"We do our very best, but sometimes it's just not good enough. We lock our doors, we wear a helmet, we stick to the lighted paths, we try to be safe. We try so hard to protect ourselves, but it doesn't make a damn bit of difference. 'Cause when the bad things come, they come out of nowhere. The bad things come suddenly, with no warning. But we forget that sometimes that's how the good things come too."– Sarah O'Rourke
The front door of the castle crashed open is if it had been kicked. A tall, dark haired man in leather armor stepped in, holding an unconscious and bloody Eimile.
Sarah stepped out of the library to see what the noise was. When she saw Eimile like that, with her face turning grey, she felt faint herself. 'Jareth!' She called in her mind. 'We need you now!' Just to be certain, she screamed those words as well.
"Let's put her in here," she indicated, opening a guestroom door. The man, Sarah knew to be a knight, quickly walked over to the bed and very carefully laid her down. Jareth appeared at the foot of the bed. When he saw his sister, his face became contorted with rage.
"Who dared to hurt her?" He snarled at the knight. Jareth had been very agitated lately, and the idea that someone had also hurt a member of his family sent him over the edge. His eyes began to glow blue.
"No one, Highness," the knight said quickly. "She was trying to break one of the new Destriers and slipped in the saddle. I think the page did not appropriately saddle the horse and cinched it too loosely. If she had just fallen off, it might have been an easy matter. But her right foot was caught in the stirrup, and the horse dragged her for nearly a click before I was able to stop him. I brought her here right away. It was the first place I thought of."
Jareth's face relaxed. "Good man, Monaghan. Most likely you've saved her life." Then he turned to his sister, assessing her wounds.
"She will need a healer immediately," he said to himself. He created a crystal and spoke into it, requesting Ixonia's immediate presence. Then he turned back to Eimile to see what healing he could do while they waited.
Sarah and Monaghan stood back, not knowing what to do. Spam had entered the room, looking for Sarah, and just stood silently next to her.
Out of the corner of her eye, Sarah glanced at Monaghan. She had only met him once before, and it had been brief. This was Tadgh – Eimile's would be suitor. He truly was good looking. And, it seemed, truly a knight in shining whatever. Once she had healed, God willing, this rescue might mean something to Eimile and her feelings for him. His face was drawn with worry, however.
Gently, she put her hand on his arm. When he looked down, she spoke quietly to him. "You did the right thing. Jareth can heal her, or at least help her hold on until our official healer can be here. She will be okay, and that is because of you."
She squeezed his arm, and smiled reassuringly at him. He wasn't able to muster a smile, but nodded his head and said, "Thank you, Majesty."
Ixonia raced into the room. She was all business. Setting down her medical kit, she spoke to the three standing up against the wall. "You will all need to wait outside. Jareth and I will do this, and let you know how she's doing when we are done."
The three of them, Sarah, Spam, and Monaghan, all filed out into the hallway. Sarah found a wandering goblin and told him to get some friends and come back with chairs. They sat in the chairs outside the room, while Sarah brought the bassinet with the baby in it from the library.
They waited like that for hours. Sarah taking periodic breaks to feed the baby, and Spam doing her very best to entertain the baby in her bassinet while they waited. Tadgh barely moved. Cillian and Brielle joined them, though few words were spoken between anyone.
Finally Jareth came out of the room. He closed both doors and leaned back against them letting out one long sigh.
His eyes were closed. Moments went by before he said anything. "She's all right. Her hip was dislocated, same with the knee and ankle, one lung was collapsed, and superficial lacerations on her hands, many bruises and some possible head trauma that we will be keeping a close eye on. I brought down a brain specialist and an orthopedic surgeon for help and while she looks dreadful she's all right for now."
Sarah stood up, and noticed tears of relief sitting in Jareth's beautiful eyes. He looked at her and walked over to Monaghan, who had stood up. Jareth placed his hand on the knight's shoulder.
"Monaghan,"
"Your Highness."
"You performed more than admirably today. I was just telling my wife the other night that you were a good man in a storm. You have a clear head and you know how to use it; a courageous heart that allows you to be one of my best knights. And now, I know that I can trust you to even take care of my family."
Tadgh gave a modest nod. "You saved my sister's life today, Monaghan. I will be giving you a special commendation for this as well as my eternal thanks. And now. We are all tired and in shock. What we need now is food, mulled wine and rest by the fire. Monaghan, I would like for you to join us."
Sarah approached Jareth, giving him a long hug. Then she stepped back to look at him and said, "Love, what can I be for you right now? What do you have most need of?"
"Just you my love. Just you." And he hugged her so tightly she thought her ribs might crack.
While Jareth went to wash up, Cillian and Brielle entered the room to see their daughter briefly. Sarah suspected that she was too tired to talk to anyone for long. After they had left, Sarah slipped into Eimile's room, not knowing what she would see.
Ixonia was still there, applying butterfly bandages to the cuts on her patient's face. She was still awake, which surprised Sarah. When she looked down at Eimile's right leg, however, what she saw was shocking. There were pins and braces and screws all up and down her leg. Actual screws, drilled into the bone of her leg. All Sarah could do was silently stare.
The voice that she heard was hoarse but had humour in it. "You should see your face right now. I wish I had one of Jareth's camera thingies from Above so I could take a picture. I'd venture to guess right now that your face looks worse than mine." And then Eimile laughed, just a little, until she started to cough. Ixonia was quick to give her ice chips and water. Sarah approached and took her hand.
Eimile looked at Sarah. "I am fine. Or I will be. I understand you waited outside the door the entire time." Sarah had tears filling her eyes. Eimile looked at her hand, covered by Sarah's. "Oh don't. We're not going to do one of those weepy, crying, huggy emotional things, are we? Because I just don't think I can take that right now."
Sarah couldn't help it. A few of the tears did come, while she was laughing. She came so close to losing her best friend, and to hear her speak, she sounded none the worse for wear, although Sarah knew differently. She was so relieved. And the fact that Eimile didn't want to hug was something that she would absolutely say.
"You can leave now," Eimile said quietly. "I'll see you in the morning. Can you send Tadgh in here please?" Sarah nodded and left.
She told Tadgh that he could go in as she was leaving. He shut the door behind him. By the time she and Jareth had finished dinner, they were still talking behind closed doors. Sarah smiled a little to herself.
~~~Ó~~~
Ixonia and a night nurse watched over Eimile all evening. Apparently Cillian came by as well, and Jareth checked on her periodically throughout the night.
When they woke in the morning, Sarah and Jareth were facing one another. He put his hand on her hip and smiled at her.
"You know what day today is, don't you?" He asked.
She smiled at him. "Not really."
He smiled back. "It's been six weeks." She was confused for a second. Six weeks since what? Then it hit her. Oh!
Her eyes widened. Jareth smiled at her and nodded slightly. "Shall we?"
She was still sleepy, but was certainly waking up now. "Well we could, but there's a baby in the bed."
Jareth looked down at Saoirse, sleeping peacefully between them. "This is true. There is a baby in the bed," he said, as if surprised.
Silently, they both slipped out of bed, each of them putting a pillow on one side of Saoirse so she couldn't roll off. Jareth lead Sarah to a chaise lounge on the opposite wall. He put one arm around her on her back and with the other, gently held her just underneath her breast, his thumb tracing circles over her nipple. He leant down to kiss her and it was a soft, sweet kiss. Almost like a first kiss. Sarah could feel the tension in his body though, as if he were about to spring and was holding himself back. Oh, it had been so long.
Then Saoirse woke and began to cry. Jareth bit his bottom lip, shook his head and looked down at the floor.
Sarah looked toward her daughter and then at Jareth. "I just fed her an hour ago." He nodded. "She must want changing then," he said. "Why don't you take the first shower, and I'll clean her up and dress her?"
When Sarah returned from her shower, she found Jareth on the bed on his back, Saoirse lying on top of him, wearing her little red and white striped sleeper. He was talking to her, and then Sarah realized that he was also having a sort of conversation, using the voice he used when he pretended that Saoirse could talk back.
"Can we do Magic Dance now, Da?"
"Well, Da needs a shower first, and then we're going to check on your auntie Eimile, but then, yes, of course!"
He looked over at Sarah.
"And Da?" Saoirse's/Jareth's voice.
"You're my favorite. Just don't tell Mommy."
He glanced over at Sarah and grinned.
She shook her head. "I wasn't aware there was a contest. But if you want to be the favorite, fine. Good luck feeding her, though," and she smiled wickedly.
He held Saoirse above his head up in the air and wiggled her a little bit, which made her laugh. She was just starting to giggle. "But remember it's your Da who is going to buy you a pony," he said. "And anything else you want when you're older."
"Oh, so you're buying our daughter's affection, now, are you?" Asked Sarah, flopping down on the bed next to them. "Give me that baby."
Jareth handed her over to Sarah, and slid off the bed toward the bathroom. Seconds later, he stuck his head out the door and said to Sarah, "Just so you know, I'm going to make passionate love to you this afternoon when our child is finally sleeping."
Sarah rolled her eyes at him. Then she looked at Saoirse. "And you're going to take a nice long nap today, right, my baby girl?"
~~~Ó~~~
Quick note: a Destrier does not refer to a breed, but to a type of horse: the finest and strongest warhorse. These horses were usually stallions, bred and raised from foalhood specifically for the needs of war. The Destrier was also considered the most suited to the joust; horses seem to have been preferred for other forms of warfare. They had powerful hindquarters, able to easily coil and spring to stop, spin, turn or sprint forward. They also had a short back and well-muscled loin, strong bone, and a well-arched neck.
They were also terribly expensive and most knights could not afford one. (Generally knights had to purchase their own horses and armor.) Remember, however, that Eimile is Royalty and a skilled horsewoman. Ancestors of Destrians from those times are probably today's Percherons or Andalusians – large, powerful draft horses.