Chapter 15. Tangled webs
Sarah was still struggling upon the King's shoulder when the spinning sensation ended. She looked about when her eye focused and found herself in the center of the circular chamber of the Goblin King's throne room. "No!" she collapsed down over his shoulder, "No, not here."
Jareth snorted, "Of course here, Sarah…where else… you would have preferred the puzzle room?" he mocked. "Or would you like some place dark and clandestine … I've still got the Oubliette open."
"Put me down!" She demanded, yelping loudly as he smacked her bottom yet again. "Stop that you pervert!"
"Oh Sarah, I've yet to be perverse with you…" He warned with a broad smile on his handsome face. He looked down at Toby, "Be a good boy and play quietly while Sarah and I have a chat." Flicking his wrist he provided the child with a wooden box of soldiers. He looked at Georgie and added with a friendly smirk. "You too," He then strolled over to the throne and dumped the girl on his shoulders unceremoniously into the cushioned seat. He placed his hand on the arms of the throne preventing her from escaping, "Now… as for you, my dear."
"I'm not your dear…I'm not your anything." She protested defiantly.
"Of course you are, Sarah, you have always been and you always will be mine." He corrected with a gleam in his eyes.
"I hear congratulations are in order… you've wed since last we met." She shot at him with more anger then she'd meant to convey.
Jareth heard the resentment, but he also heard the jealousy and was suddenly quite pleased. "Yes… well, thank you my dear…your well wishes have always meant so much to me."
Sarah wondered what he'd do if she used her shoe to remove that grin from his face. "You're so very welcome." She snapped.
Jareth leaned closer, his voice dropped and sounded even more suggestive than usual. "Missed me darling?"
"Like a root cannel." She replied, but could not help the color that rose in her cheeks.
He let his eyes wander down her, approving of the changes time had made. "My my," He growled softly, from the back of his throat. "How nicely you've turned out." He studied the line of her figure in the revealing bodice and the feminine skits. "I really do approve of your change in attire. This is far more fetching than your jeans. Far more… womanly."
"You're a married man." She whispered harshly.
"I'm a man, Sarah." He agreed. "And the only one who will ever have the pleasure of your company." He breathed her in. "Sarah." He groaned softly. "No one in the universe is as intoxicating as you."
She trembled, leaning back in the throne. "Jareth…stop!"
The Goblin King smiled, nodded and stepped back. "Yes, for now…" He looked over to the boys playing quietly and happily in the pit in the floor. "I'm glad they seem so at home here in the underground. It will make for an easy transition for them."
"Transition?" She sat upright, her face inches from where the King's had been moments ago. "What transition?"
He looked back at the girl and leaned to one side of the throne on the ivory arm. "I'm a little piqued with you, my dear." He scolded. "Running off as you did." He wagged a finger in her face. "Why didn't you just call out to me?"
"I don't know what you're talking about." She slapped the finger out of her face.
"Of course if you had, and it had been trivial I would never have answered… but Sarah, surely you must realize that I would never allow some mortal thug to terrorize you. While you and I may be at odds, I would never allow anyone… and I mean anyone to damage my most prized subject."
"I am not your subject." She protested loudly; "Prized or other wise, Goblin King."
"Of course you are, darling." He scrunched his nose at her.
Adrianna stood hidden in the hall, she watched with glee as the King and the Bard crossed lances of words.
"Oh really, and when did all this take place?" She challenged.
"Let's see," He pretended to think, and then winked. "From the moment you entered my realm."
"No…" She shook her head. "You invited me here to win back Toby."
Jareth looked over at the boy, smiled and then looked back at the fetching young woman seated uncomfortably on his throne. "Oh come now, sweetling. I'm fond of the boy… but it was never about him…." He then growled softly. "Never," His eyes narrowed and his nostrils flared.
Sarah was as surprised by her sharp intake of breath as the King was. She swallowed and tried to speak but no sound came. She found herself edging back to the curve of the throne, not that it put enough space between her and the man.
"You should have called me," he continued as if she were sitting quietly having a conversation instead of looking for a means of escape. "Instead I have to be told by scorched Goblins the danger you've been in."
"Scorched Goblins?" she frowned. "You were having me followed!" She accused.
"Not followed precisely. Just… observed." He teased.
"Followed, observed… tormented for years… you know they have been tormenting me and you allowed it." She lunged forward from the back of the throne and accused him.
Jareth wasn't phased in the least by her accusation, he nodded proudly. "Of course I allowed it," he boasted. "After all you went running off, and didn't even look back. Now you knew I'd never stand for that….I mean…" he snickered. "I'm not going to be ignored." He leaned closer.
"Drama Queen!" she accused.
"Brat," He growled back, and before she could offer another volley went on. "So I find you, racing your way up to that lovely little cabin on your mountain… and I race to get to you…having a big rescue scene all planed and what do you do? You go and wish yourself underground… but if that's not enough…you also make it impossible for me to find you." He tapped her cheek with the tips of gloved fingers lightly. "Now I ask you, was that nice?" The hand cupped her face. "What were you thinking of?"
"Staying alive and protecting the boys." She said with a shudder at the memory of what had nearly happened to them all. "Worrying over your hurt feelings was the last thing on my mind. You have no idea of what it was like."
The hand that had been soft at her cheek slid to the back of her neck and gripped it violently. "No?" He gritted though clenched teeth. "Think again my girl. I was on the mountain when they showed up, the assassins, sent out to murder you and my boy…. But that's one mistake they won't make again."
"Good." She growled.
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Breanna saw the girl in pink peering into the throne room, her hand at her mouth. She was sure the girl had not seen her or she'd have gone into her perfect princess act. Slipping into the invisibility that was a trait of the children of Oberon, she watched as the bride her son had been forced to accept fluffed her gown and pulled out of the air two hideous fabric swatches. "Jareth!" she called out in a breathy voice, "Oh Jerikins!" Breanna watched with disbelieving eyes as the girl skipped into the throne room. Still cloaked the daughter of the High King followed the Pink Princess into the throne room.
Adrianna pretended to be distracted. "Could you help me? I can't make up my mind…which of these looks better, this one or this one?" She practically flung the fabrics into the King's face. Then she looked over at the girl sitting on the throne. "Oh, Bard…" she practically squeaked. "How nice, are you telling a story to the King?" She looked at her husband and cooed. "I didn't know you knew the Widow McFadden."
"Widow McFadden." He pushed the swatches out of his face. "Yes, I am well acquainted with the Bard."
Ignoring him now she turned on the dark haired woman seated on her husband's throne. "Which do you prefer?"
"Adrianna this is not the time." Jareth began.
"But I don't have any other time." She moaned. "I have to have the seats of the dinning hall changed before dinner!" She shook the fabrics in Sarah's face. "Help me." She was feigning tears.
"What does the rest of the room look like?" Sarah asked in defense.
Jareth looked at her, "It doesn't matter what the room looks like, you and I are not finished with our…business."
"Oh you can talk to the Bard anytime." Adrianna pulled Sarah by the hand and began to drag her behind her.
Jareth latched onto her other hand and pulled Sarah back. "Adrianna, I said no."
"Hey, mortal here, this hurts!" Sarah shouted at the two battling Fae. She tried to pull free of both hands clamped down on her.
Adrianna made a face. "I want her help, now." She looked ready to pitch a fit. She could see the mortal girl pull back in fear and her husband looked furious. At that moment Zoan made the mistake of entering. The Pink Princess pointed to the leader of the Hobgoblin Guards and threatened loudly. "Either I get the Bard, or I put Zoan in a pink chiffon gown that will stay on him the rest of his life."
Sarah looked at the horrified face on the Hobgoblin. "I'll go with her." She said to Jareth quickly. "Just don't let anything happen to my boys."
Jareth, imagining the goblin in the pink fabric nodded. "Yes, perhaps that is best for now, Sarah. I will keep the boys with me." He reluctantly released the girl to his wife. "Adrianna, I want Sarah returned to me."
"Sarah?" Adrianna gave him a blank look, as if she didn't know whom he was talking about. When he snorted, she sighed. "Oh is her name Sarah? Fine when I'm done with her you can have her back." She grabbed the wrist and dragged Sarah out of the room.
Breanna waited until the princess was gone and appeared as if she were just arriving. "Well, what have we here?" she asked looking down at the two boys.
Jareth sank to the floor beside Toby who was still sitting with his mouth wide open from having watched his sister being dragged off. "Now is not a good time, Mother."
Zoan, still shuddering from the recent threat sank to the floor as well.
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Adrianna's hand was like a vice, and it tightened to make sure Sarah followed her. They arrived in the state dinning room and Sarah gasped at the grandeur. Having seen so little of the palace, she had not expected anything quite on the parallel of this room. It reminded her of pictures she'd seen of Versailles. The only hint of this caste of grandeur had been the crystal Ballroom and up until this moment Sarah had always believed that to have been a dream.
"Holy mother of god…" Sarah breathed as she looked around the room. "This is perfect…why do you want to change it?"
"It's not perfect," Argued the princess. "It's bland… boring…ordinary and….white." She kicked one of the expensive and well made chairs and it toppled over.
Sarah wondered to herself when the last time was this brat had a good spanking. "Stop that." She reprimanded the girl.
Adrianna pouted. "But it's boring." She stuck out her lower lip. "These are much prettier."
"And totally wrong for a room like this… in a private tea room or a boudoir, those would be fine… Not in a state dinning room." Sarah suddenly felt like she was dealing with a petulant child. "I'm sure your own Father didn't have anything like that in his state dinning hall, now did he?"
The Pink Princess pouted. "No."
Sarah shook her head, "And I'm sure you know better… how old are you?"
"How old are you?" the princess shot back.
"I'm twenty." Sarah said truthfully.
Laughing the princess sat on the floor, her gown fluffed around her. "Oh I'm ever so much older than that."
"Then act it." Sarah said sharply.
"Don't be cross with me," Pleaded the girl tugging on Sarah's hem. "He never let's me have any fun…"
Sarah doubted that, "Perhaps he does not agree with your idea of fun Princess."
She pouted, "You're still cross." She put her elbows on raised knees and pouted. "You don't like me."
"I don't know you." Sarah said cautiously.
The Pink Princess looked up, astounded. "That's right," she whispered in a breathy voice. "You don't… Oh but you must get to know me…." She stood up and tossed the hideous pink swatches into the air and they vanished. "Alright, I'll let the dinning room stay as it is. But you have to help me with my boudoir, agreed?"
Sarah wondered if Jareth would be grateful or angry, "Agreed."
The princess linked arms with the mortal girl. "Oh we are going to have such fun…you, and I…and Jarikins."
'Jarikins is going to kill me.' Sarah thought as they walked back toward the throne room.