Quick update! Thanx for the reviewes everyone!
Theshadowcat: I know now. :D .Arrna (my personal grammarchecker) told me as well. I really didn't have a clue that it was wrong really. But I know now, and I will keep it in mind for coming chappys!
Rosakara13: I told you so! :)I'm a Jareth lover (like most girls here I think) so I deffinitly can't let him die like that!
LabyLvrPhx: you ain't seen anything yet! (with a 'y', yes Arrna and theshadowcat. With a 'y')
and as usual Moonjava and Prinsses of Rivendell.
Chapter 15. 'Awakening'
Jareth watched as Hoggle ran clumsy out of the room. Then he turned to Sarah again. Her eyes stopped fluttering, and her tense body began to relax. Her breath steadied and Jareth sighed relieved. He sat down on the edge of the bed and with a towel from the bathroom and the water from the jar; he carefully began to clean her sweaty forehead. When finished, he folded the moist towel and laid it on her head for cooling. Then he backed off a little to look at her still body. He saw she had matured much in that single year. The long candles on the bedside table cast an orange glow on her face. She laid there so silent, so peaceful, that Jareth nearly began to think that she was dead if it were not for her slowly moving chest. He smiled. She had come all the way here to help him, to save him if he was in danger. "You do very much for a baby-stealing villain," Jareth thought smirking, remembering her calling him like that once when he spied her. He stroked her soft hair gently.
The door was suddenly slammed open and Markla stepped, or rather ran, inside with Hoggle panting behind her.
"Sire! Are you alright? I send a robin for you and…" she immediately asked concert. Jareth raised his gloved hand to quite her.
"I am fine. Sarah here on the other hand is not conscious," he said.
Markla rushed to the other side of the bed and examined Sarah closely.
"What has happened to her? Has she been attacked?" Markla said still bend over Sarah's limp body, forgetting her politeness for the King for a moment.
"I think she has, yes. She wanted to jump out of the window when I arrived. I pushed her back into the room. Unfortunately she knocked with her head against the floor. I laid her here for recovery. Sarah's conditions were very odd. Her body was all tense and sweaty, like she was having a bad dream," Jareth said.
"Could it be that she was having a nightmare and sleepwalked?" Markla said quickly, trying to deny what she thought. Jareth shook his head.
"What makes you think that she didn't have a nightmare, you Majesty?" Markla asked, though she already knew the answer.
"I found these three in a corner in an enchanted sleep. That was clearly the work of a wizard, maybe even a Fae, and Sarah's behaviour probably as well," Jareth answered, while looking meaningful at the female Goblin.
"You are the only one with the magical gift here Sire. You mean that…"
"Yes Markla. You were right. There is some one else here with a strong power, and we both know who. Istosar Samuel has indeed come again," Jareth said.
"But why wouldst this villain harm the fair maiden?" Sir Didymus said from behind them. Jareth looked a little startled around. Sarah had made him forget for a moment that the fox and Ludo where still in the same room. 'Did they see me smile at her?' The King thought, unsure.
"His reason is still unknown to me, and to the King," Markla said in an attempt to help her sovereign. She saw that his mind was troubled. Jareth could have killed himself for being quite for so long. He fell very unsure in some way, like a child who has been naughty, but has just been able to hide all clues before his parents came. Still he thanked the mother-like Markla.
"Markla is right. I don't know why and how, but I sense the power of Samuel here, very close. He must be around her in the Labyrinth, though I can't be more precise," Jareth said to cover his thoughts.
"Why don't we go and find out then?!" Hoggle said, feeling blood-thirsty. They had touched Sarah, and they would pay for that.
"Let us go into battle!" sir Didymus yelled heroically. He was very pleased with the idea of a battle to fight. Ludo put up a big smile and cheered together with Hoggle and the fox, but Markla put an end to the happiness.
"No, we can't attack yet. We don't even know where he is exactly, and what he wants from the King," she said strict. Jareth and Markla gave each other a quick glance, both knowing exactly what Samuel was up to.
"I suggest that your Majesty first goes to the goblins and announce your return. If Istosar Samuel wants something, he can find you, instead of us needing to find him," Markla continued.
"The idea is good, but I don't want him to appear right in front of me, surprising me head on," Jareth said. "It's better if you four go and tell the Goblins that I'll be arriving soon, and then I'll stay here in secret for preparations for an attack," he continued. 'Preparations,' the King thought. 'That was the lamest excuse I have ever used.'
Markla gave him a strange smile, like only she could give.
"Of course. It's better if you attack him first than he attacks you. We will warn you when he arrives," she said again in her I'm-just-a-loyal-servant voice, instead of the blood-thirsty voice she had a minute ago. Markla send the three companions and her out, closing the door behind him with a wink.
Jareth frowned a little. She was very kind, but he wasn't used to such boldness of her.
He shrugged and turned to Sarah again, who still lay motionless on the green silk of the bed. She was so beautiful, so fair, that Jareth longed to touch her soft cream skin. Knowing he would scare her if she would wake up and find him touching her face and body, he found satisfaction with the stroking of her dark hair. Dark, unlike his blond silver hair. Her lips were round and full, whilst his were thin. Her face was round and still full of children's characteristics, while his face was straight and grown. She was human, he was Fae. How could he ever fall in love with a girl so different to himself? 'It wasn't difficult,' He thought with a smile. He jumped startled up when Sarah grumbled and began to move. Her closed eyes fluttered and she stretched herself, like she was wakening from a long sleep. Jareth backed off. He quickly sat down in a chair next to the fire-place to look innocent. "Why pretend to be innocent when I haven't done anything?" He thought, but he sat down anyway.
Sarah slowly opened her hazel eyes and mumbled something. Where was she? And what…...the fire! Sarah jerked up and looked around. The room was blazing and… no, the room wasn't on fire. There was no sign of any fire in the room. Sarah frowned. It was the same place, but there was no sign of anything she had seen. The beams hung in the ceiling and everything was perfectly calm.
How? When?
"Are you all right Sarah?" a voice said from next to her. Sarah looked, and saw the Goblin King standing up from his chair and walking gracefully to her. Sarah was stunned for a moment. How did he get here? Was she seeing illusions? He was dead, and she was dreaming, yes, that was it. She was dreaming.
"Sarah?" Jareth asked. Sarah looked to him as he sat down on the bed and began to feel her forehead.
"Your temperature is normal again," he said calm. He slowly pulled his hand back again and Sarah felt his soft skin gliding past her head. He had removed his gloves for the moment. Her hearth began to beat faster. This was too real to be a dream. Thought Jareth tried to avoid eye contact, Sarah saw neither pride, nor arrogance in his mismatched eyes. He looked concerned. Too many questions passed through her mind, and Sarah grumbled as she became aware of a massive headache. As Sarah put her hand to her head, she felt a bump on the back of her head. How did it get there? Then she remembered the window, andthe push.
"Jareth?" Sarah asked. She tried to sound strong, but only a weak whisper came out of her mouth. "Jareth," she said again. Her hand reached out for his. The King looked up and took Sarah's trembling hand. His hearth skipped a beat or two. It was the first time she had addressed him with his first name.
"What is it Sarah?" He asked concerned. Sarah tried to push herself up, but she fell back at the lack of strength.
"You should not move too much. It will take too much of your strength," Jareth said to her. Then Sarah could no longer be strong. Tears rolled over her cheeks and she closed her eyes. Jareth took her up and pressed her cold body against his. He muttered comforting things in her ear and let his fingers run through her hair.
"You- you were dead. A goblin told me and there was a fire and…" Sarah said between sobs. She buried her face in his neck and cried even harder. Jareth stroked her hair and answered:
"I'm not dead Sarah," he whispered. "But you nearly were. Why did you jump out of that window?" he asked. Sarah lifted her head. With the back of her hand she wiped away the tears from her red cheeks and she looked straight at him.
"I was sitting in the window, and then the room was suddenly blazing. I was surrounded and the only way out was the window," she explained with a weak voice.
"But why did you jump? You could have died!" Jareth said, a little harder then he meant. He was still upset by the nearly loss of his dear Sarah.
"The fire would have killed me anyway, and I might have survived the jump," Sarah defended herself. "And I thought that… that if I would die, I would see you again," Sarah mumbled with her head lowered. Jareth stared at the trembling Sarah. She would die to be with him, did this really mean she loved him? He fell the great longing to kiss her, to tell her he loved her more that anything in the world, but he lacked courage to do so.
"But what happened to the fire?" Sarah said to break the uncomfortable long silence. Jareth looked up disturbed from his thoughts.
"I think you had an enchanted dream. Someone gave you that dream and you sleepwalked," the Goblin King explained.
