Hola, hola, Coca-Cola! Pfft! Funny, huh? That's something a friend of mine likes to say a lot.
Didn't keep you waiting TOO long, did I? Well, here's chapter 4, which is even MORE romantic than the last chapter! Fellow fangirls, this one's for you! (Oh, and we're finishing up the Howl tribute in this one.)
"Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups."—The Depressories Calendar 2009 (I bought it for next year!)
Chapter 4: Everything I Do, The Crystal Ballroom
The great curse of one's life is often being the bearer of bad news; what makes it worse is to bear it to someone you're close to. I know this is what must be done for my kingdom, but how will I ever tell Jareth? How will he react? What will he say? Oh, God help the foul traitor who captured Amalthea if ever I get my hands on him!
Toby burst out of the window and rushed to his sister.
"Sarah!" he cried as he hugged her tightly around her waist (which was a bit of a reach for him), "I saw you walking in the sky with the king! A goblin told me you were attacked by gargoyles! Are you all right?"
"So I wasn't dreaming," she murmured as she looked at her crystal, "It really happened."
"Well heck, Sarah! I could've told you that!" Toby frowned, "Did the Goblin King get you out safe?"
"Uh-huh," she nodded absentmindedly, "Come on, let's get to bed before something else happens."
In her room she was anxiously greeted by her three friends.
"Sarah!" Hoggle fretted, "Yer not hurt, are ye?"
"Good heavens, my lady!" piped Didymus, "Thou has wind in thy hair and stars in thine eyes! Hast thou been bewitched, that thou art so silent?"
"Sarah safe!" Ludo hugged her.
"Yes, Ludo, you're right," she smiled, "I'm okay. Have you all met Toby?"
"Yea, verily!" Didymus chirped, then muttered to Hoggle, "I say, Sir Hoggle, a word in thy private ear, if I may? Ambrosius, come! Excuse us, my lady!" He led Hoggle off to the side and they huddled together.
"What is it, Didymus?" said Hoggle impatiently, not done fretting over Sarah.
"Understand, Sir Hoggle, that I am a man of action," Didymus said quietly, "I haven't a keen eye for such things, and—well, the Bog of Stench is hardly a Lover's Lane, but…methinks the lady hath the look of Cupid's victim in her face!"
"What are you talkin' about?" said the dwarf.
"Methinks the king hath been the cause of our lady having stars in her eyes!" he hissed, "Methinks she's falling in love with the king!"
"What, Jareth?" said Hoggle incredulously, "Our Sarah, fallen for Jareth? You've got fleas in your brain!"
"But think, Sir Hoggle!" he persisted, "She's just floated onto her balcony from a magical air walk with the aid of His Majesty Jareht, who hath gallantly rescued her from dangerous night creatures! I tell you, she's utterly enchanted by him!"
"Since when does a teenage girl become your personal soap opera?" Hoggle stormed, "I'm telling you, i-it's impossible, preposterous! She's probably just spooked from those gargoyles! Can't say I blame her; they give me the willies, they do."
As Hoggle hobbled off muttering to himself, Sir Didymus shook his head with a sigh. He could tell that deep down, Hoggle knew he was right. Hoggle had been closest to Sarah and Jareth both and he knew how Jareth felt about her, but Hoggle had the deepest of paternal affections for Sarah, and he did not trust Jareth. He had doubts as to how Jareth would treat her as opposed to how he had once treated Hoggle. Didymus knew all that.
Ambrosius whined sympathetically and was pet on the head by his master.
"Yea, Ambrosius," he nodded, "'Tis a truth that will not be easy for our friend to accept."
While he and Hoggle had been having their discussion, Toby was interrogating Sarah about her attackers. She was sitting on the side of her bed and Toby stood in front of her with his hands on her knees, eager for details.
"Tell me, Sarah!" he bounced, "Were they anything like the guys in my dream?"
"They were the guys in your dream, Toby," she confessed, "The cloaks, the axes, everything. I think they were the same two guys you fought with. They even said something about how they could leave 'the boy' alone now that they'd found me. I think that was you."
"Oh, no…" The boy's eyes widened fearfully. "They found you! This is terrible! We've gotta tell Jareth!"
"Toby, he already knows," she stopped him, "He and the goblins are taking care of it as we speak. They'll keep us safe."
"Are you sure?" Toby asked anxiously. He never doubted the goblins or their king, but he was terrified for his sister. Sarah met his eyes strongly.
"No one will find us tonight," she said as she touched his face, "Such is the word of the Goblin King." Her voice was soft but firm in faith and it calmed her brother. He nodded and she smiled. They both looked up quickly at the clap of thunder and rain spattered on the window panes of the door. Ambrosius crawled under the bed in a fit of yelps while Hoggle hurried over to the window door and locked it.
"Sounds like His Majesty's having fun out there," he laughed, "Must be washin' out the bodies by now."
"Ew!" said Sarah.
"Cool!" said Toby.
"Ambrosius, come out from under there this minute!" scolded Didymus.
"Guys, it's bedtime," Sarah said, "I'm tired and you, little prince, have been up way too long."
"Can I sleep with you tonight?" he asked, "Just to make sure no one tries to take you away?"
"I'll be fine, Toby," she smiled, "but if it'll make you feel better, okay." She changed into her PJs in the bathroom—a long T-shirt and pants—and settled into her bed with Toby, who had Lancelot in his arms…and Jareth's crystal in his hands!
"What'd he give you this for, Sarah?" he asked curiously, trying to look through it. She blushed profusely and took it back.
"A sleeping aid," she answered as she laid down, "in case I can't sleep from all the excitement."
"Hmph," Hoggle said, "Just you be careful what you take from Jareth. Don't forget what happened last time." (Oh, look who's talking!)
"Last time he was trying to keep me out of his castle," Sarah smiled at him, "This time he's trying to protect me." She held the crystal above her head between her thumb and forefinger; the broken reflection of the moonlight and raindrops caught on the round edge and shone with ethereal luster.
"What'll it do?" Toby murmured in awe as he stared up at it with his head on her shoulder. She smiled serenely and mysteriously.
"Just watch," she whispered as she slowly let go. It slowly revolved in the air with all colors of the rain bow glinting on its edges and swimming across its surface.
"It's so pretty," Toby slurred sleepily, "Just like Glinda, the Good Witch." Sarah sighed contentedly, the crystal's magic wafting around her like perfume, lulling her into a state of absolute trust in the giver of the gift.
In her dream, she was standing in another ballroom party with the difference being that this ballroom was more spacious and more brightly lit. It resembled the ballroom of Captain Von Trapp from The Sound of Music with the wall of windows and balcony from Beauty and the Beast. Another difference (one that made Sarah feel more comfortable) was that none of the partygoers were champagne-soaked adults in goblin masks; instead they were all bare-faced teenagers like her, ranging between 15 and 18, all dressed in the most elegant ball formals. They were polite and refined, a major step up from her usual society. The one thing that remained the same from her last dream ball was her dress; it was the same giant, poofy white dress she'd worn the last time, and her hair and jewelry were the same, too. In a way, it comforted her. It was as if the Goblin King was using symbolism to tell her that, like her outfit, his feelings for her hadn't changed.
She looked up at the young man beside her and did a double-take.
"Toby!" she gasped. He smiled at her; he was a tall, handsome young man somewhere between 16 and 18. He was wearing a blue-coated costume similar to the prince from Beauty and the Beast (or like Patrick Dempsey from Enchanted). His sandy hair was still shaggy and curved around his face, which was the face of a warrior. He had a rapier sword on his side to prove it.
"Surprised?" he asked with an older voice with a background of his usual sunshine.
"You're…you're…" She couldn't come up with a proper way to express how flabbergasted she was. He laughed.
"Yeah, I know," he said with an arm around her, "I'm a handsome devil, aren't I? But look at you! You look beautiful! Is that what you wore when you ate that peach?"
"Yeah," she nodded. Toby whistled.
"No wonder Jareth danced with you," he said appreciatively, "You look like an angel, Sarah. I bet we're the best-looking couple here, and we're not even a couple!"
"Excuse me, sir," said an angelic voice, "Might I have the Landler?"
Sarah heard and saw Toby gulp; the gorgeous owner of that voice was a sixteen-year-old version of none other than strawberry blonde, blue-eyed Molly Stevens! (The girl he yelled at in chapter one!) Sarah looked at her brother with an amused smile. He held up a dance card, recovering his swank.
"A thousand apologies, miss," he said, "but I've already promised the Landler to my sister. Perhaps the first waltz?"
"I'd love to," she curtsied, "That's so sweet that you dance with your sister! I wish my brother danced with me!"
"Until later, then," he bowed and took Sarah's elbow to walk off with her before his face turned red.
"Well, Toby," she smiled, highly amused, "Either Jareth's magic is that good, or you have a very futuristic imagination!" Toby's face was blood-red as they got in line for the Landler dance (for those of you who don't know, that's the dance from The Sound of Music…unless I'm spelling it wrong.)
"Sorry," he said as they danced, "You probably weren't supposed to see that."
"I think it's sweet," she objected, "It's cute to have a crush at your age! I assume you've apologized to her?"
"Yeah, I went to her house while you were gone," he said, "It's funny, though; she said the strangest thing. She told me she wasn't crying because I yelled at her. She said she cried because the things I said about her character made her feel so sorry for her. She said she understands her better now; she even sang part of 'Memory' for me."
"And…?" Sarah prompted with a smile as the girls walked around their partners while the boys clapped rhythmically.
"Boy, she wasn't lying," Toby said, taking her hand, "Let's just say she'll blow everyone away." Sarah grinned at how cute he was and they continued the dance.
After it was over and everyone applauded, the lights dimmed down to a soft glow and a huge disco ball—of all things—was lit up. It was strange, but was also a dream, so it was okay. The intro was starting up to Bryan Adams' "Everything I Do."
"Excuse me, young man," said a smooth, familiar voice, "Mind if I cut in?" Toby gave a crooked smile of amusement; Jareth was right next to Sarah!
"Not at all, Your Majesty," he bowed, "so long as I get her back in one piece! Be nice to him, Sarah; he did save your life!"
He scampered off laughing—probably to find Molly, Sarah guessed. She turned to look at Jareth; he was wearing the same outfit he'd worn in the first dream, too! He looked breathtaking in the dim lighting and the dappled lights of the disco ball, which made the glitter in his suit sparkle like stars that had just exploded in a dazzling shimmer. He must have been thinking the same thing about her, because the way he was smiling at her with such soft eyes touched Sarah in the secret corners of her heart, which was where the butterflies came from and flew to her stomach.
Look into my eyes
You will see
what you mean to me
"Shall we dance?" he asked softly as he held out his hand to her; speechless, she took it and let him lead her to the dance floor, neither one of them looking away.
Search your heart
Search your soul
And when you find me there,
you'll search no more
"In case you were wondering," he said as they danced, "I really am here."
"Huh?" she asked.
"I'm no dream," he clarified, "Those pesky gargoyles have been taken care of, so I decided to join the party."
"You're not sleeping in my room too, are you?" she blurted in alarm.
"Of course not, you silly girl," he chuckled, "All of me is here: Body, mind, and heart."
Don't tell me
it's not worth trying for
You can't tell me
it's not worth dying for
"You know it's true," Jareth sang along so only she could hear, "Everything I do…I do it for you." Begging herself not to cry, Sarah smiled and danced with him through the whole song; they moved as smoothly and gracefully as they had the first time they danced together. Sarah couldn't yet put a name to what was happening to her, but she did know how he made her feel when he came to her. "Safe," was definitely one accurate label; she'd figure out the rest later. For now, she was content to dance in his arms and her brother's—the two men who loved her the most.
Author's Review:
Awwww, how adorably sweet!
By the way, this chapter is a special dedication to anyone on YouTube who may have done a video of this couple to that song! I did find one once, but now I can't find it. So if you've done a video like that, let me know so I can praise your work! ^_^
Kudos for Sir Didymus, huh? For a guy with one working eye, he sure hits the nail on the head!
STAY TUNED FOR A REVEALING CHAPTER FIVE!!!