Chapter 22

Dignitaries part two

Flashbacks and The Lord of the Rings

Hi everyone! Cheesy flashback alert! DANGER! DANGER! SANE READERS!

I don't own JRR Tolkien or The Lord of the Rings

Also, tomorrow not a good time for me. Mum is chukin' another one of her spazez so I'm crashing at a friends for a couple of nights. Don't feel bad if I don't reply, just remember that I'm writing your stories, aight?

atsuibelulah- 1 I did not mean to insult you- just that we are all entitled to our opinions, and my opinion is that the OC is on a stick. You are allowed to have your views, I think, but not to force them on anybody. 2, dolly is the leading teenage girl mag in Australia and they did an article about ff being a place for OC fans to get together and mass drool over Seth or whoever. 3 Jacqui is saying hi coz she was at my place while I was shouting the shoutouts and she wanted to say hi (she is the abovementioned 'crashing' friend.).

MordSith-Rahl- ok, a party. I wish I had a party to go to…

GABRIEL: (blows up a balloon) one party comin' right up!

SilverWings02- I'm glad you liked it. My favourite fics are ones you can visualise.

Calendae- not really much I can say to that. thanks.

bobmcbobbob1 thanks for the hugs, I did need one, and better yet, I got two!

Snape-is-da-bomb- oh, well I don't really know how they flow from me. I just think about what I want out of the story (ok, the ending, right), the characters (bitch-face, sloppy-Joe and cuteness), the setting (THE POO FACTORY!- sorry, ongoing joke) and the beginning (right, ok… )and then you fill up the middle. I'm ok, really. I was lonely as a kid, too. He he, that's why I'm so good at writing, I used to tell myself stories to keep me occupied when I had no friends (I was a fat kid) and I used to read at lunchtimes. I'm thinking of incorporating snape- maybe as Angus' dad (don't yell at me! Take it or leave it!)

Petra15- thanx

Kadasa-Mori- I'll try to update asap, but there aren't many assurances for another chappie soon.

SmeagulTheWeasul- well, it was just dinner…

JenniferJ- I like to think that it's because of my madness. I was actually thinking about teaching a class…

All sitting in a classroom with Lady up the front. There's Beast and Jareth and Harry Potter (?) and Lief (from deltora quest) and Cinderella's prince and others.

'Beast, get that gum out of your mouth unless you are willing to share it with the rest of the class,' says me.

Beast walks sheepishly up to the front, wraps his gum in a piece of paper and chucks it into the bin amidst sniggers from his classmates. He returns to his seat.

'That's quite enough!' I say. 'Now, course number one; YOU MUST CONTROL YOUR TEMPER!'

Amalthea7 – Ramona isn't all you think she is… betcha were shocked when you found out I was 14, hey?

fracturedreality- well, when you take over, can I still write my stories?

0o0FLASHBACK0o0

Sarah was leaning over a flowerbed inspecting a strange variety of flower that looked like a bunch of opal coloured jellybeans.

Suddenly;

'Sarah!' exclaimed Jareth, appearing behind her.

'Aagh!' shrieked Sarah as she lost her balance and started to swan dive into the flowers.

'Whoa!' Jareth reached out and grabbed Sarah around the middle.

She stooped falling and instead stared at the flower in shock.

Jareth pulled her upright. 'Sorry for startling you, Sarah.'

Sarah sighed. 'Yeah. That's okay. I'll have to get used to you popping up behind me, I suppose.'

Jareth cocked his head. 'I suppose so. But it wasn't my intention to frighten you.'

Sarah crossed her arms over her chest. 'I was NOT frightened!'

'Oh, my mistake. But I just wanted to say that I found you something.'

'What?' asked Sarah curiously.

Jareth had his hands behind his back. 'Which hand?'

'The left one', guessed Sarah.

Jareth brought out his left hand and opened it. Empty.

'The other hand, then.'

Jareth brought out the right hand and opened it. Inside, perfectly uncrushed, was a small purple flower. It was bell shaped and had tiny little leaves on the stem.

'Oooh!' Sarah cooed. 'It's pretty!'

Jareth smiled and cleared the hair from around Sarah's ear, slipping the flower beside her ear and securing it with her hair.

Sarah touched the flower gently and then smiled up at Jareth. 'Thankyou.'

Jareth put his arm around her and gently lead her around the rest of the gardens…

0o0END FLASHBACK0o0

Sarah was jerked from her flashback by Jareth clapping his hands in a gesture that she had begun to associate with the maids.

Instantly Vapora and two other maids emerged from the door on the other side of the room. The other maids seemed much cheerier than Vapora. One of them was short, had dark brown skin, greeny-black hair and long thin fingers. The maid next to her looked distinctly human; she was on the tall side, pale skin, long red hair, a short nose and round ears. She looked as normal as normal gets- apart from one really abnormal feature; her eyes were a poisonous yellow with no whites, just yellow and her pupils were catlike slits.

Okay, thought Sarah, trying to keep her mind off her flashbacks, the short one has to be a brownie and the tall one… I have no idea! A dragon using an illusion, maybe?

The yellow-eyed maid wheeled her tray over to Ramona and Legolas.

'How have you been, Victonya?' asked Ramona as the maid deposited a plate in front of her.

'Oh, your highness', said Victonya while she placed a plate in front of Legolas, 'I can't complain. The Fates are kind to me.' Her voice was soft and she slurred her S's strangely.

She curtseyed and vacated the dinning room.

Meanwhile, the brownie had come over to Sarah and the Troll King. She served Jolungus first, as he was of higher status than Sarah.

'My name is Finnely. You can call me if you need anything.' Her voice was pleasant, like the whispering dryness of fallen leaves in an autumn breeze. She put a plate in front of Sarah.

Sarah smiled. 'Thankyou.'

Finnely winked and departed.

Vapora completed her task of serving Jareth and the Fairy King and left after Finnely.

Jareth nodded to his guests and began eating, already apparently engrossed in whatever it was that Fenrir was saying to him, but in fact he was watching Sarah out of the corner of his eye.

Sarah began to pick at her breakfast, which happened to be some sort of green pancake with fruits and breads.

'So you're the famous Sarah Williams that I've heard so much about,' said Jolungus in his deep gravely voice.

Sarah looked up at him shyly. 'I suppose I am.'

'Did you really defeat Jareth's Labyrinth?' asked Legolas, leaning forward.

Sarah smiled. 'Yes, I did.'

'I heard you used enchantments and brainwashing to get you through, is that so?' asked Legolas, winking.

Sarah smirked. 'Well, I would have to say that those facts are ridiculously false and I got through the Labyrinth with the help of three great friends. And, with all due respect, I would also have to question your mind, your majesty, if I thought you dim enough to believe such idiotic waffle.'

Jolungus smiled slyly. 'Ahh, now we see why Jareth was keen to keep such a lovely treasure locked up.'

Legolas nodded his agreement. 'Were you trusted to anyone else, Lady Sarah, you would be married and with child by now.'

Sarah blinked at him. 'In three days? You lot sure work fast!'

Legolas and Jolungus erupted into gales of very different laughter; Jolungus' laughter was deep and echoing like the bottomless mountain caverns of his people whereas Legolas' laughter was light and carrying, like the litheness of the elves.

Sarah looked at Legolas scrutinisingly. 'I feel like I've seen you somewhere before. You seem extraordinarily familiar.'

Legolas looked at her suavely. 'Have you, by any chance, read The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien?'

Sarah nodded. 'Yes, I have.' She gasped. 'That's who you remind me of! The Elf Prince of Mirkwood!'

Legolas retained his manner. 'You are very well versed in his works, then?'

'Oh, yes.'

'Then I guess I can tell you that it was I who inspired him to right the trilogy.'

Sarah's mouth dropped open, she didn't even care that she was staring. 'No way!'

Legolas grinned. He was beginning to like this mortal. 'It's true; the character you spoke of before was based on me. That Tolkien, he was a nice chap. I was ever so sorry to hear about his death, but I guess the time comes for every mortal, does it not?'

Sarah blew air out of her nose forcefully. 'Don't remind me,' she said dryly.

Legolas laughed again. 'You are a very entertaining child, do you know that?'

'I've been told that, though I have yet to receive official conformation,' said Sarah.

All the laughter that was coming from the far end of the table captured Jareth's attention immediately, and, more accurately, his jealousy.

What are they saying to her, Jareth thought warily.

The Goblin King was so engrossed in his suspicions that he missed out on about thirty seconds of whatever drivel it was that Fenrir was saying to him.

When he finally came to himself, he saw that Fenrir was glaring at him angrily, his violet eyes narrowed under mousy brown eyebrows. Ramona was sniggering into her orange juice and the laughter at Sarah's end of the table had long faded.

'Uh, sorry. I must have spaced out…' explained Jareth guiltily.

'I said that I think fairies in your realm aren't given a fair deal', said Fenrir grouchily. 'Don't you agree, Ramona?'

Ramona looked up at him from blowing bubbles in her orange juice through a straw that wasn't there a minute ago and shrugged.

Fenrir glared again. 'Sometimes I question the intelligence of the High Court naming you Dryad Princess.'

Ramona slammed her utensils down on the dinning table.

0o0o0o0