Chapter 67: Pranks
The next morning was the first day of the celebrations. Sarah smiled as she introduced her father to the other members of the nobility and watched him bow exactly the right way, say just the right things, and generally behave as if he had been born and grown up in the Underground. For teaching court manners in a hurry, Jareth's lesson crystals certainly did the trick.
Toby did very well too, though there was always a hint of mischief hiding beneath his court manners. To Sarah's surprise, Toby hit it off very well with the young unicorn princess, Arien. As Sarah stood talking to Alia in the garden, they were interrupted by the princess and Toby galloping through, a little too close to them. Toby couldn't possibly keep up, but he was trying his level best; it was obvious Arien was just teasing him. She'd let him get close, and then take off with another burst of speed and pelt him with clods of dirt from her hooves. "Hey! This was a clean shirt!" Toby yelled at her, hardly able to get the words out through his breathless laughter.
Peals of silvery unicorn laughter sounded in their heads as Arien disappeared from view.
Alia tossed her head to show amusement. "Teenagers! They're all alike, no matter what species they are," she commented.
Sarah laughed. "Teenagers? Isn't Arien hundreds of years old?"
Alia nodded. "Yes, but for a unicorn, it takes longer than that to reach adulthood."
Just then, Toby ran back towards them, being chased by a floating crystal the size of a basketball. "Help me, Sarah!" he cried, still laughing. "He's going to—"
It was too late. The crystal floated over his head, burst, and soaked him with water. Jareth came sauntering up behind Toby, smirking as he watched water drip from the boy's blond eyebrows. "I trust that will teach you not to interrupt my meeting, young man?"
"Sorry about that; I didn't know you were meeting in the garden today." Toby said, wiping his face. "But what about Arien? She jumped first!" He grinned, a little embarrassed.
Jareth said nothing, merely turned around and waited. Sure enough, Arien came trotting back into the clearing, followed by another giant crystal. She didn't know about it, however, and when she stopped short at the sight of her mother, the crystal floated up over her head—and then down so it was pierced by her horn. She was drenched. Startled, she shook her head, snorting.
Jareth's smirk turned into a broad grin. "Next time, look before you leap over the wall, my young friends," he said. He bowed briefly to Alia, leaned in and gave Sarah a kiss, and then sauntered back to his outdoor meeting.
Sarah shook her head, smiling. Picking up their conversation from where it left off, she said, "If it takes hundreds of years for unicorns to mature, how long does it take for fae?"
"Oh, much longer," Alia told her, deadpan. "Especially the males." Sarah snickered.