AN: No lie, this was written two days ago while I was waiting in line for rides in Magic Kingdom, all because my beta, Greenchimes, mentioned one thing that gave me great inspiration. So all thanks goes to her for her brilliant suggestions and editing eye. And a huge round of appreciation goes to the great encouragement continually given at the LFFL. They make me be more bold in my subject matter. (Update 2/4/21: Lemony goodness added in the middle. Go forth and forage.)
Reviews are greatly appreciated!
Chapter 4: Reacquaintance
The morning of October 15th, Cassie woke up at 2am to Sarah moaning in her sleep. Or rather talking in her sleep. Or talking then moaning. Moaning and talking. Either way, the name of Sarah's boyfriend kept crossing her lips between moans. If it weren't for the fact that she had a test in the morning, Cassie would have found it cute and been happy that Sarah was having a sexy dream. As it was, she had only been asleep an hour since she stayed up late binge studying and had to get up in five hours for her class. Sarah might have been one room over, but the walls in their apartment must have been made of paper. Thankfully, putting on her headphones and playing a CD on her walkman helped Cassie drown out the noise.
When rising that morning to ready for classes, Sarah was beaming. Cassie had never seen her glowing before; it was as if THIS was the real Sarah. But when Sarah started to pull her hair into a ponytail, Cassie noticed finger shaped bruises on the base of Sarah's neck and a red splotch of irritated skin on her throat.
"Oh my God, Sarah! What happened?" Cassie asked in alarm as she placed her fingers over the bruises to verify they were made by a hand.
"What?" Sarah was confused, but winced when Cassie touched her. "Ouch!"
"Is that one a hickey? Did you get attacked?"
Sarah looked at Cassie through the reflection of the bathroom mirror, her eyes going between Cassie's face and to where Cassie's hand lay on the back of her neck and the red circle near the base of her throat. She seemed confused at first, but then something clicked and her eyes showed recognition. Cassie saw Sarah's hand inch behind her to lift up the back of her shirt.
"Is anything on my back?" Sarah's voice was timid, as if she didn't want to ask.
Cassie nodded when she saw the green purple hue of a round mark above Sarah's hip, "Who did this to you?"
"He didn't mean to." Sarah's voice was just a whisper.
"Sarah?"
Quickly gathering her things, Sarah said nothing more and left the bathroom.
Cassie followed Sarah to her room, "Listen, if you were attacked, you should report it. Do you need the morning after pill?"
"What? No. Look, you wouldn't understand. I'm fine. Please, just drop it."
Other than the bruises, Sarah did seem fine and happier than Cassie had ever seen her. She decided to sit on it; if Sarah was ever bruised again, Cassie would let Sarah's father know. It wasn't until later in the day, when her mind wandered back to Sarah, that she remembered this same day a year ago she'd awoken to Sarah screaming.
With the mirror pendant, the dreams occurred consistently every night that first week; Sarah and her king took full advantage of it.
Before making the pendant, putting all her focus into her studies was the only thing keeping Sarah sane. If she focused on her desire to be with Jareth, it hurt too much. So when she was finally able to dream with him, she lost control of herself. Jareth wasn't any different. He had missed her too. It took them five dreams of nothing but being intimate before they finally were sated enough to hold a conversation to catch up on each other's lives.
Sarah had a lot of new things in her life since they last spoke. She explained to him the reasoning behind her line of study, what it was like trying new foods at the ethnic restaurants around campus, and the awkwardness of sharing a room with a complete stranger who had turned out to be a compatible human being. She shared with him how she had tried to check out sororities to please her father because her step-mother, Karen, had been in a sorority when she went to college; Sarah quickly found that it was not her crowd. Too many fake people and too many expectations she didn't feel should be required to find a place to belong. How being the daughter of well known actress Linda Williams got her some notice by her peers, but it really only caused her more sadness to know her mom wasn't a part of her life. Linda got a job on a tv show in Australia with a year contract, so she might not hear from her, not that she had before anyway.
And Sarah told him how she learned new things about her own character being away from home, one of which was that Karen's orderly mannerisms had rubbed off on her. Sarah made her bed every day and kept her side of the room tidy because Karen said such things reflected a person's true inner being. 'Tidy on the outside meant straightened on the inside,' Sarah remembered Karen telling her. Sarah also was punctual if not early to her classes as Karen said being tardy led to a chain reaction of consequences. 'Bad habits form easily when one lives on their own. It is best to get things straight and know who you are from the get go.' Sarah had to admit in that, Karen was wise.
Jareth, when it came his turn to share, said his life was rather boring. But to Sarah, if what he told her was boring, she wondered what his basis of 'interesting' was. The aid he'd given to other kingdoms in their time of need brought no joy in their victories for he'd have rather not been involved at all. He knew his allies appreciated him coming in their time of need, and he was compensated, but he knew they didn't see his goblins as casualties of war. He gave each goblin a proper burial if there was anything to bury. Goblins, being humans changed by magic, tended to revert to the form of their birth when their life was extinguished, making it sometimes difficult to know which corpse belonged to the Goblin Kingdom when there were casualties. Because of this, and a way to show unified comradery amongst the troops, each goblin soldier obtained a brand on their left shoulder blade to show which kingdom they belonged. When Sarah cringed at learning of the brand, Jareth assured her it was the goblin's idea to do so, something they had been doing long before he became their king.
When he wasn't assisting his allies, he was dealing with the typical plagues of the Labyrinth; humans being wished away or wandering in from Above. More were wandering in than being wished there, which typically happened in times of economic turmoil as people lost hope in navigating harsher times. But the bane of Jareth's life were the persistent attempts to breach the walls of the Labyrinth by the Bandits. He didn't let down his guard, even though the Labyrinth had taken care of it well enough. Still, he had the goblins train in combat and practicing drills regularly. Trade of food resources were going well; that made sense to Sarah as she never did see a farm of animals for slaughter or fields of crops on her journey. Jareth confirmed that most all food was imported since Goblins would eat the produce before it even had a chance to grow. As payment, the other kingdoms received thousands of gallons of Bog water. Jareth laughed at the expression Sarah gave when he told her that the Bog of Eternal Stench was actually the bowel of the Labyrinth. The waters of the Bog needed to go somewhere or half of the Labyrinth would be a smelly swamp. It was the best fertilizer for crops in the Underground and highly sought after.
All in all, Jareth knew he should feel content with his life.
"Except," He lamented, "you aren't in it."
"Er, Your Majesty?"
At hearing the gruff voice, Jareth looked down from his throne to find the dwarf looking at him. For the sake of appeasing Sarah, Jareth had forgone bullying Hoggle and had found he much rather liked being civil than being snarky, especially since the dwarf could choose to stop being a mediator between him and Sarah. Better to stay in the gardener's good graces.
"Yes, Hoggle? Do you have a message from her?"
Hoggle slightly shook his head, "That's why I's come. We went to her today but she's cryin' too much to say anything. I think something bad happened. Just wanted ya' to know."
Jareth didn't acknowledge the dwarf's concern, he simply transformed into the owl and flew out of the throne room. When he landed on the branch closest to the window of her bedroom, he was grateful he could see she was laying on her bed, or at least he was sure that the bare legs he observed, for that is all he could glimpse, were of her shape. He had kissed those toes enough to be familiar with her prefered color of nail polish, a deep peach, as they were now.
He had been reckless to fly off without asking Hoggle if she was even at her childhood home. Even though she had the mirror necklace which now let him find her wherever she went, he had yet to discover her abode at her place of learning. He had narrowed the general building he observed her entering, but it had twenty units and he had yet to discover which window was hers. He was glad she was where he could find her.
She wasn't moving, so he couldn't tell if she was sleeping, but she was faced down on her stomach. He knew she slept on her back and tended to only lay face down when in distress, which meant she was most likely not sleeping. He gambled and for the first time attempted to land on her windowsill. It was just wide enough for him to balance on if he didn't move too much. He took slow steps to move himself to the left corner of the window, which would give him the most view of her bed. He could still only partially see her, the edge of her shoulder blades was as far up as he could see. But her shaking chest confirmed what Hoggle said. She was crying terribly.
He tapped his beak on the window pane, wanting to let her know he was there, but she never heard him. He stayed until the sun went down and she still never moved. In fact, seeing that her sobs had stopped, he figured she had fallen asleep. He panicked and raced home to his own bed just for the chance to dream.
It seemed that whatever force that allowed them to meet in their dreams, which Jareth was convinced was the Labyrinth itself, especially did so when they needed each other the most. If only it realized they needed each other at all times.
That night's dream began in darkness, making Jareth wary since he could sense Sarah but not find her. This only happened when Sarah was feeling great emotion from something that had gone wrong in her life. She tended to put herself where she had experienced the most fear and tenebrosity during her travels through the maze. It was little surprise that he found Sarah in the blackness of the oubliette. It was the second time he had found her there, the first time being when Sarah felt despair at her 16th birthday being forgotten. But this was different. The moment he entered, he could feel deepest sorrow emanating from her. Sarah wasn't sobbing, she just looked rather forlorn.
His eyes adjusted well in the dark, his owl tendencies kicking in. He almost hadn't spotted her as he had never seen her wearing black before; her clothes blended with the ebony of her hair, making her pale skin the only part of her to stand out. Black was the color of death. He realized she was in mourning. He didn't say anything, just sat down on the ground next to her. After a moment he felt her hand searching for him and took it into his own. She pulled herself to him, straddling her legs over his hips to sit in his lap and curling her arms around his torso as she lay her forehead on his chest.
Jareth rested his chin on the top of her head and wrapped his arms around her. He said softly. "Hoggle told me you were unwell. I came to your window today but you didn't hear me."
"I had to put Merlin down." She said it so low, it was a whisper.
Jareth didn't know the meaning of the words, but her tone spoke volumes. She had lost her beloved pet. He kissed the top of her head, trying to soothe her.
"He had kidney failure. With dogs, it is so expensive to do experimental procedures and still no guarantee they would work. Plus with his age, trying to help might not have worked anyway. My dad made me make the choice. I made the choice for him to not suffer." She couldn't help but to sob out her next words. "I killed him, Jareth. I let them put that poison in him and watched the light leave his eyes."
"No, Precious. You did what was best for someone you loved. I am sorry you had such a burden placed upon you." He let her cry it out. All he could do was be there as nothing otherwise was to be done.
Sarah let out a shuddering breath as she tried to calm herself. "It was so hard getting Toby to understand why we didn't come home with Merlin. He's six. How could he? And I'm sad because Merlin was a gift from my Mom, the best thing she's ever given me."
"Did you have a funeral ceremony?"
She shook her head, "Dogs don't get funerals. But I did find a sheep dog figurine at a gift shop. Karen let me put it on the mantel in the living room, which surprised me since it doesn't go with the decor. I think she did it for Toby."
"Would you like us to hold a ceremony?"
Sarah looked at him hopefully, "Could we?"
He pulled her to stand with him, then made the scenery change to the garden he had especially made for her. He led her to sit on the stone bench.
"How should this be done then?" He asked her.
Sarah shook her head, "The last funeral I went to was twelve years ago. I don't remember it and have only seen funerals in movies. But I think you just share what you remember of the one who died. Usually a hymn is sung...we can skip that."
Merlin wasn't unknown to Jareth, who often saw the beast on walks with Sarah as he observed them in his owl form over the years. He thought of the animal and made a stone sculpture appear.
"I know you can't take this with you, but here in this garden we shall keep this monument in his honor."
Sarah wrapped her arms around his waist, whispering, "Thank you." She then pulled back and cleared her throat. "Merlin was the kindest, most understanding mop of fur I've ever known. He kept me warm on cold nights. He never left my side, even when I made him walk in the rain. He taught me how to be kind. I will miss him, very much. May your journey over the rainbow bridge be a sweet one, Merlin."
Jareth started singing.
"As this world fades away, don't look back.
Greener fields lay ahead.
As you think of the past, only look toward the future.
Cool waters guide the way.
Journey home where you will hurt no more.
Embrace the new life ahead.
Be satisfied with the fresh days before you.
Don't forget those left behind.
One day we shall meet again, where the sun forever shines.
Where the cold wind never blows, and flames never scorch or bind.
Until that day, farewell, dear friend.
Farewell 'til we meet again.
Journey home where you will hurt no more.
Embrace the new life ahead.
Be satisfied with the fresh days before you.
Don't forget those left behind."
Sarah never expected Jareth to participate, nor to do so in such a beautiful manner. She hadn't heard Jareth sing in five years. She could listen to him all day and it would not be enough. Sarah's tears had ended, this ceremony enough to give her closure.
"Thank you for being here for me." She said, squeezing his hand.
He bent to kiss her forehead, saying against her skin, "As the world falls down, Precious."
Sarah had a delightful birthday weekend with her family the week of her 20th birthday. For her actual birthday, she had a full day of classes as it fell on a Wednesday. Her Dad wanted to have her spend the weekend celebrating her birth with him, Karen and Toby, pending of course that she didn't have any plans. Sarah had no desire to decline. It would be nice to catch up with them and see how Toby was doing without her. He himself was in kindergarten and she hadn't talked to him much about how he was liking school, and in a month the school year would be over. Toby was happy to inform her that he had a girlfriend named Tonya, which Karen thought was the sweetest thing. Karen absolutely adored Sarah's new bracelet, which Sarah fibbed a bit and said it came from her mother. She couldn't tell them who it was from or how it really had been given to her.
The day of her 20th birthday, she woke up and followed the routine of any other school day. Cassie surprised her with a donut and coffee from the gas station a short walk from their apartment, but other than that, the day had nothing special going for it. Sarah chalked it up to being an adult; only kids got parties and lots of presents. After her last class, she went to her room and found her Labyrinthian friends waiting for her; thank goodness Cassie was in play rehearsals or Sarah would have had a lot of explaining to do. As it was, Cassie wouldn't return home until close to midnight. Sarah didn't have to worry about Ryan showing up; he had his own place by his college and only visited on the weekends when Sarah went home on the weekends. Perfect arrangement for all involved.
The trio gave her small trinkets; it was the first time they had ever tried to bring something from their world into hers beside themselves. Hoggle gave her a silver mug with a woven orange cord she could easily attach to a belt and wear with her costume for the fair. Didymus gave her a gilded blade and told her a tale of a mighty battle where he had used it to fight off pesky brownies, and Ludo gave her a very polished black pebble the size of a plum. Sarah hugged each of them, thanking them for her gifts. Then Didymus nudged Hoggle to give her one last gift. The dwarf reluctantly placed a small leather bag with a cord tie in Sarah's hand. She undid the cord and emptied the contents into her hand. It was a bracelet with a small charm; a miniature version of Jareth's pendant. The chain was made of many tightly woven strands of fine white gold and the charm was an adjustable clasp with the ends of the chain dangling beneath the curves of the pointed ends.
Tears formed in her eyes as she adjusted the chain on her right wrist. She looked between the three of them for confirmation. "Is this from him?"
Hoggle shrugged, "He said he had it commissioned by an elf in a neighboring kingdom."
"Our sovereign would, of course, prefer to give this to you in person, but alas he is still prohibited." Sir Didymus stated. "But if thou would look out yon window…"
Sarah instantly rushed to her window to open it. Sure enough, the owl was perched on a branch of the tree closest to her. She held out her wrist to show him she put the bracelet on, "Thank you."
A pleased hoot warbled from his throat.
"Hold on a sec." She quickly went to her closet and pulled out a thick leather glove that went halfway up her forearm, which she placed on her left hand. Then she leaned out the window, extending her arm. "I got myself something at my last Ren Faire. Come here."
The owl cocked his head a moment before casting himself off the branch and silently landing on her extended hand. Even with the glove on, she could feel his sharp talons grasping her. Once he was balanced, she pulled him into her room. The trio of companions looked amazed.
"Brilliant." Didymus said in awe.
"That's just great." Hoggle said with much less enthusiasm.
"King birdy." Ludo remarked.
Sarah moved to sit on her bed, "I don't know why I didn't think of getting a falconer's glove sooner."
Jareth hopped down onto the bed and strutted around a bit, his eyes examining a room he had never himself entered. The window had only allowed him to see so much; it was rather smaller than he expected. Jareth then hopped back to her side and nuzzled into her hip, staring up at her.
Looking down on him, her heart ached. It hurt so much to be right next to him and still feel like he wasn't there. She whispered, "Please try."
She knew he would understand what she was asking. Him laying his head down upon her lap and hooting told her he had already tried. Sarah stroked her fingers through his feathers. Would he never be able to be with her in the waking world in his true form?
"My Lady? Why doest thou cry? Ow!" Sir Didymus howled when Hoggle yanked his tail.
"We'll just be going now. Happy Birthday, Sarah." Hoggle said while pushing Ludo's behind and pulling the knight's tail to head to the mirror.
When they were gone, Sarah motioned for Jareth to climb back on to her glove. She then looked serious at him before saying, "I want to try one thing." She brought his beak up to her lips and kissed him softly. Her heart dropped when nothing happened. She sighed, "Well, it was worth a try."
She could almost hear his laugh in his hooted reply. She could imagine him chastising her for comparing him to the Frog Prince.
Sarah put him back on her bed and lay the glove on her bedside table, "I have to get ready for bed. Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?"
He hooted in agreement, nodding his head.
For him, and for herself, she started to undress, swinging her hips as she started a strip tease. Just being near him, his eyes on her, made her feel flirty and sexy. She slowly slid her jeans down her hips before delicately sliding out each foot. She then turned her back to him and reached behind under her t-shirt to unhook her bra. She looked behind herself to glance at him, teasing that she would lift up her shirt so he could get a side glimpse of her breasts, but instead she maneuvered her arms beneath the shirt to ease the bra off before she turned back around and flung it over his head. The cup of one side landed on him like a hat. He shook it off but bent to pick up a strap in his beak and cooed. Sarah laughed and tried to take it from him, but he pulled on it, claiming it for himself.
"Fine, have it for now. Move over so I can lay down."
She pulled back the comforter to get under the sheets. Before she could swing her bare legs onto the bed, Jareth hopped beside her and nipped his beak against her thigh. She yipped at the slight pinch and glared at him staring back at her. She could just feel he was saying he didn't like her teasing when he couldn't touch her. But she had no way of really knowing.
She placed her hands around his sides and lifted him up, laying back and placing him atop her stomach as she leaned against her headboard. Knowing the real feel of him, as a barn owl he weighed nothing comparatively. His talons through her t-shirt weren't as sharp as she expected, but she definitely was glad there was a layer of fabric between them and her skin. He moved himself up her torso to lay his head over her heart and he cooed softly.
"If only I could know what you were thinking." She whispered.
She soon found that she was dozing and her position not too comfortable, so she lifted Jareth off her chest and placed him on the bed next to her pillow. She then lay on her stomach and wrapped her arm around him. He rested his head against her cheek as she fell asleep.
That night, Sarah's birthday wish came true when she was able to meet Jareth in her dream, and he fulfilled her every expectation. When Sarah awoke the next morning, Jareth was gone and her bra was nowhere to be seen.
The air was crisp, steam rose off the water of the lake, and the dew on the seeds of the tall grasses glistened in the light of the dawn. The air was still; only the sound of cardinals could be heard greeting the day. A lone figure stood amongst the trees, her breath misting as she exhaled, her eyes reflecting the canopy above as she scanned for her quarry. Amongst the leaves, she spots ivory feathers and she raises her arm. Swiftly, an owl descends from the trees and lands on her gloved hand. She brings him to her, caressing his head with her cheek and he nibbles her nose with his beak. She whispers to him, words that would never cross her lips for another; they were his alone.
A twig snaps nearby, disrupting the enchanted moment. The owl flies away, leaving his love behind.
"Sarah...what? Was that an owl?"
Sarah snatched the glove off her hand and stuffed it into the pouch hanging at her side, and she started stomping in a hurry back towards the fairground. "Yes, Cassie."
Cassie turned to follow Sarah, "I have so many questions."
"And I have no answers." Sarah threw over her shoulder.
"That was…"
Sarah abruptly turned and stopped, "It was what, Cassie?"
"The most magical thing I've ever seen. How did you get it to come to you? I didn't mean to startle it and make it fly away. I just came to find you. Rehearsal started and you weren't there."
Sarah nodded, then shrugged-as much of an apology as she would give. "Well, let's go now so we're not both late."
Cassie was glad that she wasn't Sarah's fighting partner for the human chess match, because she was sure Sarah would have given her a black eye if she could. Whatever she had interrupted had put Sarah in a foul mood. But, the energy it gave Sarah was noticeable by the other members of the cast. When Sarah didn't pull a punch, the fight director pulled her aside to get her to focus and straighten her head. Sarah caught eyes with Cassie and nodded her head in an apology, then went to her fight partner to apologize. The day seemed to go back to normal after that.
With their sophomore year being finished, Cassie and Sarah got pulled into joining Ryan and his brother for the New Jersey Ren Faire which ran three weekends at the end of May into June. It wasn't so bad with it being only 3 hours away. They spent 3 nights in NJ, then a three hour drive back and forth to spend weekdays at home. With their previous faire experience, Sarah and Cassie auditioned earlier in the spring to be a part of the human chess match. They had a few weekend rehearsals splattered between auditions and the faire, but they made the cut. The chess match was a forty minute show twice a day, so they could still be wenches at their booth
Cassie had fun with it, but Sarah seemed very serious about learning the correct moves and how to actually fight. Cassie stuck with a sword from the skills they learned taking the fencing classes the prior year, but Sarah also wanted to learn the long staff. Sarah had found a martial arts class on campus where she learned a lot of cool moves; Cassie was almost jealous she hadn't joined in. Because of her skills in both weapons, she was given a larger part of the show. Sarah was cast as the bad guys warrior, who was allowed to defeat her first opponent before being taken down by the 'noble heroine' of the show.
Once they were done with run through, everyone was able to go get ready for the patrons to be let in the fair. Sarah's family was coming today, even her mom. Cassie had met Sarah's dad, brother and step-mother before, but not Linda. Sarah strikingly looked like her mother, but she had her heart from her father. Cassie wanted to give Linda a chance, but the woman's vibe oozed that she could hardly stand to be there. No wonder Sarah was surprised the woman actually showed up. The way she walked on the mulch paths was comical; she wore open toed heels to the fair and would likely get splinters in her feet. Plus, she complained that it smelled. Of course, they were next to the livestock tent at the time, but there are some things that come with the experience that one should just accept. Karen, on the other hand, was warm and friendly and seemed to really enjoy her time there. Cassie could see why Sarah had said she had warmed up to the woman.
The day was a good one, Sarah had to admit despite her disappointment. Her family, save her mom who left as soon as her second chess match was finished, seemed to enjoy their experience. Her Dad and Karen decided they would do both days so they got a room at the same hotel as her. Toby was thrilled, because he wanted to ride the camel again and really enjoyed watching the mystical wizard's show. Cassie and Ryan were invited to dinner with them, so after they all discarded their fair garb and had showers, they went to a nice local restaurant called Angie's. Sarah's dad paid the bill, for which Ryan promised he would give Robert a bottle of wine for his trouble. She had to admit, Cassie had found an exemplary specimen of the male species with her beau.
Sarah had been so happy to see Jareth had found her that morning. He had said it was easier to find her now that she wore the necklace and in the last dream, he said he would come to her at the fair. She was going to tell him what times and how to find her shows; there were plenty of trees for him to hide in to watch. But Cassie scared him off.
Little did she know, he had followed her everywhere the entire day. That night, in their dream, he showed her what he thought of her chosen profession.
He stepped towards her predatorily, his gaze intense enough that it made her gasp and take a step back, "Is this the attire you wear when you earn wages?"
Sarah glanced down to see he had placed her in her wench costume, the skin of her chest glowing in the firelight from the side of his room. "Yes. I've always worn this to the fair when I work."
He tsked, moving slowly towards her still, "I watched you perform today. Your fighting was exquisite. Of your flirting, I am not fond."
Sarah stumbled when the back of her calves hit his bed. She realized he had herded her where he wanted. "It's only acting."
His eyes squinted and he cocked his head. "Tell me, do you act with me?"
"No. Never." She shook her head, her heart pounding as he had never been angry at her before.
"Try, now." He came close but did not touch her. "Make me believe like you did those men today."
"I can't." She watched as his eyes flickered down to the rise and fall of her exposed bosom with her labored breaths. "It is just acting. I don't care about anyone but you."
He cast his hand behind her neck and pulled her to him, claiming her lips fiercely, causing her to whimper. He eased her down onto the crimson sheets of his bed. Seeing the way she had moved with such confidence and strength that day had stirred a hungering flame in his groin which only her core could extinguish. As she lay under him, he took both of her wrists in his hands and held them above her head as she stared at him with wide, unsure eyes. She did not attempt to fight him nor speak. He pinned her in place with one hand as he moved the other to the front of her corset. He had her wear her corset for the sole purpose of him removing it from her, lace by lace. He kissed the swells of her breasts inch by inch as they were exposed until they were bare before him.
"Mine." He whispered against her flesh before his lips enveloped a nipple. He sucked on it for a time, using only lips and tongue. The suction of his mouth as he pulled away caused a slight popping sound. He looked down on Sarah to measure her reaction as he readjusted his hold on her wrists so he could reposition himself to better possess her. She made no move to struggle as he began to worship her. She was captured by him completely.
Sarah couldn't help but to take quick intakes of breath as she stared at her lover, wondering what he was going to do next. This darkness from him was something new, yet somehow not unexpected. Not unwelcome. His hold on her wrists was inescapable; she knew he didn't have magic in this place, so on his own merit, his grip was very strong. It didn't hurt unless she struggled, which she had stopped attempting as soon as he first dipped his head to her breast.
She winced and yelped when his thumb and forefinger gripped her other nipple and pulled. It wasn't painful; his intention wasn't to damage or hurt. Her nipple was simply sensitive from being so aroused. He used his teeth to gently pull, hearing her ooh and mewl when he tested what pressure felt best for her. He then took his full hand to cup and knead her breasts, feeling for how far he could push and pull in any given direction before she would gasp or moan. He liked her moans the best.
He returned his mouth to her skin, sucking along the swell of her left breast, long enough to leave a mark over where her heart lay beneath. Jareth could feel the tendons in Sarah's wrists wriggling as her fingers moved in time with his ministrations. He returned his lips to her nipple, encasing as much as he could fit before circling his tongue until it flicked over the nub.
Sarah could do nothing but feel what was being done to her. In all of their couplings to this point, there had been a give and take. But now, Jareth was taking. It took her many seconds to realize he had begun to murmur between his kisses, soft words as his fingers and tongue proved his point.
"Only I know you, only I know what makes you writhe. I know what your body craves. No one will ever know you better than me. You." He lightly bit her left nipple. "Are." He scraped his teeth over her right. Then he raised up and placed his lips barely over hers before he growled deep within his throat, "Mine." He didn't move to kiss her. He didn't touch her further other than the hand at her wrists.
Sarah felt the moisture of her own breathing bounce off his lips, he was so close. But he didn't move, for the longest time. What was he waiting for?
And then she realized he had released her wrists. In an instant, she used one hand to pull his mouth finally down to hers, and the other to push his breeches off of him. He let her remove them only as much as was needed to free his cock. As she worked, he also raised her skirt to bunch around her waist and pulled down her panties just enough to where they wouldn't be inconvenient. Then, he was inside her. He still took his own pleasure from her more than he sought to fulfill her needs, but Sarah hardly noticed. His boisterous thrusting led her to a shattering orgasm that caused stars to dance in her eyes.
After he had taken her, he held her close to him, her head resting over his heart.
He ran his fingers through her hair, his breath catching in his chest as he forced himself to ask the question that plagued his mind. "Tell me in truth, did you learn to fight because of me?"
'Yes." She nodded against his skin.
His voice bled with disappointment as he smoothed his hand over her back. "I once asked you to fear me out of arrogance. I'm sorry if I have made you afraid of me tonight."
Sarah leaned up and looked down on him, shaking her head, "God, Jareth, no. I think I understand what tonight was-a claiming. Never doubt that I am solely yours. I learned to fight not because I fear I have to protect myself from you, but for you." She placed her hand over his heart. "To protect you. I don't want to be saved. I want to do the saving. If I am to be your queen, I don't want you having to worry about me. If I can fight for myself, it is one less thing you have to think about."
Jareth pulled her down to kiss him before he said, "You will be unlike any queen the Underground has ever known."
Sarah smiled against his lips and nodded, "Damn straight."
One midsummer night's dream, they lay on a blanket out on the balcony of his bedroom, the Labyrinth shining in the moonlight below. Rather than exhausting themselves with their nakedness, they decided to get to know each other a different way.
"And this one," Sarah pointed to a round pock in her skin on her right shoulder, "Is from when I had chicken pox when I was five. It's a disease that caused a type of rash that could get infected. My dad has a picture of me blown up like a splotched cherry. I am allergic to the first medicine they used to try to heal me, so it made it worse. I ended up being fine, but got this scar."
She then reached for his left shoulder, a finger tracing a bubbled red symbol at the top of his shoulder blade, "I've wondered about this...is it the brand the goblin soldiers get?"
He nodded, "It is only fair if I am to lead them into battle that I too show camaraderie. It took three attempts before my body stopped trying to heal it for it to actually stay."
"Didn't it hurt?"
"Not as much as other wounds. Here," Jareth showed a dark pink line on the right side of his ribcage, "is where a sword from a troll stabbed me when I went to the aid of the Elven kingdom last year."
"Are you immortal?"
"To be honest, I don't know what I am." He answered sadly.
After a moment, Jareth reached for her hip and had her turn to lay on her stomach. His fingers traced four puncture marks on the back side of her left knee, "And this?"
Sarah looked over her shoulder to answer him, "Bike accident. Do you know what a bicycle is?" When he shook his head, she sat back up and did her best to describe it, "It is a transportation device with two wheels that you sit on, then you pedal with your feet to get the chains attached to the wheels to get it moving. Anyway, I was eight and my dad was teaching me how to ride. My shoelaces were too long and got stuck in the pedals. I fell over right into my neighbor's garden fence."
"Your father allowed you to come to harm." Jareth growled.
"It wasn't his fault. My dad didn't want nor expect for me to fall. It just happened. You of all people should know parents aren't perfect or there wouldn't be so many children wished away." Sarah got quiet for a moment as she tried to formulate her question, something she'd been wanting to ask him for a while. "What are your parents like?"
Jareth moved to lay on his side next to her, his fingers playing with the curve of her hip, "My mother sees the best in people and fights fiercely for what she believes in. I never really got to know her because of what the Owl King did. I visit her when I can, but she's always dancing."
"What does she look like?"
Jareth paused to consider how to describe someone when he would just as soon conjure a crystal to have the image appear within. He twisted his wrist behind his back so Sarah couldn't see, but to his disappointment, no crystal appeared. "Well, I would say she is of a similar height and build to your own. Her skin is a shade darker than yours; she grew up working outdoors along the Grand Canal. Her hair is the color of the sunrise the day you stepped foot in my kingdom. And her eyes are dark, like the sweetest molasses."
"And your dad?"
He sighed, "I think I'm more like my father than I would like. I am very much his son, in likeness and in spirit. He was very proud and full of arrogance."
"Was? I thought they are both alive in your castle."
"My father has never once been Underground. My predecessor extracted a copy of the mind of Albert Tyton and placed it into an automaton of his own design; life like, but still a machine. The Owl King took the parts of my father's mind he thought would entice my mother into a trap. The man with her today is not my father but merely an illusion. My father died at sea the day he made the wish. I...haven't had the heart to tell my mother."
After having learned that he might have been able to dream with Sarah sooner than her creating her mirror necklace, for she had spent her holidays in her childhood home when he was out on campaign or visiting another kingdom, Jareth was more discerning when giving aid to his allies. The dreams had slowed back down to their old pattern of being only once or twice a week, and he didn't want to miss a single one. But the aid he had recently given had granted him prestige amongst his peers, and there were some formalities that could not be ignored. Balls, festivals, and weddings he was expected to attend now. Doing so would be of economic benefit for his kingdom as well, for the Labyrinth had few resources of its own, and he had many mouths to feed.
Of course, there was the Goblin Council he could turn to for assistance in diplomatic needs. The Owl King had tried to disband this fellowship of intelligent goblins who tried to bring order to the kingdom, but Jareth found them quite useful. They were especially handy to take care of kingdom issues when he was dealing with the wished aways. Or when he wanted to catch more sleep, perchance to dream.
For being his emissaries to Sarah, Jareth bestowed her companions with anything they wanted.
Hoggle wanted a new home; a stronger, larger cottage with a garden. Sir Didymus requested choice meats for his noble steed and a new feather for his hat. And Ludo wanted shiny rocks for his offspring. All of these Jareth happily granted. He would have done more, but they were quite humble; Sarah had chosen her friends well.
A month into her junior year, Sarah was finding balancing her Anthropological studies and acting in plays at least once a month to meet the requirements of her minor was starting to drain her when all she wanted to do was be with Jareth. She stayed up reading rare texts of ancient cultures, or at least the ones that had been translated by others into English-she felt inept but she knew translating an original language was something she would never be able to do on her own. She wondered with how many people Jareth said were wished away or wandered into the Labyrinth why there were no real stories about it or the Underground, yet there were stories of other kingdoms like that of the Elves and Dwarves. The little red book of her youth was the only reference she had ever found. Once she looked over the volume, she noticed there was no author given. When she asked Jareth about it, he told her thirteen books had been sent throughout her world. The books were enchanted to disclose what the reader needed to hear to believe and wish. The Labyrinth thrived on wishes, even if it didn't keep a child, it needed the belief.
"But that means only thirteen people at a time, in the entire world, know about the Labyrinth. And if they are like me, they would never tell anyone about it, especially if they were a successful wisher. Plus, I have kept my book, so if others have also kept theirs, how can it be enough?"
Jareth laughed at her bewilderment, "Imagine my relief that the magic allows me to understand those of a different language when they enter my kingdom. Just think of all the runners that would unfairly lose because they didn't understand the Labyrinth's rules. Some things I have learned to simply accept."
Their anniversary fell during the most bizarre week of Sarah's second semester, and it had nothing to do with her education. It was fall break, so not only was Sarah busy working the NY Ren Faire six days during the break, she had no choice but to stay in her childhood home the entire week. Karen's grandmother had passed away and her Dad asked if she would stay midweek at the house with Toby while he took his wife to the funeral in Florida for three days. The timing couldn't have been better, if she had to admit it. She worked the fair Friday - Sunday, took care of Toby at the house Monday - Wednesday, and her dad came back Wednesday night, giving her one day before she had to get back to the fair. Of course, it was a break for her college but not for Toby's elementary school, so Sarah had to spend Thursday either hanging with Karen or finding something to occupy her time on her own. Sarah found she didn't mind spending the days with her step-mother.
The morning of Thursday, October 14th, Sarah's dad said he wanted to be sure she would be home for dinner that night. Sarah promised she had no plans and would be helping Karen shopping all day. Karen had asked her the night before to help her pick out new furniture for Toby's room. Sarah thought it odd since it wasn't Toby's birthday or any special occasion, but since his room hadn't changed since he was four years old, it was probably due for something other than Thomas the Train decorations.
Though Sarah would never accept Karen as her mother, she knew Karen loved her father and was a good mother for Toby, so that earned her Sarah's respect. But this visit, Karen was moodier than normal. She swore it wasn't because of her grandmother passing and apologized to Sarah when she realized she was getting snippy. She was being a busybody, second guessing decisions, complaining about aches and pains in her body, especially her swollen feet. Then it dawned on Sarah when she noticed the slight swell of Karen's stomach.
"When are you due?" Sarah asked while helping Karen make dinner when they got home from shopping.
Karen actually blushed, "Is it that obvious? Well, don't let your father know you know. He wants to tell you tonight over dinner. You'll be a sister again. She's due in February."
"She? You know already?" After Karen nodded, Sarah assured her, "I'm glad. I think Toby's really hated me being gone. He'll love being the big brother."
"I hope so. He'll be seven and can help out some. Of course, we'll need a babysitter…but that's my problem, not yours. You have enough going on in your own life with school." The tone in Karen's voice made Sarah feel as though she was saying it more for herself than for Sarah.
Sarah was glad Karen didn't assume she would help with the new baby, because Karen already knew her days of babysitting were over from a discussion they had before she started college her freshman year. If she were in town and not busy and if they asked instead of expecting her to, she wouldn't say no, like this week when Karen had to go to the funeral. But Sarah was twenty now. The days of taking care of a child not her own were over.
"Sarah, do me a favor." Karen asked, giving her a sideways glance.
"Yeah?"
Karen rubbed her belly, a hint of regret in her voice, "Don't let any surprises happen. College can be a wild time of parties and experimentation, finding out who you are. Just be careful."
Sarah nodded in understanding, trying to hide her sadness since she wanted to get pregnant, but one can't get pregnant from a dream. "You and Dad don't have to worry about me. I promise."
Sarah went to bed clutching her pendant, her mind on something she had never considered before; she was ready to have a baby. A tear slipped down her cheek as she closed her eyes.
Jareth was waiting for her, sitting cross legged on a fur in front of the fireplace of his room. If he had wanted to talk, she didn't give him a chance. She slinked onto her knees and crawled to him, her hands going straight out to undress him.
"Happy Anniversary to me." He teased, his voice an octave lower than normal from his aroused state as he was eager to let her take control.
After their lovemaking, Jareth lay his head on Sarah's chest, hearing her heartbeat and breathing slow to a normal pace after a few minutes. If it weren't for her fingers gently sliding along his back, he would have thought she had fallen asleep. He didn't know how they could be exhausted in a dream, but they frequently exerted themselves to the point of losing consciousness. If Sarah had her way, they would never stop, yet it was usually she who lost stamina first. Jareth didn't mind slowing down. What type of relationship would they have if they never moved beyond the physical and never talked or learned of each other's ambitions and goals? He found over the years that sharing his hopes and strifes with her helped to clear his doubts and straighten his priorities. Conversing with her was food for his soul, something no one else could give him.
Sarah's fingers stroking the skin of his back caused an involuntary shiver of his muscles. He loved the laugh she made, which he felt more than heard. She then lifted her hand to lightly comb through the strands of his hair. She sighed deeply, causing her chest, and thus his head laying upon it, to raise then fall a few inches.
"What are you thinking?" He asked, his fingers playing with the bracelet on her wrist he'd given her.
"I'm going to be a big sister again. Karen's pregnant."
He heard sadness in her voice, causing him to ask, "That's joyous news, is it not?"
"It is." She was quiet a moment before she said softly, "I want to have a baby."
Jareth stopped breathing and his heart skipped a beat. He moved to lace his fingers with hers. "Precious, I don't know how we could."
"Karen is 41. It gives me hope that even if it takes 20 years for me to get to you, we can still have kids together someday."
Jareth turned to place a languid kiss above her heart before laying his head back down. "I have all faith it will happen. It would give me no greater joy than to have children of our own."
Sarah sat up and pulled his mouth to hers, her way of thanking him for accepting the prospect of their future including starting a family of their own. As they kissed, he moved their hands down together over her lower abdomen, resting her palm over her womb and placing his over it; a promise of things to come.
"Do try to not wish your new brother away, hmm." He teased when she moved back to breathe.
She gently slapped his back. "Very funny. And sister. It will be a girl this time. Karen is set on naming her Lillie, after her great-grandmother. She'll be born in four months."
"Is the naming of a baby of importance?" Jareth asked.
"Depends on the couple, I think. My dad is very traditional, so a family name was chosen. I have a friend who named her baby after her boyfriend's favorite character in a movie."
"What would you want? Traditional or personal?"
"Traditional, I think. Personal can change all the time. I'd never be able to decide. But I know I want Irene, or Iri, for a girl. It's my dad's grandma's name and the name of his sister. And for a boy, Joel."
"And the reason for Joel?" Jareth inquired, eyebrow raised.
"Joel Tyton. I just think it's a good name. I don't think there should have to be any reason more. What would you name our kids?"
"Personal. I like the name Sabian. There is a fable of a warrior in the Elf kingdom by that name. He was of noble, strong character. And perhaps Kendall, after a dwarf King who selflessly ran into a cave of fire to save children not his own; the children were saved, yet he perished honorably."
"And for a girl?" Sarah prompted. "Don't tell me you expect to have only sons."
"Maria, after my mother." He said softly.
"Well, until then, I'll just have to get my baby fix from friends and family." Sarah nodded.
"Baby fix?"
"It's when a woman finds joy in babies but has to live vicariously through others. I can cuddle and hold their babies while blissfully giving them back. I'm willing to change my own kids diapers, but until that day comes, my baby changing days are over. When Lillie is born, I will thankfully be stuck in my second semester studies far, far away."
"I am serious, Sarah. Do not be tempted to make the wish to come to me. Should the Labyrinth choose to keep Lillie if you did, I could prevent her from becoming a goblin, but I would have no way of giving her back to your parents unless you ran the Labyrinth and won again. Each run is different, even with the same wisher. And the second time is vastly more challenging."
"You mean, someone has wished more than one child away?"
Jareth growled, "Some find wishing their form of contraception. Wish away a child, get a dream fulfilled. No one but the wisher remembers the child and the wisher gets what they wanted."
"That's so selfish, so evil. Why would the Labyrinth allow it?" Sarah asked, shocked at learning this for the first time.
"Be careful what you wish for, you just might get it." Jareth mocked cheerily, then turned solemn. "Getting what one dreams doesn't guarantee granting it will meet their expectations. There have been only three who have wished multiple times to me, and only one of them was unselfishly for the safety of the children who were sired by an abusive man. For that mother, the dreams granted were genuine and selfless. But for the other two, their dreams became nightmares. They wished that the children would be forgotten; it was more important that others never knew the children existed." He made sure she focused on him, ensuring she heard his next words, "And should you make the wish again, I don't think I would be able to forgive you."
Sarah nodded, but shied away from him slightly at his sternness, "I can't lie, the thought crossed my mind, but only so I could see you again. But, I could never hurt another for my own gain."
"To be fair," Jareth confessed, "my heart wished it the moment you said there is to be a child. I don't think either of us could face each other if a wish was made for selfish gain. It would destroy us."
Sarah sighed, "So what's our plan B, C? Z? How am I going to come to you?"
"Who is to say you are coming to me? What if I were to come to you and live a mortal life?"
"Why give up your kingdom?"
He pretended to not hear her ask, "I tried, once, not too long after our reunion. A wish was made and I could just feel it was somewhere near you, mere miles. I tried abandoning my duty as soon as I entered the wishers' Earthly home. I made it through the front door before finding myself right back to where I'd been summoned. The Labyrinth will not let me go."
"Do you still think it is the Labyrinth that is letting us dream?"
His fingers slipped under her bracelet and he pulled until he had brought her wrist to his lips. He placed a kiss over the pulse point before kissing her palm, "I think its magic is wild, sentient but rash. I think the Labyrinth wants its monarch to be happy. I was so very unhappy when I couldn't keep you. The dreams are its way of giving you to me the only way it can."
"Can't it feel us? Doesn't it know I want to be with you? It can keep you. I will come to you. There is no other choice for me."
Jareth breathed deeply, hearing the resolve in her voice. He was relieved; he didn't truly want to live a mortal life, but he was willing to give up everything to be wherever she was. But it was better for her to be with him, where he was needed. "I have been petitioning the other kingdoms, asking for their methods for breaching our worlds. There are times of year that certain places have a strong connection, where the veil between realms is thin."
"I've read of such things, but those are places I can't just go. They are on the other side of the world. It takes money and planning. That is something I do not have, right now at least." Sarah could not hold back a large yawn and her voice became groggy. "Damn, it's happening again. Falling asleep in my sleep. I'm a bit too tired to think about anything right now. I'm sorry."
"Did I exhaust you?" Jareth chuckled as he leaned up and placed a soft kiss on her lips, stroking her cheek as she lazily blinked at him. "We have forever to find a way."
As Sarah shook her head, a tear escaped, "No, we don't. I keep getting older. Some day, you won't want me anymore. And I will grow old and die. "
"Hush, now. I have faith." He kissed her eyes, trying to ease away her fears. "Believe in us."
AN2: The song Jareth sings for Merlin's funeral, I imagine the tune to be similar to "Men of Erin" by the Elders. And yes, owl Jareth with Sarah's bra was an homage to Pika-la-cynique's Girls Next Door Comic. To all the Ren Faire artesans, performers, and craftsmen having events canceled this year, my heart goes out to you. It is because of your dedication that I have loved being a guest in attendance and will sorely miss the laughter and joy fairs provide. My favorite fair, the Kansas City Renaissance Festival just announced its closure the day I finished this chapter, so it hurts my heart.
FYI: Chapter 5 is finished and ready to go, I'm just going to wait a few days and let chapter 4 get some recognition. The best is yet to come!
To guest reviewer HappyCat: The beginning of this chapter where Cassie sees Sarah's bruises are because this chapter begins immediately following the scene that ended both Chapters 2 and 3. The same scene was given from each of their perspectives. Jareth thought he was being attacked, so he fought back and it hurt Sarah. The bruises are meant to show that what happens in the dreams does effect them in the real world. If this could have been explained better, do you have suggestions on how it can be improved? Thanks!
