth put his hands to his face and backed up into the steel elevator door. Sarah's hitched breathing was echoing in his mind and her panicked eyes were all he could see.
This wasn't possible.
The elevator jumped to life and started to move upwards.
*
Sarah hit the soft grass with a hard thud that knocked the wind out of her. She looked down at the broken chain in her hand and felt slightly stupid for having ripped the necklace off her own neck in a moment of panic. There was a soft breeze blowing now and the air felt cooler then it had been moments before. She pushed herself to her feet and instantly stumbled on her high heels.
About twenty yards away was Prince Dacian, his hand was held out and his face contorted into a look of concentration. His black eyes snapped open and poured over her. Sarah felt fear and rage sweep through her stomach and she quickly took check of her surroundings to see if it wasn't to silly to just start running.
"Sarah" Dacian whispered and started towards her.
She took a few steps back. "What have you done" she was happy her voice sounded firm and clear unlike she felt.
"I have brought you to me, my love" Dacian smirked "Are you not pleased?"
"No, I am not pleased" Sarah snapped angrily, she clutched at the necklace and prayed it would bring her some kind of protection now. "What do you intend to do to me?"
Dacian had begun to walk slowly towards her and Sarah began to back up. She soon realized this was a stupid thing to be doing as she was in the middle of giant field and there would be no barriers or roads for miles.
"I should think that would be obvious" he purred, "I am to make you my Queen"
"You can't do it," she said quickly. "You can't"
"Really?" he feigned interest "Why ever is that, my love?"
"Jareth won't let you" Sarah said shakily. She looked down at the silver chain in her hand and realized she had snapped the clasp. What a stupid thing to do. She should have trusted Jareth, perhaps she wouldn't be in the middle of a bleeding felid if she had. Or perhaps, she would be lying unconscious in an elevator. No, Jareth wouldn't have let that happen. Did this mean she trusted him? Yes, of course she did.
Now was not the time to be contemplating her feelings for Jareth, she realized. Now was the time to be figuring out how to get away from the Nosferatu prince who was slowly advancing on her. She pulled the chain and crystal around her neck and tied several desperate knots, hoping it would stay in place.
Dacian found this entirely too funny. "Jareth!" he laughed and looked around "I don't see the high prince anywhere, my darling. How is he to save you?"
"He will" Sarah insisted "Just like last time, he'll save me"
Dacian was suddenly at her side and Sarah jumped with fright. She was sure that he had no magical power, so how did he move so fast?
"I don't have magical power" he purred in her ear, as if reading her mind. He laughed at her wide-eyed look and grasped her elbow. "I cannot read minds, my love, but I can read faces easily enough. And we Nosferatu--- we are very---" she showed up on her other side as if he had vanished himself there. "Very Quick"
Sarah rolled the crystal around in her hands wishing with all her might that Jareth would show up and save her like last time but it seemed rather hopeless. She was still alone with Dacian and that didn't seem to be changing.
He pressed his lips to her ear and Sarah tensed, feeling his warm breath against her cheek. He smelled of ginger and dreadfully heavy scented perfume. It was heady but utterly repulsive.
"You are mine, Sarah" he murmured silkily, scraping his teeth over her neck. "My one and only"
Sarah felt terror slam into her chest and tried to pull away from him but he held tight to her waist with preternatural strength. His arms were crushing her and Sarah felt light headed. Was she really going to die? Or worse, be made Nosferatu?
"Mine" Dacian whispered again, there was a moment's hesitation, in which the wind began to blow again. And then the Nosferatu Prince sunk his teeth into the young girl's neck.
*
Fiona pressed the down button on the lift until she heard a small ping that signalled it's return. The shiny metal doors slid open ominously and inside the plate glass structure stood a rather confused and angry looking Goblin King.
She'd not had the chance to size him up before, as it had only hit after several minutes of staring across the table where she knew him. Fiona had tried to forget him, forget her baby, forget everything. And she had nearly managed it with the help, of course, of several mind altering substances.
What kind of sick coincidence was it that the man who had taken her baby, was the same one who her good friend Sarah would fall for. How strange was it, after all these years to come face to face with him again. Unlike Sarah, Fiona had not changed immaculately from a spoilt young girl to a secure older woman. She was still as confused and lost in the world as she had been at a very pregnant fourteen.
"Where's Sarah--- what's going on?" she said in a rush.
Jareth looked in her direction and seemed distracted by her clomping black boots before he found her face. He pulled out a crystal and cocked his head to the side. "Sarah's gone" his voice was cold and he beckoned Fiona inside the glass elevator with his fingers.
"Gone where?" Fiona's voice rose and she noticed that Jareth was looking and sounding a bit strained at the moment.
"I don't know" he admitted strangely, bouncing the crystal around.
Fiona stared at him "Are you alright?"
He didn't answer, only stared at his bobbing crystal.
"Jareth?" she tried again, snapping her fingers "What's up? Where's Sarah gone? What was up with her hyperventilating?"
As the elevator began to descend the building Jareth bounced the crystal faster until it was just a silvery blur in his hand. He ignored Fiona's question and concentrated on the task at hand.
She tried a different tact as Jareth seemed quite out of it at the moment. "What is that? Last time I saw one of those you used it to send me away from my daughter"
Jareth looked up at her sharply. "So that was you," he said, sounding distracted
"Yes, that was me" Fiona fought the irritation from seeping into her voice. "Where's my baby?"
"Awen is fine" Jareth said softly he caught Fiona's gaze. "I must go now, but perhaps you would like to know that your daughter is a Princess" he gave her a soft smile and tossed the crystal to the floor. Mere moments later he had vanished and Fiona was alone.
She made an enraged sound and pressed the button for the lift to head back up.
*
When Sarah awoke she was dreadfully aware of the stiff mattress beneath her and the burning sensation in her neck. It was as if someone had placed a white hot poker to her throat and let it sear through her skin. She opened her mouth to gasp and was then aware of a coppery taste in her mouth.
It hit her hard what that aftertaste was: blood. Sarah felt her stomach lurch and it was all she could do to roll over and be sick. The contents of her dinner fell over her hand and the side of the bed.
There was a clicking sound, like someone was chastising her for her weak stomach. Sarah lifted her head, her hair obscuring her vision. Her nose and throat were burning with bile and her belly was quivering like she'd just gotten off a roller coaster.
"Dacian" she spat out, whipping her shaking hand on the bed spread and then pushing back her hair.
A dark figure perched in front of her, carefully avoiding the sick and it was all Sarah could do to keep herself propped up.
"Finally awake, my darling" he said smoothly, his face twisting into a cruel grin as he petted her hair and pushed her back onto the bed.
"Get the fuck away from me" she hissed, trying to sound as dangerous as she could. Her voice shook and Dacian smirked at her unconvincing show.
"Now, now darling" he whispered, and took a few tissues from the bed side table which he then used to blot her mouth and hands. "That's no way to talk to your king"
Sarah felt dread fill her. "What have you done to me?"
Dacian ignored the question, he set the tissue on the side table and traced his hands over her delicate features. "You are quite beautiful my love" his index finger traced her lower lip and then moved down her throat to the place, Sarah realized, he must have bitten her. She felt her stomach lurch again and then Dacian was tracing her collar bones and the bones in her chest, his finger like an ice cube over her warm human body.
"Stop it" she commanded, she still wore the cocktail dress from earlier and she didn't much like the way he was looking at her. Dacian brought his hand up to the crystal necklace and finally looked at her face.
"This is Jareth's gift, my love?"
"Yes" she said, "Jareth's gift, his protection--- what have you done to me Dacian?"
He gave her an amused sort of look. "I had thought that when I transferred my blood to you, you had been unconscious and that was the reason why there was no change." His lips curled into a grin. "But now I rather think it was because of this necklace"
Sarah was so relived she sighed before glaring triumphantly . "Yes, that's right. That's why"
"Hmmm" Dacian mused, bouncing the crystal in his hand "Well, we can't have that" his face contorted into cruelty and he snapped his wrist, intending to break the crystal off it's chain.
Sarah winced, and closed her eyes. The only thing to protect her would be gone and then what would happen? Couldn't Jareth have made it a bit more unobvious? A giant bobbing crystal was just asking to b torn from one's neck.
Instead of hearing the snap she was so sure was coming, Sarah was amazed when Dacian made an enraged sound and pulled away. He shook his fingers as if he had been burned and glared at her. "He has bewitched it!"
Sarah looked down at her necklace and touched it tenderly. It seemed to be giving off a soft blue glow that warmed the tips of her fingers. In very abstract way the crystal seemed positively proud to have hurt the Nosferatu prince.
"Vile thing" the prince muttered, his eyes dancing around the room with some new panicked emotion in his eyes. Sarah realized that he was frightened and confused. He didn't know what was going on and things were most definitely not going his way.
Sarah pushed herself into a sitting position against the bed's headboard and took a moment to look around the room. She was startled to discover that it was some sort of soft looking country-English styled chamber. There was an oak dressing table in the corner, a rocking chair and large quilt that someone had most likely spent painstaking time on, tacked up on the wall for display. The floor was hardwood and terribly scuffed, the bed was rickety with a pretty blue flower duvet and squashy feather pillows. All along the walls were wires that had been plastered and painted over, a sure sign that Sarah was still in England.
"Where are we?" she asked Dacian, who had turned his back to her and was now muttering things under his breath. She wondered if he was some sort of mad cracker. Well, obviously.
He turned back to her, his cold dark eyes piercing and angry "Well, now, my love, why don't you take a look"
He gestured to the single pained window with a heater underneath the sill and heavy hotel-like drapes blocking the view. Sarah slid off the bed to her feet, her knees quaking and walked past Dacian, unable to help feeling like she was being set up. What would be out that window? Some sort of molten lava pit? A labyrinth? Black space?
Sarah pushed the drapes back slowly and felt Dacian's eyes upon her. To her complete surprise there was no terrifying sight outside the window, but a quiet little English town. Rickey streets and crumbling Edwardian houses as well as a large MacDonald's sign sticking up reassuringly in the distance. Sarah felt a relived smile flick across her face.
A cool hand touched her hair and then moved down to her heart. Sarah felt the smile drop off her face as Dacian slung his other arm around her waist and buried his face in her hair.
"Does that make you happy, my darling Queen?" he purred, Sarah felt cold fear seep through her veins but couldn't pull away from his inhuman grip.
"Yes" she gritted out. "My world makes me happy, whereas you make me generally miserable, and I am certainly *not* your Queen"
"But you could be" Dacian breathed, brushing his cheek against hers and pulling her steadily back into his chest. There was a note of hopefulness in his tone when he next spoke. "You could be, and I could make you happy, my Queen. My beautiful Queen. I could make it like this for you there, and you would love me and be happy"
"I will never be your Queen" Sarah said stonily, she concentrated hard on the McDonald's sign, glittering gold and red in the dark night.
Dacian's hands tightened on her and Sarah felt his nails digging against the pale flesh of her chest. She cringed and Dacian snarled low in his throat. "So you would be Jareth's Queen, then, wouldn't you? You would take that fool over me? He knows nothing, you know. Of course he is beautiful and of course he would pretend to love you but you could never know for sure that it would be true. Unlike me, my love. I love only you, now and forever it will only be you" he pressed his cold lips to her throat. Sarah swallowed and she could feel him grin cruelly. "He doesn't love you" he hissed.
Sarah vision began to blur and she couldn't believe she was going to start crying over it. It was so stupid, she told herself, not even worth listening too.
"He'll never love you---" Dacian continued, seeing he had struck a nerve. He brushed the curtains close, closing off Sarah's view of her world and pulled her back. She began to resist and the next thing she knew, Dacian was pushing her down on the bed and crawling atop her, his dark hair creating a curtain around her face as he kissed her.
"Gerroff me!" she yelped, twisting her face away. Dacian responded by sinking his teeth into her neck again. Sarah gasped and grabbed at the duvet as the pain hit her. The world was becoming hazy around the edges, like burning photograph and Sarah wondered if he would really kill her. She looked up at the paint chipped ceiling and as it faded out, she wondered if it would be the last thing she ever saw. But her last thought was not of chipped ceilings as she fell way to unconsciousness.
It was of Jareth.
*
Jareth was torn between extreme anger and extreme sadness as he appeared in the large field. His hands were shaking and all though cold was not the reason for the tremors, he realized he was now freezing cold as well. He sneered in disgust, for these were not thoughts the goblin king had. The goblin king did not go around snivelling about the cold or shaking over some girl. What was *happening* to him?
He was sure it was Sarah's fault. Whether it was a good or bad change he wasn't yet sure.
One thing was for sure, he was sick of sitting around waiting. He felt idle and slack for not taking charge of this situation sooner, and now what? Sarah had been kidnapped by a deranged member of the Royal Underground.
He strode over to the stones and as he did so, pulled his hands together to form a large glittering crystal. The world slowed down, a pigeon flying over head began to flap slowly as if stuck in molasses; the wind moved through his hair at a delayed pace and a car coming down the road hardly appeared to be moving at all.
Jareth took a deep breath and tossed the crystal about in his hand until the bird began to fly backwards, the wind moved in reverse and the car rolled backwards. He closed his eyes, so to concentrate on mortal time, looking for the moment, the exact moment and suddenly it was there.
As if nothing at all had happened, Jareth opened his eyes and continued on his way to the Stonehenge. He crossed his arms and let out a long breath. Reordering time was not an easy thing. But it was the only way to use the portal. The Fae clock struck thirteen and Jareth disappeared from the stones.
*
Gwendolyn had taken to wringing her hands and looking around nervously. Jareth had been gone nearly two days and although she knew he was safe with Sarah it did no good to ease her worrying. Princess Aislinn and the High Queen had requested her and Ilareo's presence to discuss their upcoming marriage that morning and the fact that the high Queen had invited The Nosferatu Queen to the meeting was setting Gwendolyn further over the edge.
Ilareo did not fail to notice that his fiancée was having somewhat of a nervous breakdown. He sighed and put a comforting hand over hers. "Calm down, Gwen" he mumbled under his breath to that the Royals present could not hear him. "Everything is going to turn out fine, stop worrying"
She shot him an anxious glance and nodded firmly.
"Isn't it just so exciting?" Queen Moria tittered, "Weddings are always such happy affairs, there really should be more of them"
Gwendolyn had to bite her tongue from saying anything rude. "Thank you" she bit out and then narrowed her eyes when Aislinn giggled into her tea cup.
"Have you thought more about if you would like the ceremony in the grand ball room?" the High Queen asked, tapping her temple as if she had a headache coming on. Frankly, this whole situation with the Nosferatu Prince and the peace with the trolls and Sarah's disappearance was becoming a bit of a strain on Mariead. She was after all, over eight centuries old; she was not some young thing anymore. Catering to Moria's wishes was not helping the situation.
"We couldn't possibly" Gwendolyn gushed, grasping Ilareo's hand in a vice like grip. "We haven't that many people to invite, just a small ceremony--- our family and close friends"
"Lady Gwendolyn," Aislinn said softly, placing her teacup down and fixing her cold blue stare on the couple in front of her. "Do you not consider Jareth to be your brother? For that would make you my sister and I would not miss a sister's wedding for the world"
"You're too kind, Princess" Gwendolyn mumbled.
"Besides, who doesn't want a large grand affair of a wedding?" beamed Moria.
"Indeed" the high Queen agreed, smiling "You shall do us a great service in letting us plan your special day, Lady Gwendo---"
The High Queen was cut off when in a sparkle of glitter her son appeared in the middle of the room. The glitter, which normally looked so perfectly dramatic looked a bit strange with the attire the High Prince had on, Gwendolyn noted. Strange black trousers, a white shirt and a trench coat cinched at his slim waist.
"What have you done to your hair?" Aislinn shrieked while Mariead jumped out of her seat with alarming speed and pulled her son into her arms.
"Oh my Zeus! I'm so glad you're all right my little Prince!" she cried.
"Mum!" Jareth said, his voice disgruntled at having his much shorter mother hug him so tightly in such a show of emotion that Fae weren't partial too.
"Where's my Dacian?" Moria demanded, clambering to her feet.
Jareth pushed his mother aside and faced the pale dark haired woman who was probably older then all of them combined. "Queen Mariead" he said, his voice cold and arrogant, the Goblin King was speaking.
She raised her chin. "Yes, your highness?"
Jareth sneered at her "I feel I should let you know that your son the Nosferatu Prince is to be charged with treason, kidnapping and attempted murder upon his return to the Underground" Jareth felt his stomach muscles clench as the words 'attempted murder' flowed out of his mouth. He certainly hoped it had only been attempted.
"What are you talking about?" Moria hissed, she looked at Mariead, "he's mad, surely"
"My brother is not mad" Aislinn said snidely "And he does not prattle off accusations with out good reason"
"Of course I wouldn't" Jareth shot Aislinn an amused look before turning to look at his aghast mother. He then launched into an explanation of what had been going on. Gwendolyn twisted her hands further as he got to the bit about Sarah disappearing. She couldn't help feel despair at how bland and toneless and utterly bored Jareth's voice sounded. It was like he was purposely making himself dull.
Ilareo had clamped his hand down tightly on her shoulder and was staring at his King with wide eyes, waiting for his command. Once Queen Moria had left the room, ranting about the unjustness of it all, Jareth gave him them.
"Ilareo, assemble the guard" Jareth said softly.
*
AN: Weee! How would everyone feel if once I finished up this story, I continued with a part two? Eh? Eh? Bad idea, or what?
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