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MASQUERADE
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Into the woods is always when
You think at last your through and then
Into the woods we go again
To take another journey...

~ * ~ * ~* ~~ * ~ * ~* ~

CHAPTER 4
Into The Woods

For eight years, as far back as she could remember, Sarah had wanted to return to the labyrinth. In her heart she feared she would never get a second chance. Would never see her friends, or tell the King she was sorry for the way things had to end. But mostly she feared Jareth would never know that she loved him.

Of course, it's almost a rule the things we want most in life come when we least expect them too. And this was no exception. Her way back to the Underground was a man with familiar eyes and a warm smile. All she had to do was wish herself away and he'd grant her request.

As far back as she could remember, Sarah had wanted to return to the labyrinth…

"Damn Jareth, and damn this miserable wretched place to hell!!"

Two minutes after arriving she wanted to leave again. There was just no pleasing some people.

"Sarah, I know it's a shock."

"Pay attention Alex! I'm way passed shocked. This isn't shock this… Oh god, this is a damn Tennessee Williams novel! Why did you bring me here? Do you get your kicks this way?"

Prince Alexander looked down into the church. His face expressed his sorrow for hurting the girl and putting her through this. But Sarah had to know. She would never get over his brother otherwise.

From high above, in a small room, they watched as Jareth and Bree stood side by side making plans and preparations three days before their wedding. The Princess's laughter echoed off the stone walls; each note piercing Sarah's heart like a dull spoon.

Very, very painful.

She knew it was irrational, but the betrayal she felt in that moment hurt more than anything she had ever experienced. The misery was suffocating, making it hard for her to breathe.

When Alexander offered her his embraced, Sarah went to him willingly. She needed comfort, even from a stranger. He rocked her gently, stroking her hair. But she did not cry. The tears would come, but Sarah was holding them back for now. Once she started she feared she'd never be able to stop again.

"Sarah, I brought you here because you needed to see this. You needed an ending to your story, though I know it's not the one you wanted." He pushed her back gently, so he could look at her. Framing her face, his thumb stroked her cheek. "You are beautiful," he whispered. "A vibrant girl in love with a dream. Dreams are wonderful things Sarah, but they can't love you back, they can't keep you warm at night, or hold you when you're lonely."

Alexander sighed, seeing the pain and look of hurt in her eyes. Bringing her back to his chest he kissed the top of her hair. "I'm sorry if I wronged you. That's the last thing I wanted to do."

"Who are you? Why were you at my show?" Sarah asked. She knew it sounded accusatory, but she couldn't help it. She needed to know if she had made a wish that would soon have consequences. Before it hadn't mattered, now the possibilities and terrible scenarios seemed endless.

"I will not lie to you, I was not there as a friend initially. Jareth is my oldest brother, and..."

"Your Brother!" She shot her head up, her eyes wide and startled. Oh this was great, just great.

She tried to pull away but he held her to fast, shaking his head as he continued. "Sarah listen, at the time I believed you had wronged him. But I soon found out my mistake. Some things just end badly, and there's no help for it; no one is to blame."

Sarah searched his face in silence as she thought about what he'd said. Could she believe him? Did it really matter, what choice did she have? Finally she nodded, and buried her head into his shoulder once more. His words didn't make any sense, but she thought he was sincere at least. Besides, she needed his solace and protection more than she needed to be angry. For now.

"When can I go home?" She wondered aloud, her voice muffled.

"I was hoping you'd want to stay awhile, with me," Alex said with a sigh. "But you need time, I see that now. After the wedding rehearsal I will take you back if you wish it. Time passes slower in your world than this one. If I send you back now I'll miss..." he trailed off stopping then starting again. "Can you manage another hour?"

Sarah didn't think she could, but to her surprise she heard herself saying yes.

Swell.

He lifted her chin. His unusual eyes, so much like Jareth's, yet different. Warmer. "Good girl. I'll be back as soon as I can." He said, brushing his lips across her forehead. "If you need me, call my name. I will hear you." And he was gone.

When Alex reappeared below, Sarah's shaky knees buckled. No longer able to support her own weight. Sliding down the wall she couldn't take her eyes off the King whom she loved almost all her life.

In her strange little precipice that served no purpose at all, Sarah sat far removed from the world and other worldly concerns. She was an outsider looking in, as she watched Jareth greet his brother warmly; the King's eyes smiling. She supposed she aught to have been surprised by his show of affection. But she wasn't. Only jealous of it, wanting that look for herself. Somehow, she'd always known Jareth was capable of kindness for a select few. Just not her.

Why did life always have to hurt?

Somewhere someone was living the perfect existence. Someone had never experienced misery, or known unhappiness. And she hated that person.

She wanted to poke that person in the eye.

It might not make the pain stop, but it would lessen it a bit… maybe. The Princess was everything Sarah was not. Petite, fair, blonde, reserved. And soon she would be Jareth's wife.

You can only hold back the tide for so long. Eventually the ocean wins. Looking down at Jareth Sarah knew she was defeated. She was drowning, and strangely enough, a part of her welcomed it. She was worn-out. Tired of struggling, of making excuses. Of hoping for a miracle.

As the undertow pulled her under, Sarah let go of her dreams for a happy ending. Of bright glittering futures that would never be hers. Sitting there all alone inside a strange room of an even stranger world, Sarah cried.

~ * ~ * ~* ~~ * ~ * ~* ~

"Ahh... Alex! So you did manage to fit my rehearsal into your plans after all. Glad to hear it brother. We were just going over the ceremony." Jareth said nodding towards Bree.

The Princess huffed. "Jareth thinks we should simply say the ritual words and be done with it. But I am not letting him get away with such a sad service. Half the Underground has shown up for this!"

"What exactly are you planning to do Jareth?" Alexander asked amused.

Shrugging, the Goblin King turned to his bride. "Fear me, love me, do as I say and I will be your slave. What else is there to say besides that? At which point I offer her use of my magic and my kingdom."

Jareth produced a crystal, showing Alex how simple it all seemed to him. "Why make it more complicated then…"

As Jareth held out his magic in the form of a crystal towards the Princess it suddenly felt as if it was resisting him. Then it rolled out of his hand all together. Princess Bree and Alex looked at Jareth curiously.

"And what is that about?" Alex laughed in confusion.

Jareth frowned at his youngest sibling, but remained silent trying to call back the magic to him. It should have been as easy as eating or sleeping for the King. The crystal obviously was not aware of this for it kept rolling away.

Something was wrong.

"Alex, do me a favor. Father, had a gift to give Bree, can you escort her to him, I'll be back momentarily."

The two nodded, not the least bit concerned. After all, Jareth's magic was one of the strongest of the Underground. The very idea that he had somehow lost control over it was ridiculous.

That's exactly what happened, of course, but it was ridiculous all the same.

Following the crystal, Jareth watched it turn a corner at the church's entrance. To the right was a staircase. The crystal was taking the steps three and four at a time gaining speed.

A warm pull hummed through his body. Someone or something was calling him. He could feel it the higher the stairs he ascended. His magic was obeying the summons.

At least the 'why' was answered, that still left the 'who'.

Someone very powerful indeed by the looks of things. Not even his father could pull of a stunt like this; to control the Goblin King's own magic.

As he approached a door at the end of the stairway, a touch of dread knotted in his stomach. He had no idea what was on the other side waiting for him. Normally he would have used a crystal in a time like this but…

"You're no help," Jareth hissed looking down. The crystal remained quiet. Like a loyal retriever, it waited patiently for Jareth to open the door so it could enter. The call was extremely compelling now. One way or another Jareth would find out what the hell was going on.

He doubted it would be good.

With a sigh, donning his most severe frown, Jareth turned the doorknob, and entered.

~ * ~ * ~* ~~ * ~ * ~* ~

"Oh no!" Sarah screamed, her hands held out away from her body protecting her face. "Keep away from me, do you hear! Don't come any closer."

The monster opened its mouth. It's teeth were razor sharp, dripping with saliva. If she weren't so scared she would have been grossed out. Fear always trumps disgust, though. So Sarah bit back the sarcasm, and started to scream.

"Ahhhhh!"

When no one answered, she tried yelling instead. "Alex, get your ass in here! Alexander!"

This was a perfect example of why people shouldn't screw around with magic. Not that it was her fault. Sarah had been minding her own business, wallowing in self-pity and despair. Her dreams shattered, laying broken at her feet. When she produced a crystal, all she wished for was a simple hanky.

Why her magic thought she meant big pink monster - yes pink – she couldn't say. But that's exactly what she got. "Dammit! Someone help me!"

The monster roared. Its long, blue nails making little clicking sounds as they rubbed together. Sarah was no expert, but she doubted that was a good sign.

"Hey now," Sarah tried to reason with it. Her voice calm and soothing yet laced with real fear. "You don't want to eat me." She pouted dramatically shaking her head. "Nooo... I'll give you really bad heartburn." Smooth Williams. It was pathetic even to her own ears.

Just her luck the monster didn't speak English anyway. It grabbed her by the arms and lifted her high into the air. Its teeth gleaming as it roared loudly. Sarah joined it, screaming into its face loudly. Together they were ridiculous.

Many people fantasize about their own death. Wondering how it will happen, or if it will hurt. There are actually thousands of ways to die, but Sarah had always believed she'd go peacefully in her sleep. In fact, she'd never even considered the possibility of being eaten by a fuzzy pink monster. Obviously, short sightedness on her part.

Sarah was kicking and screaming but the monster held tight; its grip firm and unforgiving. She swallowed. She couldn't remember any of her prayers from Sunday School so she mentally recited the Pledge of Allegiance.

It made sense at the time.

She was on one nation under God, when a deep voice cut through the air bringing them both up short. "What is going on here!" Sarah and the monster froze, swinging their heads towards the doorway.

Jareth!

The Goblin King stood inside the room's entrance. His face blank, whipped clean of any emotion. But Sarah knew he was shocked. Call it a hunch.

Up close he looked the way all magical creatures with too much power were supposed to look. Pale blonde hair falling past his shoulders tangled with the high white collar of an antique shirt. Lace spilling elegantly over long-fingered black gloves. His shirt hanging open, giving Sarah a glimpse of his lean, bare chest. Most men couldn't have pulled off a shirt like that. Jereth made it seem utterly masculine.

Sarah swallowed clearing her throat. "Umm… hello Jareth. Do you remember me? It's Sarah, Sarah Williams?" Under the circumstances her voice was remarkably polite. "I don't suppose you can get me down by any chance?"

The King crossed his arms, his eyes unblinking. "Sarah?" He pretended to think about it for a moment. "Oh yes, now I remember. The girl who wished away her brother then changed her mind. My, my how you have grown." He made the last word soft and warm and vaguely obscene. Leaning against the door casually, he cocked his head to the side and stared at her. His eyes intense, dangerous.

"Are you asking me for my help, little one? I thought I had no power over you? Why in the Underground would I help you down," he asked, pleasantly.

Hell must be full of voices like his. Deadly, yet oh so reasonable.

"ALEXANDER!!!" Sarah yelled.

Too bad she wasn't in the mood for games. Especially, now that she knew he was engaged. She'd rather the damn fuzz ball eat her alive than ask Jareth for any favors. She was even more aggravated with Alex. "If you need me, say my name. I'll hear you." she repeated in a childish voice.

Jareth rolled his eyes, moving towards them with the fluid grace of a cat. He laid a gloved hand on the creature's arm while calmly looking up. "So, you know my brother? I will need to have a very long talk with him later." Then he looked at the monster and nodded. "Let her go."

The monster dropped the girl. "Eeep!"

On her rear.

Sarah blew her hair out of her eyes, glaring up at the King who was now grinning. "My hero," she said flatly.

Lowering on bended knee, he bowed his head. "Indeed." His voice was like a brush of fur across her skin. "Anything else I can do for you since I'm here? No?" He grabbed his crystal by her hand and stood once more.

"Yes, actually" She blurted out, holding out her hand just to make him mad. "You can help me up."

He frowned, obviously reluctant to touch her. Finally he sighed, he was being silly, and pulled the girl towards him.

Sarah didn't know what to expect. Perhaps she didn't really think Jareth would help her. Nevertheless, in the next instant she was falling into the King's embrace off balance; her head brushing against his chest. Sarah noted a couple of things. One, that he smelled like new leather and soap. And two, she loved him even more now than before. Damn.

He made no attempt to push her away, and she was in no hurry to go. So they stood there, frozen in time, not saying a word. When he felt her shiver, he raised a shaky hand to face, incorrectly believing she was still scared of the creature. The monster in question had wondered off to a corner and was grooming it self with its claws.

"Don't worry, little one. Kleenexes can not hurt you. They're vegetarians."

Sarah frowned, her body in chaos. That was the second time he used the endearment 'little one' with her, and to her surprise she liked it.

No way could she look him in the eyes now. If she did, it was all over. She'd start crying and telling him things she could never take back. Instead, she glanced over at the monster. He still looked frightening, but there was something, almost cat-like about him now that she'd missed before. Then another thought made her frown.

"Did you call it a Kleenex?"

"Yes, but how he got up here I haven't a clue." Jareth shrugged taking a step away so he could breathe. The girl was a heady mix of vanilla and something else more elusively arousing.

Sarah couldn't help it. Maybe she was delirious, maybe she was nuts. But it was damn funny. A Kleenex! Of all the stupid... She burst into laughter and giggles.

Jareth's heart stopped and expanded as he watched Sarah's face light up. Her laughter making him feel more alive, more free than he had in years. His lips curved upwards, he couldn't help it. She wasn't just beautiful, she was infuriatingly contagious.

He touched her hair, rubbing the silky blackness between his fingers. Sarah's eyes smiling into his own. "What, may I ask, brings you to the Underground?" Jereth's voice was almost a whisper, intimate as if he'd said something completely different. Jereth could whisper better than anyone she knew.

"I think…" Sarah cleared her throat and tried again. "I think I was supposed to be your wedding present. But Alexander changed his mind. I'm afraid you'll have to settle for crystal candlesticks instead."

"What did you say?" The humor died in his eyes. "Alexander brought you here as a gift to me!" He'd obviously missed the part about his brother changing his mind. "Tell me Sarah, what exactly did my brother tell you? Better yet, did he say what I was supposed to do with you," he asked, searching her face with something close to fear.

Sarah swallowed. "I don't know, really. Turn me into a goblin?" It was the only thing she could think of. Jareth visibly relaxed, letting down his guard. Which made Sarah equally relieved. Enough so she thought she could joke with him.

"Or maybe I was supposed to be your sex slave." She added with a wink.

Jareth hit the wall behind her and she flinched. Then she smacked him hard in the chest for scaring her, but he didn't take notice of it.

"What the hell is your problem!? It was a joke!"

"My problem is you!" He yelled unexpectedly. His tone low and edged with menace. "You are my problem Sarah. Perhaps I *should* turn you into a goblin and be done with it. God knows you deserve it." He started pacing the room. Sarah's mouth was hanging open, her eyes wide and furious. Oh yeah!

"Oh yeah!" Sarah repeated only this time out loud, adding. "Well!"

Ever the wordsmith Sarah was.

Screw him. She didn't need to take abuse from Lord of the Dance. "I'm out of here." Producing a crystal, Sarah turned and jumped out the window in a huff. Jerk.

"Sarah!"

There are many ways to end an argument having the last word. Jumping out a window to your death is only one of several options. But it works every time.

Jareth's face was twisted in horror. He couldn't think he couldn't move. His heartbeat was pounding in his ears. MY GOD! Running over to where she'd been only moments before Jareth swallowed looking down. He was shaking his head in shock, calling on all the powers he possessed to turn back time. WHY, Sarah, WHY! OH GOD! I'M SO SORRY! NOOO ... wait.

Jareth frowned.

Where there should have been a broken body laying in a bloody heap, there was only empty space. Then he heard a screech. Looking back up, he saw a pretty black owl cursing at him as she made her way outside.

He blinked. Blinked a few more times. Then, he screamed in wordless rage.

Jereth punched the stone wall, his knuckles red, his emotions violent and unpredictable. He grabbed onto the windowsill, gasping for air he didn't realize he'd been holding in. And when he looked up, his eyes were cold and incensed. She scared the goblins out of him. She wasn't dead?

Well, he could fix that.

The Kleenex rolled over in the corner getting comfy as Jereth cursed and transformed into a white owl flying out of the room.

~ * ~ * ~* ~~ * ~ * ~* ~

"Ahh! Bree, how pretty you look." Jareth's father, King Rolland announced with a smile. In many ways he was exactly like Jareth. Amused was the most anyone would get from him.

Fortunately, he was amused today.

"Your highness," Bree acknowledged with a low curtsy

Alex bowed as well; his voice light and unusually cherry. "Jareth mentioned something about a gift you wanted to give the Princess?"

"Oh, yes, yes." King Rolland frowned. "Where is your brother?"

"He'll be back in a moment," Alex answered.

The King nodded. "Well, Princess. I hope you don't think me an old fool. But this belonged to Jareth's mother before her death. I would be honored if you would wear it."

The King presented his future daughter in law with a pendant. It was shaped like a gazelle's head, covered in diamonds. The trademark of Jareth's family, which for unknown reasons, Jareth always liked to wear upside down.

"Thank you my lord. I'll wear it gladly." Should she wear it upside down too?

"Here let me help you," Alex offered with a smile.

Placing it on her chest, the Prince admitted she would make a lovely bride. The only thing she was missing was dark hair, green eyes, and spirit.

Other than that, lovely.

"I wish the Queen had lived to see this day. I think she would have approved."

Bree blushed, "You honor me Majesty."

The older man's smile swiftly transformed into something less pleasant. "Alex! Watch what you are about you clumsy nitwit!"

But Alex wasn't paying attention. Nor did he care that he had cut his finger on the pendant. His face drained of color, and his chest was falling and rising at an unsteady rate. He looked up.

"Son? What is it?"

"I don't know... I …"

Bursting out of the tower room, a black owl flew into the church. She was cutting the air with incredible speed, soaring as if her life depended on it. Her bleating effectively drew the other three brother's full attention as they stopped what they were doing and looked up as well.

The female was a pretty thing. Nice lines, an attractive plume of dark full feathers. King Rolland, and all five of his son's were cousins to the owl. It was the only animal the males of the family could shape shift into.

Instinctively they knew the female was agitated, and they watched tensely, searching for the cause in order to deal with it if need be.

"What's happening Alex?" Bree asked in alarm, not understanding what was so important about a dumb owl.

Without warning, a larger white owl exploded from the same window, giving chase. He spotted her instantly, and didn't even pretend to hide what he was about. His bearing and flight, aggressive, angry, as he dove like a bullet gaining ground. The female wailed while skimming the heads of the patrons below.

The black blur was replaced only seconds with a white one.

"Don't touch her!" Alex yelled, as he ran outside and transformed into a brown owl.

Soon the Princess was left standing alone. All of the men on her fiancé's side, quickly following Alexander's lead.

"What is going on!?" The Princess whined, but there was no one left to hear.

~ * ~ * ~* ~~ * ~ * ~* ~

Sarah knew she couldn't out run Jareth. He was bigger, faster, and had more experience flying than she did. Her only hope was to try and reason with the man.

Her only hope was to lose him.

Why was he following her anyway? He was getting married in a few days! The least he could've done was let her leave peaceably. What's with all the damn dramatics?

If Sarah had been thinking clearly, she might have concluded because he did care about her. Or that she was of interest to him. But, you know, shaped as an owl. Flying from a larger male all she could think of was…

Jerk. Her new favorite word.

Spotting a forest nearby she dove into its thick foliage using her small frame to work for instead of against her. Weaving in and out of tree trunks and branches, she negotiated each obstacle at a neck breaking pace. It was rather dark accept for sporadic bits of dusk peeking through the canopy overhead. But as she flew in and out of the light she was repeatedly blinded for seconds at a time.

The forest it self was rather fascinating. The ground shimmering unnaturally with glitter covered rocks and moss. Fireflies of various colors and sizes splashed around in purple and pink puddles of rain. Deeper in, she could hear music wafting in the breeze, a wide assortment of flowers singing a happy tune as she passed. Some even blowing bubbles, which occasionally floated high enough to tickle her wing. Cobwebs laced with due completed the effect. Diamond covered garlands and tinsel drape beautifully in the trees.

An enchanted forest. How lovely!

A thunderous noise from behind brought Sarah back to her current predicament. She hadn't counted on him following her this far into the woods. Damn! Now what!

She would have to hide.

Up ahead a pink lake, fed by a beautiful waterfall, began to take shape. Slowing down, Sarah transformed near its glistening shore and hid behind one of the pond's many boulders.

Her boulder was ... snoring? Well, there was no help for it now. She would just have to try and not wake the fellow up.

The water's edge was shrouded in a pink mist thick like cotton candy. It's fluffy clouds camouflage Sarah's body just as the trees parted, and the owls flew by.

Wait, there were… three, four, five of them now! Where did they come from? Argh!

Fortunately, they did not see her and continued on into another patch of woods. The trees bending like the others to make way for the owl's wings. After a few minutes of listening and waiting, Sarah stood glaring at the trees closest to her.

"And why didn't you help me out like you did them?!"

Enchanted trees are generally pretentious as far as foliages go. Today was no acceptation and they ignored her. Righting themselves once more.

"Save your breath doll. Day don't take orders from broads."

This was said by a purple butterfly smoking a cigar and wearing a beat up derby. He casually looked her up and down and smiled. "So what's a girl like you doing in a joint like this anyhow?"

Sarah bit back a smile. "Sightseeing," she said casually.

The butterfly laughed, flicking his ashes. "Yeah, right, right. Listen toots. Dem are the Kings of Dreams your diddeling around with. Take some advice from Louie, and don't make'em mad."

"That's your advice? Don't make the Dream Team mad?" Sarah was getting annoyed.

"Oh boy. You don't get it." Louie ran a hand down his five o'clock shadow. "Day are Kings! They like getting their way, see. Just give'em what day want and they won't hurt ya"

For some reason Sarah didn't like the fact she saw real fear on this scrappy butterfly's face. But she'd never been a coward.

"If what you say is true, Louie." Sarah said in a pleasant tone. "Then, I still don't care." Obviously, she still had some unresolved issues about Jareth's wedding she would need to work out later.

"Mortals! All alike, think they are invincible and know everything. Bet you also think Humpty Dumpty was an egg too."

Sarah blinked, her face going completely blank as she tried to follow the conversation. "He wasn't?"

"No! Who ever heard of such a crazy thing!" Louie made an exasperated sound. "Mortals dat's who. Nuts, all of ya."

"But you're a talking butterfly!"

"So?"

Sarah took a deep breath and changed the subject. "What is this place?"

"Doll, take a look around, it's a forest."

"Well, yes. But…"

"Da trees should've been your first clue Einstein." Louie flicked his ashes again and shook his head. "Listen, I'm not wait'n for the Kings to come back. And if you know what's good for ya, you won't either."

With that, Louie bit down on his cigar and took to the air. Unfortunately, it was the exact moment a blue firefly whizzed by almost knocking him down.

"Hey! Watch it! I'm fly'n here!"

Sarah giggled, and waved, "Thanks, Louie!"

She watched her friend fly off and turned back to the peculiar lake, standing quietly by its edge and admiring its color. She had forgotten how much she loved this place. Every minute was a new adventure.

Off to the side Sarah could see a group of pollywogs squirting each other as they played tag in the pink liquid. A soft rhythm echoed, as the wind kissed her body and sang to her in the breeze. After a few minutes, Sarah absently hummed the melody to herself, not even realizing she was doing so.

It wasn't long before her voice attracted attention.

A herd of lightning bugs stopped dancing around a rock and, hearing her hum, decided they'd rather dance around her instead. Flying through her hair and around her hands, Sarah laughed as their wings tickled her face and neck. Fireflies love to tickle, and the mortal seemed glad for their company so they stayed and called their buddies to come join them.

Sarah let herself get caught up in the enchantment closing her eyes and holding out her arms as the bugs weaved in and out kissing the tips of her fingers. Humming louder, she spun around, doing her best Julia Andrew's impersonation from the 'Sound of Music'.

A little mouse saw this, and watched the girl curiously. Soon the mouse was joined by her ten sisters; their pink noses twitching as they too turned in circles like Julia Andrews. A puffball, always inquisitive, rolled beside the mouse family. Shrugging, it started to bounce circles along with everyone else.

The thing about puffballs is they always come in threes. Soon, two more puffballs were bouncing beside the first. And no sooner had they shown up, when six more puffballs rolled in.

The wind, hearing its song on the lips of the girl, played louder. Collecting an entire rainbow of fallen leaves. It danced with the fireflies in gentle breeze around the girl.

The pollywogs, hearing the wind, swam over and looked at each other in confusion. Then shrugged. It looked like fun, so they squirted water towards the sky in rhythmic bursts. Soon the lake was a water show as the pollywogs performed graceful arcs of silver and pink splashes while floating on their backs.

"See sore is purty, momma." A young elfin child said. Her big exotic eyes delighted by the show.

A buttercup had informed the local elves that a mortal was in the forest singing with the wind. But the tribe hadn't really believed it. Mortals couldn't hear the music of the wind let alone find their forest. It was so strange that the elders decided to investigate. Soon they were joined by other tribes of magical creatures.

Buttercups loved to gossip.

This domino effect was how Sarah suddenly had an entire audience of forest dwellers in only a few short minutes. These shy magical beings coming together in order to see what exactly a mortal who sang with the wind looked like.

Not bad.

The boulder Sarah had hid behind finally woke up from all the commotion. He yawned and smiled at the scene. He always liked Julia Andrews. Clearing his throat he added his deep tenor to the mix making the music rich and full.

From across the water, a huge fuzzy beast step out of the lake. He was a smaller and bluer version of Ludo. How lovely!

"Hello sir. How are you today?" Sarah giggled.

The beast, surprised that anyone cared to know about his day, thought about the question for a second before responding. "Gordo like music. Sing for Gordo?"

Beasts aren't big on small talk. The blue beast shook the water from its fur and sat down with a smile, or at least what she thought was a smile.

Sarah was confused, "You want me to …sing?" Oh, hell no.

The beast nodded. "Yeaaah." His voice sounded resigned and sad.

What lonely creatures beasts were, their only friends were rocks. This blue guy sounded more forlorn than most. And it pulled at Sarah's heart.

"Yes Sing! Please! Mortal sing!" Looking around with wide eyes she was sorely out numbered as little creatures pleaded with her to entertain them.

Well, hell! She wasn't really in the mood to sing. Especially since she was hiding from a pissed off wizard. Would it be rude if she told them no? Looking at their hopeful faces she concluded that it would be. Great.

But NOT the 'Sound of Music'! She refused!

Sarah decided on Jareth's love song, still wanting to wallow in self-pity for as long as she could. Besides it went perfectly with the harmony she convinced herself. Yeah, right.

"Okay Gordo," Sarah agreed uncertainly. This was not the most brilliant decision she'd ever made. The art of hiding from a magical King is long and involved and not easily done. Sarah really only had two choices. One, she could keep hiding quietly in the forest. Or, two, she could burst into song and dance. The answer was obvious.

Well, not so much obvious as absurd.

Sarah would do what she shouldn't, and hope for the best. Besides, a little melody with half the forest in attendance shouldn't draw that much attention, surely not. Cupping her hands, glitter pixies shook their bodies and dusted her palms. She thanked them for the gift, and started the first verse. Her voice growing louder and more confident the longer she sang. Turning to Gordo, she picked him to Serenade.

"There's such a sad love..."

Right off the bat, two jitter bugs moved their butts, providing percussion. "Ching-ching."

Sarah paused for a second staring at them as they waited patiently for her to continue. "Ahh.. d-deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel. Ching-ching. .... open and closed within your eyes. I'll place the sky. Within your eyes."

Lifting her hands, the wind took the glitter away in a spectacular blur.

"There's such a fooled heart. Ching-ching. Beating so fast. In search of new dreams. Ching-ching. A love that will last. Within your heart. I'll place the moon. Within your heart."

Creatures from the pink lake began to arrive having heard the song a little later than everyone else. Among the newcomers, two young mermaids about Sarah's age, who sat on a half submerged rock.

"She's in love." One of the mermaids said with certainty. "Oh, yeah… she's got it bad." The other mermaid whispered back.

"As the pain sweeps through. Makes no sense for you. Every thrill is gone. Wasn't too much fun at all. But I'll be there for you. As the world falls down. It's falling. Falling in love."

Three more merpeople emerged. "What's all this about? Whose the mortal?"

"She's in love. Shhh."

"With the blue creature?" He asked getting comfortable.

"I don't think so. I think maybe the King behind her."

The merman nodded and listened.

~ * ~ * ~* ~~ * ~ * ~* ~

Three more chapters left. Let me thank Polgara again. She has been such a HUGE help and wonderful BETA. Thank you sweetie! I Hope you guys had a great Christmas! I'll see yeah in a few days! (Maybe sooner)

- Chrissy