Checked for continuity, grammar, and spelling: May 3, 2011.
Chapter Twenty-Five: Startling Revelations
Sarah woke Thursday morning with the sun spilling onto her face through cracks in her blinds. Squinting, she stretched lazily. Once again, she could not remember her dreams, but somehow she knew they were completely opposite to those of the previous three nights.
Rolling over, she peered over the edge of her bed at her alarm clock. In doing so, her gaze fell on the crystal Jareth gave her instead. She smiled, snuggling deeper into her blankets. "Well," she told it, "I don't know if you are actually doing anything or not, but you sure are pretty."
Sarah remained in bed for a while longer. She had no classes on Thursdays and was able to take her time in getting started for the day. Finally rolling out of bed, she showered and got dressed, humming a song she had not heard in years.
When she got out to her front room, she wandered over to her fridge for a glass of orange juice. Doing what her stepmother had always cringed at, she drank straight from the container as she opened her blinds. The sight that greeted her nearly caused a spit-take.
Jareth was out on the tree again.
"Hi," she said as soon as she caught hold of her scattered thoughts. "I'll, uh, meet you downstairs?"
Once again, he flew off, leaving her standing in the middle of the room wondering if that was an affirmative. "I daresay having the Goblin King as a b - visitor keeps you on your toes."
Jareth was just approaching the landing when Sarah came bounding out the door. She skidded to a halt at the edge of the top step then jumped down to the bottom. "Hi," she said again.
He could not help but smile at her enthusiasm. "Good morning," he responded. "I had begun to think you were never going to open your curtains and that I would need to return Underground before I had the chance to see you."
Curtains? Oh, he must mean the blinds. Sarah giggled. "Yes, well, it feels like a lazy sort of morning. I hope you were not waiting too long."
"Not at all. But I am afraid I cannot stay for more than an hour or two."
"Oh." Her disappointment was evident, but she immediately brightened once again. "Well, it is such a beautiful day, would you like to just go for another walk?"
"That would be splendid."
Once again, they headed down the path toward the wooded park. As they did so, Sarah suddenly came to the conclusion that she would stop trying to resist her immediate impulses around Jareth so often. No more second-guessing yourself, Sarah. Just relax! Before she could change her mind, she reached out to link arms with Jareth, startling herself in the process. Good heavens, what has come over me? I'm sure Aggie would be proud, she thought, shrugging to herself.
While he was extremely pleased, Jareth was rather surprised at Sarah being so unreserved. He glanced down at her just as she turned her head to watch a squirrel run up a tree. Her gaze followed it as it scampered across a branch and jumped into another tree. When he chuckled, she turned to look up at him.
"What?"
"You just seem to be in a good mood."
She shrugged again. "Oh. Well, I finally got a good night sleep."
"Ah."
They came to her thinking spot and she steered them over to sit down on the bench. She curled one leg underneath her and folded the other up to her chest, watching Jareth seat himself as elegantly as always. When he turned his head to regard her as well, she blurted, "How did you know what I was dreaming?"
He smiled again. "I only knew they were unpleasant, not what happened."
"Oh." Sarah thought this over for a bit, resting her chin on her knee and looking out over the pond. "Well, um, thank you for the gift. And for making them go away, I guess."
"You are most welcome, though I did not precisely make them 'go away'. To be honest, I was not certain the crystal would work when I sent it."
She tilted her head to look at him. "What do you mean?"
"There was something about the feel of your dreams that made me wonder, so I took a chance." He looked away, seeming to think, so Sarah waited for him to continue rather than press him for a further explanation right away. "Unfortunately for you, being on the receiving end of my suit has some less than pleasant consequences. I had not expected this situation to arise so quickly otherwise I would have given you the crystal sooner."
When he did not continue right away this time, her curiosity got the better of her. "What consequences?"
"As a rule, my people rarely travel Aboveground without due cause. As the Goblin King, I have a little more leeway than others, however the frequency of my visits of late has not gone unnoticed."
"Is... Are you going to get in trouble or something?"
He chuckled once more as he returned his gaze to lock with hers. "No. But even if that were the case, I would have come anyway."
She blushed, as he expected. "Oh." She thought for a moment more. "But why would your visiting have consequences for me?"
"Because you are the cause of my visits." The tiny crease in her forehead she got whenever she was confused or unsure appeared, making him smile. "You see, Sarah, it goes back to what I said before about the Fae watching each other. My frequent travels Aboveground are probably seen as rather out of character. Naturally, they would want to know why I am doing so, what is drawing my attention."
While the thought that Jareth could watch her made her slightly uncomfortable, the idea that people she had not even met would do so was even worse. "Oh, for crying out loud. Why don't they just ask?"
"Because they know I would not tell them were they to bother to do so. And while they may try to find out what I do when at home, my Kingdom is far too heavily protected for most Fae to even get a glimpse of the scenery using magic. Aboveground, however, such protections do not generally exist."
Sarah cast a nervous glance around. "So... they could be watching right now?"
"Well, no. They could be trying, but as long as my personal wards are in place they would not get very far."
"That's good. But I still don't see what that has to do with me. Or my dreams."
"They cannot see anything whilst I am here. And casting around randomly would prove fruitless and a waste of magic. So the smart ones, who would be the only ones to have figured out there is a reason to be looking at this point, would wait until I am gone and then feel out for where I have been."
"Ok..."
Jareth could tell she was still not entirely convinced. "Essentially someone, or possibly more than one someone, managed pinpoint where I was when I visited you in your room. They waited until night fell, when they know Mortals sleep. For when Mortals sleep, it is easier to take a look around."
She interrupted, slightly confused. "So they were snooping around my room and that gave me bad dreams?"
He shook his head. "No, not snoop around your room. Physical searches are nearly impossible from the Underground without the appropriate set-up beforehand. The intention was to 'snoop' around your mind."
Sarah's eyes widened in surprise and horror and she changed her position to kneel on the bench, facing Jareth straight on. "You mean they were-"
"No, Sarah. They could not have done so yet."
"But-"
He moved, sliding nearer to her on the bench and took her hands in one of his own, gloved, ones. With his free hand, he cupped the side of her face. "Please, let me finish. They are only able to look where I have been. The rules against prying into the minds of Mortals are strict; it is not worth the risk unless they can be certain they have found the right person, or people. Outside, in the open, it is far too vague. Anyone could be there and there would be no guarantee that the person they would find would have any connection with me. But inside, where there are walls separating rooms, the field is narrowed down."
"But you were in my room," she spoke so quietly she almost whispered.
"I was in one of your rooms. The minds of Mortals have a small protection against probes such as those that have been used on you. For some reason, the physical walls of buildings have connections with mental walls, offering some sort of barrier. With the distance of our two worlds, it is a strong barrier. Strong enough to prevent them from entering your mind against your will. Had you fallen asleep on your couch or in your chair, opening your mind through your dreams, they may have been able to find you. However, I have not been in your bedroom, where you sleep."
He seemed to be waiting for some sort of acknowledgement. "Oh," was all she could think to say.
"Your dreams left you feeling unrested, uncomfortable, correct?" She nodded. "It is similar to when someone is staring at you when you are awake, it leaves you feeling uncomfortable. As you slept, you had eyes looking for you. They could not find you, but they were close by. And because you were asleep, with the subconscious part of your mind in charge, you were vaguely aware of their presence. That sort of disturbance amplifies whatever upsetting thoughts are already flying about in your mind, hence the bad dreams." He paused, before continuing quietly. "I assure you, Sarah, had I any idea they were already looking to find you, I would never have entered your home until after ensuring you were safe."
"Am I safe?"
He leaned back again, looking out over the water. "You accepted my gift freely. Nothing will harm you in your home now, whether you are awake or sleep. The entire building is guarded by the spell in the crystal. And everywhere else we have been together is far too public for it to be worth the effort."
"Hm." All this information did not sit well with Sarah, but she was knew there was little she could do about it save telling Jareth she did not wish to see him anymore. And that is the one thing I am sure I will never do. The realization was slightly startling. It's just a day for startling revelations, I suppose. As she sat there, trying to decide what to do or say next, she felt that there was really nothing she needed to say. Instead, she looked down at her hands where they were folded in her lap and still covered with one of his.
She turned her hands around to hold his instead. Looking up at him, she scooted closer and wrapped his arm around her. With a sigh, he fingered a strand of her hair with his other hand and leaned his head against hers. They sat there, in silence for a long while. Finally she spoke. "Jareth?"
"Mm?"
"When do you have to go?"
"Probably soon."
"Oh." I don't think I want him to go. "Do you have to?" The words left her mouth seemingly of their own volition.
"Unfortunately, yes." His voice was thickly coated with amusement.
"Oh." There was another long pause.
"Sarah," Jareth began, though he was not sure how to continue.
"Yes?"
"Why don't you... come with me."
"Where?"
"To my Kingdom."
She looked up at him. "To the Labyrinth?"
"Yes. Just for today, of course."
"You want me to come to the Underground with you."
He smiled at the way she stated the question, as though somewhat surprised that it was even a possibility. "Yes. I will not be able to spend the afternoon with you as I have work to do, but you can spend the day with some old friends."
"Old... Do you mean Hoggle?"
"Yes, and Didymus and Ludo, if you like."
"That would be nice..." She trailed off, thinking. "But, would I not see you at all?"
This time, it was her mild concern expressed so casually that brought the smile. "I will find you when I am finished, and you can join me for dinner should you wish to stay that long. Or I will bring you back Aboveground instead if you prefer."
"I can really go back with you?"
"Yes, of course. Simply say the word and we can go."
Sarah looked out over the pond, watching a duck paddle across, its wake disturbing the reflection of trees and sky, before meeting his gaze once more.