Metamorphosis

Sarah lay motionless in Xaven’s lap.  After the darkenss had consumed her body, Xaven knew it would be too late to save her.  Still, he held on to her, whispering a quiet chant, urging her still body to fight.  “Sarah, please, come back..”

“Oh she will come back, you just won’t like how she comes back, X-sy.”

Xaven didn’t even turn, he knew that if he tried to fight, Stark would cause the gauntlets on his wrist to simply knock him unconscious.  He needed to be awake for Sarah.  She was the first reason he had in a long time to fight, and he wasn’t about to let her go gently into the night.  With rage on the edges of his voice he spoke deliberately, “What did you do to her?”

“My my my my, my little X-stacy, you have grown up now haven’t you?  Not to long ago you would have run at me, attempting to pummel me into a bleeding mass, all to no avail of course.  Now look at you, such a good little lap dog.”  Stark walked close to them and bent down eye to eye with Xaven.  “It kills you inside, doesn’t it?  You couldn’t save this one, just like you couldn’t save the whore you loved.  If an animal such as yourself could love.”

It took all of Xaven’s mental strength not to gouge out Stark’s eyes.

“Pity,” was all Stark said.  With a wave of his wrist, Sarah’s eyes fluttered open.  Her entire countenance was changed.  She looked stronger, more awake than when Xaven had first seen her.  Her eyes were darker though, and Xaven couldn’t read them.  Sadness clouded over his face as an innocent smile spread over her lips and she sat up, looking perfectly without pain, perfectly oblivious to the hell they were trapped inside.  She looked at Stark and smiled even wider, adoration beaming from her body.  With one fluid movement, she stood beside him, laced her arm in his and rested her head upon her chest.

“Where are we, my love?” Her voice sounded hollow to Xaven, and his jaw quivered in anger and despair.  He had failed her, just as he had failed his Areyne. 

“You see X, she is fine.  In fact, I like her better this way, don’t you?  She is a perfect mindless creature, concerned only with pleasure and whatever I say is what gives her pleasure, isn’t that right my little whore?” Stark asked, putting emphasis on each word.  “Now,” he began, turning back to Xaven, “Sarah and I have some business to attend to.  I need to make sure that Jareth is watching when his little pet denounces him and consummates our newly formed bond.”

“Where are we going?” Came the innocent request.

“To visit with an old friend or two, little girl.” Stark said, his air oozing a patronizing tone.

“Oh.  That’s nice.  Why does the puppy look so sad?” Sarah said, a pout on her lips as she stared empty mindedly at Xaven.

“Because he isn’t invited, pet.”

“Ooooh.” And Sarah pouted again.  “Can he come with, my dearest?  Please?”  Her face, her expression, her very being was that of a child.  It troubled Stark for a moment that his spell had merely regressed her to a child and not turned her into a mindless zombie.  Perhaps he had dumbed the spell down too much for the mortal.  One had to be extremely careful when constructing spells for mortals, they couldn’t take nearly as much punishment as a Fae, and if the spell had been too strong, his delightful image of Jareth lying broken and emotionally tormented at his feet would not come to pass.  It would just not be so.  Jareth had to pay, had to see his one true love denounce him.  Still, her child-like ness bothered him.  He hated children and this troubled him.  Well, it troubled him until she laid her lips upon his, tracing her fingers over his chest.  When she pulled away, she stared into his surprised eyes, the innocence still dancing in her darkened ones.  As she bit her lower lip and ran her finger softly against his, she whispered, “Please?  I like it when the puppy cries.”

Stark smiled wickedly, his spell, though off, seemed to have worked far better than he could have imagined.  He chocked it up to being that he didn’t often cast spells on mortals, but this one, this one had turned this simp into everything he desired.  She bowed to his will, had the intelligence of a child, and seemed to have a sexual appitite that would need to be answered.  “Pleeeeeease?” Came the soft purr again, as she pressed herself closer to him, running her knee up his thigh.  Stark rolled his eyes back into his head and let out a deep breath.  “Anything you would like, my little pet, anything at all.”

“Goody.”  She asked, her adoring eyes peering into his.

“Now, we should go, we will have plenty of time for pleasantries in, look at that, three hours.”

The three of them were then in Stark’s throne room.  Stark lounged effortlessly on his throne.  To his right, on the floor sat Sarah, her adoring eyes never leaving her new found love.  To his left, Xaven sat, a metal collar around his neck and a chain latched to the floor.  He looked and felt completely destitute. 

“I was never very good at waiting.” Pouted Stark.  “Three hours is much too long, don’t you agree, pet?”

Sarah only stared adoringly at him.  “Whatever you wish, darling.”.

“I think three hours is far too long so,” a clock appeared before him with thirteen hours on it, ticking down.  “Now there is only one!”  Stark clapped with glee at his little trick.  Sarah too, clapped and giggled.  She then stood up and danced around the throne room.  When she reached Xaven she stopped, a wicked smile spreading across her face.

“Can the puppy dance for me?”  She asked, sitting herself on Stark’s lap.  “Please?” she whispered into his ear, letting her hot breath flow down his neck.  “Pretty, pretty, please, my love?” she nipped at his ear, and let her tongue trace the outside.

Stark groaned.  It was getting harder to wait for Jareth to show up.  But he would wait, he would wait for Jareth to watch him claim Sarah as his.  “Please, my darling?”

“Of course, whatever you desire, whore.” Stark purred and waved his hand to release the chain collar off of Xaven’s neck.  Xaven didn’t move.  With the bracers still in place, he was powerless against Stark.  Sarah lept off of Stark’s lap and took Xaven by the hands and pulled him out into the open area in front of the throne room. 

“Dance with me puppy!” She yelled in a shrill voice, but her eyes held something that gave Xaven hope.

Stark watched the two ‘dance’ in front of him, Sarah pulling on Xaven’s arms.  It looked ridiculous so instead he sat thinking of how he would ravage the innocent mortal, and then possibly kill her in front of Jareth..  The look on the child-like mortal’s face might be devilishly fun to see as he stabbed her in the heart, thereby breaking his spell.  With her dying eyes she would see her love and know what she had done.  Yes, he would kill her in front of Jareth, and then make both Jareth and Xaven watched as he claimed Areyne as his own, and possibly killed her as well.  Today was going to be fantastic! 

Sarah kept smiling as she danced with Xaven, but there was no smile in her eyes, only calm, calculating, cold intelligence.  As they spun about the room, appearing as fools to Stark, Sarah laid her hands on his gauntlets, pulling their majik from them.  She absorbed the darkness and the power of the gauntlets, freeing Xaven from his powerless state.  His eyes opened in shock as Sarah’s voice drifted into his head while her appearance remained that of a child, dancing and singing.

I’ve been acting the part Stark wants me to play.  Stark doesn’t know what I am, thinks his spell worked.

How are you able…..aren’t you a…..

A final gift from my mother, her magic and the knowledge to use it..  I will explain more later, I promise.  Do not be frightened, I never was under his spell, but I have read his mind and know what his plans are.  We don’t have much time.  I have cast wards upon him so that he will not detect our magics, but we must be careful. 

My magic?

The gauntlets are now just pieces of metal on your wrists, I took the dark majik from them.  It shouldn’t take long for your abilities to return.  You will be free soon, my friend.

How?

“Sarah!” Stark called from across the room, “Come here, I think the party is about to begin.”

Just follow my lead, and trust me. I promise I will explain soon.

“Coming my love!” Sarah giggled, and pulled Xaven with her, skipping up to the thone.  “What party?” she said, plunking herself on his lap again, playing with the buttons on his deep green shirt.

“Oh, a bad man is coming, pet, and he wants to take you from me.  Do you want to go wth him?” 

A look of terror froze on Sarah’s face “No, no, no!  Never!”

“Then you must tell him that, and we must show him!”

“Oh, I will, darling.” Sarah purred, licking Stark’s lips, “I will show the evil man that he can never take me away from my love!” Sarah said with absolute assertion, staring Stark straight in the eyes.  “Whatever it takes!  Even if I have to kill him!”  Stark smiled wickedly at her, picturing in his mind what he would do to her soon in front of Jareth.

Xaven smiled to himself, understanding the true meaning of her words, his smile was replaced by a look that spoke of pure confusion, awe, and shock when Jareth entered the room beside Areyne, the woman he loved.  The woman he thought Stark had murdered.

Sarah smiled adoringly at Stark, and purred into his ear “No one can take me from my love.”