Chapter 31: A New Adventure

Next morning, Sarah awoke with the oddest feeling of being watched. Sheblinked her eyes open and shrieked. A pair ofgrey eyes were watching her from a distance of about eight inches. "Hey, Sarah!" Toby greeted.

"Toby, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"

He grinned. "Hey, Jareth didn't sent me to the Bog of Stench after all, last night."

Sarah yawned, still sleepy. "I know."

"But he says I can still see it today if I want to. He's going to send his secretary along to show me the way. Want to come?" Toby's face was alight with excitement.

Sarah laughed in spite of her fatigue. "Wild horses," she informed him, "couldn't drag me back to the Bog, even if they wanted to, which they wouldn't, because even wild horses have enough sense not to want to ever smell that stench again!"

Toby pouted. "But the king's secretary said it's not so bad! And he used to guard the bridge there, so he ought to know!"

Sarah sat up and laughingly pushed Toby off the bed onto the floor. "Toby, Sir Didymus had no sense of smell! I don't know why you'd even want to see such a disgusting place, anyway. Why not tour the Goblin City, or check out the underground tunnels or something instead?"

Toby giggled as he got back up. "Underground tunnels? You mean the Underground has an underground?"

Sarah chuckled. "This part of it does, anyway, but you'd have to stay away from the Cleaners. Ask Hoggle about them. I think even facing the Cleaners again would be better than the Bog, though."

He gave her a longsuffering look. "Sarah, I'm a boy. More than that, I'm thirteen years old. Disgusting things are what we like best!"

Sarah laughed aloud. "I guess you're right, but don't say I didn't warn you! Now scoot out of here so I can get dressed, will ya?"

"Sure thing. Oh--Jareth said if you didn't want to come exploring with me, he was gonna take you around and show you the outskirts. So hurry up!"

"The outskirts of what?" Sarah groaned, rubbing her eyes.

"The outskirts of the labyrinth, duh! He says his kingdom extends a lot further than the actual maze--and he says we're gonna ride horses!"

Sarah blinked her eyes wide open. "You guys go on ahead. I think I'd rather stay and hang out here with the goblins than let Jareth see me on a horse!"

Toby laughed. "What's the matter? You afraid he's gonna laugh when he sees you on a horse?"

"No!" Sarah snapped.

Sheepishly she added, "I'm more afraid he's going to laugh when he sees me falling off the horse!"

Jareth's ringing laugh filled the room and Sarah glanced up, scarlet-faced, to see him leaning against the doorway. He was wearing his usual high boots and loose white shirt, but with blue jeans neatly tucked into the boots. "I might have known," he said, grinning.

"Known what?" Sarah snapped. "And didn't your mother ever tell you it's rude to barge into a lady's bedroom?"

Jareth nodded. "Which is why I'm loitering in the doorway instead of coming in," he explained with mock-propriety. He winked at her, and then addressed Toby. "My secretary is waiting for you, Toby. Your horse has been saddled. Go on, now; have fun!"

"OK, thanks!" Toby said eagerly as he dashed from the room. From way down the hall, they heard him shout back, "Bye, Sarah!"

She sighed.

Jareth grinned.

There was an awkward silence, made more so by Sarah's uneasiness with the fact that she was still in her nightgown, still in bed, while Jareth was fully dressed and showed no signs of leaving.

Finally she spoke. "Uh… would you mind stepping out for a few minutes so I can get dressed?"

"Certainly," Jareth replied. "What were you planning to wear?"

Uncomfortably Sarah cast her eyes about for the clothes she had arrived in. They were gone. Her new shoes poked out from under the bed, but everything else was gone. She glared at Jareth, who merely chuckled.

"If you'll forgive the impropriety of my coming into your bedroom for a moment, I can help you with that clothing dilemma." Sarah's jaw dropped and she blushed, and Jareth realized what he'd said… or more to the point, what it had sounded like. His own cheeks flushed a little as he crossed in front of her to open the doors of the wardrobe. He pulled out a few things and tossed them carelessly across Sarah's bed… and Sarah. "Try those first. If they meet with your stringent standards, then meet me downstairs in the throne room as soon as you can."

Sarah rubbed the blue denim between her fingers and arched an eyebrow. "I hesitate to think about what we'll be doing that requires me to wear such durable fabric," she murmured. Jareth just grinned, bowed, and left.

R&R, if you please. I like the encouragement.