Bride of Allegiance

Chapter three

notes sorry for such a long wait at first it was rwiters block then we moved into the country on the wrong side of the stupid road where we couldn't get internet. i literally cried for four months. but now i'm back and the no internet thing WILL NOT happen again i swear it. anyway enjoy the third chapter i was up all night writing it.

suggestions for the fourth would be greatly appreciated cuz i've hit a major writers block

disclaimer I DO NOT OWN LABYRINTH

Five days had gone by, Sarah had had so many crash courses in behavior, etiquette, dancing, and fay history she thought she herself would crash but to eavesdrop took none of her energy. She stood in the bright hallway listening to Ayden, Malaysia, and a head advisor talk. "You know Sarah has to marry soon or he'll declare war." Ayden's voice was strong yet sorrowful all at the same time.

"I know. He is a good man he'll treat her well as a wife and a queen. I have no worries, I just don't want to let her go yet Ayden she is my only daughter, I love her." Malaysian's voice floated out of the room like little bells. Here was where Sarah had a guilty conscious and left besides she was avoiding her tutors. She needed to hide. Fast.

"It's not like were losing her forever Malaysian, you should be grateful he has decided to allay with us in war and security with only the price of marrying our daughter. You should be happy for her to be marrying so early in her life. The northern king told his wife in a happy tone.

Malaysian sighed, "I am happy for her. Jareth will treat her well."

Sarah had long since brought up the subject about never receiving coffee always tea, Malaysian would frown at her claiming that she was much too young yet for so much caffeine . The discussion ended then and there. Coffee was banned to her and she had already begun to have withdrawals. It wasn't pretty that was for sure.

During dinner at the large, wood banqueting table Ayden had told Sarah she is to be engaged tomorrow evening to jareth the great all-powerful, self-centered goblin king. She had made an outburst and scene then was sent moodily to her bedroom like a five year old throwing a temper tantrum. She couldn't marry jareth but then again she couldn't go against Ayden's wishes he would surely lash out at her. Sarah tried to reason with herself that jareth wasn't all that bad and that he probably knew a way to get back home to Toby. Then it dawned on her, what if she couldn't get back home? Then she would be stuck here in this alternate life to marry the goblin king.

Sarah stomped her slippered foot on the pale blue marbled floor of her bedroom and made a noise of frustration. A very familiar sentence was bubbling up to meet her lips. "It's not fair" she pouted flopping down on the perfectly made bed, the skirt of her pink dress puffed around her like a fabricy cloud.

Sitting on the bed a few moments Sarah got bored then moved over to the bench in front of the window. Getting as comfortable as the dress would allow her the young fay took to staring out the glass at the night's landscape. Brightly lit fairies danced and dodged each other, twirling around fireflies to make them so dizzy the yellowish lights went about in circles dazed and confused. A few here and there made intricate designs of colored fairy dust against the dark sky.

From somewhere within the castle a clock chimed nine times announcing that all were to retire to their beds for the night.

And the clock was right for when Lily knocked and let herself in she folded down Sarah's sheets, "Your highness, you must retire if you are to get a good nights sleep in order to meet your future husband tomorrow."

Sarah yawned as Lily laid out a crème colored nightgown on the bed for her. "Lily, no need to fuss. I can get ready for bed all by myself." The old fay gave Sarah a smile, nodded, then left her closing the door quietly behind her.

When her door closed she mumbled. 'I don't want to marry." Getting up she roughly picked up the nightgown. "Whatever happened to pajama pants and a shirt?" she asked to an air of nothingness.

X0X

The royal family members and a few fay servants were transported to jareth's castle after lunch. Outside the castle walls in the goblin city there was much celebration after learning the Fay princess of the Northern Kingdom had come to accept their king's proposal for marriage. However, inside the castle the atmosphere was much calmer as little goblins hobbled about showing their guests to rooms they were to stay in during their visit. Sarah though, would be a permanent guest.

The corridors of Gareth's castle were dark and gloomy no rugs covered the stone floor or bright tapestries on the walls and no elegant chandeliers hung form the ceiling to bath the corridors in soft white light. It was such a depressing atmosphere compared to the fay castle in the North which stood upon endless gardens, it was so bright and cheery there she kind of missed the magical castle in a strange sort of way.

The silly green slippers Malaysian made her wear made no noise on the sand colored stone as she followed a goblin to the end of a long hallway then stopped in front of two sets of doors a mere two feet apart. Not looking where she was going Sarah almost fell over the goblin. As she made a sudden stop her loose skirts swirled around the ugly goblin then fluttered back to meet her legs as a nonexistent breeze stopped their flat-lying nature. Looking up she finally noticed the sets of dark wood double doors, one so much larger than the other set. The little goblin reached up to turn the knob on the smaller set of doors then pushed them open to reveal a bedroom.

Large and luxurious the room was with its wine-red carpet, extravagant crystal chandelier, and four poster bed. The bed and both its nightstands were stained in a light brown same were two small chairs and a little table, the cushions were also wine-red. The vanity on a far wall was stained the same color brown to match the bed a flower etched mirror sat on top. Three cherry wood boxes sat on the vanity's surface begging to be opened. Across from the bed with its faded red covers were two French doors leading to a balcony, on the wall with the vanity were two single doors spread widely apart from each other. One would lead to a bathroom, the other to a walk-in closet.

The room was very well away from plain and gloomy. Three high sunburst windows above the balcony doors spilled sunlight into the room lighting up every corner, warming the large room to a wonderful

Temperature. Not even aware of it Sarah smiled.

"Your room lady Sarah" a squeaky goblin voice broke her bedazzlement of the room so she looked down at the knee-high goblin. "The common door is there…" she looked over at the door by the balcony doors where the goblin had pointed. "It leads to his majesty's room."

Sarah's smile faded. Jareth's room. 'I want the hell out of this nightmare'. "Dinner is at seven o' clock. The goblin gave her a bow then left closing both doors behind him.

"How am I supposed to sleep knowing that the only thing between my room and his is a flimsy door?" Sarah groaned. She didn't want to do this.

Jareth sat sideways in a chair legs over the arm, as was his way and rolled a crystal under his palm on the desk in his study. He promised to himself he would not spy on his fiancé he could wait until dinner to see her. "Sarah" he mused. How ironic. Six years earlier his Sarah ran his labyrinth to take back her baby brother Toby and now he is to marry a fay princess with the very same name as the girl he had grown to love. He still loved her. If it weren't for this princess he would probably go to the aboveground and take back what was his. His Sarah. Six more hours and he would be able to this Sarah. What would he do to pass the time?

Sarah came out of the large walk-in closet and stopped short with a small gasp. Sea grass trunks were all over her floor about six feet long and three feet wide, they weren't very deep but there were seven of them all over her floor. "Please excuse the mess lady Sarah." Closing her jaw she searched where the voice was coming from. Lily and two other fay girls dropped into short curtsies. "This is your luggage we are here to put it away.

Lily smiled walking towards her with a tray of tea and a few scones. The old fay got close to Sarah. 'At least here you don't have tutors chasing you down." She whispered and both giggled. Lily gave Sarah a gesture to follow her out onto the balcony; hopefully her friend would stay with her seeing as how jareth was the only human in the entire kingdom. She didn't think the goblins would give her very much companionship. After setting the tray on the little table Lily poured Sarah some tea into a porcelain cup then stood back up.

Sarah sat down breathing in the crisp air deeply. "Lily…have you ever met jareth?" she asked while putting a teaspoon of sugar into her cup. The balcony overlooked a secluded garden full of multicolor flowers and a few willow trees. Babbling water reached her ears from a fountain or pond in the somewhere deep within the amazing garden.

Looking out to the emerald green grass a tiny smile graced Lily's seemingly youthful face her hazel eyes sparkled at a memory far from forgotten in the fay's mind. "Only twice." After a few more seconds she woke from her memories. "No matter…jareth is very pleasing to the eye you have nothing to worry for my lady." Sarah smiled to herself she had seen the dreamy look on Lily's face she knew it well. "If you'll excuse me I have your dresses to put away." Nodding she watched Lily retreat back through the double French doors. The deep green of her kingdoms' color brought out her eyes; she looked very beautiful in the color. Did jareth's kingdom have a color too?

XOX

Sarah, Malaysian, and Ayden stood behind their tall backed chairs in a large dining room waiting for jareth. Sara's heart was pounding inside her ribcage threatening to break through at the suspense the silence brought. 'Can they hear my racing heart? Can they see that I don't want to do this?' taking several deep breaths she tried calming herself and put her left hand on the top of the chairs' frame to help steady herself. Suddenly the doors were thrown open and Sarah's heart thundered like a greyhound racing at top speed to cross the finish line.

Slowly jareth walked into the room dressed elegantly like always, first his eyes went to Malaysian then to her husband. They were dressed carefully for the occasion standing tall and regal Malaysian had her brown hair in curls piled high atop her head secured by probably a few hundred pins. Sweeping his mismatched eyes across the table to his fiancé he almost stopped dead in his tracks.

It was his Sarah the only one to ever defeat him and his labyrinth. His face remained emotionless and calm she was watching him with the look of a tiny bird trapped and scared in a cage. He could see her breast straining to breathe. As she shifted her weight nervously to her other foot his eyes wandered down to her hips and just the way they moved as the glossy blue fabric pressed against her sultry curves his lips suddenly went dry.

Sarah watched jareth slowly saunter into the room eyeing her as she had shifted. She watched as a hungry look clouded his eyes and the way he licked his bottom lip she couldn't help but dart her pink tongue out to lick her lip in return. Passing his chair he went to push hers in after all he was raised with manners was he not?

He just never really chose to use them 'till now.

Jareth pulled her chair out for her when she sat down he leaned close to her ear. "You will explain later." He whispered so only her ears could hear. After Ayden pushed Malaysian's chair in he and jareth both sat down while a little procession of multiple short goblins came in carrying platters and bowls of food along with vases of red wine. As their plates were being filled jareth reached over for her tall wine glass to pour some of the deep red liquid into it then placed it back at her left side.

While food and wine was consumed and talk was thrown back and forth the goblin king's eyes seemed to always wander to his right where Sarah sat not intending to join in any conversation but kept to herself. Her hair, like Malaysian's was in curls puffed up around her pretty face. The tight bodice of her dress had silvery lace at the bottom then puffed out at the fall of her sensuous hips. A small powder blue stone hung from a silver chain in the hollow of her neck. Besides the necklace and a simple bracelet on her wrist she wore no other jewelry but soon his ring would be on her slender finger and she would be his to do with whatever he so desired.

"Sarah is an excellent rider and very gifted with children." Ayden sat back in his chair wine glass in hand. The statement hung in the air as his wife nodded. Jareth's attention was caught completely. Sarah's green eyes darted from Ayden to lie venomously on the goblin king. "She should have no trouble rearing your offspring jareth." The Northern king took a long sip.

Sarah's dirty look left her face as jareth turned to her. "Yes and how many are we expecting to have to have." Jareth rested his chin on one gloved hand as his eyes studied her, a smug smile across his handsome facial features.

Sarah plastered on a fake smile. Oh, how she'd love to smack that look off his face. "As many as his majesty sees fit." Jareth's smile got broader and he laughed. Did she really mean it or was she playing with him?

When dinner was over and the clock neared nine Ayden and Malaysian both thanked jareth for his hospitality and stood. When Sarah didn't follow suit her mother's green eyes glared down at her and her soft voice filled her ears. "Sarah dear, you must retire for the day if you wish to be prepared for tomorrow." Huffing she took her napkin off her lap setting it on the table she got up, jareth did too.

He caught her as she was about to leave the dining room. Malaysian stopped and was about to say something when jareth interrupted her. "Just a few moments Malaysian, I will not keep her up all night." The fay queen could not go against his wishes they were after all staying in his kingdom so she gave a curt nod then left with Ayden in tow. Closing the door so as not to be overheard he placed one arm on the wall beside her leaning into her. Sarah was pressed against the cool stone as his mismatched eyes bore into hers.

"And you Sarah, how are you enjoying my labyrinth?" jareth asked as he walked up to her and leaned his arm against the dark brick passageway's wall.

Bringing her head down Sarah thought a moment then looked back up at him. "It's a piece of cake." She replied confidently staring into his mysterious eyes.

"Really?" he asked curiously. "Then how about upping the stakes?" getting off the wall he pointed to a clock suspended in mid-air speeding the time up at least two hours then looked triumphantly back at her.

Sarah looked from the clock to jareth in disbelief. How could he? "That's not fair." She voiced her thoughts.

"It's not fair" she pouted.

Jareth cocked his head to one side amusement written all over his face as he smirked at her. "I suppose it isn't…so, care to explain?"

Sarah took a deep breath. "well, I was cleaning my friend's mothers' attic and I found a book so I opened it and accidentally read what was written inside." She waited for him to say something but when his tiny smirk got bigger showing his slightly pointed teeth she continued. " it said 'take me back home' then I was transported to a fay castle where I've spent the past week getting crash courses, living in luxury, and calling people I don't know mother and father, and to top off the worst of it no coffee. My life's been hell, how's yours?"

"Sounds dire." His deep voice came at her calmly. "No matter, dress nicely tomorrow we may go riding inside the labyrinth." Jareth got off the wall and stood in front of her. He was close she could breathe him in, he smelt heavily of rainstorms and magic.

"I've never ridden a horse before in my entire life." She hissed informing him.

"Now's a good time to start." Holding a hand out to her palm up he summoned a crystal. "Follow the crystal. I assume you may get lost without an escort to your room." With that he dropped the crystal to the sandstone colored floor where it bounced then slowly started to roll away.

Stepping away from her jareht made an elegant gesture with his hand towards the transparent sphere. Brushing past him Sarah began to follow the little globe as it led her to her room.