AN: you know, I only write author's notes in an attempt to make my story look longer to myself? Oh well, like anyone actually reads author's notes. I mean, I know they don't because I'll tell you all something, something relatively important sometimes and you all ignore it! Okay, maybe not the people who read the Labyrinth stories, but the people who read Inuyasha stories completely ignore it when I tell them a story is being discontinued or something. Arg, so frustrating! Oh well, I think my story just now looks long enough with this stupid rant. Ja Ne, for they whom cared enough to read.
Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat, do NOT own the Labyrinth, as if there was any doubt. Any way, please don't sue me, I only have two dimes found on Waffle House's floor!
Chapter 1
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall
Sarah smiled at her little brother, she didn't mind babysitting him anymore, actually now she enjoyed it a lot. Probably because ever since the "Jareth incident", as she liked to think of it, she had been overly protective of her baby brother, and also since he had begun to learn how to speak she'd been worried that he may... accidentally mention Jareth in some fashion. Hell, he already had a bit of an accent, thank you very much Jareth. Luckilly, he hadn't mentioned a "goo" about him, not at all.
Though her parents had noticed an increase in her care for the babe, they hadn't questioned her really, they had simply given her strange looks, but on occassion they'd give her looks of approval. After all though the change was sudden you wouldn't question your daughter taking on more responsiblity, and allowing you to go out without any worry what-so-ever.
Now though, on the eve of her sixteenth birthday Sarah found herself worrying over the underground, worrying a lot in fact. She hadn't called on any of them in a long time, not Hoggle, Sir Didymus, not Ludo, no one, and though she missed them greatly she was afraid that if she called on them that they may not be alone.
Jareth, the horrible Goblin King, he frightened her now more than ever, and though she had claimed once he had "no power" over her, she didn't think she believed that any longer. It was true, once upon a time, thats how she had felt then, had thought she could overpower him but lately...
Disturbing dreams had been plaguing her mind, Jareth had been there, in all of her recent dreams, making her wish she didn't need sleep. Every night, no matter how her day turned out for the last 6 months he had just been there, or at least for the first 2 months she had thought he was there, while she could do nothing to prove otherwise. Then he had actually come to her, taunting her, calling her to prove to him that what she had said was true, that he had no power over her, "Prove your words, or are they just words, dear Sarah?"
She shook her head, no he wasn't real, those were just her own fears being realized through dreams. Her very worst fears, recently he had seemed, impatient, upset and very angry, and one night she had to force her mind to wake up, he had attacked her, no less than two minutes into her sleep than she found him holding her from behind. It was a seemingly regular sinerio, since she was used to finding herself in his castle, but this time was just different, she wasn't in the room she was used to, the room of endless stairs, or even the star room where she had said her famous lines, "You have no power over me." no, she was in a different room.
The room was colored three ways, white, red, and primarilly black. And lying in the center was a bed, round and large in the center of a circular room. She had become frightened then, and had turned around to face Jareth, he wasn't wearing any clothes, none at all and he was holding her very tight now. "Sarah..." he had said and she knew what he had planned for her.
Screaming she fell to the bed when he pushed her, completely unnable to stop him, frightened she had chanted to herself that she had to wake up, she had to wake up, she just had to! And she had, thankfully, before he had... his way with her her mind had awoken and she was sweating up a storm.
Just before she had woken up he had made to her a promise, "I have power over you, Sarah, far more than you yet know."
Now she was working on her second day without sleep. She had learned to meditate in exchange of sleep and wasn't exhausted, just very tired now. He did have power over her, even as a figment of her own fears he had power that he would never know, if he were even real he'd probably forgot all about her by now.
She shivered as she gave Toby his sippy cup. He took it greedilly sucking at it but looking up at her the entire time. No doubt he could sense her distress, her wearyness, she'd have to sleep sometime soon, tonight would have to be it.
She lay down on her parents bed, knowing they'd be out probably for the next five to six hours, and Toby wouldn't sit in his play pin that long without crying and waking her again. She'd sleep, and pray that "he" didn't interupt her.
"Wahh! Swarahn!" It was Toby, she had been asleep when she heard him and woke herself, unhappilly mind you. Checking the alarm clock she realized she'd been asleep for well over four hours. He probably had a poopy diaper just dying to be changed, and he was probably hungry as the dickens.
Sitting up Sarah looked at her little brother, his face wasn't overly red, so he hadn't been crying too long. Alright that was good.
Stretching Sarah sat up and grabbed the changing supplies, already smelling the stench coming from her little brother's butt. Though she was still relatively tired she was happy, grateful really, there was no Jareth in her sleep this time, not even the hint of his pressance.
Quickly she changed Toby, and took him downstairs for his evening snack. He too was tired, but you know how small children are, they won't sleep, ever, especially since he still had two teeth coming in, and they were probably killing him.
She fed him his chopped up carrots and his baby food stuff that smelled sickening, and then put the numbing medicine on his teeth. Yawning he nuzzled into her neck and started to take his nap right there as she carried him back upstairs. How could she have ever wished this little doll into the underworld? It made her feel really guilty now that she thought about it, but she had won Toby back and he was safe with her.
She ran her fingers through his short and incredibly soft hair smiling to herself as she put him down into his own room, right next to her dad and Karen's room. The bed he slept in was really kind of cute, a race car kind of bed with a thing that would stop him from rolling out of it. Luckilly he didn't make too much of a fuss as she left, just a whining noise before he curled up with Lancelot.
As she left the room her heart stopped in her chest for a moment, just completely stopped beating for about three seconds. Pausing she looked back at Toby, he was fine, already asleep, so just to feel better herself she turned on his nightlight before turning off the overhead light.
Also she left the door open and crossed the hall to her own room. No longer was she tired, in fact in that one second she had completely woken up. And now she needed to speak to someone, someone badly.
"Hello Hogmart." Jareth said as he stood barely an inch from him, after the escapade with Sarah they had all been locked in the oubliets. All of them, they who had tried to help her through the labyrinth, he should have had them killed but something stopped him and this was it. Sarah was about to call on them, he wouldn't let them all out just Hogmall, so that when she called the magic would work and Hogzle would be there, but Jareth would be waiting in the background.
"You are going to help me today," Jareth said to the frightened creature, "Who knows, I may just be kind enough to let you go back to your gardening duties, if you do well enough of course."
"Hoggle," Sarah called, "Are you there?" she asked her mirror, hoping that was how she would be able to contact them. "Sir Didymus, Luddo, can you hear me? I really need to talk to you."
Thankfully Hoggle showed up in her mirror, sitting on her bed, but when she turned he wasn't there, so she looked back at the mirror. There was something wrong, she could tell by the way he was sitting, his back looked like it hurt him and he was hunched over as though he was tired, and his eyes, she knew that look. It was the same look he had given her when he had handed over Jareth's peach. "Hoggle?" she asked her voice suddenly shrill in her own ears, "Where are the others?" She knew that look too well, "Hoggle what have you done?" she asked for the second time in her life.
"I'm sorry Sarah," Hoggle said looking down, "so sorry." and just as he finished saying it the door on her mirror opened, she shot her eyes and looked at her real door but no one was there. When she returned her eyes to the mirror Hoggle was gone. Instead it was him, standing in all of his glory, black leather pants and a white poet shirt complete with his leather vest, was Goblin King himself.
"Sarah," he purred to her and she turned around to see him, the real him, standing just in front of her bed. He stood there, his posture strong as he reached one hand behind his back.
"Y-you're the Goblin King." she said standing and glancing towards her door for an escape route. Her heart was beating wildly in her chest as fear raced through her, what did he want with her now? Not Toby certainly, she had won him back fair and square.
Jareth saw where her eyes led and, with a quick hand movement her door slammed shut. "No escape this time, dear Sarah." he said taking a step closer to her, "No escape, ever, dear Sarah."
"No..." she took a step back in response and hit her dresser, knocking various things off in the process. She found her brush with her hand and grasped the handle. She doubted severely that this would work but she had to try something. "What do you want?" her voice was as strong as she could make it, despite her fear.
"Oh, dear Sarah, need you ask such a question? I've come for you." he told her an arms length from her. "The girl who defeated my Labyrinth, and won her younger brother back in return for doing so."
Sarah's heart failed her again, just a moment before she snapped into action, she threw her hair brush at him with as much force as she could muster and jet for the door, not even looking at him.
Jareth caught the brush effortlessly and ran to Sarah who was trying to pull the door open, she didn't yet realize she'd never be able to open any door he had closed. That door would never open, they'd have to destroy it in order to open it, once they had, oh her family was in for a most terrible treat indeed.
He came up behind her and pried her off of her own door, pushing her into her room. "Now Sarah, that wouldn't have been an attempt to escape me would it?" Her eyes gave away all as she walked backwards, back into the opposite wall. "Ah, my dear little Sarah, you should know better."
He pulled his hand out from behind his back and showed to her a crystal. "You remember this don't you?" he asked moving it around on his hand. "To show you your dreams, ah, and what wonderful dreams you've had." he twisted it again and it showed the dream he had planted in her mind most recently.
Sarah closed her eyes, "Go away Goblin King! I already defeated you once!"
"And what, Sarah, were those words that defeated me those seven months ago?" he asked letting the crystal pop in his hand as he closed the distance between them, and placing one of his hands on the wall she was leaning against.
"You have no power over me..." she whimpered the lie obvious.
"Ah, you lie Sarah, if not then I would not be standing where I am, your defeat of me was nothing but a lie." he put his hand under her chin and forced her to look up at him, though her eyes were still very much closed "I still am in need of a prize, Sarah, for defeating you."
That got her eyes to snap open and she stared him directly in the eyes, "You can't take Toby!" she cried so very frightened for her baby brother now. "Please, I beg that you leave him alone!" her eyes were now tearing up, she couldn't go through that labyrinth again, and what's more, she couldn't say the right words, at the end if ever she reached the end, because it would be a lie, and one that would seal her brother's fate.
"No, Sarah, I will leave your brother where he sleeps, but you on the other hand..." he removed his hand from her chin and down to her chest, before he grabbed one of her breast and squeezed a squeel out of her.
"No!" she cried and tried to push him away but he was a stone statue to her, trapping her to the wall as he fondled her breast. It was terrible, this absolute helplessness was utterly terrible for her. Jareth had come back, after seven months, hours before her birthday no less, just to rape her. Rape her, then leave her alone in her room forever broken, this was to be his prize, or at least that was what she assumed.
Jareth was thinking on completely different lines, and his blood was draining into his lower region. It was strange, just the feel of her breast did that to him, and it shouldn't have, he had taken a wench just the night previously until he had become utterly exhausted. Right now he should be feeling less like taking her and more like smacking her for her insolance, but he didn't, he wanted her now.
"Sarah, you've done something unforgivable, do you understand this?" he whispered huskilly into her ear, controlling himself with all he had.
Sarah became very pale at the sound in his voice, very pale indeed, and frightened. She'd put up more a fight than this though, "W-who would have thought?" Sarah said trying to sound fascicious, "The m-mighty Goblin King, a sore loser?"
"Sarah," he said her name with some dark and frightening force behind it, causing her to shrink into herself visibly. "I did not lose that day, you merely lied. I did win, and have come to claim a prize." he took a step back, using all of his control in doing so. This taunt would work and he knew it. "If not you then perhaps I will take from you again your little brother? It was he whom I had origionally won, and my Goblin army is sorely lacking."
He went for the door, knowing he'd get no more than a step, and just as predicted. "No, wait." her voice sounded defeated and lower, telling him that she wasn't standing on her own any longer.
Jareth turned to face her, she was in fact on the floor, and she looked exhausted. 'Twas her own fault for that, he was going to take her eventually, why then had she resisted him in the dream? He had actually come so close to taking her in that dream, and had been so sure that he'd get to finish that it was utterly maddening and he had nearly pulled his hair out when she'd dissapeared. The nearest wench was the one to take his frustrations, and more since she was not Sarah she'd also been punished, just for not being her.
"Why should I do as you ask, Sarah?" Jareth said walking to the door again and just standing there. "I was so generous, more generous than any could have asked for, and yet in the end you denied me, and worse considered me a monster." he laughed then, a light-hearted sound but with dark thoughts hiding behind it. "I'm afraid that generousity is not something I'm well known for."
He turned on his heel to face her. "I give you two options, my last generous offer. Either you come with me, willingly come with me, or I could take your brother right now and have him be the goblin that cleans the toilets." he smirked at that, "Your choice Sarah, but I must warn you," he walked over to her and kneeled in front of her, "Your decision can never be revoked, it will be final."
Looking at him Sarah's heart stopped, he was very close to her, only an inch or two above her, staring down at her hard. There was no doubt about what he wanted, his mismatched eyes told that easilly enough. How she wished she had more time, time to convince herself not to do this, or think of a way out of it, but she couldn't. Toby was all that mattered and she couldn't let the Goblin King take away his life from him, he had so much more opportunity and as a human. He was only 2 years old, and she'd had 14 years more of life experience. "Alright Jareth," she said defeated and looking down, "I will go with you."
It felt like dying should have, releasing all of her cares, all of her worry and just accepting what was. Perhaps that is what she'd do, if she couldn't stand him there'd be no choice, her life was hers to live or to take, or at least, it had been. Jareth could do whatever he wanted now, and she knew it, had said as much. However he couldn't stop her from trying, if things got to that extreme.
Her fists were clenching and she hadn't even realized it, she was suddenly eager to do just that. She couldn't explain why, but she wanted to shatter her mirror then and there, take the shattered peices to both wrist, run them down her vein, and then across her throat. It hurt her, this feeling, hurt her deep inside her heart but she couldn't help it, she now wanted to do this, and doubted not she'd have the courage.
Jareth though, seemed to sense her dark thoughts and interrupted them. "Sarah," he said drawing her tear filled eyes to him. "Your very life belongs to me from this point forth, do not think to escape me through death, for when you do I will return for your brother, no matter his age, I will retrieve him in your place."
Sarah's eyes widened and her tears leaked from her face then, steady streams but no sobs, and her face would not grow red. She wished desperately to just cry out her pain, scream it to the world, her fear for her future, the knowledge of an inevitable rape, and now the fear for Toby, it hurt and burned in her chest begging for release she wouldn't though. Not in front of him... that monster of a person who called himself Jareth! She'd find a way to kill him, she'd murder him in the most unpleasant of ways.
This new train of thought gave her new hope, let him take her, destroy her body from the inside, it would only give her more strength when she killed him. It wasn't right she knew, but for seven long months she'd been harboring hatred, feeding it, allowing it to grow, and now he dared to come here, into her house, hurt her friend Hoggle for something she knew was beyond the creatures control. What's worse than that, he had threated her family, her little brother sleeping innocently in his bed unaware that his fate was hanging on a thin thread. Her heart burned with anger and her pulse increased.
Jareth didn't like this new look in her eyes. However the girl didn't yet know what was to be done with her when they returned. First off, he'd make her misserable, a slave to his slaves, but at night, every night next he'd have her in his bed, as a whore maybe it would seem, but she'd not leave when he was done with her body, she'd forever stay with him. After a while if she decided to be agreeable he'd let her take the place she should, at his side, the Lady of his castle. Of his Kingdom even. No, the Goblin City wasn't the only thing he had control of, it was just where he chose to stay, and what fables had made him the king of. No, all mythical creatures hidding in his world were under his command, and there were millions upon millions of them, faeries not included, they were more like bugs.
However he couldn't help but gaze over her body, he'd let her age a few more years, her extreme youth was inticing in its innocent appeal, but he would need her to be a full-fledged woman when she bore him children. (No his children won't be turned into Goblins.)
That brought a crooked and wicked smirk to his face, perhaps he wouldn't wait years for his first child. He could possibly give her that first child soon, very soon. Tonight though wouldn't be any of the such, tonight was special. "I'm glad you've chosen wisely, Sarah." He said coming to kneel in front of her, his hand on his chin as he studied her very angry visage. "For I've a surprise in store for you."
Sarah looked low on him and brought her still crying eyes back up to his. "No surprises there." she spat, fully believing he was going to take her. It wasn't true, not this night, which was why he had tried to sate his lusts the night previously. He had failed misserably and his current erection was proof of that.
"Ah, Sarah you think me a fiend?" She just continued to glare at him, her entire body tense and ready for a battle. "This is not so," he shook his head, "I would not rape you on your birthday, pet." he reached his leather gloved hand out and put some of her hair behind her ear, noting that she turned away from him rather violently, and was breathing heavy. "Tommorow perhaps, but not this night."
There was the sound of a car in the drive way and Jareth smirked. "Be quiet." He told her harshly, "I've magic to work."
WIth that he stood and moved his hand to lightly touch Sarah's mirror. Large cracks instandly appeared, all over her mirror, as though he had punched it, then it shattered all over her dresser. Sarah attempted to scream but he held a hand up in her direction and instantly she silence.
He waved his hand over the now broken glass and what looked like blood appeared on some peices, indicating that someone had in fact punched it. Though they both knew otherwise anyone else would believe it had been punched.
Then he waved the hand that was held in Sarah's direction over to her bed, and then she appeared, or at least her likeness appeared on the bed. It was her, sleeping soundly, or in appearance, though her body mimic wasn't breathing any onlooker would think she had just fallen asleep, on her back, feet together, head turned slightly to the left, arms out to either side like Jesus on the cross, only with an eiry smile plastered onto her face. It was a peaceful smile, yes, but it seemed haunted in a way that made Sarah's stomache turn slightly and uncomforatably.
"This is actually a woman from my palace," Jareth informed her not looking at her but rather at the body double. "She died just the other night, took her own life." he continued, he wouldn't tell her why, it was he who was to blame, she was his favorite wench, he took her frequently after casting a spell on her, to make her look like Sarah. He hadn't anticipated that she'd grow to love him, but what's done is done, and he felt no feelings for her, only for Sarah, it had hurt the wench, who's name he still didn't know. It had hurt her so bad she had slit her wrist with glass from her own mirror. Jareth hadn't cared, let her kill herself he'd need her body no more, though it had bothered him that instead of taking her he'd had to find another wench to cast his spell on the night prior to this little meeting.
Sarah watched with fearful eyes as Jareth bent down to retrieve a large peice of broken glass and walk over to the woman who had been dead long before then. He bent over her form and looked slightly pained as he grabbed one of her wrist and slit it cleanly.
Sarah drew in her breath sharply, watching as blood spilled from the woman's wrist. It felt like watching her own body go through that, and it scared her very much.
Blood started appearing all over, as though the cuts had been just freshly done, and had prints from where she may have grabbed onto something, slid onto her bed even, and on her clothes as though she'd moved the bleeding wrist over her body. That's when Jareth cut the other wrist with the same shard of glass. There was less blood from this cut, and he had gone over it only lightly, maybe trying to mimic what someone who'd lost most of their strength would do, then he depossited the glass on the floor next to her image's right hand, as though she'd dropped it after finally loosing all strength and dying.
Jareth stepped away then and looked as though he had been stabbed in his black heart, his expression was so grim. However she found that she held no sympathy for him, this woman had died, and he had simply taken her body from his palace to mutilate it further. But worst of all, she couldn't even feel truly angry either, she just felt sick, and too stunned even to move.
Jareth shook his head lightly. "Sarah, never again will I see this sight, you will not take your life, do you understand?" he asked her looking to her hard and cold. As he had made the cuts and cast the magic it had hurt him deeply, he hadn't seen the wench, though he continually tried to, no he saw Sarah there, lying helpless as he took her life. It had hurt him, and never again would he have to see his Sarah dead.
He waved his hands again and a letter appeared under the shatterd glass on her dresser, she could assume what it was, and couldn't bare to look at it.
She closed her eyes tightly and cowered further against the wall than she had previously thought possible. Until she felt him in front of her, he kneeled, she could sense his movement, fell the air shift and was only frightened more by it. Then he touched her chin and she opened her eyes, he was turning her face to his. "Tell me you understand this, Sarah, I will never allow you to do this, take your own life and I will find your spirit, even through death, and I will find a way to punish you, believe me in this, you can not escape me through death."
Sarah nodded her head frightened now for her very soul.
Jareth smirked slightly and leaned forward, slowly, being sure to blow his breath over her lips, she shivered noticably, having never been truly kissed by a man. Or not from what he had observed of her, and observing her he did very often.
Then he pressed his lips against hers, she moved her hands up to either side of her head but stilled, having known he would do just that, and much more sooner or later, he was hurting her emotionally yes, but this kiss, it was the first time a man had ever kissed her, and it sent a thrill through her body. Worse than, when he licked her lips, asking silently for permission she would not give him, and she knew that he wasn't blind to this, so she wasn't overly surprised when he bit her lip, causing her to gasp, effectively opening her mouth for him.
His tongue was dancing in her mouth, something she hadn't thought the Goblin King would ever do to her. Not only that but she didn't like how much she enjoyed it and in turn, decided to show her rebelion, sucking his tongue into her mouth further and biting it.
He pulled away quickly and smacked her across the face sharply. It hadn't been intended on his part, he had wanted to be more quiet, but luckilly there was no noise downstairs, apparently her parents had yet to enter the house. All well and good.
"Do not attempt that again, Sarah, it is most unwise." she only turned to glare at him, not at all stunned or upset about the slap. "Now we will leave, so your parents may find this little surprise on their own."
Dear Dad and Karen,
I know this may come as a shock to you, as I have seemed happier in the previous months, but alas, this isn't so. I love you both, so dearly I do, but I can' t take it anymore, its not fair, life that is. Not fair at all. Why should people feel pain? Why should I feel pain? Why are others living in expansive mansions while others struggle through grime daily? I hate it all, and I will not let this terribly unfair world inflict more pain on me. I hope you understand that this isn't a sudden decision, I decided to do this a long time ago, and over the past months I've only suceeded in convincing myself further. I need no more life, I need not grow, I need only find out what awaits behind the haze of death. You should think me lucky, for I will discover what truly happens after death before you. I'll await you, preserved in death for all eternity.
Good bye, and tell Toby I loved him, even if he was a pest.
Love, Sarah.
AN: I didn't origionally intend that this fic be so dark, but this is how my mind works, and don't worry things will be more light-hearted in the future, and Jareth won't be so mean.
Thank you if you bothered to read my author's notes.
