Disclaimer: See Chapter 1.
AN Apologies for the long wait. I've been working on this chapter for what seems like ever, and I just can't seem to finish it. Probably because it's longer than any of my others chapters AND because I couldn't decide what I want to happen next. But I got sick of waiting. So here it us. I have a lot of part two done, actually, which makes me happy. Give me… oh, say a week to finish it.
CHAPTER 4: Life for Rent
I haven't ever really found a place that I call home
I never stick around quite long enough to make it
I apologize that once again I'm not in love
But it's not as if I mind that your heart ain't exactly breaking
It's just a thought, only a thought
But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
'Cos nothing I have is truly mine
I've always thought that I would love to live by the sea
To travel the world alone and live more simply
I have no idea what's happened to that dream
'Cos there's really nothing left here to stop me
It's just a thought, only a thought
But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
'Cos nothing I have is truly mine
While my heart is a shield and I won't let it down
While I am so afraid to fail so I won't even try
Well how can I say I'm alive
But if my life is for rent and I don't learn to buy
Well I deserve nothing more than I get
'Cos nothing I have is truly mine
Dido Life for Rent
PART ISarah awoke feeling unusually refreshed. She sat up in bed, enjoying the lavish sheets' silky fabric against her skin and reveling in the almost-light peeping at her through the gap in the long, emerald curtains. Jareth's passionate kiss still burned pleasantly on her lips as she rose and pulled on the luxuriant robe hanging from her cherry-wood bedpost. It was the color of rich cream, in a cut that very much reminded Sarah of 1910s style, a mixture of silky and soft textures and cut to flatter trim, womanly figures. Securing it firmly around her waist, she strode to the French-paned windows and threw back the hangings, allowing the pale, predawn light into her room. Unable to resist, she strode onto the balcony, breathing in the cool morning air.
A few early birds chirped happily, oblivious to her as they went about their morning routine, and nothing stirred in the courtyard below. It took a moment for Sarah to realize that her bedroom looked down on that garden with the unnervingly real statue of the black unicorn – the one called Dulsinea. Nothing seemed amiss with it from the height of her balcony, but still she shivered and pulled her robe more tightly around her.
"So, Sarah, are you prepared to spend your day with Jareth?" Sarah didn't even look up as she heard the woman behind her.
"Yes, and I'm prepared to do it without you." She turned to stare boldly into sapphire eyes. She had thought long and hard about what the presence of the dark woman meant, and had finally settled on the idea that perhaps the traumatic car wreck had caused a split in her personality. With no therapists to speak of in the Underground, she determined to face her problem fearlessly, and as head-on as possible.
"Ooh, you've become too accustomed to me. Whatever shall I do next to keep you on your toes?"
"It doesn't matter. Whatever you do, I'll be ready for you, until I finally rid myself of your horrid presence. You're nothing more than a figure of my imagination, and a little self-discipline should eliminate you soon."
"I will ignore your impudence because you are very close to discovering what I am, and what you are. I give you my solemn word that I shall leave you to your own thoughts for the next few days if you promise to ask Jareth about the Nine when you go out today."
Curious despite herself, Sarah asked, "What are the Nine?"
"That's for Jareth himself to answer. This will be goodbye for a while, Sarah; I have other matters to attend to." The elfin woman made as if to leave but then glanced back at the last moment. "There's someone trying to get your attention." A delicate finger indicated the courtyard behind her and she turned to see who it was. Ter was standing on a balcony of his own across the way, bare-chested and waving energetically. Spinning back around, Sarah saw that her companion was gone.
She fixed a determinedly bright smile on her face and acknowledged Ter, who had ceased waving and was now grinning at her like a schoolboy. "Good morning to you, Sarah!" He called, his voice echoing across the courtyard.
"And to you, Ter!" She answered, genuinely smiling now. In the past few days she had found a warm, comfortable friend in Ter – his animated eyes, funny stories and ready ear made him the perfect confidante. The fact that he looked much like a Roman Emperor helped matters along, as well. She loved the free-and-easy way they talked, and she felt so relaxed when he was around.
"May I join you so that we don't have to shout?"
She nodded and he disappeared into his own suite at a run. She shook her head and turned back to enter her bedroom, intent on her closet. Unfortunately, there were some obstacles to keep her from reaching it. Chak now sat up on her bed, blue eyes curious and patchwork head tilted to the side as he stared towards her door.
Several goblins lined the far wall of the room, laden with any number of goods including the cloaks she had purchased the day before, her fans, and her jewelry. The goblinette who had taken care of her wardrobe the previous morning peered at her above a tall armful of feathers.
"Your permission to put these away miss?" She asked, and Sarah nodded numbly.
In an instant the goblins swarmed her room, tucking the fans into an intricately carved trunk at the foot of Sarah's bed, and gently laying the jewelry into a velvet-lined, cherry-wood jewelry chest that was taller than her and half again as wide. About midway through this unceremonious delivery, there came a knock at her door. Unable to wade through the sea of goblins in her room to reach it, she settled quickly on the bed and called for her visitor to enter.
The door opened and Ter stood before her, clad in all black, as usual – ebony pants belted loosely at his waist, and a jet robe similar to her cream one, unbelted, revealed his marble skin and well-muscled chest and stomach. She was speechless, and stared openly at him as he waded through the goblins to reach her.
"Sarah." He spoke softly when he finally reached her bed, as though afraid of startling her. When she didn't reply he put a hand gently on her shoulder and said slightly louder, "Sarah."
She jumped as though shocked and met his deep, grey eyes with a blush. "Sorry. I kind of zoned out there for a minute. What were you saying?"
"I was wondering if we might go somewhere else, and give these goblins time to finish their business."
"Sure. Where do you want to go? I'm not dressed for anything."
He flashed his trademark grin at her and took her hand without answering. He led her through the goblins to the wall, ignoring her exclamations of confusion as he concentrated. She watched in silence as he traced a rune in the air and an opening appeared, admitting them into a richly furnished parlor done in shades of pale eggshell and offset by teak furniture and gold accents.
"All of the suites have a parlor, Sarah, and many of them have other rooms besides, though now that I think about it, you haven't had access to yours, have you?" She shook her head and he turned to the wall that had closed behind them. "When we leave I'll fix the doors so that you have a way into them without magic, okay?"
Sarah nodded and allowed herself to be led to an expansive wall of sheer glass with a view stretching across the sprawling forests all the way to the sea, where a table was set with breakfast for two. She watched quietly as Ter sat confidently and poured himself a cup of tea from a pot, dispensing cream from a tiny matching pitcher into his steaming vessel. He also judiciously selected a slice of moist, rich, brown bread and two or three small slices of an unknown fruit.
"Would you like something, Sarah?"
She shook her head and continued to watch him as he sampled tea, bread and fruit and nodded approvingly.
"I apologize for devouring your breakfast, but Jareth and I were up all night last night negotiating with the High King, and I missed dinner. I came to ask if you would like to join me this evening for some entertainment. My older sister Kitiara and her husband are stopping for a few hours on their way to the Pixie Kingdom, and wish me to meet them." They sat mutely for a few minutes, and Sarah watched as Ter ate almost delicately, nibbling as would a mouse. He stared out towards the sea, absorbed in his own thoughts, and a cloud passed over his already stormy eyes. He stopped eating and frowned as though searching for the right words. "I would warn you, however, that neither my sister nor her husband are by any means conventional Fae, and they tend to insist on less respectable places than the palace."
Sarah looked at him in utter confusion. "What are you saying? Are they criminals?"
A light blush kissed his cheeks, and he shook his head furiously. "No, not criminals. My, ah, sister ignored my father's demand that she marry the Mer King, who had lost his wife the year previous to her, ah, 'escape'. When she heard that she was to be betrothed, she ran away with and married a man named Bran, who is a minstrel, among other pursuits. Bran is a good fellow who enjoys life just as much as anyone has a right to and probably more, but in turn he attracts more than his fair share of trouble. They asked me to meet them at a tavern called The Silver Unicorn – it's in the lower districts of town, if you get my meaning, but they have excellent ale and the entertainment isn't half bad either. If you don't want to go, I won't blame you, but I think you would like them if you met them."
Sarah narrowed her eyes and gave him a playful smile. "I don't know what most of the Fae women are like, but I am no shrinking violet, Ter, nor am I some lady that is offended by anything less than a thousand roses and an immaculate ballroom. If I didn't know any better, I'd think you had altogether forgotten that I'm human. Anyways, I would love to join you, but I'm spending the day with Jareth, so I might not be back to the castle before sunset."
He grinned at her. "Sunset's perfect. I'll see you then. Meet you at the front gates, or would you rather somewhere else?" He finished the last of his fruit and wiped his fingers on a billowing cloth napkin.
"The front gates are fine, as long as you can give me time to get back and change – chances are something I wear to spend a day with Jareth is going to look out of place in a tavern."
He smiled at her and nodded, pouring himself another glass of tea and adding a generous dollop of cream. "You're right. I didn't even think of that." He worked hard to suppress the jealousy welling up inside of him and a slightly awkward silence followed as he struggled to control his emotions.
Sarah, who had blushed and looked out the window once she'd realized what she'd done, turned to him suddenly with a completely serious look. "Ter, can I ask you a very personal question? You don't have to answer if you don't want to…"
"Absolutely. Ask away."
"Does your sister running away with a minstrel have anything to do with the trouble you and Raven are having with your father? I've heard it mentioned many times, but I've never asked. I hope I'm not being too forward," she added, seeing the look in his eyes.
"Eh, it does and then it doesn't. Our father is a dour old man, and the King of the Fae, which makes him a powerful dour old man. He's also getting on in his years, and he desperately wants heirs. He wants to pass his kingdom on to someone that he knows will run it as he does. Now, by law, the mantle of rulership would have passed to his firstborn, to Kitiara. However, he didn't like that idea because Kitiara turned out to be as headstrong as our mother ever was when she was alive. Instead he tried to marry her off, hoping to settle the responsibility on my shoulders." He laughed bitterly at that, and then continued, "The night she found out she was to marry the Mer King, she was furious. I've never seen someone so angry, and I was afraid for my safety a few times, but she eventually channeled all that energy into throwing breakable things at the wall. Later that night she came to my room to tell me goodbye and that she was leaving. It wasn't discovered until the next week that she had escaped with Bran, who she had known since she was a young girl and he a mere apprentice to the local blacksmith. Soon after they left, he gave up blacksmithing because it didn't agree with him and became a minstrel instead, winning their bread and their rooms by singing at taverns as they traveled. Upon hearing news of her disappearance, father immediately disowned her, and gleefully so. Kitiara was happy, Bran was happy, but that left Raven and me as his targets."
"We would have been content to accept the throne, together, as we do all things, but he would have none of it. One week after Kitiara ran away he announced that I was to succeed him on the throne and Raven was to become a Priestess at the Temple of Souls, which is far, far to the south. He was trying to separate us as he had done since our birth. It didn't work. The night before Raven was to take her vows of solitude and depart, we packed what we could easily carry and rode as far from the kingdom as we could get. I guess we all got more of our mother than he had wished, for a more independent, high-spirited set of children has never existed." He grinned at her. "Lucky for us, with Jareth's father being the High King, Jareth had spent the better part of his youth and adolescence with us, and he granted us sanctuary, which enraged the old bastard." He flushed slightly. "Excuse my language, Sarah, I apologize."
"Anyways, Jareth's continued protection of us has caused serious talk in the courts, and is part of the reason the High King is so reluctant to stop this nonsense with Darius. And unfortunately, until Raven and myself are either married or dead, we must rely on Jareth's sanctuary or our father can drag us back home and bend us to his will as easily as you have bent me to yours." He gave her his alluring smile and kissed her hand gently.
"I shall see you at sunset, my beauty." The door opened before him and he strode out confidently, while the goblinette that seemed to belong to Sarah entered timidly.
"Sorry, miss, but he was threatening to go into fits when he found he couldn't get in." She indicated Chak, who had rushed to Sarah and began ecstatically rubbing her legs. Beyond the girl, Ter stopped to concentrate on the door, and after a brief flash of light, he swept gracefully out.
"That's perfectly okay. He's mine now, in case you didn't know, and I guess he's unusually attached to me. By the way, what's your name?"
The girl blushed demurely and answered, "Pease, Milady. Shall you be needing anything else?"
Sarah thought a moment and an idea dawned on her. "Yes. Yes I would. I would like your opinion on what I should wear today." She stood and exited the room, not daring to glance at the goblinette as she did. She opened the door to her closet and strode in, turning to make sure Pease followed.
"I'm spending the day with Jareth, and I have no idea what to wear. Were I sure that it would be Jareth and me only, then I would have no problems with something very simple and preferably not a skirt. However, we are going out today and there's no telling who we might meet."
"Ah." Pease replied, rather delicately. "Well, in that case I would certainly suggest something elegant, but functional. Not necessarily a skirt, if you're going to be riding a horse, because I don't think it would look appropriate when you straddle the beast, and it's far too uncomfortable to ride sidesaddle if its for any distance. The Ladies of the Underground take their social functions and such very seriously, so I would save those for major events where you are guaranteed to meet most of the royalty in the Underground." She waved a hand to indicate the side of the room that held gowns and complicated looking dresses. "His majesty's favorite color is blue, so why not this? I think it would please him greatly, because these are also the kingdom colors. The boots for it are in the corner, if this is your choice."
The goblinette held up a very pale blue pair of pants and a cream blouse to match it. Sarah could see the silhouette of a pair of tall, black boots in the shadows. The outfit was elegant without being too showy, and appeared functional enough for riding, or whatever else she might do that day. "I like it. It's perfect." She took the clothes from Pease and indicated that she should get the shoes.
In the outfit, Sarah felt comfortable and cool. She absolutely loved the top, which had a double row of buttons on the front, silk lapels and billowy, gossamer sleeves. The boots, which came to her knees overtop of her pants, were made of rich suede. She felt like a pirate with aspirations to Broadway, and still had a sense of grace and elegance.
Pease ushered her into a cherry-wood chair upholstered in jade-colored fabric and immediately began to pull Sarah's hair back into a loose braid, intertwining several gold ribbons into it as she did. The ribbons served as a tie, and hung evenly at the bottom. The sun was now up in full force, and shone brightly in through the open windows. As the goblinette was going through the various drawers and doors in her jewelry chest, something floated in on the dazzling sunbeams. At first, Sarah thought she was seeing things, but as it drifted closer, she realized what it was.
It was like a bubble of the thinnest glass had wafted in on an air current and was coming towards her. She recognized it from her previous visit to the Underground as one of Jareth's crystals. On a hunch, she stretched her hand out to it, and was delighted as it settled into her palm as lightly as a feather. Unexpectedly, however, she heard his voice in her head.
"Sarah? Can you hear me?"
"Yes, I can hear you Jareth," she laughed.
"You look stunning my lady," in her mind, Sarah saw the boyish grin that she had come to associate with him, "And I can't wait to see you in person. I'm just finishing up a few things here, but I'll be there in no more than ten minutes to escort you to our horses. There are some people I want you to meet."
"Jareth, I forgot to mention yesterday that Dondre the horse merchant met me in the courtyard to present me with my horse. He would have stopped by, but he said he had several other places to visit. I thank you for the gift, as always" she said, "but I'll warn you now so you don't go into shock when you see him. He's quite a monster." She brushed absently at the smooth fabric of her pants as Pease clasped a necklace of twisted gold around her neck.
"Oh, I'm sure he can't be all that bad." Jareth said doubtingly, "Did Dondre tell you his name?"
"He said his name was Vell Fea Seldar."
In her mind, a puzzled look crossed Jareth's face. "Unusual name for a horse of his alleged size, isn't it? Oh well. I supposed I had better let you finish getting ready before Pease gives me a real talking to. Until next we meet, beautiful." Her mental Jareth bowed before disappearing.
Pease, who had heretofore been silent, snorted. "A talking to indeed. I'd like to give him a little more than that, but it's not my place to do such things. He knows better than to interrupt, but he does it anyways because he's always been an impetuous thing. You must keep him in check, Milady, before he gets himself into trouble he can't get back out of. What if he were to interrupt the High Queen?" She gasped and paled, "Aleann would have his guts for garters if she didn't die of mortification first, and heaven only knows what the High Queen would do!"
"Oh well. It's his business and no one else's. Stand, miss, and let's see you."
Sarah stood obediently and turned slowly at Pease's command. The goblinette clucked and shook her head. "You look stunning, Milady, but I'm afraid you're missing something and I can't quite think of what it… Aha!" Sarah watched as the goblinette scurried to the huge wooden trunk at the base of her bed and snapped open the lid. Feathers of every different size, length and color imaginable rested neatly on the bottom while various clips to hold them rested in a shallow, removable tray.
Pease smiled mischievously at Sarah before selecting one of the smaller gold clips and sifting through the colorful contents of the chest. She emerged a minute later holding a handful of feathers that were about a foot long, though relatively short compared to some of the plumes taking residence at the bottom of the trunk.
"I must admit, Milady, you did right when you took Miss Raven along with you to shop for these things. She is an excellent judge, and she knew exactly what to get." She soon turned to show Sarah her fan.
The feathers were soft, waving tendrils – more like palm fronds than plumes. They were cream feathers that darkened slightly to a light blue at their tips, and matched her outfit flawlessly – a perfection she'd come to expect from such a magical place. However, something about the arrangement nagged at her. "Pease, am I to understand that you are advertising me as married, or did I simply misunderstand Raven yesterday?"
The goblinette gave her another mischievous smile and waved the feathers at her. "No, miss, you're right, two colors advertise marriage. But that's only when each individual feather is a different color. This fan says that you are promised, and because of the coloring, it says you're promised to Jareth's kingdom, not to Jareth himself."
"So what, they'll think that I am engaged to Jareth's whole kingdom?"
"No, no, miss, nothing like that. Think of it as a show of support. You are saying to those ladies that you are loyal to His Majesty's kingdom no matter what, and that they should not try to sway you to theirs. It's quite clever, if you think about it. It makes them think twice about sizing you up as a potential wife for their various sons and brothers and cousins and encourages them to look at you for what you are. Not to say that they won't do it anyways, because that's who they are."
"Oh. I see." She took the fan and held it up to study it. "How exactly am I supposed to keep from losing this thing when I'm not holding it?"
Pease took the fan from her and used the chain to clip it to a previously unnoticed loop on her pants. "For the most part, I can suggest that if you're going to use it, take it out only in a large group of people where there are more males than there are females, and most of the company is gentle-bred. Women will think you're pretentious if you make a point of showing off your colors. Also, if you find yourself in a company of all females, you want to make a point of addressing yourself to the group as a whole. It's considered bad breeding if you single out one person when there are others around.
There was a brisk knocking at her door, and before Sarah could utter a word, Jareth strode in, very elegantly dressed in sober grey and deep black. His unruly hair stuck out at odd angles and his changeling eyes sparkled in the sunlight.
"Are you ready to go, Sarah, or do I need to exit and wait for you to receive me?"
Sarah heard Pease snort softly behind her and laughed. "No, I think just this once I can forgive you, but don't ever let it happen again."
"Never!" He exclaimed and he held his arm out for her to take. She tucked her hand into his elbow and they left the room.
"So where are we going today, Your Highness?"
Jareth laughed and swept her up in a light embrace, kissing her forehead and then her lips, both oh-so-gently. "I am never 'Your Highness' to you, Sarah. I am merely Jareth." He looked deep into her eyes for a second longer before continuing toward the courtyard. "We are going to go riding today, so we can find you the niche in Fae society that you so desire. Our first stop is even in the castle – We're going to see Siri, who is my Chamberlain. She oversees all social functions here in the Goblin Kingdom as well as handles the lodging and feeding of any guests that I might have at the moment. She also supervises stocking of all supplies that the castle needs. During wartime, she is in charge of supply lines, gearing and outfitting our troops, and locating some way to keep them all warm and sheltered. She has quite a lot on her plate, in case you hadn't noticed. She employs a staff of anywhere from twenty-five to fifty depending on what time of year it is. In addition to this, she is a fairly good swordswoman and somehow manages to find an extra hour every day to practice. I, for one, admire her."
"She sounds like quite the woman," Sarah replied, stopping with Jareth in front of a large wooden door. Angry shouts issued from behind it, interspersed with what sounded like failing attempts at pacification, and Sarah turned to Jareth with a half-confused, half-scared look.
Jareth sounded apologetic as he pulled her back a few steps. "I'm afraid Siri has been having a few problems with some of our new cloth and textile merchants. We lost our previous supplier when he died of a heart attack and his three sons drank the business into the ground. Apparently, these new bloody sheep haven't understood the message yet."
Just then the door slammed open and a cringing, middle-aged man practically ran out, buffeted with colorful scraps of material. "I said no! Absolutely not! I don't know just what kind of fool you think I am, exactly, but you're sadly mistaken! Do you see this?" A piece of thin, red cloth was thrust out of the door and into the nervously shaking hands of the merchant. "This is useless! It would snap under the slightest pressure! I wouldn't let my cat toy with such useless rubbish! Take this worthless bundle of strings and yourself and get out of here before I call the guard. And don't bother coming back."
Sarah was astounded as a very short, slightly rotund, chestnut-haired woman stepped out of the door and dusted her hands off. "Good riddance!" She shouted at the back of the retreating person, before turning to Jareth with a wide smile. "What can I do for you and your Ladyship, majesty?"
"Well, Siri, we were just coming to see you. Sarah here is looking for a little something to occupy her idle hours in the castle, so I thought I would give her the grand tour and see if she found anything of interest."
"Sarah, eh?" Siri looked her up and down before lifting off the ground on stubby wings Sarah hadn't noticed before and staring deep into her eyes. "Wouldn't this one be better off knitting or playing shuffleboard? We're all for hard labor around here, missy." She returned to the ground and Sarah tried her best to look calm and dignified, while inside, her heart thundered in shock.
"She has more fire in her than you're giving her credit for, Siri. Just show us around, would you?" Jareth asked, placing a hand gently on Sarah's arm. In her head, he whispered, The old pixie's still got quite a bit of fire in her, eh? It actually puts us at an advantage because no man in his right mind would try to lie to her or cheat her out of anything. Don't let her fool you, though: underneath all of that rough and rowdy exterior, she's quite the softy.
"Pardon, your Highness? I didn't hear you." Siri turned to them with a raised eyebrow and a shrewd glare in her brown eye.
"Nothing, Siri. I didn't say anything. Please, let us go now."
"Your wish is my command. Follow me, lady and gentleman, and watch your step." She led the way into a spacious, well-ordered reception room of sorts. The wall was lined with stiff, uncomfortable-looking benches and chairs all the way down to the other end, where a prim-looking Fae sat writing very slowly at a huge desk. To her right was a thick door made of heavy, solid wood. They continued walking, Sarah's hand tucked snugly in Jareth's elbow, and stopped at the desk. Siri indicated that they should turn and look up. Above them, the ceiling seemed to stretch out into infinity, ending in shadows. "This is our receiving hall, where all those who would do business with the Kingdom must wait. Each visitor is registered at the desk, is ranked according to his arrival and the importance of his business, and then takes a seat to wait his turn."
Sarah looked down the long aisle of chairs and thought how intimidating it would be to walk past all those cold eyes to the desk, and then back to an empty chair. This woman or someone on her staff had devised some rather cunning scare tactics.
"You're lucky it's so empty, Milady. We give them a break about this time of morning so they can eat something and gather their flagging courage before returning. In about an hour this whole room will be full of over-dressed merchants, and all of them will be sweating underneath their stiff collars." She chuckled and winked at them.
This woman has many hidden facets, Sarah thought as she followed Siri through a large mahogany door, she must cultivate the loud, bawdy image to intimidate her victims. This room seemed close, dark, and rather scary – devoid of all decoration save a plain desk and three chairs – a tall, richly-upholstered one facing them and the other two rather barbarous looking ones with their backs to the group. "This is where I personally do business. Each visitor is lead in here and makes his proposal." She yet again wondered at the strategy of this woman in her dealings.
They were quickly led out the back through a small, unobtrusive door and onto a breezeway overlooking one of the palace gardens. "We keep the rest of our work out here beyond the main office so the noise and bustle don't disturb our visitors. Just through here is where the real effort takes place." They were led out of the warm, late summer air and into an enormous building. Sarah found herself in what looked like a huge, very cramped, incredibly messy office. It was, however, brightly lit, and Sarah blinked the brilliance out of her eyes while several creatures worked diligently at make-shift desks, some at more permanent establishments, and others still wandered from station to station, delivering documents. This bustling environment was populated by a diverse mixture of creatures, from winged pixies to short goblins, speckled here and there with fauns, and several other pretty creatures she couldn't identify. To her left, a young pixie girl looked up at her through huge green eyes before turning to her goblin neighbor with an inquisitive look. By way of reply, the goblinette applied herself even more thoroughly to her work, not so much as glancing up from the two pieces of paper she was obviously proofing.
"This is our command center, if you will. At least one quarter of my staff is on duty in here at all times, and during the spring and fall months, an extra ten are installed to make sure that his Highness's social life doesn't get ahead of us. Here we copy, proofread, and file all documents pertaining to the kingdom's financial status, business transactions, current alliances, et cetera. We also handle orders from all kingdom districts as well as the castle needs. The girls here have been selected for their excellent penmanship, attention to detail and orderliness. Just through here," she indicated an open exit into a much smaller room, "is where we keep the originals to all of his Majesty's papers." As Siri said this, the pixie that had stared at her as she entered buzzed past her with an armful of various items, which she stored in a huge drawer before coming back. Bowing gracefully in midair, she whispered, "Your Majesty, Your Ladyship" before flying back to her station. As they turned continue their excursion, a burst of high-pitched giggling followed them.
Through the final door was a cavernous room, filled with bustling and noise. It was a delivery and receiving room from the looks of it – long caravans were being relieved of their goods, which were then run through a thorough if quick inspection and sent through various doors into others parts of the building, where they were no doubt sorted and delivered to their assorted destinations. Likewise, loads of diverse goods were brought and loaded onto the departing caravans. "I'm afraid this is the end of our tour, Milady – what you see here is the job that employs the rest of my staff. This is where we receive all goods from the castle and ship out everything that must leave. Anything brought in is run through a meticulous inspection aided by carefully prepared and specific checklists before being sent to their individual arenas – for example, cloth is sent over there and foodstuffs here. Anyone working here must be methodical, precise, and not without a certain amount of muscle. It is imperative that all items arriving at and departing the castle are what should arrive and depart. After things leave this warehouse, they're out of my hands and into the hands of the castle steward – Ignacio – and his staff. And I'm truly sorry, but that's all there is to see." She shrugged. "Notice anything interesting, Your Ladyship?"
Sarah opened her mouth to reply, but no words came out. After a moment, she managed to stammer, "I-I… Well, this is the first place we've been. Can we perhaps see some other things before I answer that?"
"Suit yourself. If you'll excuse me Your Highness, I have things I must attend to." She bowed to Jareth and buzzed away, barking orders at any slackers she came upon.
Jareth led Sarah through all the bustle and out a small side door into the main courtyard. "She doesn't think you're capable of doing it, you know. To her, you're just another dainty court lady, not suited for anything more stressful than a light game of Fae polo and a picnic lunch before needing a long nap. I don't think it really matters, however, because you didn't really seem suited to anything she showed you, nor did you seem terribly interested, either."
Sarah laughed, a little embarrassed, "I'm afraid you're right. It reminded me too much of my dad's office building with its cubicles and secretaries. All it needed to complete it were constantly buzzing phones and a nasal voice repeatedly saying 'Goblin Kingdom, this is Siri's office, how may I help you?' I never liked those people – they were all so snobbish."
"Well, I suppose that worked out fine then! I will introduce you to Ignacio later, but we have much more to see and I wouldn't dream of allowing you to consider for the briefest moment becoming a kitchen menial or something like that. You're much too pretty to be wasted anywhere but in the most prominent positions." He kissed her lips gently and led her to the stable where their horses were already saddled and ready to go. Sarah's fiery mountain of a horse dwarfed Jareth's stallion, which was a much lighter shade of auburn, much as a sun dwarfs a distant star. Neither creature seemed to like the other over much, and it took four stable hands just to keep Vell Fea Seldar from trampling the smaller Arabian mount.
"What is that monster!" Jareth exclaimed, staring wide-eyed at it.
"I warned you Jareth, but you just scoffed. You didn't believe me. And now you see what Dondre says is matched to me."
The only sign that the Goblin King was in the least afraid was the slightly ashen tone of his skin, but he strode steadily and almost confidently to his own mount, which was fighting to free itself and attack its challenger. "Aikanaro, enough!" Jareth said in his most commanding voice, and the horse immediately calmed, dipping his head in apology.
Sarah, delighted at having surprised the seemingly stoic Jareth, walked calmly to her horse. Petting its oddly-colored mane, she whispered gently in his ear. He butted his enormous nose against her and lipped gently at her lapel. "Oh, don't do that!" she laughed, and pushed at him playfully. The Goblin King watched the exchange from atop his own steed and grinned to himself as she mounted gracefully.
"Are you ready to go, Sarah?"
"Yes," she replied, and kicked her horse into a trot next to Jareth, enjoying the rise and fall and the feel of rippled muscles working seamlessly beneath her. As they exited the castle gates, an evil voice whispered in the back of her mind, The Nine. Trying to sound as offhand as possible, she turned to Jareth and said, "Jareth, who or what are The Nine? I heard someone speaking about them this morning, and it rather piqued my curiosity."
"The Nine… It's kind of a complicated matter to explain, I'm afraid, because we really don't have a very good grasp of the idea ourselves. Basically, The Nine are the nine governing Gods of the Underground. Anything else I could tell you beyond that would be hearsay and speculation."
"Well tell me anyways. If I'm going to live here, I'll have to learn the legends, even those that are mostly rumor."
"Okay. Well, for the most part, The Nine aren't essentially Gods, but actually dwellers of the Underground with the potential to become Gods. Legend has it that when these nine Gods realize their fate and accept it, they will ascend to the Heavens and purify the Underground. Now here's where the tales start diverging. One of the main principles in the magic of the Underground is that of balance, and it's no different for our Gods. Unfortunately, how they are balanced depends on who you're talking to. One conjecture is that there are four 'good' Gods and four 'evil' Gods – though the aspects of the Underground that they govern are neither essentially 'good' nor 'evil' – with one neutral ruling God. Others speculate that the balance is within the people themselves before the transformation from mere individual to Supreme Being; that somehow they are faced with trials that force them to choose between a dark aspect of their personality and a light one. Others still believe that the balance is the fact that all of The Nine are neutral, having both positive and negative aspects, as each of their governed elements does. I even heard one scholar surmise that perhaps the balance referred to gender: that there would be four women and four men with an omnipotent, genderless leader. I believe that we shall never know until they choose to reveal themselves to us, and even then we may not be truly able to understand."
"What are their 'elements'? I thought there were only fire, wind, water, and earth."
"Not elements in that sense. Maybe that was the wrong word to use. I don't think there is a word for it. The Nine each control a certain aspect of Underground life, and none of them are your conventional Aboveground ideas of things-to-be-governed-by-a-deity, either. There is Moon, Firmament, Song, Storm, War, Passion, Law, Change, and Fortune. Any or all of those might be male, female, or some crazy mix of both, and as you can see, all of the areas named can either be benevolent or malevolent. There is no obvious division."
"Oh," Sarah replied as they continued down the road toward the town. It all sounded very fascinating to her, a mere mortal from Aboveground, but she didn't ask anymore questions and they rode in silence until they reached the Goblin City, where they reined in and walked their horses to a large building near the outskirts. Dismounting, Jareth helped Sarah off her own horse, enjoying the momentary press of her body against his.
"Now this, Sarah, is something more suited to your beauty and grace. Besides, this is the only true 'job' you'll find any other Fae at. Most of us are suited to and content to govern, which is why Fae rule in ten of the thirteen kingdoms, even though they only have one that 'belongs' to them. The lady Fae particularly love this place." Sarah glanced up, but all she saw was a blank wall with a single door at the bottom. "Royalty from all over the Underground have business here."
"After you, my lovely," he said, bowing her into the building. Sarah found herself in a long hallway, with doors leading off to the side intermittently. Soft music drifted on the air, though she couldn't identify any of the instruments or a definite tune.
"Balls are an integral part of all Fae life, Sarah. There's no denying it. We look forward to them more than you humans look forward to your holidays, or any other event for that matter. Many of the most prestigious are held in the late spring or early fall, which is why Siri must hire so many extras at that time. I'll be hosting at least four this coming fall, and I have invitations to over forty. Of course, since you are my guest, those invitations also extend to you, and I expect you to come to at least one."
"Um," Sarah replied, but couldn't come up with a suitable noncommittal answer, so she changed the subject instead: "what is this place, again, Jareth?"
He chuckled. "This would be the equivalent to an Aboveground party planning agency. Here they arrange and prepare for our most prominent get-togethers, as well as teach the fine art of dance to those poor individuals with two left feet. It is owned, run and managed by Fae, who do a damn good job, if I do say so myself. Come, let me show you."
He took her into a large room with smooth wooden floors. A quartet was playing lilting music in one corner, and twelve Fae were dancing what looked like a cotillion, twirling gracefully together before separating into groups of four and switching partners. A tall Fae lady watched the whole thing, tapping her feet with the measure of the music and studying the elegant waltz with hawk-like blue eyes. As the last note sounded, she clapped loudly for a few instants and then began stridently correcting any mistakes she noticed.
"Wynna, that was absolutely dreadful. You went to the wrong group and completely bungled the order of the whole. Remember ladies and gentlemen: a dance is like a painting – one false move, one careless brushstroke, and your whole canvas will have been destroyed. And Reid – when you take your partner's hand don't grasp it! You should be a rock to support her, like this." She fisted her hand and offered it to Wynna, who placed hers lightly on top, glad to have positive attention on herself for once. "Again, everyone."
Promptly, the music started over and the dancers took their positions at the center of the floor. Jareth and Sarah skirted the cluster of students and eventually made their way over to where the instructor stood. "Dehlia," Jareth said, taking her proffered hand and kissing it gently. "It's a pleasure as always. Sarah, this is Dehlia, my cousin, though you couldn't tell it to look at her because she's so much prettier than I am." Sarah didn't see any resemblance either. The woman was gaunt and overly tall with long, chestnut hair drawn into a rather severe bun and sharp, cold blue eyes. Her nose even looked a little like a hawk's beak.
"Jareth, the shameless flatterer, though to no avail. I will always be a better dancer than you, dear cousin. It's a pleasure to meet you, Sarah." Dehlia hadn't taken her eyes from the fluidly moving dancers the whole time, though she held her hand out in Sarah's general direction.
"Sarah… That's a human name, is it not?" A quick glance from the corner of her eye belied the curiosity Dehlia masked so well in her professional voice.
"Yes. Yes it is. And seeing that I'm human, it might make sense that I had a human name." Sarah felt Jareth's hand tighten slightly around hers and knew that he didn't approve, but she was getting very angry with the people who kept giving her sidelong looks. The goblin servants in the castle had even had the gall to openly stare at her as she walked the corridors. She was rather starting to feel like an animal in a zoo, and suffered the need to assert herself.
"That would make sense, wouldn't it? Wynna! Pick up your feet!" Dehlia masked her chagrin by chastising the hopelessly lost Wynna, who had yet again gone the wrong way and was now crying in the center of the floor.
"Oh, dear, stop the music!" The tall woman seemed to float to where the crying girl stood and comforted her much as a mother would soothe a crying child. "Hush now. It's okay, you'll get it eventually. It just takes practice… Shh… That's right…" Gradually the sobbing ceased, and sniffling, Wynna took her place and prepared to start over again.
"What can I do for you, Jareth? As you can see, I'm kind of busy."
"I was showing Sarah around. She was looking for something to occupy her time, and so I thought I could give her the grand tour. What do you think, Sarah? Couldn't you do this as well as any of these Fae here?"
Sarah blushed and became aware that Dehlia was now openly sizing her up. "Do you even know how to dance, Sarah?"
Feeling like an animal under observation again, Sarah sensed her anger flare up, but it was nothing but a candle flame compared to Jareth's rage, which radiated from his every pore. Before he could explode, which he was bound to do, she butted in. "I'm afraid she's right, Jareth. No, I can't dance to this music. If you were to put on some Jay-Z or something with a nice beat, I could show you how humans dance. We haven't done the cotillion in over a hundred years. I'm sure, however, that given the opportunity, I could learn it quickly." From his grip on her hand, the Goblin King was still furious, but he now had that fire under control.
"Thank you, Dehlia. I shall be sure to contact you later should I need your services." With that, they both turned and strode quickly for the door. Outside in the corridor, Jareth stopped and took a deep, calming breath. "I apologize for her, Sarah. She may be a rather harsh, direct person by nature, but she had no right to treat you that way. I don't know what's gotten into people around here – they've become so hostile recently. Perhaps it's this business with Darius. Whatever it is, it's still no excuse. Come, let's go see what else there is to be seen." He offered her his arm and they continued down the hallway.
The next room they entered looked like a drawing room – a large table in the center was covered with blueprints and sketches while various people worked on their own little projects in a designated area. In a back corner, one woman patiently matched and arranged flowers into tiny bouquets, lining each one up against the wall and comparing them as she went while in another corner a man scrutinized two different shades of dark red fabric under a bright light. And older gentleman with silvered hair glanced up from his sketch of a stately man in full costume and grinned. "Jareth! It's been far too long! How have you been, old chap?"
He leaned heavily on an elegantly carved cane and limped slightly as he approached. "You've been cooped up in that castle with those musty old diplomats for too long, Jareth. You need to just burn his kingdom down and be done with it!"
Jareth laughed and patted him on the back. "It's not as if I haven't wanted to since this whole mess started, old timer, but I'd have my father to answer to if I did."
"Yes, I understand. But it's a nice thought, eh? Did you know that fat little fool had the nerve to come in here and offer us everything but his life to plan a ball for him? Yes, basically told us to name our price. Of course I turned him away. I would rather see this place destitute and torn down than let customers like him in. It's just the thought that he believes himself so high and mighty to demand our service."
"Yes, I see. I'll have to look into that and see what else he has been doing in my kingdom. However, business first, Gevan – this is Sarah; Sarah, this is one of my oldest and dearest friends – Gevan."
The old gentleman took her hand in his large, leathery ones and kissed it, bending his head in supplication. Looking up after a second, he gave her a boyish wink. "I see Jareth hasn't lost his touch with the beautiful young ladies. If I were just a day younger, Milady, I would challenge this whippersnapper to a duel at dawn for such a fair and pretty hand as yours." Sarah blushed but quickly forgot her chagrin when she noticed that pale roses had blossomed on Jareth's usually fair cheeks. This detail hadn't escaped Gevan's attention either, and he pushed his advantage. "Oh no, Jareth. You said business first, not pleasure. Is this finally it? Will we be planning your wedding gala?"
Jareth's blush darkened from a soft rose to a deep wine red, though the fever quickly dissipated. The Goblin King cleared his throat a few times, looked everywhere but at the grey-haired man, and choked out, "No, Gevan, no. Sarah is looking for something to occupy her spare hours, and I'm showing her around. No marriage."
"That's a shame, Jareth. I wouldn't let this one get away if I were you – she seems like quite the catch. Anyways, Milady, I guess there isn't much to explain." As he took her arm and turned to show her what was going on, two young Fae – one boy and one girl and neither older than twelve in appearance – ran up, excitedly waving a piece of thick, heavy parchment.
"That's it, father, she's done it! Tesi's engaged at last! She writes to ask for your blessings on their union!"
"Well, that's some great news. Go tell mama, and I'll be along in a moment." The two excited children rushed away and Gevan turned to Jareth with misty blue eyes and a trembling smile. "That's the last of them, Jareth. I've just the two here left to me. It's so wonderful and so sad." The two men embraced as brothers and Sarah couldn't help but smile and wonder wistfully what life would have been like if her parents had loved her so completely. A crushing, nostalgic sadness threatened to overpower her and she felt her knees go weak. To stop herself from falling, she put a hand on the table and tried desperately to repress the tears in her eyes, cursing Pease for pulling her hair back instead of leaving it as a curtain. A gentle clearing of the throat made her glace up, the tears in her eyes making them shimmer like emeralds in the sunlight.
"Excuse me, miss, I don't mean to interrupt, but might I have that sketch before you cry all over it?" A beautiful Fae man looked at her half apologetically, glancing at the paper with concern. Sarah sniffed and dashed the tears from her eyes, laughing through her clenched throat.
"I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me. Here, before I do something else that might destroy it." She picked it up tenderly, careful not to smudge any of the wonderful inking, and studied it before handing it to him. "It's positively beautiful. I'm impressed."
The Fae, who didn't look any older than twenty, beamed. "Thank you very much. Oh, by the way, what were you here for? Is there something you'd like to order?"
"Oh, nothing of the sort," Sarah replied, "Jareth brought me here because I'm looking for something to keep me busy during the long hours of the day. He's been showing me around, and Gevan was about to tell me about this place when he got the news."
They both glanced over to where the Goblin King and his delighted friend were conversing animatedly, and her companion laughed. "It doesn't look like he'll get around to doing anything today, with news like that. Likely he'll go out tonight and celebrate and take the next month to go see her and arrange her wedding. How about I show you around while those two reminisce, or whatever it is they're doing. I'm Caine, by the way."
Sarah shook his hand, enjoying his firm, dry handshake, and replied, "Sarah."
"The Sarah? Well, not to be a gossip, but I have heard quite a lot about you, Sarah."
"You have, have you? What could you possibly have heard about me?" Sarah absentmindedly sifted through the sketches on the table, stopping to admire some openly, but in actuality she was all ears.
"Only that you are an incredible, fiery beauty and happen to be the fair maiden that has finally won the Goblin King's allegedly unachievable heart and his considerable kingdom." He paused for some confirmation, but Sarah only exclaimed over a particularly detailed drawing of a ballroom in all its splendor. "It's also said that you are human…" He paused before rushing ahead, "and with a name like that it really does seem like you are." He stopped to draw a breath before continuing calmly, "But now that I have met you I see that they are completely wrong. There's no way you're human."
Sarah grinned and considered correcting him, but thought better of it and instead said, "Well thank you. Now, to turn from idle gossip – why are all these wonderful drawings covering this table?"
"These are designs – incredibly detailed blueprints, if you will. Fae pay exorbitant amounts of money to have their balls top those of all the other Fae. Everything is left to us, and to make sure that every detail is perfect, we do drawings and sketches such as these so that when we start actually decorating there can be no mistake as to the placement and design of even the simplest details." At Sarah's bewildered expression, he laughed, "But don't fret – it isn't half as hard as it looks or sounds, and after a while you just get a feel for what works."
"And if drawing and meticulous detail aren't to your tastes, we have someone who works continually on matching and arranging flowers, and that person has a staff who replicates the chosen bouquets. We have someone who arranges for refreshments, someone who arranges for any and all kinds of cloth and fabrics, someone who makes the costumes of the various servants. And you mustn't forget our dance instructors," he started, but one look for Sarah and he abruptly stopped. "I take it you've met Dehlia."
"How did you guess?" Sarah asked sharply, unable to forget the overly direct woman.
"Dehlia's been short with just about everyone lately, and it's not really her fault. Her beau is a rather stupid fellow, if he does mean well, and she has been frustrated for a while now because she wants to marry and he doesn't get it. She tends to be worse with other women, however, for obvious reasons, and to see her cousin so happy and in such pleasant company must have just driven her mad with jealousy." He gave her an impish smile not unlike Gevan's. "I bet poor Wynna got it from her, didn't she?"
Sarah tried hard not to smile, failed, and laughingly answered, "The poor thing burst out crying and Dehlia had to stop the music to comfort her. Though, I don't think all of that is to do with a strict instructor. She's completely lost, isn't she?"
Caine nodded empathetically. "Yes, yes she is. And it's not that she couldn't dance if she put her mind to it, it's just that she's so nervous that she forgets what she's doing. This is her year to come into society, and she's 'fresh off the farm,' to coin a human phrase. Her parents are hoping to marry her quickly to a second or third son of a lesser noble and get her off their hands. They really have no hopes for the girl. Her older sister, however, is quite the beauty, and it's rumored that she is to snare the eldest son of one of the wealthiest merchants in the Underground. This is all hearsay, of course, and not a whit of it can be proved, but I bet that by winter she's got herself a rich husband and a child on the way."
Sarah took this in silently, thinking how awful it must be for Wynna to live in the shadow of her precocious older sister. Should she decide to go to one of Jareth's balls, she would certainly treat the girl kindly.
"Of course, that she might marry at all just excites Dehlia to no end, and all that yelling makes her nervous, so I'd say she stands no chance, and she shouldn't bother dancing period." Slyly sidling closer, he whispered warmly in her ear, "Speaking of dances, Sarah, may I presume to claim one of yours the first ball we attend together?"
Sarah balked before stammering an "I guess." Then she cursed herself for agreeing – it meant she would have to attend at least one of the highly social events.
As Caine was about to reply, Jareth spotted them talking so closely and, jealous, walked over to clap Caine on the shoulder. "Caine, how have you been? I haven't seen you in what seems like eternity!"
"I've been positively magnificent, Jareth. And you?" Caine replied coolly, amber eyes narrowing almost imperceptibly.
"I would say excellent but for this whole mess with Darius. Say, whatever happened between you and that girl you were seen leaving my ball with last spring?"
"Nothing Jareth. I took her home and then went home myself. In case you hadn't heard, she's engaged to Dondre, and they're to be wed mid-winter."
"Ah. I'll have to congratulate him when next we meet. And what were you two talking about so secretly over here?"
Sarah, a little angry at Jareth's possessiveness, jumped in to save Caine by saying, "We were just talking about Dehlia, and why she's… like she was to us."
Jareth's expression instantly changed to one of curiosity, and then he laughed. "Is it her beau? Is he at it again?"
"I'm afraid so," Caine replied with a laugh.
"So, Sarah, has young Caine shown you anything you'd be interested in trying your hand at?"
She thought a minute before replying, "Well, actually, yes he has. I would like to see all of my other options before making a decision, but I rather think I would like it here."
"Perfect! But I'm afraid we must take our leave, for we still have much to see and such little time to see it. Goodbye one and all, and congratulations, Gevan."
Loud shouts of farewell echoed down the hallway after them as they stepped out into the brilliant noon sun. Aikanaro and Vell Fea Seldar were waiting placidly for them, each decidedly ignoring the other. When the two exited, they both perked up and trotted closer, their animosity forgotten, at least for the moment. Mounted, the couple rode out of the city and into the rolling hills and farmsteads surrounding it in comfortable silence. Soon even the farms had thinned out, until only one or two comfortable-looking cottages peeped at them from behind tall trees. Sarah breathed in the fresh air and found herself thinking how truly impossible it was that she was here, and riding her very own horse next to her former arch-nemesis, who she now found herself falling in love with. Somehow, it all felt so right. She didn't want to question it, only savor the moment and hope that it never ended.
"I'm sorry Sarah, but I must make a stop before we reach our next destination. I do hope you don't mind." Jareth's melodious voice broke in on her reverie, and she turned to him with a smile.
"That's okay, Jareth. I'm just enjoying being out here in the Underground."
"Wonderful! We should be coming into view any moment." As he said that, they crested a hill that looked down on a tall, turreted stone structure. "These are our reserve barracks, Sarah. Here is where our full-time soldiers stay and train should a war happen to break out. We've been getting quite a few new recruits lately due to this whole mess with Darius, and I've been meaning to come and inspect them for a while. You're sure don't mind?"
"Nope! I don't mind at all! I'm kind of excited to see a swordfight. I've never seen a real one before!"
"Well, I guess I'll have to arrange that for you sometime." He kicked his horse into an open gallop and Sarah quickly followed.
The gates rose swiftly as they approached, and they rode inside in fine style. They came directly into a courtyard where several men were sparring back and forth, sweat covering their bare, well-muscled chests. There was a loud crack and a huge red welt appeared on the upper arm of one of the opponents while his enemy stood over him, smirking; the winner's sword casting a brilliant flash of light on the ground. Cheers erupted from the crowd, which rushed the triumphant man and patted him on the back, while a few stayed behind to help the injured man to his feet.
Jareth – having watched all of this silently and unnoticed from the back of the raucous crowd – clapped loudly and spoke up, his lordly voice echoing about the courtyard. "Well done, men! Splendid!"
Instantly the previously relaxed militiamen snapped to attention, scrambling to take their places in well-ordered ranks stretching across the courtyard. A few of the younger men stared open-mouthed at their King, but their officers soon had them moving double time as well, and within a few seconds endless lines of bare-chested soldiers stood before them. A lone man stood out from the crowd, his silvered hair shimmering in the bright afternoon sunlight. "My liege," he said, his eyes staring straight forward, "your men are ready to serve you."
Jareth smiled, though it was not the little boy's grin that Sarah knew, but a cool, kingly smirk. "Excellent Robyn. Your command is impeccable, as usual. Tell me what I need to know, and quickly, for my lady and I have other plans." He turned to look at Sarah, apology touching his eyes but never reaching his stony face.
Robyn, obviously the commander, dismissed his troops to eat, but as they turned to leave, he called one of his soldiers back. A tall, lanky, fiery-headed youth jogged up to where the trio stood, his calm features unable to mask the worry in his eyes.
"Sir?" He asked, glancing from Robyn to Jareth and back again.
"Gawaine, this is Lady Sarah. She is here accompanying his highness. Please, show her around while I talk business with his Majesty."
The boy gave a salute of obedience and turned to Sarah as the men walked away, relief radiating from his every pore. He gave her a stately bow and smiled, "Gawaine, Milady, at your service." He made as if to offer her his arm, but finding that it was sweaty and rather dirty, put it behind his back quickly. "Uh, please, follow me this way."
Sarah, instantly put at ease by this gangly boy, laughed and walked by his side, listening to his quick explanations and humorous anecdotes intently. He pointed out the surly-looking cook standing over his pot of stew much like a miser stands over his gold, and told her that he had previously been head chef at the castle until his unnerving obsession with mouse-killing got him demoted to cook-in-residence at the barracks. He told stories of the heroic and battle-scarred of the troops: how one man had lost his arm in an attempt to save three of his comrades and how another had single-handedly held off twenty soldiers until help had arrived. He gave a grim account of vermin-infested barracks and checking his sheets each night for lice. He made an effort to point out the few women that had joined ranks, one and all of them practicing grimly with sword and bow and bare hands. With each encouraging laugh from Sarah he warmed to his topic, until very soon they were laughing like childhood friends sharing a private joke. As they began their second circuit through the base, Gawaine turned to her with a brilliant smile and asked, "Would you like to try your hand at archery, Milady?"
Before she could reply he blushed bashfully and continued, "I'm sorry Miss. I know that such dirty and tiring pursuits are beyond a lady such as yourself. Forgive me for my impudence, I momentarily forgot myself."
In reply, she laughed and led to way to the archery targets, tossing over her shoulder as she went, "I don't know what kind of ladies you're used to, but I think a little exercise would do me good."
"Very well then," he replied as he picked up a practice bow and strung it, "here you are." He handed her the bow and a slightly bedraggled arrow. "You simply knock the arrow into place, like so." He demonstrated on another bow and she mimicked his actions. "Now you pull back as hard as you can, steady your arm, aim and let fly." Suiting actions to words, he shot the arrow and it hit right outside the center of the target. "I'm a little rusty. Now, you try."
She did as she was commanded, pulling back on the arrow with all her strength, squinting her eyes to sight, and attempting to steady the trembling in her muscles from the exertion. "Like this?" she asked through gritted teeth. At a nod from him, she closed her eyes and let go of the string. She heard the arrow hit not too far away from her, and opened her eyes slightly.
What she saw was an incredible disappointment. The arrow had sailed nicely for a few yards and then hit the ground well before its intended target. She glanced over at Gawaine, whose face was schooled to a stoic calm, and growled. "Let me try that again, please." He nodded and handed her another arrow.
This time, she channeled her anger at such a pathetic failure into her arms. She drew back on the string until she felt it would break, steadied herself, sighted, and let fly. She didn't close her eyes, but watched as the arrow sailed straight and true to the center of the target, sticking in the wood with a solid thunk. She gave a satisfied smile and turned to Gawaine, whose jaw hung slightly slack, unable to completely contain his amazement.
"I bet with a little practice, I could become pretty good at this thing!" she exclaimed. "Can I try it one more time?"
He walked forward and retrieved her first arrow, which lay on the ground. Taking it from him, she shot again. This time its flight was not quite so strong or so steady, but it stuck in the wood just near the bottom of the target.
"Gawaine!" came an angry roar from the other side of the open courtyard. "How dare you force a Lady such as this to stoop to such menial tasks? What were you thinking!" The boy cringed and bowed his head in supplication. Sarah couldn't help herself, and jumped in to save him.
"It was my idea, sir. He was telling me about some of the women at the base and I was anxious to see if I could be as tough as they. I'm not quite there yet," she indicated the target with a smile, "But with a little practice I think I could do very well."
The Commander blushed, mortified.
"Well Robyn, I think that shall be all I require of you for now. Sarah, are you ready?" He offered his arm to her, and she took it, winking at Gawaine as she did so.
"Thank you for that wonderful tour, good sir." The boy blushed cherry red to the roots of his hair, and she couldn't help discovering the unflattering truth – that he looked suspiciously like a tomato.
The Goblin King assisted Sarah in mounting, mounted himself, and they rode through the gates, their horses eager to be on the road again. They had ridden in silence for about a mile when Sarah turned to Jareth.
"Jareth," she said softly, not wanting to startle him, "there is something I want more than anything else in the world right now."
He turned to her, his eyes bright as he prepared to hear a request for a fur coat or gold necklace. He was slightly surprised, however. Not that he wouldn't go to the ends of the Underground to retrieve it for her, but that he had thought her above such materialistic wishes.
"I want a Fae name. I know I haven't lived here for very long, but I feel like I belong to this place. Sarah as a human doesn't fit in here."
Jareth's brows furrowed as he thought about it. After a few moments of silence, he turned to her with a slight shake of his head. "I'm afraid that's the only wish I can't grant, Sarah. I could not live with myself if you had to be something other than you are just to fit in. What you are, who you are is enough. No false name will make you more or less acceptable. Just be yourself, and in time this world will come to love you as one of its own." He put a hand out to her, and she grasped it, though she wasn't happy.
Their ride continued for an hour more, both of them silent and comfortably holding hands and Sarah felt inspired to compose a poem. Cursing the fact that she had not a pen or a piece of paper, she began to plan it out, whispering it to herself as they went along.
Eventually a castle began to rise from the horizon, white marble and beautiful red flowers as far as the eye could see. "I feel it my duty to tell you that in all possibility you will be thrust into a group of Fae socialites here. I am making a call on a friend of mine whose numerous sisters are all quite the debutantes. I assume Raven has made an attempt at schooling you in etiquette?"
Sarah nodded, trying to remember Pease's advice from the morning, her poem forgotten.
Inside, Jareth was led away by a small footman and Sarah was ushered forward into a large drawing room filled with Fae. Most of the ladies were clad in elegant dresses while a few had more functional riding habits on, and the men wore shades of green, grey and brown. Every eye in the room turned to her as she entered, though the women soon regained their senses enough to hide curious stares behind fans of every color and length imaginable.
She began to understand just what a deer in the headlights felt like as one of the Fae stood and approached her. She was rather short with brown hair the color of deep, dark chocolate and amber eyes. Her heart-shaped face broke into a warm, welcoming smile that didn't reach her eyes as she approached. "Greetings and welcome, Sarah," she said as she dismissed the goblin footman that had announced her. "You must be exhausted after such a long, tiring ride. I'm Jade."
"Hello Jade," Sarah replied, matching her smile to Jade's cool one. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
"Do come in. Join my sisters and me. We were just discussing when you might visit." She escorted Sarah to a chair where four other women sat, but she could not shield her from several exchanged glances around the room, all of which said that while Sarah may very well have been their topic, when she would visit wasn't.
As Sarah sat, a goblinette poured tea and all five women – all very different in appearance – gave her the self-same cold smile and it was obvious that they were sisters. In addition to Jade, there was Garnet, Onyx, Amber and Amethyst. They all had very soft, honeyed voices that sounded more the result of years of practice than the result of any gentleness of character and a predatory glint in their eyes, much like starving wolves sighting prey for the first time in days.
"So tell me, Sarah," Amethyst cooed, "did Jareth accompany you or are you finally out making the social rounds?"
"Jareth is here with me. I'm afraid we can't stay very long; we have several calls to make in addition to this one, and time is short."
A very fake pout creased Onyx's perfectly smooth, tan features as she replied, "What a shame! We were hoping you would come hawking with us later. Surely if you asked his majesty he would be more than happy to oblige a favorite such as yourself. You are perfectly dressed and I know that my brother would not hesitate to loan you one of his hawks."
"A splendid idea!" Garnet exclaimed, twirling a loosely curled blonde lock around her pale finger. "Do say you'll come with us!"
Before Sarah could reply a tallish, rather severe looking Fae woman strode over, her dress in tones of rich scarlet, her fan in a matching shade and white. This woman is either married or engaged, Sarah thought to herself.
"Lady Sarah, I've heard so much about you! All good things, let me assure you." She flirted her eyelashes at Sarah, and the human couldn't be sure, but she thought she winked. "It's a pleasure to finally meet you in person. How are you?"
"I'm splendid," Sarah replied, matching the woman's slightly loud, false tones. "In fact, these fine ladies just invited me to go hawking, and I was about to regrettably inform them that King Jareth and I must truly be leaving soon or we will be late for other appointments."
"Oh, I see," she said, sizing up all five women, her front dissolving to reveal a calculating and slightly reproving stare. "Well, they seem to have a monopoly on you that I must break I'm afraid. You see, there are all these people just dying to meet you and they can't steal a moment of your time with you just sitting here. Do, come, let me introduce you."
Sarah stood up and the woman took her arm, putting slight pressure on it. As they strode away, her companion bent close to her ear and whispered, "Just keep walking, dearie, and don't look back. I'm sure you'll see them sharpening their pitchforks if you do. You've just escaped the den of all things horrible, now come socialize with me. I'm Amara, by the way. I'm engaged to the Mer King, in case you needed to know."
Sarah just smiled her gratitude, and let herself be led about, flirting when it was necessary, exchanging polite conversation, and alternately raging at Jareth in her mind and wishing him beside her for support. Amara was quite her savior, and by the time Jareth had returned to make some polite conversation and announce their leave-taking, the two had become quite good friends. So good, in fact, that Amara, instead of one of the sisters, walked them to their horses.
"I'm throwing a ball in a week's time, Sarah, the first of the season. I do hope you'll be so good as to attend?" She winked at her and indicated Jareth with a slight toss of her head. Leaning close, she whispered confidentially, "He needs to get out more often. I don't think he attended more than three balls last season. Besides, he seems to rather like you." She grinned. "Now, do have a nice, safe journey and feel free to call on me anytime!"
Jareth assisted Sarah in mounting before climbing aboard his own stallion and they were off, racing down the road for a way before slowing to a speed much more convenient for talking.
"So how did you like your first taste of society, Sarah? I want to apologize for leaving you alone for so long, but I simply couldn't get away."
"Oh, it was alright. I felt like smothering all five of his sisters, but Amara was a delight, and I met some very interesting people." She winked at him. "At the rate I'm going, my dance card will be full for the whole season. I'm quite the hot commodity."
Jareth laughed good-naturedly, but could not hide the blush of jealousy. "I'm first on that card, aren't I?"
"You know, I haven't decided," Sarah taunted, "because technically Caine asked me first…" She trailed off and gauged his reaction before laughing. "Of course you're first! And second and third… Which reminds me, I'm gonna need some lessons if I'm to ever prove myself to Dehlia."
At that point Jareth did laugh. "I'll see what I can do about that."
They rode in companionable silence for a while, his thigh occasionally bumping against hers, before she spoke. "So where are we going now, Jareth?"
"Hm?" He asked, as if snapped out of a reverie. "Oh, we're going home. I'm sure you've seen enough of the Underground for a day. And didn't you decide that you would like to join Gevan's staff? Besides, I have several meetings this evening. I'm going to Darius myself with one last plea to stop this madness. If he doesn't, I'm washing my hands of the matter. I'll have my staff prepare for war and wait for his attack. This whole thing is ridiculous."
"Home…" Sarah whispered, enjoying the taste of the word in her mouth. "Oh, that's fine Jareth. Besides, I have plans with Ter this evening and I do need to get changed." At a look from Jareth, she quickly amended, "He's asked me to come meet his sister, Kitiara, and her husband."
"Oh, they're in town?"
"From what Ter told me, they're just passing through on their way north and asked him to meet them."
"I see."
The rest of their ride home was conducted in silence, Jareth alternating between jealousy and a brooding anger at his longtime friend. If it's competition he wants, he thought, it's competition he'll get. Sarah was also lost in thought, though she focused instead on the word home, and what it meant to her. She had liked it when Jareth called the castle home. The house Aboveground never crossed her mind.
TO BE CONTINUED…Okay, I have to cut this off now, because this chapter is just getting way longer than I expected, and there's really still no place to cut it off. I have more coming, though!