Chapter 6

MusicOverMatter: Oh goodness! Haha. Your critique made me so happy when I first read it. Thank you so much for, not only your praise, but your criticism as well. I will agree that his actions are almost unjustified… yet, I do hope that you will bear with me! This story will not be as… light as LCBtD was. I'm glad you are liking it overall! And my deepest apologies for taking so long. It was not my original intent.

Honoria Granger: Bahahaha, thank you so much for correcting me! I made the proper adjustment after I read your comment. I'm glad you like it, as well!

Senshi at Heart: Thank you, dear! Unfortunately I was not as prompt as you hoped, but here it is now!

-Yes, lovely readers, thank you so so much for bearing with me on this. I was having an incredible amount of writer's block, so I had to step back for a while and do some major RP'ing, writing, and a bit of character development… but now I'm back on track with everything. Let's hope the story will continue running more smoothly for a while! I love you all terribly! Hope your new semesters are starting out strong :D

The evening rushed by in a candlelit blur. Sarah had no way to justify anything that was occurring around her, or in front of her. She and Jareth danced away in complete silence- sometimes avoiding each other's eyes, and sometimes staring at each other for moments upon moments, curious lights flashing in their pupils. Sarah tried to smile, but found she could not- confusion had constricted her body movements; her dancing was evolving into robotic footwork, and Jareth was, visibly, unsatisfied. Finally, after a song had ended, he took her firmly by the waist and led her from the dance floor to a quiet corner. He shooed away a handsy couple and reclined onto the satin pillows, leaning back and sighing with ease. Sarah awkwardly settled down beside him and wrung her hands. Another lovely melody began from the small orchestra, filling the room with pleasurable music. Sarah felt her eyelids go heavy, and she put a clammy hand to her face. Jareth looked at her, his eyebrows drawing together with severity.

"You are unwell."

"No kidding," she remarked, sighing and wrapping her arms tightly around herself.

The King grit his teeth. "It's been almost three years, child, and you expect me to know everything about you?"

Sarah's head shot up, flashing her green eyes into his mismatched blue. "Why did you not come to me? You said you were going to watch me. I have been suffering ever since I graduated from my high school. I am on the brink of poverty. I am running myself into the ground, and am going to fail in everything I have been working so hard for. You have the… the… audacity to…"

"Your situation is regrettable, that I will not deny," Jareth's lips curled. "I hate to see you in such dire circumstances, more than anything in the world. But I didn't wish to interfere. You needed to live a human life, you needed to see what it was like, Sarah."

"So you allowed your princess to endure all of this, sir?" Sarah was trembling, her voice breaking. "After everything you promised me? After all that you assured of me? How could you?"

Jareth stared off into space, his mind running wild. He considered reversing time a little, maybe even by a year, and helping Sarah. Then maybe he wouldn't be finding himself in such a frustrating situation. But, he knew he couldn't. It would be deceitful. He took a deep breath and sat up, looking down his nose at the exasperated young woman.

"…Forgive me, precious. I had not anticipated your lifestyle would become so difficult. I had not anticipated… most everything." He ran a hand through his hair quickly, shaking it out. "I promise you we will discuss this all in further detail. But, for now, cannot we try to have a pleasant rest of the evening?"

Sarah felt hot tears spark at her eyes, but she quickly brushed them away. He had to have a good explanation. There must have been some legitimate reasoning. She probably just couldn't understand it, or figure it out. She was currently at a Fae ball, and the lights were low, and the music was enchanting, and the King of the Goblins was resplendent and sitting right at her side. Sarah would think about this later. Yes, she would have to.

"…Very well, Your Highness." She placed her hand atop his and squeezed it gently. "As long as you promise we will talk later."

"I promise, dear one," the King smiled, pulling her close to him and kissing her forehead. Before she could register the action, Sarah had inhaled his scent and clung to him tightly, nestling into the base of his glowing chest. Jareth rested his head atop hers and began to stroke her hair. "I have missed you," he whispered.

"And I you," Sarah breathed, her body reacting to the proximity between herself and him. It may have been three years since she had last felt his embrace, but being this close to him again made the time feel much shorter.

"You are… incredibly stunning," Jareth whispered, leaning down and tickling her ear with his sweet breath. Sarah grinned in spite of herself and looked down at her dress. She played with the edge of her skirt absently.

"Yes, this gown must have cost far more than I could hope to-"

"No, Sarah," Jareth took her hand in his and kissed it warmly. "I meant you."

Her heart leapt as she saw a tender spark cut through his pupils. "Oh, Jareth, I…"

"Please, allow me to compliment you. I do not give them out lightly."

Sarah's breast heaved as she inhaled, biting her lip. "T-thank you, sir."

The King smiled softly, giving her cheek a tender touch. Sarah fingered the edge of his collar, and allowed her touch to run under his neck. The orchestral bliss swelled, and she inched closer to him, her lips trembling with anticipation. Jareth almost seemed like he would allow her to kiss him, as his lips parted and eyelashes fluttered… until he placed a finger on her lips and sighed.

"Do not tempt me, Sarah. We are in public."

The girl's confusion burst onto her face. "Why should that matter to you? Our engagement has been announced! And everyone else-"

"We are not everyone else, love. I am much older now than when I was a lascivious brat in the court. I no longer display more intimate affections in such a manner."

"But…" The confusion on Sarah's face was soon replaced by gentle anger. "But I love you."

Jareth's lips drew into a line, and he exhaled deeply. "I know that, Sarah…" His gaze traveled up to the thinning crowd of dancers, and made to stand. "Forgive me, there is a matter that must be taken care of."

Sarah fell off of his lap into the oversized pillows, huffing, and watched him stride over to the other side of the ballroom. Tears filled her eyes once more, and she picked up her skirts in a rush. Not looking where she was going, Sarah bumped into multiple couples as she rushed far away from the piles of pillows, the crowds, and anything else remotely related to the Fae traditions. Jareth had made her feel special, but only for a fleeting second. He was obviously distracted. He didn't really care about her, at least, not that night. Her face wet with doubt and pain, Sarah grabbed her shawl from off a peg just inside the door, ran out to the dark city streets and found the old-fashioned cab sitting on the sidewalk.

"Taxi!..." she called.

Jareth's heart was still beating fresh from the touch of Sarah's skin when he reached a group of black-clad gentlemen lounging on a smaller stack of pillows. One of them was just finishing a sip of wine when they saw him and immediately stood up to bow.

"Yes, yes, thank you, good sirs. I was curious as to if one of you could… perform a service for me," his voice lowered in discretion. The men leaned in, one nodding in interest. He was the first to speak.

"Anything, Your Highness."

"A young Nymph girl, Rose…" Jareth's lips trembled at her name. "I require her to be turned back."

All three of the men raised their eyebrows in shock. "But, sire! No one has turned a Nymph back since- since-"

"I understand it is a near-impossible task, gentlemen, but I beg of you…" The King's face shattered into an unreadable emotion. "Please… whoever takes on the task and succeeds will be well-compensated."

The men immediately put their heads together, whispering with animation. Jareth stood, tapping his foot with impatience. Soon, they broke apart, and the man who had originally protested stepped forward. "I will try with my utmost, Your Majesty." He bowed graciously, and the King nodded.

"Thank you, Eliean. She resides at the Black Violet… please reach me when you are finished. And‚" Jareth's eyes went dark, "bring the girl with you."

The red-haired Fae scuttled off through the double-doors. Jareth nodded to the other two men as they bowed, and rushed off back through the crowd. His heart immediately leapt when he discovered the lack of Sarah's form resting on the pillows. Jareth pushed the remaining couples out of the way and desperately searched the expansive length of the room for her. After many minutes of searching and interrogating the innocent merry-makers, the King shuffled back to the empty corner and sighed heavily, almost breathless. A small sparkle on one of the pillows caught his attention, as it perfectly matched the ones on Sarah's dress. As he reached for it, he saw it was, in fact, the mask she had been wearing when he had first walked into the ballroom. Jareth's eyebrows narrowed, and he bit his lip, kneeling helplessly onto the pillows.

"Oh, Sarah…"