Riding a Who-What?

Jareth was beckoning Sarah closer to the creature before her. It had eight legs and glowing eyes though it could have just been the light. Yeah, right.

"She won't bite, Sarah."

"Oh, yes, she will."

"She is one of my steeds, she will not harm those I do not bid her to."

"Looks like she's some monstrosity straight out of a Norse mythology book."

"Odin wishes he had my steeds-"

"She is that horse!"

"No, this is Borghildr, one of her daughters but Sleipnir is indeed mine. Odin, vain fool that he was, would pay me so that he could be seen riding her just to make the mortals worship him all the more. He's begged for her but I'd never sell her. A pure goblin steed such as Sleipnir and her foals would never serve anyone but a high goblin."

"Which means whateverhernameis would more than happily buck me off and stomp my brains in."

"Feeling a little morose today, Sarah dear."

"No, I just don't have a death wish today. My death wish is for tomorrow... Or maybe the day after. Haven't decided when I want to use it really-"

"Sarah, come."

"Nope."

"If you would like, I'll ride with you-"

"That was your plan all along, wasn't it! Show me a literal nightmare! So I'd cower and beg not to ride alone!"

"Sarah, don't encourage me-"

"Don't leer at me! I'm not a prize to be won nor a bit of meat to be eaten so don't look at me like that!"

"You know... I'm beginning to like seeing you flustered or afraid, you're more prone to speak what is on your mind before you have a chance to stop yourself."

"No, I don't."

"Yes, yes you do... I seem to recall some weeks ago a remark about my pants- Sarah, wait! Sarah!"

Sarah had slowly been feeling a heady mix of horror and lividness growing within her even before their conversation took that turn. She needed to get away before she did something drastic or worse, opened her mouth. She'd turned on her heel and strode away as fast as she could without looking like she was running way. She tended to lose it when she felt like this, prime examples being when she'd thrown that chair through the ballroom wall and again when she'd brought the junk lady's distraction down around her ears. She was well out of the stable yard and halfway across the courtyard when someone grabbed her from behind. A scream rent the air as the ground disappeared from beneath her feet. Sarah grappled at whatever held her suspended.

"Calm down or I may drop you."

"Jareth!" She hadn't even heard the eight-legged beast and its ride come up behind her!

"Would be a pity to lose something so precious."

"What!"

"I said it would be a pity to lose a precious steed because she overbalanced due to your flailing about."

Jareth was grinning ear to ear as he pulled her up in front of him, the fact that Sarah couldn't see it made him grin all the more. Borghildr was at full gallop now and far across the countryside, faster than any Above horse could even dream to go. Borghildr loved the speed of it as much as her master. Jareth was laughing but Sarah didn't notice even with her face pressed into his chest. She was riding sidesaddle with both her legs thrown over Jareth's left, her arms wrapped tightly around his torso.

"Open your eyes, Sarah," Jareth laughed as she shook her head against his chest, "OPEN YOUR EYES!"

Sarah could not refuse his tone. It compelled her to open her eyes, open them to the most wondrous sight she'd ever seen. Indescribable beauty. Jareth shook her slightly and she gasped in lungfuls of air. He'd slowed Borghildr a little to make it easier for Sarah to breath when he noticed that she'd stopped.

"Breath, Sarah. This Erlkönig currently has no wish to collect another mortal for his realm."

Sarah looked up at him at the word "Erlkönig" and indeed he was. His pale, golden silver hair whipped around him in more than just the wind, mismatched eyes aglow as they surveyed all he owned, and a grin so feral with teeth quite sharp. She stopped breathing again for a moment. Sarah turned her attention out to the landscape. He'd said that today's lesson was to be on the botany of the different regions of his lands, yet Sarah felt she'd learned a very unplanned lesson on his part. One that would make it oh so easy for her to remember what he was when she saw his handsome human glamour again.