Nothing Is What It Seems

"This is her?" As Sarah's vision returned, a woman's haughty voice rang in her ears before the speaker came into view. Shaking her head, Sarah took in her surroundings. Beige stonewalls surrounded her, hung with simple and aging tapestries against the chill, to no avail. The cold was already clinging to her bare arms and creeping up the legs of her jeans, through her moccasins and her T-shirt. She shuddered. And then the woman came into view.

She stepped out from somewhere behind Sarah and her two captors, who remained mute, and Sarah gasped. She immediately felt foolish as the woman fixed her with a stare both icy and amused and arched one finely sculpted blonde eyebrow. The eyes beneath the brows were a cold dilute green, the hair falling over her bare shoulders was as platinum as her brows and lashes, and she wore a gown that hung off her slender curves in the same shade as her eyes. "She's not very impressive, is she?" Sarah literally bit her tongue at the woman's tone, but there wasn't really much to say in her own defense. This was the first time she had seen the Fae glamour wielded by a woman, and it was truly breath taking.

"You are Sarah Williams, aren't you?"

Unable to see any way her name could be damaging, Sarah spoke. "Of course I am." She was pleased that her voice was steady still, despite the chill that was seeping into her bones.

"Well then, if you've been introduced." Jareth's voice was unmistakable as he too stepped in from out of Sarah's vision. He cast a cool smile at the Fae woman before speaking to no one in particular. "Isn't it standard procedure for a defendant to be given accommodations, and then sequestered from the prosecution?"

"But Jareth-" the woman began. His sharp glance gave her pause, and she resentfully. "My lord, we have not been properly introduced at all. Is this mortal girl to be whisked away without learning my name?" Her smile was ice and her teeth appeared preternaturally sharp for a moment. It was clear to Sarah that the woman was pressing her luck; the annoyance was readable in every line of the Goblin King's expression as he spoke.

"Very well. Ms.Williams, this is the Lady Gizelle. And, Gizelle, this is Sarah." He smirked at Gizelle almost imperceptibly. "Did you think you'd be allowed time to question her here, m'lady?"

Gizelle sneered at him, then turned a dazzling, if insincere, smile on Sarah and her guards. "It seems to be time to take Sarah to her chambers, Lychin, Arrym." She turned on her heel with a final cool glance at Jareth, and simply disappeared. Sarah didn't feel the pull of magic she had in her own home, then realized suddenly that there was so much energy around her Gizelle's departure hadn't even registered on the magical Richter scale.

Her guards jostled her ‘round and she was able to see the other side of the room, though her back was to Jareth, which made her slightly uncomfortable. It was surprising to realize that this discomfort did not stem from fear of the Goblin King, though the emotion was certainly present, but from fear that he might leave her. Quite suddenly he had become the only thing familiar to her, and the situation made him feel like a port in the storm, however illogical the feeling might be. As her two guards –‘Lychin and Arrym’ she reminded herself – led her towards the heavy oaken door she craned her neck in hopes of catching a reassuring glimpse of Jareth, only to find that he had stepped in front of her and of her captors.

“Gentlemen.” The word was heavy with scorn and Sarah was surprised that the two men remained stoic, “I believe you will concede that it is within my rights to escort the prisoner to her chambers.” His expression boded no protest and Sarah was released immediately. She scurried towards Jareth and turned to watch Lychin sweep a low bow for him. Arrym did the same, but Sarah noted that he did not bow as low, nor did he avert his eyes as Lychin had done. As soon as the two straightened, Arrym just before Lychin, they both vanished. This time Sarah had been paying enough attention to notice the displacement of air, the vacuum they left behind, before she turned on Jareth, fire rising in her eyes.

“Who the hell do you think you are!?” He was only staring at her with cool disinterest. “Are you listening to me, Jareth? I want to know what the fuck is going on!” As soon as the words had left her lips she gasped. Her back was suddenly pressed against the stone wall behind her and Jareth stood before her, one forearm held horizontal against her chest just beneath the collar bone, pressing her back with lazy ease.

“You will refer to me with respect, girl.” The threat in his voice was obvious, low and melodious but still tangibly dangerous. He released her as suddenly as her had pinned her, stepping back and smoothing his sleeve distastefully. “In the Underground you will refer to me as the Goblin King, his Majesty, his Lordship, and other suitable honorifics. You will never impugn my honor by giving any reason to believe that you might consider me an equal. You will be demure and effacing towards me and everyone else around you. Am I understood?” His eyes had never left her, though at some point she had looked away, studying the stone tile of the floor with affected disinterest.

She looked up as he reached his conclusion to meet those cold eyes, and something within her gave way. Sarah buried her face in her hands and began to weep, silently at first and then building to a crescendo of sobs. “I - I jus - just want t - to go – home.” She was answered only by the cold pulling sensation she had begun to associate with being magically transported, and she opened her bleary eyes onto yet another stone room.

Wiping ineffectively at her face, Sarah took in her surroundings. While the room was of the same make as the last one, beige stone walls and slate flooring, the tapestries that hung here were in excellent condition, woven in vivid colors and not worn thin with age. She was standing next to an opulent bed hung in cream and a subdued sage color, and the sight of it set Sarah to trembling, though she wasn’t in the least bit cold anymore. In fact, this room was rather warm. She could attribute that to the roaring fireplace set into the opposite wall from the bed, which was tempting her ungraciously. She had not known how tired she was until it’s mute offer of comfort. Set in the far wall was a single wooden door, strapped with heavy metal bands and without any apparent handle, offset by a large wooden desk and ornately carved chair.

Several more chairs were grouped around the fireplace and as she took in their upholstery and arrangement Jareth rose from the seat with it’s back turned to her. “Sarah.” She took an involuntary step back and bumped into something that proved to be a wooden screen when she turned to do battle with it. She disentangled herself and returned her concentration to Jar- ‘the Goblin King’. “Sarah, calm down. Sit.” He gestured her to one of the chairs grouped around the hearth, then stepped away so that she might approach, which she did with caution. Once she was seated he took the chair opposite hers. “You have questions for me.”

He took the moment of opportunity her silence offered him to study the girl. She had obviously grown in the three years since he had last seen her. He hoped the growth wasn’t all external. This close to the fire some of her shakes had subsided, but he guessed that what remained was a result of exhaustion both physical and psychological. He had not truly expected her to take his words on silence to heart, but she had done an admirable job of repressing any outbursts, at last where others were concerned. He grimaced at the memory of her disrespect. She could not be allowed to cheek him, particularly when there was a chance they might be overheard. Her entire case would most likely depend on how the High Jury perceived her.

He did his best to moderate his tone, though his own tension and worry were difficult to overcome. “Sarah.” She looked up at him and for just a moment he felt guilty. The depth of confusion and fear in her eyes was overwhelming, then gone. She was fighting to remain calm just like him and doing a respectable job, considering she was only human. “You have questions for me Sarah. You undoubtedly want to know why you’ve been brought here.”

The confidence in her voice as she spoke brought to mind an image of her younger self, ‘It’s a piece of cake’ and he stifled a terse smile. “Why have I been brought here? I know Arrym said I have to stand trial,” he was startled that she had remembered Arrym’s name, “ but for what? What did I do but defeat you?” Jareth winced mentally at the reminder. She wasn’t the first to defeat the Great Maze, but she was the youngest and he had endured some very humiliating questions about her triumph already. He did not like to be humiliated or questioned, and the memory of the questioning was very unpleasant. She had not ceased speaking. “And what’s all this about the High Court? Aren’t you the highest authority here?”

He chuckled at this and smiled almost benevolently at her look of annoyed bemusement. “I am the highest authority within the Goblin Kingdom, and the Labyrinth itself, but my authority in the rest of the Underground is still limited.” She opened her mouth to speak again, but he continued, this time in a more serious tone. “As to your crime, I myself do not believe you are guilty. Please, keep that in mind Sarah. I am on your side now.” She was staring at him in wonder now, and he regretted that he had to bear the news of her crime.

“You are charged with aiding the escape of three convicted felons from their sentenced prisons. This charge carries a minimum sentence of life imprisonment."

In any other situation, he thought briefly, the look on her face would have been considered pricelessly amusing.