CHAPTER 16
Sarah got up and tied the two horses to a tree. Sarah sat down and said, "I 'wish' for all the belongings of the two fae bounty hunters wished away to the centaurs just now, to make a pile next to me." She got a lot next to her and off the horses and all their clothes and things across from her.
Sarah ate and enjoyed her tea. Afterward, she put the duck in her survival bag's zipper gallon size plastic bag with a bit of barley mixture. She put it in her backpack. The kittens mewed. She gave them each a bit of duck. They licked their lips.
Sarah put another log on the fire that she found after going through everything. There was a very heavy winter cloak in charcoal gray with a cowl hood. She took 2146 gold, 842 silver, 67 coppers, two more bags of jewelry, six jeweled daggers, two pocket watches, six blankets, and two tents. Sarah wished for the clothes, six blankets, and two tents for people who need and deserve them. Sarah dumped the coins into her locket. She had another bag to hang from her saddle of jewelry. Sarah thought it was ridiculous because there were six bags of jewelry now to liquidate? Sarah took everything into the tent and put it inside.
She went to the horses and put the empty saddlebags on each of them. She led them over to the bucket of water and fed them all an apple each in quarters. Sarah rinsed her hands in the bucket and went into the tent. She wished that no animals or beings could enter the perimeter around her campsite and horses.
Sarah zipped up the tent door and took off her boots, spreading her cloak over her blankets with her waistcoat over all of it. Sarah had four thicknesses of blankets under her. It made it softer. She dispersed the jewelry in each bag, so it would make it easier for Shadow. Sarah took off the pouch and laid down, covering up. The kittens crawled out of the pouch, curling up to her neck. They all went to sleep.
—--
Jareth decided to enter Sarah's dream tonight to speak with her and see if she can be warned about his father. He got in bed and relaxed and entered:
Sarah was standing in the labyrinth hedge maze; there was a wall of red roses next to her. Jareth came around the corner and looked Sarah in the eyes.
He cocked his head to the side and said, "You changed your appearance?"
Sarah snapped venomously, "Yeah, and tomorrow I'll change it again because you got your daddy to sic bounty hunters out all over the Underground to find and capture a fae woman with green eyes and dark hair. Do you know what that has caused??? Do you? It's not about me. It is giving those goddamn bounty hunters a free catch, sanctioned by the government to sell humans as they go. He's handing human citizens from all kingdoms to those sons of a bitches. Now tell me I'm wrong. I have taken down two of the bastards tonight, three more before that and four more before that!"
Jareth asked curiously, "What did you do to them?"
Sarah said factually. "I had wished they would be stripped of their magic, turned into human women being sold to centaurs. Fuck them! They have ruined countless lives! It fits the crime they are committing repeatedly because I would not let them continue.
Jareth said seriously, "First, Sarah, I did not have him chasing you down. I told him I would not help him. But he refuses to listen to my warning. Second, the only reason I went to him was to ask him why he shut your mirror down thirteen years ago. He did it to force me to marry a fae titled woman and stay away from you. I told him you were titled smarter and more responsible than all those fae women. My father found out I gave you magic and went after you because of it. I told him that the labyrinth will not stand for you to be harmed or stripped of magic. I told him you are under its protection, but he thinks he is above the oldest entity in the Underground, pure magic that's sentient. The labyrinth will exact justice for you, and it will not tell me anything you don't want it to tell me."
He continued, "See, Sarah, I'm not mad or angry with you anymore. I apologize for what I did to you. You must have been so very all alone with nothing to start over with. I am sorry I ruined your life."
Sarah said softly, "You didn't ruin my life. You most certainly changed it. What can you do about your father hunting me and turning over good citizens to the ogres and centaurs?"
Jareth said, "Not much. I am afraid. He won't listen to me and is on a mission to get you. Sarah, if you came here, he couldn't get to you under my protection."
Sarah said, "Yeah, but what would that mean for me? Your obsession is frightening, and I won't be trapped, dominated, controlled, manipulated, deceived, seduced, and anything else you can dream up."
Jareth hung his head, and he said, "I swear not to trap, deceive, and manipulate you. I have a problem with dominating, controlling and seduction. They are a part of me, like breathing. I am a fae and a king. I can't promise those three."
Sarah looked at him for a minute, studying him. She said, "I will butt heads with domination and control. I will kick you in the balls if your intentions are not honorable in seduction. I'm not the same person anymore that you think you know. Furthermore, I will not tolerate the offer you made before to take everything from me. I want love, respect, a man with integrity and kindness. Not only that, but I am not your subject and you are not my ruler. If you want to be my friend, fine, but I will not be forced into marriage or betrothal."
Jareth asked, "Can I court you?"
Sarah asked, "What does that entail?"
Jareth said, "It's a formal way of you being my girlfriend."
Sarah said, "We'll see. Friend first."
Jareth said, smiling, "Ok. I can accept that to start. Can I come get you?"
Sarah said, "I need to think about it still. Nothing's going to change overnight or a week from now. Jareth, I'm being very cautious about this and will leave you if you break my trust I would give you. You will not get another chance. I also have two cathwyllt kittens I'm raising. Their mother got killed by another animal." Jareth thought, 'What a nurturing woman, traveling and trying to raise two cats that were found in the woods. Our children will be so loved.'
He said, "I'll take you and your kittens in. I like cats. The goblin's love them to play with."
Sarah giggled, "So all I have to do is wish to see you?"
Jareth said, "Yes. I hope to see you soon, my beautiful Sarah. I'm glad you're trusting me. I would never break it. I'll release the dream. Good night, sweet Sarah."
Sarah said, smiling at him, "Goodnight, Jareth."
—--51 days
Sarah woke up to another tongue bath. She had the tip of her nose and wet whiskers and a cold nose licking her eyelid. They were so adorable. She giggled and picked them up, kissing their little heads. They were purring like crazy. Sarah sat up and cuddled them.
Sarah got on her boots, cloak and put on the pouch with the kittens in it. She went to the bathroom. She went back to camp and washed her hands in the bucket that re cleans itself. Sarah fed and watered the kittens. She ate her barley vegetable mixture and some meat from the duck with a piece of bread folded up. She had enough to make a sandwich for the afternoon. Sarah had one more night to camp before she reached the city of Cacwn. She was entering the Elven Kingdom.
She packed up everything and fed each of the horses separately. They were eating fast. The two from the bounty hunters were hungry. Sarah fed each of them an apple, a carrot, and sweet feed. Once everyone was fed, she tied them to each saddle to trail behind her one by one. It was freezing, and now she couldn't use her bracelet to cut the half a day off her journey this time because of the horses.
Sarah rode along and it flurried snow. She spotted a cave behind a waterfall that wasn't affected by the weather. It was like a little oasis of flowers and water. It had mist rising from it. She figured it must be a fairy pool.
Sarah dismounted the horse and went up to the pool and asked, "I beg your pardon, but can I use your cave? I promise not to disturb your pool at all." A fairy, bigger than the insect ones she saw before outside the labyrinth flew up in front of her. She was red haired, barbie doll size and pretty dressed in a simple green gossamer fabric.
The fairy said, "Most do not ask before taking. You have impressed us so far. If you are true to your word, you can stay peacefully. We want to know about you, traveler, you have different magics coming off your aura."
Sarah smiled and said, "I am different. Thank you. Please come for tea after I have settled and got my dinner and tea on my fire. Please bring your own cup and spoon. I have none to provide. Is there a place to shelter my horses?"
The fairy smiled at her and said, "You love your creatures? It is rare to care about their welfare. I will provide shelter." She snapped her fingers and a number of branches from trees close by wove together to make a roof.
Sarah was grinning and said, "That is perfect, oh, thank you so much." She led the horses under the shelter, staked them out together. She wished for a trough of water and a bale of hay. Sarah unpacked and unsaddled all of them, piling the saddles on top of each other with a blanket over it. Shadow was the only one not at stake because he never goes far.
She took all her gear and walked into the cave. It was pristine. Sarah thought the fairies kept it that way. The red haired fairy was watching her.
Sarah said, "Wow, this cave is clean."
The fairy said, "Yes, we tidied it up for you."
Sarah said. "You are so nice. I appreciate it. My name is Sarah, but I have been telling everyone else that I am Ashar. It's the same, just mixed up the letters."
The fairy asked, "Why did you tell me your true name?"
Sarah said while unpacking and setting up her camp, "I am being hunted by the High King in all the kingdoms. He sent out bounty hunters to find and capture a fae woman that has green eyes and dark brown hair. The bounty hunters are treating it like a sanctioned government free human selling to the centaurs even if they don't capture me. Basically, they capture any humans they come across in all the kingdoms to be doomed to ogre and centaur breeding and enslavement." The fairy gasped.
Sarah wished for a day's worth of wood on the far wall and a pile of rocks to make her fire in the stone slab. She set up her tent, put everything inside, set up the litter box, and rolled out her blankets.
The fairy said, stunned, "You have the power of wishes? That's how you made the wood, rocks, trough, and hay appear for your horses?"
Sarah nodded at her and smiled. "You do not have green eyes and dark brown hair?"
Sarah said, "I wished my colors changed to deceive the bounty hunters. I have been the Labyrinth Champion for thirteen years. I got the wish magic then, but didn't know until I tried it to escape the Goblin King." The fairy gasped again.
The fairy smiled and said, "My name is Elora. It's a pleasure to meet you, Lady Sarah."
Sarah smiled at her and wished for a bucket of water that never freezes or gets dirty. She started a fire and her kittens popped up and mewed loudly. Sarah plopped them both into the litter box in the tent and filled their water dish. The fairy giggled at the kittens.