Looking down the staircase she studied the siding, with a quick glance around her, one that hinted at her plans and the fact that they probably weren't allowed, she sat on the rail and began her ride. Laughing as she sped down the spiral loop she adjusted for the end and instead of crashing into the pillar at the bottom she looped her arms around it and was soon becoming dizzier than she had ever been in her life, including when she had held that spin contest with Mick.
Laughing as she slipped off the railing and to her unsteady feet she gasped when she fell against a warm body. Still giggling as the world ceased spinning she looked into the four eyes of the Goblin King. Now that he was holding her she couldn't stand, when her eyes stopped rotating her vision she looked to his curious stare and felt another laugh build in her. Had he seen her slide down the stairs?
"Hi."
"What are you doing Sarah?" He arched a brow at her and she tried to pretend she hadn't done something that all parents forbade.
"Going to the library?" Smiling she knew she didn't sound convincing. She watched his eyes look past her, to the stairs, and then back to her. "Alright you caught me; I was practicing my plan for world domination." His lips twitched at her words. "Don't believe that one either huh? How about-." She stopped when she saw the man standing off to the side of them. "Hello?"
She didn't acknowledge the brief squeeze Jareth gave her. "We will talk later Sarah." She refrained from making a grimace. She hated that tone, glancing at the blond Fae she decided to just go with it. He was looking a little too tense to put up with her badgering him, yet.
"Ok, if you need me I'll be in the Labyrinth. I offered to help Hoggle with his garden; I swear he has no idea what to do with me when it comes to plants." Pecking his cheek to get him to loosen up she slipped from his arms and dashed out the front door.
The sight of Sarah laughing had been by far the most pleasant thing he had seen in his day. He made sure to manage making it to his room in time to talk with her; lately he had come late to find her asleep on her side of the bed. As courtesy to her he had begun wearing loose pants as mortal males of her culture did, she had only just learned of it after awaking while he left the bed a few mornings ago. The smile in her eyes and the unspoken thanks her expression had shown made the slight adjustment more than worth it. He doubted she noticed that she now slept farther away from the edge of the bed as she used to.
After the sun had set he entered the room to find her reading on the bed as she was known to do before sleeping. She was quickly going through books and he wondered how much of it she retained. He also wondered how she found some of the more boring texts so interesting, she had yet to leave the history section, she was not restricting herself just to his realm, she had just begun there.
"What is it that you find so fascinating in those texts?" She moved her eyes from the books to him and shrugged.
"I've always liked history, you wouldn't believe all the similarities there are between Fae and humans, same stupid mistakes and prejudices." The tone in her voice was amusing, but it made him think. Humans were so narrow minded, what could his kind possible share with them?
'Then again.' He thought, looking to his mortal infatuation. 'Sarah shares many qualities, perhaps she has something worth listening to at some point. Wincing as his headache returned he poured himself some brandy and sat in his sofa by the fire. Sarah would read in silence and he would attempt to relax before giving up and forcing a sleeping charm upon himself. He was startled into grabbing the female wrist when a hand touched his shoulder. He was still stunned at her silent movements. Releasing her with a mumbled apology he tilted his head back and looked to her with a question.
Concern was in her pewter eyes. "I don't suppose you'd going to tell me what's wrong will you?"
"No Sarah, I will not."
"Thought so." Her voice, while soft, sent splinters of pain through his mind. Before he could object she had tugged his jacket off his shoulders and was kneading her fingers into his stiff neck. Her thumbs gently pushed his head back down and he closed his eyes at her gentle treatment. "Jareth, you need to relax a little, I don't know what's wrong but you aren't doing yourself any favors with all the stress you're putting on your body. You're going to get sick if you don't, the mind holds a lot of power over the body, even I know that." Since her hands were being so wonderful he was going to ignore her scolding tone, as long as she didn't stop.
Her thumbs lowered to the muscle parallel with the base of his neck, without digging the digits into his skin painfully she pushed on the space with her thumbs in small rotations. While her thumbs were doing that the rest of her fingers were splayed out, finding the tense spots of his shoulders and mimicked her thumbs. "You are as tense as a bow string. Move off the seat, if I'm going to do this I'm sitting, on the floor." She didn't really wait for him to move; before his relaxed mind could comprehend her meaning she was pressing him forward and off his seat. When his back was to the chair her legs were brushing the sides of his arms, the pressure of her hands changed and the pleasure pain on his muscles increased, she knew how to make it painful enough to work but not be a real pain.
"Where did you learn this?" He murmured, knowing that if the silence continued he would be asleep, not that it would be a bad thing all considered.
"Nicky mostly, she's the best of our group, but we all can do it. We all danced. Bernardo has gone into woodwork with his carving for a hobby, Nicky is starting in advertisement I think, and Suzette is in fashion, nightwear to be exact. Mick was the only one to stick with dance, I would have to had things been different, he's very good. He's taught by one of the best in New York." The envy in her voice was clear, but she was also obviously happy for her friends. "But that doesn't answer the question."
Question? Oh yes he had asked her a question, her hands were doing a marvelous job at distracting him. Feeling as if he should comment he found he lacked the will to speak. "Mmmhh?"
"Have you ever done something that left you sore? Well that's what dancing can do, among other things but that's what got us started. We'd over do something and pull a muscle, we quickly learned to rub the muscles to ease the pain, if only a little. Eventually we set to work on each other, some of us are better than others." Her tone was wry and he was sure she was recalling something he hadn't the slightest interest in. Her hands were moving to his neck, he let his head drop and she continued to work her mortal magic.
He felt her legs move and she tilted his head to rest on the seat, her hands found his forehead and scalp, his eyes were closed and he felt that any movement was not worth the effort. It took him a moment to notice she had stopped, opening his eyes he saw her rubbing her hands and looking to him with concern. "Get some rest, you really need it." Lifting his arm he felt tender muscles protest, cupping her cheek she smiled softly at him, then as if realizing what she had done she tilted her head away from his touch and slipped over the side of the sofa seat. By the time he worked up the will to remove his clothes and slip between the sheets, recalling at the last second to pull on his night clothes, she was under the blankets with her back to him. With a thought he dimmed the fire and the candles extinguished. Knowing that touching Sarah would do her no good he left her to her thoughts, closing his eyes he awoke surprised at the ease he had slept in, what shocked him the most was the woman lying on his outstretched arm, she wasn't near him, not really. But his hand was cupping her face as she used it for a pillow. She was still asleep, looking innocent and vulnerable with her eyes closed and her guard down.
Silently he slipped away from her and out of the room, a note on her book, thanking her.
Would you look at that, I wrote an update. Well, it seems Sarah has let her worry slip for Jareth, oops. And what is she doing everyday in the walls of the Labyrinth, could she be making a new friend soon. Maaaaayyyybeee. And COULD there be trouble with Jareth's male visitor. You bet, what kind of author would I be if I didn't torment my readers? I'm not as evil as Kristen Britain (if any of you know who she is SHE IS EVIL)
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