A/N: This chapter contains adult situation content! You have been warned, so if you are not old enough to read or do not like such things, go find another fic to read for a bit and come back for another chapter later. Thank you. You have been warned~this is the longest chapter thus far~
Apepi had led Sarah in the appropriate direction for the dinner. She said to go down the large stairwell and if she couldn't find the right door to enter, one of the many footmen around the place would show her. But that was unnecessary as the dining room had to French doors which were open completely and Sarah found herself in a mob of mostly female and few male beings vying to enter at once. Evidently, as Sarah was listening to various bickering, others thought they should be allowed to enter before others.
As Sarah approached closer, being the last person, at the end of the somewhat line, lingering in the back so as not to cause a fuss as she was unacquainted with everyone, she caught the eye of one very attractive male. He looked Fae. For all the light Jareth was, he was dark. When Sarah looked at him, she had locked eyes with him, and in those few seconds of contact she felt her heart ping and her breath hitch. Her heart felt as if someone had pricked it with a pin and it had popped, her arm hairs were prickling and her tongue felt leaden. Sarah looked straight to the ground to avoid catching his eyes anymore, already feeling ashamed of herself as she felt a blush creeping up her cheeks.
That strange Fae had black hair with red streaking, a rouge eye shadow, and a finely chiseled face. His cheek bones were prominent, and his lips were arched slightly at the corner as if his partner had told him something amusing. He wore a black outfit with red piping and threads which weaved in and out of his jacket, with cuffs that folded back to his mid forearm. His pants…Sarah went straight down to glance at his feet, as the pants were similar to something Jareth wore. His feet were dressed in boots, similar to what she would see in pirate films. They were a dark brownish red, freshly polished and gleaming.
When Sarah decided it was safe to look up again as the line was pressing forward, that strange Fae was standing in front of her. He must have left whoever had been talking to, to talk to her, and now several people around them were looking at Sarah.
Sarah was about to say something when that Fae stuck out his hand expecting Sarah's. Sarah placed hers in his, and he bowed lowly over her hand, and Sarah would have sworn that he had inhaled deeply her scent. He very quickly had turned her hand over and saw the ring on that hand, before letting a light kiss fall on it.
"It would be a great pleasure to learn such a captivating woman's name," he said over her hand, lightly rubbing his thumb on her hand. Sarah yanked her hand back and the Fae laughed. Then Sarah felt fear. Jareth had funny teeth, yes, but this one had teeth which were sharper, pointy, almost like they had been filed.
"My father told me not to talk to strangers," she softly said, stiffening.
"Well, my dear, we are to become well acquainted with everyone soon. As this is a social event, of only the most elite, I swear that it would behoove you to set your sights on other eligible bachelors. As you probably know by now, only one will win the Goblin King, but there are many other men about searching for a wife or wench of his own. Say, I'll tell you my name, and you tell me yours. I am called Duke Yarin of the Underground's Eastern Sector, Prince of Poi and Higim."
Sarah was a bit speechless. She had known Jareth was wife hunting, but not anyone else, and she hadn't even made it to the first event and she was already being assessed. He had seen the ring, but that hadn't put him off any. She would play along, heck, she wasn't even sure she liked Jareth yet, so why not explore. This was turning out better than in her world where she hadn't even had a boyfriend yet.
"Sarah."
"Sarah? Just Sarah…" he trailed off before smirking again. "Of course. Lady Sarah. Well, Lady Sarah, would you allow me to escort you to dinner?"
"Um, sure." Sarah took his proffered arm and they entered the dining room.
Jareth was already in the formal dining room. The room was designed to hold about hundred at the most, it could be expanded with magic, but that was stressful. There was one enormous table, each side of the head holding fifty. Jareth had prime view of the entrance, and could see up and down the table at his leisure. The seats on both of his sides were currently occupied by two chitchatting women who just thought that they were the Creator's gift to the world, clinging on his chair arms and leaning as far over to him as their corsets would permit without spilling up and out. Though, he wouldn't complain of the view, their voices and the nonsense they were rambling on about was nerve wrecking, and he hadn't even begun on appetizers.
He was tuning them out, listening more to the annoucment of who was entering, waiting for Sarah. He was curious as to what dress she had chosen to wear. He had had his tailor make a month's supply of garments so she wouldn't have to re-wear anything, even if she had an accident in a gown like spilling wine or something, which was bound to happen. He had her closets stocked with all the luxuries he could imagine, her drawers packed with undergarments of visual delights and sensory temptations.
He chuckled to himself. Yes, he had indulged in dressing her up; she was like his doll but a very driven and full minded thing, nothing to be compared to Ibsen over.
As Jareth was taking a sip from his cup, he nearly snorted out the wine through his nose. Sarah, gorgeous and radiant had turned many a woman's head at her entrance and title given to her by the public and by law. She was the only mortal of another realm to achieve a title by such an antiquarian law. But, that's not what startled Jareth. What startled him was that she was being escorted by that dreadful vampire.
He wanted to snarl and through a crystal straight into his skull. Let the cleaners have a piece of him and leave all the shredded pieces in the Bog of Eternal Stench. That would be too kind. Sarah didn't know what he was—but he had to have smelled her, been drawn to her. He saw that she was wearing the ring and that should protect her. He would be sure to put a spell on her for added protection later. He hadn't thought that bloodsucker would come to his party, it was his—hadn't that man ruined his life enough as it was? He was the blackguard that had stolen his wife in waiting. Not that he was complaining, but this guy had to leave his women alone. Seriously.
He watched Sarah. She was looking along the now full tables as they were the last to enter, her eyes skating along each face until she found the center and found him. He would never forget that look of relief at finding familiarity, the lines around her eyes disappeared, and her lips almost allowed her to smile at him, until she must have remembered why she was hear, and then her mask went back up. The Duke whisked her to the end of the table.
Throughout the meal both were stealing glances at one another from across the table, but Jareth did his in a way no one else could see. Instead of turning his head, he kept enough liquid in his cup to cast an image of her in it like his crystals could. He would sit back, as if in thought, studying his drink, as the women on his sides had somewhat given up hope of entertaining him, and he would watch the Duke bring a smile onto her mature face, watch as he rubbed his fingers around her lithe neck, brushing back dark hairs from her nape. Sarah was uneasy, but allowed his access. She wasn't fighting him. Of course not, he thought, as those kinds have ways of pulling a person into their world of security of trust and then it was over.
Sarah would not become that beast's dessert. He would see to that during the dance.
After supper, the crowd managed to make their way to the ballroom, it was in the same one that Sarah had found herself in all those years ago that he had held for her, but this time she knew it wasn't a dream. It wasn't as lofty and mystical; there was a band playing somewhere, Sarah couldn't see them but their strings and tingling harpsichord floated over the crowd. People were literally everywhere and Sarah tried to stick to the wall, edging her way around the room. That Duke had left her for a spell as he claimed to have seen someone and had some quick business to attend to. Sarah merely nodded and decided to see if she could spy his Highness.
She had found him along the table during the meal but he had paid her no attention, not even a glance. She was slightly hurt; she would felt she at least deserved an acknowledgment. At least more than a nod, perhaps a few words. She had come under the impression that she was to be his escort, but apparently she wasn't needed.
Then she got this terrible feeling that maybe altogether he was avoiding her.
That's when Sarah broke out of a wall of very drunk women and found herself standing in front of the refreshment table. Some parts of it was covered in oysters, chocolates, some powdery looking stuff, truffles, citrus, strawberries, and some other things she didn't recognize. There was enough booze to sink a ship and then more. Sarah grabbed a flute and started knocking back a few drinks within a few minutes of each other.
Sarah then went back to being against a wall nursing her flute as she sipped watching the crowd swirling and dancing. She then noticed that around the walls were several silk drapes that hung in long folds and a slight breeze was drifting the lace around them in the air. They covered alcoves and hallways that went off into various parts of the castle Sarah thought. In the center of the ball room was a lower level pit with pillows and already had people sitting down in it talking.
Sarah had thought that she would have been able to recognize that argoant piece of work but as everyone was wearing a mask she couldn't tell. Several men had the same swagger, the same multi-colored hair and lithe body. Sarah felt hot, tired, and annoyed as time wore on.
She watched as the evening edged toward the night and the dancing became more frantic and everyone passed her by as they started caressing another more, their hands dancing across their bodies, their half-faced masks not providing a hindrance to their facial assault their tongues enacted. She found herself becoming fascinated as several couples started to drift off to corners and alcoves to play in private. It didn't matter that women with each other and men with men, here it was acceptable; it was as if they indulged for the pleasure of the bodies, not for appearances sake. Sarah was entranced at the pair who had fumbled their way near her and went behind some drapery. She slowly made her way over to the red drapes and was about to draw it back a little when someone's hand landed on her lower back.
She glance back and was about to ask who it was, when he lifted his mask a bit to show her he was the Duke. She just smiled back, not quite sure of what to say to that.
"You've been drinking haven't you?" He asked as he removed her glass. Sarah nodded. "How many have you had?"
"I—can't remember. I don't know, but I feel—"
"That is Elvin wine. Its way more potent than anything you mortals can make, and one as yourself who isn't use to it should really just have had one glass at the most. You're going to feel it in the morning."
"Oh." Sarah's mind wasn't working the way she wanted it to, to come up with some witty response or something.
"No matter. It's here to make one feel alive anyways. Come, dance with me," he directed her away from the drapery and towards the center of the crowd in his warm, large hands.
Sarah felt her body mold to his as he pulled her closer to dance. Her arms found themselves around his neck and his around her waist, moving closer and closer to her lower back and running his fingers up and down her back, making her tremble slightly. He kept that up for a while, Sarah wasn't sure how long as her eyes had drifted close and she found herself just being led around the room. She found it quite pleasant.
"You're cold. Come, let us move aside and find somewhere a bit warmer."
"No, I'm cold," Sarah moaned at the lost of contact. It felt so good. "I'm actually very hot. I need to cool down."
"Really? Then let us go get some air, I know the perfect place." He held out his hand and Sarah put her hand in his and was led away through some drapery and down a hall.
She was unbelievably hot; her body felt like it was giving off waves of heat and she felt a bit tipsy. She began to think that it was the wine.
"Where are we going?" Sarah asked as they pasted groups of people in all sorts of positions and circumstances along the walls, echoes of their moans and screaming vibrated down the passageway.
The Duke stopped outside of a door, he knocked and held his ear to it, listening and hearing nothing entered with Sarah. He locked the door and then turned to face Sarah, removing his mask. "You look very beautiful, Sarah."
"Thank you," she swallowed the last word almost. She looked around and saw that they were in some quest chamber or something. There were large windows in the back which opened as a door onto a balcony. She needed some air desperately. She went off to open the door.
As soon as Sarah had stepped out into the night, the Duke was behind her, stroking her side, her forearm, nuzzling her neck and whispering things into her ear she wasn't sure what they meant. As her mind started to turn to mush at the sensations he was providing her, she tried to focus on the strange words he was saying. She found herself being edged back into the room, the windowed door left ajar, and onto the edge of the bed.
He had her knees back into the bed so she sat as he continued showing favor to her neck, licking and sucking, blowing cool breathes onto it, then licking some more. It felt glorious to her burning skin. "How are feeling, Sarah," he asked.
"A little better, but still hot," she moaned since he pulled away.
"Where?"
"Everywhere." Yarin then tugged the zipper on Sarah's gown down, slowly working his fingers along her back and massaging her skin. He lowered it enough so her shoulders were free and he started to focus his attentions on them.
Sarah was in bliss at the attention he was providing her, doing things that no man had ever down. She mind was thoughtless just thinking of pleasure and more pleasure and need to multiply it.
He had slowly pushed her back and slid his way on top of her, supporting himself over her with his arms but left his unquestioning intentions against her waist. Sarah couldn't comprehend what was going on, his ministrations, his attention—it was all so intoxicating on top of her drinking…
One of his hands had slid down to her knee and pushed her legs apart, caressing behind her knee, slowly creeping up the inside of her thigh while making loving circles on her skin with his fingers and on her neck with his tongue. Sarah moaned, and he moved his hand back up to Sarah's hand and entwined his fingers with his made small nibbles along Sarah's collarbone so she started heaving slightly, with every raise of her breasts she felt beyond the heavens and she never wanted to come back.
Yarin separated his hand from Sarah's and without her knowing had slipped off Jareth's ring and tossed it across the bed. It glistened and fell over the side and that was that. He went back to placing his hand along her thighs and as Sarah moaned more and more for him, she unconsciously leaned towards him, offering herself.
He wasn't one to say no, and so the hand crept higher, higher until he felt her undergarments, damp and slick. He slid a finger inside and Sarah cried out at the intimate contact as a surprise.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"No!" She snapped almost frustrated. So Yarin started his circular motions on the most blessed nub and watched Sarah in her frenzy bite her lip and grip his arms, pinning him to her. She wanted to cry and smile, the sensations so new to her. The Duke suddenly stopped and started to back away from Sarah, and saw her fear in eyes wondering if she did something wrong, but he just smirked back.
Then, he started to slip her underwear down her legs and he squatted on his haunches, and Sarah just leaned forward, wondering what he was going to do. Her eyes almost bulged when he lifted her gown around her waist and started a trail of kisses from her naval to lower and lower and then he blew his warm breath on her and then sucked. He sucked and flicked with his tongue in ways that Sarah's head fell backward and she felt speechless and numb. His tongue flicked and licked, caressed and laved, his lips pursed and sucked, nestled and bumped, his teeth scrapped and nibbled and pinched before he would kiss again. Then his tongue would continue its acrobatics and just when Sarah thought she had transcended heaven, and her muscles started to tighten and flutter, his tongue had moved even lower, and started lapping. When she felt herself breathing slightly better, his tongue went back to that bead and started working again, but then shortly after his a slender finger had replaced where his tongue had just been and started moving back and forward. Sarah was even more beyond what she thought was capable and collapsed onto the bed, starting to cry out. He just quickened his pace, and with his other hand started to unbutton his breeches. The momentum of his pace had Sarah moving back onto the bed and he slowly removed his mouth and watched Sarah in her struggle to regain control over her body. He started to move back up her body and with his arm, easily lifted her up and onto his lap as he sat down.
Sarah opened her eyes as she felt him against her. Her belly was steaming in the glistening heat of her sweat from the material of her dress and the workout she felt she just went through, and now, he was leaning heavily on her.
"This is going to hurt a little, but I can take away the pain. Do you want me to take away the pain you'll feel down there?" He panted.
Sarah tried to clear her groggy brain, and understand what he was saying. She didn't want to feel pain—that was silly. "I don't want pain," she breathed out.
Yarin licked his lips and smiled. He leaned in to kiss Sarah and let his tongue roll with hers so she could taste herself. Sarah growled in her throat and Yarin pulled back, breaking the kiss. He lowered her dress more so he could see her breasts and watched them in their excitement heave up and down, their pert nipples hard and upturned. He brushed his finger across one and loved how it bounced back, He cupped both and with his fingers and palms rubbed and massaged them, relaxing Sarah again. He moved an arm around her waist, ready to lift her onto him and rubbed his head in the curve of her neck, lovingly. He turned his head, smelling her. He hadn't smelled anyone in so long smell so fresh of the mortal realm, so alive in their finite blood source. He had to try some, to taste some…He rolled his head slightly above her collarbone—
The balcony doors flew open farther and a white barn owl came streaking through the room straight for Sarah's head. At the noise she had jumped back and seeing the bird flying straight at her she had flew out of the Duke's grip and he had released her hastily, cursing. As Sarah had fallen ungraciously to the floor the owl and been replaced by a livid Jareth who was flaring in nostrils, smelling the air.
The Jareth that stood towering over Sarah was holding his royal saber at the throat of Yarin who was leaning back on the bed on his elbows smirking.
"What have you to say about being caught with my guest?" Jareth snarled. He hadn't even spared a look at Sarah for fear his heart would tear at the sight of what he had only slightly glimpsed.
Yarin answered, "I believe, as your guest, she has as much freedom to frollick about with whomever she pleases, as many other young women here may."
"She is clearly marked off limits to any repulsive creatures as yourself," he then addressed Sarah who was behind him without looking at her. She was trying to make herself decent but was having problems with the zipper. "Sarah, I suppose if this is your way of getting my attention you will have it solely in a moment."
"Ah, Goblin King," Yarin rolled it off his tongue with disqust. "I wasn't about to take anything of yours which was marked. Only those unlabled flocks do I steal from."
"She clearly sports my seal—"
"Seal? What seal?" He raised an eyebrow. Sarah understood what was being said and looked down at her hands while they were talking. Her hands were bare.
"The ring she wears!" Jareth roared as he turned slightly to glance over at Sarah and saw she was looking at her bare hands.
"Where is it?" He barked.
"I dunno…it was here, I swear…" Sarah was puzzled and felt like crying now. She felt as if she had lost her brother all over again, as if she had done something truly difficult.
"Yarin! I command you to leave my kingdom within the hour, if you are anywhere near my borders the order will be given to kill you on the spot! And for everyone's sake, do your trousers up!" Jareth kept his saber level at Yarin's neck as he waited for him to leave the room.
Jareth then turned onto Sarah, locking all windows, doors and commanded with a flick of his wrists the ring to appear in his hand. He gave it to Sarah and then moved his gloved hand under his nose, to smell the leather rather than the air. Sarah was terrified of this Jareth, tight lipped and impossibly pale. He slightly trembled and turned away from her, as if disgusted by her presence and sat on an ottoman, staring at the wall across from him, for a while. His whole body sagged a little and the two remained quiet for some moments.
Sarah felt the need to break the silence, but she knew not what to say. Every time she thought she knew, she would open her mouth to talk but Jareth would clear his throat or sigh, and she would stay quiet a bit longer.
Eventually, Jareth, still looking at the wall said to no one in particular, "Do you know what Yarin is?"
Sarah, had assumed that he had been like Jareth, "Isn't he like you?"
Jareth snorted into his hand at that and almost managed a sick laugh, "I am Fae. He…he is from the Vampire race. He was going to taste you. You—stupid—stupid woman! You removed your ring—"
"I didn't, I don't remember—"
"You must have, or he did! Someone, you didn't fight it! I put protection into that ring to defend you from bad things Sarah," Jareth was now looking at her, "it would have protected you. I don't think you want to be dead, or worse, bearer of some freakish vampire race. It's how they keep going—they'll screw anything on two legs, same sex or not, and taste them. It's to get that adrenaline going. Mortals are rare and they sometimes are permitted by the High Court to travel to your world to hunt. They are not allowed to here, but they try. That's why they sneak into these parties and such, once they set their marks on someone, the charm draws them in. Sarah, damn, Sarah. I could have lost you!" He rose and crossed over to look out of the window.
"How did you know where I was?"
"I've been keeping an eye on you all night here and then, and then I lost sight of you, I couldn't find you anywhere. I then looked and saw you in a room, with him. I had to find rooms, and the fastest way is by owl when everyone is up to what you were doing. And thankfully I found you. Did he—you know—" he gestured.
"Know?"
"Penetrate?" Jareth looked away, afraid. He didn't care if Sarah had had many lovers previously, he had many—but he didn't want the one he loved to be a pawn in any bed of Yarin's. He had already lost one woman to him. And if Jareth had been just a moment later, she would have to be rushed to the physicians—but the venom would have spread through her blood quicker than normal and she would have ended up comatose or dead.
"No."
"Have you ever been?"
"You mean, slept around before?"
"That's very crudely put Sarah."
"And if I have?"
"I—it would be harder—I must be going now, seeing as you are safe," Jareth collected himself and starting towards opening the door to the balcony.
"Jareth?" he paused. "Thank you. I wish we could talk some more."
"Later. For now go bathe," he finally removed his leather glove from his face and get some sleep—you are unbelievably drunk. It's only going to get worse, I would give you something but you need to learn a lesson."
And with that he flew away.
A/N: Sorry, everyone, I do not have the original story anymore, so I am working off of memory—it must have got deleted or something, the original few chapters posted I found online on an old Labyrinth posting site I used to frequent but I never finished posting it up there. No matter, my memory and my imagination now are more than up to making this story better than the other one by far and with more fodder to work with it will be. So, hopefully you all enjoy, spread the story around and come back for more later. Thank you for your kind R/R's they are fab and I read each every one, plus for all those you subscribe and add to story alerts I check out profile to see who is tagging alone for the ride and it is fascinating to see how many people are so different are joining along. Love it! Thank you!