A Tainted Land

A/N: I'm so glad that everyone loved the last chapter! I'm so so so sorry that I disappeared….again. I'm finally back and after doing some binge reading and movie watching I'm back in my groove. I think. I want to finish this story soon because I have something else up my sleeve.

Chapter 7: Unbreakable Bonds

My Last Breath- Evanescence

Holding my last breath
Safe inside myself
Are all my thoughts of you
Sweet raptured light it ends here tonight

I'll miss the winter
A world of fragile things
Look for me in the white forest
Hiding in a hollow tree (come find me)
I know you hear me
I can taste it in your tears

Darkness. Was that all death was? It was still cold, so very cold and Sarah whimpered in despair at the frigid state she felt around her. Movement flurried around her but she couldn't see anything, she only felt searing pain and numbing cold. Was there no warmth after death? Was she forever thrown into the cold abyss, to lie forever in darkness? A choked sob escaped her lips and a warmth touched her forehead causing her to quiet. Warmth. It was what she wanted, what she craved for so desperately. Sharp pain shot through her body and she screamed, her eyes opening to see only blinding light and shadows. Darkness soon fell upon her again and she lay unmoving among it. Why wouldn't she stop feeling? She couldn't help but think that she wasn't dead, that maybe the Siren's had dragged her into the water after Micah left.

But no. A face had appeared above her, shadowed by her dimming vision. Who had it been? Her thoughts were interrupted as fire roared through her veins and she heard the strangled scream in her ears before she realized it was her. But she was still cold, only the pain of the fire lashed out at her, no warmth followed. Pricks of pain danced along her flesh, sharp and fleeting, but they continued for a long time, causing her to moan and twist. Why couldn't she see the beasts that assaulted her so constantly? They ran up her side, across her shoulder, down her legs, and she wanted them all gone! Certainly it couldn't be death that held her so tightly in it's cold embrace. This was something so much worse than death. Death she would have welcomed, not this dark searing agony.

It felt like hours passed in torture before finally everything stopped. The darkness was still cold, but she felt no pain, and soon she thought nothing as sleep seemed to take over her mind.

Sarah felt light tickle the tops of her eyelids. Fear froze her for a moment, refusing to let her eyes open. Where was she? She didn't feel the cold around her anymore, but she still felt the pain occasionally tingle across her skin. She certainly wasn't dead. With an uneasy feeling in her gut, Sarah slowly opened her eyes and winced against the sharp sunlight pouring into the room. She waited for her eyes to adjust to the light before she looked around. The room was warm and comforting, a soft bed beneath her, piled with lush pillows and blankets. She could tell the walls were made of stone but they were covered in decorative tapestries and paintings to make them look less dull. Two large windows sat to the side of the room with heavy curtains pulled back to allow the sun in. Three doors were settled among the walls and she assumed one was a closet, a bathroom, and a door to a hallway. It only made sense that way. The colors in the room ranged from light to dark purple hues and she smiled at the beauty of it all.

But then she felt the weight close to her legs and she looked to the side. She didn't know how she hadn't noticed him earlier, but now she couldn't not notice him. His blonde hair sat in a mess around his head, and hid his eyes from her. She knew they were the same mixed matched hues that they were before, and she could clearly remember the usual smug grin he wore on his lips. His gloved hands were lying beside her on the bed, his face pressed against the corner of the blankets while he slept.

Had he been there with her the entire time? He had been the one she saw before she passed out on the beach. Had he found her and brought her to safety? Memories of their last encounter filled her mind and she frowned, immediately going on guard. What did he want this time? Did he want her brother again? She shivered just thinking about it and then jumped in fright when he suddenly groaned. He was waking up. "Sarah…" he said softly, his voice heavy with slumber.

"Goblin King…" she responded hoarsely, her voice rough and sore. He smiled, but his eyes looked guarded and gave nothing away about his mood or emotions. He sat up straight and leaned back in his chair. "Where am I?"

"My castle of course…where else?" he said with a soft chuckle. Jareth looked exhausted. She could see lines creasing the skin around his bloodshot eyes. He watched her as she regarded him with both awe and caution. Had she been taken from one nightmare to another? "Are you hungry, Precious?" He broke the growing silence, his eyes still heavily guarded. Sarah thought about the answer to his question and shook her head. Her throat hurt. She didn't feel like talking or eating. She wasn't sure she felt like living. With the awareness of where she was she finally looked down at herself. Her skin looked a sickly shade of white; she was no longer wearing the clothes Micah's village had supplied her with. Instead she wore a simple white sleeping shift. She felt bandages beneath the fabric on her stomach and torso. There were a few bandages wrapped around her arms and when she lifted a hand she felt a bandage around her neck. A sigh escaped her lips as she leaned back into the pillows behind her.

"I must insist you have some dinner, Sarah…" Jareth urged. She was weak, and her wounds had been so severe that magic could only heal so much. She needed to eat in order to regain her strength. Sarah had a stubborn set to her jaw as she looked at Jareth. Even only steps from Death's door she wanted to defy him. "I will have something brought to you…you can eat it when you're ready…." Jareth stood from his seat beside her bed and turned to leave.

"Thank you.." Sarah said, her voice soft and sleepy. She was already drifting back into sleep. Before she closed her eyes she could have sworn she saw Jareth turn back towards her and smile. A genuine happy and warm smile.

Jareth had used a lot of power to heal Sarah after transporting her back to his own kingdom. The fact that she was even breathing when he arrived on the beach to retrieve her was a miracle. Seeing her on the blood drenched sand was an image that would forever haunt his dreams. Panic had seized him immediately. The mortal woman was only barely clinging to life. He had dropped painfully to his knees, his hands hovering over her broken form. Her entire body was in tatters, so much so that he didn't know where he could touch without causing even more harm.

He healed her just enough on the beach to make sure her heart wouldn't give out during the trip back to his kingdom. Transporting through magic could be hard on a human body to begin with and Jareth wasn't going to risk killing her himself. As soon as she was in his kingdom he had set to work. He healed the deepest and most alarming wounds that consisted of ruptured organs and broken bones. The King spent hours with his hands running across her skin; pushing healing energy into her frail body. Her screams almost caused him to stop a number of times, but he hadn't been willing to part with her yet. Finally when her heartbeat steadied and her breathing became even he stopped. He allowed the castle healer to take his place to cleanse and bandage her body. Jareth never moved far from her. Once the healer was finished she informed Jareth that not all of her wounds could be healed by magic and that she would need to rest for many more days before leaving the bed. Jareth accepted the news and had sat beside the bed, resting his head on his arm. He quickly fell asleep.

He needed to replenish his energy and get a real night's sleep before he could deal with Sarah again. The King walked the halls of his castle quietly, deep in thought on what was to be done next. Sarah was no longer in immediate danger, but he was sure that Davyn wasn't going to let Jareth keep her for long. It was against the monster's nature to truly lose a bet. He would figure out some other reason that he could keep Sarah for himself. The thought made Jareth's skin crawl and his blood boil.

"My Lord!" gasped a goblin from behind him. The creature appeared to be in a bubble of anxiety. Jareth turned and looked down with a tilt of his head.

"Yes?" he replied, a slender brow raised in question. The goblin fidgeted and looked at the floor. "What is it? I haven't all evening…"

"Yous have a guest…in the throne room. Saids its an emergency…" The little beast then ran off with a yelp. Jareth placed a gloved hand against his face with a growl of annoyance. Who on earth needed him at such a late hour? He used what little energy he had left to transport himself to the throne room. A woman was waiting, a cloak pulled over her head, hiding her face from him.

"Who are you? What do you want at such an absurd hour…?" he demanded, the anger clear in his tone. The woman reached up and pulled her hood down, lifting emerald green eyes to face the Goblin King. The resemblance to Sarah was striking and Jareth had to physically stop himself from stepping toward her.

"I am Sarah's mother…"replied a cool voice. Jareth took in the rest of her appearance and noticed a crest brooch pinning her cloak.

"You are also the Queen of Dorcha…" Jareth stated blandly. He was very confused, but also growing more irritated by the second. "Why are you here Queen Maria…?" he questioned. "It is your King that has put your daughter in harms way….you have no right to be here…"

"King Jareth…you have to believe that I did all I could do keep her safe. It is I that alerted you to her presence in the Underground…Had I not sent a messenger she would be dead!" Maria cried out, her eyes filling with unshed tears. "You have no idea the pain I felt when I saw her appear in Davyn's throne room…The agony of hearing him say he wished to keep her and make her his new Queen…" She shook her head. "I've watched Sarah grow up…watching her through my magic…and she would not survive him…He would become annoyed with her quickly when he failed to break her…" She sounded panicked.

"I assure you that there is nothing for you to concern yourself with now…She is in MY kingdom now…Davyn cannot reach her…" Jareth said, shaking his head.

"No…you don't understand…He is plotting as we speak…He will take her from you by any means…Even if it means war…He will use anything and everything in his power to take her from you…from me…" Maria stepped towards Jareth. "I gave up my precious babe once to save her from his cruel hands…I cannot allow him to take her now…"

"I assumed he would be plotting…You have told me nothing new or useful…Why are you here?" Jareth didn't feel like being nice.

"Please let me see her…I must see her…I must see my girl…" Maria was on the verge of sobbing. Jareth knew if he refused she would crawl across his throne room to beg. He didn't have the patience to deal with that so he nodded, motioning for her to follow him. "Thank you King Jareth…Oh thank you…" She followed him quickly.