NOTE: This chapter gets a little steamy, so I hope you enjoy it. Let me know what you think. I've been told that my romantic scenes are a bit weird.
The smell of damp rot and mildew was almost choking. Aaron had found some sort of wooden plank in the oubliette that turned out to be some sort of door. Aaron had ushered Tess out, but took the lead. The tunnel had narrowed and now they were crawling on their hands and knees. Tess coughed and tried taking in air that wasn't permeated with stench. She had, unfortunately, lost her glasses at some point between running from the spiders and getting out of the oubliette.
"We should be almost out of here" Aaron told her. Tess was moving slowly, her one hand tucked up against her.
"Good, this is disgusting" Tess said. The small tunnel had a floor of dark mud and the occasional piece of plant life. They trudged along for another twenty minutes. The scenery didn't change and neither did their direction. Tess heard, rather than saw, Aaron open some sort of grate, then he disappeared into a bright light. Tess kept moving.
"Come on" Aaron said. As soon as Tess got to the end of the tunnel, he helped her out. They were both trodden with black mud.
"Where are we?" Tess asked. Aaron looked around. It was the junkyard which meant…
"We're not too far from the city gates" Aaron replied. Tess was pallid and her hand still glossed with red. "Are you alright, Tess?"
"Yeah, I'm good" Tess said. She was a little breathy, but seemed stable. Aaron gestured in the direction for them to go and Tess took the lead.
The junkyard gave Tess a creepy feeling of being watched and too much nostalgia. There were old teddy bears and childhood desks, bicycles, skateboards, action figures and dolls, and all kinds of other junk from the days of youth. The sky, specifically above this particular section of the labyrinth, was dark and stormy. As Tess and Aaron moved through the paths, a crack would sound and a few more toys were fall onto the piles.
"What is this place?" Tess asked. She watched as an oversized horse doll fell from the sky. Aaron ushered her along, hesitant to stop.
"The junkyard. There are great dangers here" Aaron informed her. They hurried through the junkyard and were both relieved when they reached the main gates. The gates, together, formed a very large metal man. The metal man's eyes flashed at the approaching duo.
"Who goes?" It bellowed.
"Aaron and Tess" Aaron called out. There was a loud click.
"Pass" It bellowed. The gates opened, splitting the metal man in two. Aaron pulled Tess along. Before them stood a great city with the castle just beyond.
"We made it" Tess said relieved. She couldn't make out the details, but in general she could see well enough. The city was bustling with activity. It was the complete opposite of the lonely junkyard. Small somewhat-ugly creatures, goblins, pushed carts here and there, carried baskets, chased after their kids, and moseyed about. It was so normal that it seemed surreal. Tess and Aaron headed for the castle. They were both slow and were somewhat stumbling.
"Hey, watch it!" A goblin yelled. Aaron had nearly spilled one of the two large pails of milk it was carrying. Aaron muttered an apology and kept on.
"I'm tired" Tess groaned. They were close to the castle. They just had to cross a long bridge that led to the castle doors. Tess reached for the bridge railing and leaned against it.
"Just a little further" Aaron told her. He wrapped an arm around her and pulled her along with him. They trudged along, slow yet methodical. For Tess it seemed to take forever. They moved past the castle door. Aaron pulled her along to the throne room.
"Jareth?" Aaron called out. They rounded the corner and faced the throne room. Jareth was perched on his throne with a line of local goblins before him, each one ready to state any grievance they might have. Jareth raised a hand to the small goblin before him. The room fell quiet and Jareth silently watched as the two fell to their knees in exhaustion.
"Continue" Jareth said to the small goblin. The small goblin nodded.
"Yes, sire" The goblin said. "As I was saying, I gave two baskets of taters to Smeg and he never gave me milk in return."
"Oh, I did!" A taller goblin called out.
"Quiet" Jareth ordered. He had a riding crop in his hand and was tapping it on his boot. After a quiet minute he looked at Smeg. "Do you owe him milk?"
"His taters were rotten. Rotten!" Smeg burst out. "I don't owe nothing."
"Smeg, give him the milk you owe him" Jareth ordered. Smeg huffed and nodded. "I think that will be it for today. I'll have extended hours later on. Come back tomorrow."
The room cleared out surprisingly fast. Once the goblins were gone Jareth turned to Aaron and Tess. He stepped down from his throne and meandered over to them with his riding crop in hand. Aaron was covered in mud and the acquired marks of pain from his previous trip to the dungeon. Tess was nearly unrecognizable.
"What happened to you two? Wasn't she in glasses? She looks like a mud dragged banshee" Jareth said. He used the riding crop to push some muddy hair from Tess's face. Aaron watched and found that she had passed out against him.
"Tess?" Aaron said. He put an arm around her in an effort to help support her.
"Grab rooms upstairs!" Jareth ordered with a firm yell. Aaron shook his head and remained on the floor. "You both should spend the night in a barn. You're filthy!"
"I don't have the strength to stand with her" Aaron replied. Jareth, if he had been lesser of a man, would have rolled his eyes, but instead waved his hands. His brother and Tess both faded away.
The castle was quiet for the middle of the day as it usually was, unless he had an audience to watch a labyrinth runner. Jareth wandered the castle with his bottle of wine from earlier, hoping for some thoughts in regards to Sarah. She hadn't wanted him when she was younger and she clearly wasn't interested now. Was she? The small seed of doubt haunted him. Would he have to decipher her words and actions? Did she even know what she wanted or was she living up to someone else's expectations?
Jareth had not spent his life flitting from woman to woman, as many Fae were prone to do. It's not as if he hadn't been presented with the opportunities, he just wasn't interested in wasting his time and energy in such fruitless affairs.
Jareth found a window and perched on the ledge. He poured wine into the goblet he was holding and sipped it. His kingdom was a prospering place. He had brought it out of near anarchy and had made it productive, "economically viable" was the phrase used by the high Fae court. His personal reputation had taken a blow at the high court, but professionally he was well-respected.
Jareth watched clouds slow move through the sky. Birds flittered around, chasing each other and singing songs. A part of him wanted to transform into an owl and chase after them, hunt them. Instead he drank his wine and watched them. Aaron had the ability to simply change form at any given time and do as he pleased. Jareth snorted at the thought. Aaron had no boundaries and Jareth had too many. He thought about Sarah and he felt emptiness settle in his chest. It was a darkness that he was use to.
Perhaps I am a fribbler, Jareth thought. He had gotten through the high court being flirtatious, but never pursuing any one person until Sarah had come along. Rumors had sprouted up that the human had rejected him. The rumors were unheeded foresight, apparently.
Jareth finished his glass of wine before refilling his glass and wandering on through the castle. He longed to walk until his legs seized up, but instead he found himself standing in front of Sarah's door. He shifted the bottle so it was held in the crook of his arm, and then knocked on the door. When the door finally opened, it wasn't because Sarah had opened it. Jareth quietly entered the room and found Sarah asleep on the bed, her face resting on the journal and pencil still in her hand.
Jareth sighed and set his bottle and goblet on the vanity. He quietly turned the chair around and sat. The time difference could, at times, be incredible between worlds. He looked down and saw her bag resting against the foot of the vanity. Jareth opened the bag and found a thick stack of paper bound together with a large black clip. It was Sarah's novel.
Jareth sipped his wine and relaxed in the chair. He could think of nothing more important at that moment than reading her work.
Aaron stepped out from the hot water of the shower feeling immensely better. His muscles still ached and he was, of course, still covered in bruises and welts, but he felt better. Jareth had been kind enough to leave them in a room that held a few changes of clothes. Aaron pulled on a loose pair of cotton lounge-style pants and found a hair tie to get his wet hair secured on his head.
Tess was still a mess and was lying on some towels, on the floor. Her hand had a temporary bandage on it. It would have to come off and she would need to shower. Aaron knelt beside her and started taking off her boots.
"Tess" Aaron said. After her boots were off, he tapped her cheek. "Tess, I need you to wake up." Tess moved, automatically giving a little stretch. "Tess, you need to get up."
"Hmm?" Tess groaned before opening her eyes. Aaron smiled at her. "Where are we?"
"We're safe" Aaron replied. He helped her sit up. "I need you to take a shower so we can get your hand fixed up."
"Where are my glasses?" Tess asked. Her hand had automatically sought them out. She stood up with Aaron pulling her up.
"You lost them" Aaron told her.
"Oh" Tess said with a yawn. She started pulling her cardigan off. "Is there anything to change into?"
"I will bring in clothes" Aaron said ushering her to the bathroom. She waited for him to leave before turning the shower on. When Aaron returned to bring her some folded clothes, she was in the middle of pulling her pants off. "I will be out here."
"Thanks" Tess said. Aaron refrained from asking if she needed help and backed out of the bathroom. How long had he been awake now? He pushed the thought away. It would make him feel more tired than he was if he dwelled on it. He sat on the bed and watched the closed door. His mind could only imagine what she looked like in the shower.
He felt heat rush through his belly and a strong desire to alleviate the lust that followed. Instead, Aaron pushed himself up from the bed and went to look out the window. There wasn't anything of note to take his attention away from his thoughts.
It seemed like such an operose task to watch out the window and ignore the carnal thoughts. Aaron was unaware that Tess had even finished her shower until she stood next to him at the window. She was in pants similar to his and a long poet shirt. The clothes were far too large on her petite frame, making her look as if she was drowning in the cotton.
"Is there another hair tie?" Tess asked. She was holding her hair on her head, in the form of a bun. Aaron blinked at her before retrieving a hair tie. He didn't say a word, just simply tied her hair up for her. "What's going on?"
"I was just…thinking" Aaron said. He pulled her over to the bed and looked at her sliced hand. She would need stitches for her jagged cut. Aaron disappeared into the bathroom and came back with a small leather bag. Jareth had to have sent it there for them. Tess watched as Aaron pulled out a spool of black thread, scissors, and a very sharp looking needle. Tess groaned and pulled her hand closer to herself. "You need stitches."
"Shouldn't we have a doctor do it?" Tess asked. Aaron had the needle prepped in no time and gently pulled Tess's hand closer to him. He knelt down and pulled her hand where he needed it to be.
"Tell me about something" Aaron said. He looked up at Tess, who looked worried. "Did you always want to be a writer?"
"I never really knew what else to do with my—OW!" Tess cried out. Aaron held her hand firmly and managed to tie the first stitch. "I spent most of my life writing."
Tess hissed when Aaron pushed the needle through her tender palm again. He tied another knot before speaking. "What kind of projects are you working on now?"
"Two novels" Tess gritted. "A graphic novel and a short story for a magazine." Aaron tied another knot. "I have a thriller series that the novels are for, but the graphic novel is science fiction."
"Does that sell well aboveground?" Aaron asked. Tess was staring at his wet hair, formed into a dark brown bun. He was quick to stick her again. His grip tightened on her hand when she flinched.
"Yeah" Tess said trying to focus on his hair. Her eyes slipped to her palm. "I make a comfortable living from it."
"Almost done, Tess" Aaron told her. She grunted when he threaded the needle through her palm one last time. Her palm was not only sore, but now it throbbed and felt as if it was on fire. He tied the thread and took a minute to trim the thread on the knots. His work was quite good. "There. I think you're done."
"Where did you learn to do this?" Tess asked. Aaron pulled out a gauze wrap and started wrapping her hand.
"I told you before" Aaron said. "I come across a lot of people and animals in need." He tucked the gauze in on itself and looked up at Tess. "That should do it."
"Thank you" Tess said. Aaron stroked the soft skin of Tess's wrist and felt the warm surge he had felt before. He didn't hesitate, simply acted. His lips crushed Tess's and he dragged her onto the bed with him. He felt her arms around his neck and smiled to himself.
"Tess" Aaron growled. He trailed kisses down her neck and began to push the oversized shirt up. As soon as her stomach was exposed, he pushed himself down to kiss the tender skin. His lips grazed a spot where her stomach met her ribs and Tess unleashed a hearty laugh.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry" Tess said. "I'm just ticklish there."
"That's good to know" Aaron said sitting back on his knees. He found her violet-grey eyes watching him and he smiled. "You're beautiful."
"You're a liar" Tess said with a laugh. She gestured with a finger and he leaned down to kiss her. Tess's good hand rested on his collarbone and seemed to encourage Aaron. He slid a hand down her side and began pushing her shirt up. He broke the kiss just long enough to remove the shirt.
"Pants" Aaron whispered between kisses. Tess felt him begin to pull her pants down.
There was a scream from somewhere. Aaron and Tess both stopped to listen. Yelling followed, but it was muffled.
"What is that?" Tess asked. Aaron groaned and rolled onto his back. "Aaron?"
"Probably that Sarah girl" Aaron said. He was straining against his cotton pants. Tess rolled over and kissed his chest. "She will be fine." Aaron pulled at her pants and rolled her over again. He ran a rough hand over her smooth legs and pulled them up to wrap around his waist. Tess was lost in sensation and bombarded by his kisses. At some point, in the sensual fog, he had lost his pants.
"Aaron" Tess whispered breathily when he slid into her. He nipped at her neck and moaned. She so hot and wet around him. He thrust into her until he felt her tense up.
"Go on" Aaron whispered, urging her. It wasn't long before she cried out and ground her hips against him. When he felt her, he followed without much urging. It wasn't the longest sexual encounter either one had managed, but it was greatly needed. Aaron kissed Tess and moved to lie beside her.
Sleep claimed both of them relatively quick. Neither one of them heard the continuing argument from down the hall.