CHAPTER 10
"What do we have here?" a dulcet, crystal clear, English-sounding accent, with a tinge of amusement, said from behind Sarah's seat. Had they been caught?
Jareth glanced at Sarah's stricken face, simultaneously adorned with shock, guilt and embarrassment. She hadn't yet turned around to acknowledge the intruder in their midst. He could tell by her reaction, her wide eyes and her flaring nostrils that she was expecting him, as the King, to be standing behind her.
He had to put her out of her misery.
"Your Highness," he greeted his brother, not Stephen, but Sevlydi had stumbled upon their dinner date. He stood up realising he would have to kowtow to his brother; a mere prince when he was a King. Did Sevlydi think he had so much pride that he would give up the game just to avoid bowing to him?
Not a chance. He bowed, shallow and cursory before he stared down at his brother. Sevlydi wore a self-congratulatory, superior look, before turning to his paramour to watch her instead. Sarah had slowly twisted her head to see that it was Sevlydi and her shoulders slumped in relief at her discovery.
Jareth's jaw twitched at the realisation that his true-self still made her apprehensive and skittish. He didn't know how much longer he could put on this charade as he watched her stand and dip into a slight curtsey.
"Your Highness," she mumbled, fidgeting with the ends of her hair as she watched Sevlydi inclining casually against the doorframe.
"Sarah, this is Prince Sevlydi, the Goblin King's youngest brother," Jareth offered. "Your Highness, this is Sarah Williams, the Champion of the Labyrinth."
"It is a pleasure to finally meet you," Sevlydi leant low and kissed the back of Sarah's hand. Jareth felt a rush of jealousy speed through him. "I have heard many things from my brother, the King."
Sarah immediately paled.
"Only good things, I assure you," he amended, grinning widely. "I am sure he would be disappointed to miss the opportunity to see you here, in his castle. Perhaps I should call him?"
"I am sure that is unnecessary," Jareth spat out. "Your Highness."
Jareth was finding it harder to pretend to be Terry when faced with his brother, undisguised. He loathed having to pay the proper respects to his heir when it was his due. He was King. This was wrong, so wrong. He gritted his teeth and stood up straighter. He was doing this for Sarah as she was worth becoming a slave for if he ultimately won her. Even if he didn't win her, she was worth the sacrifice of his pride. However, he didn't humour any doubt he would win her. Doubt had no place in the psyche of a fae. Uncertainty had crept in, with the advent of Sarah, but doubt would hold no water with him. He would win her, and his pride would be the price if needs be.
That thought stunned him. He knew he was determined to gain her as his wife. He had the pearl take all the guesswork out for him, which made his job easier than having to select someone himself. He hadn't counted on wanting her as his wife. But having spent so much time with her, he knew that he both wanted and needed her, and not just to fulfil the pearl prophecy or as a means to avoid marrying Forsythia.
He enjoyed her company and lapped up any moment he spent with her. He had moved past denial and now was adamant his feelings were strong. Certainly strong enough that he would contemplate giving up his kingship to make her happy. Not enough he could face telling her the truth about Terry, however.
He knew he had to, but the more time she spent with him, the more strenuous it became to end the deceit. He was stuck between a rock and a hard place. He couldn't act in this charade forever, but he didn't want to risk losing her. An unfamiliar feeling swept over him.
Despair; a close cousin to doubt.
He was going to lose her when she realised how he had lied to her. He needed a new plan. He had to go and think. Without further ado, he rose, excused himself and wished Sarah a good night.
Both the face of his brother and his love were marred with expressions of confusion at his abrupt departure. It couldn't be helped. He leant down and kissed Sarah on the top of her head, inhaling her sweet scent and relishing in her slight shiver that ran through her body. If only she responded to him like that when he wasn't glamoured as someone else.
"Off so soon?" Sevlydi queried. "I don't believe I have dismissed you from my presence."
Jareth groaned internally. Oh, how he was going to punish his brother when he could be himself again! He didn't have a reputation for being cruel, for nothing.
"My lady here has the rank of Labyrinth Champion, and you're a Prince," Jareth reasoned with mock humility. "I am not worthy to be in such proximity to either of you."
The words tasted like acid that burnt his mouth, but his brother wouldn't mistake his words for honesty, matched with the scathing look he was giving his youngest brother.
"Terry, my rank is inconsequential," Sarah murmured. "Please don't go."
Her voice was edged with plaintive need. He peered into her deep green eyes, wide with a sincere plea. Being wanted by her, even as Terry, and not 'Jareth' was enough to set him aflame. He couldn't deny her.
"Anything for you," he whispered into her ear. A small smile shaped her mouth cementing in his mind, that she was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And he had seen crystal unicorns and Rainbow phoenixes. It seems to him at that moment the words he uttered when she was a teenager, "I move the stars for No one," had proven false. He'd move the stars for her. The stars had no business being admired by someone with ten times their beauty and enticement.
He moved to sit down by Sarah when Sevlydi indicated they were free to be at ease in his royal presence. His hand found her hand and he wove his fingers between hers. She returned the affection with a slight squeeze.
They finished their meal in silence while Sevlydi sat opposite them at the table, watching the pair of them as he peeled grapes, popping them into his mouth with a pointed look after each bite.
"My brother would be so interested to know that a mere gardener is trying to woo the Lady of the Labyrinth," Sevlydi broke the silence, tacking on a smirk at the end of his speech. He licked his lips and bared his teeth. "I think I should call him. Do you think he'd be pleased with your attention on his property?"
Sarah spluttered. "Property? I am no one's property, least of all his."
Jareth glared at his brother, pressing Sarah's hand reassuringly within his grip.
"Lady Sarah is correct, Your Highness," Jareth said through gritted teeth. "She is no one's property and His Majesty, the Goblin King, has no prior claim - "
"Is that what you think, is it?" Sevlydi grinned. "Well, I have news for you. He has a claim. A strong one. Have you ever heard of Prophecy Pearls or Bride Pearls?"
Sarah shook her head, then turned away from his brother to attend to him. Jareth amped up his death stare at his brother. He was struggling to remain submissive with Sevlydi pushing the boundaries.
"They predict who they're going to marry," he picked up some cheese on the end of his knife, twirled it around before placing the morsel in his mouth. "Guess who the Pearl predicted King Jareth would marry?"
Sarah laughed. "You're kidding me, right? Do you think I'm destined to marry your King based on a fortune-telling pearl? The lot of you are fucked up, you know that?"
Groaning internally, Jareth maintained his glower at his brother. Why on earth was he telling Sarah about the pearl? Even if- not if - when he married her, he still didn't want her knowing about the pearl. She would only upset her human sensibilities and question his motives.
Sevlydi's smile slid off his face and he became very stern. "You dare speak to a royal that way? You insolent child. I should have you thrown in an oubliette for your treasonous mouth."
"Enough!" Jareth bellowed. Some part of him, some very small, but very powerful part of him, could not tolerate any stain smeared on his wife's honour. "Your issue is with me, not Lady Sarah."
Sevlydi's eyes narrowed dangerously. He produced a crystal, and twirling it between two fingers, he called Jareth's name.
"You've left me no choice, Terry."
"Sarah, let's go," Jareth stood up and grabbed Sarah's arm, sensing how flustered she was at the situation as she looked between the two of them.
"You'll be in a world of trouble when my brother arrives," Sevlydi growled.
He ignored his brother. Sevlydi will be the one in the world of trouble. He led Sarah out of the kitchen towards her room. He was seething. It was one thing to force his humility, it was quite another to try and goad him into revealing his true identity.
"I thought the King knew I was here, why are we running away?" Sarah puffed. "Not that I want to see him, but isn't this futile if the Prince has called him? He'll find us."
"I just had to get you out of there, Sarah," he didn't stop steering her towards her suite, but as they gained distance between them and his sibling, he started slowing down.
"Terry, did you just shout at a member of the royal family?" Sarah asked with glee, as they slowed their pace. "Did I just swear at him?"
"I did," he confessed. "I must beg your pardon for all of that, Sarah."
"It's not your fault, Terry," she shrugged. "He was provoking you, unsurprisingly for a typical relation of that pompous goblin git."
"No doubt," Jareth responded, bitterly.
"Anyway, he is wrong about everything, but especially that the Goblin King has any prior claim to me," Sarah continued. "And if he was right about you wanting to woo me then I am open to the possibility."
Hearing the words uttered from her mouth that she wanted to be wooed by him, froze his heart, caused his stomach to plummet and his mind to draw a blank. He couldn't say yes but he couldn't hurt her by saying no. He wanted so deeply to woo her. But as Jareth. He decided right then that his new plan of action was to kill off "Terry." Terry had to break her heart, and Jareth could return to pick up the pieces. She never needed to know they were the same person.
The other thing that had consumed him was that carving Sarah had found. Where had it come from? Why was it that Sarah of all people found it? It was transparent to him that it was a visual representation of the prophecy: the barn owl was him, the human figure was Sarah, and they were connected by the string of pearls. The interpretation was straight forward; a reminder to fulfil the prophecy. How the carving existed was the question he prioritised. He was grateful that Sarah hadn't recognised the figure as herself, though coupled with Sevlydi's hints about the pearl prophecy, he knew it wouldn't be long before she was joining the dots. He hadn't meant to get irritated with her, but his confusion had leaked out before his self-awareness had kicked in.
Sev telling her he was destined to marry her, was also cause for alarm. Sarah would be easily spooked by information on that front. He had to get a move on. Otherwise, he'd end up married to Forsythia. He wasn't sure destiny liked to be cheated out of its prize by the fae. And Bridal Pearls, as Briyash had explained, had come at such a cost to the Mythical Creatures Council, as well as fae fertility rates. He couldn't disregard the sacrosanctity of the Stolen Pearls. Especially not in his line of work.
They had arrived at her suite; the suite that she seemed enamoured with. Jareth couldn't have been happier that she appreciated her rooms. They were designed with her in mind, of course. The Labyrinth had done most of the grunt work, but he had the vision.
Terry had relished her response whilst as Jareth, he could not.
With all this in mind, he turned to her with as much harshness as he could muster and answered her proposition.
"No Sarah, you are very mistaken if you think I have any feelings for you whatsoever," he followed with a malicious laugh, akin to that of the Goblin King. "I have no desire to woo you. You've been nothing but a distraction for me but now it would be best if we ceased spending time with one another."
Sarah's face fell momentarily but hardened immediately. He knew she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry. Not that it would give him any satisfaction. He didn't want to see her cry. He didn't want to make her cry. It was a necessary evil. He had to win her as himself. Terry needed to be dead and buried.
"Sometimes we can say hard truths without being callous," Sarah said in a high-pitched, cloying voice that reminded Jareth of a mother scolding a child in public. He deserved to be spoken down to like a child. It was time to hammer the final nail in.
"Sometimes women are too thick to grasp the truth behind a rejection, and keep persisting for more," Jareth swallowed the lump that was forming in his throat as he saw tears forming in her emerald eyes.
She swiped them away and laughed bitterly. "Yes, I was completely stupid to ever trust a male again. Thank you for showing me the light."
"Did you honestly think I was in any way interested in you?" Jareth scoffed.
"It doesn't matter now does it?" Sarah shrugged. "I am not going to try and convince you that I mean more to you than I do. I deserve more than that. I am more than that. Goodbye, Terry."
Sarah spun on her heel and departed into her bedroom. Jareth felt all the air leave his lungs. He hoped he had made the right decision. Not that he doubted himself...
It was hours later. He sat upon his throne after having dealt with his brother. He had been too weary to rally too much anger at his brother.
His brother's defence had consisted of the insistence that Jareth ends the charade. Whispers of his relationship with Rica were floating around Rica's town. He was angry at having his lover jeopardised, and it had made him antagonistic. Jareth informed his brother that he had dispensed with Terry, and he should try harder to like Sarah. Sevlydi only responded with expletives, exclamations and allusions to getting married quicker.
Jareth had told Sevlydi he would deal with him later, leaving the Prince to mope in seclusion upon his throne, his head in his hand, his legs tossed haphazardly across the arms of the chair.
He looked up at the sound of someone entering the throne room to see Sarah standing there, her mouth in a little 'o' of surprise, tear stains on her rosy cheeks tracking down from her puffy, red eyes.
He swallowed his trepidation upon seeing her shocked face. Realisation clattered around him like thunder and lightning in a storm.
She was no longer seeing him in disguise.
As soon as Sarah had closed her door, she collapsed in tears. Terry had turned from this man she had slowly been falling for, despite her misgivings, into a cruel, calculating arsehole. He had blown up at the King's brother, and then a flick of a switch had cruelly mocked her feelings. She'd have expected that from the King, not from Terry, the sweet, kind man that she had enjoyed the company of, for months now.
She had wondered if he was saving her from some kind of pain by speaking to her so harshly. Things weren't always what they seem. Perhaps he had been bewitched or bullied into treating her thus, but rationally, she could not excuse his behaviour. Her days of forgiving other people's cowardice or selfishness used against her were over. She very much doubted it was some conspiracy where he truly loved her but had to make her hate him to save her life or something. She wasn't in a movie or a novel. Though, the fantastical aspects of her life would beg to differ.
No-one had a chance to threaten him since leaving the kitchen, so she could cross that possibility off her list. The hopeful side of her still nudged the idea tentatively throughout her grief.
Her confusion, embarrassment, and disappointment warred for superiority in her feelings. She cried for what felt like a few hours before moving off the floor and climbing into the soft sheets of the bed. Anger won out. He didn't deserve her tears if he could be so callous.
She had drifted off and upon waking was flooded with her memories. Her tears started afresh and her stomach tied itself in knots.
She looked through bleary eyes to a necklace Terry had gifted her the day before. It was a single pearl, shimmering with green and purple, on a silver chain. He had given it to her in friendship. It now seemed like a cruel mockery. The pearl reminded her of the pearls in the carving. That carving now filled her with alarm.
Prince Sevlydi had said pearls could predict who one was going to marry; that a pearl had predicted she would marry the Goblin King. It was completely absurd, of course, but she seemed to be surrounded by the pearl motif. Stolen Pearls were children but the tears of mythical creatures, also. Tears that had been stolen and buried in caves around the Underground.
It was unlikely the Goblin King had any plans to marry her. Agreeing to marry him was impossible. Yet there was a small part of her that wasn't completely repulsed by the idea. A traitorous part that she squashed every time it reared its head. It was her libido speaking.
Sarah had to find her way back to Ghent. She pulled her aching body out of the warm, comforting bed and gathered her belongings. On silent feet, she plodded down the cold, stone corridors towards the central vestibule. The corridors obnoxiously changed on her and soon she was hopelessly lost.
She took a turn hoping for the best and walked into the throne room. Deserted, dark, and empty save for a figure slouched over the throne. At first, she thought it was Terry from his aura, but it was not.
It was the Goblin King.
He looked up as she uttered a small gasp. His face was a mixture of surprise and sadness. But before she could react to either expression, a mask of indifference slipped over and he untangled his lithe body to stand up and slowly approach her in his feline-like manner.
"Lady Sarah, forgive me for not properly welcoming you just now," he said, his voice soft and pleasant. "I have just arrived and didn't expect to see you until the morrow."
"You - you knew I was here?" She stumbled over her words as he now stood mere metres away from her. She grasped her bag in front of her with both hands in defence.
"Of course," he nodded. "You're very welcome as the Champion of the Labyrinth. Nothing goes on in my castle without my knowledge."
Sarah managed a half-hearted "oh."
"I hope your suite was to your liking?"
A nod.
"Excellent," he paused and looked away from her towards something Sarah couldn't see. "You're not leaving are you?"
"I have to," Sarah's voice wobbled.
"You do not," he replied softly. "You have every right to -"
"It isn't about rights, I have to go," Sarah closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I thank you for your consideration."
"Please, you do not have to be so polite with me," he smirked. "Am I not your villain?"
Sarah gaped as he paced in front of her.
"Do not let that gardener dull your sharp blade, Sarah," he continued, practically spitting out the word gardener. "He isn't worthy of your affections."
"Ha," Sarah scoffed. "I sincerely doubt anyone is."
"I hope you continue to think so well of yourself," another smirk, a few more paced steps. "However, I happen to agree. Despite our antagonistic relationship, I do hope you do well for yourself, whether in marriage or life in general."
Sarah bit the inside of her mouth but continued to make eye contact with the mercurial fae. She had never seen him like this before.
"If I didn't know better, I'd say you're possessed right now," Sarah cocked a brow. "The last time we met, you obliged me in a dance against my will. I trust this side of you even less."
"And it was wrong of me," he sighed. "Yet, you forgave Hoggle once for his betrayals. I can only dream that you forgive me for my transgressions. I know they are huge and many."
Sarah shifted from foot to foot. "I'm not in the forgiveness business any longer."
Fresh tears leaked from her eyes. The King nodded, his blonde hair shimmering slightly in the moonlit chamber.
"I probably don't deserve it," he agreed. "But perhaps I could earn it?"
"How?" Sarah shrugged as the cold seeped through her garments, forcing her to hug her bag to find some warmth. Jareth noticed her discomfort, for, in the next moment he swirled a crystal and a warm fur blanket appeared from the ether.
"For your warmth, My Lady," he drawled, holding the white and tan blanket out to her. With an air of reluctance, she reached out for it.
"It's so soft," Sarah sniffed as she wrapped it around her. It was the softest blanket she had ever felt.
"Barn owl feathers," the King's lips twitched. "Soft, warm, and waterproof."
Sarah frowned. "Yours?"
"Indeed," the corners of Jareth's mouth curled. "Supplemented by my brethren and the one lady owl who -"
"Who?" Sarah prompted.
"Who I used to have a relationship with aeons ago," Jareth finished. "She was a druid and took many forms. I don't suppose she ever took the barn owl form before, or after we were lovers."
"My husband couldn't even turn down the bed, let alone turn into an owl," Sarah found herself saying, almost forgetting who she was talking to; her enemy. Sarah had been reeling about how strange it was to have a conversation with the King, to have it topped off with a discussion on ex-lovers left her almost in shock.
"Alas, all I can manage is the owl," Jareth resumed pacing. "I hope it is not a disappointment to you."
Sarah's brow creased in consternation. "I have little to no expectations of you, Your Majesty," Sarah muttered, throwing his historic words back at him.
He hummed and crossed his arms, stopping his pacing directly in front of her.
"Lady Sarah," he said, almost formally. "I have asked you to stay and not to leave right now. Not only because it is the middle of the night, but for your safety. While you have my protection as Labyrinth Champion, it is not flawless. I am aware that your presence Underground is against your will but those that brought you here would not simply give up."
Sarah pulled the blanket tighter around herself as if it could save her from this discussion, but reluctantly she nodded. He returned her acceptance with an inclination of his head.
"You may not trust me, and you'd be correct to mistrust a fae," he closed his eyes briefly and then turned his mismatched stare back to her. "But I can not harm you even if I wished it. You're safe here and if you still wish to leave, come dawn, I will personally escort you safely back to wherever you want to go."
"Wherever I want to go?" Sarah's interest was piqued, thinking of the Aboveground, thinking of Toby.
He sighed again. "I can send you back to your world if you wish, but be aware you're different now than when you arrived. The Labyrinth and the Underground have already started weaving its magic into you."
"What does that mean?" her voice laced with disappointment; the dying embers of hope.
"You have already begun to slow your ageing, and your innate powers will eventually grow stronger."
"Powers?"
"Stay," he repeated. "And we can discuss more in the morning. You're fatigued enough as it is with what that gardener - "
She had almost forgotten about Terry.
Forget about the baby.
"That's the reason I have to go."
"Sarah," he said firmly. "He isn't here. He has left to return to his village. After what he did -"
"He didn't do anything so incredibly bad," Sarah said.
"He reprimanded a royal Prince," Jareth pointed out.
"Oh yeah, that," Sarah coloured at the very fact that she had committed a similar crime. Her first thought was Jareth considered what Terry had done to her, as a reason to have left. Why would he care what Terry had done to her?
"And then he decided to reject the advances of my Champion," he said in a quieter voice.
Sarah was floored. 'Colour me shocked', she thought as he spoke.
"And we can't have that," he continued.
"Why not? Why do you care who rejects me or not?"
"Because you're the only Labyrinth Champion in history," he replied like it was evident. "I may have been angry and resentful for many years after you defeated us both, but I have matured in these years, and I admire your courage and determination, that's rarely seen amongst my kind. Right now, you are but a mere shadow of your former self, and he doesn't deserve to be the one that has hurt you."
His honesty rang in her ears before it truly settled in her mind. Did he admire her? Or did he want to be the one that hurt her? A burgeoning ache pounded in her head.
"You can't muster the energy to be angry with me," he shrugged. "You've always been passionate, Sarah. Don't let him kill your fire."
"I would never attribute a man with that power over me," Sarah bit back.
"That's more like it," he clapped cheerfully. "It's no fun arguing with someone in the grips of misery. You may as well be Higgle, and you're worth more than that, Sarah."
"Oh, do shut up about Hoggle," Sarah snapped. Not only was he mispronouncing his name, but undervaluing her friend too.
His head fell back as he roared in laughter. "I shall take you to see him while you're here if you like. I bet your gardener never even bothered to mention him to you in your three days with him."
They stared at each other in silence for a moment or two. Was he jealous of Terry? Was Sevlydi correct that Jareth believed he had a claim over her? Was Terry scared off? She took a deep breath and gave these thoughts no more standing room. If Terry had been scared off by an imaginary marriage claim, then he wasn't the man for her.
"Let me take you back to your rooms," he indicated with a gloved hand, towards the doorway she was still standing in.
"I can find my way back on my own," Sarah growled.
"I very much doubt you can right now," Jareth grinned. "The Castle is in one of her moods and keeps changing. I am sure you never intended to end up here."
"No actually, I was trying to make my way to the gardens, there is a tree that I was planning on seeing one last time before I left."
"Interesting," Jareth rubbed his chin. "You can show me this tree tomorrow. Now come on, you're dead on your feet; we have an action-packed day tomorrow."
Sarah wanted to put up a fight but could only muster a grunt. She wouldn't show him the tree, however. Why did she even mention it?
"Hate me in the morning, precious," he smiled his toothy grin again. "I will still be here for you to hate. Besides, you'll have more energy when you are well-rested."
She snickered, but let him lead the way to her suite. Even letting him carry her bag. At the door, he stopped and stepped back. She reached for the doorknob as his arm stretched out, touching her hand.
"I'd also like you to meet my brother, properly this time," Jareth said. "If you will."
"Sure, what's one extra family member of yours, hating me?" Sarah shook off his hand and continued to open the door. She was just about safe on the other side when she swore she heard him say, he didn't hate her.
Jareth retired to bed after ensuring Sarah was safely ensconced in her suite. He summoned a crystal and sent it floating through his window towards where Sarah resided. The spell he used would hopefully let her have a night of fully restorative sleep.
He also decided he would give her a couple of days to acclimatise to Terry's absence without inflicting his presence on her. He hoped she would stay and not escape in his absence.
He took a deep breath, remembering how as Terry, she had melded her body with his in dance or an embrace. He no longer wished to deny his attraction to her.
His body started responding as he imagined her fiery green eyes communicating with his icy blues. It was almost like her green flames melted his cold, hard blue ice every time they made contact; in more ways than one. He always had a hardened exterior and she was solely responsible for wanting to reveal his softer interior; his weaknesses.
Right now it was a specific part of his exterior that was hardened. He ran his hand down his soft, silky nightclothes until he brushed up against the peak in his trousers. He groaned in the back of his throat as he imagined lying with Sarah. He hadn't remained celibate for this long in his entire life and he missed sexual contact. He'd had both male and female lovers before. The males he had slept with were, of course, secret, illicit, purely sexual affairs. Unlike his brother, love had not been a factor for him.
If the High Council knew what he was doing right now, would he be punished like a royal taking a same-sex lover? How was this any different than having sex with a male lover? Neither act would or could result in children; the reason same-sex relationships for royals were banned unless married. Utter delusion. Maybe he should ask them to ban masturbation too. Perhaps they'd see the derisiveness of their rules if they also weren't allowed to wank.
He had been stroking his cock on the outside of his pants, now he slipped his hand inside, feeling skin on skin for the first time. He inhaled deeply as he wrapped his hand around his thick shaft, slowly moving his fist up and down, a slight twist as he reached the head.
Images of Sarah laughing, dancing or gazing at him flashed through his mind as his hand moved faster and his breathing became erratic. The image reel of Sarah pressed hard against his body or dancing sensuously around the bonfire sent pulses through his entire iron-hard penis. He wondered if he would ever get to feel her skin against his if he finally made love to her.
Making love was a term he had never used before until he started thinking about Sarah. Now he had met Sarah it could never be anything less between them. Nothing fast and tawdry for the two of them, like so many of his past affairs. Even the druid who had been his longest relationship, he couldn't consider what they had done together, making love.
He groaned and thrust his hips up into his hand, using his thumb to rub the beads of liquid around the head, his free hand cupping his balls. His back arching, he shouted out Sarah's name as his hand moved faster and his cock spasmed, spurting cum all over his black silk nightclothes and his bare midriff. He groaned as his hand slowed and the last of his cum spilt onto his skin.
"Fuck you, high council," he muttered as he waved away the sticky mess with magic.
Sarah didn't see Jareth the next day as he had planned. A letter had been left to inform her he had to embark on business again for a few days. She was to stay in his castle and recover from her grief. It was an unexpected kindness. She was tempted to leave just to spite him, but couldn't muster the energy to do so.
In the two days that passed since Terry left, she had spent her days crying in her room, taking her meals in her suite, or reading in her library. She changed it up with some moping around the gardens.
Sarah woke with the dawn bird's chorus on the third day since Terry left. The soft Underground light crept through like little rivulets of gold, between the gaps in the large velvet curtains strung up over the towering windows.
She stretched and groaned before she remembered she wasn't going to be spending another carefree day with Terry. According to Jareth, her arch-enemy, Terry had rejected her and supposedly done a runner. That had been told to her by the said same fae who had kidnapped her brother, and who had possibly kidnapped her too. It was a bitter pill to swallow that Jareth was the one to tell her that the man she was falling for, had skipped town.
Every morning she'd wake and get hit with this memory. It felt different this morning. Her feelings were less intense. She knew she shouldn't have trusted Terry. Trust was a fragile spider web resting on a serrated knife edge; easily broken, hard to fix.
She reluctantly rolled out of bed to consume her breakfast that appeared every morning on the table by the giant gable windows. Today there was no food and only coffee with an envelope propped up against the tea caddy.
It was from the King asking her to join him for breakfast. He was back! She read it several more times before helping herself to her daily coffee. She sat with her knees up, looking over the Labyrinth through the windows, as she contemplated her situation. She knew that her feelings of despair and despondency should feel more immense than they did. The vestiges of anger had melted with the third dawn.
She had lost Terry, yet she couldn't help but feel oddly intrigued by the Goblin King. He had been so different that night. Almost Terry-like in his manner. She wasn't going to let herself be duped, despite being piqued by his change in attitude towards her.
The feather blanket still rested on the armchair next to her bed. It has been an unprecedented kindness from the man who had danced with her twice against her will.
She still didn't trust him.
With her coffee finished and her morning ablutions completed, she made her way to the dining hall where he had asked to meet her.
The door swung open on her arrival and Prince Sevlydi looked up from his seat to watch her inch her way across the room.
"His Majesty didn't think you would come," he raised his eyebrows.
"I was in two minds," she confessed, wondering if she would have to curtsey to him. That question was answered in the next instant when he waved his hand and reminded her to observe her courtesies.
"No, Sev," came Jareth's voice. "The Lady is all but our equal. She yields to no man."
Sarah turned to face her enemy and was surprised to see a sincere smile smooth the tight lines of his chiselled face. "Good morning, Sarah. I trust you slept well."
Sarah nodded returning her gaze to Sevlydi who wore a bemused expression. "You surprise me, brother."
"She is the Labyrinth's Champion, moreover I am the King and I will not be questioned, Sevlydi."
"No, no, no, of course not," Sevlydi took a sip of his tea and turned his eyes back to Sarah. "So the gardener ran off when the going got tough. Tell me, will you be doing the same?"
"I'm not sure I understand."
"Oh, you will in time," he smirked.
"Forgive my brother," Jareth pulled out a seat for Sarah and indicated she should sit down. "Deep down, he is thrilled you're here."
"So thrilled," he smirked again.
Sarah started nibbling on her breakfast, finding the tension in the room too palpable for her tastes.
"So today we will go and visit your friends, Sarah," Jareth attempted to break the taut silence.
"Thank you," she mumbled into her spoon.
"Oh, come on," Sevlydi threw his spoon down. "My brother, the King, gives up his time to potter around with your traitorous friends, and that's all you have to say for yourself?"
"Sevlydi" a warning tone. "Sarah doesn't owe me anything. She is the Champion for her merit furthermore she need not feel obliged to me. And did you not once argue with me on this very point? Kindness or love is not and should never be an obligation."
Sarah was strongly reminded of Stephen and Terry arguing over the song about the King who lamented his lost love. She felt a pang at her loss of Terry.
"I happen to be grateful to see my friends," Sarah chipped in. "I am however dealing with an overabundance of things to take in and absorb. So forgive me if I can't kiss the ground you walk on right now."
"I don't expect you to," Jareth replied, inclining his head to her. Sarah arched her brows in surprise. He was acting so unusually favourable towards her with no snark or mocking tones. Unlike his brother. It is feasible that it just felt polite in comparison.
Sevlydi scoffed. "You have spent your entire life expecting everyone to bow and scrape. What makes this mortal chit any different?"
"Excuse me?" Sarah scowled.
"I will let her speak for herself," Jareth relented, leaning back in his chair. "What makes you special, precious?"
Sarah was beginning to think this was a huge setup. "I am the only one to ever beat the Labyrinth for starters."
"Yes? Please do continue," Sevlydi rested his elbows across the table and cocked his head; a head that was so strikingly similar to Jareth's but well-kempt and tamed, tied in a black ribbon and two matching blue eyes piercing her. She found the similarities unnerving, but the contrast made Jareth's face more appealing to her.
"I have a university degree and have - had plans to start my masters."
"Yawn, boringly mundane, mortal trite," he interrupted. "Tell me, why my brother, a King, should go to so much trouble for a mere mortal when he could be married to a fae by now."
Frowning, Sarah waved a hand in confusion.
"Tell me why you're worth the ire of the High Council breathing down our necks. Tell me, no show me why you are worth us risking the displeasure of our sibling overlords."
Sarah paled, her eyes finding Jareth's wide-open stare before his eyes narrowed at his brother.
"Enough, Sev," he said in flat tones.
Why was her being in the Castle, risking anyone's displeasure? What did Jareth's marriage to a fae have to do with her? Wasn't he just saying yesterday that Jareth had a claim on her? But now she was standing in the way of a fae marriage? Was that what he was referring to? Sarah was NOT sure why she needed to prove herself. She prepared to tell him she was not sure she understood what he was referring to.
"I'm not-" she begun.
"No, you are not, " Sevlydi replied, fiercely pushing himself out of his chair before he stalked out of the room.
"Well, that went well," Sarah grimaced as the door slammed. "Clearly, talking in riddles and dramatic flair is a family trait. Be sure to introduce me to the rest of your family too."
"He is a petulant child, Sarah," Jareth dipped his spoon in and out of his porridge. He wasn't rising to her bait. "Worse than yours truly. Ignore everything he says. He has a score to settle with me and he's taking it out on you. And for what it is worth, while he belittles education, I hold it in the highest respect."
"He seems to think - " Sarah was about to divulge Sevlydi's implications of matrimony between the two. However curious she was regarding the pearl theory, she wasn't going to bring it up. "It's not important."
"No, it is not," Jareth agreed. "He will come around though."
"I don't know why you'd care," Sarah shrugged. "I'm the mortal chit that beat your Labyrinth, destroyed your city and then rej- "
She stopped herself before she reminded him of her rejection of his offer, glancing around as if she could pull another topic of conversation out of thin air.
"Yet here we are having breakfast under the same roof, and you've been almost cordial."
"Yet, here we are," he nodded. "I thank you for agreeing to stay. I thought you were too proud."
"Not proud enough to stumble blindly, with tears in my eyes, into the wilderness to try and find my way home. And a couple of days' respite has helped sort my mind and emotions out before heading back to the Cottage."
Her pride couldn't stand to return to the Spriggets earlier than planned. Now Jareth was back, she'd have to leave again.
"When you're ready to return home, I will summon a cart, or I can transport you by magic, whatever you prefer," he waved his hand in dismissal. "But I was planning on hosting a ball for my Champion's return, and would be most grateful if you could stay."
"A ball? In my honour?"
"Indeed," he smiled. "We have had a rough start to our acquaintance but I hope that we can make amends."
"I have to ask again, but why?"
"You're my Champion," he grinned, splaying his hands in a convivial gesture. "Not everyone has that honour, and you're more an asset to my Kingdom than a detriment."
"How so?"
"Innate powers," he twirled his spoon, hands-free, levitated by magic. "The Labyrinth bequeathed you certain powers. You could be used against me, in the hands of the wrong person."
"Is that why I was kidnapped Underground?"
"I can only surmise."
Sarah lowered her head and stared into her lap. "I guess that makes sense."
"Sarah," he placed his hand flat on the table, the spoon clattering back into the bowl. "I don't think you'd welcome anymore, let's say, personal reasons why I am glad you are here. But hopefully, this ball will mark the start of friendship but at the very, least peace between us."
"I see."
"I would be remiss if I didn't take this opportunity to apologise for our last encounters, especially the dances where your will was compromised."
"The Goblin King is apologising," Sarah scoffed. "Now I know I must be dreaming."
"You're not dreaming."
"What happened to you being the King and it's your will that I dance with you?"
"I was a fool," he admitted. "Again I was living up to your expectations, against my better judgement. You expect me to be the villain of your story, so I am.
Everything I have done, I have done for you.
"I am trying to be myself with you, and I'm afraid I am making you even more distrustful of me in the process."
"Yourself? Are you telling me you're not an arrogant, pompous, vain, self-centred, hair-obsessed pain-in-the-arse?"
"No, I am all that and always will be," Jareth gave a toothy grin. "You forgot to mention attractive and desirable."
"Ah, there we go," Sarah returned his smile, despite herself. "That's the Goblin King that we all know and lo- know."
Did she nearly say, love? Did she just forget who she was talking to? He didn't seem to notice.
"Tell me you don't find me attractive and desirable, Sarah," he prodded.
"I don't find you -"
"Like you mean it," he shifted in his seat, crossing his legs over the other. "Because I desire you and find you incredibly attractive, Sarah. Does that offend you?"
"Of course it does," Sarah laughed without mirth. "You've apologised for dancing with me but nothing else. You could be my kidnapper or have a hand in my kidnapping, for all I know. But then what I do know is enough. You kidnapped my brother, set the cleaners on me, bullied my friend into betraying me, somehow scared my friend Terry off and now you expect me to tell you that I'm attracted to you?"
"I see we're still not taking responsibility for our actions," he growled. "Did you learn nothing in the Labyrinth?"
A heavy silence fell over them. Sarah pushed her breakfast away from her with a huff.
"You still grieve for Terry?" he asked, his tone still combatant.
"He was my truest friend and confidant in this awful place," Sarah confessed. "And just like that he turns on me and scarpers. So yes, I still grieve. I've lost an ally, a friend, and someone who I thought I could - "
"What? Love?" Jareth prompted.
Sarah just glared at him and looked away.
"I woke up less sad than I should have been this morning," Sarah mumbled. "I don't understand how he just turned. And I don't understand why I'm still not angry about it. It's like the memories are there, but they don't hurt as much as they should. It's like having a broken leg, but you can only feel a twinge. I grieve but not as I should. Not like I was only yesterday, and the two days prior, since he left."
"Thank you for your candour," he nodded, steepling his fingers in front of his face as he assessed her. Sarah was reminded of Terry thanking her for her honesty when they first met. Why did she struggle with filters around these men? She just pours her heart out like she can't help it. And this was the Goblin King; her sworn enemy.
"Tell me," Sarah tapped on the edge of the table with a finger. "Why did I just tell you all that?"
Lips twitching, he lowered his hands and leant forward. "Perhaps you desire to have me as a friend as well. Perhaps you see me as a replacement."
"I highly doubt that," Sarah scoffed. "You're a kidnapping, manipulative, arrogant sod, and Terry was a sweet, kind, gentle, respectful soul. His one flaw was that he gave way too much credence to the monarchy."
"His one flaw, Sarah, by your own account is that he led you on a merry dance and then rejected you when you confessed your feelings. Does sound rather familiar, I have to say."
Snapping her head up, she scowled at him. "That's not the same at all."
"No, not at all," he muttered sardonically. "Yet, you coveted that little red book; the book that is instinctively connected to me. Long before I met you, I could feel you every time you read that story. I could feel you twisting through the very fibres of my being before I even knew your name, or what you looked like."
Sighing, he clenched his fist on the tabletop as he readied himself to continue.
"You poured your soul into that book, and therefore you poured your soul into me. I granted your every wish, for you to just turn around and reject everything I offered you. So yes, Sarah, I'd say that it is exactly the same."
Sarah's mouth flopped open; her blood rushed to her face and her knuckles blanched from how tight she was gripping the edge of the table. Was he just confessing his love for her? She wanted to petulantly argue that she did not pour her soul into anything connected to HIM, but that would be untrue. She loved that red book, and it had meant all things to her.
"Well, your revenge is quite poetic then," Sarah spat through gritted teeth. "You didn't even have to lift a muscle, and I was treated in exactly the same manner as your own perceived injustice."
"Revenge?" Jareth slammed his fist down on the table. "Will you continue to misjudge me for all eternity, Sarah?"
"Misjudge you? What have you ever done to deserve anything but judgement from me?" Sarah dug her nails into the mahogany wood of the tabletop. "Don't start with that generous bullshit, again."
"I could rearrange time and have you completely unaware of this conversation," Jareth unclenched his hand, lying it palm-down on the table. "I could have rearranged time when you won so that you would have instantly lost. Don't judge me on what I have done. Judge me on what I haven't done. I have been generous in not tampering with your memories or your precious time."
"My parents are dead, my brother is practically imprisoned by his aunt," Sarah seethed. "You turned my whole life upside down."
"How am I to blame?"
"I smelled magic that night my parents died in a fire," Sarah's voice wavered.
"I've already told you that was not my doing," Jareth answered in softer tones.
"What? When?"
Sarah thought she imagined his face blanching briefly, before returning to his normal shade of pale. She had never discussed her parents with anyone here. Only Terry.
"Apologies, I made a mistake," he bit his lip. "But I had nothing to do with it. Toby was under the Labyrinth's protection. But your parents were not. If Toby went away, it would have left them exposed."
Hanging her head, and forcing tears back, Sarah could hear the sincerity of his words.
"For what it's worth, I am sorry that your parents lost their life, " he went on. "I may be cruel, but I have no intention of harming you or yours. Ever."
Jareth's expression was downcast and she hoped, authentic. Her heart was racing, and she didn't know what to believe anymore. It was easier to hate him and blame him, than whatever turmoil he was brewing up inside her.
She almost believed him. She almost believed in him.
"Are you ready to go and see your friends now?"
A/N: I have three more chapters completed but unedited. This one finally starts earning that M rating. More to come in later chapters. Thank you, reviewers and followers.
In case you missed it, last week I uploaded 8 and 9 at the same time, so you may have missed chapter 8. It was a short chapter but pivotal for upcoming chapters.
Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this and if you could review, I would shower you with Pavlova and Pineapple lumps.