Why Hello There!

Ten elves, and one human, who was cloaked in literal darkness made into the finest of cloths, swiftly made their way through the tunnels under Iain's winter palace. Sarah's person was entirely clouded by the cloak that the seamstresses had made for her. She was rather pleased that they had spent more time in creating her cloak than on her wedding dress. The cloaks the elves wore were simple and snow white with a blood red hood. A sign to the Unseelie that they were Seelie but there as delegates.

The escape tunnels from under Iain's palace had taken them well away from him, though it had taken at least two hours to do so. They had been escorted down by a pair of guards that they had met up with in the servant halls. Soon after entering the escape tunnels the guards had donned the white cloaks with the red hoods that the seamstresses had handed them. They encountered other guards in the tunnels on occasion but none moved to stop them from moving on. For the sake of secrecy and with feelings of heavy urgency about them all, Sarah waited until they were well out of the tunnels and at least half an hour up the mountain path that the tunnel exit had taken them to before asking Neasa why so many of the guards had let them past in the the tunnels. They'd only hidden themselves from maybe one or two groups of guards in the tunnels and even then some of the guards within those groups had distracted the others so that Sarah and her impromptu entourage could get by.

"Lady Sarah, it is a very limited number of the court that are actually agree with what our King is doing and there is an even greater number of people that wish his father were here to discipline the stupid ponce." The others had gasped at Neasa's forwardness but Neasa was seemingly carefree about the whole thing affair now that they were well away from Iain's palace.

"My, my, Neasa, I didn't realise you cared for him so." Sarah voice positively dripped with sarcasm though she gave a warm smiled to the head seamstress to offset the look of horror on the faces of the others in their little group.

"Lady Sarah, I-"

"It's okay, Neasa. Something's lifted in my head. I still don't remember anything from before two weeks ago but I'm no longer a lovesick imbecile. Could you fill me in a little. I've gaping holes in my knowledge and I don't like the feeling."

"...You refused Iain's marriage proposal. The instant he read the missive you sent informing him of the fact he, well he through a tantrum and blew up the east wing. The retainers and courtiers that puppet him had abducted you and bespelled you because it was the only way that they were going to control you. But the spells didn't take fully and also somehow managed to speed your own power along. My father had said that your powers were faint but present at the ball when he saw you for the first time. Yet the morning after you were taken they were the strongest he'd ever seen, that you aren't mortal anymore as we'd been lead to believe."

"That was...far more than I expected you being able to give me. How does a seamstress have that much knowledge exactly?"

"My father was the retainer that asked you to forgive us this morning after Iain left your quarters. Iain's great grandfather started the practice of having a handful of commoners as advisers and retainers to bring different views into his counsel. It's thankfully become a tradition of sorts. Though those selected for it are no longer given the pubic status they deserve for such a role, thanks to Iain's… friends. Iain doesn't listens to any of the people with sound advice. No, instead he's listening to the flatterers and the puppet masters."

"And he is the perfect puppet."

"Yes, Lady."

"I was told that the Goblin King had demolished part of the east wing as a distraction when he took me."

"No, it was Iain behaving like a brat instead of the King he is."

"... I'm not mortal?"

"I only know of what has been happening since your arrival, Lady Sarah."

"Such a pity, though I thank you all the same."

"The Goblin King will have the answers you seek."

"Really?"

"Yes, Lady Sarah… Its best you hear some things from him."

"...Iain isn't at war to save me from the Goblin King, its actually the other way around isn't-"

"Indeed it is, precious."

Sarah and her entourage turned to the speaker in varying forms of alarm. The guards drew their swords, one or two of the seamstresses gave little screams and Sarah found her hands suddenly full of balls of lighting. Her lips twitched a little at the thought of what she must look like cloaked in darkness, posed for attack with white and blue spheres of electricity crackling in her hands. Positively dark lord or more correctly, dark queen. Neither side seemed to be sure of how they'd suddenly come upon one another and both parties looked quite unsettled by that fact. Save for a blond that was standing at the forefront of the group and looking at Sarah with relief and something she wasn't sure she wanted to name, though deep down she knew what that look meant.

The male that had spoken was the most gorgeous blond Sarah thought she'd ever seen. He was in black dragonhide armor and accompanied by about twenty soldiers and a male that she'd guessed at being the Unseelie High King. If the insignia on his armor and the circlet on his brow were anything to go by. Her heart rate sped at the mere sight of the blond and filled her stomach with a riot of butterflies. She fought to keep a grin from filling her face and was utterly annoyed that her head and her heart were at such odds with one another. Her mind had been bespelled to love Iain and her heart had hated and ached that she'd acted as if she had. Now she was faced with a male she hardly knew and her heart was currently trying to convince her it was a good idea to jump his bones here and now, witnesses or no witnesses.

"Sarah, darling, put those away before you hurt someone."

"Do I know you?" Sarah watched as the warm light fled from the blond's eyes.

"...Yes, Sarah, you do." There was a long pause before the guards behind the blond broke out in a fit of horrored murmuring. All the while the blond just stared at her. Sarah swallowed hard as his eyes filled with pain and absolute loathing. Though she doubted that the loathing was for her, at least she hoped it wasn't. She really didn't want to be on the receiving end of what that loathing could unleash on a person.

"Jareth, we need to move."

"Yes, I know, Gundahar… Sarah… My Lady, if you and those with you would be so kind as to come with us."

"And why should we?"

"Sarah, he's the Goblin King, he can help you remember…" Sarah had turned slightly to Neasa as she spoke but had not taken her eyes from Jareth, as the Unseelie High King had called him. He'd looked stricken, like Neasa had voiced his deepest fear aloud, before an indifferent mask had wiped all emotion from his face. Sarah turned her attention to her hands so that she wouldn't have to look at him any longer, wondering at how his pain could also be causing her pain in turn. She glared down at her hand when the lighting didn't seem to want to stop and she wasn't sure how to let it go. Jareth moved forward and took both from her hands and then squashed them between his own smothering them out.

"Seems for once you've no idea what you're doing, Sarah… Will you please accompany us to our camp, my Lady?" Jareth's mask was still in place but his humored tone did nothing to cover the pain she could still see in his eyes. Sarah nodded her consent and ducked her head so she wouldn't have to look into his eyes again. Both parties turned to head deeper into the forest, which swallowed all trace of them as if they'd never been there.

Which had left Iain's soldiers completely flummoxed some hours later when Sarah and her entourage's trail, that had been clear as day to the elven trackers, ceased to exist as if they'd disappeared into thin air. Of Jareth and those with him there was no sign. The trackers and soldiers decided it best to head back to the barracks and have the news delivered by carrier pigeon with no names attached nor mentioned as to who had gone on the expedition. None were surprised when the a section of roof and two walls collapsed in the north wing because Iain hadn't the forethought to check and seal his magic when his tantrum began.