Sweet sun, send me the moon
Empty the skies out
Bringing me one step closer to you
-Sara Bareilles, Send Me the Moon
For all his confidence and pride, Jareth often hated himself.
After time and some sleep to mull things over, he knew that it was reasonable for Sarah to have been afraid of him for a moment. To not take chances when it came to her son.
He just couldn't let go of his pride. It made him so angry, after all the effort and sleepless nights he'd been dealing with. He had opened his heart to her and her family, only to be met with skepticism.
Another knock on the door. "Enter," he called.
Lorraine came in, curtsying. "Sire, I'm here to deliver a message."
He cocked an eyebrow as she laid a letter on his desk. From Sarah.
"What's this about?" He asked her coldly, not taking the letter just yet.
Lorraine faltered slightly, then quickly regaining her composure. "Sire?"
"I can tell you know something, so what is it?"
"It's not my place-"
"It is your place when your king commands it. What is this about, Lorraine?"
His piercing eyes and harsh tone did little to placate her. She clasped her hands in front of herself. "I am not privy to the full extent of the contents of the letter. All I know is, Lady Sarah said 'Please give this to His Majesty. I want to make amends.' That's all I'm told, Sire."
Jareth stared at her for what seemed like another full minute. "You are dismissed. Continue to take care of Lady Sarah and Lord Toby."
He pulled his feet off the desk and took the letter in his hands. He addressed her without looking up. "Why are you still here?"
Lorraine was playing with the fabric on her dress, which was incredibly out of place for her as she was trained to not show too much nervous energy as a member of the castle. "Again, Sire, not my place to say, but she looked incredibly tired and agitated. Has been all day. She was shaking when she handed me this message. Take this as you will."
Jareth did not relax the masked emotions on his face. "Thank you, Lorraine. You may go."
Lorraine curtsied and left, sighing once she thought she was out of the king's earshot.
Jareth stared at the letter. Lorraine had said that Sarah seemed distressed about it, so was this a good thing? Only one way to find out.
He opened it, not expecting to be bombarded with emotions at seeing her neat handwriting.
Dear Jareth,
I'm having a difficult time explaining myself. This is probably my twentieth draft and I'm still unhappy with it, so forgive me for any blunders I may make in this letter.
I want to apologize to you. I know that you care a lot about me and my family. You've said so many times and have promised us your utmost protection. I shouldn't have wavered one bit in my faith in you, that you were doing your best to taking care of us. Trust goes both ways, and I do trust you. Wholeheartedly.
I don't know what I can do to make this up to you. You have become my best friend, among other things. My world is brighter with you in it. I don't want to lose our friendship. While I still stand by my statement that it was a nightmare, I suppose you having the power to control dreams and nightmares would make you a bit more sensitive to what people believe through dreams. I should have taken that into account especially as I've seen it first hand how much dreams are woven in reality for you.
If nothing else, I hope that you know how apologetic I feel, and how much I appreciate you for being there for me.
Thank you for having me.
-Sarah
God, she made him simultaneously smile like an idiot and frown brokenly. He wanted more with her, like the promise of their mistletoe kiss and almost-kiss when he got her the photo and the bear.
No matter what, she and her family would be under his protection. Perhaps she would fall in love with another man in the future. Perhaps not. Perhaps she would live the rest of her live Aboveground as he became a sort of guardian fae king to Benjamin, Toby, and their descendants. The idea of Sarah aging and dying as he lived broke his heart, and he pushed the image away.
Right now, he had time. Time to repair their friendship. Time to watch movies and bake cookies with her, the woman who was his equal in nearly every way. If she fell short in one category, she certainly bypassed him in another. He looked at the letter, feeling guilty for not being the first one to speak, that she had to be that person. He had to set this right.
He walked to her chambers, but found it empty. He tried the library, but she wasn't there either.
The music room. Of course.
Sarah was thumbing through piano music when he walked in. "Hello, Sarah."
She smiled at him, though it didn't meet her eyes. "Hey."
He held clasped his hands behind his back. "I read your letter."
Sarah wasn't sure what to say to that since he wasn't saying more. "Oh. Umm, thank you. For taking the time to read it." Her cheeks flushed crimson.
Jareth's heart beat faster. "Sarah, I offer you my sincere apology. You shouldn't have to apologize. Why shouldn't you have faltered in your faith in me? I should be grateful that you are so reasonable, that you were able to understand quickly that I mean no harm to you. I scolded you when you needed a kind word. You have strove to understand me and how I am particularly sensitive to dreams. I should understand the same, that to most humans, dreams are nothing but fragments of random images. In fact, that's what most dreams are, so it would make sense for you to feel jarred when waking so suddenly."
"You don't have to apologize, I more or less insulted you," she said, looking at the ground. Her voice shrank, trembling. "Just, are we okay? Are you still mad at me? Can we go back to where we were?"
Jareth strode to her, reaching for her hand. "Of course we can, my dear."
She looked up at him, tears of relief swimming in her eyes. "Thank you. For everything. For inviting me, Ben, and Toby down here. For being kind to us. For doing your best to understand me. With Ben being gone, it's torture enough. I don't want to lose you too."
"Shh." He hushed her gently, lifting his hands to cup her face. He wiped her tears away with his thumb. "He will be safe. I will make sure of it."
"Jareth," she said breathily. "I know you'll do your best, that's okay. None of this is your fault. You don't need to say things will be fine just to placate me. I've had the worst happen to me before."
He knew that she was referring to her late husband dying. There were worse things than death, but he didn't want to bring that up at the moment. "But I will. I will negotiate or do whatever I can for him. I would venture into the unknown now, if I knew how and where to find him."
She let his hopeful words wash over her. Let the dreams and promises from the Goblin King fill her with conviction and confidence. She placed her hand on his, the one that cupped her face, slowly turning her head so her lips were on his palm. His free hand came to pull her a little closer, resting their foreheads together. She closed her eyes and wrapped her arms around his neck, pressing a kiss below his ear. The world just felt right when he was holding her.
Jareth clutched her close, never wanting to let go of her. The shape of her body would be forever imprinted on his, as well as his heart. He felt calmer, more grounded just by this simple act. He turned his face, kissing her forehead. It was an act of intimacy that he hadn't dared to give in a long time.
"Sire? Oh," Samuel peeked in, seeing the two embrace. "Er, I will just wait out here then."
Jareth sighed, leaning back but still holding Sarah. "Even without goblins around, I am constantly interrupted."
Sarah smirked. "I miss them running around."
For security reasons, Jareth had banned the goblins from this area of the castle though they were still around for the most part. This was for the safety of the goblins as well as everyone else.
He chuckled. "Only you would say that. Most of my guests tolerate them or find them amusing. Certainly not enough to appreciate them or miss them."
Sarah gave him one more hug, and gave him a kiss on the cheek. "I needed that hug. It was nice."
Jareth gazed into her eyes. "As did I." He didn't realize how much he craved affection until Sarah gave it to him. "Samuel, come in."
Samuel came in, holding two letters. "Sire, My Lady, I have a… strange announcement for you."
He handed them each a letter. Opening them, they found nearly identical invitations, only differing in who it was addressed to.
You are cordially invited you to the Winter Solstice Ball
At the High King's Lunar Palace
Honored guest: Prince Anwir of Paustacuna, a longtime friend of the High King
Chaos ensued. "What?!" Jareth exclaimed at seeing the Erlking's name as the honored guest. "He's been at my grandfather's this whole time?!" He conjured a crystal, looking at a calendar. "And Solstice, that's tomorrow night."
"You mean, he's your grandpa's friend this whole time?!" Sarah shouted, placing her head in her hands. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"I didn't know," Jareth said honestly, just as in shock as she. He paced back and forth, muttering to himself. "This is outrageous. I want to know exactly how he escaped and why he's there!" Jareth bit the inside of his cheek. "Tell the High King we won't be attending."
"Jareth?" Sarah said his name gently, after a moment to think. "Maybe we should go. Try to see what he's like and what he would say."
"The Lady is right, Sire," Samuel chimed in. "It would be a great insult to the High King if you refused his invitation."
"That is out of the question!" Jareth snapped at the both of them. "I will not put Sarah in harm's way. I will go alone if anything."
"And what would happen if I don't?" She looked to Samuel. "What would that mean in social circles? How would that affect Jareth?"
While she mostly grew up with her father, she saw the drama that ensued among famous people when she was with her mother. What happened if one person was not invited to a party and the fallout that affected many people.
Jareth glowered as Samuel answered her. "It would reflect terribly upon the both of you, as you are already here. It would seem bad if you did not accept the invitation to be presented to the High King. While the Erlking is no doubt the honored guest, it's also an induction ball so that the nobility may be familiar with you. It solidifies your place as the Labyrinth's Champion. You don't want to appear to be too good for the High King's court. It could take decades to repair the damage at best."
She looked at her invitation again. "Why isn't Toby invited? Isn't he a lord or something too?"
Samuel looked to Jareth, who placed his face in his hand. "No. Toby is nobility here because of me. As king, I can strip someone of their titles or give them one. However, in the eyes of the rest of the faerie court, he is not nobility. Only you are."
They were all silent for a moment, thinking different things. Jareth was concerned about what this meant, how they had little time to figure out why the Erlking was there. Sarah was thinking about how this could be a trap but that she would do anything for Ben. Samuel was hoping that Jareth wouldn't bog him for telling Sarah everything. All of them were thinking how much of a convenient coincidence this was that the Erlking was at the High King's castle, that they could actually meet him face-to-face after trying so hard to figure out where he even was.
Sarah broke the silence. "Then we should go. I can meet these people and we can have a chat with the Erlking to see how and why he's able to break free."
Jareth shook his head. "Sarah-"
"Unless you have a better plan and not just worrying for my safety, then I'm going," she finished. "This can mean the difference in knowing our possible enemy or going in blindly."
Jareth didn't have a response for that. Not when he already enacted that spell on her wedding ring (even if she didn't know it). "Fine. But you will need some etiquette training today and tomorrow. You will also need dresses." He turned to Samuel. "Inform Lorraine of this so that she can get the seamstress going on the dresses and start giving Sarah lessons with me. Tell Sorceress Mara of the plan as well."
"You must curtsey to the High King and Queen whenever they approach you. Same as every monarch," Lorraine taught her. "But do not curtsey to a noble. Unless they are there with the monarch, otherwise it would seem rude. If someone bows or curtseys to you who is not a servant, you are obligated to incline your head forward but do not return the curtsey. To curtsey to them at best, come across as amusing and at worst, mockery." She showed Sarah the cutlery. "You must always eat with a fork unless there's soup. You cannot eat dessert even if it's offered to you until the High King and Queen start to eat some themselves."
Sarah was getting a headache. "How am I supposed to remember any of this? I'm going to end up offending someone because I didn't or did curtsey to them."
"If it's any consolation, you are not from this world and they will be amused by your mistakes."
"So I'm either offending someone or become a laughing stock," Sarah said dryly.
Lorraine looked at her sympathetically. "I'm sorry, usually there's more time. This sudden invitation seems… very much out of place. Almost like a test."
"That's what Jareth told us before lunch," Sarah mumbled. "He says he doesn't know his grandfather that well but that this seems random for him to do."
Lorraine shook her head, sighing. "I wish I knew more, My Lady."
Learning with Jareth wasn't much better. He was already wound up and his agitation was contagious. "Whatever you do, be in control of you expressions. Do not ever show surprise, because we don't know what is happening. Be polite but do not let them walk over you, though I think you know that."
"Lorraine taught me to dance, what about that?" She asked. "Can I just, I don't know, avoid dancing?"
"I doubt it. But perhaps, we could go together. If we go separately, it may do better in setting you as your own person, independent from me. But if we go together, you don't have to be away from my side unless someone asks you to dance. Which lowers that chance if I am at your arm all night."
Sarah had created a large part of her identity around being her own person. Around being independent. She didn't even take Ethan's last name, something that enraged her in-laws. However, she was also learning that being independent doesn't mean she had to everything by herself. "Speaking of dancing, what do I do?"
"You can choose to join in on group dances or not, I recommend not because not only are they tedious, you may have a difficult time with catching up. Slow dances are easy. You just follow along with whatever your partner does."
"Hey!"
The two turned to see Toby barging in, looking mad. "What do you mean I can't go? I can't just sit here while Sarah goes alone."
Sarah smiled warmly. It was nice to know that her baby brother cared so much.
Jareth, on the other hand, looked thoroughly offended. "Alone? I will be there, and I can do more than you ever could."
Toby did look a little sheepish but kept going forward. "Okay but I still want to be there."
"You don't have an invitation."
"So let me disguise as a servant or something," he insisted. "Samuel's going, right? So let me hang out with him!"
Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm too tired for this."
Sarah put a hand on his bicep. "Wouldn't it be a good idea though? I mean, Toby can be with us and we'll know he's safe. No breaches there." She would also feel safer knowing that Toby was in the same place as she.
Jareth complained quite loudly. "You know what? Fine. I know that you two won't leave me alone about this anyway." He may be the King of the Goblins, Lord of the Labyrinth, Delegator of Dreams and Guardian of the Borders but he was still beaten by the two Williams siblings.
Sarah closed her eyes, trying to ground herself. She didn't like it when he would just concede and stay angry at her when she would "win" an argument. She looked at him sternly, speaking loudly. "Jareth-"
"We leave after supper tomorrow," he said, ignoring her calling his name as he made his way out of the room.
Sarah might have enjoyed the ride there had she not been so nervous. The carriage took them across the beautiful countryside, full of winter flowers and undisturbed snow. The gentle glow of the afternoon sun made the world seem all the more magical.
She was dressed in a lady's light blue winter dress, embroidered with gold threads on her bodice and her matching cloak. She wished that she could be excited, wearing a fancy dress as she so wanted when she was a teen, but couldn't find it in her heart to feel happy about it.
Jareth sat across her, wearing a green ensemble, also fit for winter. Illusions and makeup hid the scars he got from the Raí. He looked more regal than he usually did, which was saying something. He even carried himself a bit differently. "I'm sorry that your first ball with the nobles couldn't be under better circumstances."
She shrugged. "It's whatever, I guess."
He crossed a leg over the other. "Why do I get the feeling that you're upset with me?" His tone was full of disgust, of exhaustion and a sense of resentment.
Sarah's upper lip pulled into a deeper frown. "It's normal for people to have disagreements, but I really wish you wouldn't just stomp and leave a room when you're contradicted or when you feel someone's right. You have to be able to accept it with grace."
"Toby is with the rider, you have won, what else do you want?"
"That's exactly what I mean!" She had the urge to grab him by the collar and force him to look into her eyes. "You don't have to keep being mad at me, you know? Or if you're right and I'm wrong, no need to hold that grudge. I wasn't that angry at you, I just wish you wouldn't have an attitude about it with me about whatever unresolved inner conflict you have."
"You presume to understand my motivations now?"
"Yes, because I was the same way!" She raised her voice a little, then took a moment to settle down. Her voice dropped to a softer, more regretful tone. "Sometimes I'm still that way."
Jareth still looked out the window, but his eyebrows had stopped creasing in frustration.
Sarah swallowed thickly. "Do you remember when I told you about me and Ethan needing space from each other?"
Jareth's eyes flickered momentarily to her then back. "Yes. Because of his family."
"It wasn't the only reason." Her voice dropped even more, almost to a whisper. "My temper was usually fine for him, he just laughed it off and I learned to not be so passive aggressive because he didn't put up with it. I tend to do it with people I care about the most, probably because I feel comfortable around them. Which sucks, because then it makes them feel bad. It got to a point where it was too much for him and we took time off to find ourselves and be better."
She looked at Jareth, whose head was slowly angling to her eyes. "I don't want to overstep or say that you should necessarily do anything, I just want you to know that I don't like it when you act that way. It makes me afraid; no, that's not the right word. It makes me not want to tell you when I disagree because I just don't want to argue. We should be able to be honest with each other without fear. Not just fear of getting hurt physically, but fear that the other person is going to weaponize silence."
He stared at her, unblinking. "I told you, I am not easy to love. Or to get along with."
They held each other's gaze for a moment. Sarah patted the empty spot next to her. He hesitated, then got up to sit next to her. Sarah chuckled a little. "And I told you, neither am I. But it doesn't mean that we aren't deserving of it."
They watched the sun set on the west, the sky painted with dark blue mixed with pink and orange. Sarah adored the sight of the Underground sunset. It just seemed so much more beautiful here, so much calmer and without all the noise or light pollution that her world had. Being here made her feel a little more whole, as if she was finally home.
Jareth gazed at her. He knew that he was difficult to get along with, that was why he almost never had close friends in his adult life. Sarah seemed to understand him on a different level, probably because they were so similar. He had stopped caring about how he appeared except to not offend anyone greatly, because they would view him with stigma anyway. With Sarah talking to him and putting him in his place as well as apologizing for her own mishaps, he felt a change in him. He wanted to be a better man, a better king, a better person. He wanted to do all he could to make her proud of him. "I am trying, Sarah. I promise. I will do better. I'm sorry."
She held his hand, not turning to him quite yet. "I know. Thank you."
He stared at her even more, until she looked up at him. "What?" Her question was light and teasing, a smile tugging at the corner of her lip, unable to help herself.
He hoped to never stop seeing that smile in his life. "You have a scar on your upper lip."
She laughed. Only Jareth would be so honest about blatantly staring at someone. "Oh god, now that's a story. It happened a long time ago. When Toby was little-"
"Your Majesty, Lady Sarah," Samuel called to them. "We are about to cross the Stellar Bridge. Brace yourselves."
"We are ready," Jareth said, holding onto the handle made specifically for this.
"Too bad carriages don't have seatbelts," Sarah commented, looking at him. Jareth chuckled at the thought.
He nodded to her window. "Look outside, you don't want to miss this. Open the window too, for the full experience."
Sarah opened the window as he suggested, watching the last rays of the sun sink into the horizon. They technically didn't need to do this, as Jareth could easily transport them. The only reason they came by carriage was to arrive the same way as everyone else. Besides, it saved Jareth energy by not having to transport castle workers.
The carriage stopped to a halt, the horses readying themselves. As the sky got darker, the driver conjured a ball of energy that gathered tiny stars from the sky. The stars exploded, lining to form the Stellar Bridge.
The horses slowly trotted then broke into a run, the carriage lifting into the sky. Sarah watched in awe as they crossed the Stellar Bridge that was made of moonbeams and starlight.
Jareth dipped his hand into the glittering stars, grinning at the feel of it. Sarah copied him, finding that it was not so dissimilar from dipping her hand in a river, creating waves from the contact. The glowing violet, indigo, and turquoise meshed together as they floated up higher.
On one hand, it was nothing she had experienced before. On the other, it was as if she had known this place all her life. She looked into Jareth's face quizzically. He brushed his shoulder against hers, looking at the stellar sea. "Everyone dreams of this at least once in their lives, whether they remember it or not. Can you feel it, Sarah, the world of dreams greeting you? Welcoming you with open arms?"
She kept staring at the stars in awe. "Yes, I do. It's beautiful."
He never took his eyes off of her. Her expression of wonder made him want to enjoy his kingdom and the rest of the realm all over again. Her ability to enjoy the simple, small pleasures of life was something he had forgotten how to do. But next to her, it was so easy.
"Is that it?" Sarah pointed to a large, spherical structure in the sky.
A crystal moon. It was swirling with the magic of dreams and stars inside. As they got closer, the moon grew more opaque, surrounded by clouds of pastel. The actual palace had a large crescent moon atop of it, many buildings and spires reaching to the heavens. Glorious architecture paired with impressive flora lined the buildings and pathways.
The Lunar Palace was really only there to show off the amount of power and magic the High King possessed. It would last on the Crystal Moon until the last star in the sky faded into the morning. Any guests that stayed the night would automatically be transported to the High King's main palace.
The footman opened the door for Jareth, who then extended a hand out to Sarah. "Welcome, my Champion, to the High King's Lunar Palace."
The Lunar Palace is inspired by that one conference/convention thing in Neil Gaiman's Sandman comic: Endless Nights featuring Dream. The artwork is magical and so is the idea that the place existed for only a short period of time.
I hope that the argument and resolution of said argument between Jareth and Sarah was okay, I wanted them to get mad at each other a bit but to show that they want so much to get along again. It's a tense situation with everyone freaking out about Ben, and they do care very much for each other.