A/N: Whew! With midterms coming up, it's a bloody miracle I got this up when I did. Originally, I had planned to update on Friday, but things didn't go as planned. So anyway, I'm terribly sorry to have made you wait for so long. Forgive me? :)

xXx

Sarah didn't have any time to respond to her sister's enquiry. The day's activities had taken their toll on her energy and strength, and those combined with the magical transportation were too much for Sarah to handle. Slowly, her senses began to fade, and she collapsed limply in Karen's arms.

"Oh gods!" Karen exclaimed, pulling her hands away in shock, causing Sarah's head to loll on her lap. "Arden, she's fainted! Get a healer! Oh, do it quickly! Run!" She reached down and held Sarah's face in both hands. "Please be all right, Sarah," she pleaded, "Please stay with me."

It took a moment for Arden to react, and it wasn't until Karen looked up and snapped, "Get a healer, Arden! Now!" that he finally sprang into action. Quickly, he ran from the room, intent on finding the royal family's healer.

Karen bent over and rested her forehead against her sister's dirty one, trying to will herself to calm down. Sarah's pulse was still beating consistently, so Karen knew her sister was alive at the very least. She probably exhausted herself in some way to the point that her body was no longer able to function. She must have, if her dirty and torn clothes were of any indication.

It felt like eternity, but in actuality was only a few minutes before Arden returned, the old elf that served as the royal healer in tow. A handful of servants had also followed, but whether they were to help or to spectate was unclear. Sarah still had not stirred, and Karen was close to becoming hysterical.

"If you don't do something to help her, I swear I will have your head!" she declared in a shaky voice, "Have I made myself clear?" She hadn't moved from her spot on the floor, and Sarah's head was pillowed in her lap. The healer nodded seriously, but was unaffected by her panicked threats.

"Help me move her to the bed," he directed at the servants. Two strong-looking men stepped forward and carefully picked up Sarah's limp body. It took all of Karen's willpower not to grab at her sister and keep her in her arms. Instead, she cradled her sister's head as she was carried and laid down.

"I'm doing to run a few diagnostic spells," the healer informed Karen and Arden, "Please don't be alarmed if the princess begins to glow. It is simply a side effect of the spells and will only last as long as hold the spell."

Karen nodded and backed away from the bed, but she took hold of Sarah's hand. The healer smiled comfortingly and rubbed his hands together to warm them. However, before he could begin any diagnostics, Sarah shifted and let out a groan.

"Wait!" Karen cried, holding an arm out to stop the healer. "She's coming to!"

Sarah groaned again, and her eyes slowly opened. "My head," she moaned, bringing both hands up to cover her face, "Oh gods." She started to sit up, but Karen quickly placed a hand on her shoulder.

"Wait just a moment," she told her, relief evident in her voice, "You've been unconscious for a few minutes." Sarah nodded and closed her eyes; her head hurt too much for her to argue.

"What happened to you?" Karen asked tentatively after a few moments, giving Sarah's hand a squeeze, "You had me so terrified."

For a moment, Sarah seemed to freeze. "I-I don't remember," she answered quietly, a light flush coloring her dirty face, "I don't know how I got here." Slowly, she sat up, wincing as all the blood rushed away from her head.

The healer frowned. "Memory loss," he tutted, "Princess, I'm going to have to run a rather large series of spells on you, to see if you received any permanent damage aside from your lack of remembrance."

Sarah's eyes widened for a fraction of a second before losing their wild look. "Before you do," she pleaded, carefully sitting up, "At least allow me to clean up. I smell positively rank."

The healer gave her a funny look, but Karen sided with her. "Oh yes," she said, backing Sarah up, "Bathe. It won't harm you, and it might help you to regain your lost memory." She gave her Sarah a reassuring pat on the shoulder. Karen seemed a little uncomfortable now that her sister was awake, as though she didn't quite know what to do with herself.

"Your majesties," the healer protested, looking like he might have an apoplexy if he wasn't able to check Sarah right then, "I beg you to reconsider. She could be suffering from damage that could grow significantly worse if not treated right away!"

"Sarah will surely discover any injuries while bathing," Karen pressed, "And leaving her in this state would do nothing good for said injuries' recovery. Why use unnecessary magic?"

"I feel like I'm all in one piece," Sarah added, proving her point by slowly swinging her feet over the side of her bed, "And I think I need a bit of time to gather myself mentally. Maybe I can remember once I've had some time to put myself in order." Her eyes stayed trained on the floor, where her dirty wet boots were leaving a mark on the stone.

The healer 'harumphed!' and crossed his arms. "Very well," he grudgingly conceded, giving the princesses a small bow, "But I will be back to take tests. I will not allow the princess to remain undiagnosed, let alone untreated." Muttering under his breath about willful, impossible women, the healer left the room.

"All right, that will be all," Arden declared, clapping his hands and taking charge of the situation, "Everyone out. You've seen enough." He waved the servants out of the room, and Karen flashed him a loving smile. "Leave the princess alone. You," he pointed to two maids, stopping them right before the exited the room, " One of you prepare the princess's bath. I expect the other to return in an hour to retrieve the princess's things and tidy up. Only after an hour has passed, mind you."

Reluctantly, the small crowd exited Sarah's quarters. Karen helped Sarah rise to her feet and took her arm to walk her to an alcove in her room that held a bathtub shielded by a large opaque screen.

"Do you need any help?" Karen asked hesitantly once she had led Sarah completely behind the screen. Sarah shook her head quickly. Too quickly. She winced as pain shot through her skull.

"I'll be fine," Sarah replied after the pain had faded, carefully sitting down to pull her boots off, "Thank you. You don't have to stay and help anymore." She reached up her skirt to pull her leggings down.

"Are you certain?"

"Karen!" Arden called from the other side of the screen, "Sarah said she was fine. Let her be." Karen sighed and gave her sister an awkward pat on the head.

"I want to talk to you later," she whispered softly with a look Sarah couldn't quite discern, "Try not to get into any more trouble." Sarah smiled slowly, unsure of how to react, and then stood up as the servant Arden had spoken to came behind the screen to fill the bath.

Walking back into the main part of Sarah's rooms, Karen allowed Arden to take her arm and walk them both out of the room. "We will also return in an hour," he called over to Sarah, who made a noncommittal noise in response.

Once the pair had left the room, and Arden had shut the door behind them, he turned to Karen. "She's lying, you know," he whispered as they walked down the hall, "About not remembering anything."

Karen's jaw dropped and she pulled away from the prince. "How dare you say such a thing?" she demanded indignantly, "Did you not see her? She looks like she has been living under a rock for a decade. Of course she's telling the truth. How can you be so heartless as to brush off her condition as something else? Trauma does all sorts of things to people!"

Sighing, Arden reached for Karen's arm, but she jerked out of his reach. "Karen," he said in a soft tone, "You don't know what happened to her. Why do you think she was so eager to have everyone leave? And did you see her hesitate before she told you she couldn't remember?"

"Of course I did," Karen replied, struggling to keep her composure, "She was obviously trying to remember, and then found out she couldn't. What is your problem? Why are you saying such things about my sister?"

"Because they are the truth!" Arden replied with a frown, "Why won't you believe me?" Karen scoffed and shook her head.

"You are speaking complete nonsense!" she shot, growing furious, "That is why." She began walking faster down the halls until she reached her rooms. "You may speak to me when you come to your senses," she coldly informed the prince who was still trailing her, "And until then, I do not wish to talk to you." With those parting words, she shut her door with a loud "thud".

xXx

Back in Sarah's rooms, she breathed a sigh of relief as the maid finally left the room. It had taken what felt like forever to get her to leave. Sarah did not need any more help, but it seemed impossible for her to convey that information. As the door shut, Sarah quickly dove to the floor and scrambled to retrieve the crystal she had hidden her skirt.

When Karen had asked her what had happened, she panicked. Sarah had no idea what to tell her sister. Her mind went completely blank and she desperately wished she had come up with some story before she returned to the castle.

Memory loss was a risky way out, but Sarah saw it as the only viable option. If only she had thought faster. Now the healer would be running all sorts of diagnostic spells on her. What if he found out that I had been magically transported? Sarah wasn't sure if that could be determined, but she certainly didn't want to find out.

Finally she located the crystal in her skirt, after pulling the article of clothing out of the pile of discarded apparel. Clad only in her chemise, she sank down with her back against the warm, steaming tub and carefully said the words the Goblin King had taught her.

"Falar Jareh, rei."

The crystal became foggy, and Sarah hoped Jareth hadn't become too concerned. She had told him she would contact him as soon as she reached the castle, and it must have been forty-five minutes since she arrived. Sarah clutched the crystal tightly, and held it at an angle that would only show her face and not her indecent attire.

Suddenly, her crystal grew warm and Jareth's face swam into view. His expression was clouded with a mixture of concern and relief.

"Sarah!" he exclaimed, his voice sounding strange coming through the orb, "Are you all right? Why did you wait so long to contact me?"

"I'm fine now," Sarah whispered, not wanting to get caught by a passing servant in the hall, "My sister came in right as I got here, and then I passed out. I haven't been able to be alone till now."

Jareth looked even more relieved upon learning she hadn't been injured. "What did you tell her?" he asked, "Surely she asked about your absence. And if you fainted, she would have been even more suspicious."

With a groan, Sarah leaned her head back. "I told her I didn't remember," she said weakly, staring up at the ceiling, "It was all I could come up with." She held the crystal with one hand and pinched the bridge of her nose with the other. "But I think I just created a whole new series of problems with that excuse!"

The image in the crystal shimmered, and Sarah watched curiously as the background moved. Jareth was obviously in the process of sitting down. "That is a difficult situation," he said seriously, "Are you going to remain 'without your memory', or will you regain it? You first ought to get your story straight and then go from there."

"But I don't have a story," Sarah moaned, "I can't think of one logical enough. And what if the healer can sense if I've been magically transported? Can he do that? Oh gods, what will I do then? I don't know if I can keep up this act of amnesia!"

"Princess," Jareth snapped, having heard enough, "Calm yourself. You will not be able to get yourself out of this muddle if you cannot think clearly."

His sharp tone seemed to snap Sarah out of her panic, and she inhaled deeply. "You're right," she said, letting out a heavy breath, "I need to stop this and come up with some sort of story." Almost to herself, she added quietly, "Oh, but I hate lying."

"Lying is better than getting yourself into deeper trouble, Princess," Jareth retorted, having heard her muttering, "This is war."

Sarah was silent for a moment. "You know what?" she said after a moment, "You're right. As much as it bothers my conscience, I value my well-being as well as yours enough to lie for it."

Jareth smiled and then informed her in a gentler tone than before. "Magical transportation cannot be traced after an short period of time. You are safe from detection." Sarah breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank the stars," she replied, "That's one less thing I need to worry about." Sarah looked thoughtful for a moment. "Do you think keeping with the amnesia story is a bad idea?" she asked with a frown, "It leaves me with less explaining to do, but it's more than likely to arouse more suspicion."

Jareth's image shrugged. "Do what is best for you to maintain," he supplied, "If it is easier for you to act as though you cannot remember anything, then by all means, do so." A noise sounded from behind Jareth, and he quickly whipped his head around. Sarah wished she could see what had distracted him. Turning back, Jareth whispered, "It sounds as though my presence will be needed shortly. I am glad to see you are unharmed." Another sound drifted through the crystal, and the connection was abruptly cut off.

With a sigh, Sarah set the crystal on the ground and then yanked her chemise over her head. She wrinkled her nose at the the pile of clothes. Had she really gotten that dirty? Her leggings were most likely unsalvageable and her skirt would definitely have to be burned.

As she stepped into the warm tub, she let out a groan of appreciation. The water felt heavenly! Fishing around in the water, she grabbed hold of a bar of soap and began scrubbing herself off. The water quickly became dark and murky, and Sarah quickly finished up cleaning. She didn't want to stay in the tub any longer than necessary. As warm as the water was, it was absolutely disgusting by the time Sarah was clean.

Sarah was wrapped in a robe and had just finished toweling her hair when someone knocked on her door. A maid peeked her head in the door, and silently entered to gather Sarah's clothes.

"The skirt will need to be destroyed," Sarah called, running a brush through her tangled hair, "It is not worth saving. If the leggings can be preserved, that would be wonderful, but don't worry too much about them if they cannot."

Sitting down at her vanity, Sarah began to braid her hair. Just then, another knock sounded through her door, and Prince Arden stepped in.

"Princess," he greeted with a smile, "I came to see if you were feeling better. Karen is currently occupied, but she will be here shortly, I'm sure." His tone held something in it, but Sarah didn't quite know what it was.

"I'm feeling much better," Sarah replied warily, "It's a wonder what feeling clean does to a person." She finished braiding and fastened the damp lock with a ribbon. Still sitting with her back facing him, she added, "Thank you for asking."

Arden frowned. "Any luck with..." he trailed off and tapped a finger to his temple. Sarah shook her head with a smile.

"Not yet," she lied, "It's so very frustrating not knowing what happened to me!" The lies slipped off her tongue with an ease that almost scared her. But it was as the Goblin King had told her. This was wartime, and with that thought, she mentally shook off the tiny tug of guilt in the back of her mind.

The maid came around the screen with Sarah's clothes in her arms. "Your highness?" she asked quietly, "What would you like me to do with this?"

She held up something and Sarah realized in horror that it was the crystal Jareth had given her. It took every ounce of willpower she had not to jump up and snatch it from the maid's fingers. She sent up a prayer of thanks to the heavens that Arden could not see the flash of terror the crystal had brought to her expression, and Sarah tried to calm her racing heart.

How could she have been so careless as to leave it out in the open? Sarah could have kicked herself for her mistake. Hoping her voice didn't betray her shock, Sarah stood up and took the crystal from the maid.

"I don't know what this is," Sarah declared, holding it up to her face but being careful not to turn it. She remembered that the Goblin King had told her something about it revealing dreams when turned a certain way, and she didn't want to start some sort of commotion. "I've never seen anything like it," she continued, "Though it's very pretty." She turned and walked over to her desk, where she placed the orb gently among some papers.

Looking up, Sarah caught a flicker of recognition in Arden's face, and ice shot through her heart. However, instead of confronting her about the crystal like she anticipated, he simply smiled and gave a small bow.

"I am glad you are feeling better," he spoke up in a kind tone, "I believe I will go see how your sister is faring. I am certain she will want to see you as soon as she can. Please excuse me." With those parting words, he exited the room. Silently, the maid followed his example, her nose wrinkled in distaste for the clothes she was carrying.

Sarah sank down into her desk chair and buried her face in her hands. How much did Arden know about Fae crystals? Would he know that she was making it all up? This is why I don't lie! she thought to herself, It's too easy to slip up! Sarah sighed as she stood up from her seat. Straightening her shoulders, she resolutely walked to her closet to dress. If she was going to lie, she was going to do it beyond well. Too much was at stake not to.

xXx

Please please please take the time to review and tell me what you thought of this chapter! Your responses really excite me and oftentimes inspire me to write new things for this story.