Chapter Eight
The Grand Ball
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
The next morning Sarah awoke, her eyes were still closed but she could feel the sun on her face. Slowly things started rushing back into her head from last night. Jareth had ended up crawling into bed with her. She remembered his arms wrapped around her snuggly, her head on his shoulder, and his lips on hers. She lay there for a few moments more with her eyes closed. She suddenly realized the room was silent, other than her own breathing. She peeked open her eyes. The other side of her bed was empty, other than some tossed sheets. Sarah frowned to herself. Where had he gone? She forced herself not to close her eyes again. She sat up and flung her legs over the bed side. Sarah saw the clock read nine, so she pulled her robe on over her nightdress, and walked out of her room to go get some breakfast. As soon as she opened her door and stepped into the hallway, a few goblins collided into her.
"Ow..." Sarah said, picking herself back up. A few dazed goblins were sprawled on the floor, along with what looked to be decorations.
"Arg..." One groaned.
"Are you guys alright?" Sarah asked, helping one to its feet.
"Yes," Another answered. "Sorry we didn't mean to run into ya, we was just trying ta hurry." The all scrambled to pick up everything they had dropped.
"What are you doing?" Sarah asked. Some started off down the hall, arms full.
"We is helping decorate for the big shindig tonight! The Ladies said to bring these down right away!" It told Sarah and bolted down the hall to catch up with the others.
As Sarah walked down the halls to the dining hall, she saw the whole place seemed to be in a muck. Servants were hustling about, goblins not too far behind. Sarah had to dodge a few before she got to the dining hall. No one was there, so she decided to step into the kitchen, a few Fae's were cooking like crazy. The kitchen was cluttered with bags of this or sacks of that. Sarah thought it might be a better idea to fend for herself with breakfast this morning. She picked a piece of fruit. It would do. She munched on it lightly as she made her way back to her room to change.
She came back out into the same mess, people and goblins still darting about. She still had yet to see Jareth. She wasn't sure just where to look. She ended up deciding to check his room. Odd though, she had never been to his room before, she knew where it was though. She strolled down the hall in that general direction. Just as she turned down his hallway, someone tugged on the skirt of her dress.
"Sarah can you help me?" Lynnett asked, her arms full.
"Sure Lynnie," Sarah took over half of what was in the young girls arms. "More decorations?"
"Yeah, they kinda go crazy with these things," she told Sarah, starting down the hall. Sarah followed close behind her.
"Don't you think this is going a little overboard?" Sarah asked Lynnett.
"Nope, it's just how we do things," Lynnett shrugged, pushing open the Ballroom door with her shoulder. Sarah walked in right behind her. There must have been fifty people in here decorating. Tables were being set up, streamers being tossed and twisted, goblins running around with ribbons or table cloths. Floors were being scrubbed and everything polished. Sarah soon caught sight of Terra; she had her back turned to her, hollering up at a pair of servants.
"A little more to the left!" she called up.
"Come on Sarah, just set all that down over here," Lynnett nodded towards a table. Sarah set down her ribbons, cloths and such.
"Anything else Lynnie?" Sarah asked.
"Nope," said the little girl as she started on a project of her own. Sarah walked over to Terra, who had her hands on her hips.
"Looks like fun," Sarah commented sarcastically.
"Oh yes," Terra answered in the same tone smiling. "Really though, you think putting something up straight wouldn't be such a hard task." Terra then started to explain what was going to go where, how she wanted it, so on and so on.
"All this done by tonight?" Sarah asked.
"Yes ma'am," She nodded. "We'll get it done." There was a sudden crash from somewhere in the room. "Oh no! Not the vases!" Terra rushed off towards the disaster. Sarah just shook her head and smiled, leading herself out of the chaotic mess. She still wanted to find Jareth, see what he was up to. So she headed back down to his hall, again. The further back in the castle she went, the less and less servants there were around. When she reached Jareth's wing, no one was around. She walked slowly up to his door. She listened for a minute to see if she could hear anything. Nothing. She raised her hand to knock on his door.
"Hello there," The low voice whispered in her ear. Sarah turned around so quickly, she stumbled back against the wall. Jareth was standing there with a smirk on his face, his arms crossed. "Sleep well?"
Sarah steadied herself again before simply nodding, not sure how else to answer.
"I was wondering where you were," Sarah said, changing the subject.
"Yes, well there was much to be done today; sadly I couldn't sleep away the day," He glanced up at her, "Much as I may have wanted to." Sarah's face turned pink. He decided to spare her; she had too much to deal with later on anyways. "The guests should be arriving here in a few hours."
"Well anything I can do to help till then?" Sarah asked.
"Nope," He said taking a step towards her. "Everything is set and on its way. All you have to do is dress up and look pretty."
"Easier said," Sarah blew out a breath.
"Well you seem to be doing a fine job of it now," Jareth commented.
"Yeah, yeah," Sarah waved off his compliment as she started to walk down the hall away from his room. Jareth was quick on her heels. He couldn't help but noticed that owl necklace still hung from her neck. He just smiled to himself.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Lydia had just pinned up the last section of Sarah's hair. Sarah looked at herself in the mirror. She wore the deep blue, sparkling dress; her hair had been twisted and pinned up against her head, with a few strands brushing her shoulders. The owl hung right under her collar bone, sparkling in the light. Lydia finished off her look with a miniature tiara tucked into her hair.
"You look wonderful," Lydia said putting her hands on her hips. "That'll knock their socks off."
"Yeah Sarah you look so pretty!" Lynnett ran up to stand beside her. The little girl wore a shorter dress with ruffles and ribbons galore.
"Thanks Lynnie," Sarah smiled. Just then Terra walked in.
"Are you all ready? We are going to be late," She told them calmly.
"We're ready," Sarah confirmed. The three girls started down the hall. Lydia said she would sneak on in later. They reached the Ballroom doors, even though they were shut, Sarah could hear the mumbling on the other side. Jareth, another man, and the King and his wife were standing at the door. Sarah quickly took in a deep breath.
"Hi Mama!"Lynnett bounced over to her mother and into her arms. Her mother gave her a quick hug.
"This must be Sarah!" The Queen exclaimed. She gave Sarah a thoughtful hug. "It's so nice to meet you dear! I'm Gizelle, Jareth's mother I'm sure you know. There had certainly been a buzz about you going on lately, why I-"
"Mother please," Jareth softly spoke. "You'll have plenty of time to talk to her over dinner. Our guests are waiting," He hinted.
"Yes, dear. Come on," The King spoke up, offering his arm to his wife. Terra and her escort stepped in front Jareth and Sarah, linking arms. Terra turned and winked at Sarah. Sarah turned to Jareth; she finally got a good look at him. He was dressed in an outfit that matched hers perfectly. He wore the same colored deep blue coat, with a white undershirt. He had silver gems sewn into his coat as well. His black snug pants and the unforgettable knee high black books, only these were polished and looked new. Following suit, Jareth offered his arm to Sarah, who slightly leaned against him. The line order was The King and Queen, Lynnett, Terra and her escort, then Jareth and Sarah. Sarah remembered Jareth telling her the children went from youngest to oldest.
"Now presenting..." She heard through the door, the room hushed. She took another deep breath.
"Just walk and smile," He reassured her as the doors opened. The 'line' they had formed spaced apart, allowing for the guests to see everyone. As soon as Sarah and Jareth walked through the door, Sarah could hear hushed whispers. They didn't sound bad, but still. She just tried to keep a light smile on her face, like Jareth had told her. They made their way up to the head table, where Jareth pulled out her chair for her. He then sat down next to her. The only one who had remained standing was the King himself. There was already a goblet full of wine set in from of everyone, aside from Lynnettt. The King rambled on for a moment, about honoring the new ruler of half of the Labyrinth, and a few other things. Everyone toasted and took a drink. The conversation started to pick up as dinner was brought out. It was brought to the head table first. Once they began to eat, everyone else was served. Jareth's mother took this time to talk to Sarah.
"So my dear, how do you like it here?" She asked politely around a mouthful.
"It's wonderful," Sarah answered honestly. She then proceeded to tell the King and Queen how she spent her time here. Throughout Sarah's discussions with the Queen, she overheard Jareth's father trying to ask him something. Jareth seemed to be ignoring him, odd. Terra stepped into the conversation asking her mother about something. Sarah took this chance to look over at Jareth. He smiled back at her formally.
"Now you see where Terra gets it from?" He arched an eyebrow. Sarah just laughed to herself and smiled. She looked across the table at the young man sitting next to Terra. He looked quiet pleased with himself, he had one of those school boy grins like after getting his dream girl to accompany him to prom. Sarah thought she heard someone say his name was Charles. She glanced over the crowd, hundreds of people were here. They were dressed in the most elaborate outfits, all stunning. She couldn't help but feel a bit out of place. The Fae's natural features never ceased to amaze her. The facial markings, flawless figures, they all looked like run way models without even trying. Jareth father had introduced himself. King Blaine Faden, his full title. He smile warmly at Sarah and kept a pleasant tone. Sarah though she heard the band start to pick up a mid-pace welcoming tempo.
"Looks like they are in a hurry to get this on a roll," Jareth father commented, standing up to pull his wife's chair out for her. Terra's escort, along with Jareth did the same. Jareth led her to the dance floor; a few other couples seemed to be collecting there as well. Sarah stood across from Jareth, about a foot away. She had practiced the dances with Jareth over and over this week, but she was still nervous about all the eyes on her.
"Does she know how to do these?" She heard a woman whisper to her partner a few feet away. Sarah couldn't help but noticed the expecting stares she got from every other couple on the floor, even Jareth's parents. They weren't negative, just curious to see if she knew what she was doing. There seemed to be some sort of tension floating around on the floor. Like everyone was being extra careful around her.
She looked up at Jareth who reassured her with a nod. The music made and loop, and began. Everyone, including Sarah stepped right into pace. Sarah could have sworn she heard sighs of relief coming from everyone around her as she executed the steps as flawlessly as anyone else around her. Everyone seemed to smile a little brighter, including Sarah. Jareth gave her and 'I told you so' look. Sarah kept her moves in check as she broke her gaze from Jareth's. It was an amazing scene being played about before her. She had dreams about this, the music the laugher, the dancing. It was like a fairy tale coming to life, that she was now a part of. More and more couples joined the crowd, smiling as they moved past Sarah. Jareth stepped forward for the next move, turning her by placing his hand on the small of her back. Sarah had her back against his chest.
"I told you, you're doing wonderful," He whispered right in her ear before spinning her. At Jareth's easy words, the last bit of shyness was torn away from her and she let herself fully enjoy the dance. They continued on for a while longer before the dance slowly came to stop. People laughed causally and clapped. Jareth led Sarah off the dance floor for a moment as the next dance started. Her face was glowing. He pulled out her chair and she sat down. He sat down next to her. Jareth was happy she seemed to be enjoying herself.
"This is amazing," Sarah told him smiling. "Last time I was so worried about staying out of sight, I didn't get a chance to see everything."
"Yes, well we do tend to go all out with these kinds of things. Come," He said standing. "Why don't we start getting these introductions over with?" Sarah nodded and took the hand he offered her. So for about an hour Jareth introduced her to what seemed to be dozens of people. The women she spoke with mostly complimented her dress, hair or something along those lines. The men seemed to be a bit more curious, asking her questions about Aboveground life. Sarah answered simple things like how she got here, what she did back home, why certain things were the way they were. Sarah found something a bit odd about Jareth. He wore such a formal attitude; he looked and acted very much so like a king. Sarah had never really seen this side of him. There wasn't anything really wrong, he was very polite to everyone, but his mind seemed elsewhere. She almost swore she caught his eyes scanning the crowd. Odd.
"Jareth," A man called, Sarah and Jareth both turning around to see who it was. A man Jareth's height stood before them. He had much tanner skin and was very brawny. His hair was a glossy black and his eyes twinkled a strange green color. His fun loving smile looked like something you would see on the cover of a magazine.
"Falken," Jareth greeted warmly, he seemed to let the formality slip from his face for a moment. The other man giving him a brotherly tap on the shoulder.
"Where have you been? No one's seen you back at the City for weeks and weeks," He scolded jokingly.
"Well I fear my time has been a bit occupied," Jareth's eyes drifted over to Sarah. Falken turn to look at her.
"Ah I see, the Aboveground girl," He took Sarah's hand and kissed it lightly. Jareth raised an eyebrow and the men seemed to exchange some unspoken conversation. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Falken Avallon, Keeper of the Labyrinths fortress. And the one who keeps his royal Highness here out of trouble," He pointed to Jareth.
"Very funny," Jareth half smirked. "Falken and I are childhood friends. When I was promoted to King, I assigned his to be my right hand so to speak. I trust this man with my life."
"You only say that because I keep you off hot coals," Falken jested. Suddenly Jareth's eyes locked onto something. This didn't go unnoticed by Falken or Sarah.
"Jareth what are you loo-" Sarah started.
"Sarah! There you are!" Terra hurried over to her. "You've only danced to one song, everyone seemed pretty impressed and I'm sure they'd love to see you out there some more," Terra hinted. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Jareth say something to Falken, he spoke so low Sarah couldn't even hear him she just say his lips move. She turned her attention back to Terra.
"Well..." Sarah though out loud. Suddenly Jareth had his arm around her middle herding her towards the dance floor. Terra walked ahead to join her partner. Jareth quickly stepped into tempo and let Sarah step in as well. She looked at him questionably. He seemed to be in a hurry. Jareth caught her stare, he was about to speak when someone waltz right past them. Jareth tried to turn Sarah to face the other way but it was too late. Colleen was dancing with what Sarah guessed was her escort for the evening. She said nothing but gave Sarah the deadliest stare she had ever seen. Jareth pulled Sarah close enough to whisper,
"Just keep dancing." He spun her around quickly, almost making her dizzy. When she completed her circle, she found that Jareth's arms were no longer around her. Falken had seemed to take his place in a flash. He smiled down warmly at her. She continued dancing but found Jareth nowhere in sight,
"Where did he go?" she asked Falken, trying not to sound rude.
"He'll be right back," he reassured her. The dance ended and Sarah gave Falken a quick curtsy. Another cheery tune picked right back up though. He tried to lead Sarah into the next dance, but she took a step back.
"Please," She gave another quick curtsy. "I really want to see where he has gone too," Sarah started to walk away but Falken gently took hold of her forearm.
"One more dance?" He pleaded mildly. A few people looked over at the two wondering what was going on. Falken tried to avoid a scene, he sighed heavily before causally pulling her back into a stance. Sarah even tried to step back again, but his steel grasp didn't allow it.
"What are you doing?" She asked, anger hinting in her voice. This turned a few more heads, but Falken kept his cool smile.
"Miss Sarah please," Falken begged through his teeth, keeping the smile on his face to convince onlookers. "Trust me."
Sarah caught the looks on the people faces around her as well, she lowered her voice.
"What's going on?" She demanded quietly. Falken lead her through the dance still.
"Miss Sarah, please," He repeated hushly. "I'm only doing what Jareth asked."
"What did he ask?"
"To keep you here until he got back, he'll only be gone for a few minutes," Falken tried to sooth her.
"What's he doing?" She had stopped resisting so people would stop looking at them oddly.
"He will tell you everything when he gets back," Falken spun her lightly. Sarah decided to let it go for now. She wasn't very happy about it though. She also glanced around the other couples, Colleen and her death stare seemed to be nowhere around.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Jareth locked the door behind them with a wave of his hand. He had taken Colleen from her partner easily. The boy she was with seemed to have drunk so much already it took him a minute to process. Colleen whined the whole way as he dragged her off the floor, past the tables out of the Ballroom and down the hall into a spare room. The festivities from the Ball could still be heard down here. He faced her without speaking for a moment.
"Jareth really," She looked at herself in a mirror hanging on the wall. She toyed with her bangs. "If you wanted to be alone, all you had to do was tell me," She batted her eyelashes as she looked at him through the mirror.
"Colleen you are no longer welcome in this castle, is that clear?" Jareth told her, his tone fierce. Colleen turned around placing her hands on her hips.
"What do you mean?" she asked innocently. Jareth used all his power not to snap right there.
"Sarah," was all he said.
"Oh please," she waved a hand at him. "That mortal girl. She had no right to tell me to leave," She crossed her arms.
"She had every right. And still does. I want you gone, now," Jareth voice was husked. "And I'm going to make sure you are held accountable for your actions."
"Oh no, please not the courts," she mimicked. "You know they won't do anything, a slap on the wrist, how terrible."
"Then maybe I should handle this personally," He growled stepping nose to nose with Colleen. Her face changed into what seemed to be fear. Suddenly the door swung open.
"Jareth..." Terra called from the doorway. "This isn't the time or place for it." She had seen him leave the Hall with Colleen and followed close behind, her brother's temper could sometimes get the best of him. Terra took another step closer to her brother.
Colleen gave Jareth a wicked smirk, not budging from where she stood. Jareth took a deep breath to steady himself before turning to walk away from her.
"You're just mad because what I told her was true!" The enraged Colleen grabbed Jareth shoulder. Her nails dug across his collar bone, trying to turn him back around. She doesn't belong here, she's just a conversation piece, a ditzy little mortal who-"
Jareth snapped. In half a second he had turned and clenched Colleen around her neck with one hand. He slammed her into the mirror that shattered into pieces and held her there. She flung her hands up to try to pull his hand from her throat, but he was ten times stronger than her, his anger giving him an adrenaline rush on top of that.
"Nothing, nothing you said to her was true and you know that. If you ever, ever lay a hand on Sarah again," He snarled threw his clenched jaw, "I swear you will never see the light of day again." He had never put a hard hand towards a woman in his life, he had intended to keep it that way, but Colleen had pushed the wrong button. He pressed her by her throat against the wall even harder, a cough escaped her. Terra, the voice of reason, stepped forward to put her hand on her brother's shoulder.
"Jareth..." She repeated calmly. At his sisters words her loosened his hold. "Not that she doesn't deserve it," Terra glared at Colleen. "But you know this will only get you into trouble. You don't need that right now and Sarah sure doesn't." Jareth relaxed his body some, but still didn't completely let go of Colleen.
"Never, come back here again," He told her with deadly venom. He slowly let his hand drop from her throat, never breaking his killer glare on her. "Leave now." Colleen sunk to the floor before she took a deep breath in, rubbing her neck. Her face seemed shocked as she stared up at Jareth. He turned on his heels and stalked out of the room, Terra right behind him. She stopped in the doorway.
"I'd listen if I were you," She warned before disappearing around the corner.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Sarah had danced with Falken at least three or four dances by now. Falken tried to amuse her by telling her stories about his and Jareth's childhood. He told her of mishaps when Jareth was little and was learning to work his magic, blowing things up or getting himself into trouble. She could tell by the way he talked that they really were the best of friends. She had a feeling he would be around for a while.
"Care if I cut in?" Jareth seemed to appear right next to them.
"Well if you really insist," Falken teased as he let loose of Sarah and held his arms expectantly out to Jareth. He had a big cheesy grin on his face. Even though Sarah was curious where Jareth had been, she couldn't hold back from laughing.
"Very funny," Jareth knocked away Falken's hands and gave him a mock scowl.
"He was always the kill joy," Falken whispered to Sarah, winking. Sarah just smiled back.
"Thank you," Jareth said to Falken, locking his gaze. He just nodded and headed off somewhere. Jareth took Sarah in his arms, getting ready to step into the beat.
"Please can we go sit down?" Sarah asked. "My feet are kind of tired."
"Of course," Jareth started to lead them back to the head table, but Sarah tugged him the other way. She seemed to be leading him to the emptiest corner of the room. There were a few comfortable chairs there, a small couch and the light was a bit dimmer. She wanted all the eyes off her for a moment. She sat down on the small couch, Jareth seating himself next to her.
"What were you doing?" Sarah asked him casually.
"Nothing, I just needed to step out of a minute," Jareth quickly answered. Sarah wasn't going to settle for that answer.
"Jareth," She blew out a breath. "Please, just tell me?" Sarah pleaded to him tiredly. She leaned back against the couch, closing her eyes half way. Jareth assumed she must be very tired. His eyes couldn't help but skim over her. The dress was immaculate on her, it really was. It hugged her in all the right places, showed off her best assets. He also again noticed the owl twinkled from around her neck. Jareth causally leaned back against the couch as well getting comfortable.
"I had a chat with Colleen," He started; Sarah's eyes snapped up at him, a look of worry hinted in them. "And everything is taken care of. You won't ever have to see her here again, or anywhere else."
"Well that couldn't have gone over too well with her," Sarah commented, she also happened to notice a small tear in the seam of his jacket. She reached out to trace the tear on his shoulder. She looked up at him, her eyes stating the unspoken.
"There was a bit of a confrontation," He explained. Sarah also noticed the top button on his shirt was buttoned, she thought it wasn't at the beginning on the night. Her hand traced over to the top button of his shirt. Jareth willingly unbuttoned it, exposing the clawed marks across his collar bone. "It's quiet alright though."
"Jareth..." Sarah scooted a little closer, her voice filled with concern. Jareth buttoned his shirt back up.
"Sarah trust me, it's nothing. It's just a scratch," He soothed her. "Please don't let this ruin your night, this is all for you," He gestured at the rest of the room filled with people, food, decorations. "Enjoy it."
Sarah looked out at the crowd. It seems a few people caught on to her absence and quickly located her and Jareth in the corner of the room. No one dared approach them but she saw eyes flicked in their direction every few seconds. Jareth saw the same thing.
"Well let's ride out the rest of the evening shall we?" He stood up, offering her a hand up. She righted herself and walked back out into the crowd with Jareth to mingle with the other Faes.
The night went on, more dancing, more questions. She even had quite a few Fae men ask her to dance. The first time she looked at Jareth uncertainly. He nodded though, not wanting everyone to see his over protectiveness weight out. It was pretty much customary for the person being honored to dance with others, though he didn't tell Sarah that. So he knew it would look strange if he kept her from doing so. He stayed right on the edge of the dance floor though, watching. He let out a sharp breath whenever he saw any of the men hold Sarah too close for his liking. Falken walked up joining him.
"Get that taken care of?" He asked causally, watching the dancers. Jareth nodded, he had his arms crossed tightly. Falken looked over at him.
"Jareth, relax," Falken raised an eyebrow at his friend. "They just are dancing with her; they aren't going to eat her."
Jareth loosened his grip on his own arms, his shoulders resting a bit. Falken again gave him a light tap on the shoulder.
"You got it bad," Falken stated, turning his attention back to the dancers.
"Got what?" Jareth asked, taking his eyes off Sarah for just a moment.
"You know what I mean," Falken simply answered. Suddenly Terra showed up.
"Hello Falken, I was wondering where you were hiding," Terra gave him an angel's smile. Falken had been around Terra her whole life, thanks to her brother.
"My lady," He bowed low.
"Oh stop that," She slapped him playfully at his formality. "Jareth, just so you know the last dance is next."
"And where is young Charles, my dear sister?" Jareth asked, looking around for him.
"Seems he had a bit too much to drink, he couldn't stand straight. I got him a carriage to escort him home safely," She explained.
"See? You always get them so nervous they drink themselves silly," Jareth teased his younger sister.
"Very funny," She smiled. They also heard to slow rhythmic beat of the last song beginning to play.
"Falken?" Terra asked looking up sweetly at him.
"Well, just let me get one more drink in her first," He played out the jest.
"Oh come on," Terra grinned, giving him a tug on the sleeve. They both laughed for a moment as he held out his arm to her and they made their way onto the floor. Jareth walked past them and between a few couples till he reached Sarah and the man dancing with her.
"Mind if I cut in?" Jareth tapped the man who was about three inches shorter than him, on his shoulder. The man nodded quickly and stepped aside. Jareth pulled Sarah close.
"You've been saying that an awful lot tonight," She told him.
"Yes, well it seems you are the Belle of the ball," He complemented. He noticed her eyes drop slightly. "Little too much excitement for you?"
"No," Sarah shook her head. "This evening has been wonderful." The dance went on for another minute or two, ending with them standing an inch from each other's faces. The cheer from the crowds clapping echoed all around. The night was finally over.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
"Now Sarah dear, if you ever get bored and want to come out to see us don't hesitate," Jareth's mother gave Sarah a warm hug. "We'd love to have you out soon."
"Sure, soon I promise," Sarah nodded.
"Jareth, don't be a stranger as well, you don't come around nearly as much as you should son," His mother scolded him.
"It won't be long mother," He gave her a gentle hug.
"Well let's get going dear," The queen told her husband.
"In a moment, dear. Jareth I need a word with you," his father turned to look at him. "Sarah dear, will you excuse us for a moment?"
"Sure," Sarah made her way down the hall and turned a corner. The queen looked sternly at her husband.
"I'll be in the carriage."
As soon as the Queen left, his father started to speak.
"Now Jareth, we need to-"
"Please father I know. Time is short and please trust me I am handling this unfair arrangement," Jareth rushed his words out, annoyed.
"Son, please trust me. I know what I am doing," His father said.
"Forcing me into marriage in a time limit, which might devastate any chance I have at what I want, and you want me to lay all that right in your hands?" Jareth glared at his father. The King laid a hand on his son's shoulder.
"Yes, I do," He looked hard at his son for a moment, wanting to explain, but this was not the time for it. Not yet. "Goodnight son." The old king walked out the door to head home. Jareth stood there for a moment longer, and then decided to relocate Sarah. He strolled down the hall, heading for Sarah's room. Her door was slightly open. He knocked before pushing it all the way open.
"Sarah?" He leaned his head in.
"Come on," Sarah called to him. She had already changed into her nightdress, and was unpinning her hair in front of the vanity mirror. Jareth let himself in her room and walked up behind her. Sarah pulled the last of the pins out of her hair; it fell to her back lightly. Jareth picked up a strand and let it slide through his fingers.
"What did your father want?" Sarah asked yawning.
"Not much, just rambling," Jareth covered. "You are tired; I'll leave you to sleep." Sarah stood up and faced him. Tonight she wouldn't argue, she felt dead on her feet.
"Alright," Sarah agreed. She walked over to her bed and sat down on the edge. Jareth followed but remained standing. He traced her jaw line once before tilting her chin upwards. He leaned over and gave her a gentle kiss.
"Goodnight Sarah," He said, and left her room, shutting the door as he left.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Jareth was sound asleep, under his thick comforters. Sound asleep until he thought he heard his door slowly open. His back was facing the door, but he didn't turn over. He also kept his eyes closed, but he listened very carefully. He heard footsteps slowly walking towards him. Pausing a few times before they took another step. It took a minute, but the figure finally stood in front of him.
"Jareth...?"
His eyes snapped open to lock on the intruder. Sarah was knelt down on the floor at eye level with him. Jareth half sat himself up, putting his weight on his elbow. Sarah couldn't help but notice his shirtless top half.
"Sarah? What is it?" There must have only been a few hours till early morning.
"I can't sleep," She told him.
"Why?" He asked, rubbing his eyes. Sarah seemed to wait a minute before answering.
"I was worried about you," She leaned her elbows on the edge of his bed and folded her arms.
"Why about me?" He was a bit confused by her answer. Instead of answering, she reached her hand up to his collarbone and lightly traced around the deep scratch marks left by the devilish Colleen.
"I feel terrible," She confessed. Jareth sat up the rest the way and swung his legs over the side of the bed.
"Sarah, you have nothing to feel bad about. I handled it and this is nothing," He comforted her.
"I still feel bad," Sarah sighed.
"Oh Sarah," Jareth let out a breath. She had a good heart, she really did. She felt guilt over nothing at all, if she wasn't so bothered by it he may have laughed. He pulled her up on his lap and let her lay her head on his shoulder.
"Now, I want no more talk of this alright? Colleen is nothing to worry about anymore and you have nothing to feel bad over." He rolled them back on the bed and pulled Sarah close to him. She looked at him with bright eyes.
"Alright," She agreed.
Jareth kissed her softly. He pulled his hand through her hair and let it drift down her back. Sarah let out a sigh against Jareth's lips. He let his tongue slide over her lower lip, seekingly. Sarah parted her mouth and let him take control of the kiss. She felt him lay his leg across hers before shifting himself on top of her, never breaking the kiss. Sarah ran her hand along one of his perfectly sculpted arms. Jareth kissed her deeper before moving to her neck. Every few seconds he nipped at her skin, causing a sharp intake of breath on Sarah's part. He slid the shoulder of her nightdress off to continue kissing her. He pulled it down ever further, revealing her full breasts.
Sarah blushed deeply as he continued kissing her skin. He didn't stop until he reached her hips. Once there he pulled himself back up to kiss her lips once again. He pressed his body firmly against hers. Her chest pressing against him stirred a feeling in him that could get him into trouble. Sarah wrapped her arms around his neck. He slid a hand down her side and down to her thigh. He pulled her leg up to wrap around his waist, pressing himself into her. She let a quiet moan flow out of her lips.
Sarah had never been like this with anyone ever. Her dating experience left her little to compare to now. She blushed far too easily; she was probably bright red now. Jareth brought up a feeling in her she had never felt before, something elusive. Sarah wasn't sure what it was, but she knew Jareth was causing it. She loved the feeling of his lips on her skin. She still feared she may do something wrong though. Jareth seemed to catch on to her apprehensiveness.
"Are you alright?" Jareth pulled away from her reluctantly, his voice was weighed. He gazed into her eyes deeply searching for the answer.
"Yes, I'm fine," Sarah half lied. Jareth caressed her face, as if knowing the answer without her saying it. He slid himself off of her and rolled onto his side facing her. He wondered if she had ever been really serious with anyone. He was feeling particularly bold tonight, so he thought he would give it a shot.
"Sarah," He waited till she looked at him. "Have you ever been with anyone before?"
Shock seemed to spread across her face. Her cheeks went so hot Jareth could feel the heat radiating off her face. She also bit her lower lip, a habit of hers it seemed. He waited patiently for her answer.
"You mean like been?" She emphasized the last word. Jareth just nodded. "No..."
He smiled at her modesty, she was really something special. In his world most girls didn't even hold up to their sixteenth birthday. In Sarah's it seemed to be very similar, but Jareth expected it from Sarah. It would have surprised him immensely if she ever had been with someone. He just laughed to himself and pulled her closer. It wasn't long before the wave of sleep took them both over.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Terra strolled down the hall telling servants to take this to that room or that to this room. There was a bit of a mess to clean up but they had it almost done. She had gotten up early to see to it. The ballroom was now empty of all the decorations, table cloths and tables. Everything re-polished and shined like new. Terra liked keeping things in order. Suddenly her younger sister came\ around the corner.
"Good morning Lynnett, have fun last night?" Terra cheerily asked her little sibling.
"Not really, I stayed for a minute but then I went to go play with Lydia. The dances are no fun for me," She complained.
"Well when you're a bit older-"
"Where is Sarah?" Lynnett interrupted.
"What do you mean?" Terra asked raising an eyebrow. "She is asleep in her room isn't she?"
"No, I went in there a little while ago to ask her if she wanted to go get breakfast. She wasn't in her room though, I asked Lydia and she hasn't seen her this morning either," Lynnett stared up at her sister. "I thought she might be with you."
Terra didn't want to worry; Sarah was probably walking around or something, still. Terra walked down the hall to Sarah's room, she opened the door without knocking. She found the room empty, her bed neatly made. She also checked in Sarah's bathroom and closet. She then headed down to the dining hall, no one there either. This was nothing to get worried about, but Terra felt a hint of anxiety start to fall on her. She looked in the drawing room, the library, everywhere she could think of. Sarah was nowhere to be found. It wasn't like Sarah to not show up anywhere. She headed to her brother's room to ask him to help her look.
"Jareth?" She knocked on the door. It wasn't like her brother to sleep in late. After of minute or so, no one answered, so she opened the door and stepped inside.
"Jare-" Terra froze and stopped herself from saying another word. He brother was still asleep, but with Sarah snuggled right next to him. She had noticed something going on between them that much was obvious for someone living here. But she was extremely curious about what led to this. She looked over them again; Sarah was pulled into the curve of her brother. He seemed to have a comfortable hold on her, both of them breathing in and out easily. Terra decided to step out before her brother woke up and saw her gawking at them in the door way. She closed the door silently behind her. She was off to going back to work; she would talk with Sarah later. At least this was a good sign.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Sarah awoke slowly, letting out a deep breath. She could feel Jareth's arm around her middle and his face in her hair. She glanced turning her head to look at the clock, it read eleven forty five.
"Yes a bit late hm?" Jareth spoke as if reading her thoughts.
"Sorry did I wake you up?" She yawned stretching her arms over her head.
"No, I was awake," He nuzzled her neck. Sarah relaxed her head back against the pillows. She could get used to this.
"Think we should get up for breakfast?" Sarah suggested. Jareth sighed heavily.
"I suppose, might be a good idea before they send out a search party," Jareth teased rolling out of bed. Sarah admired his body out of the corner of her eyes, he was sculpted perfectly. She pulled herself out of bed.
"I'm going to go change before we go down ok?" Sarah headed towards the door.
"I'll meet you down there."
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Sarah quickly changed, ran a brush through her thick dark hair, and walked into the dining hall. Terra and Lynnett were already there. Terra looked up at her.
"Good morning Sarah," She greeted her politely, raising an eyebrow.
"Morning Terra, Lynnett," Sarah answered sitting down across from the two. The servants would be bringing in lunch now instead of breakfast. As soon as a goblin saw Sarah, it darted into the kitchen to tell the cook to get some more food going. Jareth hadn't arrived yet.
"Where were you this morning Sarah?" Lynnett looked at Sarah with big childlike eyes. "I looked everywhere for you."
"I..." Sarah tried to think.
"Yes Sarah," Terra put her elbows on the table and leaned forward, resting her chin in her hands. "Where were you?"
"Well I was..." Sarah couldn't think of anything to say, not really sure if she should tell them.
"Good morning," Jareth walked into the room dressed and ready for the day. Saved by the bell, he took a seat next to Sarah.
"Good morning indeed," Terra mumbled, leaning back in her chair and crossing her arms. She scowled at Jareth interrupting.
"What was that Terra?" He eyed his sister.
"Nothing," She smiled innocently as food was brought out for them. Lynnett babbled on most the time, Jareth making a comment here or there. Terra ate slowly, looking back and forth between Sarah and her brother.
"...And then when I was running down the hall one of the goblins-"
"Sarah could you help me with something for a few minutes?" Terra interrupted.
"Sure," Sarah said, putting her fork and napkin down. They both stood up and walked out of the room, leaving the oldest and youngest siblings alone to finish their food. They walked silently up to Terra's room. As soon as Sarah walked in, Terra shut the door and dragged Sarah over to her bed to sit down.
"Talk," Terra commanded with a smile on her face. Sarah was a bit confused.
"Talk? About what?"
"You know what missy!" She lightly pushed Sarah's shoulder. After a minute of Sarah not saying anything, Terra explained. "Lynnett was looking for you this morning; she came to me to ask if I knew where you were. She said you were not in your room, so I checked there and everywhere else in the castle you might be. When I couldn't find you my worrying nature took over," She dramatically placed her forearm across her eyes. "So I went to Jareth's room to ask if he had seen you..." She shifted her eyes over at Sarah. Her face was deep red, so she got where Terra was going with this. "So, talk."
"Well..." Sarah looked at the thick white carpet, embarrassed. "I just couldn't sleep so I went in there to talk to him, and I felt really bad about what Colleen did to him."
"What she did to him?" Terra asked. "Did he tell you what happened?
"No, he just said they had a confrontation and I saw he got scratched," Sarah shrugged.
"Go figure, he sugar coats things sometimes," Sarah looked at her questioning. "Look don't tell him I told you but, well..." Terra seemed to be looking at something very far away, but nothing in the room. She didn't even blink. "I've never seen him act like that before. I followed him out of the ballroom when I saw him with Colleen; I was being kind of nosy. I hear them talking threw the door. He told her she wasn't welcomed here anymore and that he would hand her case over to the courts. Colleen told him they would do nothing to her." She paused for a moment, still staring blankly ahead. "And sadly she is right. They won't do anything. Jareth realized this too; he tried to control that temper of his. I stepped in about then and tried to get him to leave her be. He wasn't going to get anywhere. But then Colleen opened her big mouth as he was trying to leave and he just, snapped."
"Snapped?" Sarah asked.
"Yeah, he grabbed her by her neck and flung her into the wall, I thought he might choke her to death for a moment," Terra confessed lowly. "I have never seen him so angry in my whole life."
"What did Colleen say? When he was trying to leave?" Sarah leaned in a little closer. Terra broke her trance like stare and eyed Sarah before answering.
"She said he was just mad because what she said was true," Terra shook her head as she spoke. "Jareth knew it wasn't so he couldn't take her attitude I guess. But I think why he snapped like that was because it was about you."
Sarah looked at her lap now, Terra stared at her.
"My brother really cares for you Sarah. I know he does. If you could have seen him before you came here and now, the difference is amazing. He hardly came here unless someone called his attention, he always looked so," Terra searched for a word. "Empty. I often caught him staring at the sky at night, as is he was talking to the stars in his mind. Like he was wishing for something. I think after you left the first time, that's when it really hit him and ever since then he has been different. Now with you here, he is so much happier, he smiles more. He's been here for weeks and weeks on end. He has never stayed away from his castle this long. His temper hasn't gotten him into trouble like it used to."
Terra stopped to look at Sarah who was biting her lower lip. She decided to keep going on, Sarah needed to hear it.
"Jareth has been asked to marry a lot of other king's daughters, and everyone he has turned down. He didn't so much give them a second look. This has my brother and father on bad terms as you can imagine. It's very unusual to have a king and not have a queen." Sarah sighed heavily. "I want my brother to be happy, that's why I stood by him on his decisions, even though our Father was furious. But Sarah, with you I think he could be so very happy. I know how much he loves you." It wasn't a matter of 'if' it was 'how much'. "Somebody still loves you Sarah, and I don't think he would settle down with anyone else."
"Terra I..." Sarah started.
"I'm not asking you to hop, skip and jump into a marriage with my brother," She smiled. "I just wanted you to hear all of that."
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Jareth was turned the corner to his hallway to find Terra leaning on his door. She had her arms crossed and smiled a very Jareth like smile.
"Can I help you with something?" He asked, approaching her.
"I think we need to talk," Terra answered politely. Jareth was about to question her, but his siblings were as stubborn as he was, so they never got very far. He opened the door and then sat down in two high backed chairs in front of his fireplace.
"Well?" He asked, sitting back in the chair. Terra repeated the story of not knowing where Sarah was and continued on till she talked about how she went to Jareth's room to ask him if he had seen her. Jareth raised an eyebrow.
"So when you didn't answer, I opened the door," Terra shot him an accusing but sisterly look. "Don't you think you are moving things a little fast?"
Jareth didn't even pretend to not know what his sister was talking about. Maybe he was trying to rush things, but with his time quickly falling away, what else could he do.
"Nothing happened Terra," He held his hands out palms up. "She couldn't sleep."
"I'm just saying Jareth, it seems like you are trying to hurry things along. I saw that necklace she was wearing," Terra pointed out the owl necklace Sarah still wore even this morning. "What aren't you telling me?"
Jareth didn't want to lie to his sister, no that was a bad idea. They have never lied to each other before over anything before, now was not a good time to start. He sighed heavily and put his hand over his eyes.
"Six months," He simply stated.
"Six months? What are you talking about?" Terra pressed, knowing she was getting her answer.
"Father has given me six months to find a bride, or he will sign the papers to make Colleen my wife," He spat the girl's name as if it were poison.
"Poppy-cock! Father would never sign you over to the wretched little brat," Terra accused.
"I don't understand why either," He locked eyes with his sibling. "Something is going on he is not telling me. He wants this done no matter who it is."
"So if you don't marry in six months..." Terra began to fathom the horror that life would be with Colleen as a sister in law, even more horrible for Jareth to be stuck with her. She saw the all seriousness in her brother's face.
"Oh Jareth..." She sighed. "Why didn't you tell me about this sooner?"
"I don't know," He confessed. "Now you see why I have to be so persistent."
"Sarah doesn't...?
"No, she doesn't know. I'm not sure whether to tell her or not," He shook his head.
"Well it's bound to come up some time or another. I think it's best to tell her before she finds out from someone else," Terra put a caring hand on her brothers shoulder.
"I fear it would scare her away from me," The sadness could not be hidden in his voice.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
Sarah had spent the remainder of the day with Lynnett. The little girl never seemed to tire of the same old games. She liked dressing up a lot, or reading, drawing. Sarah tried to teach her solitaire, but she never really caught on. Dinner soon came and they headed downstairs, Terra and Jareth were already seated. They ate and talked lightly about random things. Nothing of really any importance. Terra excused herself from dinner early, for what reason no one really knew.
"I think it's time I head back to the goblin city to check up on a few things," Jareth said.
"Really?" Sarah asked around a mouth full.
"Yes," Jareth leaned back in his chair. "I was wondering if you would like to go as well."
Sarah looked up at him. Back to the goblin city, that would be one hell of a memory alert. She wondered how much had changed since then if anything.
"I want to go with Sarah too," Lynnett gave her brother puppy dog eyes.
"Not this time Lynnett," He said calmly. "Well Sarah? We would only be gone a few days."
"Well..." She looked a bit uneasy for a moment. She had really never even left the castle here, so maybe it would be a good thing to get out some. "Alright."
"Wonderful, we leave first thing in the morning," Jareth smiled warmly. Sarah just nodded dumbly. She had a feeling this was going to be strange. They finished dinner and kept themselves busy for the next little while. Soon Lynnett was ready for bed and her nightly reading. Again the girl fell asleep before she could hear the end. Jareth escorted Sarah back to her room. They lingered in the door way.
"So should I start packing some things?" Sarah asked.
"No, the servants will have you ready to go by morning," Jareth confirmed. Sarah looked at Jareth for a long moment. Something didn't seem the same. His eyes seemed a little less bright, his smile not as convincing. He almost looked sad, almost.
"Jareth? Is everything ok?" She asked sincerely. He waited for almost a full minute before answering.
"Fine. Everything is fine."
"Jareth..." Sarah started to press it.
"Sarah?" Terra poked her head around the corner. Sarah sighed heavily knowing she couldn't argue about it now.
"Goodnight Sarah," Jareth whispered, kissing her on the cheek before leaving. He mumbled goodnight to Terra as she walked past him. Neither Sarah nor Terra spoke until Jareth was out of sight.
"What's the matter with him?" Sarah asked Terra.
"I don't know," Terra lied smoothly. Terra stepped into the bed room, Sarah did as well and shut the door.
"So what's up?" Sarah asked from her closet, changing into her nightdress.
"Just wandered if you were ready for your trip tomorrow," She fiddled with a piece of her hair.
"How did you know?" Sarah asked as she walked of her closet, buttoning the top button of her dress.
"I couldn't help but overhear," Terra smirked.
"Go figure," Sarah plopped down on her bed.
~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~~o0o~
"Dear, it's time you told him. Surely he wouldn't be so mad if he only knew," Queen Gizelle wrapped an arm around her husband. They were both laying in bed, the King in deep thought. The King cradled his wife against his chest.
"I don't want him to worry; I want to give him a chance at happiness. Even if there is a time limit," King Blaine sighed out.
"But he is so angry with you, I can tell. He has even turned from me some. We normally hear from him every few days. Now only on our own accord do we even get to speak with him," Jareth's mother pleaded softly. He was their oldest child and only son; still she worried about him just as much as the others.
"In due time dear," He soothed his wife. "All in due time.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Wow, the snow storm killed my internet for a few days. But haza! I am back. Please review =]
Thanks also to my lovely Beta Reader! 3