Hello my little peachlets! My, it has been a hot minute. I guess I have a little bit of explaining to do. Long story short, I'm an adult and I've been doing some major adulting. But here I am!
Thank you, thank you. Hold the applause.
Enjoy.
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Sarah had been escorted back into the dimly lit bedroom. She paces the entire floor as her head spills with worry. She tries to come up with some sort of way to catch up with Jareth. She can't stop thinking about how much trouble he had admitted to being in. Sarah's heart churns at the very thought of him in danger. She feels physical pain in her stomach not being able to make sure that he is going to be okay. She wants to be with him.
She needs to be with him.
Her mind races for some kind of idea.
She suddenly hears a shuffle towards a darker part of the room. This causes her footsteps halt. "Alister?" She instinctively calls out.
"Ssh." Alister whispers as he gestures for her to follow him. "Let's go Sarah."
"I'm not going." Her tone is rigid, yet polite.
Alister's eyes grow at the notion. "Wha-what do you mean you're not going?"
"I just- I can't." She says as she heads for the door.
Alister grabs her before she can get too far. "Why would you want to stay here, lass?"
"Because I- I just need to." Sarah tries to pull away from him. "I know that this sounds strange, but I have this feeling that I shouldn't go."
"That's just the feeling of infatuation." Alister speaks matter of factly. "It's a lovely human emotion, one that even I find myself getting lost in-"
"I just can't, Alister-"
"Ssh." She shushes at the sound of his name.
She removes her arm from his grasp. They both land to the ground in a huge thud.
"Sarah," Alister is able to catch her shoulders before she is able to stand, "the only thing waiting for you beyond that door is heartache and a noose." His voice shakes in honesty. "Things are bad here, and your presence here will only make things worse."
Sarah looks to her lifelong friend long and hard. The tone in his voice strips almost all of her nerve down to nothing. She shakes her head. "I... I don't believe that."
"Well, believe it or don't," he makes sure that she is looking into his eyes, "but that won't change things."
"No."
"What about Toby?" Alister hits even closer to home. Sarah falters at her brother's name. "Don't you think he needs you?"
Sarah looks in his general direction. She can barely see his anxious face as he waits for her to come along, but Sarah is frozen in place. She knows that she was told to go home. She knows that she needs to be with Toby. She knows that things are very dangerous in every direction she looks. Regardless of all that is going on, she just can't bare to leave. She just can't.
She sighs. "I'm not going."
Alister sighs in frustration. He knew that she would say that. "This isn't debatable, lass. We have to go. Now."
"Listen." She finally says as she stands them both up. "Everything you are saying may seem true to you- it may seem true to a lot of people. But if there is one thing I have learned through all of this is that nothing is always as it seems, and that is exactly what my heart is telling me." Her words hold power as Alister takes a step back. "No, I can't explain what I am feeling. It sounds stupid and reckless. It is a risk, but something is telling me that I need to go after Jareth, and damn it, no one is going to stop me."
"Sarah, listen to me-"
"I can't."
"You are making a huge mistake."
"I can't go, Alister-"
"Ssh!" he quiets her, "Will you stop speaking me name? I'm not allowed here, remember? I am taking a huge risk coming to get you. Now don't screw me over."
Sarah sprints to Alister, "I know," her eyes are wide and in awe, "and I'm sorry." She sits close to him so they can whisper. "But I-" she lays a hand on one of Alister's knee, "I-I can't explain it, but-" she struggles to describe the feelings that toss and turn in her soul, "My decision is final Alister, and you can't take me."
"And what makes you think that I can't just toss you over my shoulder and carry you out?" he asks as he gets ready to.
"Because you would have done it by now, and because of one important rule here."
"And that would be?"
"You have no power over me." Just as she finishes her sentence, there is a large rumble that vibrates the walls of the castle. This sensation causes both Sarah and Alister to a frightened halt. They both look above them in fear until the rumbling stops.
"Great job, Sar-bear." Alister says opening the portal to send them home. "You're lucky that's all that happened. We have tempted fate enough, you can do more at home."
"Why did the walls do that?"
"Because it reacted to your magic." Alister responds with little patience. "Now lets go before you do something really stupid."
"Magic?" Sarah tilts her head in utter confusion. "What magic?"
"The magic you created when a fae fell in love with you." Alister calms himself as he speaks. He looks to her as he holds his best friend's hand. "There is a special magic that is created when a fae falls in love with a mortal." He keeps speaking as he is reminded of his own lover. "It is as powerful as it is dangerous. It is unpredictable, and I'm sure Jareth feels many conflicting things when he is around you, and that is the last thing he needs-"
"Magic is strong and unpredictable between a human and a..." Something clicks inside of Sarah's head. "Listen Alister, I don't know how to explain it, but I think that the root of everyone's problem stems here." she smiles, "Toby and Francasca are connected by what me and Jareth are connected to; magic!" Sarah spends around as she starts to pace the floor again. "Things are just going to get worse before they get better. Magic started this mess, and magic is what is going to end it. We can't go back, now. At least I can't. I'm not going to go back and watch my brother die. I'll die." Sarah looks down in agony of the thought. "I refuse to go back, knowing that there was a chance that I could do something prevent it all." She looks back up to her friend, holding onto his collar. "The way back is to keep moving forward. This is the only way. I have to do this."
In an instant, Sarah's aura changes. She suddenly looks taller, her small statrue warps inside of Alister's eyes as a color of a gostly white starts to radiate off of her entire body. She starts to glow in a bright light that illuminates the room. Sarah, still holding on to Alister, sees his eyes grow at the surprising sight.
Just before he is able to say something to her, a familiar ladies maid scurries on into the room with another bowl of water and a washcloth. "Alright dearie. Little Al will be here in no time, but while you wait-" she looks up and sees the commotion in front of her. The creature's eyes gawk at the light that bounces off of Sarah's body. The maid doesn't say another word. She places the bowl gently on the nightstand and proceeds to bow at Sarah's feet. "Your Majesty."
Sarah looks to Alister with more confusion on her face as she touches the maids shoulder. "Please, please don't bow. It's okay."
"But, your majesty, I must bow to royalty. It is the right and the privilege of all those who reside in your humble kingdom." The maid refuses to stand as her meek little voice carries weight to Sarah's ears.
"Wait- no this is a mistake. I'm not royalty." Sarah shakes her head, refusing the kind title. The maid looks up in her own confusion, but keeps her knees on the floor.
"Then why does her majesty bathe in royal light?"
"Royal light-"
"I am he one that has come for her majesty." Aliser says pulling Sarah towards her.
We were just leaving, madam." he finishes as he leads them both towards the hidden portal. "Tell His majesty, that her majesty has successfully been taken care of. You may go."
"Yes sir, thank you, sir." The maid runs out of the room, catching Alister's hints.
"Let's go-"
"Al-"
"Sarah you can't be serious-"
"Look at this!" Sarah points to her glowing body." I'm not doing anything, and here I am glowing in this... royal light-er whatever. But if this is because of the magic between me and Jareth, then all of this MUST be because of Francesca's magic. I'm sure of it!" Sarah spends around to grab Alister to make him listen. "Francesca is the one with the magic. If we wake her up, we wake Toby up! She is our ticket to saving Toby. Come on Alister!" She shakes him in desperation.
"Stop shaking me!"
"Alister! You've got to take me to see Franchesca. We have to wake her up!"
"Sarah you're hysterical- you're... you've gone 'round the bend if you think you're going anywhere near that girl in this state-"
"Not without help from a certain shape shifting imp that I know."
"...What?"
"You heard me, buster." Sarah pulls him by the collar again. "We can use your shapeshifting powers to get to Franchesca."
"It doesn't work that way!" Alister become a little offended.
"What do you mean?"
"They'll know it's me. I give off an aura. And they will KNOW my sorry aura if they smell me within a mile from her majesty's palace. And I am way too selfish to go in there without there being anything in it for me."
"But they don't know me." Sarah looks to him knowingly.
"No... they don't..." Alister wearily admits, not liking the way it sounds.
"You can shapeshift me-"
"What? No I can't!"
"Well, have you ever tried shapeshifting someone else?"
"Well no, but I-"
"Can it be done? And don't you lie to me."
"Well...I-uh... I guess... In theory-" Aliser sees hope flicker in Sarah's eyes. "It's not a guarantee. I don't know if it can even be done."
"Well," Sarah takes Alister by the hand, "I guess we're both about to find out."
O.o
In the Fairy kingdom, many matriarchs and patriarchs gather around in the corridor around Francesca's door. Many royal fae figures mumble to themselves as they anxiously await the end of one of their own. They murmur on rumor of what might happen to the chain of royalty. Jareth can hear his name in every other quiet conversation. Matriarch Mab is the quiet one, sitting to herself in careful meditation as her youngest son comes to sit by her. She can feel Jareth's aura overcome her's and it knocks her out of her meditation.
"You think it wise to confront me, boy?" Her voice is low and bitter.
"I thought you would like to see an accomplished child before he is forced into exile for all eternity, mother dearest."
"Don't you think it better to pray for a merciful trial, instead?"
Jareth scoffs. "Why bother? It's wasted energy, and as you might recall, I don't have a lot of that, nowadays." Jareth makes himself comfortable. "I've accepted my fate."
"What wasted potential." The Matriarch stands to escape his disgusting aura. "You smell as though you have been sleeping with the livestock."
"That is what you would refer to them, mother."
"What do you-" Just as she turns to speak to her son, she is silenced as she starts to see his aura glow. She blinks as she sees a ghostly white radiate from his entire body. Her eyes grow slightly at the sight, seeing that he does not notice as he straightens his gloves.
This is not just any aura.
Before Jareth can realize, everyone gathers around Jareth as they see the aura glowing around him. They all murmur and gossip at the sight.
It takes little time for Jareth to catch on. HE stands, startled at the light coming from his own body. He looks to his mother in fear.
Hiding her extreme anger, she knows exactly what is protruding through his pores. "It seems as though my youngest son, Jareth has chosen a suiter."
O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o
Oh shit. Another conundrum. I know that it's short, but things will certainly be getting interesting in the next chapter. Everyone will finally get to meet one another. What kind of meeting are you expecting to see?