CHAPTER 10
He said, "Hello, Sarah, I'd say we meet again. How have you been these last four weeks? I am surprised to see you turned fae to say the least, you have gotten even more beautiful from it. I would like you to come back to The Castle Beyond the Goblin City. I promise I will never harm you. I apologize before you now, to say, you were right about everything you said to me in that dream. I was blinded by my own feelings and should never have approached you in such a way. Forgive me Sarah?"
She looked in his eyes and he seemed sincere. Sarah said, "I'll have to think about it, Jareth. You shocked me that you could treat me that way. I know things have changed but I will contact you when I'm ready to forgive you."
Jareth asked, a bit upset, "Why are you with Alwin tonight?"
Sarah said, "I beat him in the archery contest and he asked me to come with him."
Jareth said softly, "You know I have feelings for you Sarah. I hate to see you with other men."
Sarah said bluntly, "I don't belong to you, Jareth." She was looking him in the eyes.
Jareth said, "But you should. I… I lo…."
Prince Alwin walks up and says, "There you are Sarah. I need to talk to you please. It's important."
Sarah thinks, 'What was Jareth about to say?' Sarah turns and looks at Alwin. He takes her hand and leads her over to the other side of the room.
Alwin said, "Sarah, I did not tell him I was bedding you, I swear. That man is a fool. I'm sorry. Please don't be mad at me?" Sarah looked in his eyes and he seemed to be telling the truth.
Sarah said, "Ok, your highness. I will reserve my wraith for that fool."
He smiled and said, "Will you dance with me?" Sarah put her hand out and he kissed it and led her out to the dance floor. She loved dancing.
They swirled around the dance floor. Sarah was surprised how graceful she was after a few dances. People started cutting in after each dance. She danced with several Lords of this or Princes of that. She was fine when Jareth cut in. He danced with her and had a sharp toothed smirk.
He said, "Do you remember when we danced before?"
Sarah smiled and said, "Of course, it was my very first time dancing."
He looked at her with such softness and said, "It was a lovely dance and you looked beautiful, but nothing more beautiful than now. I must say, you make a very beautiful fae. It accentuated your beauty."
Sarah smiled and said, "Thank you, Jareth."
He grinned and said, "I like when you can call me Jareth." He smiled and reluctantly let the next man cut in for the next dance. He watched her from the side in the crowd around the dance floor. Sarah took a break to get food and a drink.
She got a plate and put some food on it from this and that to try. She got another glass of wine and sat down to eat at a small table. Alwin sat with her with his own plate.
Alwin said, "You dance perfectly, Sarah, it was so easy to dance with you. It was time for a break for a little while. It's amazing the social obligation and all just keeps me away from dancing with you more."
Sarah said eating, "I understand it can't be easy in your position. You must get sick of the debutantes and status climbers throwing themselves at you all the time." He rolled his eyes.
He laughed and said, "Most of the time I try not to come to these things, but my father puts his foot down so that I make an appearance. You're right though, it does make you weary."
Sarah said, "I won't treat you like that. I find it demeaning to beg, grovel and fling yourself at someone for attention. It's usually an insecure person that acts like that."
Alwin said, "I think you're right. There must be a huge amount of insecure women in the Underground. I get flung at, almost every day." Sarah started laughing and he did too.
Sarah went with Alwin back to the dance floor. They danced a few dances together and started dancing with other people. At the end of the night, Jareth came back to dance with her. Before the ball was over, Jareth leaned his head down and kissed her. After a few minutes, he said, "Please forgive me, Sarah."
Sarah said honestly, "I already do, Jareth. I just need time to think."
Jareth bowed his head and said, "I'm not going to give up on you, Sarah, so please don't give up on me."
Alwin came up to Sarah and Jareth and said, "Sarah, are you ready to leave?"
Sarah smiled and said, "Yes. I'm ready, thank you." Alwin took her hand and kissed it. She left with Alwin to get her fur cloak and her kittens. She looked back at Jareth and smiled. He smiled back at her.
Alwin and Sarah went back to her room at the inn in the carriage. He walked her up to her room and kissed her hand and another on the cheek.
Alwin said, " Good night, sweet Sarah. Thank you for tonight."
Sarah smiled and said, "Thank you, Alwin, I had fun dancing with you too. Goodnight." She kissed his cheek and waved goodbye, shutting the door.
The week passed quickly with the festival running for five days. Sarah, Alyanna and Jiles all bonded with music night in the inn and Sarah singing, festival events and companionship. They were sad that she had to go.
The night before Sarah had to leave, she split up the 300 gold and put them in two smaller leather bags. She fed the kittens a chopped fine meat mixed with milk in a bowl and got a matching one for water she kept full for them for when they wanted a drink. The jar of meat would not spoil or run out after she wished it so. Sarah packed up and had all her food stored, clothes washed and folded. She went to sleep on her last night ready to go.
—--Day 34
Sarah woke up and did her morning routine. She got dressed in a dark green tunic and put on her gear and braided her hair. She fed the five week old kittens and made sure they used the litter box before she packed it up in a leather bag she found to fit it perfectly. She left her baggage and bow and arrows and their money bags in the room.
Sarah went downstairs with her cloak gloves and pouch on. She had breakfast with the siblings and said, "After we eat, will you both come to my room with me? I have something for you both." They were curious.
Jiles said, "Ok, Ash."
When they were done eating they went upstairs and Sarah let them into the room. And gave them each their gold bags.
She said, "It's 150 gold for each of you. I wanted to do this for you, because it can help you both make this inn the best. I 'wish' love, happiness and prosperity to both of you for the rest of your lives." The magic swirled around them both and they had their mouths open in sheer shock.
Alyanna said, "You have the power of wishes? Only the Goblin King has that power. Oh Ash, I knew you were special, my dear caring friend. We can never forget you for these gifts you just gave us." Alyanna cried hugging Sarah. Sarah patted her back. Jiles couldn't stand it any longer and he hugged them both.
Jiles said, "You are the most wonderful fae I have ever known, Ash. We'll lock this away in our rooms. You go get your horse and we'll help you take your things down." Sarah smiled, put on her cloak and gloves and went to get her horse Shadow. Alyanna and Jiles said their goodbyes and Sarah mounted up heading to the town of Sásta (happy) it is a sea port on the Uiscímóra Sea (vast waters).
Sarah traveled all day and got into the port town before sunset. It was a busy rugged town full of shipping warehouses, wharfs and tall sailing ships. There were men that looked tough and some muscular like you would expect from the 1700-1800 time period in the Aboveground. They had heavy sweaters and knit caps on with jackets. The humans were wearing mostly beards. Sarah felt like she was stepping out of time sometimes here in the Underground.
She spotted an inn that was busy and it had a stable two doors down. She boarded Shadow first and didn't trust to leave him untended in a town like this. Sarah carried her gear into the inn to the innkeeper and asked for a room for the night. She paid and got a key.
Sarah went up and locked the door and put the only chair under the door. It was very spartan as far as furnishings but it had a pump, tub and privy. Sarah saw a lumpy looking mattress. She figured it was only for a night.
Sarah did her wish to secure the room until her belongings were removed. She took off her cloak and gloves and put the kittens on the bed. They popped out and watched her as she set up the litter box. Both kittens climbed down the blanket she pulled out to go to the bathroom. They had stopped a couple times to eat and go to the bathroom. The kittens were good about going to the bathroom right away in the cold, hurrying to get back in the warm pouch and their mother's security.
Sarah started a fire and warmed up the room. She made up their food and water. She would still give them two bottles of milk during the day and one at night before bed. They were very good at using the box at night. Sarah thought they were such smart little boy kittens. Sarah got ready and went downstairs to get a meal and wine. There wasn't room at the counter so she got her meal and wine, then found a spot in the corner away from the crowd. What she didn't see was the innkeeper pointing to her back as she walked away and three brutish looking men sitting at the table watching her.
Sarah ate her shepherd's pie and drank her wine and headed for the stairs. By the time she unlocked her door, she felt sluggish and realized she had been drugged. She hurried and locked the door to the room and put the chair under the doorknob. She took off the kittens and pulled down the blankets. She wished, "I… 'wish' that I...wasn't drugged." Instantly she started feeling much better and threw up everything she ate out the window.
Sarah drank water and swished out her mouth and brushed her teeth. She decided to eat her own food, like a couple cookies and some roasted cinnamon nuts with tea. She got ready for bed when they started banging on her door and trying to pick the lock. Sarah knew she would have no peace until she was Shanghaied by those bastards. The fae innkeeper was in on it and drugged her.
Sarah wished, "I 'wish' that the innkeeper and the men trying to gang press me were all turned into ugly females." She heard screaming and then nothing. They had stopped banging on her door. Sarah went to bed with her kittens.
—--Day 35
The next morning Sarah did her morning routine, fed the kittens and had them go to the bathroom. Sarah packed up everything. She ate a couple cookies and made her own tea. She put the kittens around her neck in the pouch after she played with them for a while to tucker them out. Sarah put on her cape and gloves and took all her stuff downstairs and gave the key to a different young man. Sarah walked out the door to the stables, saddled and packed up Shadow. She left that town Sásta (happy) behind. She didn't find it so great.
Sarah rode on for a while and felt like she was being followed so she turned off the road into a dark part of a forest. She hid with Shadow and listened. A couple human men were coming on horseback and she heard them talking.
The first man was dirty with a paunchy belly and grizzly black beard. He said, "I know we be not fer behind em'. I be stabbin' em' an ye start goin' through tha stuff ta see what we be keepin' or sellin' like tha horse an rig. I think I may be keepin' his stallion an tack fer meself."
The second man looks skinny and taller in the saddle with dirty blonde hair and a scruffy face. He said, "I be hopin' he be well nuff off, ta be avin' sum gold on em'."
The first one said, "It be fine. Tha horse be bringin' us sum more gold. We gotta bout' 320 tween' us fer them last ones we kilt."
