CHAPTER 3

Jareth said, "Garren, get the healer in here." She heard his boot steps as he walked over to the bed and he sat down next to her.

He took her hand and said, "Sarah, how do you feel?"

Sarah didn't open her eyes. She said like a whisper, "I'm tired and sore."

Jareth said, "I can only imagine. The healer will be here and see how the fae transformation went."

Sarah heard a knock on the door and it must be the healer because she didn't open her eyes yet. She felt Jareth get up and someone else sit down. She cracked open her eyes and looked at both of them. They both gasped looking back. Her eyes glowed green.

Jareth said, "Is that normal for her eyes to glow like that?"

The healer said. "Sire, she should be dead by all rights from being a human and transforming this way. It tears the body apart, but the fairy venom saved her from the alterations. I don't know if it is temporary or will be permanent. Her hair stayed dark which is very unusual. She has immunity to iron because it is in her blood. Her fertility is intact also. Both left over from the human aspect. You know what this means? Her children will help save the fae from iron immunity to fertility issues. It will fix the issues they have."

Jareth smiled and said, "That's wonderful and very good news. You hear that Sarah, our children will save the Underground fae?" Sarah looked at him and thought, 'Our children? He jumps ahead all too easily. He has the audacity to just assume he will control the situation to his outcome. After what I just heard him say, I am on guard.'

Sarah dodged, answering him asking, "Am I ok to eat and sleep? I'm very tired. How long was I out?"

The healer said. "You can eat a light meal and see if it goes down well. You will need to rest for a few days to get your strength and magic reserve built up to normal levels. You were transforming for eighteen hours. I did not realize it would take so long, but I have never seen a human transform like you did. Normally they would die. You had fairy venom inside you. Do you know how and when it was introduced to your system?"

Sarah said, "I was bitten eleven years ago outside the labyrinth before I got inside to run. Hoggle was spaying repellent on the fairies and I tried to help one and she bit me."

The healer asked, "Did she have white hair?" Sarah nodded yes. He said, "That explains it, she was a fairy queen. The venom saved your life." Jareth was listening to them talk and was glad she was going to be ok. Tomorrow he was going to press the paramour issue again. Sarah took it easy for the rest of the day and slept only to wake up to eat.

When morning came on her fourth day in the Underground, she woke up and decided to take a bath. She walked into the pool after going to the bathroom. She put a couple towels on the side of the pool. Sarah washed herself from head to toe. Sarah plunged under the water to make sure all of the soap was out of her hair.

Jareth heard the water sloshing in the bathroom and knew Sarah was in there bathing. He decided to go in and watch for as long as he could. He stood to the side and watched her rinse the soap from her long luxurious hair and her naked body swimming under the water. He was aroused looking at her. Sarah came up from the water and squeaked when she saw him standing there.

Sarah moved to the side of the pool to block his view and said, "What are you doing in the bathroom here?"

Jareth said matter of factly, "Watching you bathe." Sarah was up against the side looking up at him. He couldn't see anything anymore.

Sarah said, "Have you ever heard of privacy?"

Jareth smirked and said, "I don't understand your human sensibilities. I will be intimate with you soon enough. It shouldn't bother you."

She said, "That doesn't matter at this moment. You should not take advantage of me in this way. It's not right."

He got angry and said, "I do as I please in my own castle and you need to come to terms with your situation."

Sarah said, "My situation? What do you mean, my situation? I would like to know how you see it?"

Jareth said all cocky and self-assured, "You are mine. Your fealty is to me and my kingdom and mine alone. You are going to marry me and give me an heir."

Sarah said, "You make me sound like property." She grabbed a towel and wrapped her hair up. She then wrapped up in the large oversized towel as she stepped out of the water so he couldn't see her body. Sarah proceeded to walk out the bathroom door as Jareth grabbed her upper arm roughly hurting her.

Sarah squealed and said, "Ouch! That hurts Jareth. You were very nice to me the day I arrived. Where is that man now?" His grip eased up a bit.

Jareth said, "You do belong to me, Sarah. Make no mistake about it. I will have you as my wife and in my bed." Sarah looked into his cruel eyes. She knew she was walking a fine line and tugged away from him.

Sarah said, "Jareth let me get dressed or I'll catch a cold. I'm exhausted."

He let go and she walked into her room and grabbed underwear, a bra, socks and her favorite black leather riding boots, putting them on the bed. She took out a black long sleeve tshirt and her black jeans. She felt dark in trying to steel herself against him. She put on her underwear with her jeans at the same time as he watched her every move. He wouldn't leave her alone, standing in the room hovering and watching. She put on her socks and boots. She put her tshirt over her towel turban on her head. Sarah pulled it over herself and removed the towel, grabbed her bra and put it on under the tshirt before tucking the shirt in her pants. She picked up the brush and started brushing out her hair. She had her hair brushed straight behind her head. She braided it to the side with a hair tie.

Sarah said calmly, "Jareth, yes I came here as a wish away, and yes I became part of the Underground. I may even belong in your kingdom, but you don't own me outright and force me to have sex or marry you. Why are you acting like this suddenly? You were kind and considerate when I first arrived. The bloom has fallen off the vine now and your mood swings the other way. I'm not your pet fae." He looked at her with fire in his eyes.

Jareth leaned into her face and said, "I guess I'll have to convince you otherwise. You will do as you are told. You are only one step above a human because you are vulnerable without knowing magic. So beware of making me angry, it will not bode well for you." He straightened up and marched out of the room.

Sarah rounded up her black bags and things she would need. She was leaving with everything inside it that she would need to survive out in the wilderness in the beginning of winter. She had her backpack of dry food, a weapons ammo bag with her bow and gun, a duffle bag of clothes and accessories like a tent. She wished for a warm heavy black cowl hooded cloak and black leather lined gloves, she wasn't going to stick around for him to hurt her.

She wrote a note and left it on her pillow. She grabbed her three bags and wished, "I 'wish' to go to the farthest town or city from the Goblin Kingdom with an inn and stores to get clothes and food." The magic swirled around her and she disappeared.

Sarah was standing in the snow looking at a town carved into the side of a mountain from a bit of a distance. Sarah wished, "I 'wish' that no fae could see or locate me and I want a beautiful black stallion with full tack an intelligent mind and kind temperament."

A horse appeared in front of her. Sarah said, "I want us to be good friends. You are so handsome. I'm going to call you Midnight." She pet his nose and he nickered. She tied her bags to him and mounted him.

Sarah wished, "I 'wish' for a purse of the best currency in the Underground that never runs out." A small bag appeared in the palm of her hand.

Sarah rode into town up to the inn, took off her baggage and went inside. It was nice and quaint. There were chairs and tables and a counter to the back where the kegs were mounted in the wall. She smelled eggs and meat. She was starving from no food at all. It was still morning. Sarah rented a room for a couple nights and boarded her horse. She returned to the inn to get breakfast.

After Sarah ate, she took a nap for a couple hours in the room. She got up and went out into the town and bought two leather bags from the cobbler with many other drawstring leather bags to be used. She went to the men's clothing store and bought a black and brown leather men's outfit, waist coats lined with wool, pants and jerkins. Sarah bought tunics, leggings and a pair of black pirate boots folded over and buckled. She went to the women's clothing store and bought four long skirts, six long sleeve blouses, two lace up front outside corsets, makeup, and four bars of soap.

She brought everything back to the room and started reorganizing. Sarah went to get a meal. She sat down at the counter and put down a silver coin. The innkeeper asked, "What do you need?"

Sarah said, "Wine and a meal, please?" The fae looked at her funny and went and got her wine and brought her a plate of roasted mutton, barley mushroom cheese with sauteed greens and a piece of torn homemade bread. Sarah ate every bite of it. She ordered another wine and took it to her room.

Sarah put the chair under the door knob after locking it. It covered the view through the door keyhole. Sarah sat the wine on the bed's night table. She stripped off her clothes after making a fire and heating water for a bath. Sarah finally relaxed and slept hard.

—--

Jareth was upset because Sarah was acting like she was going to defy him every step of the way. He left her alone locked in her room the rest of the day to teach her a lesson. She would go hungry as his first lesson. That evening, he created a crystal and it was black. He sat up on his throne and cast it again. Nothing. He did a location spell. Nothing. Jareth went to her room and found it empty but for a note. He snatched up the note that said:

Jareth,

When you read this I will be gone. I am not waiting around for you to harm me. I will not be treated as property, whether you're a king or not. For my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom is great as yours. The voice in my mind as I was transforming said, I was to be your equal. What about love and compassion? Do you only use it when it suits your agenda? I guess until you realize this you will not find me. I have the wish magic and full fae magic knowledge. You did not think I did and I heard everything you said before I woke up. I heard you talk possessive and dominating about my well being not giving a damn how I feel. You will not find me until I let you. I will change my appearance and could be any fae woman. You'll never even know if I am in the Goblin City standing in another city right next to you. You will learn that I am not a stupid ignorant human or a naive person. You do not and will not own me.

Sarah

He crumpled it up and tossed it in the corner of the room. He really didn't expect her to be able to do this, but she did. He underestimated her. Jareth wondered if the labyrinth was the voice speaking to her in her head. He would go see if he could glean any information from it because he wasn't going to take no for an answer.

Jareth posted jobs for bounty hunters to find Sarah. He had to wait to collect enough men to send out to the other kingdoms to locate her.

He disappeared and went into the labyrinth catacombs to talk to Gaia, the entity that was the labyrinth. He walked into an old moldy stone room that smelled of old mildew and had a green glow in the center of a pit in the middle of the floor.

A disembodied voice said, "Yes, my king?"

Jareth said, "Sarah has been wished away to the Underground and I had her in the castle. She wished herself fae and survived the transformation because of the fairy venom she had since the time she was here before. I want her to make an heir and be my paramour. I was going to bond with her before she turned fae but now it has become a more difficult task. She seems to have disappeared. Do you know where she is?"

Gaia said, "Yes. She is not chattel, my king. She is nothing but your equal in will and kingdom."

Jareth said, "What do you mean? She is mine to do with as I wish. She was wished away to me."

Gaia said, "No, my king, she was wished away to me this time. I am her guardian to watch over her this time in the Underground. She has been under my protection for the last eleven years Aboveground or Underground. Her fealty is mine and not the kingdoms since she won against me and claimed the title champion from me. You guided and interfered more with her than any other in the history of runners. You controlled the run. I set the challenges and you set the obstacles. She persevered over both of us last time she was here."

Jareth yelled, "What do you mean she has fealty to you?! I am the Goblin King! You told me she was to be mine and eventually my queen."

Gaia said, "No, my king, I told you that she would come to be your equal and bring balance to the Underground. She does not belong to you. She can have fealty to both of us but it must be her free will. You must win her heart not possess her body and try to dominate her will or break it. I will not tolerate you bypassing my laws. She is no longer your concern, my king."

Jareth didn't understand the labyrinth had never acted this way before to him. It is protecting Sarah and it refuses to tell him where she is. It's peculiar actions means he had stepped out of line somehow by Sarah being here. Yes, he desired her. Yes, he wanted her sexually. If he had claimed her as a human, it would have sealed the claim by joining with her. She would have been enamored with him. Humans had always been treated as servants in his world. He believed that he would have been good to her. But, it wasn't enough because he should have listened to his advisor and treated her kindly with understanding and took his time wooing her.

He went to his throne room to ponder and mull it over in his mind. He sat down and threw his leg over the chair arm tapping with his riding crop on his boot thinking.

—--day 7

Over the period of the next day, Sarah had stocked herself up in dried, some fresh food and spices along with baked goods. Sarah was ready in the morning.

—--day 8

Sarah packed up her horse and rode off with a full map and directions from the blacksmith. The town she was in was called Sásta (happy) in the Fairy Kingdom. She was headed to a city called Bláth (flower) and it was a sea port. Sarah was dressed all in black leather. She would have to camp for two days between the town and the city. Three fae men were coming from the opposite direction. Sarah had her dagger ready.

As she passed them, the one leapt from his horse knocking her out of the saddle and landed on top of her on the ground, the knife went through his heart. The others dismounted and she muttered a wish to bind their hands and freeze their feet. They started shouting profanity. She rolled the guy off of herself. She stood up and did a full inventory on what was hurt. Her ribs were sore and he had knocked the wind out of her, but no worse for wear. The guy who jumped her lay dead at her feet staring at nothing.

Sarah walked over to the other two and said, "I 'wish' you two to tell me the truth. What were you thinking of doing to me?"

The one fae man said, "Rob you and see what you have got. The fae you killed wanted sex from you. We all were going to take a turn then kill you." Sarah thought, 'They didn't know I was a woman so I guess that didn't matter.'

Sarah said, "I 'wish' both of you were stripped of their magic, their clothes and turned into human women to be put in the middle of the city of Bláth." They screamed as naked human women and disappeared. Sarah collected all of their valuables and tied it to her horse and wished the clothes, tents and camping supplies to anyone who deserves them. She put the stuffed saddlebags on the horse behind her with bags and things she collected together. Then she tied the horses one behind the other. Sarah took everything of value off the dead man and put it in the saddle bags. She wished him to disappear. She led the horses to a farm and asked the farmer if he could take the two horses. Sarah said she needed them off her hands, because they were outside and freezing. The farmer was happy to take them.