CHAPTER 9
When she got there, she saw him standing at attention. She said, "Sir Didymus?"
He looked at her and said, "Hello, fair young fae maiden, how may I help thee?"
She giggled and said, "I know I look different, magic has changed my appearance to a fae. It's me Sarah."
He peered hard at her and said, "What has happened to thee? Has thee seen a healer?"
She said, "Actually the King's healer saw me, Orrian. He's a really kind elf."
He said, "Dear maiden, why did thee never contact us all through the years? Thee are full grown now."
She said, "I tried so many times, but someone shut down the portal and it wasn't the king. He suspects that they intended to make him angry at me for some reason. I stumbled upon a way through an ancient portal I was exploring in the Aboveground home of Dagda. I have been traveling for over a month to get here and find you. On the way something happened when I was asleep one night and I woke up like this." She put down her hood and showed him her ears. She put it back up and produced a green crystal and made it pop.
Didymus said, "Sounds like deceit is in our midst to keep us apart from thee. What did thy healer say?"
Sarah said, "He said that he thinks I always was fae and from a line of dark haired fae that stayed Aboveground after the fae returned from there over five thousand years ago. He said the king would need to find out more from a scholar." Didymus nodded.
He said, "I see. Perhaps, the king will find out if thy ancestors twas of the fae."
Sarah said, "I hope so. How is Ludo?"
He said, "Thy brother, Ludo, fairs well. He has returned to his people in the mountains to the east. I visit from time to time." Sarah smiled.
She said, "How would I get to see Hoggle? Is he staying at the castle?"
He said, "Sir Hoggle stays in a house in town during the winter months. He would like to see thee after thee tells him what happened to thy portal. He did take it hard that thee did not contact us. He resides down that street to thy left at the corner, then thy right side. The house with the blue mailbox" Sarah got down and patted Ambrosius and hugged Sir Didymus.
She said, "Thank you. I missed you so much. I had to find my own way back here."
He said, "Thee must regale thy story to me."
She said, "I will, I promise. I'll see you soon." She left to go to Hoggle's house, she crunched through the snow and came to the house with the blue mailbox. She knocked on the door.
She heard scrapping and Hoggle yelled, "Didymus, I told ye not ta be knockin' ta just comes in!" He muttered. "Making me get up and answer tha door ever' time.".
Hoggle opens the door and looks at her and says gruffly, "Who be ye and whadda ya want?"
She says, "It's me Sarah."
He squinted and said, "No yer not, ye be a fae. Sarah be a human. Ye be tryin' ta trick me."
Sarah said, "Hoggle, it's me I swear. The mirror portal wouldn't work because someone shut it off. I spoke to Jareth and he said it wasn't him, but someone wanted him mad at me and to cut me off from all of you. I tried contacting you but it wasn't working. I came through an ancient portal I found years later in my research. After twelve days of being here, something happened in my sleep and woke up in Loch Glad a fae. I have been traveling here for the last month and I got here yesterday from Bhaile. It is not a trick, I swear. I'm as confused as you are about me changing species overnight. Please believe me."
Hoggle eyed her and said, "Well, ifin' yer a fae and ye swore, yer bound ta it." She nodded. Hoggle opened the door. Sarah stepped in and walked over and sat in a chair by the fire.
Hoggle asked, "Ye want some tea Sarah?"
She said, "Yes, please it's cold outside." Hoggle started making a pot of tea.
He asked, "Sos how were yer life in tha last eleven years?"
She said solemnly, "Not so great I'm afraid, but I endured. My stepmother systematically got my father and Toby to cut me off. I went to school and stopped going home at all. She was always talking down to me abusively and my father was a puppet on a string. She drove me away and convinced Toby I did care about him anymore. I just concentrated on my books and education. I missed you all so much and I was researching trying to find a way to get here."
He poured the tea in two cups and handed her one. He asked, "How'd ye find it?"
She said, "I realized an ancient site called Newgrange in Ireland, where I ended up living, was Dagda's Mound and home originally and it was the gateway to the Underground. That's where the fae came and returned through five thousand years ago. I went on Samhain after midnight to sneak inside past the caretakers. I was exploring the inside and used an ancient ritual and it opened. It was sealed behind me and I was in a dark pitch black damp cave." She leaned in and whispered quietly in his ear, "Don't tell anyone but I tripped over a pot of gold abandoned for ages. It was covered with a super thick layer of dust and dirt like inches deep. I took it all and crammed it in my two bags I had on me and my pockets too." She leaned back and said, in a normal voice, "I hacked my way out of the overgrown entrance and made my way to Caladh."
Hoggle was surprised at how much she did to get there and how lucky she was to find gold to help her. If she had been traveling for a month she stopped at every town on the way but some were a fair distance apart. He asked, "What way'd ye come?"
She said, "I stayed at Caladh a week, Àiteigin for 3 days and Loch Glad a week where I changed to fae. I passed through Thallansin to Síosann and stayed overnight. I stayed in Coirnéil overnight, and camped between there and Saighead where I stayed a day. I camped at the base of the mountain and headed up to Sliabh. I stayed there a week on top of the mountain where two fae brothers taught me some magic. I then went down to Bhaile where I spent the night and made my way to the Labyrinth. The worm told me the shortcut to the castle."
Hoggle scratched his head and said, "How'd ye get tha doors ta open? Only tha king can open it."
She said, "I asked out loud and after a delay it just opened. I guess the king decided to let me in."
Hoggle asked, "Sos this changin' inter a fae appened' when yer in Loch Glad?"
She said, "Yes, I woke up and my ears were itching and felt points on them and bolted up to check it in my mirror. It scared me to death. I had to take a bath because all my body hair fell off everywhere except my head. I had to shake my clothes out the window and sweep up the bed. It really was scary." The kitten started to cry. She got the bottle and picked him up out of the pouch around her neck.
Hoggle said, "Well looky at that, a baby kit. Whatcha doin' with it? Where be it's mummy?"
Sarah said, "His mother abandoned him when I was in Sliabh. I made friends with two fae brothers there. They were named Camus and Ruvyn. Ruvyn is a blacksmith, he gave me goat and unicorn milk mixed in a bottle spelled to not spoil. He gave me a tiny bottle to feed him with and he made me this fur lined pouch to keep him warm on my journey. Camus, the innkeeper, and his brother Ruvyn taught me some magic to get by and protect myself before I had to leave. They were good and kind friends to me."
Hoggle's eyebrows went up. "Fae? That be a rare thin' fer a fae to do fer ya like that. Did thay want anythin' in return?"
She shook her head no and said, "Not a thing. They were surprised I was nice to them. They said they were living there to not be around arrogant people anymore. I think that's why I surprised them. They had their guard up at first."
Hoggle said, "Ye got a way with people an I guess animals too."
She held up Midnight for Hoggle to see with his little milk face. She said, "I named him Midnight. He's about ten days old. It was an out of season litter and he was the runt."
Hoggle said, touching his finger on his head and said, "He be a tiny one." She put the kitten back in his pouch and drank her tea.
She said, "He crawls out of his pouch and up to my neck at night for warmth. I just put him there now before I sleep and cover us up good. He's a heat stealing little cuddler." She giggled.
Hoggle smiled and said, "It's so strange seein' ye ina fae body an it's still ye be a human in there."
At that exact moment Jareth popped into Hoggle's house right then and said, "Come now Higgle, she's even more beautiful than ever before. She is a lovely creature inside and out." Hoggle was surprised to hear him say that about anybody and stood up.
Hoggle said, "Whatcha want, yer Majesty?"
Jareth said, "I came to see Sarah, of course. I wanted to invite her to the castle for lunch and a tour. She never got to see it the last time she was here."
Hoggle said, "She were just explainin' everythin' tha appened' ter her since comin' to tha Underground an how she got ere'."
Jareth said, "Yes, I'm sure. Would you like to come to lunch, Sarah?"
Sarah said, "Sure but in a little while I need to get a few things in town and go back to the inn and get more milk for Midnight."
Jareth cocked his head and asked, "You named him Midnight?" Sarah smiled and nodded.
Jareth said, "I can get you your milk now." He made the milk bottle appear from off her nightstand. He handed it to her.
She said, "You've got to teach me how to do that and transport." She smiled, while filling the tiny bottle..
Jareth laughed, "I can teach you many things if you let me."
Hoggle muttered darkly, "I bet."
Jareth asked, "What's that Hogsbreath?"
Hoggle said, "Nothin'."
Jareth said, "I didn't think so.
Sarah handed the bottle back to Jareth, who made it disappear back to her nightstand, she guessed. She said, "Ok all I have to do is shop. Do you know where the watchmaker is?"
Jareth said, "I'll take you there so you don't get cold."
She said, "That's very nice of you. Thank you." Hoggle rolled his eyes.
Sarah said, "I'll stop by again, Hoggle. If you like, I'm in room number six for the next two nights."
Jareth said, "Yes, then I hope you will stay at the castle. It's more comfortable and warmer. Are you ready, Lady Sarah?" She smiled at him and let him take her hand. They vanished.
Hoggle shook his head and said, "Good gravy, he's goin' ta try ta court her. I just knows it."
Sarah and Jareth appeared in front of a jewelers shop. Sarah walked in the establishment and started looking at all the lovely pieces of jewelry in the cases on display. The jeweler came out and saw the girl and the king standing in his shop and got all excited.
He said excitedly, bowing, "Your majesty. How may I help you?" He ignored Sarah completely.
Jareth noticed and said, "My friend came to see your watches."
The jeweler looked at Sarah and noticed she was very beautiful, but not wealthy and came down a notch from wanting a huge sale. He said, "Yes, well, how can I help you, malady?"
Sarah said, "May I see that beautiful pendant?" It was a pendant of a golden owl with blue topaz eyes, with its wings spread wide over a silver moon. It was beautiful and about two and a half inches wide. The jeweler pulled it out and showed it to her.
She said, "It is lovely." The jeweler was standing proud. Jareth looked over her shoulder and saw it was his family crests symbol. He thought it odd that out of all the jewelry in his shop she liked this one piece.
The jeweler said, "Yes, well it is 25 gold." Jareth's eyebrow went up knowing the jeweler was price gouging her in hopes he would buy it for her.
Jareth said, "I'm sure you mean 12 gold and you were mistaken." He glared at him.
The jeweler said, "Oh, uh… yes that's right 12 gold. Is there anything else in the watches you wished to see?" Sarah moved down and saw a small half dollar size pocket watch. It was etched in filigree with a 13 hour black face on a long silver chain with a clip on the end.
Sarah said, "May I see that pocket watch?"
The jeweler pulled it out and said, "This is a two day wind up watch. It's 15 gold." Jareth glared at him. He stuttered and said, "I … I mean 7 gold." Sarah pulled out 19 gold and put it on the counter. Jareth was surprised she had that much gold to spend. The jeweler wrapped up her two items. And handed them to her.
She smiled and said, "Thank you, sir. You have very nice things in your shop." Sarah knew if she came back here to haggle him to half his asking price or walk out.
The jeweler puffed up proud and said, "Thank you, malady."
She turned to Jareth and said, "Your majesty, I think I'm done here, for now. Can we go back to my room at the inn for a minute?" He put out his arm for her to take and they vanished.
They reappeared in her room. She took off her cloak and Jareth eyed her womanly form. Yes, he thought she had filled out to be a lovely woman with a beautiful figure. She went into her saddlebags and pulled out more gold coins, putting them in her coin bag.
He said, "Sarah, where did you get all that gold?"
She turned and grabbed her duffle bag and unzipped it. She pulled out a package from inside it.
She said, "This was what I had when I came here from my world to barter with." She opened the package carefully. It had gold and silver chains in it of various lengths and thicknesses. "But, as I was coming out of the cave from the portal entrance I tripped over a pot of gold coins. Almost 850 gold pieces." His eyes got big. She selected a silver chain for the pendant and put it on her neck. It was very pretty on her. She wrapped her chains back up after straightening them up not to tangle. She put the package back in her duffle bag and buried it in the middle of her clothes. She closed up her saddlebags.
He said, "You mean to say you're travelling around the Underground for a month with that much silver and gold on you?"
She said, "Yes, I caught a guy in my room going through my duffle bag, when I went to board my horse in Saighead. He picked the lock but didn't expect me to be back so fast. I had the innkeeper lock up for me and took him out at knife point on his throat into the woods. I sliced open his upper arm and scared the crap out of him. He left screaming, holding his arm and running for his life that night through the woods. Other than that one time, I scared a thief once camping outside too. I was accosted by a thief in my tent at night. I backed him out of there at knife point and scared him to death, but he had a little boy with him and I gave the boy six gold and told him to get his father to try for the dam jobs you are hiring labor for. I heard that in a inn." Jareth was beside himself, that people tried to steal from her in his kingdom and she helped one and scared the other off. She was more capable than any woman he had ever known. He was impressed and he has never been impressed with anyone. He also was afraid for her to stay in the inn with that much gold on her.
He said, "Sarah, please come to the castle. I don't want anything to happen to you with that much gold on you. If multiple persons attack you could have died. Please come with me. I swear to you that you can come and go as you please. I just want you safe. It's even warmer in the castle." She looked at him and knew it was kinda cold in here and she was trying to keep Midnight from getting cold. He locked eyes with her. His eyes were pleading with concern. She just couldn't turn him down after last time and he was being sincere. She made her decision.
She said, "Ok, I'll come with you to the castle, because I don't want you to worry like you are. Besides, it was my first concern when I got the gold." He looked relieved.
He said, "Pack up everything and put it in the center of the room. I'll be right back." He vanished. Sarah took her blankets off the bed and folded them and took the milk bottle and put it inside the drawstring bag Ruvyn gave her. She never spread her things around and kept everything self contained in her bags, pretty much. She had her road clothes from yesterday to wash. She folded them and put them with the blankets on the bed.