A/N: Long time, no see! Heh...So that was way too long to keep you guys waiting! Hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving though and are enjoying the holiday season. I'm SO EXCITED for Christmas! Even more than that (I can't believe this hasn't come up yet!) I CANT FREAKING WAIT FOR THE HOBBIT! Who else is excited? I'm counting down the days (have a calendar marked up), painfully waiting in this last stretch, and catching all the media/photos I can to pass the time! Aaaaaaghhhhhh!
Okay, I'm done freaking out about The Hobbit. On here anyway...;). I probably just sounded like a jr high girl flipping out over something, therefore I am not revealing my true age because of embarrassment...I really am one of the biggest Tolkien/Middle-earth geeks around though, but it's the real source material of the books that I first fell in love with and hope you all will read them if you haven't already.
This is not one of the best chapters, but it's still necessary. Not to quench your interest, it's just one of those kinds that I didn't really enjoy writing very much. BUT please still read and enjoy!
Shorty4life: Haha, don't die! Thanks though. Glad you're along for the journey :)
Shobgoblin: Thank you so much! Your review meant a lot to me! It's true: I wanted to write a story about Love, not lust, because there's way too many just about lust which is empty. Your compliments encourage me! Made my day :). There will be more in Jareth's POV but not too often. I know it's fun to read, but I like to keep him a little mysterious still ;). Thanks again!
ME a guest: I'm also tired of good stories being abandoned. It's just not fair to readers. Man, the hype for this kiss is killing me...Haha!
Thanks to: , deerstop, She with the hazel eyez, The Queen of Water, Elisabeth Sinclaire, Kaytori, ME a guest, mearra, XXPay4XtraShippingsXX, Kinzichi, WonderousFantasy, PheonixBreaker90, babybrat-vet, boybandelflover, Shobgoblin, Shorty4life, and CompleteBookworm2. You guys are so amazing!
Chapter Nineteen: Wasn't Too Much Fun At All
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"And you're sure my being here is necessary?"
"Yes, Sarah, it is. This involves you just as much—or more—as it does me."
Sarah drew a deep breath. They stood outside the doors to the hall where the Sidhe Court was meeting in King Alaster's palace the morning after Midsummer's Eve. Although she had met some of them last night, to stand before an official meeting of all twenty of them was intimidating.
She may have bravely faced a great host of strange, difficult, or fearful situations, but courage was overcoming fear, not the absence of it. It was choosing to press forward in spite of the fear trying to hold her back.
The doors swung open.
The room was circular and quite large. One long table shaped like a crescent moon sat at the head of the hall, and a thin round carpet embroidered with Alaster's house sigil lay in the very middle; it was there she and Jareth stood before the twenty seats occupied with the highest nobility and royalty of the Underground.
"Greetings King of the Goblins. And greetings Sarah Williams," said the extremely tall Sidhe that had taken Jareth aside the previous evening with skin like bronze and earthen coloured hair. Jareth revealed his identity to her before they entered, and it turned out he was none other than King Chorian, High Seat of the Court. His features were very prominent and perfectly sculpted, and he sat as if clothed with great majesty and glory. "We've convened today and asked for your presence for obvious purposes: the attack last night."
"I know who it was," said Jareth without hesitation. He could be pretty straightforward most the time, but Sarah assumed this lot were used to it if he was around in times past.
"Could you really see well enough in the dark of night?" asked a Fay sitting three down from Chorian. Even with such a long nose he managed to still be fair.
Jareth almost glared at the fellow. "It is not a matter of seeing his face only but of so much more. There are a limited amount of Sidhe who've chosen Darkness rather than Light, and out of those there is one who bears specific hatred towards me. Not only this, but this is not the first attack Fiachna the Raven Mage has made against me and those under my care. Fiachna is the one who broke your rules last night by committing acts of violence."
"So he has expressly threatened you and assailed you before?" Chorian clarified.
"Yes," Jareth bit out.
Sarah stood at his side silent. She knew it would be unwise to speak unless first spoken to. It was the custom of the Court gatherings, but soon it would be her turn to answer questions. Her eyes drifted down the line of noble Fey until they fell on a kind, familiar face. Queen Ètaìn sat on the left beside a man who looked to be her husband by the way his hand rested over hers and how he leaned over to whisper in her ear from time to time. Ètaìn nodded in wordless greeting to Sarah when their eyes met, the traces of a smile on her lips.
For a little while longer they discussed the situation of Jareth and Fiachna's relationship and the evidence against the mage. Sarah tuned it out a little since she already knew everything they were saying, although she found it curious how Jareth avoided telling anything about her.
"So this is the mortal he desires to harm," a Fay woman with long black curls, white skin, and a deep voice for a woman spoke.
"My name's Sarah." She would not be known as 'the mortal,' not after all her time spent among them.
A few suppressed smiles appeared in the room, but the woman continued.
"You should send her back where she belongs, Goblin King, so that she no longer has to be in the middle of our affairs. Your affairs. There she will be safe."
"No, she will not. That's where he found her in the first place and will willingly go again to retrieve her now that he is bent on my destruction and her harm. Do none of you understand this creature?"
Jareth swept his blue eyes over the Court. Custom here dictated them as his superiors, yet he treated them as equals at the very least; but what Sarah found the most incredible was how they allowed it as if they did not mind. Maybe Jareth's excuses for Fiachna's enmity weren't excuses, and maybe it really was jealousy that drove him to this place in its beginning. After seeing how he was treated with awe, respect, and immense curiosity at the annual celebration—not to mention desire by more than a few maidens—it didn't seem surprising at all.
A few of the Sidhe whispered amongst each other at the news. Apparently this was not as simple a problem and solution as they thought.
"Jareth," began Chorian in a grave voice, "may we have leave to question Sarah Williams?"
"You may," he said glancing down at her.
They weren't touching, but she stood rather close so her shoulder almost brushed his arm. It was bad enough to have them all wondering about their particular relationship, so she would not give them anymore fodder for gossip or assumption. But now it was time to watch her words carefully more than her actions.
"Tell us, lady, what happened last night."
And so she did. The imaginative writer in her wanted to share it like she did her stories, but this audience would probably just think her a bizarre little creature, so she kept it basic. It definitely sounded a lot less exciting though.
"A second perpetrator?" a couple of them exclaimed.
"Do you know who they were?" asked Queen Ètaìn. She was leaning forward with great interest.
"It was a woman with a blue gown, but that is all I could see since she had me tied up."
"We strongly believe it is Lady Seraphina," Jareth cut in before more discussion broke out in their midst. "She threatened Sarah earlier that evening and wore a bright blue gown. She's been known to make...unsavoury...connections to further her goals in the past."
"That is a dangerous road to accuse her without solid proof," said Chorian. He tapped a finger on the tabletop as he thought for a moment. "But we will seek her whereabouts and question her if we can."
"So?" said Jareth with a stern voice, crisp and smooth yet deadly. "What have you decided is to be done? Or was this all in vain?"
"Do not be so quick to rule out our authority," one of them spoke.
"Peace," said Chorian with a raised hand. "We've heard all there is to hear—or so you say—but this is not an easy decision to make."
"I did not ask for your interference. You asked for us to inform you of what's going on and what has happened already, and we have."
"But do you not wish for something to be done?"
"Nothing can be done by you," said Jareth with a calmer tone. His hands hung clasped behind his back, and his head titled a little. "It's not a direct threat to any of you or multiple Sidhe or an entire realm. And none of you would be willing to take his life."
A thick silence fell over the hall as all of them stared at the Goblin King.
"You knew it would come to this eventually for that creature is bound with hate and darkness that are eating at his soul. Why so surprised? He's made me such an enemy that this would happen sooner or later, and now it has. It's time. He has declared a war between us, and I will NOT back down until this problem is reckoned with."
"Then this is in your hands," King Chorian said with finality and a touch of sorrow. "You will bear the responsibility of whatever happens, but do know that if Fiachna is found, he will bear punishment for his actions last night if nothing more from us." His bronze skin gleamed as he stood from his seat in the middle of the Sidhe Court. He bowed and left the hall with a purposeful stride.
The others watched him depart and began filing out themselves. Ètaìn was the last to remain as she made her way towards them. Her husband had gone on without her talking to another of the Court.
"Jareth, are you sure this is wise?" she pressed. Her golden waves of hair were bright in the sun pouring through the high windows.
"It is what must be done. There is a dark creature hunting Sarah and so I must hunt it before it does any more harm. I've had enough."
Ètaìn set a warm hand on Sarah's arm and looked into her eyes. "I am so very sorry, dear, that you must be a part of this mess. I suppose you shan't ever wish to return to the Underground after all this."
Sarah opened her mouth, then closed it. How to respond to such a remark when she herself didn't know? In the past couple weeks, she had nearly forgotten about going home and what it would be like to return to the normal life. She would be leaving a lot more behind this time. Did she even want to go back anymore? Again, she was slightly frightened by her emotions and the changes inside of her that were reshaping her dreams.
As if sensing her unease, Ètaìn continued. "What if she came to stay with us Jareth? He would not know where she was and would certainly find it difficult to break through to get her if he did. Where you are one, we have many of our kindred in my kingdom. She would be safe." She bent an imploring gaze on him.
Jareth hesitated as if actually considering it. Sarah's immediate response was to decline, but the offer did sound like wisdom.
"No," said Sarah. They both whipped their heads to stare at her. "No, I can't. Your Majesty, I am extremely grateful for the offer, but I think that would just stretch this out even longer. It would be better to just get it over with and deal with it as soon as possible."
"Sarah—" Jareth began.
"You know it's the truth," Sarah interrupted. "That man is a coward and only comes out of hiding when he knows he has a real chance, so if I go hide somewhere else he won't come out until he tracks me down. That could be a while. You said yourself you wanted to just be done with it."
Ètaìn couldn't seem to decide which one to look at while they gazed at one another. It felt his pale eyes were delving in her soul again. Her pulse spiked when an unbidden memory from the night before misted before her eyes: his head crowned with stars and his face drawing in so close she could feel his breath on her lips.
He must have been able to see her blush because one of his elegantly arched brows rose and the corner of his mouth turned up a bit. "Then it is settled. You stay with me."
Those words resounded in her mind as if they had so much more meaning than the surface appeared. You stay with me. She tore herself away to face Queen Ètaìn who nodded her head knowingly.
"It is as I suspected, but do not forget the offer in case there is a change of heart. I just wish there was more protection for the both of you instead of using yourselves as bait for your enemy."
"Bait! That's it!" cried Sarah. She closed her mouth when her yell echoed in the hall. In a quiet voice she continued: "Use me as bait and lay a trap for him."
Jareth's amused expression quickly darkened. "Absolutely not. We're done speaking of this."
"But—"
"Ètaìn, thank you for your graciousness, but we will be returning to the Goblin Kingdom today," he said. "I think you will find that our enemy will not do as well as he thought. I am sufficient protection for Sarah."
That's not what he said last night. Sarah's heart lifted within her when Ètaìn grasped both her hands and looked her directly in the eye with those wise golden orbs. The woman truly was graced with such kindness and warmth.
"Farewell, Sarah Williams," she said. "I hope to see you again someday and also hope to hear good tidings. May the blessings of all the Sidhe go with you and may you be protected by the Light against the Darkness that seeks to consume you."
"Thank you, Queen Ètaìn. I will never forget your kindness."
Ètaìn bid farewell to Jareth as well, laying a hand on his arm and meeting his eyes for a long while. A silent understanding passed between them. He seemed thoughtful once she had gone in a last glimmer of gold lingering at the door, like a beam of sunshine faded away by the veil of a cloud.
"Sarah, we're going home. Immediately."
Home, she thought. Where is home anymore?
There wasn't anything to pack and a lot of the Fey still rested after their long night of revelling, so Sarah and Jareth left behind the Adamant Palace and King Alaster—who bid them a hundred apologies and farewells. The king watched as they stepped outside and walked the same main path they had when the pair first arrived until they were far from the pale palace and its verdant grounds.
Sarah looked back one last time to see the glittering Lake Effervescent as a bright backdrop to the white and silver structure built like a chapel of trees twined together. So much had happened in that palace and in the evening of Summer Solstice, memories forever etched into her mind where they would live on till her death.
And yet she was glad to be returning to the labyrinth and the Goblin City. They were familiar and less imposing in their way with creatures who didn't look down on her or make her feel insignificant in her mortality.
Jareth didn't even ask this time if she would take his hands. He just slid his over her smaller ones and held firmly. She closed her eyes and felt the odd shifting as they transported magically back to his kingdom.
When Sarah opened her eyes, she glanced around in confusion. Instead of standing either in the castle or outside its doors, they were at the gates of the labyrinth. Or at least where the gates should have been, but they were difficult to discern in the encompassing wall. The pool of water stood nearby where she had first met Hoggle, and the memory made her smile.
"You remember."
Jareth's voice broke through her reverie as she took in the golden sand, the gnarled trees, and vines wrapped over the tall wall. "Of course. How could I forget? This is where it all started and where I met a good friend."
She moved around the area a little, eventually trying to find the gates without anyone pointing them out. It was then she wondered where Hoggle was. When she asked Jareth, he conjured one of his crystals and held it up to study the image forming in its depths. His face hardened, and he crushed it into nothingness with a fisted hand.
"What?" she asked. "Is he all right?"
The Goblin King motioned with his hand and the doors into the labyrinth swung open just a few feet from where Sarah had been searching. "Get inside. It's not safe out here. Go!"
Sarah did as he said as a stab of dread pierced her heart. He followed quickly after her, and the doors closed fast with another motion of his. Yet again she found herself standing at the beginning of the maze with only a choice of going right and left between the towering walls that glittered a little in the sunlight; except this time she was with the very creator of the labyrinth to whom it bent under his will.
"Your friend Heggle—"
"Hoggle."
"Yes, Hoggle, is fine, but he won't be as soon as I get my hands on him."
"What? What's going on?"
Jareth grabbed her arm and began towing her along down the right. The branches and loose stones moved aside out of the way of his feet. In his eyes writhed a storm similar to the one the night before but with greater purpose and less pure fury burning on the edges. There was more control.
"That pathetic dwarf has done something he will regret as long as I allow him to take breath," he said in icy, clipped tones. "His tasks are simple: see to pieces of the labyrinth, watch the gates, and do as I say; but he's made a grave mistake that will cost him."
"Can you just tell me instead of all these riddles?" said Sarah with a sigh even as she tried to keep up with his long legs.
"It seems he has allowed someone inside, a little visitor to keep him company."
"Oh. Oh, wow. Who on earth would he let in?" She couldn't imagine who the dwarf would befriend so quickly with his gruff nature, not to mention she was surprised he would directly disobey Jareth whom he feared so much. But of course he had defied his lord for her sake once upon a time and showed that streak of courage buried deep within him.
"Another dwarf."
He slowed down and walked through an opening that she hadn't spotted at first, and she knew then it must have been the very one she used with the help of the little blue worm. But when she looked, there wasn't any sign of the creature except the hole that led to his home. Oddly enough, Jareth turned immediately to the left instead of the right.
"But I thought right was the way to go?" she asked.
He had eventually released her arm and was ahead of her. He glanced over his shoulder. "Right? But left leads you straight to the castle."
Sarah's mouth dropped open in shock. Her feet rooted to the ground for a few moments, but she hurried forward again when he continued on without her. "You've got to be kidding!" she exclaimed. "That worm. If I ever see that worm again..."
NOTE: What did you think? Hmm, what will happen next?
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