AN: The first part of this chapter is a flashback which will explain what happened to Sarah in the last chapter. You'll find out why she couldn't remember what had happened before she fell asleep. Oh, and it also explains the mysterious raven perched outside her window...
Warning. This chapter contains an attempted rape scene that could be triggering for some readers.
Previously...
Showered and dressed in fresh jeans and a warm sweater had helped Sarah more than she'd expected. While showering, she had allowed herself the luxury of simply standing there, the warm water cascading over her hair and down her body, washing away the soap from her skin.
When she'd done showering she dried herself off and dressed casually.
She hadn't intended on making any plans for her day. She had told herself that she would take advantage of the empty house and read, maybe listen to some music on the radio before Karen came back from grocery shopping, and would likely turn the 'offending' music off the moment she stepped through the door.
But as Sarah sipped on her tea, watching as fat snowflakes drifted softly down from the sky, she considered changing those plans. Perhaps a nice walk would be nice. It had been a long time since she'd visited the park, after all, and she'd always especially loved visiting it when it snowed. Besides, the fresh air might be beneficial to her health. Heck, it might even help her be rid of her nausea and even if it failed to do that, she knew it would probably help her mentally. She had been cooped up in the house for days, after all.
With her mind made up, Sarah made her way back upstairs.
Once in her room, she pulled open the sliding doors to her closest and searched through the many items of clothing hanging up. Most of them were Diane's clothes, but soon Sarah discovered a few of her own, hidden away right at the back of the wardrobe.
She chuckled when she found the hideous purple gown she'd worn to prom and quickly tossed it aside.
She found a few oversized baseball sweaters, a fluffy festive sweater, and a couple of the old dresses that she had used to love wearing to the park as a teenager.
Unsatisfied with the things she had found, Sarah continued to search through the wardrobe until she came across a trash bag full of her clothes from before she left. Rummaging through the bag, she eventually found what she had been looking for; her long brown winter coat.
Pulling it from the bag, she held it up against her body. It looked as if it would still fit her, which was good, at least. One of the buttons had come off but she could fix that easily enough.
Giving the coat a little shake to be rid of any dust, she slipped it on.
She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. The coat fit like a glove. "Perfect." She said aloud as she began to button it up.
'Tap tap'
Sarah frowned and turned around, facing the doorway. "Hello?" she called, wondering if Diane had come back for her lunch break early.
'Tap tap'
Sarah gasped, placing her hand over her pounding heart. The tapping noise was coming from the window. Did that mean...
Jareth?
Butterflies of excitement, anticipation, and anxiety fluttered in her stomach all at once.
Had Jareth come back for her? Could it be possible that he'd somehow broken every rule just to see her again? Had he come to apologize, take her into his arms, and kiss her until she couldn't remember her name? Even just the thought of such a romantic notion made her heart pound harder in her breast.
'tap tap'
She took a shaky breath, trying to collect herself again.
If it was him, what would she do? Could she really face him now after everything that had happened? She'd spent the last five days mourning their breakup. Five nights tossing and turning in her bed because he wasn't there with her, holding her through the night, banishing away her bad dreams with a little touch of magic, the feel of his lips against her neck as they woke together when the sun was just beginning to rise...
Sarah wasn't sure why or what this meant for them, all she knew was that wanted to see him.
Even as anxiety knotted in her stomach, she spun on her heel and faced the window.
And just like that, Sarah felt every single one of her hopes and dreams came crashing around her like a ton of bricks. It wasn't Jareth in his fluffy barn owl form seated on her window sill. No, it was just a raven.
Just a fucking raven.
Tears pooled in her eyes as she lowered herself into the chair by her vanity.
Of course, it wasn't him. He could never see her again unless she called for him. It was stupid of her to even think that he might take such a huge risk to see her again when she had wished herself away from him.
A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly scrubbed it away.
Why had she allowed herself to get so excited about seeing him again, anyway? Why did she even care when he'd deceived her for months and months, playing her just to gain power over her. He had taken everything from her and she had trusted him with her life.
And even when he had claimed to love her, he hadn't told her the truth. That was what hurt most. If Jareth had ever truly loved her, he would have confessed everything to her. She knew she would have been upset, that was true. Yes, she would have needed time, but she knew she could've forgiven him, eventually.
The raven perched on her window sill cocked its head to the side, watching her with twinkling gold eyes before it tapped its beak against the glass again.
Sarah wiped her tears and looked back at the raven. Why was it just sat there starring at her?
A cold chill ran down her spine when the creature croaked loudly, looking her directly in the eyes through the glass of her window.
"What do you want?" Sarah whispered as she stood, walking up to the window and placing her palm flat against the icy cold glass which sparkled with frost and a dusting of snow.
Sarah had fully expected the creature to fly away when she neared and had especially thought it would leave when she touched the glass, however, the raven only flapped its wings, croaking again as if it was asking her to let it in.
Sarah wasn't sure what compelled her to do it, but she found herself turning the handle before she even realized what she was doing. The moment she pushed the window ajar, the raven flew into her room, its wings flapping in her face, forcing a scream of surprise from her lips.
The raven paid little attention to her scream and continued to flap around her, croaking manically as it swooped down, its sharp claws pulling at her hair.
She panicked and raised her hands over her head, blindly backing herself into the corner of the room in an attempt to get the bloody thing off her.
Sarah felt a cold chill work down her spine as the raven's croaking changed into deep masculine laughter.
Sarah's hands dropped from her face and she stared in astonishment at the dark figure that stood in the middle of her bedroom, his golden eyes standing out against the blackness of his hair and clothes.
"My, my, so it seems the rumors were true, after all." He said, his deep voice seeming to bounce off the walls as he spoke. "I scarcely believed my spies reports but it seems I am to be surprised at every turn."
Sarah frowned deeply. "Who the hell are you? What are you? And why are you here?"
The man circled her, his eyes roaming over her form inquisitively. "So many questions from one so young, The Goblin King's taste... surprises me."
Sarah wasn't sure why, but everything about this man made her feel uncomfortable. The way he eyed her up like a snack, the way he spoke about Jareth. Something strange was at work here, she was certain of it.
When the man circling her stopped, his voice was close to her ear. "The stench of him on you is strong enough to ward off any possible suitor, he made sure of that, I can see." He smirked when Sarah whipped around to face him, her green eyes sparkling in annoyance. She had both fire and sadness in her eyes, he noticed, and gently fingered a lock of her dark hair, his eyes gleaming with something similar to pleasant surprise. "And yet it seems he has not marked you? How very curious..."
Sarah scowled at the man and quickly yanked herself from his grasp. What on earth was he talking about?
"I ask again, who are you? And how on earth do you know the Goblin King? He never mentioned anyone of your likeness to me before..."
The man threw back his head and laughed. "I'm certain there are many things the Goblin King failed to mention to you, girl. Perhaps it's time you learned for yourself."
Sarah swallowed hard. She hated that what this man said was true. Jareth had kept so much from her and she had no doubt there was more she was yet to discover.
"What I want to learn is your name. I think I have a right to know who you are since you already seem to know so much about me." She told him, not backing down.
"Why are names so important to humans? My name does not define me neither does yours define you. Names are given far too much importance in my opinion."
Sarah folded her arms over her chest. "Names hold power."
"That they do. And the Goblin King's first mistake was granting you permission to use his. It's no wonder his Kingdom has fallen into ruin. It didn't stand a chance with him ruling over it."
Sarah's clenched her hands into fists at her sides. It would've been one thing for this tyrant to insult her, but to insult Jareth in such a way was crossing the line. Jareth had done everything for his Kingdom and his subjects, even deceiving her so that he could save it from ruin.
"He is a great king and his kingdom has every chance of thriving!" She bellowed, unable to help the anger that roared within her. It surprised her to feel such fury, again, especially as she'd been struggling to feel anything other than sadness recently.
The man quirked a surprised and somewhat amused brow. "You speak of him as if he hadn't just broken your heart and left you to crave his touch until it drives you mad."
"I don't see that it's any of your business, but I'll have you know that he did not leave me. I left him. I wished myself back here and he only did what I asked him to do."
The dark man's golden eyes sparkled in the dying daylight. "Is that so? How very interesting."
Sarah glared at him as he turned away from her, rudely fiddling with the books stacked on the wall shelving.
"No, it's not 'interesting,' It's the opposite of interesting! The entire situation was heartbreaking! But I wouldn't expect someone like you to understand that sort of pain." She retorted from behind him.
Deep mocking laughter left the man in front of her as he placed her book back on the shelf then turned to face her once more, his golden eyes darker now.
"I'm glad he brought you back here. Someone with your kind of spirit could strengthen The Goblin King's Kingdom and we can't have that, now, can we." He stalked towards her, all the amusement she'd seen in his face was now gone, and in its stead was anger.
She'd hit a nerve.
Backing her into the wall, he eyed her petite figure, his eyes focusing particularly on her breasts, which heaved beneath her clothing.
"One thing I never expected from Jareth was good taste, though. It seems I was mistaken..." He whispered in a husky voice close to her ear, his hand hovering over her breast as he rubbed the side of her leg with his own.
Sarah swallowed hard as a tremor of fear worked through her body. More than anything, she wanted to punch this bastard and cry out for help, then run from the room as fast as she could. But for some unknown reason, she felt that that would only end up causing her more harm. So reluctantly, she stayed put. Keeping her head held high, her eyes bright and defiant. She would not give him the satisfaction of seeing her break down, not if she could help it.
"Don't you dare touch me!" She spat, amazed by the dark strength in her voice.
Surprisingly, that seemed to irritate him more. He met her strong gaze and his jaw tightened. Then he reached up and grabbed her jaw so tightly so that she couldn't look away from him.
"It seems that the Goblin King only succeeded in breaking your heart. Your spirit, however, is still very much intact." His lips curved into a smile that made her skin crawl. "How very lazy of him to leave that part to me. Although, I can't say I'm surprised. He never was any good at finishing what he started." As he said those last words, he thrust her with all his strength back against the wall, causing a startled cry to slip past her lips as sharp pains worked through her fragile body.
The expression that Sarah watched cross his features as she cried in pain was one of complete satisfaction and pleasure.
Sarah felt tears pierce her eyes and her stomach churned.
She squeezed her eyes shut so he wouldn't see her tears and silently prayed that she'd throw up all over the monster that growled like a hungry beast in her ear, his eyes sparkling with a sick kind of delight as he squeezed her breast in his large hand, his other hand still tight on her jaw.
"Stop it!" she choked, fighting against him. She knew exactly where this was going and there was no way she was going down without a fight.
But her fighting soon becomes useless. Whatever magic this creep possessed, he used it to keep her legs firmly on the ground so that she couldn't knee him in the groin again as she had attempted to only moments ago. And when she finally managed to wriggle her arm from his grip, she'd raised a hand and slapped him around the face. He had snarled and gripped her wrist tightly until she squeaked in pain. Then he used magic to bind her hands together with an invisible cord above her head.
It dawned on Sarah, then, that there was nothing more she could do to protect herself. This man was going to rape her in the bedroom she'd grown up in.
Sarah screamed for help at the top of her lungs, but he covered her mouth with a firm hand to stifle her cries. "Your home is empty... nobody can hear your cries." He whispered in her ear before he ripped open her coat, the buttons scattering across the carpeted floor.
He pressed himself hard against her hip to relieve the ache in his cock. He was already hard and he couldn't wait to bury himself inside her.
Yes, he would take everything from her before he'd leave her forever.
Revenge would be sweet, indeed.
Even the thought of that spurred him on. With his magic, he removed her coat, her sweater, t-shirt, and bra, leaving the top half of her body completely bare to him.
Sarah couldn't stop herself from sobbing as the awful man sucked and nibbled at her sensitive breast. One of his hands was still clamped firmly over her mouth, but the other fondled with her other breast, relentlessly.
"I came here to see if he'd marked you, claimed you completely, but as he hasn't, it means I get to mark you myself... but now I'm tempted to claim that the child he put in you is my own, as well." He mumbled after sucking hard on her breast, leaving a mark on her tender flesh.
Sarah's teary eyes widened in disbelief. She wasn't carrying Jareth's child!
... was she?
When he saw her bewildered expression, he burst out laughing. "Oh, don't tell me you didn't know the bastard had impregnated you?"
Sarah shook her head, tears streaming uncontrollably down her cheeks, now. How had she not realized she was pregnant? Now that she thought of it, she didn't know how she could have missed it. She had been experiencing all the symptoms, the sickness, the fatigue, the uncontrollable emotional outbursts. It all made sense now.
With this new-found knowledge, Sarah felt the fight inside herself roar back to life. Not only to protect herself but to protect her unborn child.
As the man drew his attention back to her body, Sarah began racking her brain for ideas. There had to be something she could do, there just had to be.
The dark man unzipped his pants, pulling his cock free with a deep groan.
Sarah squeezed her eyes shut again, trying to calm down her racing heart and focus again. She wouldn't pay attention to him; and she wouldn't focus on what was happening, she would just find a way to end this before it went any further.
As he began to stroke himself, he used magic to remove her jeans.
Sarah choked on a panicked sob when she felt the cool air hit let legs, and she tried with all her might to move them and her arms, but they were still held firmly in place with his magic.
Watching her try to escape the invisible bindings seemed to ignite a fire in the man, because he pressed himself against her thigh, his teeth scraping across her neck as he brought both his hands down to cup her breasts.
Sarah gasped for breath and screamed out for help just before the man clamped his hand over her mouth again. This time he didn't look so amused.
"Shut the fuck up!" He spoke gritted teeth, his fingers digging into her flesh, but Sarah barely felt the pain anymore, because she had seen something, something that filled her heart with hope.
She hadn't noticed before, perhaps because she had been so distressed, but now that she had forced herself to focus, she could plainly see a familiar symbol imprinted with ink on the corner of this man's neck.
She had seen that symbol before, she knew she had, but where?
"I'm going to take everything from you." He told her, his voice close to her ear again. "I'm going to fuck you and mark you as mine, then I'll leave you, broken, as you should be. The Goblin King's scent will no longer linger on your skin, but mine will... and he'll know what I've done." As he spoke, his breath hitched as if he was getting extreme pleasure just speaking about his sick fantasy.
Sarah felt her skin crawl, tears brimming in her eyes again, but no, she wouldn't give up.
'Names hold power,' her own voice echoed in her mind, igniting a memory from deep within her.
Lilium...
It was Lilium that Sarah had seen wear this symbol around her neck before. And now that she thought of it, she realized she had also seen the same symbol embroidered into Lilium's clothing, too. That could only mean one thing. This vile excuse of a man was from Ryrella.
But who was he? She knew very little about those residing in Ryrella. However, Sarah had a feeling that this man was important. He obviously thought a lot of himself, he wore expensive clothing, he spoke of Jareth as an enemy, and he had the symbol of Ryrella tattooed on his skin. That had to mean something.
Even though Sarah wasn't completely certain that this man was who she thought he might be, she knew she had to at least try.
Just as the man was getting ready to sheath himself within her, prizing her thighs apart with all his strength, Sarah bit down on the hand that covered her mouth with all her strength until she felt her teeth penetrate his skin.
The man cried out in pain and anger, quickly pulling his hand from her mouth just long enough for Sarah to scream out what she hoped would be his name. "Beluar, you have no power over me!"
The man standing before her roared in anger, his golden eyes darkening so much they almost looked black. "You fucking bitch!" He barked, his eyes blazing.
Sarah shrunk back in fear. She didn't know what would happen next, but at least she knew who he was, now.
Beluar felt himself lose all the power he'd held over her only moments ago and that angered him beyond words. He felt himself being pulled back to his Kingdom, but he would not allow himself to respond to the pull just yet. Not until he taught this bitch a lesson.
He had been so close. So close to getting his revenge back on Jareth for what he had done to his daughter, so close to fucking the spirit out of this girl, marking her as his so that she would crave him forever, but it seemed he had underestimated her. The Goblin King's whore held way more power than he'd realized, and the fact that she had managed to escape him was absolutely infuriating.
Despite her distressed state, Sarah noticed that Beluar was fading before her eyes, his face flushed and contorted in anger. "You won't get away with this!" He hissed, and then waved a hand in front of her face, wafts of black smoke leaving the tips of his fingers and clouding around her face as he muttered words in a language she didn't understand.
"Now you won't be able to remember me, or anything that took place here this day." He said, and then he vanished, lingering black smoke the only sign he'd ever been there.
Sarah coughed and gagged on the foul taste of the black smoke as it entered her lungs, burning the back of her throat and sending jolts of electric-like pulses through her body and right to her brain.
She barely registered the invisible restraints disappear from around her legs and arms, but the moment they did, she fell to the floor, her legs too weak and shaky to hold up her weight.
Sarah coughed and gasped for air, trying to lift herself from the bedroom floor but her body felt like led. She couldn't move and her head felt strange. Her memories were becoming more scattered and disorientated by the second, and soon Sarah couldn't remember a thing of what had happened only moments ago.
Glancing up, she looked around the room but saw nothing out of the ordinary. Everything in her room was as it had been since she had been back.
Diane's posters hung on the walls and various objects cluttered the shelves. Her books were stacked up neatly beside her bed just as they had been this morning.
Everything was normal, and yet, nothing was normal.
Tears stung in her eyes and she covered her face with her hands, sobbing uncontrollably. She didn't know why she was crying, or why she was lying across her bedroom floor almost completely naked.
What had she been doing?
When her sobs subsided somewhat, Sarah gathered her strength and forced herself up from the bedroom floor.
With tears still damp on her cheeks, she headed for the bathroom. She felt weak and sick to her stomach but the desperate need to shower again was overtaking her need for rest.
Jumping in the shower, Sarah scrubbed at her skin until every inch of her was red and raw.
When she finally felt like she was as clean as she could get, she allowed herself to cry again. The warm water washed away her tears and the sound of the water hitting the tiles drowned out the sounds of her sobs. She was glad to be home alone, there was no way in hell she'd be able to do this knowing her family might be able to hear her.
After her shower, exhaustion hit her and when she felt her stomach churn she gave in and curled up on the bathroom floor. She wasn't certain how long she stayed there, switching between crying and throwing up the contents of her stomach, but she knew it had to have been quite some time because the winter's daylight was fading outside the window with each passing second.
The entire time she lay there, she searched her brain for the reason. The reason for why she felt this way, but the only thing that came to her mind was Jareth, so she put this emotional breakdown down to missing him.
But deep down, Sarah knew that her breakdown was caused by something much more sinister.
King Beluar arrived back in Ryrella.
He roared at the top of his lungs and let out his frustrations by trashing the room he'd appeared in. He tore the paintings off the wall, objects from the vanity, the blankets, and pillows from the bed, causing feathers to escape and dance in the air as he continued in his antics.
When he successfully destroyed the entire room, he pressed his weight against his arm, resting it against the stone wall by the window. He was still seething with anger.
Everything had been going so well until that bitch found his name. How the fuck had she suddenly just known his name like that? It angered him beyond words that he hadn't succeeded in what he'd set out to do, but King Beluar was not the kind of man that gave up easily. He would get revenge somehow; it might just take longer than he had anticipated.
It was only when he began to calm that he noticed discomfort in his hand. Turning his wrist, he hissed. The side of his hand and finger was badly bruised and bleeding. He could very clearly see where her canines had broken his skin, leaving behind what looked like a vampire bite.
Beluar felt his rage rising again.
He had set out to mark Sarah with his teeth, claiming her as his, and yet it was him who bore a bruise from where her teeth had broken his skin.
The sound of the door creaking open and the soft feminine gasp that met his ears made him turn around. He eyed up the servant girl who stood in the doorway with her mop and bucket. She had obviously been cleaning in here earlier and was shocked to find her King standing in a room which was now destroyed.
"Your Majesty, I-"
King Beluar crossed the room, stepping over all the items that littered the floor until he was standing in front of her. "Listen here, girl, I want you to get a healer to come to me and fix my hand and when that is done, I expect to find you in my chambers, is that understood?"
The servant girl blinked in surprise. In all the years she had worked for her King, never had he asked such a thing of her. Although, she knew many of the other servant girls were called to pleasure him almost daily. They threw themselves at him and he never refused, not even when his wife was present.
The serving girl didn't have a long to ponder the thought. She could feel King Beluar getting angrier with each passing second that she stood there not answering or acting on what he had asked of her.
Realizing her mistake, she quickly curtsied. "Yes, sire," She said, and then she scurried away as fast as she could.
Beluar sneered as she left. He probably could have chosen a prettier woman than her, he realized. But could he really be bothered to wait for someone better to come to him? No, he couldn't. He was still painfully hard in his pants after attempting to have his way with Sarah, and he was not going to make himself wait any longer for relief than what was necessary. He would have his hand healed first, and then he'd have the serving girl.
An hour later, King Beluar felt a little better. His healer had fixed his hand with ease, the injury was not terribly severe, but it had been alarming enough for the healer to raise an inquisitive brow upon examining it. No doubt he wondered how he had received such an injury. Beluar offered him no explanation and his healer knew better than to ask.
After his hand was healed, he had his way with the serving girl. The event had been short, with no romance involved. King Beluar had sought his own relief and gotten it quickly, then he had dismissed the girl before she had even caught her breath.
After curing his hunger with a light meal, he decided to venture back into the Above.
He wanted to be certain that Sarah remembered nothing of their encounter today. He knew the girl would likely call on Jareth if she remembered, even if they weren't on the best terms, it was obvious from the things she had said to him today that she still cared for the Goblin King.
Transforming into his raven form, he flapped his wigs had begun his flight back to the Above.
When he arrived, he was glad to see that it was not yet dark, although the darkness was fast approaching. He knew that not an awful lot of time had passed, perhaps just a few hours.
He perched on the naked branch outside Sarah's bedroom window and peered in.
Inside, he saw Sarah sat in her bed, talking with another girl. She had blonde curly hair and a pretty face, not quite to his taste but he could still see she was attractive. Both the women were talking, and upon closer inspection, he guessed their conversation was light. The blonde woman, in particular, was quite animated as she spoke, and she had a bright smile on her face. Sarah on the other hand looked a little lost. He noticed her pale complexion, noticed her distant look even as she smiled back at her friend. She looked troubled, which meant he had been successful in clearing her memories of him.
He watched them closely for some time, though he was careful to remain out of sight. He didn't want Sarah to see him just encase it sparked her memories back to life.
As he watched the women, he felt his fury returning.
If Sarah hadn't said those words, those six little words, he could have marked her as he had his way with her. It would have been the ultimate revenge for what The Goblin King had done to him and his daughter. But thanks to this whore, that would not be happening. He couldn't touch Sarah now. Not now that she'd used his name to tell him he held no power over her. All he could do now was watch her. Unless, of course, she wished for him, and he knew for a fact that that wasn't going to happen.
He would just have to figure out another way of getting revenge.
The darkness came along and with it a snowstorm. The snowstorm was so frightfully icy; he even shivered in his bird form. It was then that King Beluar decided he needed to make his way back to his own realm.
Just as he flapped his wings and flew away, Sarah's eyes snapped towards the bedroom window.
She stared out at the darkness for a few moments, a cold chill working its way through her entire body. She rubbed her arms and then pulled her blankets up high around herself.
"Diane... would you close the drapes?"
Jareth stood outside of the Labyrinth as he did most evenings, however, his reason for being here tonight was different.
He'd been feeling her emotions again. He hadn't realized until now that he would still be able to feel what she was feeling. The fact that he could, even when they were realms apart, proved to him just how connected they still were, even without being together.
The wind whipped around him, little snowflakes kissing his cheeks.
They were words apart, but Jareth could feel her distress crippling him. He began to wonder, then, what could be causing these feelings to stir within her, so intense that he could feel them too.
He swallowed hard as he wondered bleakly if it was him who'd caused them, which only made him feel worse. But as he studied the feeling more closely, Jareth discovered that this feeling was not the same heartache as he'd felt from her previously. No, this feeling was fear, panic, anger, and shock.
The thought of Sarah experiencing any of those emotions worried him beyond belief.
"Is our maiden in trouble, sire?"
Jareth didn't have to look to know who was speaking to him. He was, however, surprised to know that Sir. Didymus was out on such a dark stormy night.
"I don't know," Jareth answered him, honestly. "But she's afraid..."
"Sire, will thou permit thyself to speak with the fair maiden?" Didymus asked, his voice shaking slightly from the cold night air.
Jareth furrowed his brow and looked down at the little Shakespearian knight. He was dressed in a jacket not that different from the one he normally wore; the only difference with this one was that it was made from thick wool and feathers.
"I hadn't thought of that..." He whispered as the first rays of hope began to fill his heart. He had almost forgotten that Sarah's friends were able to speak with her through the mirror in her bedroom.
"Of course, yes, you must speak with her. Find out how she is, Didymus. I only ask that you report back to me after... I need to know that she is alright." He admitted, rubbing his arms to ward off the chill.
Sir. Didymus nodded his head politely. "But of course, sire."
Jareth turned to face his loyal knight, a frown troubling his brow when something suddenly occurred to him. "Didymus, when did you find out that Sarah had left?"
Jareth had been very careful to keep Sarah's departure a secret, at least for now. He knew it was only a matter of time before the Goblins began gossiping about it all, it couldn't be avoided, really. But he had really hoped that those working in the castle would keep their lips buttoned for at least a week or so.
The knight looked up at him, squinting to keep the falling snowflakes from his eyes. "I and my brothers knew something was amiss when the fair maiden did not show up to tea yesterday afternoon. My brother, sir Hoggle, was most distressed about it and he expressed to me his desire to come here, but I managed to persuade him otherwise. I explained to him, sire, that the fair maiden has many more responsibilities now, and that we should not jump to conclusions until we knew for certain that something was amiss." He sniffed and rubbed the end of his wet nose with his pocket-handkerchief before he continued.
"But in the end, curiosity got the best of me, sire. I came here in search of our fair maiden and found out all that had happened." He sighed sadly, wiping away a tear from the corner of his eye.
"And who was it that divulged such information to you?" Jareth asked, genuinely curious to know which of his goblins had been disobeyed him.
"Lord Sallow, Your Majesty."
Jareth's eyes widened with surprise. "Aiden told you all of what happened?"
"Verily, sire, but allow me to assure thee that Lord Sallow, while informative, was not insensitive to the delicacy of the subject," Didymus assured his king after watching both guilt and sadness wash over his face.
Jareth let out a heavy sigh, once again turning so that he was facing The Labyrinth.
"For what it's worth, sire, I offer thee my deepest condolences. To lose one's heart is to bear heavy pain."
Heavy pain, indeed, Jareth thought, sadly.
"I thank you, Didymus." He said, nodding to the knight in gratitude for his words. "I am surprised Aiden spoke of my situation to you, but I understand. Sarah is your friend so you have a right to know where she is. But Didymus, I must ask that you keep this information to yourself, at least for now. I know it won't be long until the entire Kingdom learns what happened, but for now, I need time to come to terms with it all myself, without the pressure of answering questions coming from those that will never understand."
Sir Didymus gulped and guilt flashed in the one eye that wasn't hidden with an eye patch.
It was the only indication Jareth needed to see to know that the little fox had already spoken to others about his unfortunate situation.
Sighing heavily, Jareth turned away from the knight and took a few steadying breaths. "Who have you told?"
"Only my brothers, Your Majesty, Sir Hoggle and Sir Ludo." Replied the knight, shamefully lowering his head.
Of course, Didymus had told them. It wasn't surprising, considering how close the three of them were and all of them caring so deeply for Sarah.
"And, I suppose I am to expect an angry visit from Hoggle tomorrow, yes?"
Didymus chuckled anxiously. "I'm afraid so, sire. It took hours of barking to persuade him not to come here tonight! We are lucky the snowstorm came when it did, for I fear my brother would've come here tonight even after my begging him not to."
Jareth wasn't surprised to hear this. He and Hoggle had never really gotten along. They had tolerated each other recently for Sarah's sake, but even then their relationship had been strained. And with the knowledge of what he had done to Sarah, Jareth was certain that he was going to get an earful from the dwarf tomorrow.
Smirking, Jareth shook his head.
He would be lying if he said the dwarf's bravery surprised him. Hoggle was a well-known coward, but when it came to Sarah, Hoggle's devotion to his friend overtook his fear and cowardly traits. There was something touching about that, even Jareth couldn't deny it.
"Where is your trusty steed this evening?" Jareth asked, realizing for the first time this evening that Ambrosius wasn't with Sir. Didymus as he usually was.
At the mention of Ambrosius, Didymus heaved a heavy sigh. "My 'loyal steed' is not so loyal this evening, sire. He refused to leave his favorite spot by the fire."
Jareth chuckled a little. "I can't say I blame him."
"Nor I, sire, but one would expect more from a companion. I even threatened not to feed him for a week, but my threats seemed to mean nothing to him."
Jareth turned around to face the little fox again. The snow was coming down heavier now, and Jareth doubted that it would be easy for Didymus to get home without Ambrosius to carry him.
"Didymus, I feel you should stay in the castle tonight. I fear the journey to your home is too far in this weather without your steed to guide you. There is food, warmth, and a bed ready for you at the castle should you take up my invitation."
Didymus shivered where he stood and looked over his shoulder at the sight of the dark snow-covered landscape. It was true, the snow was deep and the night was becoming blacker as each second passed. Still, Didymus felt a little worried about leaving Ambrosius alone in such frightful weather, even if he was still annoyed at him.
As if reading his mind, Jareth spoke. "I can offer you a crystal to contact him once we are in the warmth of the castle. I'm afraid I can't offer more; I am limiting myself the amount of magic I use until I have dealt with a situation that will be quite taxing on my magical energy." He told him, deciding to keep his plans of rescuing Lilium between just himself and Aiden.
Sir Didymus lifted his hat from his head and swooped into a low bow. "That is most generous of thee,"
"Come then, let us return to the castle before we freeze to our deaths."
The journey back to the castle had been short and Sir Didymus had been glad of it.
Once inside, Jareth and a goblin servant had shown him to a guest chamber. It was all set out for his arrival. A fire burned in the hearth, and a generous serving of scrambled eggs and a pot of tea awaited him on the table by the fire.
Didymus had thanked Jareth for his generosity and bid him a goodnight before he bathed and changed into a set of stripy pajamas that had seemed to magically appear on the bed. He was pleasantly surprised to find that they fitted him perfectly.
After he had changed, the knight sat by the fire and ate his supper in silence.
Before Jareth had left, he had given Didymus a crystal so that he would be able to communicate with Ambrosius. It had taken a while of Didymus screaming into the crystal before the dog noticed his masters face appear in the crystal that had seemed to come out of nowhere, but when he did, the dog had been so excited to see him, his tail had wagged merrily as Didymus spoke to him.
Amazingly enough, Ambrosius seemed to understand him very well; he had even barked several times as if he was answering his master as he instructed him to sleep by the fire and not get up to any mischief while he was away. Before the communication had broken, Ambrosius had licked the crystal, causing Didymus to laugh softly before he bid his loyal steed a goodnight.
Now Sir Didymus was tucked up in bed, the warmth of the fire warding the chill from the room, and the crackling sounds of wood burning began lulling him to sleep.
As his eyes became heavier, Didymus's last thought before sleep consumed him was of his dear friend. The truth was he was worried about her. He had been worried about her since he'd learned of her departure.
Turning in the large bed, he blew out the candle that sat on the bedside cabinet.
He would certainly feel better once he had spoken to her through the mirror tomorrow.
He just truly hoped that he would find her well.
Jareth had been hunched over his desk all night, jotting down notes and various ideas on how he planned to sneak into Ryrella. It had been the best way to keep him busy this evening. The emotions he'd felt earlier had long since gone, but that didn't stop him from worrying about Sarah. He wished with all his heart that he could go to her, just to see if she was alright, but it was impossible without her wishing him there.
In the end, Jareth had decided to try and push the thoughts aside and throw himself into his work, instead.
He soon became exhausted, but sleep had been eluding him for days, now, so it wasn't even worth trying. However, working through the night hadn't only turned out to be beneficial for him mentally, but had resulted in him making a breakthrough.
Leaning back in his chair, he ran his fingers through his wild hair and sighed.
He couldn't believe he had finally made some decent progress. For days on end, he had been trying to figure out how he was going to save Lilium. In the end, it had all turned out to be quite simple.
With magic, he and Aiden would easily break through the barrier that kept them out of Ryrella. The barrier King Beluar had put around his Kingdom was crude and would be easy to get through it they both combined their magic.
Once they managed to break through the barrier, Aiden would be the one to set foot in Ryrella.
Jareth hadn't planned on it being this way but the more he thought about it, the more he realized that Aiden stood a much better chance of going undetected than he did.
Beluar knew him too well. He would detect his magic the moment he set foot on Ryrellan soil, and who knew what would happen then.
No, it would be better for Aiden to go and he himself would stay and work behind the scenes, using whatever magic he could muster to cloak Aiden and protect him from being seen.
And if he did run into any trouble along the way, Jareth would be sure to give Aiden a crystal that would open up a portal and bring him home immediately.
The plans were not yet finalized, but things were becoming quite promising. He just needed to run all of this by Aiden first, to make sure he was comfortable with the plan before they went any further with it.
And so, the next day, Jareth invited Aiden to the study, poured him a drink, and began telling him of the plan he had been working on for so many days and many sleepless nights.
Aiden had listened intently while Jareth explained it all to him, nervously tapping his chin even as Jareth assured him that this plan was their best way to save Lilium.
Jareth didn't have to convince him, however. Aiden was eager and ready to get started by the time Jareth had finished explaining everything to him
"Of course, you do realize that using this much magic will drain us both for a day or so," Jareth warned him.
"I do, but it's not as if we have much going on in this damn Kingdom of late, anyway. Your subjects are getting stronger now that they are getting a little more nourishment and I haven't seen a stone crumble from the Labyrinth walls in over a week."
"Perhaps that's because the snow is covering them?" Jareth said, raising a brow.
"Or perhaps it's because Sarah managed to help this Kingdom more than we realize..."
Jareth felt a weary smile tugging his lips.
Yes, yes, perhaps Aiden was right about that. The energy the Labyrinth vibrated was lighter now than it had been in years and although some of it was still in ruin, other parts of it were thriving. From the window at night, Jareth would watch as the Labyrinth walls moved together in the dead of the night as if dancing to music that only it could hear.
"True. But it does mean we won't be able to protect our Kingdom if Beluar does find out about it, and that worries me a little. Our goblin army is a joke, after all." Jareth continued, deciding to bring the conversation back to the matter at hand.
Aiden thought for a few moments. "What would it take for us to conjure a protective shield around this place? or at least around some of it?"
"Possibly more magic than we have if we're going to save Lilium. It's going to be difficult enough breaking through one barrier let alone creating one here." Jareth sighed, feeling stressed already.
"Can we know that for certain, though? Isn't it at least worth a try?"
Jareth let out a heavy sigh as he reached into his pocket for his elaborately engraved cigarette case.
"Granted, we could try, but it does set us back a few days. We have been conserving our magic for weeks leading up to this and if we're not powerful enough after performing such magic, it means it might take weeks before we can save Lilium."
Aiden pinched the bridge of his nose. "We can't. Lilium has been suffering long enough."
"You're right," Jareth took a thin cigarette from the silver case, putting it into his mouth as he picked up the candle from the mantle and used its flame to light his cigarette. "I suppose we'll just have to make sure we aren't caught."
Aiden chuckled, shaking his head. "That's easier said than done."
"Indeed, but we haven't got much choice. Aiden, doing this is risky, there's no point in sugar-coating that fact. There could be a chance that this all goes horribly wrong." Jareth warned him.
Aiden turned around, facing him again. "I love her... I have to try."
Jareth smiled at his friend's admission, and he walked towards him, placing a gloved hand on his shoulder. "We'll bring her back, Aiden." He assured him, squeezing his shoulder gently.
Aiden smiled appreciatively but didn't bother masking the concern he knew showed on his face.
There was no point in denying that he was worried about how this would all work out, but he trusted Jareth. He knew Jareth would protect him should he run into trouble, and if something happened to him while he was in Ryrella, he knew he could trust Jareth to care for Adelaide.
As if sensing Aiden's thoughts, Jareth squeezed his shoulder a little harder, getting his adviser to meet his gaze. "It won't come to that, Aiden, even if we do run into unexpected trouble; I won't allow anything to happen to you. You'll be back with Addie in your arms and a meal set out on your table before you can blink. That's a promise."
Aiden knew Jareth didn't promise things lightly, so the fact that he was making such a promise to him now was a sure sign of his protection.
Thanking him gratefully, Aiden turned towards the window, gazing out at the milky white sky.
"When do we make our move?" He asked when they'd both been silent for a few minutes.
Jareth exhaled a cloud of smoke through his mouth and nose as he approached his desk, tossing aside a few useless articles until he found what he was looking for.
"This is when we will do it."
Aiden took the piece of paper from Jareth and read it closely.
"Of course, Ryrella's Yuletide Masquerade." He chuckled, his fingers tracing the over the old invitation. "How could I have forgotten?"
"It's an old invitation, I know, but King Beluar never misses a seasonal celebration, hasn't in thousands of years. The man would never skip an event that was certain to bring in all the most beautiful woman from the surrounding Kingdoms." Jareth said before taking another drag from his cigarette with elegance even Aiden couldn't miss.
"It's the perfect plan. King Beluar will be so busy entertaining, drinking, and fucking anything that moves, he won't be sharp enough to detect intruders in his castle."
"My thoughts exactly," Jareth said, putting out the stub of his cigarette in the ashtray beside him. "Just one more week to go, then we'll be bringing your love home."
Studying the old invitation he held in his hands, Aiden felt his lips curl into a smile.
One week, my love, He thought, his heart skipping a beat in his chest. One week and you'll be home...
AN: Thanks for reading! I hope the first half of this chapter wasn't too disturbing for some of you. I'm sorry if it was. I'd known for a while that King Beluar would attempt to get Sarah, but I never intended for him to actually get away with raping her. I just couldn't do that to her. I know some of you are probably screaming at me for not having Sarah call for Jareth, but I honestly wanted this to be something Sarah saved herself from. She is suffering a lot after having her heartbroken and with her pregnancy/withdrawal from leaving the Underground, (this will be explained more in the coming chapters) but with this chapter, I wanted to prove that she is still just as powerful as she has always been, despite everything she's been through. I do feel bad for putting her through so much in this story, but at least it makes for interesting storytelling. (I hope! LOL)
Oh, and yes, it's finally confirmed! Sarah is indeed pregnant. Some of you guessed this really early on in the story and were excited about the idea of it, and some of you said you really didn't want her to be pregnant under these circumstances, which I totally understand. All I can do for now without giving everything away is promise you all that it'll work out in the end.
Please let me know what you thought of this chapter. And as always, thanks so much for reading and reviewing!
