Author's Note: I never really found a good place to explain it, but as Sarah skill increased, so did her power. This is how she can transform Jareth out of owl form more frequently and during the daylight hours in later chapters. However, it's still extremely tolling on her, more so than it would be if she did it at night, and even more if she does it frequently.
Chapter Four: Revelations
Aboveground.
Sarah's room.
Ten years after the
fall of the Goblin King.
Sarah woke in her own room, the sunlight shining with painful brightness through the curtains. Her body ached all over as if she had been beaten black and blue and her left temple pounded with blinding pain. She turned her head with agonizing slowness to see the white owl sleeping on the lamp beside her bed. She breathed a sigh, forcing the magic of transformation out as she exhaled. The owl stirred into wakefulness as the spell hit it and then Jareth stood, a bit off balance by the unusual awakening. Seeing her awake, he swiftly dropped to one knee beside her bed.
"Sarah, you shouldn't...you're too weak for this." The desperate plea in his voice alarmed her more than the pain from her own body.
"I need you," she whispered. Her throat felt as dry as sandpaper. "What happened? Hoggle?"
"He's in the next room, healing nicely." Jareth gave her a crooked smile that almost hid his worry and relief. "The dwarf saved your life. He was unconscious one moment and the next, you screamed..." There was a tiny, ever so slight faltering of his voice. "...and he was gone so quickly I thought he had learned magic himself." He chuckled tiredly.
"And then?"
"He was back, somehow. He walked from one world to the next alone, pulling you behind him. You were...I thought..." He passed a trembling hand over his face. Sarah buried a hand in his hair, gripping him like a lifeline. There was such pain and fear in him, the like of which she had not seen since his defeat ten years ago.
"How bad?"
He raised his eyes and she saw her death reflected in their depths. "My first thought," he said carefully, "was to wonder why you were wearing a red dress."
Her hand fell away, memories of darkness and blood assaulting her senses. Her vision blurred and she felt dizzy and light-headed. Then, a cool hand on her forehead and Jareth's voice. "Not yet, sweet Sarah, stay with me. There are medicines you must take."
Slowly, she fought down the panic. "Medicines?" she managed. "What medicines?" Jareth was studying several pill bottles she had not noticed before. "Where did you get those?"
"When the dwarf returned, he was all but unconscious. As it was, I don't know how he managed to do what he did. With you...incapacitated," his grip on one of the bottles tightened reflexively, "I was quickly becoming an owl again. I've learned enough about your world to know how to summon help. When I couldn't reach your telephone in time, I dragged Hoggle over and pecked the numbers for him. I don't think either of the parties in that conversation knew exactly what was going on, but it worked well enough."
He handed her several pills, which she quickly swallowed. The pain began to abate almost immediately, a testimony to the strength of the dosage. "When they got here, they thought you were alone. They called your family."
"Oh gods," Sarah breathed. "So they're...?"
"They're here," Jareth nodded. "I've kept the dwarf hidden and they're used to my presence...though not like this. They have no clue what happened."
Sarah sighed. "Help me sit up, please. I need to see a doctor." She threw back the blanket and rolled over, grimacing at the wave of pain and exhaustion.
"You're going nowhere," Jareth replied, swiftly catching her before she half stumbled, half crawled out of bed. "The doctors have already seen you; they've already done all they can. It's your magic that saved your life anyway." He gently pushed her back down on the mattress, sliding under the covers with her when she refused to relinquish her grip on him.
After a moment, Sarah took his hand and drew it lower on her body. Amusement colored his voice, "I hardly think you're in the position to-"
"No." He drew back, the serious tone of her voice silencing him. His hand rested on the flat of her belly. "You don't understand. I need...to see...a doctor." She covered his hand with her own, staring deeply into his eyes.
Realization came over Jareth slowly. As if burned, he pulled his hand back with a startled hiss and then returned it to stroke the soft skin of Sarah's abdomen with hesitant tenderness. "When?" he breathed, cradling her in his lap like a fragile porcelain doll.
"I don't know. Not long. I have an appointment next week...or...how long was I out?"
Reminded of the horrors that may easily have already ended the fragile new life, the blood drained from Jareth's face and he stared at her in absolute terror.
The bedroom door opened and the spell broke. A white owl flew out the window. Sarah had no doubt that he would fly long and hard to burn out his staggering new fears.
"Sarah? You're awake!" It was Toby. He ran into the room and threw himself into his sister's arms, causing Sarah to grind her teeth against the pain. "Mum and Dad wouldn't tell me anything and you slept for so long!" He sniffled against the blankets, trying unsuccessfully to hide his tears.
"Hey, it's okay Tobe. I just worked a little too hard, that's all. Look, I'm fine now!" The boy snuck a glance at her and Sarah gave him a huge smile and a wink. He giggled in spite of himself and then Sarah's father and step-mother walked through the door.
"Toby, we need to talk with Sarah alone now," her father said.
Toby hopped off the bed, apparently completely reassured. "Kay," he said, rubbing at his nose as he left. His mother reached over to shut the door behind him, and then they both turned to face Sarah.
She sighed and prepared herself to fend off the slew of uncomfortable questions. "I don't know any more than you do..."
It was another two days before she could get out of bed. The owl refused to come in again, perching on the outside window sill instead. Sarah suspected he didn't want her to strain herself by transforming him and she was too tired to argue. On the third day, her parents helped her out to the back porch, where she was finally able to check on Hoggle. Jareth had hidden him in the small shed out back. He was recovering well enough on his own that she didn't need to expend any more energy healing him (and he would have refused to let her anyway).
It was another three days before she could persuade her step-mother to drive her to the hospital, and not the one that had come to her rescue. She didn't want anyone asking about her abnormal recovery from the brink of death. The trip was still enough to tire her and she returned home sore and weak, but filled with a pleased inner glow that allowed her to skillfully avoid her step-mother's pointed questions.
Alone in her room, she opened the window and coaxed the owl inside. Not that it took much effort after it saw her satisfied expression. Knowing that she would only be lectured if she used magic, she contented herself for cradling the bird in her arms as she drifted off to sleep, both of them at ease for the first time in weeks.
