There's some time overlapping here from the last chapter, but this chapter takes place right after The Flame Within and then later during Torn Usunder.
Sarah felt her world fade and then found herself sitting on a hill underneath the shade of a monstrous oak tree. The air was warm though not stifling, and currently a breeze was stirring the leaves and the long, green grass. It created a song on the wind; an ocean of flora. Sarah looked around in wonderment at the natural beauty, her eyes sweeping left and right. She paused on the sight of Jareth, a few paces away. He stood in the full sunlight, pants tucked into his boots, white shirt loosely fluttering in the breeze. He wasn't looking at her; he was looking to the other side of the hill, a thoughtful expression on his face. She gathered her dress and walked beside him, gasping at the sight before her. It was the Labyrinth, all in its spread out glory. It was massive from this angle, not that it wasn't from the castle, but this was a completely different perspective. The maze literally went on and on before her. In the distance she could make out the castle; tiny in the grips of the labyrinth's coils. Jareth tilted his head towards her and she smiled. "I hadn't realized just how large it is."
Nodding, he gestured towards the maze, "It really is a masterpiece." Though sometimes it left him feeling trapped, the Labyrinth was an intricate part of himself and his world and he did not admire it enough. A shadow crossed over them and they both raised their eyes to the sky. A lone hawk swirled lazily on an updraft, its voice echoing down to them.
Sarah turned slowly in a circle and gazed at the world around her. It was the first time she had been free to do so since she came to this world. The rolling hills they were surrounded by went off for miles, a sea of green. It wasn't until she was out of the castle that she realized how busy and how loud the city was. It was a constant cacophony of sound that she had just tuned out, but this was just the opposite. Here she could hear her own breathing. Jareth's soft gloved hand touched her cheek lightly and she turned towards him a serious look on his face, but with just a touch of that grin she'd come to know.
Jareth had thought Sarah beautiful before, but as she stood in the middle of the plains he realized she was exquisite. She seemed to belong in the Underground. With a touch of his hand he brought her attention back from wherever it had wandered. He offered the same hand and she took it without a word, never letting her gaze waver from his. There was such trust there; he never knew anyone to believe in him blindly. On contact, he took them to another location.
The smell of salt was the first thing that Sarah noticed as the darkness faded from the magical transportation. The next thing was the crashing of waves. Her eyes adjusted to the light and Sarah found herself at the ocean, white sandy beaches extending as far as the eye could see. She smiled madly. It was beautiful. She turned towards Jareth, who was watching her again, that same seriousness on his expression, but also a twinkling of the eye. "Where are we? Do you come here often?"
He shook his head, "Not as often as I would like," he replied truthfully. This beach lay in Sordel, but he rarely ventured this far west to play in the sand. In fact, he realized with an internal frown, he shouldn't be out here at all. He *should* be back at the castle working. But he saw Sarah's happiness at being outside and let the thought pass. After all, wasn't everyone allowed a bit of escapism once in a while?
The rest of the afternoon was spent wandering on the beach. Sarah was excitingly picking seashells from the sand and marveling at their beauty. Once a pod of whales could be seen breaching in the distance. Throughout the day Sarah and Jareth chatted. Nothing groundbreaking, just enjoyable conversation. They mostly just walked up and down the beach though. Every now and again Jareth would brush the hair from her face. Her heart always fluttered when he got so close, and something about that knowing smirk he flashed her told her he was aware of it too. There was only one thing that could have made the day better; she found herself very much wanting to reach up and kiss the king. A few times he would lean into her and she would shiver at the closeness, but he'd just pull her hair back with a lazy hand and smile at her. She recognized the teasing glint in his eyes, but it was honestly driving her a bit insane.
There was a small impromptu lunch of fresh fish, though Sarah was a little disappointed in not fishing, seeing as Jareth just pulled them from the water with a little bit of magic.
As the sun began to set on the water and the shadows grew longer, Sarah found herself leaning against the king as they sat side by side, a smooth rock propping them up. It had been a long day and Sarah wondered if it had to stop. She sighed and felt Jareth stir slightly as he peered down at her, "Are you ready to return to Dorensae?"
"No," she said softly. That mischievousness crept back into Jareth's face and she found herself being pulled up from the ground.
"Good." He extended his hand. "There is one more place I would like to show you."
It was a magnificent wood that she found herself standing in. She took a deep breath in at the sight and just stared in wide eyed wonder. Though the sun was far behind them the wood seemed to glitter and shine with its own inner light. The air was filled with a crispness of a winter morning, but it was not cold. Rather, it seemed the forest held its own warmth. Looking around, Sarah noticed she was in a small clearing; well, the trees had some space between them. She smiled and turned towards Jareth to thank him, but upon seeing him the words stuck in her throat. He was leaning against a tree trunk that her arms wouldn't have reached around watching a moth lazily float in front of him, his arms crossed on his chest. He was shimmering with the same glow as the forest and he was quite possibly the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.
There was a rumble in the distance and both heads turned towards the sound. The ground seemed to tremble and Sarah found herself seeking Jareth's presence by the tree.
He smiled as she stood next to him and slowly put a finger over his lips, but his eyes were not worried as they looked for something in the distance. Sarah was intrigued and followed his gaze. A few moments passed and Sarah was beginning to relax as the wood's natural evening sounds began playing its song. It was all interrupted with a loud crash that caused her to jump. Out of the underbrush, a herd of deer suddenly appeared. They too seemed to glow as they frolicked and pranced in between the tree trunks. Their movements were so graceful and so fast, it was hard to keep track of them. Sarah watched as a large buck with an imperial golden crown of antlers emerged lastly from the dense forest. This buck seemed to walk with purpose and watched over his herd from a far. As he stepped fully into the clearing his narrow head snapped towards the other two occupants. Sarah was afraid they would disappear and was shocked when the buck made a few small steps towards them. It took her a few seconds to realize the rest of the herd had gathered behind the buck, still for the first time. Then the buck lowered his head and the herd followed suit immediately. Sarah turned in time to see Jareth push away from the tree and gave a low bow. As he straightened the herd went back into action, rushing back into the forest. The buck stayed for a moment longer then turned and followed his herd in a stately gait. Sarah was speechless.
Jareth lightly laughed at her expression. "The Ceryneian visit this place rarely; I was hoping you would get to see them."
"They were beautiful," she replied breathlessly. "They seemed to know you." It was a statement and yet also a question.
"There is not a creature in the Underground that would not recognize an Immortal," was Jareth's reply.
Sarah turned to him with an appraising look, "Yes, I could see that. You are all too beautiful," she finished with a whisper.
Something was burning in his soul as he watched Sarah speak. It was a desire so overwhelming that he found himself kissing her and holding her without realizing he had moved. She moved against him and he felt her arms wrap around his neck and he deepened the kiss. The rest of the world could fall apart around them and he realized he cared very little; as long as she stayed where she was, pressed up against him. Carefully, with an arm behind her back for support he lowered them to the forest floor, never once breaking the kiss. His lungs were slightly burning, but the feeling of her lips against his, her tongue lightly touching his, was overriding the desire for air. He did finally pull away from her and looked down at her flushed face. With a finger he caressed her lips and bent down to lightly kiss them. "How am I ever going to live without you?" He whispered into her ear, a touch of urgency lined his voice and caused Sarah to focus on him.
"I would stay with you forever," she whispered back, pulling his body closer.
Jareth made to reply, but suddenly a horrible pain consumed him. His world went dark and he felt ripped away from his body, thrown into a blackness that left him deprived of all his senses. He was in a whirlwind of torture. All he could feel was pain, an all encompassing pain that made him want to disappear. A whispered name came to him, not heard, but felt in the darkness, calling out for someone. It was growing fainter and pulling Jareth further and further down into oblivion. Another voice was crying out to him, but he couldn't quite make out the words. It seemed so far away, but the panic in that voice carried him away from the spiraling nothing before him. It was to this voice that he focused and painstakingly dragged himself up and away from the darkness and back into the light.
He returned to his body and gasped for breath, laying limp on top of a frantic Sarah. His whole body ached as he sat up, and then he stood pulling Sarah from the ground. Her eyes were wide and he could see the questions forming. "Hold onto me," was all he said and as soon as he felt her arms tightly wrapped around his waist he transported them back to Dorensae.
Jareth wasn't sure what he would find. He knew that another Immortal had passed, and he was certain now that he heard Emma's name spoken in that awful blackness, so it was into her chambers that he took them. He was a little careless on the entry; the windows and the heavy wooden doors shattered as his magic flared out. The bells were ringing again and he felt Sarah pull away from him, understanding in her eyes, and then fear as she recognized the surroundings.
"Not...not Emma!?" She frantically searched the room with her eyes, "Not Emma!" She pleaded.
Jareth took a deep breath and pushed out with his magic, sensing for his sister of heart. He prayed she was not the reason for the awful bells. After a quick sweep he found her signature. Alive,
but barely, and in the next room. He swept into the chamber and saw Emma collapsed on the ground, looking like she had been brushing her hair and readying for bed. He bent down to her and picked her up, placing her limp body on the bed.
Sarah followed suit, "Is she...is she still alive?"
Sighing, Jareth nodded. "I should have known," he said wearily.
Before he could say another word, a frazzled looking Didymus stepped through the destroyed doorway and took quick strides to the Lady Emma. "What happened," he whispered as he held her hand.
"Sajal," was all Jareth said as his eyes turned towards the window. "Stay with her Didymus and do not let her follow him." Didymus turned towards Jareth, a look of shock on his face and Jareth continued, "He was calling out to her on his passing; damn near had me following, I can only imagine what it felt like for her." He closed his eyes against the memory. A small hand was placed in his and he squeezed it gently opening his eyes to meet Sarah's gaze. "Stay here and help Didymus. I'll return when I can." She nodded and he bent down softly kissing her cheek before vanishing from view.
This is going to get a little darker now, we're coming close to the end. Btw, school is driving me crazy! K, thanks for reading.