Disclaimer: See chapter 1. Also, a warning, there is some language in this chapter. (Not much, but I do like to give a warning.) Reviews are welcomed, flames aren't.
Chapter 24: A Night on Broadway?
The night, though young, was spoiled when Sarah and Jareth entered his reserved box. A woman barged in. She as tall as Jareth, perfectly gowned and coifed.
Sarah moved to stand as the woman stepped forward and slapped her, almost knocking Sarah to the ground.
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Sarah's eyes widened at the fury and hatred that radiated off the woman who attacked her. Thankfully, Cory caught her before she had could injure herself on the furnishings in the box. Jareth towered before the woman, his face expressionless. Sarah couldn't remember ever seeing his face that cold, not even when he had been furious with her for defying him.
"Lady Allienor Hennequin!" Cory chastised, as he righted Sarah, helping her into the nearby chair. "This is not the time or place to make a spectacle of yourself! Remember who you are!"
Sarah sat, rubbing her cheek as she looked from Cory to the woman who attacked her. To call her a lady in Sarah's mind would've been a stretch. She could've passed as a super model with her tall, elegant figure and blonde hair pulled back into a french braided knot. 'She probably was,' Sarah thought caustically, feeling slightly out of her league. She could never compete with the beauty of Fae women.
With cat-like grace, Jareth stepped in front of Sarah to face Allienor, looking every bit of his Goblin Fae self. Sarah shivered. This wasn't the man nor even the Fae that she had fallen in love with. Jareth looked wild and inhuman in his fury. She suffered a bit of a flashback of their first meeting when he stepped into her parent¢s bedroom the night she had wished away Toby. A slight chill ran down her spine but she would be damned if she showed any of her feelings in front of this bitch!
Allienor sniffed with disdain as she turned her attention from Sarah to Jareth. "So this is the creature you dare replace me with!" Her mouth twisted into a sneer, looking down her nose at Sarah. "How low have you fallen. To think that the blood of High King Oberon flows in your veins. You've been cavorting with your disgusting goblins too long."
Sarah knew that Jareth was beyond pissed. Just who was this woman? What was she to him? Another shiver ran down her spine. She could feel the magic in the box start to crackle. She had no idea where it was coming from. She knew that both Cory and Jareth could draw it from Underground and from her as well. Didn't this woman know how much danger she was truly in?
"Your brother has agreed to our courtship," Allienor purred scornfully. "And to have you go behind his back to cavort publicly with this filthy human slut!"
"Now just wait a moment!" Sarah said, standing, ignoring the magic that was gathering around her.
Sarah with Allienor's hand print livid against her pale skin, stood proudly. She had never backed down from a fight and she wasn't about to now! "Just who do you think you are? Coming barging in here with the manners of a street walker!"
Sarah was beginning to glow. Cory decided to step back. He knew her temper and he also knew that Sarah had the bardic gift of magic. He didn't want to get into the crossfire if she decided to let loose.
Allienor's eyes widened as Sarah stepped up beside Jareth. "SHE'S WEARING MY COURTSHIP SIGNET! IT IS MINE! HOW DARE YOU GIVE IT TO A HUMAN!" The Fae woman lunged forward to rip the necklace off of Sarah's neck.
Sarah watched as if in slow motion. Allienor lunging, Jareth pushing Sarah out of the way as he grabbed the enraged Fae. Cory moved closer to protect Sarah.
A flash of magic.
Then, only Cory and Sarah were left standing in the box.
"Wh. . .what just happened? Where did they go? What courtship signet?" she asked, glaring menacingly. Her hand went up to the key that rested around her throat.
Cory sighed, placing a hand over his eyes rubbing his temple as if trying to think of an answer that wouldn't get him hurt. "Sarah."
"Answer me! Damn IT!" She hissed, plopping into her chair. "NOW!" The magic once again started to crackle around her.
"Well, since the night is ruined anyways, let's take this someplace more private. Jareth will probably be gone for some time," Cory replied, looking a bit resigned and nervous.
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Sarah found herself Underground walking in the Rose Maze with Cory. They stopped in front of her favorite bench.
Once Sarah was sitting comfortably, Cory began his tale. "Sarah, you know when you accepted the Key to the Labyrinth, you basically agreed to Jareth's courtship. He's been courting you since last summer."
"What!?"
Cory chuckled at Sarah's stunned expression. "Yes, Sarah. The key that you so daintily display around that lovely neck is in fact, an engagement ring of sorts. Jareth did not want to tell you. You've refused him before and his pride made him reluctant to ask again. He wanted you to get to know him better and he wanted to give you time to accept his love for you. Time is very important to you humans. He felt you needed it. He didn't want to you reject his suit. He was already being pushed to marry by various members of his brother's court. As you could see, by the lady that interrupted us this evening. She has been making his life miserable for decades. Personally, I am glad he refused her. She has made his life hell and the Labyrinth would've suffered under her rule."
Sarah fingered the key around her throat, running it across its chain. She didn't know what to think about this new twist in her life. She remembered the day that he had given her the key. He had said it was for safe passage through the Labyrinth and that she could pass through any door unhindered. Now it made sense. He wanted her to get to know the Labyrinth and for It to get to know her as Its future queen.
"Sarah."
She looked up at Cory with a glazed look in her eyes as he looked down at her in concern. "You have magic. You create magic. Jareth loves you, he needs you. The Labyrinth needs you. My cousin, until you walked into his life, has been alone. I watched him grow more cold and distant with each passing century," Cory explained as he sat by her.
"My cousin was the bastard son of High King Oberon and a dark Fae. She died in childbirth. Jareth's childhood was not pleasant. He was given the goblins to rule over when his half-brother Tuathal inherited the title of High King when Oberon stepped down. It had been feared that Jareth would try to usurp the Throne, so a compromise was called for and the goblins really needed someone to rule over them. Jareth has always adored his half brother and sister, my mother, Kassiya. I have always called Jareth cousin but you know this as my mother has explained it. It just never in my mind sounded right to call him Uncle Jareth." Cory gave a slight shudder. "And I like getting on Tuathal's case by calling him 'Uncle Fluffy.' He's just so full of himself at times."
Sarah snorted, still playing with her key. "So what does this have to do with me?"
"I am getting to that. As I said, Jareth's childhood was not pleasant. There were people at both courts wanting to use him in some way. Fae politics are very brutal. I will not tell you all they did to him, let's just say he has good reasons not to trust many. When Tuathal made Jareth the Goblin King, it made my cousin equal in rank to his half-brother in his own right. However, the Goblin Throne comes with a heavy price."
"The Wish Aways."
Cory sighed and nodded. "Jareth has been cursed from the moment he took his Throne until the time he can pass it to his heir, to take those poor unwanted children be it Fae or human. He is been doing it alone for centuries. He's been dodging marriage "offers" like Allienor just as long. All they could see was his title and his throne. They care nothing for my cousin or the children that he has taken in. You know that many of the Wish Aways have been turned into goblins and of course, there are natural born goblins as well. Ladies like Allienor wouldn't care for them and have in the past, treated them with scorn."
Sarah remembered her lessons about the goblins when Jareth was teaching her last summer. Although she had felt sorry for the Wish Aways, she knew for everyone that got wished to Jareth, one out of hundreds was a mistake like what she had with Toby. Jareth must take them, test those that do the actual wishing, dispensing judgment or a lesson as needed.
Sarah was the only one that made it through in less then 13 hours. She had been lucky as well as determined to get her brother back. A woman like Allienor would never have the compassion necessary to even try.
"This summer and Fall, Allienor was the reason behind Jareth's confinement to the Labyrinth, wasn't she?"
Before Cory could answer, a goblin came up to Sarah. "Nice Lady. Nice Lady. The Goblin King sent a message. He needs you to come to him. He's very angry. I hope he doesn't take out on you, Nice Lady."
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Sorry no journal entry in this chapter. I can't believe I've been working on this story for over a year. Well, it's only got one maybe two chapters left. I really need to go back and edit earlier chapters someday.
For those that did guess who the mysterious lady was and for the loose end I wanted to tie up -- Kudos!
Until next time, and maybe the last -- GF