Chapter 1: What no one knew
The owl was watching from the window pane, its downy feathers soaked in the rain from the sudden storm he'd gotten caught in. He saw the dwarf, sitting on her bed, while she was in her closet, shuffling through her clothes. She was trying to find an outfit for the employee party. The publishing company she'd been working for was small, a town business some old man had started years ago. But it's creative and unique approaches on the works it chose to publish jumpstarted its fame and soon Faeire Books was taking over publishing names all over the states. Sarah Williams had applied for a job as an editor there, and with the help of a rather grammar loving Sir Dydimus her skills excelled and she was chosen for the job. But now, having seldom skills in choosing what was appropriate for an employee party, Sarah was resorting to Hoggle and an over-eager Goblin King for clothing advice.
The King however had been banished to owl form outside the window, after having been a bit grumpy with Hoggle. The initial invitation to Sarah's apartment had gone like this:
"Hoggle! I need you!" Sarah had been standing at her full length mirror, little pale blue robe covering her semi-naked body.
"Yes?" Hoggle didn't hesitate to step through the glass but turned a little rosy at the sight of his rather beautiful human friend in such a flimsy garment.
"I need to pick an outfit for a party." Hoggle immediately groaned. When Sarah couldn't choose what to wear, it was a given that all plans for the night needed to be put on hold because she was as picky with her wardrobe as she was clueless. He sulked and took a seat on her bed. After a few minutes of outfits and moans, Hoggle noticed the pile of letters on the floor near the head of her bed.
"Still writing to the snake?" He said glumly.
Sarah didn't hesitate. "Of course, but it's all very formal, usually he just tells me what those ridiculous goblins are up to."
"Only need one word fer that," Hoggle said. "Mischief."
Sarah turned away so he wouldn't see the little blush and the subtle smile. As much as she knew it annoyed him, she enjoyed writing to the goblin king. She first received a letter the night after her trek in Underground. In it there was little anger or regret for anything he'd done to her, but there was great humor, and a kindness she hadn't recognized when they'd both been playing their roles. In the letter he'd also taken time to introduce himself, though she knew his name, he felt it 'most irregular for two with a troubled but healing friendship to not be on first name terms' as were his words exactly. At fifteen she'd been furious with the letter and in her response she vented out her anger toward him, while at the same time, subtly thanking him for the chance to see the world she'd only ever been able to dream of.
It took a few more letters for her to apologize for anything negative that had passed between them, and even more still for him to break his prideful ego and apologize for bombarding her once she'd reached his castle with so many choices. In the end, they proved very pleasant pen pals, and neither of them wanted to end the fun.
Until that night though, maybe seven years after they'd last seen each other in person, Sarah bulked up the courage to go to her mirror, even with a wary Hoggle complaining on her bed, and smile.
"Goblin King, I need you."
His image appeared in the mirror. To Sarah's blushing delight, he hadn't changed in the least. He looked her up and down and for a moment seemed pleased at her twenty-two year old body. Then of course he had to comment on her robe.
"Well, precious if you need me, would you at least need me clothed? Though I honestly adore the robe."
Sarah rolled her green eyes and explained the situation. Jareth nodded then stepped through the frame and out into her tiny bedroom. Sarah had thought the room was small enough, but with the mountainous presence of the Goblin King the room just couldn't seem able to hold all of them. He moved to her closet and smirked. Then turned to Sarah then back to the closet, then back to Sarah. This time his eyes stayed on her for maybe too long and a grumpy Hoggle sneered at the King.
"It's not her you need to be looking at." He mumbled.
The King spun around and shot Hoggle such a cross glance that made Sarah nervous enough to feel the need to separate them. So she pointed to the window and said firmly. "Jareth, owl form, outside now."
If it hadn't been for how her outstretched arm dragged her robe half off of her breast, exposing some of the lace of her bra and cleavage, Jareth may never have obliged to his precious's command.
So there the three were, the men in the room happily, even if hiding their secret bliss, assisting their little girl. Some where along the way, when it was getting very late Sarah was as ready to give up as she'd once secretly been prepared to meet failure in the oubliette.
The very melancholy owl tapped the window, and knowing there would be no end, she opened it up and let him in again.
Jareth turned back to his original form and crossed his arms. Sarah smiled gently and walked up to stand in front of him. Water dripped down his face, hints of annoyance in his miss-matched eyes. She parted his wet bangs out of his face and used the back of her hand to gently wipe some of the chilly rain drops from around his eyes. Jareth couldn't help but smile at her simple childish philosophy of put a band-aid on and it makes it all better. He took her hand, the grip strong enough to startle her. But with his spare hand he formed a small crystal, with hints of blue and violet in the shine and he placed it in her tiny hand. The orb melted in her palm, and the colors slithered up her arm and under her robe.
Then the silky blue material dropped to the floor, with the help of Jareth tugging it off of her, and in its place there was a beautiful violet-silver dress. It was sleeveless with thin straps, and it reached to almost her knees. She smiled to Jareth and thanked him.
In answer to her smiles, he took her hand and twirled her around slightly. Then with a gentle tug he folded his arms around her waist and leaned her back into a dip. It was no exactly the kind of sideways dip humans were accustomed to; their hips touched, and even their thighs. It was the lower half of their bodies that touched and Sarah was bent backward, the endless waterfall of her dark hair dusting the floor. With Jareth holding her, she didn't feel the ache of leaning back and he swept her back up into his arms.
Hoggle watched with wide wondering eyes, for he had never seen the Goblin King look so strangely happy, so genuinely glad. Only when he held Sarah was the Goblin King this at peace. Soon Sarah had to leave and she kissed Hoggle's cheek.
"Well now," Jareth said. "Don't I get a kiss for helping you?"
Sarah hesitated then decided truth was better then anything else. "I was actually hoping you would come with me…But you wouldn't enjoy a mortal party…" Her words faded off then she shook her head and said not to worry about it.
But before she could regret her words, she leaned up on her toes and kissed his velvet soft cheek. "Bye."
What a precious child. He smiled and raised a gloved hand to his cheek where the blood had rushed to the moment her little lips touched it. Well not such a child anymore.
Hoggle was stiff as a board, unmoving even as Sarah waved goodbye from the car and drove down the city street. Jareth glared down at Hoggle, trying as he could to not seem smug.
"Well, Higgle, it seems I am one of her friends now," He said.
Hoggle mumbled angrily.
"What was that?" Jareth said darkly. And Hoggle for once felt confident enough to answer him with all real honesty. His trust in Sarah's anger if anything Bog-related or otherwise happened to him led him to believe he could say what he wanted to the king. Jareth was, as much as he scorned it, indeed under Sarah's power. Wrapped around her pretty little finger, Hoggle thought, having heard Sarah say the line before.
"I was just saying, your majesty, that it seems you have lied to gain the friendship of the only person who can beat you." He said, even if the words came out a bit confused. "And it's Hoggle."
Jareth seemed to be somehow thrown inwards at his words, into his own Goblin-monarch mind. By the pensive look in his eyes it seemed to the dwarf the king was considering his words.
When he spoke, Hoggle was shocked by the soft almost loving tone the arrogant Fae used. "I would not lie to her; she's too precious to lie to. She would know," Here he laughed gently. "She would most certainly be able to tell if I were to tell one fabrication." He looked directly into the dwarf's eyes and said. "I can promise you Hoggle, that I have never lied, nor will I in any circumstance to Sarah."
Hoggle gasped quietly, from either the shock of Jareth's honesty, or the fact the king called him by the correct name.
"How could I?" Jareth smiled with his pointy teeth on display. "When she is the woman I love?"
Hoggle showed no change in expression, and then to Jareth's embarrassment, a slow smile crossed over his face. He raised a wrinkled hand to cover his face, but he couldn't hold back the spasms of laughter.
Jareth groaned inwardly. "I had hoped to keep confidence with you, though I am sure Sarah has some vague idea of my true feelings."
He turned and walked to her bedroom. Hoggle followed, giggling in only the way a dwarf could, gasping howls that Jareth found worth the complaint to Precious later, he slapped the dwarf gently on the cheek.
Ignoring his complaints, Jareth began to mull about her little room, opening drawers in her desk and even opening and closing her books 'til he found every letter he'd sent to her in the seven years of their odd friendship. He packed them into a very fat pile. Then he produced a crystal with the twirl of gloved fingers. The crystal melted into neat stack of letters, the paper was blue, an exact match to Sarah's stationary. He handed both piles of papers to Hoggle and said, "Follow the dates from beginning to end; you'll see what is true and what is love." He wandered off, leaving Hoggle with no choice but to read the letters. He leafed through the first very quickly for they were shorter, less feeling, more privy to a set of index cards full of complaints from both of them.
Then, almost suddenly Sarah wrote a letter that spanned the entire length of the page. And it was a very strange letter, where she spoke of a moment that had forever perplexed her while she was in the Labyrinth. He read quietly.
Your Majesty,
Today, my stepmother Karen set out a plate of freshly cut peaches for Toby and me. I am ashamed to admit that a little part of me wished for that ball in the bubble to return again once I ate a slice of peach. The events of the Labyrinth still haunt me, certain moments I cannot overcome. I would've never accepted defeat back then, but now that I am seventeen and high school is drawing to an abrupt close, I find myself thrown into my dreams again. And a part of me greatly wants to go back and knock myself in the head a few times 'til I am able to convince myself to find a way to stay there. But the stronger part of me keeps me here, where I was born and raised. Sarah Williams, Lady of the Labyrinth, a prisoner in the land of reality. What a pity.
Hoggle stopped reading then skipped the rest of her letter to Jareth's response.
Sarah Precious,
My world and your world are not far apart, your friends are there to visit you and if you truly desire it Ican be there for you as well. You may visit your beloved Labyrinth any time you want. Or even the castle if you would ever enjoy a visit. I know the goblins would enjoy teasing you as they did when you were young. And I of course would enjoy seeing you.
Hoggle stopped there and felt himself growing vaguely sick. The damnable king was right, he loved Sarah. He wouldn't waste such genuine words or so much of his beloved parchments on any mortal. Hoggle found himself rather inclined to keep the secret Sarah entrusted him with many years ago, though he knew it would do the king great joy to tell him, he felt it better to let Sarah admit in her own time her deep feelings for the king.
When he abandoned the letters to find the king, he discovered Jareth with his royal arsh planted on her living room couch, experimenting with the television remote. He seemed to understand how to turn the device on and off, but the Menu key and channel selection seemed to draw only frustrated confusion and a stream of Fae swears.
Then all at once a loud crash drew their attention from the shiny flashing box to the door. An older man came through the door, dragging with him a very ferocious looking eight year old. Jareth recognized Toby immediately, but Hoggle was terribly confused.
"Sarah!" The man hollered, then froze when he caught sight of Hoggle and Jareth. As an adult Sarah's father would be blinded from their true appearances by Jareth's all powerful glamour, so instead of seeing a king in tight pants and a dwarf with a nose the size of his son's head, he saw a blonde well dressed man with rather insane hair that refused to stay bound back in a band, and a short, round man with grey hair. "Who may I ask are you and why are you in my daughter's apartment?"
Before Hoggle could even grunt in anxiety Jareth calmly said, "I am Jareth King, Sarah's pen pal of seven years?"
Mr. William's mouth formed a very round 'o' and then he regarded Hoggle with questioning eyes.
"And this is Mr. Hogan, my uncle," Jareth said and rose from his seat on the couch. "We arrived a few hours ago to visit your daughter. We are on our way to Bedford for a family reunion. We were planning to stay the night here and leave tomorrow morning."
"Where is my daughter?" Sarah's father asked. He'd somewhat smashed Toby behind him so the child wouldn't move to greet the strangers.
"Sarah had to step out for a moment; she needed to pick up some milk from…" In despair Jareth struggled to remember the mortal equivalent for the word market. Though Sarah had explained in one of her letters how many words from the Fae coincided with the words of mortals he wanted to be sure to use the correct words.
"The store." Hoggle finished for him and smiled a toothy grin to Mr. Williams.
The old man seemed satisfied, so he insisted they stay as long as they needed to and that Sarah was a very kind hostess. Jareth happily agreed to this and soon goodbyes were being thrown around and Mr. Williams and Toby left.
Ever befuddled by the television the two of them sat without arguing waiting for Sarah. By the time an hour had passed both had memorized the tunes to Sesame Street, four sitcoms and the yoyo commercial. It was a satisfyingly educational evening for the both of them.
When Sarah reached the party and had settled into a good rhythm of small talk with her co-workers she felt the hum of her mobile phone in her purse. It was her father.
"Sarah, I was just at your apartment, there were two men there. You hadn't told us you met your pen pal," He said before she could even greet him.
A rush of horror drew Sarah's voice from her and she was unable to say anything for a moment. Then some of her past acting skills kicked in. "Oh, Jareth, yes, he is staying at my place." She prayed this was the lie the king had told.
"Yes, he has family in Bedford he is visiting. Maybe you could convince him to stay for a day or so longer?" Her father wanted to meet him that much she could tell, but a little spring of jealousy bloomed in her. She wanted Jareth all to herself, why share what was hers alone?
Blushing at the horrid selfish thoughts, she cleared her throat and said "I'm sure I could convince him to stay for much longer then a day." A little part in her warmed at the thought.
"Well that's great, his uncle too I suppose." He said a quick goodbye and hung up the phone.
Uncle? Sarah snorted at the thought of Uncle Hoggle. She decided to leave the party early with as much grace as she could manage. While leaving she did not notice the pair of copper-red eyes watching her from among the crowd of co-workers. She did not notice these eyes in the shadows in the parking lot, nor as they spied on her as she left her car parked in the street and walked up the path to her home. But all the way she felt their strong gaze on her; however she had felt these odd sensations since…before she could remember. Before the Labyrinth she never had any proof that such things existed, knowing now that they were true, her cautious ways were stronger in the sense she almost always had a little pocket knife in her purse or on her person.
The strange lifetime of Fae stalkers were the only things she kept from Hoggle, Ludo, Dydimus and most certainly Jareth. She knew that if he cared for her as a good friend would then his violent protective nature over what was his would surely persuade him to locking her up. Not that she was his or wanted to be. Maybe.
When she stepped into the house she found Hoggle standing there waiting for her, a sly grin on his face.
"Sarah!" He smiled. "This television is fantastic!"
"Glad you approve," She smiled and dropped her purse to the ground and abandoned her shoes for a pair of green frog slippers.
When she entered the living room she was met with a cocky looking Jareth who grinned darkly and said. "Hello, cookie monster."
Sarah snorted and regarded the T.V. with a critical eye. "Watching PBS Kids? Very good little dear, now does anyone want something to eat?"
Hoggle followed her into the kitchen but Jareth being the monarch that he was remained with his royal ass in the dip of the couch cushion.
"Peaches?" She called and glanced through the hall to where she could see Jareth. His eyes had an odd glow about them, darker then she remembered ever seeing them, with an open knowing hunger. Against all her courage he showed his strangest most frightening look, and she felt herself falter, internally and externally and she dropped the drupe she'd been holding to the floor.
Jareth had felt something he had been containing break free then, a dark thing, a starved lonely creature he had worked for seven years to control so when she asked for him he could be the best for her. And now at her reminder of his dark conniving ways his lusty dark love had sprung free, swallowing whole his childish yearnings for her. After that it was all destruction for him, a battle he was losing. The sight of her made it all the more difficult to control. In his mind were words and praises, begging's and implorations. He would do anything for her, grovel, sing, dance, clean, give her his kingdom and all he had to offer. He wanted to throw himself at her feet and beg for the one chance to hold her in his arms for just a moment. He would do anything to hold her forever. To kiss her…the ecstasy of even that would probably kill him. And anything deeper…sexual even with his Sarah would kill him twice over. Just the thought of her warm body lying next to his was enough to draw a filmy cloud of blind joy over his eyes.
"You Highness, are you alright?" His eyes did not deceive him. His lovely precious was leaning over him, her green eyes wary and oh so sweetly cruel. He'd watched those eyes cry, maybe hundreds of times. But he'd seen those eyes shine, one time in particular when they had blazed like twin stars. The Ballroom had been their moment of first romance, as he liked to recall it. Though he'd been foolish and she had been so young, her eyes had never looked so alive.
"Yes, precious," The endearment made her eyes tighten ever so slightly. "Just dizzy with hunger." Maybe the truest truth he had ever spoken his entire life. He was hungry, but it was not for the fruit she had cut for the dwarf and him. He was hungry for the love and the eternity he was hoping to receive and share with Sarah.
Sarah was stumped. There were no spare bedrooms in her tiny apartment. Only her room with the single bed, the couch and a thirty year old recliner her father had given her. Hoggle oddly couldn't fit on the chair, and it best suited him to camp out on the couch. Jareth was quiet for most of the evening and when the time for bed came around, he volunteered to take the floor, a gesture Sarah found a great deal suspicious. She however made no comment on his sudden humble offer and excused herself from the men to go and take a quick shower and tend to her other mortal needs.
A while later, wearing a very large T-shirt as a nightgown and sagging shorts that barely fit her hips Sarah rejoined her friends to find them already set up for the night. Jareth had snuck into her room in search of some sort of bedding and found a fat quilted blanket that served for his cot. He said he needed no blanket, and Sarah couldn't blame him. Even with the AC her apartment was like a broiling oven at night.
"You aren't going to sleep in your…" She stopped as the King stripped down to nothing but his tight breeches. He even to Sarah's faint delight removed his gloves. Something in her glowed at the sight of his hands, and left her smiling as she said goodnight to each of them and scurried off to her room.
She sat at her mirror, equipped with a brush to comb out the invisible tangles of her long dark hair. Though she was trying very hard not to, her thoughts were a constant drift to Jareth. Try as she might everything reminded her of him. Come on Sarah, there has to be something that won't make you think of him. Turkey…he would like the taste. Elephants…he would love them for their mass and probably squish misbehaving goblins with them.
"Cupcakes!" She said aloud. Nothing about cupcakes reminded her of him.
"Cupcakes?" His voice sounded behind her.
Her hand turned to syrup and she dropped the brush to the vanity table and turned to the King.
"Ever heard of knocking?" She said angrily and turned away from him. Sadly she forgot she was in front of her little mirror and she could see him plain as day, shirtless, beautiful goblin king. "Damn." She whispered softly then picked up her brush. In her temporary fury she began to violently brush out her hair, but her force resulted in an aching skull and a smirk from Jareth.
"Not like you could do better," She huffed and crossed her arms and sealed her eyes shut in proud scorn.
Then suddenly she felt soft hands, no gloves running through her hair. The brush was tugged out of her hand and she opened her eyes to see Jareth standing behind her, smiling gently as he brushed her hair.
He loved the feeling of her soft long hair. And though he longed to bury his nose in it, to smell Sarah in the mix of her shampoo and sweat, he refrained and remained only brushing and tangling her hair in his fingers. A little sigh escaped her, and the sound thrilled him. It was all too perfect, too sweet. Then Sarah did something he would never forget. She leaned back into him, her head below his heart and breathed deep. Her breath from her nose blew across his stomach, sending hot chills through him.
She then pulled herself back up and smiled. "Thank you." She took a strand of hair and brushed his nose with it.
He laughed, against himself. She did too, but it was a sleepy laugh ad she stretched like a cat. "I'm gonna go to bed now," She said. "If you can't sleep, you're free to watch television or read some books."
She pulled back to covers of her bed and laid down, taking only the sheet to cover herself with. Jareth hesitated, he didn't want to leave, and it felt too right to be here with her. Though it could be righter if he was in the bed with her. But precious wanted him to go and sleep, so he turned to the door.
"Wait!" She called. "Jareth!"
Never before had he heard her use his name. His real name. An explosion of undeniable joy ran through him and he almost felt like dancing. He turned around to look at her. She was leaning up in bed, one arm outstretched for him.
"Could you tell me a story?" She gave him a lopsided smile.
He smiled and walked to sit on her chair by the vanity. She tucked the sheet under her chin and waited her emerald eyes shiny.
"Once upon a time there was a beautiful young girl whose step-mother always made her stay home with the baby," He said and grinned, his pointy teeth on display. "And the baby was a spoiled child and wanted everything for himself and the young girl was practically a slave." The next line was a frightening one. It summed up everything he felt for her and what he had done. No one knew, no one, but her. "But what no one knew was that the king of the goblins had fallen in love with the girl, and he had given her certain powers." He stopped there to see her reaction. But Sarah's eyes gave no emotion; they were misty, lost and very far away. She blinked.
"Is that true?" She asked quietly.
He didn't know what to say. So he just gave a little nod and looked at the ground. To Sarah it was very unlike Jareth to be shy, but she understood how shy anyone would be when admitting true feelings. She smiled, and reached from her bed toward him.
He saw her invitation and kneeled beside her bed and took her hand in his. "Sarah." He said her name like a prayer and buried his face in her splayed hair. She used her spare hand to cup his chin and move his face up so they were at the same level.
She stared into his mismatched eyes; in them she could see so much, wisdom, love, even arrogance and darkness. But that was why she loved him, because he was a perfect twisted combination of all things simple and complex. She moved back 'til her back hit the wall, leaving just enough room for him to climb in beside her.
Their foreheads touched, their arms tangled around each other. They didn't need to speak, so they just let themselves fall asleep in each other's arms. Sarah had never felt more at home before, Jareth had never felt so close to death from too much bliss.