Authoress: I warned you it takes me a while, thanks to writers block
Zoe: (carries in jack hammer) Hey, I finally got a hold of it!
Autohress: YAY!
Zoe: Now on with the fic?
Authoress: Yes, and it sounds like Halem and Sallina are the key pair (besides J/S of course)
Zoe: (presses button)
See the World through My Eyes
Sallina's Troubles?
Sarah went through the rest of the days, much like the last ones. The men took her to different places in the Labyrinth and everyone end up back at the hill in front of the Labyrinth. Sarah asked the same question to everyone. She asked them to describe the sun to her.
Sarah was somewhat intrigued at some of their descriptions. For example, the Ice Prince, Prince Zane, seemed to like going back to how the sun could blind like newly fallen snow and the heat it produced.
Sallina had much trouble trying not to laugh when Sarah stifled a yawn after listening to Halem try to tell how the sun reminded him of his kingdom. Sarah guessed Sallina could understand the fire part of it all, but Sarah couldn't help but find it boring.
The Spirit Fae decided that she really couldn't picture herself with King Sephel. He was a power-freak and a little too controlling (Sallina had to keep her anger in check when Sephel dragged Sarah everywhere). Plus, he described the sun as a round disc full of lemons. Um, next please.
Both woman agreed King Angus had impeccable etiquette and manners. He helped Sarah everywhere and was a perfect gentleman. The only problem was, he had a little too much etiquette. He seemed to forget Sarah was once mortal and lived in the Aboveground, where she could be a normal, semi-carefree girl. He kept mentioning how it was slightly improper for another person (Sallina) to be present for courting, which was getting on both the fire Fae's and Sarah's nerves.
Jareth agreed to go last, being the nice Goblin King that he was. Sarah awoke that day with a tremendous amount of relief. Kera had been in and out that whole week, reporting to her king and telling all her friends the news.
Breakfast was eaten in a heavy silence. All the courting men seemed to send mini-glares at Jareth every chance they got. The only one that made any noise was the little dragon, Daramir, sitting in Sallina's lap. She smiled down at him as she fed him little pieces of bacon.
"You seem to know a bit of dragons, Lady Geminia," Halem mentioned as he watched her feed the dragon. (AN: Please remember Sarah made up an alias for Sallina)
"We share a connection. We both play with fire," she explained looking up, her eyes twinkling with mischief. Halem was taken a back with that look.
"So, Jareth, where are you planning to take Lady Sarah?" Prince Zane said suddenly, causing both Jareth and Sarah's food to go down the wrong tube. There was a brief coughing fit and Sallina stifled laughter and then they both calmed.
"I was actually going to let Sarah decide on where she wanted to go," Jareth said with out falter. Sarah looked up in surprised. Her being blind didn't seem to phase Jareth's decision making any.
"Really?" Sallina
asked. Jareth nodded. "Then you don't need me to go," she said.
This, obviously, caused some trouble.
"But you went with the
rest of us!" King Angus protested.
"And you all sent Cypress to spy on us, so who really is in fault here?" she asked, changing the subject expertly. There was an awkward silence, because they all knew she was right. Cypress grinned, sitting at the end of the table.
"This is slightly unfair," Prince Octavio put in quietly. Before Jareth or Sarah could say something, Sallina put in her two cents again.
"I can trust Jareth more than any of you, and who said life was ever fair?" she said. She stood from her seat and left the room, Daramir in her arms.
"Well that was an eventful breakfast," Cypress said and got up also. One-by-one they all left the dining area. Sarah and Jareth (+ Kera) last.
((AN: Since I love teasing you, Jareth and Sarah's scene is next chapter :P))
Sallina sighed as she walked down the hallway. She wore a light purple multi-use gown with a small vine-like pattern going down the skirt. The headache that had appeared that morning was starting to get to her.
"Lady Geminia," a voice spoke. She spun around and was faced with King Halem. She curtsied, keeping to her fake status.
"King Halem, is there anything I can do for you?" the woman asked.
"Yes, um, I," he cleared his throat, "Was wondering if you, um, you could," he seemed to be having trouble getting his point out.
"Yes?" she encouraged.
"Could you put in a good word for me to Lady Sarah?" he asked hurriedly.
"Oh good God, you men are all the same," she exclaimed and turned on her heels and began down the hallway again, this time, in anger.
"Wait, you seem offended," he said, catching up with her.
"Why would I be offended? That I'm being treated like a messenger girl? Or maybe the fact that no one in this whole place actually appreciates my lady as a woman with feelings and instead looks at her as a child-bearing woman who can be claimed as a prize!" she said, finally happy she could get that out. Daramir seemed to be disturbed by this mood swing and made a whimpering sound.
Hearing the sound Sallina immediately calmed and rocked the baby dragon in her arms, shushing it quietly. Halem watched with half his mind. His other half was letting her words sink in. She had a point. All the men here came mostly because the lady was a Spirit Fae with power and her children would most likely carry her trait. 'Selfish' should have been written on their foreheads when they walked through the doors.
"Forgive me," Halem said humbly, breaking Sallina from her concentration on calming the dragon, "You are absolutely right. We have just been looking at Lady Sarah as a prize to be won. The only one that seemed to be considerate to her wishes was-" he seemed to stagger into his own realization.
"For you see, he only wished to please her feelings and wishes, not please her to the point of woo, my good sir," she said as he leaned against the nearest wall, drinking in the information like a thirsty child.
"We men are blind sometimes," he said after a small silence.
"No, Sarah is blind, men just see the world differently," she pointed out. "She has a special sight and she catches the brightness even in the darkness," Sallina praised her best friend.
"Did you know her before she was blind?" he asked. Sallina nodded.
"We were best friends," she commented with a laugh.
"Then that would mean you were Aboveground," he said. Sallina could see where this was going and she was getting uneasy.
"But the only way for Fae's (besides Jareth) to be Aboveground was if they were exiled," he said looking to her. "You are here against the edicts?" he said it more accusingly than a question.
"Good day, sir," she said quickly and twirled on her heel. She had planned on booking it to the nearest room, locking herself in there, and then asking Sarah if her best friend could disappear for a while. She didn't even get two steps when someone caught her right hand and turned her back around.
"I am not done discussing anything, Lady Geminia," he said with a coy look. Sallina, for the first time in her life, feared the man in front of her. "Come, let us speak in the study," he said, leading her there. She bit her bottom lip all the way there. Daramir had been rocked to sleep and was cuddled cozily in the crook of Sallina's left arm.
The study door closed and Halem released her hand. She considered making a dash for the door, but she decided against it.
"M'lord, please, I'd prefer if we didn't discuss this at all," she said, trying to keep her calm.
"My name's Halem. I hate formalities," he said and waved dismissively. She looked at him skeptically. "Now, how did you get back here?" he asked while motioning to sit at the nearest sofa.
"Left over magic," she said with a sigh, not seeing where this was going.
"Wow, you must have quite a bit of magic to do a transporting spell with just leftover magic," he commented. Sallina took a seat next to him, but made sure there was a good two feet between them.
"Thank you, m'lord," she said with dignity.
"Please, call me Halem," he insisted. She frowned, but relented anyway.
"Halem, why are you curious about me being here? I would have thought you'd be half way to the council by now," she pointed out. He waved it away.
"The dealings of the council have not and never will concern me," he told her, "Now, was it hard to pull the two magics together?" he asked, pure curiosity shining in his mismatched eyes.
"It was for a while, but then it just came naturally and then……" they talked through the afternoon. Most of it was Halem asking questions with glee. Sallina didn't seem to mind his curiosity, her previous headache forgotten. She smiled once in a while when he described his kingdom and the many dragons there. This was the beginning of something, but what?
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Authoress: Sallina deserved a side-story, and you know it.
Zoe: We promise, full J/S next chapter. And in-depth look in the ballroom. Jareth's feelings fully shown!
Authoress: All of these questions answered in chapter 14- The Blind's Sight of Beauty!