AN: Um. This I possibly the worst writing I've ever done. I am horribly
ashamed yet I post it anyway because I am a masochist. Uuuuuuuughhhh... I
feel the need to explain myself but I can't quite bring myself to torture
you all more.
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Strangely Divine II: Chapter Two: Wedding Bells o' Ringing
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Sarah was always a bit torn when she was at weddings. She had only been to a few of them in her adult life, and they'd always given her the idea that they were just a stressful waste of time. Sure, when she was young she'd dreamed of a big white fluffy dress with all the trimmings, her ken doll fiancé, the big West Minster Abby style church, then riding off into the sunset to live forever with ken, three kids and a dog. But when her parents had divorced all these fanciful ideas about marriage had simply melted away to be replaced with a rather cryptic view of the world. Well, for a ten year old anyway.
It wasn't that she didn't want to get married ever. It was just that Sarah could no longer envision herself in the big white dress, with ken doll and their offspring. She wasn't sure what sort of a future she saw for herself, to be honest.
As Gwendolyn, in all of her shining white glory walked past her, Sarah's thoughts were diverted from herself to the scene in front of her. Ilareo in his captain's uniform smirking at his bride as she strode confidently towards him. Oh yes, these two were meant for each other, Sarah was sure of it. She was jealous of them for it, too. Why couldn't she be the one in the big white dress with the smiling about-to-be-husband.
A small voice in the back of her head seemed to whisper, you nearly did, causing Sarah to look over at the groom's side where the Goblin King sat, is face a mask of stony blankness. Next to him was Naomi, done up in a pale blue silk dress with so many skirts that many of them where laying across Jareth's lap.
Sarah quickly looked away from him. She'd been in the underground for nearly three days and he hadn't said a word to her. Gwen said he was dealing with something troublesome in the Goblin Kingdom. It must have been something bad, because as she told Sarah this, Gwen's face got all screwed up in a tight smile like she was trying hard not to think about it too much. Sarah didn't ask again.
"Oh," Emily whispered as she dabbed at her eyes "She's so beautiful"
Gwen had taken an instant liking to Emily. Possibly because unlike Sarah, Emily readily agreed to wear bloomers instead of her knickers. "It's an adventure!" she'd laughed.
The three girls had spent the last few days introducing Emily to the underground and all of its strange inhabitants. Madame Tournoirelle had done up a few dresses for Emily, including the soft gauzy green one she was wearing at the moment.
"They're so perfect" Emily continued
Sarah nodded and despite herself, found her gaze pulled back to Jareth. She found herself wondering if she'd made a mistake but as soon as that thought entered her head she banished it. No, there was no conceivable way in which a relationship between herself and Jareth would have worked. They were from two different worlds. They had different priorities. He was about to become High King of the Underground. She had to fix the copier for her inept coworkers on a daily basis. They were to far apart.
Sarah was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize the wedding was over. People were standing and clapping. All sorts of magnificent fae people dressed in ethereal outfits so that Sarah felt she was sitting in the middle of a cloud instead of a crowd of people.
There was a feast afterwards in the ballroom. Emily and Sarah took their place among the lower tables next to members of the royal Guard whom Emily promptly began to chat up. Sarah should have been amused but her head was beginning to hurt and her vision fuzz. She would have given anything for an Advil or a cigarette. Instead she pushed the delicious food on her plate around, not feeling much up to eating and listened to Emily.
"So, what's a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Sarah looked over at who her friend was talking too. "I know you" she said dully. "You're Sebastian?"
"Yes, my lady" he grinned at her. "I was so lucky as to aid my lord in your rescue"
"Rescue?" Emily repeated "What rescue?"
"From the erm—nosferatu prince" Sarah shook her head. It felt a bit daft so say it like that. "Well it was really scary" she added for good measure.
"Indeed" Sebastian agreed
"Oh right" Emily nodded "So you guys, you took care of it. No more baddies, right?"
"Yeah" Sarah mumbled "Good bye baddies"
Sebastian frowned "You mean no one's told you?" he asked
Sarah nearly choked on her wine "What?" she asked, alarmed "Told me what?"
Sebastian sputtered for a bit. "Oh. Well. Nothing, I suppose. It isn't my place to say if they have not informed you"
"Inform me" Sarah demanded, "What happened"
"Well, it's not my place to say" Sebastian scrambled at the look on Sarah's face. "But the Nosferatu kingdom had seceded from the Underground"
Sarah blinked "What?"
Sebastian nodded "Yes, you see when the High Prince revoked Prince Dacien's title he made him a commoner. Of course, the Nosferatu could not accept this. So they seceded and created their own land"
"How did they manage that one?" she asked, still confused "They're supposed to be all docile and non magical. Well, not that Dacian was like that at all. But the rest of them--- okay, his mother frightened me too. But still, I don't see how they could make their own kingdom"
"You see, it is rather strange" Sebastian agreed. "What they have done is created a kind of limbo between this world and the above world"
"Ugh, wait" Emily shook her head as if to clear it. "That doesn't sound so good for us"
Sebastian shrugged "It is unknown yet what the fate of the aboveground will be"
"Don't be overly cryptic or anything"
"I am sorry my lady, I have said to much" Sebastian stood "I take my leave of you, now"
"Well, shit" Emily sighed "I have no idea what's going on"
"Me either" Sarah shrugged and began to push her food around her plate again. "I just want to go home and get in my own bed to go to sleep"
Emily gave her a wistful look "You don't like it here?"
"It's slowly loosing its charm"
"I think you're just moping" Emily said. She opened her mouth to say something else when the Queen and King stood at their places at the high table. Everyone became silent and turned to stare at them. Sarah did a double take at the King; he was looking haggard and bent since she'd last seen him. His hair had turned white and his eyes were dull. His wife did not look much better. In fact, they appeared to be balancing on each other quite painfully. The Queen spoke, her high imperious voice quavering, a mouth a shaking, drawn line.
"It is a wonderful occasion that these two fine subjects of ours have married" she said, smiling at Illaero and Gwen a few seats down. "I wish that you have a happy life together and I know that you will" she turned to look the other direction down the table at Jareth. Sarah noticed for the first time that the girl to his left was none other then Naomi. She felt a twinge of uneasy roll across her chest.
"I have something else rather exciting to say" The Queen continued.
Sarah stared at Jareth and Naomi. Naomi was beaming with pride and Jareth looked blank as usual. He glanced at Sarah and then quickly looked at his mother. "Oh god" Sarah heard herself mutter
"What?" Emily asked "What is it?"
"My son has finally decided to take a wife," The Queen said. "He has found his bride in the duchess of Hallyland, his lovely Naomi"
The Queen went on to say other lovely things about the happy couple and people began to speak in low whispers about how wonderful it all was but Sarah couldn't hear any of it. It seemed the only sound she could hear was this terrible white buzzing sound and all she could see was Jareth and how he turned to look at Naomi and kissed her cheek softly. Naomi smiled at everyone and blushed at all the right places.
Emily nudged Sarah, for her friend was staring blankly ahead with her mouth open, like she'd just swallowed a marble. "Are you alright?" she asked softly
"No" Sarah admitted and then shook her head "I mean yes. I will be fine. I'll be fine"
The Queen finished her speech and people began to get up and mill around to wish the happy couples good luck. Jareth took it in stride while Naomi practiced looking regal and imperious at his side. Gwendolyn picked her way down to Sarah and Emily and captured them both in a hug.
"Oh gods, it took long enough but we're finally married" she laughed
"You'll have a thousand beautiful children together" Emily pretended to prophesize "Shalom"
Gwendolyn shook her head and laughed. "You two are so strange" she looked at Sarah and cringed "I hate that Naomi woman. She is absolutely dreadful"
Sarah smiled tightly "It's alight, Gwen. I'm happy for him"
Gwen's eyebrows shot up high into her forehead and she and Emily shared a knowing look. "Sure" Emily nodded, "Of course you are"
-
"Have you ever watched 'Passions', luv?"
"Shut up Jareth"
Jareth made a disgusted sound and flopped back into the large overstuffed chair he had been sitting in for nearly an hour. This dinner seemed to be lasting a lifetime, and Jareth had neither the patients for it nor for his fiancée. Naomi was starting to get that look on her face when she was about to yell at someone, he noticed. Her blue eyes were kind of twitching around in their sockets and her chin and nose had gone all funny and fuchsia colored.
"Well," he continued on, unabashed "It's this thing they have in the above ground called a soap opera. I'm not sure what it has to do with soap—and operas, well, it hasn't much to do with them either. Any road, bloody good entertainment value, Passions is. What with little Timmy being stuck down a well and all the love triangles." He trailed off, loosing interest as he noticed Naomi wasn't listening at all. Instead she was staring across the room quite obviously at Sarah.
It was all Jareth could do not to sigh dramatically. Of course she would know. And now he would have to listen to her for possibly weeks about how he dare let that mortal back in the castle. That mortal that caused her so much shame. Naomi had more of a flare for the dramatic then even he, the Goblin King, did sometimes.
Jareth's relationship with her was purely one of convenience. She was one of the few consorts he'd been with in the last century that his mother approved of. She was attractive and fertile and imperious. What else did a future Queen need?
"Naomi?" he sighed "Are you angry with me?" Jareth couldn't' help but rolling his eyes. She didn't see.
She simply turned her nose up in the other direction. "If you must know. A bit." She sniffed "Tell me, Jareth my love, do you still have feelings for her?"
Jareth tried not to laugh. What was all this 'my love' business? She knew just as well as he did that they did not love each other. At least he hoped she knew that. "No darling, she made it quite clear that we were not to be" he couldn't keep the sad note out of his voice as he finished the thought. "You know that"
"I do" she nodded, giving him a stiff smile. "I do"
He smiled back and hoped Sarah wasn't looking. No matter what she said he didn't believe that he meant nothing to her. He didn't want to hurt her. Not like she'd hurt him. Two times now.
-
After the dinner Sarah found herself on Taliesin's arm, talking with more of Ilareo's royal guard mates. She was horrendously bored and Emily had run off with Sebastian to get into Heaven knows what kind of trouble. Couples danced by, the women's dresses spinning out to huge lengths and the men standing tall and dignified.
Sarah was strongly reminded of the dream she'd had when she'd eaten the peach all those years ago. The only difference was instead of herself searching for Jareth in a crowd of fabulously glittery people, she knew exactly where he was. Locked in a swaying dance with his Lady Naomi towards the back of the room. His blonde head was bent over her shoulder, his arms slung low around her very slim waist. Sarah tightened her grip on Taliesin's arm and looked for Emily. Her friend was now engaging in lively conversation with Gaeton while Sebastian looked on. Sarah sipped from the thin flute of ale she'd been nursing and finally gave in and chugged its contents.
"Sarah?"
She looked over at Taliesin, who had been trying to get her attention "What? Sorry..."
"It's okay, Lady Sarah" he beamed "I was jus asking how long you will be staying"
"Oh," she paused and looked at Emily and then back at Taliesin "I think we'll go back tonight"
Taliesin's face fell, "You must stay longer then that. You and your charming friend are so much fun." He protested
Sarah began to answer when a wave of nausea over came her. "Oh dear" she mumbled, as Taliesin's face began to swim before her eyes. Whatever she'd just downed, it had been quite heavy, she realized. "Erm. You know, you could come stay with us" her words sounded slurred so she turned to Alexei, the other guardsman and asked "Do I sound a bit drunk? I feel a bit drunk. What did I drink?"
"Lady Sarah..." Taliesin said hesitantly "Perhaps you should get some air"
"Perhaps I should" she agreed and took her leave of them, doing her best to get across the ballroom to the tall glass doors that opened onto the veranda where couples sat and strolled. It was where Dacian had taken her not long ago to try to seduce her. Sarah stumbled off the large veranda and down into the grass where she collapsed onto a marble bench. She lay there for a long time, staring up into the dark sky with its strange stars.
She wasn't sure how long she sat sprawled out on the bench. Long enough for the nausea to pass and be replaced with a feeling of lightheadedness that threatened to burst into a pounding head ache. She didn't much feel like going back u p to the ball. God, a ball. She wanted to go home. She was tired of the underground on this trip, it only brought bad feelings that resembled something like regret. And she didn't like that at all.
Instead of returning to the party, Sarah paced the gardens and surveyed the remnants of the wedding. A billowing white tent still hung over the jade grass. She walked until her head felt clear and her feet began to cramp in the shoes they were strapped into. She should have been pondering goblin kings and weddings and castles as she walked the gardens, but Sarah had trained her mind well. It knew what not to think about. Instead, she eased into the blankness of the night and hummed a love song that had been playing through her head all evening.
As she made her way back up the steps of the veranda Sarah became aware of someone watching her. It wasn't the usual pins and needles thrills that she got from a certain high prince when he stared at her unabashed from the shadows. This was more like slowly becoming aware of heavy breathing over your shoulder in the dark.
Sarah walked a bit faster towards the glass doors when someone spoke her name.
"Lady Sarah"
She stopped short and sighed. "Naomi" she mumbled under her breath, turning to face her new supposed adversary. Sarah twinkled her fingers at the older girl in lieu of a wave. "Hi again" she smiled tightly
Naomi in her massive dress did not take long to stride towards Sarah. Her face was cold and hard, her lips twitching between a frown and a sneer. Sarah rocked her weight from one foot to the other, in an attempt not to bolt. That wouldn't look very good, but it was exactly what she felt like doing. Running away from this obvious predator coming in on its prey.
"You look lovely, this evening, Sarah" Naomi said stiffly. "I've heard so much about you"
"Oh. Yes... Have you?" Sarah mumbled
"Yes" she purred "So sorry I didn't get to make your acquaintance on your last visit to the underground"
"Oh, well, I'm sorry I didn't—hey!"
Naomi's hand shot out and captured Sarah's wrist tight bwteen her cold fingers. "Oh, what's this?" she asked eyeing the plastic loop of color Sarah wore there. "A gift from his majesty, perhaps"
Sarah's eyes went wide "What?" she asked, ompletley bewildered
"Don't lie to me!" Naomi shrieked, pulling Sarah's wris closer to her face. "I know he gave this precious jewery to you"
"But---"Sarah sputtered "But it's plastic. He didn't give it to me, and it's hardly precious"
"I've heard them talking you know" Naomi continued, her voice rising in that way that hysterical women's voices tend to raise so shrilly. "The servants. I am a duchessyou don't' know what it means to have servants talking about you. It's almost as bad as having mortalstalking about you. They say that he loves you. That he hasn't been the same since you left him. It's a joke! You! A mortal! Leave the mighty High Prince! The boy that a hundred prophesies were written about! Ruler of the labyrinth and king of the Goblins" she sneered in disgust and threw Sarah's arm away from her face, the plastic bracelet coming off in her hand like a trophy. She threw it down on the flagstone floor and crunched it under her shoe.
"That's what he thinks about you" she snarled "He loves me and I will be his beloved High Queen." With a whirl of blonde hair she stomped back through the glass doors to the ball, leaving Sarah stranded with her mouth hanging open. She was unsure whether she should laugh at the absurdity of Naomi to scream in an indignant display of annoyance. Neither, she decided, would make her feel much better.
Instead, she decided to pretend as if it had not happened at all.
-
"So, will you come visit me?"
"Of course, my lady. As soon as state business is settled I shall make time to come to the aboveground"
Emily laughed and put her hand on Gaeton's shoulder "That's just a really fancy way of saying, yes, right?"
Gaeton grinned crookedly "Yes" he admitted
Sarah rolled her eyes as Emily said goodbye to her 'new favorite'. She kissed Gaeton on the cheek and continued to flirt outrageously and make him promise to visit as they waited for thirteen o'clock to approach.
After the spectacle with Naomi Sarah had informed Emily that they were leaving, and with Gaeton and Dolan in tow, they headed out to the stones. With five minutes to kill, Sarah was having the oddest feeling of Déjà vu. It felt like high school all over again, only instead of waiting for the bus, she was waiting for the magical time portal to return her to her own world.
It didn't matter either way to Emily. She would still flirt all the way up to the last minute. Not that Sarah was unhappy that Emily and Gaeton hit it off. Quite the contrary, she was thrilled Emily found someone so playful and fanciful in Gaeton. It was just that she had a pounding headache and throbbing feet and her whole body and soul were crying out for her nice warm bed.
Sarah had wasted no time saying good bye to Gwen and Illareo before leaving the ball. They hadn't even taken time to change out of the underworld gowns, something she was beginning to regret as her shoulders were freezing in the dress she wore.
"It gets easier" Dolan said, by way of offering advice. He checked his pocket watch and nodded "It's time"
They shuffled into the portal just in time for all four members to be transported to the sprawling English countryside. Sarah started shivering instantly. She really wished she'd changed now. Dolan wrapped his cape over her shoulders and with in seconds Sarah was standing in her living room, warm and aching with Emily still giggling.
"Oh" she sighed, stifling her laughter "Where did they go?"
"I don't' know" Sarah admitted, glancing around and noticing that Dolan and Gaeton were in fact not with them. "That's weird" she mumbled
"It isn't really" A chillingly familiar voice rolled over Sarah's ears. She heard Emily's sharp intake of breath and turned to see who had spoken. There, lounging on the sofa was a buxom brunette, decked out in black lace and satin. Her lips twisted into a smile at Sarah. "Hello, luv" Jaquetta purred
"Who--" Emily started to ask but with a flick of Jaquetta's hand, Emily was rendered silent. She scrabbled at her throat but could not force sound to come out.
"We only met once" Jaquetta continued in her satin voice "I'm sure you thought I was just another of Jareth's past conquests. Of course, I'm not, you silly girl." She sighed luxuriously "I am the Nosferatu Queen, I reign along side King Dacian and together, we will rule the world"
"Okay" Sarah said slowly, taking this in "That's new... what do you want..."
Jaquetta narrowed her eyes at Sarah. "Well I don't want you, if that's what you're thinking" she sniffed "Personally, I don't see what Dacian saw in you, I never go for your blood type. They're too--- difficult"
"What do you want?" Sarah repeated. She had frozen in a stiff position that she hoped looked complacent and not nervous. She was so tense that the muscles in her calves were starting to strain in protest.
Jaquetta stood fluidly and regarded Sarah for a moment. "I told you, I don't want you" she said. "But I wanted you to know something" she smiled "Something you should tell your delicious little Goblin King"
Sarah could hear her heart pounding in her chest "What"
"Well" Jaquetta strode closer and before Sarah could blink she was at her side, petting Sarah's hair and fumbling with the sleeves of her dress. "Tell him we have toys" she said softly. "Toys that will make him cry if he does not let us go. We know that the High King and Queen are unfit to rule. We know that he has not yet done what he is supposed to and his labyrinth is suffering. We will exploit this." She finished coldly. "Tell him that"
She moved away from Sarah like she was moving to go to the door. "And let him know that I miss our games. He was such fun before he fell in love" she snickered "But our toys will help us undo that"
Sarah nodded "I'll tell him" she said softly, unsure why on earth she was agreeing to do any such thing. She knew why. Jaquetta frightened her more than Jareth ever had. Possibly more hen Dacian had too. She had known that Dacian would not succeed, but for some reason, Jaquetta seemed much more dangerous then her King.
"Well, I should be off" Jaquetta sighed. She glanced at Emily and pondered her for a minute. "You're strange looking" she mentioned and then before Sarah could move, grabbed her "You'll make a nice insurance package"
"Stop!" Sarah shouted, running into the back of the couch before she could reach them. And before she knew it they were gone.
-
Sarah fell forward onto the couch, her heart beating sluggishly as she lay there motionless. She didn't know what to do. She felt helpless. Even when she was trapped in worlds that weren't her own, or facing obstacles that seemed unbeatable she always had some resource to call upon. In this case she had just lost her best friend, he friend who had nothing to do with any of this. And now she was gone.
Sarah could only think of one rather unhelpful thing to do, and that was cry.
An idea bubbled up in the back of her brain suddenly and hit her so hard she winced, knowing what she must do.
Sarah climbed shakily to her feet and looked at her hands. "I wish" she started to say.
She seriously doubted this would work. After all, could you really wish yourself away? Was that possible? It didn't sound possible. Even if it did, would Jareth want to see her? He seemed blank to her very being. He certainly wouldn't want her in his castle. Especially not with Naomi around.
"I wish" she inhaled deeply "I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away... right now"
There was a pause in which nothing happened. Sarah exhale, she had known it wouldn't work.
But then she disappeared.
-
AN: Oh god, how do I come up with this horrible shit. Something you should never do: watch Labyrinth on drugs. I thought the goblins were coming for me. And then I thought David Bowie was 'coming at me' if you know what I mean. If you've seen his pants you know what I mean. Yeah you do.
Thanks: To many of you, especially Amazonian21, who whored me out in her author's note. Yay.
Winter M: That wasn't rock bottom. That was just boring life. Rock bottom I don't feel like dealing with. As for angst. Oh yes. Oh yes.
Amazonian21: Bah, underoos. I read that and decided I love your Sarah too. Anyone who wears underoos deserves a wiggle dance of joy. Why have I never heard of underoos before? Why?
ResistingMoonlight: Never fear, sometime around the end of June I'll be done with school and will have nothing else to do but work and write this mother trucker. When I have time, I'm notorious for writing a lot soon. It's only when i go on six month non writing binges that you should worry.
Paganlady: BBC America? What? What? What is WRONG with you Americans. Why on earth would you ever want BBC America. Good god, you get HBO and MTV and all that madness that we have to pay loads for.
Maskedmaiden: I am sorry I nearly killed you. That is no fun for anyone.
Panther Princess: Was that long enough?
KouUsa: I always like hearing that I'm destroying the youth of today by keeping them up past their bedtimes.
Lady Dracona: Well I wouldn't want you to go mad.
Gwenevire: It was a 'starting fresh' sort of a thing.
Cheers Darlin: Sigh. Sugah. I don't know, thank you. You're great
Dreaming One: I'll keep that in mind. I just have to make up so much more shit in the underground.
Eliana Emeth: Does it have your stamp of approval then?
Phoebemon: Of course they will. Eventually. After much evilness.
REMEMBR TO REVIEW (or I'll go away for six months again)
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Strangely Divine II: Chapter Two: Wedding Bells o' Ringing
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Sarah was always a bit torn when she was at weddings. She had only been to a few of them in her adult life, and they'd always given her the idea that they were just a stressful waste of time. Sure, when she was young she'd dreamed of a big white fluffy dress with all the trimmings, her ken doll fiancé, the big West Minster Abby style church, then riding off into the sunset to live forever with ken, three kids and a dog. But when her parents had divorced all these fanciful ideas about marriage had simply melted away to be replaced with a rather cryptic view of the world. Well, for a ten year old anyway.
It wasn't that she didn't want to get married ever. It was just that Sarah could no longer envision herself in the big white dress, with ken doll and their offspring. She wasn't sure what sort of a future she saw for herself, to be honest.
As Gwendolyn, in all of her shining white glory walked past her, Sarah's thoughts were diverted from herself to the scene in front of her. Ilareo in his captain's uniform smirking at his bride as she strode confidently towards him. Oh yes, these two were meant for each other, Sarah was sure of it. She was jealous of them for it, too. Why couldn't she be the one in the big white dress with the smiling about-to-be-husband.
A small voice in the back of her head seemed to whisper, you nearly did, causing Sarah to look over at the groom's side where the Goblin King sat, is face a mask of stony blankness. Next to him was Naomi, done up in a pale blue silk dress with so many skirts that many of them where laying across Jareth's lap.
Sarah quickly looked away from him. She'd been in the underground for nearly three days and he hadn't said a word to her. Gwen said he was dealing with something troublesome in the Goblin Kingdom. It must have been something bad, because as she told Sarah this, Gwen's face got all screwed up in a tight smile like she was trying hard not to think about it too much. Sarah didn't ask again.
"Oh," Emily whispered as she dabbed at her eyes "She's so beautiful"
Gwen had taken an instant liking to Emily. Possibly because unlike Sarah, Emily readily agreed to wear bloomers instead of her knickers. "It's an adventure!" she'd laughed.
The three girls had spent the last few days introducing Emily to the underground and all of its strange inhabitants. Madame Tournoirelle had done up a few dresses for Emily, including the soft gauzy green one she was wearing at the moment.
"They're so perfect" Emily continued
Sarah nodded and despite herself, found her gaze pulled back to Jareth. She found herself wondering if she'd made a mistake but as soon as that thought entered her head she banished it. No, there was no conceivable way in which a relationship between herself and Jareth would have worked. They were from two different worlds. They had different priorities. He was about to become High King of the Underground. She had to fix the copier for her inept coworkers on a daily basis. They were to far apart.
Sarah was so caught up in her own thoughts that she didn't even realize the wedding was over. People were standing and clapping. All sorts of magnificent fae people dressed in ethereal outfits so that Sarah felt she was sitting in the middle of a cloud instead of a crowd of people.
There was a feast afterwards in the ballroom. Emily and Sarah took their place among the lower tables next to members of the royal Guard whom Emily promptly began to chat up. Sarah should have been amused but her head was beginning to hurt and her vision fuzz. She would have given anything for an Advil or a cigarette. Instead she pushed the delicious food on her plate around, not feeling much up to eating and listened to Emily.
"So, what's a nice guy like you doing in a place like this?"
"I beg your pardon?"
Sarah looked over at who her friend was talking too. "I know you" she said dully. "You're Sebastian?"
"Yes, my lady" he grinned at her. "I was so lucky as to aid my lord in your rescue"
"Rescue?" Emily repeated "What rescue?"
"From the erm—nosferatu prince" Sarah shook her head. It felt a bit daft so say it like that. "Well it was really scary" she added for good measure.
"Indeed" Sebastian agreed
"Oh right" Emily nodded "So you guys, you took care of it. No more baddies, right?"
"Yeah" Sarah mumbled "Good bye baddies"
Sebastian frowned "You mean no one's told you?" he asked
Sarah nearly choked on her wine "What?" she asked, alarmed "Told me what?"
Sebastian sputtered for a bit. "Oh. Well. Nothing, I suppose. It isn't my place to say if they have not informed you"
"Inform me" Sarah demanded, "What happened"
"Well, it's not my place to say" Sebastian scrambled at the look on Sarah's face. "But the Nosferatu kingdom had seceded from the Underground"
Sarah blinked "What?"
Sebastian nodded "Yes, you see when the High Prince revoked Prince Dacien's title he made him a commoner. Of course, the Nosferatu could not accept this. So they seceded and created their own land"
"How did they manage that one?" she asked, still confused "They're supposed to be all docile and non magical. Well, not that Dacian was like that at all. But the rest of them--- okay, his mother frightened me too. But still, I don't see how they could make their own kingdom"
"You see, it is rather strange" Sebastian agreed. "What they have done is created a kind of limbo between this world and the above world"
"Ugh, wait" Emily shook her head as if to clear it. "That doesn't sound so good for us"
Sebastian shrugged "It is unknown yet what the fate of the aboveground will be"
"Don't be overly cryptic or anything"
"I am sorry my lady, I have said to much" Sebastian stood "I take my leave of you, now"
"Well, shit" Emily sighed "I have no idea what's going on"
"Me either" Sarah shrugged and began to push her food around her plate again. "I just want to go home and get in my own bed to go to sleep"
Emily gave her a wistful look "You don't like it here?"
"It's slowly loosing its charm"
"I think you're just moping" Emily said. She opened her mouth to say something else when the Queen and King stood at their places at the high table. Everyone became silent and turned to stare at them. Sarah did a double take at the King; he was looking haggard and bent since she'd last seen him. His hair had turned white and his eyes were dull. His wife did not look much better. In fact, they appeared to be balancing on each other quite painfully. The Queen spoke, her high imperious voice quavering, a mouth a shaking, drawn line.
"It is a wonderful occasion that these two fine subjects of ours have married" she said, smiling at Illaero and Gwen a few seats down. "I wish that you have a happy life together and I know that you will" she turned to look the other direction down the table at Jareth. Sarah noticed for the first time that the girl to his left was none other then Naomi. She felt a twinge of uneasy roll across her chest.
"I have something else rather exciting to say" The Queen continued.
Sarah stared at Jareth and Naomi. Naomi was beaming with pride and Jareth looked blank as usual. He glanced at Sarah and then quickly looked at his mother. "Oh god" Sarah heard herself mutter
"What?" Emily asked "What is it?"
"My son has finally decided to take a wife," The Queen said. "He has found his bride in the duchess of Hallyland, his lovely Naomi"
The Queen went on to say other lovely things about the happy couple and people began to speak in low whispers about how wonderful it all was but Sarah couldn't hear any of it. It seemed the only sound she could hear was this terrible white buzzing sound and all she could see was Jareth and how he turned to look at Naomi and kissed her cheek softly. Naomi smiled at everyone and blushed at all the right places.
Emily nudged Sarah, for her friend was staring blankly ahead with her mouth open, like she'd just swallowed a marble. "Are you alright?" she asked softly
"No" Sarah admitted and then shook her head "I mean yes. I will be fine. I'll be fine"
The Queen finished her speech and people began to get up and mill around to wish the happy couples good luck. Jareth took it in stride while Naomi practiced looking regal and imperious at his side. Gwendolyn picked her way down to Sarah and Emily and captured them both in a hug.
"Oh gods, it took long enough but we're finally married" she laughed
"You'll have a thousand beautiful children together" Emily pretended to prophesize "Shalom"
Gwendolyn shook her head and laughed. "You two are so strange" she looked at Sarah and cringed "I hate that Naomi woman. She is absolutely dreadful"
Sarah smiled tightly "It's alight, Gwen. I'm happy for him"
Gwen's eyebrows shot up high into her forehead and she and Emily shared a knowing look. "Sure" Emily nodded, "Of course you are"
-
"Have you ever watched 'Passions', luv?"
"Shut up Jareth"
Jareth made a disgusted sound and flopped back into the large overstuffed chair he had been sitting in for nearly an hour. This dinner seemed to be lasting a lifetime, and Jareth had neither the patients for it nor for his fiancée. Naomi was starting to get that look on her face when she was about to yell at someone, he noticed. Her blue eyes were kind of twitching around in their sockets and her chin and nose had gone all funny and fuchsia colored.
"Well," he continued on, unabashed "It's this thing they have in the above ground called a soap opera. I'm not sure what it has to do with soap—and operas, well, it hasn't much to do with them either. Any road, bloody good entertainment value, Passions is. What with little Timmy being stuck down a well and all the love triangles." He trailed off, loosing interest as he noticed Naomi wasn't listening at all. Instead she was staring across the room quite obviously at Sarah.
It was all Jareth could do not to sigh dramatically. Of course she would know. And now he would have to listen to her for possibly weeks about how he dare let that mortal back in the castle. That mortal that caused her so much shame. Naomi had more of a flare for the dramatic then even he, the Goblin King, did sometimes.
Jareth's relationship with her was purely one of convenience. She was one of the few consorts he'd been with in the last century that his mother approved of. She was attractive and fertile and imperious. What else did a future Queen need?
"Naomi?" he sighed "Are you angry with me?" Jareth couldn't' help but rolling his eyes. She didn't see.
She simply turned her nose up in the other direction. "If you must know. A bit." She sniffed "Tell me, Jareth my love, do you still have feelings for her?"
Jareth tried not to laugh. What was all this 'my love' business? She knew just as well as he did that they did not love each other. At least he hoped she knew that. "No darling, she made it quite clear that we were not to be" he couldn't keep the sad note out of his voice as he finished the thought. "You know that"
"I do" she nodded, giving him a stiff smile. "I do"
He smiled back and hoped Sarah wasn't looking. No matter what she said he didn't believe that he meant nothing to her. He didn't want to hurt her. Not like she'd hurt him. Two times now.
-
After the dinner Sarah found herself on Taliesin's arm, talking with more of Ilareo's royal guard mates. She was horrendously bored and Emily had run off with Sebastian to get into Heaven knows what kind of trouble. Couples danced by, the women's dresses spinning out to huge lengths and the men standing tall and dignified.
Sarah was strongly reminded of the dream she'd had when she'd eaten the peach all those years ago. The only difference was instead of herself searching for Jareth in a crowd of fabulously glittery people, she knew exactly where he was. Locked in a swaying dance with his Lady Naomi towards the back of the room. His blonde head was bent over her shoulder, his arms slung low around her very slim waist. Sarah tightened her grip on Taliesin's arm and looked for Emily. Her friend was now engaging in lively conversation with Gaeton while Sebastian looked on. Sarah sipped from the thin flute of ale she'd been nursing and finally gave in and chugged its contents.
"Sarah?"
She looked over at Taliesin, who had been trying to get her attention "What? Sorry..."
"It's okay, Lady Sarah" he beamed "I was jus asking how long you will be staying"
"Oh," she paused and looked at Emily and then back at Taliesin "I think we'll go back tonight"
Taliesin's face fell, "You must stay longer then that. You and your charming friend are so much fun." He protested
Sarah began to answer when a wave of nausea over came her. "Oh dear" she mumbled, as Taliesin's face began to swim before her eyes. Whatever she'd just downed, it had been quite heavy, she realized. "Erm. You know, you could come stay with us" her words sounded slurred so she turned to Alexei, the other guardsman and asked "Do I sound a bit drunk? I feel a bit drunk. What did I drink?"
"Lady Sarah..." Taliesin said hesitantly "Perhaps you should get some air"
"Perhaps I should" she agreed and took her leave of them, doing her best to get across the ballroom to the tall glass doors that opened onto the veranda where couples sat and strolled. It was where Dacian had taken her not long ago to try to seduce her. Sarah stumbled off the large veranda and down into the grass where she collapsed onto a marble bench. She lay there for a long time, staring up into the dark sky with its strange stars.
She wasn't sure how long she sat sprawled out on the bench. Long enough for the nausea to pass and be replaced with a feeling of lightheadedness that threatened to burst into a pounding head ache. She didn't much feel like going back u p to the ball. God, a ball. She wanted to go home. She was tired of the underground on this trip, it only brought bad feelings that resembled something like regret. And she didn't like that at all.
Instead of returning to the party, Sarah paced the gardens and surveyed the remnants of the wedding. A billowing white tent still hung over the jade grass. She walked until her head felt clear and her feet began to cramp in the shoes they were strapped into. She should have been pondering goblin kings and weddings and castles as she walked the gardens, but Sarah had trained her mind well. It knew what not to think about. Instead, she eased into the blankness of the night and hummed a love song that had been playing through her head all evening.
As she made her way back up the steps of the veranda Sarah became aware of someone watching her. It wasn't the usual pins and needles thrills that she got from a certain high prince when he stared at her unabashed from the shadows. This was more like slowly becoming aware of heavy breathing over your shoulder in the dark.
Sarah walked a bit faster towards the glass doors when someone spoke her name.
"Lady Sarah"
She stopped short and sighed. "Naomi" she mumbled under her breath, turning to face her new supposed adversary. Sarah twinkled her fingers at the older girl in lieu of a wave. "Hi again" she smiled tightly
Naomi in her massive dress did not take long to stride towards Sarah. Her face was cold and hard, her lips twitching between a frown and a sneer. Sarah rocked her weight from one foot to the other, in an attempt not to bolt. That wouldn't look very good, but it was exactly what she felt like doing. Running away from this obvious predator coming in on its prey.
"You look lovely, this evening, Sarah" Naomi said stiffly. "I've heard so much about you"
"Oh. Yes... Have you?" Sarah mumbled
"Yes" she purred "So sorry I didn't get to make your acquaintance on your last visit to the underground"
"Oh, well, I'm sorry I didn't—hey!"
Naomi's hand shot out and captured Sarah's wrist tight bwteen her cold fingers. "Oh, what's this?" she asked eyeing the plastic loop of color Sarah wore there. "A gift from his majesty, perhaps"
Sarah's eyes went wide "What?" she asked, ompletley bewildered
"Don't lie to me!" Naomi shrieked, pulling Sarah's wris closer to her face. "I know he gave this precious jewery to you"
"But---"Sarah sputtered "But it's plastic. He didn't give it to me, and it's hardly precious"
"I've heard them talking you know" Naomi continued, her voice rising in that way that hysterical women's voices tend to raise so shrilly. "The servants. I am a duchessyou don't' know what it means to have servants talking about you. It's almost as bad as having mortalstalking about you. They say that he loves you. That he hasn't been the same since you left him. It's a joke! You! A mortal! Leave the mighty High Prince! The boy that a hundred prophesies were written about! Ruler of the labyrinth and king of the Goblins" she sneered in disgust and threw Sarah's arm away from her face, the plastic bracelet coming off in her hand like a trophy. She threw it down on the flagstone floor and crunched it under her shoe.
"That's what he thinks about you" she snarled "He loves me and I will be his beloved High Queen." With a whirl of blonde hair she stomped back through the glass doors to the ball, leaving Sarah stranded with her mouth hanging open. She was unsure whether she should laugh at the absurdity of Naomi to scream in an indignant display of annoyance. Neither, she decided, would make her feel much better.
Instead, she decided to pretend as if it had not happened at all.
-
"So, will you come visit me?"
"Of course, my lady. As soon as state business is settled I shall make time to come to the aboveground"
Emily laughed and put her hand on Gaeton's shoulder "That's just a really fancy way of saying, yes, right?"
Gaeton grinned crookedly "Yes" he admitted
Sarah rolled her eyes as Emily said goodbye to her 'new favorite'. She kissed Gaeton on the cheek and continued to flirt outrageously and make him promise to visit as they waited for thirteen o'clock to approach.
After the spectacle with Naomi Sarah had informed Emily that they were leaving, and with Gaeton and Dolan in tow, they headed out to the stones. With five minutes to kill, Sarah was having the oddest feeling of Déjà vu. It felt like high school all over again, only instead of waiting for the bus, she was waiting for the magical time portal to return her to her own world.
It didn't matter either way to Emily. She would still flirt all the way up to the last minute. Not that Sarah was unhappy that Emily and Gaeton hit it off. Quite the contrary, she was thrilled Emily found someone so playful and fanciful in Gaeton. It was just that she had a pounding headache and throbbing feet and her whole body and soul were crying out for her nice warm bed.
Sarah had wasted no time saying good bye to Gwen and Illareo before leaving the ball. They hadn't even taken time to change out of the underworld gowns, something she was beginning to regret as her shoulders were freezing in the dress she wore.
"It gets easier" Dolan said, by way of offering advice. He checked his pocket watch and nodded "It's time"
They shuffled into the portal just in time for all four members to be transported to the sprawling English countryside. Sarah started shivering instantly. She really wished she'd changed now. Dolan wrapped his cape over her shoulders and with in seconds Sarah was standing in her living room, warm and aching with Emily still giggling.
"Oh" she sighed, stifling her laughter "Where did they go?"
"I don't' know" Sarah admitted, glancing around and noticing that Dolan and Gaeton were in fact not with them. "That's weird" she mumbled
"It isn't really" A chillingly familiar voice rolled over Sarah's ears. She heard Emily's sharp intake of breath and turned to see who had spoken. There, lounging on the sofa was a buxom brunette, decked out in black lace and satin. Her lips twisted into a smile at Sarah. "Hello, luv" Jaquetta purred
"Who--" Emily started to ask but with a flick of Jaquetta's hand, Emily was rendered silent. She scrabbled at her throat but could not force sound to come out.
"We only met once" Jaquetta continued in her satin voice "I'm sure you thought I was just another of Jareth's past conquests. Of course, I'm not, you silly girl." She sighed luxuriously "I am the Nosferatu Queen, I reign along side King Dacian and together, we will rule the world"
"Okay" Sarah said slowly, taking this in "That's new... what do you want..."
Jaquetta narrowed her eyes at Sarah. "Well I don't want you, if that's what you're thinking" she sniffed "Personally, I don't see what Dacian saw in you, I never go for your blood type. They're too--- difficult"
"What do you want?" Sarah repeated. She had frozen in a stiff position that she hoped looked complacent and not nervous. She was so tense that the muscles in her calves were starting to strain in protest.
Jaquetta stood fluidly and regarded Sarah for a moment. "I told you, I don't want you" she said. "But I wanted you to know something" she smiled "Something you should tell your delicious little Goblin King"
Sarah could hear her heart pounding in her chest "What"
"Well" Jaquetta strode closer and before Sarah could blink she was at her side, petting Sarah's hair and fumbling with the sleeves of her dress. "Tell him we have toys" she said softly. "Toys that will make him cry if he does not let us go. We know that the High King and Queen are unfit to rule. We know that he has not yet done what he is supposed to and his labyrinth is suffering. We will exploit this." She finished coldly. "Tell him that"
She moved away from Sarah like she was moving to go to the door. "And let him know that I miss our games. He was such fun before he fell in love" she snickered "But our toys will help us undo that"
Sarah nodded "I'll tell him" she said softly, unsure why on earth she was agreeing to do any such thing. She knew why. Jaquetta frightened her more than Jareth ever had. Possibly more hen Dacian had too. She had known that Dacian would not succeed, but for some reason, Jaquetta seemed much more dangerous then her King.
"Well, I should be off" Jaquetta sighed. She glanced at Emily and pondered her for a minute. "You're strange looking" she mentioned and then before Sarah could move, grabbed her "You'll make a nice insurance package"
"Stop!" Sarah shouted, running into the back of the couch before she could reach them. And before she knew it they were gone.
-
Sarah fell forward onto the couch, her heart beating sluggishly as she lay there motionless. She didn't know what to do. She felt helpless. Even when she was trapped in worlds that weren't her own, or facing obstacles that seemed unbeatable she always had some resource to call upon. In this case she had just lost her best friend, he friend who had nothing to do with any of this. And now she was gone.
Sarah could only think of one rather unhelpful thing to do, and that was cry.
An idea bubbled up in the back of her brain suddenly and hit her so hard she winced, knowing what she must do.
Sarah climbed shakily to her feet and looked at her hands. "I wish" she started to say.
She seriously doubted this would work. After all, could you really wish yourself away? Was that possible? It didn't sound possible. Even if it did, would Jareth want to see her? He seemed blank to her very being. He certainly wouldn't want her in his castle. Especially not with Naomi around.
"I wish" she inhaled deeply "I wish the Goblin King would come and take me away... right now"
There was a pause in which nothing happened. Sarah exhale, she had known it wouldn't work.
But then she disappeared.
-
AN: Oh god, how do I come up with this horrible shit. Something you should never do: watch Labyrinth on drugs. I thought the goblins were coming for me. And then I thought David Bowie was 'coming at me' if you know what I mean. If you've seen his pants you know what I mean. Yeah you do.
Thanks: To many of you, especially Amazonian21, who whored me out in her author's note. Yay.
Winter M: That wasn't rock bottom. That was just boring life. Rock bottom I don't feel like dealing with. As for angst. Oh yes. Oh yes.
Amazonian21: Bah, underoos. I read that and decided I love your Sarah too. Anyone who wears underoos deserves a wiggle dance of joy. Why have I never heard of underoos before? Why?
ResistingMoonlight: Never fear, sometime around the end of June I'll be done with school and will have nothing else to do but work and write this mother trucker. When I have time, I'm notorious for writing a lot soon. It's only when i go on six month non writing binges that you should worry.
Paganlady: BBC America? What? What? What is WRONG with you Americans. Why on earth would you ever want BBC America. Good god, you get HBO and MTV and all that madness that we have to pay loads for.
Maskedmaiden: I am sorry I nearly killed you. That is no fun for anyone.
Panther Princess: Was that long enough?
KouUsa: I always like hearing that I'm destroying the youth of today by keeping them up past their bedtimes.
Lady Dracona: Well I wouldn't want you to go mad.
Gwenevire: It was a 'starting fresh' sort of a thing.
Cheers Darlin: Sigh. Sugah. I don't know, thank you. You're great
Dreaming One: I'll keep that in mind. I just have to make up so much more shit in the underground.
Eliana Emeth: Does it have your stamp of approval then?
Phoebemon: Of course they will. Eventually. After much evilness.
REMEMBR TO REVIEW (or I'll go away for six months again)