Nothing Is What It Seems

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

The Castle was buzzing with gossip. No one could stop talking about the mysterious woman the King had danced with at the Ball. It was worse for those who had missed seeing her.

"What was so different about her to draw his attention?"

The Cook was not happy about being just a tad late in going up to watch the dancing, and Sarah knew to stay out of his way.

He had taken to glaring at her over the last week because as far as he knew she had gone to her room and hadn't gone up to watch.

"Really, Jenna? You had to go your room instead of going up to watch." He shook his head,

Sarah looked up from the stack of vegetables she was chopping. "Does it really matter what drew his attention?"

He only frowned at her.

"After all it doesn't matter what we think, does it?"

The old Cook shook his head. "You haven't been here long. So you wouldn't know how King Jareth rules. The wrong Queen could ruin this Kingdom."

Sarah gave a slight nod and returned to her work.

"If only that girl had stayed , we wouldn't be in this mess. I don't blame her. She was just too young to understand, but we would have a queen by now."

Sarah raised her eyes from her work as the Cook returned to his.

Stayed? There was no way she would've stayed. Also, he had never asked her to stay, She shook her head slightly as she returned to her work. Did everyone in the Kingdom wish she had stayed? Or had he figured out who she was and was playing a rather cruel trick on her? Well, he could wait, but the vegetables for the stock couldn't.

A few days later, Sarah was walking through the Goblin City and discovering it wasn't just the Castle going on about the Mystery Woman from the Ball. She stopped at one of the many market stalls and couldn't help to over hear two Fae Ladies chatting amongst themselves on the other side of the stall.

One frowned, "who was she? I didn't see anything that was that different from everyone else. What made her so special that he had to dance with her?"

Her companion nodded, "who knows? Remember when he wanted to marry some mortal? The Goblin King has odd taste."

"Ha, I still can't believe the High King approved it. Of course, the foolish girl refused him."

Sarah moved away from the stall. She didn't know much about Underground politics, but she did know the King couldn't do much without the High King's approval. But why her? She was a no one. Okay, she had reached the center of the Labyrinth and had gotten Toby back, but she wasn't anyone special. Of course, it could only be a rumor and not fact. That was it. It was just a rumor.

Shaking her head, Sarah made her way back to the Castle. The Fae talked more than the Goblins, which was one of the many reasons she stayed away from them. They were just like the girls she had gone to high school with, almost worst.

She didn't want to waste her day off thinking about the gossiping of two Fae women. Sarah would had gone to see Didymus, Ludo, or Hoggle if they were home. Of course, she wasn't sure she wanted to face them. Not yet at least; She didn't want them to worry about her. She was defiantly not going to go to another ball at the Castle.

XOXOX

Hoggle sighed as he pulled out yet another weed. The rumors didn't sound good. A mysterious woman had appeared at the Ball, and the King had danced with her and no one else. None of what he had heard sounded good. What was she thinking? What if he had recognized her? He might even know her secret now. He would to go see Evera on his day off. Where was she anyway? It was her day off. She probably didn't want to come and face him. Yes, he hadn't told her everything, but what good would it do?

He was sure no man, be he Fae or mortal, would do well seeing the woman who had refused him. Of course, it wasn't like Sarah was running off with some new beau. No, she was just trying to live a good life, but if the rumors were true about the High King, well then maybe her appearance at the Ball wasn't such a bad thing.

Hoggle still didn't trust the King enough to not hurt her, but she was the only one who deserved to be the Queen of the Goblins in the entire Underground. No matter what the Fae thought.