Dealing with Goblins
Disclaimer: All Publicly Recognizable Characters, Settings, Ideas, etc. are the property of Jim Henson and Co. The Original Characters and Plot are the Property of the Author. The Author is in no way Associated with the Owners, Creators, or Producers of Jim Henson and Co. No Copyright Infringement is intended.
Chapter05
Sarah tried to hold back a cry as Simon bit down hard on her nipple and plunged a third finger into her.
"I wish—"
The Sluagh prince bit down hard, making her cry out before, bringing his mouth to hers. His tongue pushed hers down while it drove to the back of her throat. When he finally did end the kiss, he whispered in her ear.
"If I hear you starting to make a wish, I will teleport to Jenna and slit her throat. I won't give you time to finish summoning him. So unless you're screaming, crying, moaning, or whimpering, keep your mouth shut," he ordered while forcing what felt like his whole hand into her.
"Actually, how about we find another use for your mouth?" He grabbed her shoulders, dragging her off the table and onto her knees in front of him where she became aware of the fact that he had removed his pants. "You know what to do."
oo0oo
Jareth smiled as he filed down Simon's right maxillary incisor. He had wanted to save the Sluagh prince's tongue for last and enjoy the man's curses, but the organ hadn't been very cooperative with Jareth's filing, so it had had to go.
He frowned when he felt a tug in his mind. He released Simon's jaw dropped the file he had been using. It vanished before it hit the ground.
"I have to go, I'll be back soon," he told his prisoner as he walked towards a wall and through the shadows.
He appeared in Sarah's room where the girl was currently whimpering in her sleep. He gently shook her awake, noticing tears streaming down her face.
"Sarah wake up, it's okay you're safe."
The teen's eyes shot open. Upon seeing a shadowy figure standing over her, she pressed herself against the head board, her eyes wide with fear.
"It's me, Sarah," assured Jareth kindly before waving his hand and casting the room in a warm glow. "You were having a nightmare."
Jareth took a seat beside her and enveloped her in his arms gently, rocking her and whispering words of comfort. Several minutes of quiet passed while Sarah calmed herself.
"Thank you," she whispered into his chest. "What are you doing here?"
Jareth's hand went to the feather in her hair.
"This, aside from some protection spells, also alerts me when you are having nightmares. I was afraid this would happen. How are you feeling?"
Sarah smiled up at him, touched he had been so thoughtful. "Better."
"Would you like to tell me about it?"
"…I just keep thinking about how it could have gone wrong; if he had been fast enough to interrupt my wish or just gone straight to Jenna. She could have been killed just because I didn't want to be raped."
Jareth arms stiffened. He grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.
"'Just' raped? Sarah, no one is ever 'just' raped. You made the right decision. You got both yourself and Jenna out of danger." He tightened his hold on her chin. "Never belittle what happened and what almost happened to you. I am your king now and that is an order."
He glared at her, daring her to argue. She chuckled and buried her head in his chest. She felt safe in his arms, so instead of arguing, she looked up at him after a few seconds and asked; "What did you do with Simon?"
Jareth smiled. "I'm not done with him just yet, but his parents have agreed to give me one thousand slaves for his return. They don't expect him to be returned in perfect health, but they do expect him alive and capable of siring children. Other than that, I have free reign to do what I please before he is to be returned in the morning."
"Are you going to reorder time?"
Jareth sighed and…pouted? Sarah looked closer at his expression. Yes, the Goblin King was pouting.
"The agreement specifies that I not do that."
Sarah chuckled again. "So you're not going to castrate him?"
"I would, but then he'd only be worth five hundred slaves. You don't mind to you? I still have him. I could renegotiate."
"No," said Sarah, sitting back and waving her hands for emphasis. "Save as many as you can. I never thought I'd be glad I was assaulted."
Jareth gave her hand a gentle squeeze. "That's my Sarah, thinking of others."
"Don't suppose you'd tell me why the guy calls you 'Uncle'?"
Jareth's small smile immediately faded. "I'd rather not."
Sarah lightly squeezed his shoulder. "Jareth, considering what he tried to do to me, I think I have a right to know."
The Goblin King took a sudden interest in the tree outside her window.
"Until fifty years ago, I would occasionally ensure some of my more distasteful runners found their way to other Kingdoms through my Labyrinth. You see, it was about fifty years ago, when Simon was a fourteen year old human boy, he raped and murdered a nine year old girl. Later that week, he wished away his three year old brother. In my anger I decided to lure him to the Sluagh kingdom. I…was preoccupied with a trade agreement, and tending to the younger brother was putting a rather large strain on my time. I didn't want to deal with a runner, so I arranged for him to leave my Labyrinth soon after he entered. I…didn't expect the king and queen to take a liking to him. They adopted him. And every person he has harmed since is…" The Goblin King sighed and sunk further into the bed. "He likes to call me 'Uncle' because that is how he sees me. I practically arranged the adoption."
Sarah wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "Jareth, the people he's hurt since: it's not your fault."
"If I had simply killed him—"
"The slaves you're about to free would rot."
"He destroyed a village not long ago, just because he could. I gave him power."
She placed both hands on the side of his head and turned him away from the window so he was looking at her.
"The Slaugh King and Queen did that. You are not responsible for the decisions of others, Jareth. The village, the people he's hurt, that's all on, him not you."
The Goblin King said nothing, merely rose from the bed and turned to his champion.
"I must be off. I'm going to be busy for the next few months. I specified that I want children: I'll have memories to erase, healers to hire, orphanages to build. I wonder how many will hate me for separating them from their parents and elder siblings."
Sarah gave him a squeeze. "I can assure you their parents and elder siblings will be grateful."
The Goblin King smiled. "Call if you have need. I will always come."
oo0oo
Jareth transported to his bathchamber and took a cold shower. He had been with Sarah on her bed, her scent thick in the air, that slip of nightwear. Her arms around him. It would have been so easy to wrap his arm around her waist, lower her down onto the bed, nuzzle her neck, and lay a trail of kisses along her jaw.
'I need to lower the water's temperature, she's still a child! Still a child! Calm down, what's a few more years? You're immortal and ancient. Surly you've learned patience.'
He looked down at himself.
'Apparently not. Perhaps an ice bath is in order, or I could just go straight to Simon. Seeing him will cure the problem. Still, I'd rather not risk him noticing.'
oo0oo
Sarah didn't call Jareth, not wanting to disturb him, though she did wonder what it was exactly he had done to Simon. But she decided it wasn't worth worrying about. Jenna was fine and so was she.
She had also found out that the choker she had been given as a sign of her rank was adjustable. One night before bed, she had tugged on the thing: it had been feeling a bit tight, and to her surprise, it loosened. She looked in the mirror to find the pendent was held in place by a leather cord and she could alter the length of it by pulling or lifting it up to the level she wanted it held at.
"So, that's how I take it off," she muttered to herself. The pendant suddenly became unpleasantly warm. "Not that I plan to." The heat disappeared. 'Okay, note to self: ask Jareth about that.'
The months leading up to spring break seemed to fly by. Sarah spoke to her friends frequently, about every few days. Often, she would find small goblins around the house. They stayed out of her father and Irene's sight, but seemed to love Toby. She would walk into her little brother's room to find him playing with one or two, or even five of the little creatures.
Finding a way to leave for the duration of spring break was proving difficult. All the camps she came across were only a week long and even then most weren't over night. Also, they were expensive and she didn't want to waste her parents money.
A classmate of hers, Becky, went to an Aunt's ranch every spring and summer break. Perhaps she could be convinced to cover for Sarah, but what if her parents contacted Becky's uncle?
"Argh, maybe I should ask Jareth to cast a spell," she mumbled to herself, as she leaned over her vanity and burrowed her face into her hands.
Sarah searched for weeks, even complaining about the trouble she was having to Hoggle and her other friends.
"Honestly, Hoggle, sometimes I wi- I'd like my life to be a bit more like the books and movies. There's always a convenient excuse for this kind of thing. The protagonist almost never has trouble getting away from their parents."
"You'll come up with something, Sarah, and if you don't, there's always the rat. He'd be willing to do a little hocus pocus to help. Couldn't you just make up a camp?"
"I know my dad, Hoggle. He'd check up on it to make sure it was safe. So I can't just make something up, he would ask questions. I need to lie as little as possible."
"A wise decision, my lady," piped up Sir Didymus. "It is always best to tell the truth, not just for honour's sake, but because it can be difficult to keep track of lies. They tend to cause difficulty and spiral out of control if one is not careful."
So Sarah searched and searched, but found nothing. Finally, a month before she was due to leave, she found something. She couldn't believe she had missed it before. It was two weeks long and was an outdoor camp that involved canoeing, kayaking, hiking, and taught survival skills. There was a contest that she could enter to win the trip for free. Feeling lucky, she did so. She also went over the gear she would need for the trip, knowing her father used to go camping a lot in college. Maybe she could borrow some of his gear. She wondered if she should have Jareth use his magic to rig the contest, but didn't want to call him if she didn't have to. She decided that if she didn't win, which she was pretty sure she wouldn't, she'd ask him to magic up a confirmation letter saying she had won.
The drop off and pick-up were at the local bus station. If she could just convince her parents to not accompany her into the station…shouldn't be too hard. She'd just tell them she didn't want to be seen having to be escorted everywhere by her parents. At age fifteen, they'd likely buy that.
oo0oo
A week later, Sarah received an e-mail saying that she had won the contest. She couldn't believe her luck. She printed the thing off and showed it to Irene and her dad. Her dad was pretty happy and the following weekend was spent buying the gear her father couldn't provide due to his own having gotten to old or been lost.
She started cooking dinner every night and volunteering to do more cleaning out of guilt.
Once she was sure her father had made all the inquiries he was going to, she told the camp that something had come up and she wouldn't be able to attend.
The day finally arrived, and Sarah's father brought her to the station. He humoured her, staying for a hug just outside, before leaving her and driving back home to his wife and son. Once he was gone, Sarah started walking to the street corner where Jareth was standing waiting for her.
He smiled as she approached. "Good afternoon, precious."
"Good afternoon, your majesty," replied Sarah pleasantly.
Jareth raised an eyebrow at the term of address. "Feeling a bit more formal today are we?" he asked as he started walking to a more secluded area, Sarah following him.
"I'm your servant for the next seven days. I'm resigned to the fact."
"And here I thought I'd have to argue with you for a few hours before you'd pay me such courtesy."
"Don't worry, your highness," replied Sarah pleasantly, looking up at him with a Cheshire cat grin. "As soon as the week is over, so too will my newfound 'courtesy' end."
"Then I'll be sure to enjoy it while it lasts," chuckled Jareth as he wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
Sarah closed her eyes. When she opened them again, she found herself in a fairly large room. There was a bed with an emerald green canopy and blanket, a dresser, a desk, a vanity, and another door.
"That one leads to a washroom and that one-" Sarah turned to see where he was pointing, "-leads to my own chambers."
"Does it lock from this side?"
Jareth gave a throaty chuckle that sent shivers up her spine. How the man managed to create such a friendly yet menacing and seductive sound was beyond her. So much about the creature next to her was.
"Have I given you the impression that locked doors have any effect on me?"
Sarah sighed.
"Don't worry, Sarah. I won't be locking the door on my end, just to keep things even."
Sarah glared at him, all the while imagining various methods off wiping that irritating smirk off his face. Bog sludge and the green and pink hair dye she had packed topped the list.
"How considerate," she replied through clenched teeth. "So, what degrading chores do you have for me?"
"Nothing degrading, my dear. You have an hour to settle in. I will then return to give you a tour. After that, lunch, where we will discuss your duties."
Sarah nodded and placed her backpack by the bed. Silently, she started removing clothes to place in the dresser.
"Sarah, I have provided you with clothes. They are in the wardrobe and dresser."
"I like my own clothes, thanks."
"You haven't even seen what I have to offer," he continued stiffly.
"I'm sure they're very nice dresses, but I will be requiring pants for some of the chores you have for me, I'm sure."
Jareth sighed. "They are not all dresses, Sarah. I have provided you with leggings. You are correct, you will require such clothing for some of the chores I have for you. I would request that you wear the clothing I have provided while you are in my kingdom. While I cannot order you what to wear as Grand Duchess, I will remind you that for the next seven days, you are my slave." He paused and Sarah's breath hitched when she saw his eyes darken, and his mouth twist itself into a smirk. "I could just order you to wear nothing but a collar and a leash."
Sarah paled. "Y-You wouldn't - the deal-"
"-said no sex," replied Jareth as he stalked towards her. "It said nothing about looking, or even tearing whatever garments you happen to be wearing off." He was directly in front of her now. Sarah was too scared to move. Some kind of a wild, tantalizing power she could almost see surrounded him and coiled about her legs, preventing her from moving. He gently grabbed her chin. "And I would much prefer your current attire on the floor instead of on you."
Sarah managed to take a step back, but she suspected she was only able to because he allowed it.
"I'll wear the clothes you provided," she squeaked, holding out her hands to stave him off.
Jareth frowned at her heart rate. He could hear it from where he stood. Her eyes were dilated. As much as he wanted to believe it was arousal, he knew the clammy hands indicated fear. He stepped back but continued to tease.
"Are you sure? I wouldn't let you wonder around the castle naked, Sarah. You wouldn't have to worry about chores."
"I'm sure. But I'd like to use my own PJs."
The Goblin King sighed.
"As you wish, though I have provided nightwear." He pointed at a door. "That leads to a walk-in closet. In it you will find a few drawers containing a selection of the crown jewels. They are yours to use during your stay. The door to the left leads to the washroom. You'll notice a lack of faucets for the tub and sink. Simply wave your hand over them and state the temperature. For the shower, you wave your hand under the nozzle."
"State the temperature?" she asked, turning to him eyebrow raise. "Do you guys use fahrenheit in the Underground?"
"Freezing cold, cold, cool, lukewarm, warm, hot, or boiling lobster. Those are your options."
"Oh."
"I'll leave you to unpack." He bowed slightly at the waist and walked out of the room.
Sarah decided just to unpack her PJs since she wasn't going to be using her own clothes during her stay at the castle. There was no point in unpacking further. Perhaps when she spent her second week on her own estate. She sighed as she gently placed her pack next to her bed. The responsibility of the situation still frightened her. She was going to be responsible for a large parcel of land and the welfare of the people inhabiting it.
Deciding she didn't want to worry about that, she made her way over to the large french windows and stepped onto the balcony. She gasped at what she saw. It wasn't just that the Labyrinth was breathtaking, but she could make out lush grass fields out side the outer walls. The last time she had been here, there had only been desert. She made a mental note to ask Jareth about it later.
Then figuring she needed to get ready before Jareth returned, she walked towards her closet. Dresses, shirts, leather jackets, and cloaks lined the walls. There were a couple of dressers, one containing numerous pairs of leggings. As Sarah was going through them, she noticed the pants Jareth had dressed her in back in the library. Another set of drawers contained various cinchers. Looking around the room, Sarah noticed a lack of vests. Apparently Jareth preferred something that would make her breasts jump up.
She found the crown jewels in a set of drawers at the center of the back wall. Sapphires, diamonds, emeralds, and various other gemstones encased in gold and silver were prominently displayed.
'I am never, ever borrowing these,' she thought. 'I'd be too afraid of something happening to them. Though that could be Jareth's plan. I lose or damage them then, I'd be in his dept. Or he could just be trying to be nice. He hasn't done anything to make me not trust him…well not since I won, at any rate. Except for that collar and leash thing...what kind of sex games does he play? Argh, Sarah, get your head out of the gutter! That offer was a trick. He didn't mean it. He couldn't have. Immortal Fae king and fifteen year old brat? No way he meant it.'
Sighing, Sarah made her way to the washroom. Her jaw dropped when she entered. The floor was marble, and the tub was the size of a small pool.
"Finished unpacking?" asked a sultry voice.
Sarah jumped and turned to face the Goblin King. "It's a bathroom, you're supposed to knock!"
"The door was open," he chuckled.
Sarah looked past him. The door was indeed open. She had been so surprised by the washroom's splendour she had forgotten to close it.
"You haven't changed clothes. I suppose I'll have to do that for you."
"Now wai—"
But Sarah didn't finish her sentence as Jareth had already changed her clothes. She realised she was wearing the same outfit she had been in the library after Jareth had shown up.
"I never did get a chance to fully appreciate you in that attire. I must say, I have excellent taste."
Sarah rolled her eyes, then noticed Jareth was looking carefully at her face. He averted his gaze to her legs when he caught her looking at him.
"Very nice…" he muttered before holding out a hand. "Shall we?"
Sarah sighed and took the offered limb.
"We'll visit the kitchens first, since that is where you'll be spending a large amount of your time."
"So I'll be your new cook?" 'That doesn't sound so bad.'
"I heard from Hogbreath that you've taken up the art. I rather like the idea of you cooking a meal for me. In addition to cooking my meals, you will be weeding in my private garden and helping out at the stables. You should consider this week a vacation: you'll enjoy mucking out the stables far more than the etiquette lessons, I'm sure."
"So nice to have something to look forward to. Will I have any free time to visit my friends?"
"You'll be sharing meals with me, which reminds me, I'll need to give you a clock. I eat at six so you will have to wake at five to prepare the meal." Sarah let out an unladylike groan. "I'll give you the seventh day, the last day as my slave, to do as you please. You may spend it with whoever you wish."
Sarah frowned at the bitter tone of voice, but said nothing. They had arrived at the kitchen which Sarah was pleased to note was well stocked and clean. The goblins were tall here, about five feet, with long muscular arms.
"Hobgoblins. More intelligent than the lot you're used to," said Jareth, reading her mind.
Sarah nodded. There weren't just hobs, but dwarfs, and a few that looked like humans.
"Two of them are human, one is an elf," whispered Jareth in her ear, smiling at the blush that covered her face.
Sarah nodded her understanding and Jareth continued.
"I'll have one of them give you a tour of the kitchen later. Come along, we go to the gardens next."
The gardens, Sarah was not surprised to see, were beautiful and full of blooms and trees she had never seen before. She wanted to explore, but Jareth complained that he was getting hungry and they still had the stables to visit. Besides, she'd have plenty of time to spend in them when she began her weeding duties.
One transportation spell later and Sarah opened her eyes to see a large field containing the stables. The 'stables' weren't really stables, but a collection of huts whose doors could be opened and closed by the inhabitants via a large deadbolt that could be easily gripped by the animal's mouths. Sarah saw a Pegasus open its door before running out onto the field and then into the sky. There were also various towers set up around the field in the middle of the field sat the tallest tower with a large window and balcony.
Sarah gaped at the sight. Unicorns, horses, Pegasuses, and even a couple of Alicorns flew and ran about the field.
"Stable is a bit of a loose term," said Jareth suddenly. "Village of four legged mammals would be more appropriate." He chuckled at the expression on her face. "The horses of the Labyrinth are fairly intelligent, not quite on the same level as their more magical neighbours, but more so than most goblins, though I suppose that's not saying much."
Sarah smiled despite the words. There was a hint of affection in the king's tone when he spoke of his subjects. The teen returned her attention to the field before her.
"It's amazing. Am I going to be responsible for cleaning all the huts?"
"No, precious," he chuckled. "Just five. Come, I'll show you which."
First, he led her to a small hut just off to the left. It was a little on the dingy side with a couple holes in the roof. Jareth looked up and frowned before waving his hand and repairing it. He then pointed to a wooden box about four by four feet and four inches high, full of horse shit.
"There's a spell to prevent smelling. You'll receive a shovel and a bag. You'll but it in the bag, then move on to the next hut. Once you are done, you'll have to go to the wagon to drop off your bag. This stuff makes excellent fertilizer and is put to use. Come, we have four more to visit."
The next hut belonged to a Unicorn that was currently eating oats. It looked up when they entered. It bowed its head to Jareth and looked at Sarah who waved shyly at the graceful creature.
The unicorn, upon further inspection, looked like a cross between a deer and a horse. Both the head and hooves looked like something in between. The snout was shorter than a horse's, but longer than that of a deer. And the hooves were more delicate than any horse Sarah had ever seen, not that she had seen that many up close.
Jareth pointed to the litter box before bowing his head at the creature and ushering Sarah out. The next hut was the one Sarah had seen the Pegasus run out of, and the one after was huge.
"This belongs to a pair of Alicorns. It is your fourth and fifth stop as it contains two boxes."
Sarah nodded in her understanding.
"Now I'll show you the wagon where you'll be dropping off the fertilizer."
The wagon was a ten minute walk away, and that was without carrying the bag. As much as Sarah was looking forward to being around these wonderful creatures, she wasn't looking forward to carrying around their shit.
"Think you can handle it, Sarah? The bag shouldn't be too heavy."
"I'll manage, thanks for the concern. This place is beautiful. What are the towers for?"
"The towers are for griffins and Hippogrifs they tend to be good climbers so I provided them with towers." Jareth smiled and puffed out his chest. "I'm rather proud of it. It's an excellent arrangement, really. They receive safety, food, and shelter, and my army has intelligent, willing mounts."
"Do you ride the Alicorns into battle?" she asked, remembering him mentioning the wars he had fought in for the Labyrinth.
He chuckled. "No, I have something more unique. Would you like to see my mount?"
'Do I want to see something more unique then Alicorn?' "Of course, I'd love to!"
Jareth began leading her to the tower. They entered through a small door at the bottom and walked up the winding staircase, and up a ladder and through a trap door.
The first thing Sarah saw was a pile of blankets, then an empty marble basin. Then she heard a hoot behind her. She turned to see an owl. Well, an owl's head. The strange thing was, the owl's head was bigger than hers. She took a few steps back and saw the creature in its entirety.
"What is it?" whispered Sarah, awe tainting her voice.
"I call it a tytogrif. It's similar to a griffin, only instead of being half eagle and half lion, it is half owl and half tiger. He was a gift from the Labyrinth. When I was heading towards the Alicorn I was planning to use in my first battle to defend the Labyrinth, Endymion blocked my path, bowed to me and motioned for me to climb on. He is my oldest friend," said the Goblin King as he scratched behind the tytogrif's wing. It made a strange half-purring, half-hooting sound. Sarah laughed and Endymion nuzzled his head against her chest, she continued to laugh as she petted him.
"He's beautiful, Jareth."
"We need to get back to the castle. Would you like to ride him?"
"Yes!"
The Goblin King laughed at her excitement, and hopped onto Endymion's back. He held out a hand for Sarah. She climbed on in front of Jareth, who waved his hands and a set of reigns appeared. He gave them a flick and Endymion ran towards the window and jumped straight off the balcony. Sarah cried out as they plummeted, but at the last second, Endymion unfurled his wings and they flew towards the castle.
Sarah held onto Endymion's neck for dear life. Jareth laughed and held the reigns in front of her. She hesitated briefly, then took hold. Jareth's hands enveloped hers and gently guided her movements. After a few moments, he leaned forward so his mouth was next to her ear.
"The reigns are mostly for show. I guide Endymion by applying pressure with my legs. You'll have to learn to ride, but we'll be starting with horses. Or maybe Unicorns."
Sarah's smile grew wider.
The ride was over far too quickly. Endymion landed lightly on her balcony. Jareth hopped off fist and helped her dismount. She noticed him glancing at her hair, and brought up her hands, running them through the unruly strands. She glared at his smirk.
"Not all of us have a hairstyle that could go through a tornado and still look the same, Jar- your majesty."
"Jareth, please, Sarah. I do so love it when you say my name."
"Alright, Jareth. I'm going to wash up a bit then we can go to lunch."
"By all means," he replied with a wave of his hand towards the washroom.
Sarah sighed, and was sure to close the door when she entered. When she stepped out again, her face and hands had been washed. Jareth eyed her, Endymion still on the balcony rotated his head 180 degrees and purred/hooted approvingly.
Jareth stalked towards her and held out his arm. "Shall we, Precious?"
She looped her arm in his as he led her to the dining hall where a delicious lunch of cold chicken, salad, some kind of juice, and a platter of fruit was laid out for them. Sarah rolled her eyes when she saw the juice was peach, but drank it anyway.
"Hedgewort tells me you were able to find a convenient excuse to get away?"
Sarah nodded. "Yes, an outdoor camp. I actually won the chance to go. I'm surprised I missed it earlier." She turned to him and smiled but the expression wavered when she saw his brows were furrowed. "Jareth? What's wrong?"
Jareth looked up and smiled reassuringly. "I'm merely surprised your power is progressing so quickly."
Sarah eyed him dubiously. "My power set a camp so I could get away from home for two weeks?"
The Goblin King nodded. "Yes, it did. You're a bard, Sarah. A type of magic user capable of manipulating and even to a degree, reconstructing the fabric of reality through story-telling."
AN: Well I hope you all enjoyed that I actuall did read a Max Haines true crime book that mentioned a 14 year old who raped and murdered a seven year old he was put on trial found not guilty and then did it again this time he was found guilty. Wanted to get that out of my head and fanfiction is very handy for that. Anyway read and review I'm encouraged to write faster when I know I have people waiting for the next chap. (Seriously this chap would have taken at least another week without so many reviews. Thanks guys and gals!)