When Sarah and Aldous entered the ballroom Sarah was amazed by the Fae women, all of them unbelievably tall, elegant and beautiful. They walked with a grace and poise Sarah felt she would never have. The room itself was beautiful, completely white and circular in the traditional style of the Fae. At one end of the room a staircase led to the rest of the palace, at the top of the stairs stood Danae, slim as the sickle moon in a shimmering strapless silver dress, which emphasised her slender frame and pale skin. Her red hair was pulled off her face and pinned up, save for a few escaped curls, which fell on her shoulders. Her crown, a silver circlet with the three pointed emblem of the Goblin Kingdom resting on her brow. Her posture was perfectly regal, her head held high, and Sarah truly admired her dedication to her people. Standing with her, the pair in deep discussion was Roland. He was wearing black britches, black boots, a white poet's shirt and a black military jacket. The dark outfit suited him, setting off his classic good looks and dark hair, it also complemented the paleness of Danae and her dress, they suited each other, Sarah mused.
Aldous soon started discussing politics with a small group of the nobility. Sarah feeling completely at sea, and not wanting to disturb the two lovebirds, who were still having their whispered conversation in a corner, she wandered out onto the balcony. It was a calm cool night, with a hint of rain in the air. A full moon was rising over the city, which lay under the balcony, the torches and candles below flickering like yellow stars in the darkness. The night air was cool and refreshing on Sarah's warm skin. She wrapped her arms around her waist, and hugged herself as she began to feel the chill of the air. She had a sick nervous feeling in the pit of her stomach, especially when she thought of a certain Goblin King.
As Sarah stood staring at the moon a figure appeared behind her, walking up the steps from the rose garden. He was dressed in tight black britches, black boots which had been polished till they shone, a ruffled white shirt, with lace at the collar and cuffs and over the top he wore a midnight blue frock coat, which had jewels encrusted into the velvet fabric. His blond hair was spiked up around his head, with loose strands which dangled on his shoulders. His face smouldered, his expression unreadable. His walk was predatory, like a lion stalking it's prey. She stood staring at the stars, and he watched her, drinking in her appearance.
Then she turned, as if feeling his presence "Jareth" she whispered quietly to herself. He came closer. Hearing his name on her lips he smiled to himself. "Good evening Sarah" he murmured, bringing her hand to his lips and kissing it softly and gently, yet deliberately. Sarah felt her breath catch in her throat. She admitted to herself that she was beginning to like Jareth, however his presence still terrified her.
"How are you enjoying the views of my kingdom?"
"It's beautiful" she breathed, having willed her voice to life, however she was still feeling uncomfortable with the way he was staring at her intently. She turned to face him, their bodies were close, inches apart. She looked up into his mismatched eyes as he brought his face closer and closer to her own. She could feel her heart beating faster and again her breath caught in her chest. She expected his lips to press against hers any second, but he continued to gaze into her eyes, as if searching for something. He moved his head back and spoke.
"You look beautiful this evening Sarah. Shall we?" he beckoned with his arm and led a speechless Sarah back into the ballroom.
The head of proceedings at the Goblin Palace was a short man,, formally dressed man about three inches smaller than Sarah, he had grey hair with flecks of white, a charming smile and a jolly round appearance. Sarah took an immediate liking to him. "Your Highness, My Lady" he bowed to each of them in turn as he addressed them. "Your Majesty, are we ready to begin the proceedings?"
Jareth sighed "Very well Primton, before you start so you know what exactly it is that my sister is planning?"
"Why no Your Majesty, I'm afraid not. Her highness has not informed me of anything"
"And if she had informed you of anything? Would you actually tell me?" Jareth glowered.
Primton replied promptly "I am Your Majesty's loyal servant and I have been for many years, and if her Highness had informed me of anything at all, she could rely on me to keep my lips firmly sealed, as I always have."
Jareth threw back his head and laughed, before gazing across the room towards his sister, Sarah followed Jareth's eye line to where Danae stood talking animatedly with a group of young noble women. As she noticed Jareth watching her she winked, before continuing with her conversation.
"She's up to something" Jareth muttered in Sarah's direction. He looked at her and gave her a devilishly charming smile, stepping closer to her, whispering into her ear
"I don't suppose you know anything Sarah?" later that evening Sarah reflected that it was best that Danae hadn't told her anything before the ball, as she would certainly have told Jareth anything and everything she knew. But in the meantime she was saved from further grilling from an advancing Goblin King, by the timely appearance of Roland.
He bowed to them both in turn, "Your Majesty, may I request an audience with you?"
"Now Roland?"
Roland nodded his reply, and without further ado they left Sarah and headed through a small door in the side of the room. Suddenly finding herself alone in the middle of a room filled with strangers Sarah looked around the room for Aldous. As she scanned the room, she made contact with a pair of hate filled blue eyes, which were staring at her intently. Aldous suddenly came up behind her, drawing her vision away from the girls stares. "Who's that girl Aldous?"
Aldous looked over, "Annabel of Hirstead, why?"
"No reason, is she a friend of Danae's?" she worded her question carefully, from the tone of voice Danae had used when speaking of the girl earlier, it was obvious that Danae didn't like her.
"Good heavens no, what gave you that impression?"
So she had been right, there was no love lost between the two girls. "I just thought they might have been friends, I mean they're both about the same age."
Aldous shook his head, "I would never, ever call Danae a hate filled girl, quite the opposite, she sees the best in everyone and is fairly sunny by nature, but when it comes to Annabel... well I think the best way of putting it is that she simply loathes the girl, and that feeling is well... pretty mutual."
"I remember Danae mentioning something to do with the girl and Jareth" Sarah crossed her fingers, hoping that Aldous wouldn't get suspicious of her questions.
"They were actually engaged."
"Really?"
"It must be about five years ago. I don't know exactly what Jareth's feelings towards her were, but when Danae found out she was devastated."
"Why did they break off the engagement?"
"Well" said Aldous uncomfortably "Jareth broke it off, mainly due to Danae's reaction. She just stopped speaking to Jareth, and myself for that matter, after he told her."
"I simply cannot imagine Danae acting like that" Sarah exclaimed.
"It is completely out of character for her, but she went as far as to leave the Goblin City in secret and stayed with her mother's family."
"What did Jareth say?"
"Well he was, inconsolable, her absence from the palace was like winter, he searched for her night and day, the worst thing I think for him was that he never expected Danae to react like this. When he finally tracked her down, she told him that he had a choice, his sister or his fiancée, because if the wedding occurred she would not return to the Goblin Realm."
"So he chose Danae?"
"For Jareth it wasn't even a choice. Danae is his only family, he loves her more than life itself, and certainly much more than he cared for Annabel."
"What did Annabel do?"
"She returned home, I hear she was very upset, after all she had let the Goblin throne slip through her fingers. Annabel now hates Danae, as much as Danae hates her, she believes that Danae acted out of childish spite, which I assure you is not true. Nor did she act out of childish temper, it was simply that she couldn't bear the thought of Jareth's marriage to this girl."
"But why does Danae hate this girl so much?"
"She never told me. One more thing Sarah" Aldous lowered his voice seeing the approach of the Princess. "When you think of what I have just told you, do not whatever you do bring up that topic with their majesties, the incident has been put into the past, where it belongs."
When Danae approached the two she was smiling, her cheeks flushed from dancing.
"How are you enjoying the ball Sarah?"
"It's wonderful, thank you for bringing me"
"Where's my brother?" Danae scanned the room frowned "I thought he was escorting you?"
"He is" answered Sarah, not too sure what to say regarding Jareth's absence, then deciding that honesty is the best policy "He's discussing something with Roland"
Danae's eyebrows shot up "Really?" before composing herself, "Anyway while he's gone I need to speak to you, I would have mentioned this before, but I thought Jareth may have forced you to tell him my plans, but it's traditional for the lead female member of court to play a practical joke on the King every year during his Opening of Court speech."
"Oh?" Sarah suddenly felt a squirm of worry shoot through her.
"Anyway, I've arranged it with the other women of court and what you need to do is, while Jareth isn't looking, pour this" she removed a small phial of clear liquid from inside the bodice of her dress, "into the wine goblet that you will be drinking from during the toasts." Before continuing Danae scanned the room, seeing Jareth approaching the group she whispered frantically, "But it's essential that my brother doesn't see you do it, if you're caught, games up." Sarah slipped the phial into a pocket in her vast skirts.
"But what does it do" Sarah hissed at her.
"I'll tell you later" said Danae, smoothing her bodice down as Jareth reappeared at Sarah's side.
"No Danae please continue, don't let my presence interrupt your conversation." He said in a deadly charming voice.
Danae raised an eyebrow at him lazily "Oh you don't want to hear the feeble chatter of us ladies, excuse me Sarah, I see my escort has returned." And she walked off to rejoin Roland, with Jareth chuckling at her.
Thankfully before Jareth could resume trying to get information out of Sarah, the announcement was made for dinner. Sarah ate little that meal, partly due to nervous excitement and partly due to the fact that her corset was laced so tightly that she could barely breath. As Jareth turned to speak to a member of the waiting staff about the wine that they were serving, Sarah quickly whipped out the phial and emptied it into her goblet, with plenty of time before Jareth began talking to her again.
When the last of the plates were cleared Jareth stood up, and the rest of the hall followed suit. Jareth began to make his toast, thanking the Gods for a good year and blessing the land for a good year to come"
"To the Goblin Realm." Jareth said regally, before taking his goblet and taking a sip.
"To the Goblin Realm" the crowd below intoned, before in turn drinking from their own goblets. As Sarah sipped from her own goblet she noticed a commotion coming from the crowd. The noble women in the room had begun to faint, all over the room women were falling down. Sarah turned to Danae, who smiled at her warmly before falling to the floor in a dead faint.
Then Sarah's world went black, as she too fell to the floor in a dead faint.
