The Taming of the Goblin King

Chapter 8

Sarah smiled in amusement at Jareth's little "joke", only to stop dead in her tracks as they exited the goblin castle. There in front of them stood a large, twin seated carriage drawn by two great, lizard like beasts. The carriage itself was made of a gleaming black metal that reminded Sarah of polished iron. The seats faced each other and were covered in lustrous, black fabric. Perched in front was a goblin driver at the reins.

"I did say our carriage awaits, Sarah," Jareth quipped in amusement at Sarah's obvious awe.

Ruefully laughing, Sarah shook her head at her own foolishness. For a moment, she had forgotten that the Goblin King didn't need to joke. With Jareth's magic, just about anything was possible. Still, that was no reason not to enjoy herself.

"You're absolutely right. And it's a lovely day for a jaunt in it as well." she replied gamely.

Jareth chuckled at Sarah's feigned aplomb as he helped her and little Atta in before joining them. Courteously, Jareth took the forward seat in order to allow Sarah the full benefit of the view.

Sarah seated herself, vainly trying not to appear as eager as Atta, who seemed about to burst with excitement. Within moments, she quickly abandoned any pretext of sophistication and began to look around like a tourist on his first vacation. Avidly gazing around, she took in the sights, afraid of missing something. Atta helped things along by immediately launching into a travelogue on the various highlights of the Goblin city.

Lazily, Jareth watched the pair, his eyes half closed in contentment. He would have preferred Sarah to be settled next to him, but the evident enjoyment on her face was still satisfying. He consoled himself by watching Sarah's delight as she took in the sights of his kingdom with obvious relish, even, at one point, crawling up to kneel on the seat to get a better look at something. Her new style certainly seemed to make her more relaxed.

Sarah's appearance in his clothes that morning still amused Jareth. Obviously, she hadn't liked the gown he conjured for some reason. However, instead of complaining or demanding something else, Sarah had managed to track down some of his old clothing.

Jareth couldn't even imagine where the clothes had come from, though he strongly suspected Atta was involved. Shortly after becoming King, he had stopped wearing conventionally made clothes and dismissed his old valet. Dressing magically was far more efficient and much less trouble. As far as he knew, everything had been packed away in some ancient trunk centuries ago. His smile increased as he wondered what Sarah's reaction would be once she discovered that all his old clothes now magically fit her perfectly.

As the ride went on, Jareth couldn't resist slowing down time and altering the path of the carriage magically to allow Sarah to see more of the city. Her apparent enjoyment of the whole experience and infectious enthusiasm was simply too much for Jareth to resist. Sometimes, he became so caught up in being the sovereign; he forgot to appreciate the unique beauty of the Goblin Kingdom itself. Today, Sarah was reminding him.

The first time the carriage shifted location, the driver had turned to Jareth questioningly; but a blistering look and sharp poke of the Goblin King's riding crop had made him turn back to his duties without comment. Sarah had continued to look out on the city, blissfully ignorant.

After a bit, Jareth allowed the carriage to arrive at its intended destination. Sarah sat back down with a reluctant sigh.

"That was wonderful, Jareth. I've truly enjoyed this ride. Thank you for letting me come." she said to him.

"This is only the beginning." Jareth replied. "You haven't even seen the city up close yet."

The carriage rolled to a stop at one of the city gates where the mayor and town council awaited the King's arrival. Jareth helped Sarah and Atta down and then stepped forward, relishing the thought of formally presenting his lovely Sarah to the gathered officials.