As the World Falls Down Chapter 2: Mornings of Gold, a labyrinth fanfic

Chapter 1 : Mornings of Gold

I'll paint you mornings of gold
I'll spin you Valentine evenings
Though we're strangers till now
We're choosing the path between the stars
I'll leave my love between the stars

David Bowie

Sarah moaned when she tried to open her eyes. The sun was streaming into the room very brightly. She wondered vaguely why her dad hadn't woke her up when he got home.

She slid deeper under the covers and suddenly noticed two very outstanding things about where she was. The first thing she noticed was the satin sheets under her, and the quickly following second was that the bed she was in was much larger than hers at home.

Carefully, Sarah ran her hands along the top of the covers and marveled at the silk beneath her touch. She looked down and cracked an eye open, revealing to her part of the large satin bed and the stone wall beyond. Closing her eye again, she willed herself to be back at home as she continued stroking the fine silk.

Her hand moving further to the right, she began to realize that she was not alone in the bed. She turned and cracked her eyes open once again, to be presented with a broad back, very obviously male.

Sarah squeaked and clasped the covers, rolling off the bed. A yawn sounded from the bed above her, and the unknown man grumbled about her taking all the covers. She felt the bed shift as he got up, and waited for him to come around to her side.

Though she hadn't expected that he wouldn't be wearing anything. At all. Period. He gave her a winning smile, which, she expected, probably made most girls within a fifty mile radius drop to their knees and beg to marry him. "Good morning, dove. Did you sleep well?"

She was shocked into temporary silence that he could be so brazen, but quickly she found her voice and replied, with unmistakable sarcasm in her tone, "Oh yes, I most assuredly did." She was about to ditch the covers to be at eye level with him, or at least, close to it, when she noticed she was wearing nothing but her undergarments, white lace and all.

Casting her glace around the part of the room she could see, she found her dress folded neatly on a round table nearby. Thinking quickly, Sarah tossed the blankets at Jereth's head and darted over the dress, quickly throwing it on. His laughter sounded behind her. "There's no need to be shy. Who do you think took that sopping wet thing off you last night in the first place?"

She whirled around and glared at him, her face flushed red. "And just what do you think is so funny?"

"You. At first you are so brazen, and then you are trying to hide from me what I have already seen before, and that which is nothing new to me." That, of course, was a lie. She was surprisingly well put together under all of that costume, in his opinion.

Sarah screamed and grabbed the vase off the table and hurled it at him. He laughed again and caught it. "My aren't we feisty this morning?" She glared at him furiously before stomping over to the water pitcher and pouring herself a glass of water. When she had reached the bottom of that glass she turned to find him still looking at her, and still missing his clothes. She had come to the assumption that he was Jereth, though she hadn't the slightest clue how she had gotten to where she was.

She looked down at the floor. "Perhaps you should get dressed so we can talk like two civilized human beings." Though she couldn't tell through her examination of the floor, he had a mildly hurt expression on his face, before snapping his fingers to clothe himself in a simple day garment.

"Is this better suited to your tastes, my lady?" She looked back up and nodded.

"And now, I must ask you, why am I here? How did I get here?"

"In answer to your first question, you are here because you requested to be here, and I desire you to be here as well. To the second, it was I who brought you here, while you were asleep."

She blushed at the remembrance that he had taken her all the way to his room and half way unclothed her while she was still asleep. "And what do you plan to do with me, now that I am here."

He seemed to shift into a business state of being, and stated matter-of-factly, "Well being as I have yet to find a lady as suitable as yourself, I plan to marry you on the next sunset."

Sarah jumped in shock. "You plan to…? Tonight?!"

Jereth sighed. "I said the next sunset. Tomorrow, dear one."

Blood rushed into her face. "You expect me to marry you without even barely knowing you, just because I'm 'suitable'?!"

He shrugged indifferently. "Is that a problem?"

"Yes! It most definitely is!" She turned and stormed out of the room, slamming the door behind her. A few moments later she stormed back into the room. "Where the hell am I?" She demanded.

He laughed easily. "You are in our room."

"And where can I go, when I'm out of this room?"

"Anywhere your heart desires, so long as it's on the castle grounds," When Sarah started to turn he spoke again, "But, if I may be so bold, I suggest you change your clothes before you go wandering about. People may think you look silly in that thing."

She slowly and insolently turned around, her eyes glowing and deep forest green. "And just where do you think I'm supposed to get clothes when all of my clothes are at home, which is exactly where I wish I was right now?" He looked unaffected and pointed to a wardrobe she hadn't noticed before. The doors swung open to reveal many dresses in all shades imaginable.

She moved to it and sifted through the dresses, marveling at all the fine fabrics and jewels represented. Finally she settled on a simple scooped neck brown dress with amber accents on the quarter length sleeves. Looking around the room once again, she found a screen set up in a corner.

While she was changing, Jereth complained loudly. "Why did you have to pick the ugliest one in there?" When Sarah pointed out that he was the one who put it there in the first place, he commenced with grumbling under his breath. She tugged at the neckline, trying to make it come up a bit higher, but the dress seemed to like it better where it was.

Coming out from behind the screen, she found Jereth standing on just the other side. He held out his arm for her to take. She gave him a curious look. He replied to that look, as if he had read her mind, "I want to take you on a tour of the castle. I wouldn't want my future bride getting lost her first day."

She raised a brow, but decided to let the bride thing slide just that once. "I suppose I could spare the time." She replied regally.

He laughed, a deep and rich sound. "I can already tell we're going to get along fine."

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It was nearly noon. The sun streamed down brilliantly, as if to make up for the storm of yesterday. Jereth admired the way it bounced off her dark locks and turned them a deep shade of brown. They were passing through the garden, and Sarah was marveling at his large collection of rare and beautiful plants. He stopped at a bush of red roses and pulled several out. Sarah watched him with bright eyes while he quickly weaved a wreath out of the flowers and removed the thorns. When he was sure all the thorns were gone, he gently placed it on top of her head.

Sarah reached up and gently touched one of the flowers and smiled at him in thanks. He held out his arm again, and she took it, allowing him to lead her onward. They came to a large set of doors elaborately carved with swirls and mythical creatures that Sarah didn't recognize, much like the doors to the throne room. They opened as Jereth and Sarah neared, revealing a dark room with something on a table in the center that glowed.

He turned to look at her, the glow lending his face an eerie look. "This is something that I truly think you'll enjoy." He dropped his arm and urged her forward silently.

She looked suspiciously at the glowing objects on the table and moved towards them cautiously. As she neared the table the shapes resolved into three glowing crystals. She turned to look at Jereth questioningly. "These are the three Crystals. Each one serves a different purpose. The one glowing red will show you your nightmares, the one glowing blue will show you your dreams, and the one glowing white shows you anywhere you wish to see."

Sarah nodded and turned back to the Crystals. Knowing that she did not want to see her nightmares, she turned first to the one glowing blue. Looking into it, she began to see shadows. Leaning closer the shadows resolved into shapes, and finally people. "What do you see?" Questioned Jereth.

"I see…me…and, it looks like I'm….fencing?"

He raised a brow, though she couldn't see that. "You'd like to learn skills with the sword?"

"Yeah." She replied distractedly, still looking into the crystal. She stared as the shapes changed. "Now I'm…dancing. With someone….I can't see who it is…"

He chuckled. "A lady fencing ballroom dancer. Quite the contradiction. Though if it is what you wish to do, I'm sure I can find a way to get you a sword and a dancing instructor."

Sarah just grunted until she realized what he'd just said. Whirling to face him. "Really? You'd do that for me?"

He nodded, and she launched herself at him, wrapping her arms around him. He was more than a little shocked. When she let him go she looked up at him with her eyes shining brightly, the wreath on her head sitting crooked. He laughed and readjusted it. "You are easy to excite aren't you?"

Sarah blushed lightly. "I'm sorry, I've just always wanted to learn to do those things."

Jereth nodded. "Are we through here?" Sarah shook her head.

"Just one moment, I want to use the white Crystal to look at something I've always wanted to see."

"And what is that?"

She grinned at him. "Paris in the spring." And with that she turned back to the Crystals and looked into the white one. In a few moments she was back at his side and clamped onto his arm. "Where are we going next?"

He smiled back. "It's a surprise."

Jereth placed a hand over Sarah's eyes when they reached a set of white doors. The doors opened and he led her in. When she was in the center of the room he removed his hand.

She gasped and turned in several circles, drinking in what she saw. Scattered about the room were rows and rows of cases containing jewelry, and along the walls were many shelves with rich fabrics folded neatly. "You can have anything here you like, and my servants will be happy to design you any clothing you desire. All it takes is a word."

A servant moved around Jereth into the room and took an accessing look at Sarah. She suddenly felt very self conscious and shifted slightly. The elderly woman turned back to Jereth. "Where did you find this desert rose, my Lord?" Jereth watched as Sarah flushed at being referred to as a desert rose.

"Never mind that Lyn. I want you to make sure this desert rose gets whatever she asks for. Anything she wants is hers to have and should be taken immediately to our room, unless she says otherwise. Understood?" Lyn gave him a knowing look that made him shift uncomfortably before turning and beaming at Sarah.

Sarah smiled back. Jereth came to her side. "I'm going to go to the armory and pick out some practice swords for you, spend as much time here as you like. Do you still remember the way to the room?" She nodded. "Good." Jereth said before giving her a small, chaste peck on the cheek before leaving the room. She placed a hand over the place his lips had touched and felt a strange fluttering in her stomach. She turned her attention to Lyn who was glancing from the door to Sarah with the most peculiar smile on her face.

"What are you so happy about?" Sarah questioned.

Lyn looked as if she was about to burst with excitement. "Is it true? Did he laugh? Did the King actually laugh?"

Sarah raised a brow. "Yes, he's laughed today. Why is this so odd?" Lyn ignored the question, clapping her hands together happily and running to a nearby case. Opening it, she pulled out a silver chain from which hung a round silver pendant with a deep green emerald embedded in it.

"Does this please you?" Lyn asked, bringing it to Sarah and holding it out.

Sarah stared at the large jewel. "Oh, it's beautiful!"

"Then it is yours." Lyn said, placing clasping the chain behind Sarah's neck. She wrinkled her nose at Sarah's dress. "Let's go pick out some fabric for a new dress for you, shall we?" She stated, pulling her towards the shelves.

Jereth examined several fencing swords, assisted by one of his many goblin servants. The small man led Jereth to a room in back, carrying the sword they had chosen. He placed the sword in an open case and turned, pointing to a small chest.

Jereth bent down and opened the chest to reveal many round jewels waiting to be set into the hilt of a sword. Brushing through the jewels he settled on two emerald and two amber jewels. He smiled at the amber as he handed them to the servant. He took them and placed them carefully into the case, which he closed. "I will have these sent to the smith immediately. Is there anything else you would like, Your Majesty?"

He started to shake his head, but then paused. "Actually, yes. I was hoping to look into daggers." The servant nodded and led him to another room and pointed to a shelf which Jereth approached. He quickly picked one that was engraved with roses and handed it to the man.

"Would you like the same jewels in this one?"

"No. Use rubies." Jereth replied.

The man nodded again and took the dagger back to the small room. And with that Jereth left to look after the preparations for dinner.

AN: So, there's the chapter I've been beaten up and convinced to write. I hope you enjoyed it, I enjoy writing it. Mostly, lol. Anyway, the next chapter things will speed up, I promise! Twists and turns will come! dodges frying pan thrown by her friends and I promise I'll write it as soon as possible!