CHAPTER 21
Jareth said smirking, "Yes, she has charm in abundance. I didn't think of you as the jealous type, Jared. My Lady Sarah is no more my pet than you are a peasant." Jareth took her hand and kissed it.
Jared snapped back, "Yes, she should come visit my kingdom and stay with me for a while. She could experience the gremlins for a change. I'm sure she will agree with the gremlins in their fascination with mechanisms and cleverness as opposed to the stupidity and simplistic goblins. Gremlins are far superior in intelligence, mischief and mayhem."
Jareth said, shaking his head, "Still wanting something that doesn't belong to you like always. She is formally my courtesan and I am formally her suitor. You cannot covet that which is mine once again. I know father set you on this path to disrupt my relationship with Sarah, but even you won't go against protocol, Jared. The Unseelie are bound to the same rules of formality as the Seelie."
Jared stood straighter and said, "You know nothing, Jareth. You assume you have covered yourself with regulation and formal contracts. If Sarah wishes to come see my kingdom willingly you could not stop her."
Jareth said laughing, "That is a lot of 'If Sarah'. Instead of telling me, perhaps, you could have some respect for her. Ask her yourself, instead of talking in front of her like she is an object or a non-person. She is a valid person and can make up her own mind." Jareth raised his eyebrow in a challenge.
Jared inhaled deeply, looked at Sarah and took her hand kissing it. Unknown to either of them his finger had slipped up her sleeve to above her wrist and placed something there. He thought how very beautiful she really was and was willing to go to any length to get her submission to himself. Jared said smoothly, "Dear Lady, please forgive my lack of proper attention not given to you during my conversation with my brother. May I please have your company for say a week in my kingdom so you may meet the gremlins and spend a moment in time with me?"
Sarah was looking at him and when he took her hand and kissed it, something strange happened to her. She suddenly wanted to know about the gremlins, their king and what they were all like. She was fascinated by the thought and was wanting to take his offer. It was like a strong compulsion took over her.
Sarah stood up and Jared still held her hand. Sarah curiously said, "Yes, yes, I would love to meet your gremlins."
Jareth stood up quickly in complete shock and said, "Sarah, what are you talking about?"
She turned and smiled at Jareth disarmingly and said, "It's ok Jareth, it would just be for a week. I find it fascinating and would like to see his kingdom."
Jared said smirking at his brother, "See, she is interested." Jared knew as long as the tiny tab remained on her skin invisibly she would be under his control. He was sad that only one of the tabs existed because the inventor died quite suddenly when he shoved his knife into his beating heart in order to hide the secret. He had him complete the task just last week to prepare for this day.
Jared said to Sarah, "Come, Sarah, let's leave this place and I can show you." The tab Jared placed on Sarah's skin on her wrist was designed to blend into the skin. It disabled magical jewelry and cast the spell of compliance to the owner of the tab.
Jareth was pissed off and flew into a rage shouting, "What did you just do to her! She's not going anywhere with you! She came to the party with me and will go back home with me!" He grabbed Sarah's other hand tugging her back to him.
Sarah cocks her head to the side looking at Jareth and then Jared. She said softly, "Everything will be ok, Jareth. Don't worry, he won't hurt me." It was like she was in a daze the way she talked to him.
Jareth pleaded to her, "Sarah come home with me, your kit is waiting for you, if you want to go to the gremlin kingdom tomorrow, then I'll let you go. I just don't want you to embarrass us and leave without me to the party at the prince's castle. It's bad protocol." She looked at him and smiled, caressing his face.
Sarah said, smiling softly at him and said, "That sounds reasonable. I will take my kit with me for my visit. She can play with the gremlins. Yes, tomorrow. King Jared, can you come get me tomorrow at Jareth's castle?"
Jared looked at Jareth growling at him and said, painting a smile on his face, "Of course, Lady Sarah. I will be there in the morning to collect you." He was counting on them not finding the tiny tab on her skin tonight.
Jareth took hold of Sarah's hand and took her quickly to say goodbye to Prince Rabban. He ushered her to get her coat and called for the carriage. As he was walking her out of the castle the fairies swarmed Sarah as they stopped. The fairies wouldn't land on her this time. They floated and tinkled around her.
One of the fairies landed on Jareth's shoulder and whispered in its tiny voice, "The Unseelie have touched her. Beware she is under enchantment. Protect our chosen, your majesty." He nodded, then the carriage rolled up. He swept her into the carriage as the fairies all hovered around but not landing. He closed the door and the carriage drove away as the fairies drifted on the air current behind the carriage. Then they returned to the courtyard.
Jareth got her back to the castle and took her straight to the healer Albion.
The healer said smiling, "Good evening, your majesty. What can I do for you?"
Jareth was completely upset because Sarah was acting like she was in a daze. He said frowning to him, "Something is wrong with her. She's been enchanted by my brother Jared somehow. I need you to find out how."
Sarah said in her dazed voice, "You're such a worry wart, Jareth. I feel fine." Lyra, her kit was skulking around down on the floor looking at Sarah warily. The healer saw the kit acting strangely in his peripheral vision and thought that it was odd that the kit sensed something wrong. Normally, the kit would be in her lap immediately.
The healer looked at her concerned because her voice was not sounding normal even her mannerisms. He casted diagnostic spells that came back negative with nothing and got his healing stones. He had Jareth step out of the room and had Sarah take off her dress and lay down on the cot as he placed the stones on different parts of her body.
He started removing stones that had changed to different colors the stone on her hand and elbow on her right side did not illuminate. He also noticed the magical necklace she had on did not turn off the stones either, only her arm. He examined her arm and pulled up a chair. He started rubbing her skin up and down, until he felt it. He looked at the spot and you couldn't see it but he felt it and it was there. He grabbed a pair of gloves and peeled the tiny object off of her arm.
Sarah sighed loudly and jerked sitting up. She looked at the healer and said, "Healer Albion, how did I get here? I was at the party. It's the last thing I remember. Jared took my hand and I must have blacked out. Why am I so tired?"
Albion said gently to her, "You were put under a very strong enchantment, my lady. I have to run a few identifying spells to see what it is. Lay down and relax." Sarah snapped her fingers and was in a dressing gown.
Lyra slinked up to Sarah sniffing her. Sarah laid on her side and reached out to touch her. The kit sniffed her finger and then touched her nose to her finger. Lyra jumped on the bed and started rubbing, purring and licking her like she normally did when she got home. Sarah scooped her up and cuddled her like when she was a baby now at thirteen pounds.
The healer ran his tests and saw Sarah with Lyra on the cot in a dressing gown. He went and got the king. Jareth entered and sat next to Sarah on the bed and started petting on her.
The healer said with concern, "It was a tiny patch of some sort placed on the wrist. It blended in, invisible to the naked eye. It had a strong jewelry blocking spell and a heavy compliance spell on it. He must have been trying to abduct her on her own willingness to comply with him, the owner of the patch placement. How did you convince her to come with you, your majesty? Normally, she would only listen to him as the placer of it?"
Jareth said softly caressing Sarah's face as she looked in his eyes, "I told her she had to come home with me due to protocol that I brought her and she must leave with me. The fairies outside swarmed her but couldn't touch her. They said she was under an Unseelie enchantment."
The healer said, nodding, "They are correct that some of the components are from the Unseelie flower Night Blooming Jessamine and Jimson weed. If she remained under the patch for more than a moon's turn, she may have succumbed to being poisoned eventually." Sarah sat up holding her kit and put her arm around Jareth as he wrapped his arms around Sarah.
She said softly to him, "Thank you for not letting him get away with me."
He kissed her lips softly, was caressing her face and said, "I was glad I could convince you to go with me. He is coming for you in the morning to take you to his castle." Sarah pecked his mouth slowly.
She asked Albion, "Healer Albion, can you make the patch inert or inactive? Just so it still does the invisible part but not the rest?" Albion 's eyes got big and then got narrowed realizing what she wanted him to do.
He said seriously, "Give me a minute to work on it."
Jareth said, stroking her cheek with his thumb, "What is that beautiful head of yours thinking?"
Sarah said seriously looking in his eyes, "He wants me to go with him. I must act compliant and docile. I can find out what he is up to, hear his plans and witness more as an enchanted idiot. He won't know if I use my acting skills. I can control the situation if he is ignorant of his patch, tab or whatever not working. You must be concerned in the morning like you don't want me to go with him. How long was I to go with him?"
Jareth said frowning, "You agreed to a week. Sarah, I don't like this idea. Anything can go wrong. You will be dealing with the Unseelie. They will all try to have sex with you and not all of them in a civilized manner. They are known for the brutally murder, rape, blood play and torture of victims. They are the very dark side of the fae culture. That's why our realm is divided in half with separate kingdoms of seven."
She asked him, "Tell me about the other kingdoms in the Unseelie part of the realm, Jareth. I need to know."
He explained that it was identical to, like here, they have the Fairy, Unicorn, Pixie, Goblin, Elven, Dwarven, Leprechaun and the Water Kingdom. All eight surround the Highland Kingdom to make nine with a Seelie High King. The fae rules the Fairy, Pixie, Unicorn and Goblin. The Centaur, Ogre, Troll and the Water Kingdom are ruled on their own. The Water Kingdom is ruled by the Mermen.
On the Unseelie side, there is the Dark Fae, Gremlin, Darklings, Redcap, Centaur, Ogre, Troll and the Shadow Kingdom. All eight are surrounded by the Darkland Kingdom to make nine with a Unseelie High King. The fae rules the Dark Fae, Gremlin, Darklings and Redcaps. The Centaur, Ogre, Troll and Shadowlands are ruled on their own. The Shadowlands are ruled by the Drow.
Like in all kingdoms many cross over to other kingdoms in trade and drifting. Laws on both sides are designed to be in place as a control measure. Not many humans survive the Unseelie part of the realm because of their lack of magic and are usually objects or slaves, sex workers or objects of dark torture games.
Sarah was going to have to prepare ahead of time for tomorrow. The Healer Albion removed everything except for the fading spell on the patch. He placed it back on her arm where he found it. She was grateful and let him know she was. The old elven healer smiled and felt validated by such a good and kind woman.