Chapter Twelve

Second Week of November, Sarah's Third Year of College

Sarah was feeling pretty mellow, all told. She was currently snuggled up with Tippy and Ludo, watching a Scrabble game between Hoggle and Sir Didymus. Zee was busy taking apart his favorite puzzle, after spending an hour putting it together, only to start assembling it again.

How many college students can boast such a diverse cast of friends, I wonder? she asked herself, laughing inwardly.

Things were going rather well for her. She was doing great in her classes; she had another Tippy story in the works and Halloween had been another success for her little gang of Goblins. Trick or treating with the Ughlánas was always fun, and this year the college held a haunted house, which turned out to be extremely popular with all of them (except Tippy, who burrowed into her sweater and wouldn't come out until it was over). She would be visiting her family for Thanksgiving next week, and Karen's turkey and dressing was to die for.

She was also getting to know the Othánas a little bit better. Randel was a jokester, always irreverent and snarky. He could reduce Sarah to tears of laughter with very little effort. Garthan was the more sober and serious one (and he still secretly intimidated her) but was just as snarky as Randel. What was curious was that objectively, both men were extremely handsome, each in their own way, but the same lack of "spark" that plagued her around human males apparently extended to Othánas males as well. Not that they ever flirted with her or anything. Their humor could definitely run to the risqué (especially Randel's) but they always joked with her, and not at her. She never got the impression that either one of them were attracted to her in any way, and she wasn't sure if maybe it was because she wasn't Othánas. Somehow, she didn't think so. Sarah thought of them collectively as "The Boys", which in itself was interesting, that she could feel so casual when considering such otherworldly beings.

The only real concern she had at the moment was the ongoing war that the Goblin Kingdom was embroiled in. Hoggle had let it slip a few weeks ago, when Sir Didymus had to miss their weekly Scrabble tournament, that the reason he had been absent was because he was drilling the Ughlánas shock troops. From what Sarah had been told, a neighboring Fae kingdom picked a fight with the Goblin Kingdom for no apparent reason besides some imagined slight. According to Sir Didymus, this sort of thing happened every 100 years or so, when one of the Fae kingdoms got the idea that they could challenge Jareth. Every time, he had handed them their asses on a platter, so Sir Didymus wasn't worried. Neither was Hoggle, oddly. For as much as he disliked Jareth, even he admitted that the King protected his people quite handily. While that may be true, Sarah was still worried about them all.

This worry skyrocketed when she'd learned that the Iftanzel army had begun invading through the Whispering Forest, a large woodland to the Northwest of the Goblin Kingdom. Her worry was unfounded, as it turned out. Garthan's spy network had picked up the movements of supplies and arms months before the actual invasion, and Jareth had staged an impromptu "harvest festival" at an estate nearby as an excuse to bring in a host of Othánas and the Ughlánas shock troops without giving away that they were actually part of the Army. Iftanzel walked into a trap as Randel turned these fierce fighters loose, and with the help of their Wood Elf allies (who took exception to an army pouring through their forest), the Iftanzels were completely routed. It was now mostly a mopping up operation.

The war did have the unwelcome effect of taking up a lot of Jareth's time, which meant that longer stretches had gone between his letters. He was apologetic about it, and she tried to assure him that she completely understood, which she did, but… she missed the frequency of their contact, so much so that she was considering something that even a year ago would have caused her to tremble.

She wanted to see him. In person.

The real trick was how to do it. She wasn't ready to invite him to her apartment… not yet. While time and their correspondence had gone far toward getting her to relax her paranoia, some of it remained. Hoggle was absolutely against the idea of her meeting with Jareth, suspicious as always, and was quite annoyed when he'd found out that she had written to him. He'd thought that she'd taken a foolish chance, but when she explained that she couldn't go her whole life afraid of something that may never come, he seemed to come around, if grudgingly. Meeting face to face with the King was a different story altogether.

Sir Didymus on the other hand thought it a good idea and had suggested that perhaps she would feel more comfortable setting up a rendezvous in a public place, such as a park or a restaurant. Sarah said she would think about it, and lately she had been thinking about nothing else.

What would it be like to see him again? Sure, they got along famously through their letters, but in person? That was a whole different enchilada. In truth, the desire to see him again was almost a physical pain. It was bad enough that he occupied her thoughts constantly. She was always wondering what he was doing at any given moment of the day. Thoughts of him would pop into her head randomly and she found herself pondering what he would think about this, that, or the other activity she happened to be doing at the time. She remembered what he had said about her being a bright part of his life, so she found herself writing him short notes, nothing special, just little missives with jokes about her day, her class, the teachers or the Ughlánas. She told him in these letters that she didn't expect an answer… that she was writing them only to give him a little amusement while he orchestrated the war.

He still managed to send her a letter at least once a week, and his responses were always touching. Thus, it was a bit of a surprise when Gurtz materialized with a loud "pop" next to her, bearing an envelope and what looked like a short, thin letter opener shaped like an ornate miniature sword sheathed in leather. Sarah couldn't contain her happiness, much to Hoggle's disgust and Sir Didymus' amusement.

Sarah,

I hope this finds you well, and I again apologize for being unable to correspond with you as frequently as I would like.

I understand, Jareth. Really, I do. I just wish this war was over.

The war has gone well and hopefully will be winding down. I do, however, have one lingering concern. I have tried hard to keep any real details about you out of the realm of general knowledge, at least outside of our kingdom, but it would appear from Garthan's spies that the Fae are aware of who you are. While your status as Champion of the Labyrinth was commonly known, details such as your name and the area where you live were kept as closely guarded as possible. Unfortunately, some of the younger members of my court took to boasting about you the last time we attended the Samhain ball, and I'm afraid that more detail than I'd like has now made the rounds.

That sounds ominous…

While I do not anticipate you being in any danger, I would prefer to prepare for every eventuality, no matter how remote. You are quite safe on campus or on your Sunday jaunts, as the Ughlánas are a ward in and of themselves (and quite competent at defending you, should the need arise). It would be suicidal of the Fae to move on you in force while you are in public and under the eye of multitudes. Nonetheless, I ask that you always keep this dagger on you. It is forged from cold-iron and deadly to the Fae. It is also glamored to appear as a pen, so you do not have to be concerned about bringing a weapon into places where they are prohibited.

What concerns me most is a more covert effort at an hour unmeet. Toward that end, I would like to send Randel and Garthan to ward your apartment against any magical incursions. Should any hostile party attempt to seek you out in your home, the ward will let us know so that we may send you assistance.

Great. Somehow, I got involved in an Underground war just by breathing.

Sarah, I can only apologize for dragging you into a situation which you had no part of, and it pains me to think that you might get caught up in this fight through no fault of your own.

It pains me too.

Please let me know what questions you may have about warding and what it does. By the Fates, I wish I had more time to write to you… I miss our debates over condiments.

Oh, Jareth… I miss you.

Ever your servant,

Jareth