"…You could just knock…"
Jareth's smirk only widened, "Well, I suppose I could have…but then I wouldn't have been afforded such a spectacular view." His voice practically oozed confidence, and Sarah didn't have to meet his eyes to know that he was ogling her unabashedly; she could feel it up and down her spine.
She kept her voice level, "Regardless of the view, you don't seem to have mastered the concept of privacy." was it just her or did that smirk dampen just a smidge? "Or decency, for that matter." she muttered.
"Pardon?"
"Nothing." apparently he had the supernatural hearing to go with the magic powers…great. Just great. "Speaking of privacy, Jareth, exactly where are my clothes?" for a fleeting second, she allowed herself to wonder just how she'd wound up naked. She sent a silent prayer to whatever gods might be watching that he hadn't undressed her. The idea of being alone with him, unconscious and vulnerable was unnerving enough. "I know you've done something with them, so if you'd be kind enough to return them, you can have these back."
"May I, now?" it was a perfectly innocent statement, but somehow he managed to make it into anything but.
He watched in amusement as another blush colored her face, then decided to take pity on her-for the moment. "I am afraid that the trip between worlds was more trying on your wardrobe than on yourself. I will have one of the goblins mend your clothes. Until then, I thought it prudent to provide you with spares." the smirk returned, "But...If you'd rather I take them back…"
"No! No, they're fine. Thank you."
He just kept grinning that self satisfied grin at her. "I'm so glad you approve." Jareth glanced around the room-his room-taking in everything from the open closet door, to the rumpled bedclothes, to the old boot Sarah had pulled out from under the bed in her search. "Did you find the accommodations to your liking?" he was the picture of innocence.
Sarah winced. She wasn't touching that one with a ten foot pole-there was absolutely no good way to answer that.
"I'll take your silence for approval."
Before she could respond the world reordered itself around her for the second time in as many days and she found herself standing in the center of the vast throne room. Thankfully the side effects of traveling by magick seemed only to apply to large distances and her head stopped spinning almost immediately.
This was definitely the throne room.
It hadn't changed much.
It was still filthy. There were still leaking casks of ale placed strategic locations. A few chickens wandered absently, scratching at the straw and giving it half hearted pecks, but their owners were absent. The room felt strangely empty without the inebriated goblins to complete the scene.
Jareth lounged comfortably on his chair. One leg thrown over the arm, as he regarded her with that unreadable gaze of his.
"You recall the terms of our contract, Sarah?" his tone was all business.
She nodded affirmative.
"Splendid. You will be my guest for the length of one month. In that time you will be treated as one of my subjects. You will live in the castle, and work as I see fit." Sarah had expected as much. She sighed in a resigned way, fully prepared to be assigned to scrub toilets or shovel garbage or whatever passed for grueling, menial labor around here.
"During your stay, you may come and go as you please, you have full run of the castle and the goblin city. You may, if you so choose, explore the Labyrinth, but I would advise against it, for reasons that you are no doubt well aware of."
Hmm…it could have been worse…
"For the purpose and duration of our contract, Sarah, you are mine. You will treat me with the respect that I expect from all my subjects."
"So basically, I'm a slave." she said quietly.
"Of course not, my pet" he seemed a bit taken aback by the suggestion, "I have a multitude of goblin servants, while inept, they can preform almost any task I set for them. Why ever would I want another one of them? No. You are no slave, Sarah. I would prefer for you to think of yourself as…as an assistant."
"An assistant?" That didn't sound so terrible…
"Yes. I can think of any number of tasks, either too delicate or too important to be regulated to the goblins. For one thing, I will have use for you as my scribe. Goblins, the vast majority any way, cannot read or write and those who can do so too poorly to be of much use. I could use a good deal of help with the tedium of paperwork that is required to keep this kingdom running. You will also act as my personal attendant, who will be having some time away-for reflection- goblins are far too clumsy for such a task. And of course there are times when the castle is visited by foreign dignitaries it would save me a great deal of effort to have a reliable escort-"
Sarah snorted, "Secretary, attendant, dating service; anything else your majesty?" He seemed to take visible pleasure in the use of his title, however sarcastic.
The thought came to mind that if the game of their last encounter had been football-each fighting brutally against the other for dominance. Then this game would be chess; calculated, strategic violence under a thin veneer of civility. Sarah still wasn't sure which she preferred.
He grinned again.
"Not for the moment, but I will be sure to inform you if anything comes to mind." he was silent, studying her, for long enough that Sarah thought the conversation was over before he spoke again.
"It seems to me, that even so that leaves you a great deal of time unspent. So, what to do to occupy yourself during it…?" she knew he was speaking more to himself than he was asking her what her leisure plans were. "Tell me, Sarah, do you know anything of horses? You're not unreasonably terrified of them?"
She schooled her expression to remain carefully blank, "Yeah, I guess so."
She had almost a decade of riding lessons to her name. The times she spent at the barn were some of the few times that she could honestly say she enjoyed herself fully. She was happiest riding but she enjoyed the daily work that came with it almost as much. Doling out grain, shoveling manure, hauling hay. She absolutely adored the time she spent with the foals and weanlings, and she loved getting to help Kathy exercise the boarder's horses. Saying that she 'liked' horses probably qualified for the understatement of the year.
If he knew, he'd never have even asked. she thought to herself.
Outwardly, she did her best to school her face into apathy. "I mean, no, I'm not terrified of them or anything like that. Why do you ask?"
"Perfect. You will spend the remainder of your time working the stables under Madame Chasely. I feel I do not need to tell you that you will treat her with as much respect as you would me."
Sarah bit back a snort. Somehow she thought that that wasn't exactly fair to Madame Chasely, seeing as she'd never met the woman, but she did have to suffer through working for Jareth so Sarah wouldn't hold it against her.
He continued as though he hadn't noticed, "I am also sure I do not need to inform you that if you attempt to run, or if you fail to fulfill the conditions I set, our contract will be null and void and Kathy's time will be returned to its former state."
Sarah swallowed thickly. She was acutely aware of that particular fact.
"Is that in any way unclear?"
And there was the real test, would she be able to hold her tongue and feign obedience to this man? Kathy's face swam in her minds eye.
So, for the first time in his presence, Sarah Williams swallowed her pride, bowed her head and bit her traitorous tongue to silence; "Crystal."
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Sarah followed closely behind her guide as they made their way through the maze of corridors within the palace. Her eyes darted back and forth, trying to take in everything at once. The last time she had been inside this structure was a blur of goblins and glitter and stair that led everywhere and nowhere, she'd hardly had time for sightseeing as she searched for her brother.
This time would be different, she told herself. There was more time now and she planned to remember each step in exquisite detail. The grime and glitter straw barnyard theme Jareth seemed to favor for the throne room continued throughout the rest of the castle. On closer inspection she realized that the glitter seemed to be some sort of clear crystal flecked through the stone of the castle itself. Black sconces lined the walls, unlit now, with the bright afternoon sunlight that streamed in through the windows lining this particular hall. She guessed that the torches in them burned with real fires not some magical equivalent as she could plainly see the soot marks that were above each sconce and above the height that the average goblin could reach to clean. There was minimal decoration; the occasional wall hanging or tapestry, but nothing ornate or luxurious. She wondered about it for a few minutes in silence before she realized why it was.
This section of corridors must be intended mainly for runners from the labyrinth. Why bother making a show of wealth and power when your audience has most likely reached their threshold for "extremely impressed" hours ago. She did not think about whether or not anyone else had ever reached this far.
As she walked, Sarah watched the floor underfoot for oddly marked or chipped tiles. When she caught herself she had to make a conscious effort to stop. After all, they couldn't leave traps on inside the palace all the time, right?
Still, it would have been easy to become hopelessly lost in the maze that was Jareth's home as she followed closely on her goblin guides' heels. He was what Sarah thought of as medium height for a goblin, a little under three feet high. He was also slightly less grimy than most of his brethren, which earned him several points in her book.
He hadn't spoken a word to her since Jareth had summoned him up to guide her to her room. Only stood and stared, wide-eyed at Jareth as his job was explained to him, bobbing his oversized slightly dish faced head in acknowledgment. He had then progressed to staring wide-eyed and only slightly less fearfully up at Sarah, before motioning for her to follow him out of the throne room. With a last glance over her shoulder at Jareth, she'd had no choice but to obey.
The halls of the castle were empty as they moved through the endless twists and turns. The air was still and muggy even as dust motes danced in the afternoon light. There was no sign of any of the other denizens of the castle, not so much as a wayward chicken. Even still, Sarah couldn't shake the sense that she was being watched. Several times she thought she heard footsteps or a hastily muffled squawk, but when she turned around there was no one there.
"…they's too scared to come out. Baby-Lady famous." The words were almost a whisper.
She turned to her guide, "Did-did you say something?"
His eyes, absurdly large even for a goblin, went even wider before he answered, "They is scared to…to come out." His gaze darted back and forth between her face and her hands as though she might go for his throat to throttle him at any moment. Sarah found it a bit unnerving.
"What are they scared of?" she asked quietly.
He swallowed dryly, closing his eyes. "..you." he squeaked. As soon as the words left his mouth he lept into a nearby alcove, arms covering his head. Sarah looked around for a second before realizing that he was afraid she was going to do something to him
Poor thing…she thought angrily, No wonder they're frightened, Jareth must treat them horribly!
"Don't be scared," she said softly. She crouched down a few feet in front of the armor to peer at the little creature. "I'm really nothing to be afraid of, I promise. I don't see why you'd be scared of me in the first place."
He gulped. "Baby-Lady bested King! Make King maddy mad mad. But, King doesn't bog Baby-Lady...we thinks, even Kings scared of Baby-Lady!"
Sarah bit her tongue to keep from laughing at the poor thing. In a very slow witted sort of way, it did make sense.
Especially when viewed from the goblin's point of view.
"Really, I'm not scary at all. I won't bog you or throttle you, or what ever it is you're scarred I might do. Please, come out."
He opened one eye a crack, hesitating for a few seconds before he moved out from behind the armor, quivering all the while. "Ye-Yes lady." he said in a trembling voice.
Sarah smiled, "You don't have to call me 'lady' either. I'm a commoner too, I suppose. Sarah will do just fine."
"Okey dokey, la-Sarah." he looked ready to dive behind the armor again at the slightest movement. Sarah felt her heart go out to the ugly little thing. If Jareth was mean to her, how must he treat the goblins?
She smiled reassuringly at him. "So, do you have a name?"
"Me?"
"Yes. Go on."
"I-I Scuzz."
"Scuzz Well, it's nice to meet you Scuzz. At least I know somebody besides Jareth in the castle now."
"Nice to meet you Baby Lady Sarah." Scuzz said, more confidently this time. Sarah chose to ignore her new and inglorious title. "You follow me, I take you to your room."
Sarah smiled her thanks before they continued on, one happy to be in one piece after meeting the fabled Baby Lady and the other happy to have another friend.
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Scuzz led her to a heavy oak wood door at the end of a hall way lined with such doors. Sarah guessed it was a servants dormitory of some sort. Hers was the last room on the left. She thought the hall was likely somewhere near the north-eastern corner of the castle judging by the direction of the light, but she couldn't be sure. For all Sarah knew, the sun might rise in the west and set in the south here. The room itself was of medium size, with a small 'bathroom' adjoining it, a bed and a closet. All in all it was far nicer than she had expected. In truth, she'd been anticipating something closer to a dungeon cell.
"I be back for you at dinner time. King wants yous to eat wiv 'im. King say talk more then."
Sarah nodded, still inspecting the room. She noted that the door did not come with a lock. "Thanks, Scuzz. I'll be ready."
He nodded again and bowed himself out, leaving Sarah alone to explore.
It was a bit bigger than her room at home, with a worn, but cozy rug covering the floor, and wall hangings that would serve to absorb some of the ever-present chill that came off the glittering stone. The bed was a double sized, with a comfortable mattress-minus the springs-that appeared to be stuffed solely with feathers.
A small dressing screen partitioned off one corner of the room, complete with a hook for hanging clothes on. Sarah glanced behind it and had to make real effort to hide her delight. The wall was taken up with a ceiling to floor bookshelf, stuffed to the brim with books of every kind imaginable. Leather-bound, paper-back, some obviously new, some near to falling apart with wear. She recognized a few of the titles as books from the mortal world, but for the most part she'd never seen any of the volumes before. There were a few that appeared to be written in some other dialect, the script of which seemed to move with a will of its own beneath her gaze. Looking at a fixed point on it made Sarah dizzy if she studied the script for too long.
She smiled inwardly. Perhaps her time here wouldn't be so terrible after all. There were an awful lot of books.
Crossing the room, she peered into the bathroom. Not too depressing; the plumbing left a few things to be desired, but claw-footed tub would be nice enough if she could find a way to fill it. On a shelf above it she found a jar of bathing oil and a whitish block of homemade soap, both of which smelled pleasantly of lavender. Sarah rolled her eyes at the pale pink soap block. Peaches. Of course. He did love his little jokes…
The closet was the next stop on her list. While she had to admit the clothes she'd found already were quite nice, they were hardly suited to barn work… Sarah giggled at the mental image of herself trying to pick stalls in a lacy ball gown.
She opened the door and was actually pleasantly surprised. While there were quite a few skirts such as the one she was currently wearing, there were also a few pairs of breeches-jeans would have been too much to hope for-and sensible boots.
She picked a pair of dark green breeches and a cream colored peasant shirt to change into, glancing around the room to be sure there were no crystals lurking about where they oughtn't be, before wiggling out of the skirt. Next, she traded her slippers for sensible, mid-calf length boots, and turned to scrutinize herself in the mirror.
Yes, that would do.
Sarah realized she didn't look that much different than she would have at a horse show. This was a whole other world, everything was different here, except her. Same plain brown hair, same pale, slightly freckled face, same Sarah Williams.
She stifled a groan of frustration. It didn't matter what she looked like. Doesn't it? Her inner voice whispered, It wasn't as though she was trying to impress him. Of course you're trying to impress him! She did her best to step on her inner voice before it could plant any further insidious ideas. Even so, she knew on some level, though she was loathe to admit it, that his opinion did matter. Very much so. Not because she valued it, because she didn't, but because the name of the game was one-up-manship. This little contest was entirely about who could out do the other, if only for the briefest moment in the subtlest ways.
That was the goal. The much fought over prize they were both so eager to possess. Who held that extra little slice of power? Who was truly in control?
Sarah smiled. She had beaten him once already at his own game. If she could do that four years ago, she could certainly outlast him for a single month. She nodded to herself, satisfied. Yes, she would play his game, she would abide by his rules, and she would win. With that decided, she settled herself on the bed to wait for Brindle to show her to supper with a certain Goblin King.