Chapter 17, A Change Of Plans
When he could prolong it no more, Jareth left Sarah for his daily rounds. She was sad to see him leave, but quite anxious to continue exploring. The second he shut the door behind him she was busy scrolling through the massive bookcase.
Jareth walked down the dark corridor leading towards the throne room. There was a new flare in his step as he entered. When he was fully situated on his throne, he beaconed for Mage. The little goblin slowly stepped forward.
"Yes, Your Majesty?" He looked down at her, resting his chin in his hand. He slouched slightly, tossing one leg over the arm. She noticed blurred smile cast over his face.
"I fear I will be kept quite busy with todays affairs. I have a request of you." She nodded, waiting for him to continue. "First, you must write a letter to my father. Tell him I have been successful in my mission, he'll understand. Second, I'll need you to keep my lady company. She knows little of this place, and I'd hate to keep her locked up in my chambers all day." He laughed at the thought of trying to keep her locked up anywhere. As if that would ever happen.
"As you wish." She said with a bow. She then exited the throne room, leaving her King to tend to his subjects.
Mage wasn't sure how to handle this. He had never taken to a woman before, not like this anyway. It was most definitely a good thing. Yet the prospect of keeping this curious woman entertained gripped at her nerves. She went first to Jareth's study. With a quill and ink she wrote the letter.
To The High King Oetheron of The Underground,
This letter is to inform you of the success of your son, High Prince and King of the Goblins, Jareth. Details of the affair or of its achievement have not been disclosed. I am told this is sufficient information on the matter.
With allegiance,
King Jareth and His Majesties Assistant
When she had finished writing she enclosed the letter in an envelope and secured it with a wax seal. She then reached for a small jar. After removing the lid, she pulled out a pinch of dust and sprinkled it over the letter.
"The High Castle." She spoke, and the letter vanished.
Meanwhile, Sarah had been lost to marvel at the stacks of books she had collected. Jareth's chambers were quite a mess at this point. Books littered the room as she sorted each one into a different category.
"Look at all this! How can he stand to just have every book thrown randomly? This needs some kind of order."
And so, she proceeded to organize the entire wall of books. She deemed her largest piles, History, Creatures, Culture, and Law. From then there were simply, different kinds of spell books, things she couldn't understand, and things she flat out couldn't read.
Deciding to take a break she opened one of the books. It was on the basic fundamentals of Fae law. This should be interesting... She flipped through the pages, waiting for something to catch her eye. Her finger stopped on something familiar. Seventh Law? That was in Jareth's letter. She started to read the passage.
The order of Seventh law institutes the forceful binding of matrimony. It is agreed by the Supreme Council that if a Fae is unbound, and have produced no offspring, then it is under direct authority to constitute a formal union upon the five-hundredth year. This law is only to be enacted in cases of royal preservation, due to the immense infertility of the race. It is known that the crossing of the five-hundredth year is considered to be a prime in the reproductive cycle of a Fae. If he or she fails to comply with Seventh Law, they will be stripped of all rank and title. All positions, and titles will then fall to the next heir.
Sarah closed the book, setting it down on a nearby table. Hmm, so this is all about having children then...I don't know if I'm quite ready for all that... She looked up when she heard the creaking of the door. Her sudden burst of excitement wavered when she realized it wasn't Jareth who had entered the room.
"Hello?" Sarah said to the small shriveled woman.
"Good day My Lady. My name is Mage, I am His Majesty's personal assistant." She spoke calm and flat.
"Oh! Yes, you must be the one who came in this morning. I'm terribly sorry for all that, it was so embarrassing. I hope Jareth wasn't too hard on you. Please forgive me." She rambled on. Her voice was honest and her eyes were heartfelt. Mage was confused. First, that this woman, this mortal, had spoke her lord's name so casually. And second, she was asking a servants forgiveness.
"There is no need for thy lady's apology, a king will do as he sees fit. I am but a servant." She was cautious, this woman was not what she was expecting.
"Please, no My Lady stuff. My name is Sarah." She smiled at the old woman, gesturing her to take a seat. Mage simply returned a perplexed stare.
"It is not my place to leisure in the King's chambers, lady Sarah." She did however, allow herself to fully enter the room.
"No, just Sarah." She said with a grin. "And I insist, please, have a seat. May I ask why you're here?"
Mage very warily made her way to a lonely chair, eyeing the mess that had taken over the room.
"Ah, yea, I made a bit of a mess up in here. I'll clean it up, I was just organizing the book shelf." She looked up at the now vacant wall. Before Mage could reply, Sarah had begun collecting books and placing them in their proper places.
"L-Sarah. There is no need for you to engage in such activity. If you'd like I can set things back." She was so abashed by this young woman. Any other female in the King's company wouldn't have even made eye contact.
"Oh nonsense, I'm perfectly capable of picking up my own mess." She said, scrambling books from every corner of the room. Mage watched in astonishment.
"Very well. To answer your question, His Majesty has ordered me to keep you company in his absence." Sarah paused momentarily, turning her head slightly towards Mage.
"I see. I take it he'll be gone a while then? I told him not to slack." She spoke more to herself.
Who is this woman? Mage thought. Who is she that gives her the power to command my King so freely? This is very strange indeed.
"Yes, he has daily court, then a few summons, and then he must convene with his council." She figured she would inform her before she tried to pry.
"I can assume he has every duty a king is thought to have." Was her brief reply. Mage had assumed she would want to know more. She was certainly not anything like the Fae woman of the realm; they were all so nosy and aloof.
Sarah finished re-stacking the shelf in amazing time. Mage quietly watched from her chair, still unsure if she should be sitting in it. When she was satisfied with her organizational skills, Sarah joined her in the chair accompanying hers.
"So, you're here to keep me company? Would you mind just talking for a bit? I still have some questions." She asked the little creature. Mage shifted in her seat, not many people just wanted to talk to her, she was used to taking orders.
"I will offer whatever knowledge I can." she answered.
"Great. I know I should have just asked Jareth this, but it seemed to have slipped my mind...somehow." She giggled, knowing the goblin knew exactly how it had slipped her mind. "Can I assume you know about the Goblin Festival? And the whole every ten years humans come to become one with the Underground and bla bla?" She asked.
Mage nodded, trying to comprehend her strange manner of speaking.
"Well, I've already said yes and everything, but...Is that all? Is that all it takes? I mean, not that I was expecting anything to happen but...should I feel any different? Shouldn't something happen?" Mage thought as Sarah continued rambling. "I was just wondering. I don't want to just poof back into my apartment at any given moment." She spoke lighthearted, but it was clear the thought had been worrying her. Mage took a minute, observing the woman before her.
"Everything is fine." She said with a motherly grin. "I would have thought His Majesty would have explained all this of his own accord, but apparently it seemed to slip his mind all the same." She gave an implying eye, causing Sarah to blush slightly. "Saying yes completes the spell, saying no breaks it. Once the spell is completed it severs your link to the Aboveground, simple as that." Sarah listened with full attention. "There is no wind and light show, or funny feeling in your gut if that is what you're worried about." She added.
Sarah eased back in her chair, and a new worry emerged.
"That's good." She paused before continuing. Mage grew concerned, seeing this new level of intensity from her. "I have one more question." Her eyes met Mage's. She waited. At the last second Sarah changed directions. "What do you know about the Fae? Please, be as honest as you can." Diverting from her more specific worries.
Mage sensed something, something she didn't want to say, perhaps unsure if she should? Mage saw no ill-intension in the woman before her. She saw purity, and fire, everything fitting her King. She knew he needed this woman, and she knew there was a lot she still didn't know.
"Well, you could find it in a number of these books here. But, to sum it up, the Fae are a highly intelligent and charismatic race. They thrive off emotion, both from themselves and from others. While lore depicts them as immortals, they are in fact just barely mortal; meaning they live almost forever. They are very magical, holding the power of creation. This in turn, renders them physically unable to bear children. A Fae couple is considered blessed to have one child their entire lives." Sarah nodded over and over. "This is what makes them so...animalistic."
"I see. Is there anything else?" She asked eagerly.
"One more thing...there is another reason they are so...eager to procreate. A Fae may only fall in love once in their livetime. Most search solely for physical satisfaction, to hinder the emotional destruction of losing a beloved." She eyed Sarah in warning. Little did she know, Fae could actually die from a broken heart.
She saw how deep in thought Sarah was, and knew what her real worries might be.
"If there is anything else, more specific, perhaps you should ask His Majesty." She suggested. Sarah's head nodded, her mind still lost. "But enough of all this seriousness. Let us find a way to entertain ourselves shall we?" Mage's attempt to lighten the mood pulled Sarah from her daze.
"Alright, what do you have in mind?" She looked up and smiled.
Oetheron was enjoying his midday meal with his wife and usual courtly companions, when a skittish young Fae approached him.
"Your Majesty, this just arrived for you. It has the Prince's seal." He handed the letter to the High King. The entourage of dining guests watched with intrigue as he read the letter.
There was silence as he processed what was written. Curious eyes surrounded him.
"What is it dear?" Asked Linae. She placed a hand on his shoulder and leaned closer to get a better view. He handed her the note and stood from his seat in a bellowing heap of laughter.
"How marvelous! You, lad! Fetch my advisors at once, there is much need for celebration!" He pointed at the young courier, who then dashed off in a flash.
"What is it?" A tall Fae woman asked from across the table. Linae looked at the paper in confusion.
"It seems my dear boy is getting married!" He announced. A number of faces stared back in astonished confusion.
"To who?" Came a dark male voice from further down the table.
"To the lady Sarah Williams, Champion of the Labyrinth! How joyous! A fate woven in the stars!" He reached for his queens hand. "Come my dear, we have much to do!" He turned to look at his lunch companions. "Excuse me, my friends, but I have much work ahead of me. I bid you spread this word, and a lovely farewell!" He exclaimed before exploding himself and his wife in a cloud of glitter.
Within the next second, the room burst with chatter.
"Jareth? The Goblin King is getting married?" Gossiping Woman #1
"I don't believe it. Him!" Gossiping Woman #2
"I've seen countless women throw themselves at him. He didn't even give a second glance." Gossiping Woman #3
"Enough about Jareth, who is this Sarah?" Gossiping Man #1
"She must be some clever jade to steal his heart." Gossiping Woman #3
"You don't think he actually loves this girl do you? I heard a rumor the Council is enacting Seventh Law." Gossiping Woman #1
"Really? Well there it is. Poor girl, I bet she doesn't know the least bit of what's going on." Gossiping Man #1
"Poor her? Poor us! He'll be a married man!" Gossiping Woman #2
"That's never stopped you. And besides, I doubt that will stop him either." Gossiping Man #2
"Enough of your irritating gossip!" Alasdair commanded into the gaggle of men and women. They stopped talking for a moment, turning to see who had interrupted their conversation.
"Why? Do you know who this mystery woman is?" Gossiping Woman #3 asked sarcastically.
He was fuming. His rage being fueled by the incessant squawks of his companions. He needed to control himself, to mask his true cause. Reigning himself in, he chose an appropriate outlet.
"She is the Lady Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth! The only Champion of the Labyrinth let me mind you. That mortal holds more rank than any of you babbling geese!" He shouted furiously. He was not angered by their rumors, but with this new turn of events and how it was now interfering with his plans.
"Why all the concern?" Gossiping Man #1 asked.
"Let me simply clarify, you dare speak ill of the future High Princess, Goblin Queen, and one day High Queen of the Underground? In the High Castle none-the-less? behind the shadow of your king?" Alasdair watched as the women started to fuss. One by one they dispersed, leaving him alone in the dining hall. Finally, there was quiet.
How in the world is this possible! That arrogant, conniving gnat! First he steals MY prize, My hunt. And now he's marrying her of all things? This can't be, I can't allow him to secure the bench. As long as he remains without an heir, as long as he remains isolated I have a chance...But this marriage...The Council won't recognize it until the eve of his birth. I don't have much time. Too long have I wallowed in his shadow, no more!
Alasdair stomped out of the room, seeking solitude to compile his thoughts. He emerged sometime later, with his trademark sneer and a change of plans.