A/N: Oh wow! I can't believe it's been this long since I last updated. Well, you'll be happy to know that Brigadoon is over so I can start updating again. BTW – I got to see Labyrinth on the big screen last weekend. Very stimulating! Thanks so much to scifigeek10, I'Like'Cheetos, seniastardust, dreaming of ravens at night, RachCar, CeliaEquus, jensulli11, Full-Empty-Spirit, Angel56335, LittleMargarita, tfstarlight, KraZiiePyrozHavemoreFun, Dark-Assassin92, MichArela, gamesofmakebelieve, Eun Hee Kim, Her Royal Goddess, lonely 27, TheraSerenity, wedimagineer, hazlgrnLizzy, and EmeraldRomance for their most awesome reviews. Special thanks to Sarah aka Angel56335 for inspiring me to write the bit at the beginning of the chapter. I too like to peek in on an uncomplicated relationship once in a while…lol. Remember – Reviews make me happy and happy people update faster!
Disclaimer:
Me: I do own it all!
Jareth: Alright, who's been in the Goblin Wine again?
Me: I love you…and you…and even you!
Jareth (rolls eyes): You must excuse her. Goblin Wine does seem to have that effect on women…as do I.
Me: Ah…shuts up and gets on with it!
Jareth: Enjoy this chapter. Now if you'll excuse me, I have someone to bog.
Me: AHHHHHHHHHHHH! Splash
Fagan and Allie sat on his balcony, watching the sunset and eating a romantic dinner for two. They reveled in their alone-time. Between Fagan's duties and Allie's concern for Sarah, they found they saw less and less of each other. He fed her a strawberry and laughed as the juice dribbled down her chin.
"What do you think of blue and silver as our colors, my dear?" he asked, dabbing at her chin with his napkin.
"Don't you think you're getting ahead of yourself?" she asked. "We still have two months of courting and I'm not even Fae, yet."
"Mere technicalities, my love," he said, dismissing her concern. "Let's not spoil this night by talking about things which we have no control over. Do you know how happy you make me?"
"I have some idea," she said, giggling.
"Of what could my future Queen be thinking?" he teased, knowing very well that his bride was remembering their earlier tryst in his study. "You're really quite beautiful when you blush."
"You know exactly what I'm thinking," Allie replied. "You put such devilish thoughts within my head."
"But it's so fun to do so," he laughed. "Do you remember when we first met?"
"How could I forget?" she asked. Her mind went to the day she first saw her Fae King.
Allie was sitting alone on a Saturday night again. Why couldn't she ever find a date for the weekend? It wasn't as if she was ugly. She was just shy, that was all. All of her roommates were out with their boyfriends. Sarah had tried to get her to go out with her and James, but Allie was no fifth wheel. It was warm in her room and the textbook she was reading was so boring. What would she give for a little adventure? Allie opened the window and sighed to herself.
At the same time she opened the window, a beautiful black raven was flying towards the house. Fagan enjoyed going for long flights in the Aboveground. It helped him clear his head. He'd just had another lecture from his father on the need to marry and produce an heir. His only consolation was that Jareth had been there to receive the same lecture. Though Jareth already had found his mate, he had let her slip through his fingers before he could even ask her to let him court her. Fagan wondered if he would ever find someone he could see himself marrying someday.
Trying to make herself feel better, Allie decided some music might be helpful. She walked to the stereo, popped in her Footloose soundtrack, and started dancing. The music flooded her room and exited through the window. Outside, Fagan was startled by the sudden noise as he flew by. He decided to fly closer to investigate. Perching himself in the tree outside the window, he peered into the room. What he saw stole his breath away. She was one of the most beautiful creatures he had ever seen and she was dancing just for him. He watched as one song after another played as she danced.
Allie could feel her mood lifting. She just loved to put in her favorite soundtrack and dance around her room. Something moved and she caught it out of the corner of her eye. She turned and saw the raven watching her through the window. Fearful that he would try to fly into the room, she walked towards the window with the intent to close it. Before she could lower the window, her fear was realized. The raven flew through her window, causing her to shriek in fear. Then the strangest thing happened, the raven had changed into a man. Allie gasped and looked at one of the most handsome men she had ever seen.
"W-who and what are you?" she managed to say.
"I am Fagan, King of the Fairies and a Fae," he announced.
"Fae? You mean like the Underground?" she asked. "I didn't think it really existed outside of myth."
"Of course we exist," he scoffed. "I wouldn't be here if we didn't."
"What's it like?" she asked. Allie was a dreamer. It was one of the reasons why she and Sarah got along so well. They were both cut out of the same cloth.
That night, Fagan and she talked about the Underground and his life as a king until well past midnight. A tentative friendship had been formed and Fagan asked if he could return in a few nights to continue their conversation. Allie had consented and watched as he returned to his raven shape and flew out the window. She waved at him as he flew away and he squawked in reply. After he left, Allie only had one question on her mind: how was she going to explain all this to Sarah?
By the time Sarah returned from her dinner with Jareth, Allie was already in bed. Sarah smiled and changed into her nightgown. It had been a very lovely date. Jareth and she had spent most of the time talking about themselves. She'd learned a lot about him, some of which was very surprising. Underneath the arrogant royal exterior lay the heart of a very generous man.
Sarah had just gotten into bed when a knock came at the door. She quickly climbed out of bed and threw on her robe. Opening the door, she saw Liam's smiling face.
"I'm sorry to disturb you," Liam said. "I just needed to see you."
"It's ok Liam," Sarah replied. She stepped out into the hall and closed the door behind her.
"Are you available tomorrow?" he asked.
"No," Sarah replied. "I'm going to the Dwarf Games with Gough. I'm available the day after next. I have one errand to run in the morning and then I should be free."
"That would be wonderful Sarah," Liam said. "Would you like to see my mother's Kingdom?"
"I'd love to," Sarah replied.
"Until then," Liam said, giving her a kiss on her hand. She smiled and went back into the room. Taking off her robe, she slipped back into bed.
The next morning, Gough was right on time to pick up Sarah for their outing. She felt nervous under his intense stare. Deliberately, she chose a high necked dress that wasn't too form fitting. It did no good. He still looked at her as if he knew what she looked like under her chemise. She fidgeted as he looked at her with a feral sort of hunger and allowed his eyes to rake over her figure.
Sarah had come up with a rather interesting plan to remove him from her pool of suitors. It was a rather dangerous plan and one she wanted to talk over with Allie and Fagan before posing to her men. As Sarah was the sort to try to avoid impetuous activities, she wanted to continue to think on things for a little while longer. Tomorrow, she planned to speak to Pryderi about his courtship. She hoped that he would be willing to give up his courtship of her without a fight. If he did, she would go with him immediately to discuss it with Raghnall. There was no point in dragging things out any longer than they already have.
"Are you ready to take your leave, Lady Sarah?" Gough asked, taking her arm.
"Ready as I can be, I suppose," Sarah replied with a smile. She closed her eyes as she felt the pull of their transportation. When she opened them again, they were standing in a box overlooking a large field.
There were dwarves all around, warming up for the days events. Sarah giggled excitedly as her eyes found Hoggle and Boggle below. Their eyes locked for an instant and Hoggle waved to her. She returned the wave and blew him a little kiss. Soon the trumpets sounded. Surrounding the field were rows of seats full of spectators. They were all milling about, waiting for the opening ceremonies.
"All rise for Gough, King of the Dwarves and his companion, Lady Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth," the announcer cried.
The crowd burst into spontaneous applause. Sarah blushed at the attention. Gough waved to them and the spectators cheered even harder. Soon they took up a chant of her name. It was all very ridiculous to Sarah.
"They like you, my dear," Gough whispered. She nodded, nervously, and waved. More cheers erupted from the fans. Finally, the applause died down and the opening ceremonies were permitted to begin.
Sarah thought it was rather like watching the Olympics. There was just so much pomp and circumstance. Trumpets called a tune and the Dwarf Master of Ceremonies walked a long red carpet leading to the dais holding Sarah and Gough. Once he reached his King, he bowed low and graceful. The King handed him a scroll, which he untied and unfurled.
"Hear ye, hear ye," he proclaimed. "It is with great pride and pleasure that I announce the opening of Day 2 of our games. May the Gods grace the players, the spectators, our King, and his Lady. Let the games begin!"
Once again, the crowd erupted into applause. Gough waved them to silence as the Master of Ceremonies announced the first game: The Stone Put. Sarah cheered as she saw that Hoggle was leading in the games so far. She had no idea he was so athletic.
Several dwarves putted the stone and Sarah watched as each flew high into the air to land with a thud. Finally, it was her best Labyrinthian friend's turn. Hoggle picked up the large stone, passing it between hands feeling the weight of it. He stepped up to the mark and began spinning. With a yell, he let it go. Sarah grinned as it went higher and longer than any of the others. When it fell, it was clear that Hoggle was in first place. More points went up on the scoreboard under his name and the games were called to a recess.
"Would you like to explore the booths, my Lady?" asked Gough, rising.
Sarah nodded and stood next to him. He put his arm around the beautiful brunette and they disappeared from the dais. When Sarah opened her eyes, she was standing by an ale stand. After her last experience, she decided to forego all alcoholic beverages. She decided that she needed to be in control of herself at all times around Gough.
"Could we go see Hoggle?" she asked.
Gough grinned widely. "Of course, my pet," he replied.
Together, they began walking towards the contestants. Sarah could see her friend getting a pep talk from his brother. She could see that they were close and she wondered why Hoggle chose to live in the Labyrinth instead of this Kingdom with his brother. Deciding to ask him later, she walked towards the wrinkled dwarf.
"Hoggle!" she cried.
"Sarah!" he replied, running the rest of the way towards her. She dropped to her knees and embraced him.
"Ooof," he gasped. The wind was knocked right out of him by the fierceness of her embrace. It really had been quite some time since they had last talked through her mirror. She missed him so.
"Sorry Hoggle," she apologized. "I'm just so happy to see you."
"I's happy to see yous, too," he replied, stepping back to have a good look at her. "My! Yous do look likes a lady now, Sarah."
Sarah blushed at the compliment. "Thank you Hoggle," she said. "I had no idea that you were so skilled. Congratulations on winning the last event."
"Gorsh," he replied. It was his turn to blush. A throat cleared behind them. Hoggle turned to see Gough standing there, looking somewhat irritated.
"Oh!" he exclaimed. "I's sorry Your Majesty. Please forgive me." He dropped into a deep, respectful bow.
"Nevermind Hoggle," Gough said, clearly pleased to have the man genuflecting before him.
"Boggle," Sarah greeted, just then remembering he was there. "How have you been?"
"I's been well Lady Sarah," he replied. "Glad to see ya made it to the games. It's gonna be a good day for fun." Sarah could hear the playing of pipes and drums coming from somewhere in the distance. "Ah! They've started the dancing. Would ya like to join in on the fun?"
"Sounds great," Sarah said, grinning. "You lead the way."
Hoggle and Boggle led Sarah and Gough towards the dancing. This was working out better than Gough could have dreamed. He so wanted to dance with Sarah. His arms ached to be around her again.
Sarah gasped at the sight before her. There were creatures of all sorts dancing to the sounds of pipes and drums. The music went deep into her soul and she couldn't help becoming enchanted. Hoggle tugged her hand and she followed him into the throng of dancers. Soon, she was moving with the music and laughing. Gough was soon behind her, wrapping his arms around her waist. Hoggle didn't miss the look of annoyance that crossed her face.
"You are really quite beautiful, my Lady," The Dwarf King whispered into her ear. His hot breath against the sensitive flesh of her neck made her shiver. He interpreted her tremble as a sign of arousal and suckled her earlobe. Never before had Sarah been so revolted. Her face contorted into one of disgust.
"Really Gough," came a smug baritone voice behind the couple. "Slobbering on your guests? Tsk, Tsk."
"Jareth," Gough grumbled. "What are you doing here?"
"I've come to see how Higgle and Bogwart are doing in the games," Jareth replied with a smirk.
"It's Hoggle," Hoggle groused.
"And Boggle," Boggle reminded.
Sarah tore herself from Gough's grasp to face her hero of the hour. Never before had she been so happy to see the arrogant, blond Fae. Discretely, her arm went to her ear and wiped off the drool Gough had left. Her relieved smile did not go unnoticed by the Goblin King, whose smirk only grew.
"Your Majesty!" cried a shrill voice behind them. The group turned to see a young dwarf running towards them.
"What is it Tiggly?" asked Gough impatiently.
"You must come quick," replied Tiggly breathlessly. "There's a problem with the swords for the next competition."
"Damn!" Gough shouted. "I'll be right back," he informed Sarah. She nodded and watched him disappear.
"Here," Jareth said, handing her a cloth. It smelled of lemon.
"Thank you," Sarah replied. She took the cloth and began rubbing it over her ear. Already, she felt better. She gave the cloth back to Jareth after she was done and it disappeared. They looked at each other for a moment.
Hoggle eyed the two uncomfortably. Jareth had never been his favorite person and now it seemed as if his best friend had fallen for the rat. Hoggle had never been very wise on affairs of the heart. He decided he liked it better that way and chose to leave the two alone to their own devices. Romantic love made him discomfited.
"Uh Sarah," Hoggle said, clearing his throat. "I thinks I'd better get back to the games."
"Ok Hoggle," Sarah replied, turning towards her friend. "I'll catch up with you later. Bye Boggle."
The two brothers waved at her and walked back to join the other contestants. Jareth picked up her hand and gave a chaste kiss on the back of it. She smiled and did a small curtsey. He grinned and put his hand around her waist. Leading her back to the merchants, they chatted as they walked.
Jareth bought her a glass of lemonade and they sat on the grass to drink the liquid refreshment. They continued to chat about non important items, such as why fairies bite and whether or not the helping hands really help. Sarah couldn't remember when she'd felt so relaxed. It had to be the company, she decided. Whenever she was with Jareth, it felt like the rest of the world melted away. Before she could ponder the meaning of all that, a shadow appeared.
Sarah looked up to see Liam standing over them. She smiled up at him and tried to stand. He shook his head and plopped down on the ground next to her. She didn't miss the angry look Jareth had given, nor the triumphant look on Liam's face. Rolling her eyes, she settled in for another pissing match between the men. She just hoped they didn't begin fighting. If that happened, she would find her own way back to the Fairy Kingdom. This was becoming ridiculous.
If Sarah thought things couldn't get worse, suddenly another shadow appeared. This time it was Gough blocking the light. Sarah could see that he was definitely not happy. Both Jareth and Liam's hostile expressions were turned on the Dwarf King. He returned their glares with one of his own.
"What is this, a ménage à trois?" he asked. Sarah blushed and looked away.
"Technically, now that you're here, it would be a ménage à quatre," Jareth replied with a smirk. Sarah elbowed him in the ribs and he cried out, rubbing his wounded side.
"Or possibly, a ménage à cinq," said another male voice. Sarah sighed heavily. Could this day get any better?
Pryderi walked over to the small group. With his arrival, all hell broke loose. The men began to shout over each other and Sarah became lost in the cross-fire. Suddenly, she felt a small hand on her shoulder. She gave a little squeal of fright and turned. Catrin stood over her and smiled. Sarah heaved a sigh of relief. Catrin held out her hand and Sarah took it like a drowning person would cling to a life preserver. Catrin hauled the pretty girl to her feet and led her away from her squabbling suitors.
"I can never thank you enough," Sarah said when they were far enough away.
"Don't mention it," Catrin replied with a grin.
"I don't understand men," Sarah remarked. "Why must everything turn into a competition with them? I was having a perfectly nice day until they had to ruin it."
"That's the way of things, I suppose," Catrin replied sadly.
Both women turned to the sound of heavy footfalls behind them. The four suitors were walking quickly towards the two women. All of them dropped into deep bows at the sight of the High King's sister. She waved them to stand.
"What exactly is going on here?" she asked, frowning. The men started making their excuses when she shook her head and waved her hand across her body. "Enough! All of you should be ashamed. I know very well that Raghnall told you to behave yourselves and I find you here one step from coming to blows. You've ruined poor Sarah's day with your petty squabbles."
She stepped up to her son and said, "Liam, this is not how I raised you. I want you to return to the Nymph Kingdom at once." He bowed and disappeared, not bothering to argue.
"Pryderi," she said, standing in front of the ashamed Prince of Dragons. "I insist you return to your father's Kingdom immediately." Pryderi opened his mouth, but quickly shut it again. With a nod, he transported himself back to the Dragon Kingdom.
"Jareth," she began.
"Before you say it, auntie," he interrupted. "I must apologize to you both. I'm terribly sorry Sarah. Please forgive me for my rude behavior."
"Thank you Jareth," Sarah replied with a sigh. "I forgive you."
"Now, if you'll excuse me," he said. "I must return to my Kingdom. Good day to you both." He waved his hand and disappeared.
"I'm going to take my leave as well, Sarah," Catrin said, glaring at Gough. "You will behave yourself or we will be having this discussion with the High King."
"Yes, Your Majesty," Gough managed.
Catrin smiled warmly at Sarah and transported herself back to the Nymph Kingdom to speak with her angry son. Now that she had seen them all together, it was obvious that Sarah and Jareth were the true match. Unfortunately, she could tell that Liam was not going to accept this as fact. This was not going to be an easy conversation.
Sarah and Gough managed to make it through the rest of the games without incident. Hoggle won with the help of Boggle and Sarah celebrated with the two brothers after the closing ceremonies. Sir Didymus and Ludo joined them all and Sarah couldn't have been happier. After the celebration, Gough returned her back to her room within the Fairy Kingdom. He placed a chaste kiss upon her cheek and she watched him disappear. She went into her room to talk to Allie. Tomorrow, she'd speak to Pryderi. Then she could finalize her plan to end her courtship with Gough. She hoped it would work. She couldn't put up with another afternoon like that. Enough was enough.
