Fooled Heart

Fooled Heart



Chapter Seven: The Fae



The gardens were breathtaking. There were so many unidentifiable flowers and shrubs. Sarah had never seen anything like it. She had never imagined the Underground as a beautiful place. 'I should know by now to expect the unexpected,' she thought.



"How are you enjoying the Underground?" Dimonis asked, leading her slowly along a stone path.



"It has not been the greatest experience, to be honest," Sarah said, looking at the stone path.



"I am sorry, my lady. Is there anything I can do to make things more comfortable?" Dimonis asked politely.



"Thank you, Dimonis. You have done plenty for me already. I couldn't ask for anything more," Sarah said, feeling guilty.



"It is no worry, Sarah," Dimonis spoke, patting her arm softly, "I will do my best to make your life in the Underground enjoyable."



Sarah remained silent. She inhaled deeply before stopping dead, pulling Dimonis back with her. "Why?" Sarah asked, looking up at the handsome young man.



Dimonis gave her a warm smile. "It is a gentleman's duty, my lady." Sarah eyed him suspiciously. "Shall we continue?" he asked politely.



Sarah nodded and they continued walking. Dimonis asked her questions about things Aboveground, smiling and nodding at her responses.



"Does Jareth dislike me?"



"Sarah," Dimonis began, "I know Jareth can be confusing sometimes."



"Confusing? It's almost like he is three different people! Every time I see him, he acts completely different!" Sarah said, anger building in her voice.



Dimonis laughed lightly. "Yes, he can be like that. He has an incredibly difficult job, running this kingdom. He is not accustomed to visitors, especially ladies. Jareth is still young; he can have a short temper at times and he doesn't always make the best decisions. He is a good king, however. He is always looking out for the welfare of his people."



Sarah remained silent for a moment. "How old is Jareth?" she asked, looking up at Dimonis.



"He is 149. He will be celebrating 150 within the month," Dimonis stated.



"How old are you?" Sarah asked with interest.



"I have just recently entered my 300th year," he stated calmly.



"If you don't mind me asking, what are you?" Sarah asked.



"We are Fae," Dimonis began, "We live quite a bit longer than your kind, Sarah. Many live a millenium."



"I feel so insignificant," Sarah said softly. Dimonis gave a light chuckle and stopped walking, pulling Sarah in front of him.



"You are not insignificant. You are destined to be great, my lady," he said softly, holding Sarah's shoulders. Sarah felt a chill down her spine. There was a moment of silence before Sarah pulled away from his gaze. "I am deeply sorry if I have made you uncomfortable," Dimonis softly spoke, releasing his hold on her shoulders. The pair continued walking slowly through the gardens.



"Do you know why Jareth has chosen Toby as his heir?" Sarah asked curiously.



"Sarah, our race is slowly dying," Dimonis began quietly, "The duties the Goblin King must perform has helped our race live on."



"By finding families for the unwanted children?" Sarah interrupted.



"Exactly. The fae are not a fertile race. We cannot produce children as easily as humans," Dimonis continued. "We can, however, reproduce with humans. As the children rescued by the Goblin King grow older, they marry and concieve children. Fae children."



"How does my brother fit into this?" Sarah asked.



"Jareth has expressed no interest in taking a queen. The royal line has also suffered, leaving only distant cousins in line for the throne. His father is High King of the Underground. One day, Jareth is expected to take his place. Without an heir, if anything happens to Jareth or his father, High King Endyon, the Underground would be thrust into termoil as the remaining nobles fought for the throne."



"Was there a reason Jareth chose Toby?" Sarah asked after a moment.



"Since you last came to the Underground, the process of wishing away children has changed. There is no longer a Labyrinth to defeat; there is now no way to win the children back. If the wisher would like the child back, the Goblin King must comply. It would not be a fair otherwise."



"What happened to the Labyrinth?" Sarah asked, a knot in her stomach forming.



"It was destroyed," Dimonis spoke softly.



Sarah stopped walking and stared at the stone path. "I destroyed it, didn't I?" Sarah asked quietly.



"I'm afraid so, my lady," Dimonis spoke, reaching for the young woman's hand. "The Labyrinth was not meant to be defeated. No one had even come close before you. It was there to be fair to those who had wished their children away; it was meant to make them feel as if they had done all they could to reclaim the child. When you solved the Labyrinth, you destroyed it."



Sarah pulled her hand away and turned away from the handsome man. "No wonder Jareth dislikes me," Sarah said sadly. "I may have destroyed his kingdom. I thought I was doing the right thing, fighting so hard for my brother."



"You did do the right thing, Sarah. The magic of the Labyrinth had faults that none of us knew. We had no way of knowing that it would be destroyed when solved. It is not your fault, Sarah. Those who created the Labyrinth did not expect someone like you to come along," Dimonis said as he set a gentle hand on her shoulder.



"I think I would like to go back to my chambers for now," Sarah said with sadness in her voice.



"Very well, my lady," Dimonis said, expressing dissappointment. The two walked in silence until they reached she carved door of Sarah's small bedchamber. "If you need anything, do not hesitate to call for me," Dimonis said as he bowed to her.



"Thank you, Dimonis," Sarah said smiling softly and giving her best curtsy. She turned the crystal knob and entered the tiny room. She closed the door behind her and collapsed against it.















A/N: Sorry about the shortness of this chapter, but there is an incredibly long one coming up soon! Please review!