CHAPTER 9
Jiles said, "So what happened, Alyanna?"
Alyanna talked real excited and fast and said, "You'll never believe it until you see it! She won! The king congratulated her and presented her with the first prize! Prince Alwin of the Elven Kingdom was her last opponent. She split his arrow down the middle and dropped it off taking its place. It was the most amazing shot ever seen. The Prince escorted us here to the door so Ash would be safe! He invited her to a personal tour of the Elven castle and to the ball in three days here as his escort! It was so great when everyone went silent when she did that shot, but the prince pulled down her hood and everyone found out she was the first woman ever to win the contest and had dark hair! It was the best time ever!" She was practically jumping up and down.
Jiles said, "You really won that huge purse of 1000 gold?"
Sarah smiled and nodded. She said, "I have to go to my room. I'll be right back."
Sarah went to her room and locked the door putting a chair in front blocking the keyhole. She took the gold and dumped it out on the bed. She counted out the three hundred and dumped the rest in her ring. She thought about later when she leaves, of giving Alyanna and Jiles each one hundred and fifty gold to help them.
Sarah started undressing and put on her girl clothes all in black, her belt she hung a small bag with fifty gold in her corset between her breasts. She put on a little makeup and smokey eyes with eyeliner. She braided her hair on both sides in the front and pulled them back and tied the braids with a black leather thong. She had her gun holstered as always on her lower back under her clothes. She put on all her knives and wore her opal owl pendant and emerald earrings. She filled the kitten's milk bottle up and had their quart on her belt in a drawstring bag. She had them go to the bathroom in the litter box as she put them both in there. They did like good boys. She put them back in the pouch and around her neck. She took her black cloak and the gloves. Her hair was loose and down outside her cloak. She locked up and came downstairs. Jiles and Alyanna gasped.
Sarah stopped on the bottom step and froze saying, "What?"
Jiles looked stunned and said, "You're so beautiful and that color."
Sarah said, waving her hand and wrist at them, "Oh Pooh, that's because I have great hair." They both laughed at her.
Jiles laughed and said, "Alyanna take the night off and show Ash the city. She's never been here before so have fun tonight."
Alyanna asked, "Ash, have you ever been in a fairy ring?" Sarah said no.
Alyanna said, "It's fun and you get to dance and drink and have fun. You'll love it. Come on." Sarah followed her back to the festival.
Alyanna and Sarah looked at all the vendors' goods and Sarah got a set of silver hair combs that were delicate and dainty. She got Alyanna a beautiful necklace she saw but couldn't afford. It was all silver but made like all vines with flowers on it. Very feminine. Alyanna wore it and kissed Sarah on the cheek and hugged her. It cost five gold.
Sarah said, "It's so you won't ever forget me when I'm gone."
Alyanna got teary eyed and said, "I'll never forget you Ash. You're the nicest person I know. Come on, let's find a fairy ring the sun's going down." Alyanna led Sarah around town in the main area and there were bonfires burning in various spots. People we're dancing and tables to the side we're serving alcoholic drinks. Alyanna danced and swayed to the music and she took Sarah to the table.
The old man behind it was pouring mugs of some kind of punch or fruit juice. Sarah bought them a couple each and sat down on a hay bale. They drank the drinks. Sarah was enjoying the taste of the fruity drink. It was good and when she was in the middle of her second one she felt it, a huge buzz hit her. She and Alyanna danced and swayed to the music, joining in the pagen Celtic rhythm of the drums and lights were all around. Sarah's last lucid thought was, 'It must be like LSD or dropping acid.'
The girls danced and twirled and laughed and we're having a great time. Sarah approached the group of musicians that were playing when they stopped. She asked if she could sing a song and if they could play by ear she gave them a beat and tempo, hummed the melody. They started playing:
"All Souls Night" by Loreena McKennitt
Bonfires dot the rolling hills
Figures dance around and around
To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness
Moving to the pagan sound
-
Somewhere in a hidden memory
Images float before my eyes
Of fragrant nights of straw and of bonfires
And dancing till the next sunrise
-
I can see lights in the distance
Trembling in the dark cloak of night
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
A waltz on All Souls Night
-
Figures of cornstalks bend in the shadows
Held up tall as the flames leap high
The green knight holds the holly bush
To mark where the old year passes by
-
I can see the lights in the distance
Trembling in the dark cloak of night
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
A waltz on All Souls Night
-
Bonfires dot the rolling hillsides
Figures dance around and around
To drums that pulse out echoes of darkness
And moving to the pagan sound
-
Standing on the bridge that crosses
The river that goes out to the sea
The wind is full of a thousand voices
They pass by the bridge and me
-
I can see the lights in the distance
Trembling in the dark cloak of night
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
A waltz on All Souls Night
-
I can see the lights in the distance
Trembling in the dark cloak of night
Candles and lanterns are dancing, dancing
A waltz on All Souls Night
—--
Everyone in earshot and two other fairy rings joined this one turning it into a large happy circle. They asked for another song she did the same leading them. Sarah couldn't see the magic she was emitting subtlety to everyone enveloping them in healing magic. It was swirling through the crowd as she sang.
"The Mummers' Dance" by Loreena McKennitt
-
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
Ooh, ooh
-
When in the springtime of the year
When the trees are crowned with leaves
When the ash and oak, and the birch and yew
Are dressed in ribbons fair
-
When owls call the breathless moon
In the blue veil of the night
The shadows of the trees appear
Amidst the lantern light
-
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
Now returning back again
We bring a garland gay
-
Who will go down to the shady groves
And summon the shadows there
And tie a ribbon on those sheltering arms
In the springtime of the year
-
The songs of birds seem to fill the wood
That when the fiddler plays
All their voices can be heard
Long past their woodland days
-
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
And now returning back again
We bring a garland gay
-
And so they linked their hands and danced
'Round in circles and in rows
And so the journey of the night descends
When all the shades are gone
-
A garland gay we bring you here
And at your door we stand
It is a sprout well budded out
The work of our Lord's hand
-
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
And now returning back again
We bring a garland gay
-
We've been rambling all the night
And some time of this day
And now returning back again
We bring a garland gay
—--
People were cheering her on to sing all the Celtic songs she could remember. Sarah danced and had a wonderful time singing and laughing. Stopping to feed the kittens but never bringing them out of the pouch because it was so very cold. They finally got back to the inn at two in the morning. Jiles looked exhausted, he locked up and everyone went to bed. Sarah made a fire and put the screen in front of the fireplace, took off her clothes and went to bed naked. She cuddled her kittens and fell asleep hard.
—--Day 29
The next day Sarah got up a little hung over and drank several gulps of water from the pump in her tea cup she had in her backpack. She sat on the bed and got dressed in her blacks again but wore her green long sleeve peasant blouse this time. She washed her face and brushed out her hair and used her hair combs. She was finally prepared for the day. She left her cloak and just went down to get breakfast. Alyanna smiled and hurried over and hugged Sarah, being careful of her kittens.
Alyanna said, "Come on, let's get some food inside us, Ash." Sarah and Alyanna sat down and got tea and breakfast, eggs, mutton steak, potato cakes and toast. They felt much better after.
Sarah was deciding on what to do about her kittens when she was at the ball. Alyanna taught Sarah a message sending spell where an origami paper bird would fly to find the receiver.
Sarah asked Prince Alwin where she could take her kittens to be looked after during the ball. He had sent her back a different kind of origami bird, saying he had a healer to take care of him in the castle for them. He said that their healer Aloc would visit the healer Ruan in the Unicorn Kingdom castle during the ball. That made Sarah happy they would be ok.
Sarah had confided in Alyanna and Jiles about her not knowing rudimentary fae magic and why. They had been teaching her for the three days before the ball how to do simple things with crystals mostly. Sarah was a fast learner and having fun doing magic herself. It was such an interesting feeling like a rush of energy in your veins.
The night of the ball had arrived and it was at six o'clock in the evening. Prince Alwin came to get her and she had on ruby jewelry, all her rings, locket ring, and her locket key on a chain between her breasts. Sarah's hair was in a Grecian loose updo with a gold rope twisted through her hair. She was dressed in a dark blood red form fitting corseted velvet dress. It was long sleeves, off the shoulder, slit up the side to mid thigh with matching blood red velvet high heels. She was very beautiful with her dark hair. Her makeup was perfect in blood red dark lipstick and very dramatic eye makeup. She put a beautiful black fur cloak around her shoulders. She had made wishes to transform all her clothing to what she wanted.
Prince Alwin was dressed in all rust velvet and white ruffled cuffed shirt with a cravat. He looked very handsome with his hair pulled straight back in a thick blonde ponytail down to the middle of his back. Sarah noticed he had on an ear cuff that was like a vine going around the outer rim of his right ear with a chain and a charm dangling down. It was the same insignia on his necklace.
He smiled with his sky blue eyes at how very beautiful she was and took her hand and led her into a carriage waiting.
Sarah told Alwin that she was Lady Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth. He was shocked to say the least and modified his herald card to announce them at the ball. She explained why she was fae instead of a human now by her mistaken wish in her sleep.
Once they arrived Prince Alwin took Sarah's hand and they went inside. He took her to the healer's quarters of the elven healer Ruan of the Unicorn Kingdom. Aloc, Prince Alwin's healer, took her kittens and she gave him their milk.
They headed for the ballroom. Alwin grinned at her as they went to the double doors. An older man in formal dress held open the ballroom doors for them to enter. Prince Alwin handed a card to the herald.
The herald announced, "His royal highness, Prince Alwin of the Elven Kingdom and Lady Sarah, Champion of the Labyrinth!" There were a lot of gasps in the crowd. They both walked into the room and they stood on the other side of the dias up front.
The Unicorn King Odessius was sitting on his throne and banged his staff on the floor and said loudly, "Welcome all! Let the Íonachta Winter Festival Ball begin!". People started coming up to Prince Alwin and other royals. The people acted like she wasn't even there.
Sarah walked away over to a fountain and got two glasses of wine and brought him one. She overheard the fae man talking to Alwin and asked if he had bedded her yet and she was any good. He then said if he had not he would take her off his hands.
Sarah was pissed. She handed the glass of wine to Prince Alwin. He smiled at her and introduced her to Lord Kilkenny, who he was talking to. The man literally drooled on her hand when he kissed it. She felt his tongue touch her hand. Sarah grossed out and had to get a napkin to wipe her hand afterwards. Sarah wandered off a bit and sipped her wine looking at the food and ice sculptures.
Alwin walked up behind her and said, "How are you?"
Sarah turned around and said, "I'm fine because you haven't bedded me yet. I literally had to wipe his slobber off my hand as his tongue touched my hand. It was disgusting and humiliating." She turned and walked into the crowd, losing him behind.
Alwin was pissed at Kilkenny. Now she thought he was bragging about trying to bed her. He needed to explain. He went looking for her.
Sarah was just moving through the crowd and a hand reached out and snatched her. She was startled to say the least, when suddenly she was looking up into the mismatched eyes of the Goblin King and molded to his body. He had a strong grip on her waist.
Jareth was dressed in all dark hunter's green velvet, white cravat with an emerald pinned in the center and his insignia hanging down below. He had white ruffled shirt, white stockings with buckled black shoes. His hair was tipped in green and his eyes were so dramatic like she remembered from her dream.
