CHAPTER 5
In the Goblin Kingdom, Jareth was sitting laid back on his throne in his traditional white ruffled shirt with his black vest. He had on his gray leggings with a leg thrown over the arm of the throne moving his foot up and down, looking pensive. He was tapping his riding crop against his boot in deep thought. The tapping was repeatedly thrumming over and over again.
Lord Galvin, Jareth's advisor, came into the throne room dressed in a long red velvet coat with a white ruffled shirt. He had black short pants and white socks to the knee with buckle black shoes. His hair was dark blonde and tied with a black ribbon in a ponytail to the middle of his shoulder blades. He was patiently standing in the doorway and cleared his throat and announced, "Your majesty, Princess Meriwether of the Pixie Kingdom is here to visit."
Jareth's concentration broke and he turned his head to him and asked, "I did not send her an invitation, did I?"
Galvin said, "No, Sire. You did not, but when has that stopped fae royals from… randomly stopping by, on one another." Jareth huffed. He didn't want to entertain, of all people Meriwether. She was a status climber and a boring woman even in bed. She was just always trying to convince him what a good fit she would be at his side. Jareth was sick of over privileged women trying to manipulate and play their court liaisons in his presence.
Jareth said, sighing, "Where did you put her?"
Galvin said, "She's in the main drawing room." Jareth nodded and left to go find out what she is wanting.
Jareth walks into the room stoically and closes the door. He blaise says, "Meriwether, what brings you to visit my kingdom?"
Princess Meriwether stands up from her chair and smiles saying, "Your majesty, it's nice to see you. I just thought that it's been several months and I was wondering how you were doing. I'm surprised you haven't been accepting invites to the occasional balls or events. You know I would love to go with you if you would only ask me to, right? You still think I'm pretty don't you?" She was a red corkscrew curled long haired pretty woman with blue drake eyes, pert nose, lithe slim small body and perfect bone structure. She was dressed in a pink satin gown with cream stain around the waist tied into a large cream bow at the back. She had overstated jewelry on and smelled like she was dipped in a perfume bottle.
Jareth thought, 'There she goes again, to much perfume, fishing for compliments and invites. I wouldn't court her if my life depended on it.'
He put on his best game face and smirked, "Meriwether, are you wanting me to flatter you or are you fishing for a compliment? I told you last time that I do not like those events and balls. I only go to ones my father pushes me into going to and sometimes not even then. If you are wanting me to court you, I am not interested in courting anyone at this time." He stood in a proud pose like he was regal and arrogantly intimidating.
Meriwether swallowed hard out of nervousness and said, "Your father told my father to have me come visit you… he… he wanted me to persuade you to court me. I… I told him you did not seem to be interested in going to functions lately…. but he wouldn't take no for an answer from my father and I. Your father said he was going to put his foot down on you soon and force you to marry whomever he picks, if you don't choose soon." She swallowed thickly.
Jareth was pissed off about his father trying to intimidate others to force themselves and throw themselves at him. His father was the High King, but Jareth was also a king, even though he was the High King's only son, Jareth could not take the throne until he married.
Jareth said, "You may go home Meriwether and tell my father that I said to leave you alone."
Meriwether tried to talk seductively and simperingly suggested, "But, you know, your majesty, I wouldn't mind being with you, if you were to make an offer."
Jareth rolled his eyes and said, "Yes. You and about a hundred and fifty other women would jump at the chance. I'm just not interested."
Meriwether got angry and spitefully said, "Why are you still pining after that human that won your little game? Is she the choice you long for, a piece of filthy human trash." She threw her nose in the air. Jareth thought she looked like a stuck up scorch cat.
Jareth got angry because she was jealous of Sarah and wanted the position as queen and then High Queen if his father retired. That is why he stopped socializing because they were nothing but opportunists. Jareth walked to the door, opened it and turned to say, "Jealousy is so very unbecoming, Meriwether. You can show yourself out, can't you?" He slammed the door and she jumped wide eyed.
Jareth called for his advisor, Galvin and said, "Show Princess Meriwether out and if any more unannounced royals come pounding on my castle door again, send them away and tell them I'm not here. Got it? My father is up to his forced matchmaking skills again."
Galvin said, "Yes. Your majesty." He bowed and Jareth walked away.
—--
Sarah got tired of singing, put everything away and fed her kittens making them potty. She took them to bed cuddling her two babies after putting more wood on the fire. The cave was nice and warm.
During the night, a night visitor came to the cave on the mountain side and looked in to see who was there in the fire light they saw at a distance.
It was a tall fae man in a heavy black cowl hooded cape. He could not enter so he knew they couldn't possibly be human, because humans had no magic to guard themselves like this. He figured he would find another cave and see who was staying in this cave at morning's light. The tent they were sleeping in was completely unconventional and it made him curious. He hadn't made any money on bounty hunting lately, so maybe catching a human or two to sell to the ogres or centaurs could fill his purse for a while. He lumbered off to find a campsite.
—--
That night in the Goblin Kingdom, Jareth was laying on his back in bed with his hands behind his head thinking hard about what Sarah was doing and where she could be, considering he couldn't look in on her anymore. He decided to visit Sarah in her dreams tonight. He really needed to find out how much damage he has done to ever have any form of relationship with her now or somewhere in the future. He invoked the dream state.
—--
Sarah was standing in the middle of the stone wall maze next to the hedge maze. There was an obelisk statue standing there in front of her. It looked like a giant stone queen's chess piece on a pedestal. She was in her nightshirt that she got from the men's clothing store. It was three quarters length and her hair was loose blowing in a mild breeze.
Jareth came around the corner of a stone wall in his black vest and white ruffled shirt with his leather high collared rust red colored leather jacket with the cape draping behind it. His gray pants were as skin tight as always bringing attention to his endowments. He casually sauntered up to her. He said with a drawl, "Hello, Sarah."
Sarah skeptically asked with her eyebrow raised, "What could you possibly want from me now, Jareth?"
Jareth said amused, "Your fealty would be nice, but I made a mistake and…," he looked at her tilting his head sideways like an owl, "... I don't think you will do it of your own free will, so I won't bother to ask it of you now."
Sarah raised her eyebrow wondering what else he wanted to say other than that. She knew there was so much more he was wanting. "So?", she said, questioningly to him.
Jareth said, "You are not going to make this easy are you, precious? Sarah, I want a truce between us." He stood up straight and regal, "I should not have brought you here because now you can never go back. I threatened and intimidated you, but it doesn't matter now because you are here and free to do as you wish. I want us to become friends… eventually."
Sarah smirked and shook her head. She pessimistically said, raising an eyebrow at him, "How do you expect to accomplish that?"
Jareth, still standing tall, said, "I'm not sure, yet, but I just wanted you to know. I want to ask you a few questions."
Sarah smirked, shrugged and said, "Ok, ask away."
Jareth asked, needing to know, "Why did you never contact me after thirteen years?"
Sarah could tell he was hurt over that more than the refusal, so it seemed. She said seriously, "After the third time I used the mirror to call Sir Didymus or Hoggle, it was shut off and never worked again. I thought maybe you did it, but I wasn't sure."
Jareth wondered who shut her portal down. Not many had the power to override his spells. He was surprised at that and said, "No. I swear it wasn't me, Sarah. I'll have to find out who did it though. I just thought you forgot about me and never wanted to talk to me again. It seems someone else wanted me to think that also. I didn't realize that you couldn't communicate. Why did you not make a wish?"
Sarah shrugged and said honestly, "Jareth, I was terrified after I came back. I caused all of my difficulties dealing with the entire experience in the labyrinth and the castle. A careless wish caused it all and I promised myself to never to do that again because all it did was make my life more complicated. It was a natural reaction to that whole dramatic situation. I had a hard time after that because I couldn't talk to anyone about it or they would think I was crazy. I kept it all bottled up to myself all these years. It isolated me for a very long time. It was never about you. It was me who was changed." Jareth exhaled and pinched the bridge of his nose.
Jareth with his head down said, "Why did you refuse my offer at the end?"
Sarah spoke earnestly, "I did a lot of thinking over the years about that. Jareth, you asked me to fear you, love you, obey you, let your rule over me, said you would be my slave and give me anything I want. First of all I don't want to be a slave or have one. You asked me to give up my freedom to you for material possessions. Things are meaningless in a gilded cage, even if the bars are made of gold. You never once told me what I would get in return but things. I also knew it was a trick to keep me here. After everything I had just gone through to get my little brother back, why wouldn't I think it was another trick. I was still very young. A couple years later, I refused to fear anyone anymore, because it gives them that power over me to make me vulnerable. It is the first thing I learned, to never show fear after I was brutally attacked and raped at seventeen years old in a filthy alley by two nasty evil men. I grew up at that moment. I almost died. It was just another lesson I had to learn the hard way. I am stronger now and will never give up my freedom or my fear. I'll die if I do."
Jareth just looked her in the eyes. He now knew that mature Sarah was very much different from young Sarah. She did think about him a lot it seems and now he needed to think about all of what she just said. He never looked at her perception in her view of everything, only his own mattered to him. He had assumed the worst of Sarah and he may have been wrong. She never could have communicated and was afraid of his world. Now, he had forced her to live here on her own trying to survive.
Jareth asked concerned, "Are you living ok here? Do you need anything, Sarah? If you do, I would like to help you in any way possible. You are here now because of my rash decision it would seem."
Sarah was set back by him offering her assistance and recognizing he caused her life to be forced here now. It would ingratiate her to a fae. Which was a "no way, sorry buddy move". But, something seemed sincere about his offer. Sarah smiled and said seriously, "I am doing fine, Jareth. I have money, food and a horse. I'm doing just fine with good people giving me directions to lead my way. Thank you for the offer though it is generous of you."
Jareth relaxed at her kind words and asked, "How did you get money?"
Sarah giggled and said, "I wished and got five hundred gold. Then, I found a horde of treasure in a hidden treasure room, deserted for enough time to put two inches of dust and dirt coating everything."
Jareth's eyes got big and he said, "Was that a mountain cache?" Sarah didn't want to say or he might come after her, she thought.
Sarah said, "I don't want to tell you because I still don't trust you, Jareth."
He pouted and looked sad, but said, "I know you don't. Can I visit you again in your dreams so we can talk more?"
Sarah said warily, "I guess so, as long as we can just talk things over. I'm sure you need to think about what all I told you tonight."
Jareth nodded and said, "I'll release you from this dream. Good night, Sarah."
Sarah said, "Good night, Jareth." The dream faded.
—--
Jareth woke up and looked at the canopy over his bed and went over every bit of information she gave him. She was innocent of the things he made assumptions about. He felt bad about it all. She wasn't a simpleton or naive. Sarah was a beautiful human that he blamed everything on when he felt so all alone. Who caused this to make him think these things falsely about her and shut off her mirror? He would have to think and digest it all. He closed his eyes.
—--
Sarah was sleeping and was dreaming in a different way now. She started thinking that it sure would make her life easier if she was a fae. They could perform magic and transport themselves. She would no longer have to feel like she was being hunted. It would be an incredible thing to be able to learn to do magic.
Sleeping Sarah mumbled, "I 'wish' I was fae." The magic swirled around the cave.
—--Day 18
Sarah woke up the next morning to her two babies licking the tip of her nose together with their tiny baby tongues. It was so precious and tickled.
Sarah giggled and said , "Magus and Merlin, your tickling mama, you two silly boots." She pet them on their tiny heads. She rolled over on her stomach cradling them in her hands and kissed them. Sarah's ear itches and she went to scratch it and felt points.
She freaked out and grabbed her mirror in one of the saddle bags and thought, 'HOLY SHIT, I'M A FRICKIN' FAE!! How the hell did this happen? I remember talking to Jareth and dreaming afterwards that… I made a wish in my sleep. Wow! Gaia?'
Gaia said, 'Yes, my champion?'
Sarah thought, 'Gaia, I made a wish in my dreams and it changed me into a fae when I woke up! I don't know how to use magic. I'm scared, but it takes the selling humans thing away now.'
Gaia said, 'Yes, it does. Now you need the help of another fae to learn rudimentary magic.'
Sarah thought, 'My hair is still dark brown, almost black. How can I explain it without lying now?'
Gaia said, 'Say you are from far far away, where people have dark hair. There once was a tribe of dark haired fae eons ago. If you tell them that without explaining much more it will be plausible.'
Sarah thought. 'Thank you, Gaia.'
Gaia said, 'You are welcome, my champion.'
Sarah looked at her body and saw her body hair had fallen out, which made it itch now in other southern places. Sarah got up and put on her boots and wrapped the kittens in her blankets. She put on her cloak and went out to pee and check for herself to remove what she could.
When Sarah came back, she put the kittens in the pouch and shook out the blankets outside one at a time to get all the hair off of them. She made a fire, fed and tended to the kittens and made morning tea.
