CHAPTER 20

—--Day 70

Jareth was in his study going over correspondences. His Chief Advisor Cornaith was sitting across from him.

Jareth said, "Looks as though food stores are still plentiful in the castle and city. We are at 85%. The bridge work near the town of Mischiall (mischief) is progressing slowly in the winter but hopefully will be completed by next month. They will need the access for crops to be transported across the river. The Pixie King is throwing a Winter Festival Ball next week."

Cornaith said, "Who will you be taking to the ball? I hear Lady Elinda, Duchess Carlibeth, and Lady Arabella are available."

Jareth stiffened at Arabella's name being said. He said, "Never mention Arabella again. She is a conniving cruel woman and I never want to see her again if it's up to me. She sent spies into my kingdom. That's against the treaty we have between us and King Cyran. She is a reckless fool. I will ask Sarah to accompany me to the ball."

Cornaith said, "As you wish, your majesty. May I just say, lady Sarah has not been presented to the court as a citizen of the Underground or your kingdom for that matter. She is unprotected until then."

Jareth thought, 'He is right without her fealty, she is vulnerable to outside kidnapping and abduction by other kingdoms or The Outlands. Especially, if I removed her from the Labyrinth. She has been lucky and skilled in protecting herself and Brianna, so far. I will have to talk to her about this too'.

Jareth said, "I will talk to her about it this evening at dinner."

Cornaith said, "Very well, your majesty."

Jareth said, "That will be all, Cornaith." Cornaith stood up and left the study, closing the door behind himself."

—--

Later that evening at dinner, the three of them are sitting down eating. Azrael is on the floor eating a special dish made by Cook Rònan for him. The cook took a liking to Sarah when talking about recipes and had a wonderful afternoon of baking one day.

Jareth asks Sarah, "Precious, I have a ball to go to next week on Saturday night. Will you accompany me?"

She looked down for a minute and said, "Where is it?"

Jareth said, "The Pixie Kingdom is having a Winter Festival Ball. It will be at the palace."

Sarah said, "Yes, of course, I'll accompany you."

Jareth said, "I also have another thing to ask you. Sarah traveling around or being brought outside of the Goblin City is risky and you have been lucky so far. You have no kingdom protections. You have not been brought to court to be recognized as a citizen of the Underground or given fealty to a kingdom. If you did this it would afford you the protection of being a declared citizen."

Sarah said, "Jareth, in Fairy and Unicorn Kingdoms, it wouldn't matter, everyone is vulnerable. It is a proven fact to me that all human citizens are being prayed upon in their kingdoms and being viciously abducted. I bet even in your kingdom it's happening as well as the Pixie Kingdom. I know what I have seen and that's just the innkeepers mostly. It's a fallacy to think it is not happening right under your nose. Fealty isn't good enough to protect anyone from it. Those were citizens being taken. Just because they were human doesn't make them lesser, they were being sold to Ogres and Centaurs as slaves. They were murdering the rest. So don't talk fealty to me, it isn't going to protect me any better from the monsters lying in wait. I can protect myself. I need some more magic lessons in the meantime."

He had been teaching her magic and sparring with her in combat moves when time was available. Jareth knew she was right to a point. He still wanted her to be a part of his kingdom and as a citizen it would be a part.

Jareth asked Brianna, "Brianna, where were you born?"

Brie answered "I be born in a small town called Sceith (flitter) in tha Fairy Kingdom, yer majesty."

Jareth asked, "Would you register here and swear fealty to be a Goblin Kingdom citizen, so I can protect you?"

Brie said, "I be wherever Sar be swearing ta."

Sarah said concerned, "Why is this so important to you right now, all of a sudden, Jareth?"

Jareth sighed and sat, "Cornaith mentioned to me that both of you are extremely vulnerable to kidnapping or abduction, if you are taken away from here. I also just found out who tampered with your portal shutting it down. It was a dark elven wizard that works for the Ogre king, named Ewyn. Why he did it, I don't know. I'll inquire when I go in the spring in the High King's Court."

Sarah asked, "Do you have a problem with the Ogre King?"

Jareth said, "Not in the last fifty years. We had an argument before about not giving human children to Ogres or Centaurs because they would only enslave them. I only give them to fae or humans."

Sarah said, "Sorry to say, Jareth, but that would be grounds to still hold a grudge. Even now, they are taking citizens from so-called human safer kingdoms." Jareth wondered if she was right.

Jareth said, "Precious, you may be right, but I would feel better if you were citizens of my kingdom. Then I would be able to watch over you personally myself." Sarah thought about it and figured if she were to belong to the Goblin Kingdom, what fealty would entail.

Sarah asked, "What would fealty involve?" Jareth was glad so was at least considering it.

Jareth said, "You would kneel before me, swear and oath to me to be your king and kiss my boot." Sarah laughed.

Sarah said, "I don't think so." He was offended.

Jareth indignantly said, "What's wrong with that?"

Sarah said, "First, I kiss nobody's boot. It's demeaning, filthy and unsanitary if you accidentally stepped in horse manure or dirt and mud. Second, I kneel to no man, it's undignified too. I don't care who he is or how I feel about him. Third, the oath is fine." Jareth pouted.

He never had a female so obstinate. Though he knew she was from the Aboveground and she would need to get used to his world now at some point. If she were to be a citizen of the Underground she would have to do it to his father, the High King's boot and his before they could marry.

Jareth said, "What if I cleaned my boot thoroughly and put a cushion on the floor?" Sarah raised her eyebrow and looked at him incredulously. He was getting frustrated with her.

Jareth agitatedly said, "Sarah, damn it, you aren't in the Aboveground anymore. Things work differently here. You would have to do the same to the High King to be a member of the Underground."

Sarah shrugged and said, "I guess I'll stay as I am then, a stranger in a strange world. My will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great for a reason. I will not demean myself or concede. I do not grovel at anyone's feet. My deeds will see forth to my loyalty. After all, valor shows respect to all people, but grovels to none."

As a king he understood that, but as a non-royal person it seemed ridiculous. He also knew Sarah was not like a non-royal or a royal person in his world. She had known democratic freedoms that were not what he had in his world. There were only rulers and the subjugated. It's how the monarchy of King's work in his world with one High King and Queen.

Jareth said, "I want to marry you one day. You must be a member of the Underground and the Goblin Kingdom before then."

Sarah shrugged and said, "I am sorry, my dear, but we have reached an impasse. I guess you can say I'm already a part of the Underground no matter what. Whether the High King formally approves or not, due to what was done to me unknown by the Labyrinth, you, and that tiny little mongrel fair that bit me." He knew that she was right; it was an impasse. She was also right about the tampering of her genes in three different ways, an entity, a person and an insectoid creature. It informally made her a part of the Underground and the fae. He would have to think about it. In the meantime, he wanted her to be dressed at the ball in the most beautiful green gown he could commission. He wanted one that cling to every beautiful curve of her body to be made.

—--

The next night, a kingdom away, a dark cloaked figure was lurking around in the dark of a crowd of forest pine trees. Lady Arabella was cloaked in black moving along the landscape ducking into the clump of trees.

She curiously said, "What brings you?"

The dark figure said, "He is bringing her to the Pixie ball."

Arabella said, "A good time to strike."

The dark figure said, "The human child she values, will be alone in the castle. They both wear jewelry that prevents attacks. I can remove the articles from the child, but not the fae woman. The child removes them while bathing the fae does not. I'll get your person access in and back out undetected."

Arabella said, "Good. It will be a lure to The Outlands manor dungeon for the bitch. I have set it up to allow in but not out. The cell has been sealed with a magical dampening field so magic can be used in there, but mine can, being it is my own spell. There is no crystal location spell that will work either. I will have them both trapped and at my mercy. I will sell them afterwards. I will pay you our prearranged amount after I have retained them both in my dungeon. I will coordinate with you on the timing." The dark figure nodded.

The dark figure said, "Ewyn may be interested in purchasing them." He swiftly fled the area.

—--

A few days later, Ewyn was sitting in his library in the castle of the Ogre King. He was a slender elf of six foot tall and not a bad looking man, except for the jagged scar on his left cheek. He had handsome features, long blonde hair he kept in a neat ponytail and had the palest of light blue eyes making his pupils stand out.

He was twirling a white cane with a snake's head with diamond eyes in set in it for a handle. He had been going over some new spells he had invented, when there was a knock on the door. He got up and answered the door. There was a gray skinned ogre courier on the other side of the door in the hallway.

He said condescendingly in a slow smooth voice, "Well, what is it?"

The ogre said raspy, "This arrived for you." It was a box sealed up with twine.

He took it and said, "Be gone", rudely. The ogre grunted and walked away. He closed the door.

He examined the box, casting detection spells on it. It had a crystal in it, but whose was it is the question? He took a chance and opened it. The crystal levitated up into the air just above the box. Lady Arabella's face appeared in the crystal.

She said, "Greetings, Ewyn, Grand Wizard of the Ogre Kingdom. I have a proposal for you."

Ewyn looked at her incredulously. He said, "And what could it possibly be?"

Arabella said, "King Jareth's pet and her female human pet will be in my possession in two days' time. I wish to make a deal to sell them both to you."

Ewyn snorted and said, "How would I contain a fae. For that matter how would you?"

She said smugly, "I have a dungeon cell that allows in transportation but not out. I have spells for a magical damping field to remove magic from those within it, but allows your own magic to operate within it as long as it's your spells are the ones that set it up. I also can give you the magical crystal location elimination spell. I'll share the spells of the magic damping field with you to help you set up a containment room. Say a bedroom? It is Sarah Williams, the Champion of the Labyrinth. She is no longer human. She is full dark haired fae now. I plan to play with her a bit but no lasting damage to inhibit your procurement."

Ewyn said, "How will I get her here without being seen from the Pixie Kingdom to here?"

Arabella said, "That is the beauty of it all. I will be in my manor in The Outlands. It is closer to you than you think it is four hours south of Ceant (auction), close to your border. You could also use those spells on one of those iron wagons of yours for human cargo to take her and her human to your castle. I will make sure the fae is not conscious during transfer to the wagon."

Ewyn said, "I will not purchase damaged goods. You disfigure her in anyway and the deal is off."

Arabella said huffily, "Fine! What can I do to have my pound of flesh from her? I want her demeaned. You can have her afterwards."

Ewyn said evily, "Selling her to me should exact enough revenge tied to my bed. Exact your revenge on her pet in front of her. That will hurt her."

Arabella said, "Yes, that will upset her. Fine, then that's what we will do. I'll give you the spells now." She told him the four spells he would need to use to put on the wagon and on his bedroom. He would do the rest. They ended contact. The crystal went back to sitting in the box. Ewyn got to work casting on his room and getting it prepared for a sex slave and a closet to lock her human pet in. He then went and took a iron transport wagon for himself and cast his spells on it with two blankets in the back and cast a heating spell inside because it was winter.