DISCLAIMER APPLIES AS IT NORMALLY DOES CUZ THAT'S THE WAY IT WORKS, AND I
DON'T WANT TO BE SUED!
The Incentive
Chapter 4
by Fou Fou
Sarah stared at the dress, feeling just a tad bit in shock. It was the color of pearl, with puffed short sleeves. As Mara laid the dress out on the bed to grab some accessories from a box in her closet, Sarah whispered, "Where did you get that dress?" This is not possible, it's just a coincidence, just a coincidence . . . she kept on repeating those words in her head, over and over again. Yet, how was it possible? That was the dress from the ballroom, when she danced with the Goblin King. How could Mara ever have a dress that looked exactly like it?
"Huh? Did you say something?" asked Mara, coming out of the closet with a pearl necklace and several strings of pearls.
"Where'd you get this dress?" repeated Sarah, slightly louder, feeling the blood drain from her face.
"This?" asked Mara, gesturing to the dress, "Oh, I've had it for a few years, originally made it for a friend, but after they used it once, they didn't want it, so they gave it back." Mara paused, looking intently at her friend. "Sarah, something wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost."
Not for the first time did Sarah sense the cruel irony in the fact that Mara always seemed to do something that brought back the Labyrinth firmly back into Sarah's mind. Made it for a friend, but they didn't want after they used it? Had it for a few years? That was long enough ago for Sarah to have worn that dress at that ball . . .
Don't be ridiculous, Sarah told herself firmly. It's just a dress. Yes, that was it. It was just some amazing coincidence that Mara happened to have the dress. Just like it was a coincidence that Mara guessed that Sarah was dreaming about the Goblin King a week and a half ago . . .
"Sarah? Earth to Sarah, come in, Sarah!" said Mara in a computer- like voice, waving her hand in front of Sarah's face.
Sarah shook her head, willing herself to remain calm. "What?" she replied, intelligently.
"You kinda just zoned out, staring at the dress," said Mara. "I mean, I know it was a work of art, but I didn't realize it was so pretty to get you all dreamy like that."
The whole situation had been dream-like, thought Sarah. Sometimes I wonder if it was ever a dream. "Oh, it's just that remember that dream I told you about? The one I had in the ballroom with the Goblin King?" asked Sarah.
Mara nodded. "Yeah, you woke up with a real start after that. Didn't you say you dreamt that dream like four or so years ago?"
Sarah nodded an affirmative. "Well, the thing is, that dress was the dress I was wearing."
"Funny, life's little coincidences," commented Mara.
"Yeah . . . funny," echoed Sarah, quietly.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Mara asked, "Well, are you going to wear it to the party, or not?"
"Why not?" asked Sarah, shaking off the weird feeling. "After all, it's just a dress. It couldn't possibly be the one from my dream." She added, picking up the dress carefully and began to get undressed, turning around to face the other wall. She did not see Mara's mischievous smile as she returned to the closet to get her costume out.
When Sarah had turned around again, in the fairy-tale princess dress from her past, she was surprised to see Mara already in her own dress. It was a black, medieval-type dress of undeterminable fabric that seemed to bring out Mara's purple eyes. It had long, flowing sleeves and a low neckline. Mara was already pulling back her long red hair into a braid (which was quite odd, since Mara always had her hair down) revealing a very odd detail, one that Sarah had never noticed before.
The ends of Mara's ears were pointy, like an elf.
That is really weird, Sarah couldn't help but thinking.
Mara, noticing at what Sarah was staring at, said cheerfully, "You like? I decided to go as an Elvin princess, like Arwen, from Lord of the Rings, and was able to get my hands on some of that ear putty stuff they use in the movies."
Sarah nodded, understanding that logical explanation. Yet that didn't shake the feeling that they looked unnervingly life-like, nor wonder who she got to do them for her. And wasn't that stuff extremely delicate?
"So, do you want me to help you with your hair?" asked Mara, finishing braiding her hair. "I have this really cool idea on how we could do your hair, make you look like a princess! Then we could go to the party as the pair of royal princess. Won't that be fun?"
Sarah sighed, giving in. "Fine, do your best," she said with a wave of her hand.
"Oh believe me," said Mara with a smile, as she grabbed a brush, "I will."
***
Three hours later, Sarah was looking at her reflection in a window at the party, still not able to get over the fact that Mara had managed to get her hair to look exactly like it did in her dream. Of course, the funny part was that Mara had done it before Sarah had told her it looked like her dream. But all Mara had done was wink at her and mentioned something about life's little coincidences.
Really, wondered Sarah, sometimes I really wonder about her. If it weren't for the fact that I'm pretty sure the whole Labyrinth thing when I was fifteen was a dream, I would've been convinced the Mara had been there, with her uncanny ability to reproduce the smallest things from in by "accident." Speaking of Mara . . .
Sarah looked around the room, scanning the faces in the crowed of that of her mischievous roommate. Mara had left about fifteen minutes ago, to go find an old friend of hers that she thought Sarah would like to meet.
Sometimes I really wonder about the girl, pondered Sarah, shaking her head to herself. It's a wonder that she hasn't tried to pull anything yet tonight, like putting some odd-tasting mixture into the punch or something. Even though she had known Mara for only about two months, she was well aware of her roommate's tendency to cause trouble. It never ceased to amaze her how Mara was able to get her homework done, since she often was out causing trouble. And then she stays up until three o'clock in the morning, reading. How the hell that girl is able to keep going is beyond me.
"Hey, Sarah!" said Andrew, a guy in her Theater History class that she often sat next too, as he came up to her. "Wow, that outfit is something else! You look . . ."
"Ridiculous?" supplied Sarah, feeling somewhat self-conscious about the overdone Halloween outfit.
". . . really pretty," he finished. With a smile he added, "If you want ridiculous, take a look at this!" Andrew took a striking pose as a minstrel, and the oversized feather on his hat flopped over his face as he gave a lopsided grin, causing both of them to start laughing.
"It's certainly . . . interesting," said Sarah, somewhat diplomatically.
"I'd second that motion," came Mara's voice from behind them. Turning around, Sarah saw Mara coming up to them with a man dressed in a white feathery tunic, white leggings, black boots, and an extravagant mask of a barn owl on his face. All that could be seen was his mouth and his two mismatched eyes (now where have I seen eyes like that before? wondered Sarah to herself), peeking out intently from the mask. Normally, such an outfit would look absurd or obscene on any other person, but this stranger, it seemed to fit him, making him look strangely handsome, despite the fact that she couldn't see his face. Unexpectedly, Sarah felt her heart skip a beat and she could feel her face getting warm.
Stop it, she instructed herself, there is no reason to be acting like that, just because some guy walks in the room.
"Hey, Andrew, Sarah," said Mara, with a smile. "Can I introduce to you my old . . . friend from back home? Jar . . .Jared?" finished Mara, stumbling a little.
"A pleasure, I'm sure," said Jared, with a tilt of his head towards Andrew. Turning towards Sarah he said while taking her hand, "So you're the Sarah that Mara spoke so highly of. I can see that for once, my dear friend Mara wasn't exaggerating about you. It is a great honor to meet a lady such as you," and with that, he kissed her hand chastely.
The feeling however that went down Sarah's spine was anything but chaste; quite the opposite. She felt her cheeks flush again, and it felt as if butterflies were waltzing in her stomach. She looked down at the floor, he hand still being held by Jared, consciously aware that he was not very far away from her. She could feel the warmth of his hand around hers, making her blush once more.
She did not see Mara raise an eyebrow at Jared, a mischievous look in her face, nor the nod in answer from Jared. The next thing she heard was Mara wrapping her arm around Andrew and saying, "Hey, there's a new song playing, and I feel like dancing. Come on!" and proceeded to drag him off to the dance floor.
"So, how long have you known Mara?" asked Sarah timidly, gaining some control as she looked back at him.
Jared released her hand, causing her to sigh inwardly (though from relief or regret she didn't know) and said, "A long time. I can't even remember how long." After a pause, he added winking, "Though sometimes I tend to think that it is a tad bit too long, she tends to be somewhat on the exuberant side."
Sarah smiled, understanding the feeling. "Ay, that she is," she agreed.
"You know, you look simply marvelous in that dress," he said after a moments pause. "Like a princess in a fairy tale."
Sarah felt another blush come to her face, and she looked down at the floor. "Thank you," she murmured quietly.
"Whatever is it on the floor that you find so fascinating?" he asked, taking a gloved hand and cupping in around her chin, turned it up to face him. "Surely, it can't be more interesting then me?"
This comment caused a spark of annoyance to come to life within Sarah. Raising an eyebrow she asked sardonically, "You? Why ever would I want to look at you?"
Jared smiled, enjoying vexing her, "Why, look at me," he said, holding his arms out and parading in front of her. "Doesn't the mere sight of me make you lust for me?"
Ignoring the fluttering of her heart, or the back of her brain telling her an affirmative "yes," she said with a snort, "Are you always this arrogant?"
"Most definitely," he replied, coming close to her, "I've been told that almost daily by Mara." Snaking his arms around her to bring her close, he whispered in her ear, "But I think you like me this way," as he began pulling her toward the dance floor as a slow song began.
A jolt came through Sarah as she felt his arms around her. She tried for a moment to escape, but his arms were tight around her waist. Not to mention she kinda liked the feeling of him so close to her . . . he was making her feel like she never felt around a man before; well all but that one from her dream . . . and she hadn't even seen his face! As Jared pulled her closer to him as they began to dance, almost possessively, she felt the beak of his owl mask slide through her hair, like she was a female bird and he was preening her, as he lowered his head to kiss her affectionately on the shoulder. Under any other circumstances she would have felt empowered to kick a guy who had just kissed her after knowing her only five minutes, but that feeling was quickly dispelled with a feeling of eternal bliss that she had never felt before in her life.
Face buried in her hair and shoulder, Jared smiled.
* * *
While dancing with Andrew and a group of other students that she knew in her classes and had become friends somewhat with most of them, Mara couldn't help but gazing triumphantly in the direction of Jareth and Sarah.
Or, Jared, as I should be calling him, thought Mara with an ironic smile. As soon as the two of them had locked eyes at each other, she had felt the lifebond between them flare up. And since Sarah didn't know it was him, she didn't have her stubborn prejudice against him, which would make it much easier for her to be able to encourage a relationship between the two, at least for tonight.
Damn that barrier between worlds. It's bad enough that magic is scarce enough in this world, but with Jareth only allowed to cross as humans on nights like tonight, which are traditional for the Magic Folk to cross the boundaries, thus the Immigrations really doesn't care about who crosses the barrier as much, and it's going to be pretty hard to get those two together. If only this was all taking place in the Labyrinth, then things would be easier. Except for the whole fact that it would be easier for the Council-Of-Bigheaded-Fools to spy on us.
The fast, thumping music died to a slower one, and as members of the opposite sex turned towards each other to dance together, Mara caught a glimpse of Jareth leading Sarah over to the floor. Satisfied that everything was going according to plan, Mara turned to leave the dance floor to get a drink and watch the couples dance.
Suddenly, a cool arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into the dance, to be joined a second later by another, equally cold, holding her firmly in place. The strong sense of magic accosted Mara's senses as she turned to face her unexpected dance partner.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Her Highness, Mara K'Talven," he murmured coolly, sending shivers of a fear up Mara's spine. He had short, black hair, with almost completely black eyes. His skin was very pale, enhanced by white face powder, and he smiled at the look of fear on her face, she noticed two, sharp, canine teeth. To add to his appearance, he wore a long cape, and had painted what looked like dry blood at the corner of his mouth. Though, if he was what she thought he was, she doubted if it was fake.
"Stunning costume," he breathed, pulling her closer. "It quite fits you, Milady."
Mara's heart began beating wildly, as she began searching the corners of her mind, trying to figure out who this handsome, but deadly creature was in front of her. Sliding a mask of Elvin confidence down over her true feelings, she said with a charming smile, "You think so too? I figured it was easier to wear something like this to a party such as this; since it has been a long time since elves have inhabited this world, no one would accuse me of not being creative." After a pause she added, "I see you've done the same thing, though I wasn't aware that vampires were so dramatic in their appearance, as if they were straight out of a mortal film."
The stranger shrugged. "I find it amusing to play off mortal's illusions of how we look, not to mention what can harm us. It was awfully amusing to stalk around at night with peasants trying to ward you off with garlic, which only smells bad, but does none particular harm to my kind." His accent had a faint, English accent to it, though it was rather ancient, leading her to believe that he had originally come from England at one point of time. "Same goes with the sun. Just because we're pale does not mean the sun hurts us. So far the only thing these mortals have gotten right was the fact that we drink blood, and that we can be killed by a silver stake."
"Absolutely fascinating, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," said Mara sarcastically, desperately trying to read his aura to see if that gave her any information about his identity.
"So you are the Elvin princess that the Underground Council has sent itself into a fit about," he said, with a cool, calculating gaze up and down her, making her feel even more uncomfortable. Rubbing his fingers sensuously around her waist he whispered in her ear, "I must admit, you don't seem to be that much of a threat."
"You mean you came all the way from the Underground, Garith, to see who I was?" she asked, finally able to figure out who he was, and not liking what she remembered of him one bit.
"Not exactly," he said, nibbling daintily on her ear, sending another wave of fear over her, freezing her in place. "More I was sent, courtesy of the Underground Council."
"Really?" asked Mara faintly, trying desperately to maintain composure as Garith's mouth began moving down her neck.
"Oh yes," he murmured passionately into her neck. "Apparently they all believe that you are up to something. And considering the fact that His Highness the Goblin King is here, I feel myself agreeing with them."
"How do you know he just isn't here to visit his fiancé?" asked Mara, stressing the word fiancé in an attempt to give the vampire the hint that he should stop what he was doing.
"Well, considering the fact that he isn't dancing with you, but with a Miss Sarah Williams, I tend to disagree with that suggestion," he said, lifting his face to stare directly into her eyes, smiling as a jolt of surprise came through her at the mention of Sarah's name. "Yes," he murmured. "The girl who defeated the Labyrinth. The Council is well aware that you have been rooming with Miss Williams, not to mention sending her . . . dreams at night. Considering your past reputation, they have every reason to be alarmed about your possible intentions in that regard."
"The suspicion that I must live with each day, most from my own family," sighed Mara. "Well, then I guess I just have to keep them guessing then, don't I?" she added, smiling faintly.
"I doubt it will take me very long to figure it out, and stop you, Milady," said Garith. "The Council has sent me to put a stop whatever your plan is, and that is what I intend on doing. And the first start is figuring out why you and His Highness are so interested in Miss Williams." Then, with a smirk, he leaned over and kissed Mara, before letting go of her and turned to leave.
"Oh, and thank you for the treat, it was most refreshing" he added over his shoulder. "Though you might want to stop the bleeding from that beautiful Elvin ear of yours before someone notices.," and with a faint laugh at Mara's shocked expression, he melted into the crowd, leaving her all alone. She raised a hand to her ear and felt something sticky. Pulling her hand back, she saw her hand tainted with red, and the side of her neck began to hurt faintly.
Damn that creature! Quickly, she sent a small healing spell, stopping the bleeding, but since Healing was the specialty of the Light Elves, there wasn't much she could do about the red marks she knew was appearing on her neck. Why couldn't I have moved away? she wondered, unbraiding her hair to cover her ears and neck. I've never been frozen from fear before! It's as alien to me as love is to Jareth . . . or it was.
After a moments pause, she franticly began searching the room, looking for Jareth and Sarah. I've got to get him out of here, she told herself, walking over to them. The two, having finished dancing, had gone over to the refreshment table and were drinking punch as Sarah blushed quite prettily at Jareth's arrogant flirting.
"Hey you two!" she said, with cheerfulness that she did not feel. "Been getting along without me?"
"Ahh yes," said Jareth with a wink. "Most undoubtedly, such a charming and pretty friend you have."
Sarah however, snorted, but blushed anyway.
"Jared, can I speak to ya for a sec? An . . . old friend just came inquiring after you and had a message they wanted me to deliver."
"I see," said Jareth slowly. Turning towards Sarah, he took one of her hands and kissed it. "Farewell for now, sweet Sarah."
Mara rolled her eyes before dragging Jareth off with her. Once the two of them were out in the hallway Jareth said tauntingly, "What's the matter, Princess, getting jealous?"
"As if," Mara snorted, looking around anxiously. "Look, we've got trouble."
"Really?" asked Jareth in a bored tone. "And why ever would you think that?"
"Well, Mr. Pain-In-The-Ass, if you'd been paying attention back down in the Underground, you'd have noticed that the Council is onto us!" said Mara, exasperatedly.
"Well, they were bound to figure out sooner or later," shrugged Jareth. "In any case, we're out in the Aboveground, which quite limits what they can see, so I doubt we have anything to worry about. Now if you mind . . . ?" he trailed off, beginning to turn back towards the ballroom.
But Mara wasn't going to be put off so easily. Gripping his arm, she dug her carefully manicured red fingernails into his skin, making him cry out. "Listen, Goblin Boy," she spat in his face. "Garith, the vampire, is here. And if he is still the way I remember him, we've got trouble."
Jareth visibly paled, but attempted to keep his attitude going, "What has that flirt got to do with us?"
Mara's grip on his arm tightened. "You know as well as I do what that vamp has done, both Aboveground and Underground. He's the reason why there are so many stories out about his kind! He takes a perverse pleasure in causing pain in the people he crosses, and not just those little flowers he picks up in court. He's been sent by the Council to take our plan out, and he's already suspicious." She paused, sighing. "Look, the Council already identified Sarah. They know who she is, and Garith was quite interested to find you dancing with her." (Jareth looked notably shocked by this statement) "We've got to make it look like a revenge on Sarah, or something, or else this whole plan could go up in smoke and I'll spend the rest of forever with you. Ya got to get outta here. I'll try to think of what to do next. Dreams are kinda out of the question at the moment, since someone has been picking up on them." She paused again, considering. "You better stay away from us for awhile. I'll call you up in a few weeks, just go!"
She let go of his arm (which had actually started to bleed) and stepped away. "Then good day, Your Highness," he sighed as he walked off.
Mara turned back to the room and sighed. All that planning wasted by one move by the Council, coming into play far earlier then she anticipated. As she walked into the room, she saw Sarah talking to that now, all-top- familiar face that looked up at her and winked.
"Hey, Mara!" said Sarah as she walked over. "Where's your friend?"
"He had to go," murmured Mara. "He had a family engagement."
"Such a shame," said Garith quietly. "Sarah, please introduce me to your friend."
"Ah, sorry, Mara," said Sarah. "Mara, this is Garith."
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm sure," he said, holding his hand out to shake hers, with an air of friendly continence. As she took his hand, he smiled faintly, showing the two points of his teeth, a predatory glint in his eyes. "I just transferred from out of the country, and I'm looking forward to seeing you in class."
"Isn't that just peachy," she whispered, paling. His eyes seemed to glow demonically as Mara felt that she had just stepped into the worse nightmare of her life.
Author's Note:
*sighs* That was interesting. I hope you liked that chapter. So now, to make matters worse for Mara, Garith has entered the scene, causing her attempts on getting Sarah and Jareth together to go on temporary hold. (Well, kinda . . . she'll be back at it either next chapter or the one after . . . thinking about that)
Thank you Megs and BelloViolaRose for reading this over, catching the mistakes I made, my grammar mistakes, my accidentally calling Sarah Mara, um . . misspelling in general. You make me feel special! (Considering the fact that today was NOT a real good day. . . grrr)
Please Read and Review for this chapter! I would greatly appreciate it!
FINALLY:
Thank you Reviews!
One-Sexy-Slytherin: YEAH, Hot Topic does have a shirt with Sarah/Jareth! Also, I really like your story! Keep it up it looks good! Tell me what you think of this chapter with Garith being introduced to the scene, kinda harassing Mara; then we had a little Sarah/Jareth, not as much as I originally planned, but within the next few chapters Sarah is heading off to the Labyrinth (without Mara, she's trapped on Earth . . *shhh I didn't say that*)
MysticalStar1: I'm glad you think it is an interesting story. Yes, I do believe the world would come to an end if Mara and Jareth would have to marry. The DO act too much like brother and sister. Well, Garith is in the scene, up to whatever dirty tricks he can come up with (I'm not sure of all of them yet!)
BelleViolaRose: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! Merci beaucoup! um . . dunno how to say thank you in any other language. Love your reviews, make me feel special! ^_^
Danalas the Lady Chaos: *sighs sadly and nods* Yeah, I know I deserve to be strung upside down over the Bog of Eternal Stench for the sock remark, but I'd be glad to have your company as well. Hope you liked this chapter!
Dragoness Kaei: I'm glad you like it! Hope you liked this chapter!
Cheers!: Nah, I wasn't offended. I love constructive criticism if it will help improve my writing! I'm glad you think that Jareth got more in character last chapter, I worked really hard on that. Hope ya like this one as well!
kalina: I know this wasn't as big Sarah/Jareth, but I'm getting to it . .real soon.
b00kperson: Thanks for thinking that this is worth continuing! (I like you're story too, it is very good!)
The Incentive
Chapter 4
by Fou Fou
Sarah stared at the dress, feeling just a tad bit in shock. It was the color of pearl, with puffed short sleeves. As Mara laid the dress out on the bed to grab some accessories from a box in her closet, Sarah whispered, "Where did you get that dress?" This is not possible, it's just a coincidence, just a coincidence . . . she kept on repeating those words in her head, over and over again. Yet, how was it possible? That was the dress from the ballroom, when she danced with the Goblin King. How could Mara ever have a dress that looked exactly like it?
"Huh? Did you say something?" asked Mara, coming out of the closet with a pearl necklace and several strings of pearls.
"Where'd you get this dress?" repeated Sarah, slightly louder, feeling the blood drain from her face.
"This?" asked Mara, gesturing to the dress, "Oh, I've had it for a few years, originally made it for a friend, but after they used it once, they didn't want it, so they gave it back." Mara paused, looking intently at her friend. "Sarah, something wrong? You look like you just saw a ghost."
Not for the first time did Sarah sense the cruel irony in the fact that Mara always seemed to do something that brought back the Labyrinth firmly back into Sarah's mind. Made it for a friend, but they didn't want after they used it? Had it for a few years? That was long enough ago for Sarah to have worn that dress at that ball . . .
Don't be ridiculous, Sarah told herself firmly. It's just a dress. Yes, that was it. It was just some amazing coincidence that Mara happened to have the dress. Just like it was a coincidence that Mara guessed that Sarah was dreaming about the Goblin King a week and a half ago . . .
"Sarah? Earth to Sarah, come in, Sarah!" said Mara in a computer- like voice, waving her hand in front of Sarah's face.
Sarah shook her head, willing herself to remain calm. "What?" she replied, intelligently.
"You kinda just zoned out, staring at the dress," said Mara. "I mean, I know it was a work of art, but I didn't realize it was so pretty to get you all dreamy like that."
The whole situation had been dream-like, thought Sarah. Sometimes I wonder if it was ever a dream. "Oh, it's just that remember that dream I told you about? The one I had in the ballroom with the Goblin King?" asked Sarah.
Mara nodded. "Yeah, you woke up with a real start after that. Didn't you say you dreamt that dream like four or so years ago?"
Sarah nodded an affirmative. "Well, the thing is, that dress was the dress I was wearing."
"Funny, life's little coincidences," commented Mara.
"Yeah . . . funny," echoed Sarah, quietly.
After a few moments of uncomfortable silence, Mara asked, "Well, are you going to wear it to the party, or not?"
"Why not?" asked Sarah, shaking off the weird feeling. "After all, it's just a dress. It couldn't possibly be the one from my dream." She added, picking up the dress carefully and began to get undressed, turning around to face the other wall. She did not see Mara's mischievous smile as she returned to the closet to get her costume out.
When Sarah had turned around again, in the fairy-tale princess dress from her past, she was surprised to see Mara already in her own dress. It was a black, medieval-type dress of undeterminable fabric that seemed to bring out Mara's purple eyes. It had long, flowing sleeves and a low neckline. Mara was already pulling back her long red hair into a braid (which was quite odd, since Mara always had her hair down) revealing a very odd detail, one that Sarah had never noticed before.
The ends of Mara's ears were pointy, like an elf.
That is really weird, Sarah couldn't help but thinking.
Mara, noticing at what Sarah was staring at, said cheerfully, "You like? I decided to go as an Elvin princess, like Arwen, from Lord of the Rings, and was able to get my hands on some of that ear putty stuff they use in the movies."
Sarah nodded, understanding that logical explanation. Yet that didn't shake the feeling that they looked unnervingly life-like, nor wonder who she got to do them for her. And wasn't that stuff extremely delicate?
"So, do you want me to help you with your hair?" asked Mara, finishing braiding her hair. "I have this really cool idea on how we could do your hair, make you look like a princess! Then we could go to the party as the pair of royal princess. Won't that be fun?"
Sarah sighed, giving in. "Fine, do your best," she said with a wave of her hand.
"Oh believe me," said Mara with a smile, as she grabbed a brush, "I will."
***
Three hours later, Sarah was looking at her reflection in a window at the party, still not able to get over the fact that Mara had managed to get her hair to look exactly like it did in her dream. Of course, the funny part was that Mara had done it before Sarah had told her it looked like her dream. But all Mara had done was wink at her and mentioned something about life's little coincidences.
Really, wondered Sarah, sometimes I really wonder about her. If it weren't for the fact that I'm pretty sure the whole Labyrinth thing when I was fifteen was a dream, I would've been convinced the Mara had been there, with her uncanny ability to reproduce the smallest things from in by "accident." Speaking of Mara . . .
Sarah looked around the room, scanning the faces in the crowed of that of her mischievous roommate. Mara had left about fifteen minutes ago, to go find an old friend of hers that she thought Sarah would like to meet.
Sometimes I really wonder about the girl, pondered Sarah, shaking her head to herself. It's a wonder that she hasn't tried to pull anything yet tonight, like putting some odd-tasting mixture into the punch or something. Even though she had known Mara for only about two months, she was well aware of her roommate's tendency to cause trouble. It never ceased to amaze her how Mara was able to get her homework done, since she often was out causing trouble. And then she stays up until three o'clock in the morning, reading. How the hell that girl is able to keep going is beyond me.
"Hey, Sarah!" said Andrew, a guy in her Theater History class that she often sat next too, as he came up to her. "Wow, that outfit is something else! You look . . ."
"Ridiculous?" supplied Sarah, feeling somewhat self-conscious about the overdone Halloween outfit.
". . . really pretty," he finished. With a smile he added, "If you want ridiculous, take a look at this!" Andrew took a striking pose as a minstrel, and the oversized feather on his hat flopped over his face as he gave a lopsided grin, causing both of them to start laughing.
"It's certainly . . . interesting," said Sarah, somewhat diplomatically.
"I'd second that motion," came Mara's voice from behind them. Turning around, Sarah saw Mara coming up to them with a man dressed in a white feathery tunic, white leggings, black boots, and an extravagant mask of a barn owl on his face. All that could be seen was his mouth and his two mismatched eyes (now where have I seen eyes like that before? wondered Sarah to herself), peeking out intently from the mask. Normally, such an outfit would look absurd or obscene on any other person, but this stranger, it seemed to fit him, making him look strangely handsome, despite the fact that she couldn't see his face. Unexpectedly, Sarah felt her heart skip a beat and she could feel her face getting warm.
Stop it, she instructed herself, there is no reason to be acting like that, just because some guy walks in the room.
"Hey, Andrew, Sarah," said Mara, with a smile. "Can I introduce to you my old . . . friend from back home? Jar . . .Jared?" finished Mara, stumbling a little.
"A pleasure, I'm sure," said Jared, with a tilt of his head towards Andrew. Turning towards Sarah he said while taking her hand, "So you're the Sarah that Mara spoke so highly of. I can see that for once, my dear friend Mara wasn't exaggerating about you. It is a great honor to meet a lady such as you," and with that, he kissed her hand chastely.
The feeling however that went down Sarah's spine was anything but chaste; quite the opposite. She felt her cheeks flush again, and it felt as if butterflies were waltzing in her stomach. She looked down at the floor, he hand still being held by Jared, consciously aware that he was not very far away from her. She could feel the warmth of his hand around hers, making her blush once more.
She did not see Mara raise an eyebrow at Jared, a mischievous look in her face, nor the nod in answer from Jared. The next thing she heard was Mara wrapping her arm around Andrew and saying, "Hey, there's a new song playing, and I feel like dancing. Come on!" and proceeded to drag him off to the dance floor.
"So, how long have you known Mara?" asked Sarah timidly, gaining some control as she looked back at him.
Jared released her hand, causing her to sigh inwardly (though from relief or regret she didn't know) and said, "A long time. I can't even remember how long." After a pause, he added winking, "Though sometimes I tend to think that it is a tad bit too long, she tends to be somewhat on the exuberant side."
Sarah smiled, understanding the feeling. "Ay, that she is," she agreed.
"You know, you look simply marvelous in that dress," he said after a moments pause. "Like a princess in a fairy tale."
Sarah felt another blush come to her face, and she looked down at the floor. "Thank you," she murmured quietly.
"Whatever is it on the floor that you find so fascinating?" he asked, taking a gloved hand and cupping in around her chin, turned it up to face him. "Surely, it can't be more interesting then me?"
This comment caused a spark of annoyance to come to life within Sarah. Raising an eyebrow she asked sardonically, "You? Why ever would I want to look at you?"
Jared smiled, enjoying vexing her, "Why, look at me," he said, holding his arms out and parading in front of her. "Doesn't the mere sight of me make you lust for me?"
Ignoring the fluttering of her heart, or the back of her brain telling her an affirmative "yes," she said with a snort, "Are you always this arrogant?"
"Most definitely," he replied, coming close to her, "I've been told that almost daily by Mara." Snaking his arms around her to bring her close, he whispered in her ear, "But I think you like me this way," as he began pulling her toward the dance floor as a slow song began.
A jolt came through Sarah as she felt his arms around her. She tried for a moment to escape, but his arms were tight around her waist. Not to mention she kinda liked the feeling of him so close to her . . . he was making her feel like she never felt around a man before; well all but that one from her dream . . . and she hadn't even seen his face! As Jared pulled her closer to him as they began to dance, almost possessively, she felt the beak of his owl mask slide through her hair, like she was a female bird and he was preening her, as he lowered his head to kiss her affectionately on the shoulder. Under any other circumstances she would have felt empowered to kick a guy who had just kissed her after knowing her only five minutes, but that feeling was quickly dispelled with a feeling of eternal bliss that she had never felt before in her life.
Face buried in her hair and shoulder, Jared smiled.
* * *
While dancing with Andrew and a group of other students that she knew in her classes and had become friends somewhat with most of them, Mara couldn't help but gazing triumphantly in the direction of Jareth and Sarah.
Or, Jared, as I should be calling him, thought Mara with an ironic smile. As soon as the two of them had locked eyes at each other, she had felt the lifebond between them flare up. And since Sarah didn't know it was him, she didn't have her stubborn prejudice against him, which would make it much easier for her to be able to encourage a relationship between the two, at least for tonight.
Damn that barrier between worlds. It's bad enough that magic is scarce enough in this world, but with Jareth only allowed to cross as humans on nights like tonight, which are traditional for the Magic Folk to cross the boundaries, thus the Immigrations really doesn't care about who crosses the barrier as much, and it's going to be pretty hard to get those two together. If only this was all taking place in the Labyrinth, then things would be easier. Except for the whole fact that it would be easier for the Council-Of-Bigheaded-Fools to spy on us.
The fast, thumping music died to a slower one, and as members of the opposite sex turned towards each other to dance together, Mara caught a glimpse of Jareth leading Sarah over to the floor. Satisfied that everything was going according to plan, Mara turned to leave the dance floor to get a drink and watch the couples dance.
Suddenly, a cool arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into the dance, to be joined a second later by another, equally cold, holding her firmly in place. The strong sense of magic accosted Mara's senses as she turned to face her unexpected dance partner.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Her Highness, Mara K'Talven," he murmured coolly, sending shivers of a fear up Mara's spine. He had short, black hair, with almost completely black eyes. His skin was very pale, enhanced by white face powder, and he smiled at the look of fear on her face, she noticed two, sharp, canine teeth. To add to his appearance, he wore a long cape, and had painted what looked like dry blood at the corner of his mouth. Though, if he was what she thought he was, she doubted if it was fake.
"Stunning costume," he breathed, pulling her closer. "It quite fits you, Milady."
Mara's heart began beating wildly, as she began searching the corners of her mind, trying to figure out who this handsome, but deadly creature was in front of her. Sliding a mask of Elvin confidence down over her true feelings, she said with a charming smile, "You think so too? I figured it was easier to wear something like this to a party such as this; since it has been a long time since elves have inhabited this world, no one would accuse me of not being creative." After a pause she added, "I see you've done the same thing, though I wasn't aware that vampires were so dramatic in their appearance, as if they were straight out of a mortal film."
The stranger shrugged. "I find it amusing to play off mortal's illusions of how we look, not to mention what can harm us. It was awfully amusing to stalk around at night with peasants trying to ward you off with garlic, which only smells bad, but does none particular harm to my kind." His accent had a faint, English accent to it, though it was rather ancient, leading her to believe that he had originally come from England at one point of time. "Same goes with the sun. Just because we're pale does not mean the sun hurts us. So far the only thing these mortals have gotten right was the fact that we drink blood, and that we can be killed by a silver stake."
"Absolutely fascinating, I'll be sure to keep that in mind," said Mara sarcastically, desperately trying to read his aura to see if that gave her any information about his identity.
"So you are the Elvin princess that the Underground Council has sent itself into a fit about," he said, with a cool, calculating gaze up and down her, making her feel even more uncomfortable. Rubbing his fingers sensuously around her waist he whispered in her ear, "I must admit, you don't seem to be that much of a threat."
"You mean you came all the way from the Underground, Garith, to see who I was?" she asked, finally able to figure out who he was, and not liking what she remembered of him one bit.
"Not exactly," he said, nibbling daintily on her ear, sending another wave of fear over her, freezing her in place. "More I was sent, courtesy of the Underground Council."
"Really?" asked Mara faintly, trying desperately to maintain composure as Garith's mouth began moving down her neck.
"Oh yes," he murmured passionately into her neck. "Apparently they all believe that you are up to something. And considering the fact that His Highness the Goblin King is here, I feel myself agreeing with them."
"How do you know he just isn't here to visit his fiancé?" asked Mara, stressing the word fiancé in an attempt to give the vampire the hint that he should stop what he was doing.
"Well, considering the fact that he isn't dancing with you, but with a Miss Sarah Williams, I tend to disagree with that suggestion," he said, lifting his face to stare directly into her eyes, smiling as a jolt of surprise came through her at the mention of Sarah's name. "Yes," he murmured. "The girl who defeated the Labyrinth. The Council is well aware that you have been rooming with Miss Williams, not to mention sending her . . . dreams at night. Considering your past reputation, they have every reason to be alarmed about your possible intentions in that regard."
"The suspicion that I must live with each day, most from my own family," sighed Mara. "Well, then I guess I just have to keep them guessing then, don't I?" she added, smiling faintly.
"I doubt it will take me very long to figure it out, and stop you, Milady," said Garith. "The Council has sent me to put a stop whatever your plan is, and that is what I intend on doing. And the first start is figuring out why you and His Highness are so interested in Miss Williams." Then, with a smirk, he leaned over and kissed Mara, before letting go of her and turned to leave.
"Oh, and thank you for the treat, it was most refreshing" he added over his shoulder. "Though you might want to stop the bleeding from that beautiful Elvin ear of yours before someone notices.," and with a faint laugh at Mara's shocked expression, he melted into the crowd, leaving her all alone. She raised a hand to her ear and felt something sticky. Pulling her hand back, she saw her hand tainted with red, and the side of her neck began to hurt faintly.
Damn that creature! Quickly, she sent a small healing spell, stopping the bleeding, but since Healing was the specialty of the Light Elves, there wasn't much she could do about the red marks she knew was appearing on her neck. Why couldn't I have moved away? she wondered, unbraiding her hair to cover her ears and neck. I've never been frozen from fear before! It's as alien to me as love is to Jareth . . . or it was.
After a moments pause, she franticly began searching the room, looking for Jareth and Sarah. I've got to get him out of here, she told herself, walking over to them. The two, having finished dancing, had gone over to the refreshment table and were drinking punch as Sarah blushed quite prettily at Jareth's arrogant flirting.
"Hey you two!" she said, with cheerfulness that she did not feel. "Been getting along without me?"
"Ahh yes," said Jareth with a wink. "Most undoubtedly, such a charming and pretty friend you have."
Sarah however, snorted, but blushed anyway.
"Jared, can I speak to ya for a sec? An . . . old friend just came inquiring after you and had a message they wanted me to deliver."
"I see," said Jareth slowly. Turning towards Sarah, he took one of her hands and kissed it. "Farewell for now, sweet Sarah."
Mara rolled her eyes before dragging Jareth off with her. Once the two of them were out in the hallway Jareth said tauntingly, "What's the matter, Princess, getting jealous?"
"As if," Mara snorted, looking around anxiously. "Look, we've got trouble."
"Really?" asked Jareth in a bored tone. "And why ever would you think that?"
"Well, Mr. Pain-In-The-Ass, if you'd been paying attention back down in the Underground, you'd have noticed that the Council is onto us!" said Mara, exasperatedly.
"Well, they were bound to figure out sooner or later," shrugged Jareth. "In any case, we're out in the Aboveground, which quite limits what they can see, so I doubt we have anything to worry about. Now if you mind . . . ?" he trailed off, beginning to turn back towards the ballroom.
But Mara wasn't going to be put off so easily. Gripping his arm, she dug her carefully manicured red fingernails into his skin, making him cry out. "Listen, Goblin Boy," she spat in his face. "Garith, the vampire, is here. And if he is still the way I remember him, we've got trouble."
Jareth visibly paled, but attempted to keep his attitude going, "What has that flirt got to do with us?"
Mara's grip on his arm tightened. "You know as well as I do what that vamp has done, both Aboveground and Underground. He's the reason why there are so many stories out about his kind! He takes a perverse pleasure in causing pain in the people he crosses, and not just those little flowers he picks up in court. He's been sent by the Council to take our plan out, and he's already suspicious." She paused, sighing. "Look, the Council already identified Sarah. They know who she is, and Garith was quite interested to find you dancing with her." (Jareth looked notably shocked by this statement) "We've got to make it look like a revenge on Sarah, or something, or else this whole plan could go up in smoke and I'll spend the rest of forever with you. Ya got to get outta here. I'll try to think of what to do next. Dreams are kinda out of the question at the moment, since someone has been picking up on them." She paused again, considering. "You better stay away from us for awhile. I'll call you up in a few weeks, just go!"
She let go of his arm (which had actually started to bleed) and stepped away. "Then good day, Your Highness," he sighed as he walked off.
Mara turned back to the room and sighed. All that planning wasted by one move by the Council, coming into play far earlier then she anticipated. As she walked into the room, she saw Sarah talking to that now, all-top- familiar face that looked up at her and winked.
"Hey, Mara!" said Sarah as she walked over. "Where's your friend?"
"He had to go," murmured Mara. "He had a family engagement."
"Such a shame," said Garith quietly. "Sarah, please introduce me to your friend."
"Ah, sorry, Mara," said Sarah. "Mara, this is Garith."
"Pleasure to meet you, I'm sure," he said, holding his hand out to shake hers, with an air of friendly continence. As she took his hand, he smiled faintly, showing the two points of his teeth, a predatory glint in his eyes. "I just transferred from out of the country, and I'm looking forward to seeing you in class."
"Isn't that just peachy," she whispered, paling. His eyes seemed to glow demonically as Mara felt that she had just stepped into the worse nightmare of her life.
Author's Note:
*sighs* That was interesting. I hope you liked that chapter. So now, to make matters worse for Mara, Garith has entered the scene, causing her attempts on getting Sarah and Jareth together to go on temporary hold. (Well, kinda . . . she'll be back at it either next chapter or the one after . . . thinking about that)
Thank you Megs and BelloViolaRose for reading this over, catching the mistakes I made, my grammar mistakes, my accidentally calling Sarah Mara, um . . misspelling in general. You make me feel special! (Considering the fact that today was NOT a real good day. . . grrr)
Please Read and Review for this chapter! I would greatly appreciate it!
FINALLY:
Thank you Reviews!
One-Sexy-Slytherin: YEAH, Hot Topic does have a shirt with Sarah/Jareth! Also, I really like your story! Keep it up it looks good! Tell me what you think of this chapter with Garith being introduced to the scene, kinda harassing Mara; then we had a little Sarah/Jareth, not as much as I originally planned, but within the next few chapters Sarah is heading off to the Labyrinth (without Mara, she's trapped on Earth . . *shhh I didn't say that*)
MysticalStar1: I'm glad you think it is an interesting story. Yes, I do believe the world would come to an end if Mara and Jareth would have to marry. The DO act too much like brother and sister. Well, Garith is in the scene, up to whatever dirty tricks he can come up with (I'm not sure of all of them yet!)
BelleViolaRose: THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!! Merci beaucoup! um . . dunno how to say thank you in any other language. Love your reviews, make me feel special! ^_^
Danalas the Lady Chaos: *sighs sadly and nods* Yeah, I know I deserve to be strung upside down over the Bog of Eternal Stench for the sock remark, but I'd be glad to have your company as well. Hope you liked this chapter!
Dragoness Kaei: I'm glad you like it! Hope you liked this chapter!
Cheers!: Nah, I wasn't offended. I love constructive criticism if it will help improve my writing! I'm glad you think that Jareth got more in character last chapter, I worked really hard on that. Hope ya like this one as well!
kalina: I know this wasn't as big Sarah/Jareth, but I'm getting to it . .real soon.
b00kperson: Thanks for thinking that this is worth continuing! (I like you're story too, it is very good!)