So I took a look back at this and figured I could do better so here it is! Please review and enjoy.
Disclaimer: No, I don't own Labyrinth, but I won't stop wishing
It was inarticulately beautiful. The ballroom seemed to be a series of platforms where, while the dancers danced in their circular motions, they moved gracefully up and down the small flights of stairs. In one corner of the room there stood a tall, gilt, golden grandfather clock with thirteen hours painted on its face. The revelers waltzed; all adorned in satirical, nearly Venetian half-masks representing demons, goblins, and fair folk of the like. Only one partygoer stood out from the crowd; a younger female with the beauty of a princess, though she herself was not one.
Her name was Sarah, Sarah Williams. She couldn't remember how or when she got here, or how she'd come to be adorned in the elegant gown and jewelry she now donned. A virginal white gown, almost silvery when light shown on it, with puffed sleeves resting just under the curve of her shoulder, a curve-hugging embroidered bodice, and a most voluminous skirt; unlike any she'd read about in her younger years. Her dark-brown, almost ebony locks were a mass of curls; pinned back from her face on either side with silvery white hair pins, made to look like leafed branches. Her jewelry was also exquisite; drop earrings and necklace which all seemed to be crafted of the finest diamonds she'd never had the pleasure of seeing firsthand. She looked, wide-eyed, at the scene around her. She had never felt so out of place before, yet she wanted nothing more than to stay here, forever if possible. It was such a pity she was too naïve to fully comprehend what she was in the midst of. For though it was an enchanting scene full of beauty and wonder there was the faint strain of something dark, and slightly more sinister then she knew of at the time. But of course, what could one expect a fourteen year old to know about such things as the concepts of sensuality and lust? She was too wholly innocent to realize that this party embraced those ideals. And the guests reveled in this unabashed chance to let their hidden wishes free and revel in their own corruption. Instead, Sarah looked on with wide, innocent eyes to everything. Those jade, jaded, and often times cruel eyes unaware and oblivious to the true nature her fantasy had been twisted into.
All of a sudden, Sarah had this compulsion to look for something. What it was exactly; she hadn't the faintest idea until her eyes by chance landed on it, or rather, him; as the case may be. He lowered the mask which had hidden his face, the most unusually beautiful face she had ever seen in her young life, and stared straight at her. A couple whirled by and he was gone. And Sarah was left with the strangest desire to seek him out again.
Round and round she turned as she walked, hoping to catch a mere glimpse of him once more. Several times she passed by him completely, though his eyes never left her figure; even as he vanished and reappeared throughout the expansive hall. When she finally caught sight of him once more he was being fawned over by two beautiful ladies, more… well-endowed than she. Still, he left despite those facts; and he offered his hand to hers. Unable to do anything but stare up into his eyes, mouth slightly agape and drawn the tiniest bit, she took his hand.
As they began to dance her expression remained slightly unchanged. Her eyes reminded him of a doe's eyes, which in turn reminded him of something he'd seen when flying over what had once been forest; many, many years before her birth.
It was no secret that he was not human, as evidenced by his abilities and slightly abnormal looks. But he was Fae, and one of their more; forthcoming characteristics were the gifts of immortal youth and near immortality. The only exception being fallen by the sword; literally in such case as that weapon was made of iron; a substance better known as poison to his kind. But getting back to the point; he had been flying overhead in his owl form when her came across a strange light in the dense foliage. Curious, he flew down to get e better look; it was only natural as these were still colonial times that something about that light was out of place in the darkness. He came upon a group of settlers cornering a deer. It didn't concern him much, as he sensed that it was a normal deer and not one of his own kind who'd escaped to the mortal world, as he often did, in a bid for a small amount of freedom.
He watched with unblinking eyes as the settlers shone the light from their torch into the animal's eyes. They grew wide, the deer grew still; watching the flames dance and lick at the wood in the human's hand. Mesmerized, hypnotized, or any words of the like would perfectly describe the look on the animal's face. So distracted was it, that it didn't even notice, didn't even register what was happening around it until it was too late. The musket fired, and the deer fell. He later learned that the humans called it "shining"; a technique they used to catch elusive yet stupid prey for their meals in the dark of the night.
Looking into the young mortal's face as she danced with him reminded of that deer he'd seen. Though his face remained passive, his mask of indifference securely in place, underneath it all he was smirking. It was quite obvious, she was "shined". Soon all the revelers outside of the pair stopped their merrymaking to watch the king dance with this girl. They could see in his eyes what she could not, and they reveled in it. They believed he intended to sate his wants; his desires with this mortal, and that it would be altogether too easy. The crowd jeered and laughed, and it was this cacophony of sounds which awoke Sarah from her trance. Though he held her tighter than he had while they danced (the fact of which had been a little too tight and intimate for a fourteen year old girl) she still managed to break away. She looked at the clock, it was twelve, and he'd only given her thirteen hours to solve the maze; eleven if you counted the fact that he'd taken two as punishment for calling his Labyrinth "a piece of cake". Tearing away she did not see the slightly pained and disappointed look on his face as the crowd surged around him and after her. Neither noticed two other figures that'd forgone dancing the entire time and simply looked on with interest at the Goblin King and this wisher, this girl who captured his rapt attention from before they had met personally.
One dressed in strapless floor-length gown, ebony in color and woven in with jewels to be reminiscent of the night sky paired with long silver gloves nearly the color of the moon; black cuff bracelets on each wrist carrying a black Chinese fan with small holes in it to create the same effect covered her face, and she was silently giggling at the sight from behind it. Her skin was nearly pale as the moon itself, her half-mask made of beads, lace and brocade; all ebony in color and lining her sapphire eyes. Her hair was very unique, a blue coloring the same as a midnight sky which deepened to a black the shade of a moonless night three-quarters of its length and to the ends. It was pulled up and fluffed around the scalp, before coming into an elegant curled ponytail over one of her slender shoulders.
Her companion, by comparison, was quite a contrast. Though she too possessed the same pale skin that was where their similarities ended. This girl had long platinum locks, curled at the ends but otherwise falling loosely around her bared shoulders. She wore a golden mask to cover her face; though her ruby eyes shone out distractingly. She was clad in a strapless gown that started out golden at the top, but as it progressed to the floor slowly melted coloring into orange and finally red at the skirt's hem. She wore gloves reminiscent of the melted sunrise and stood with her hands crossed under her chest shaking her head slightly at the scene. Both females were watching the King and his quarry with mild amusement before disappearing in a shower of sparkles as Sarah burst the glass of the crystal and was pulled into reality.
The Goblin King looked at the waking girl in frustration through another of his crystals. He nearly threw it into the wall just to have something satisfying to him when he heard it. Now, his subjects were keen of hearing but oblivious; or maybe it was something else. He didn't have time to contemplate, the giggle was as much a summon for him as a wisher saying their "right words", only if he did not answer this particular summon, there would definitely be retribution handed to him. Hurriedly he stood from his throne and took off as fast as he could while still behaving in a king-like manner; he did not worry about the babe, his subjects knew that if any harm were to befall it in his absence they would be tipped head first into the bog so fast their tiny little heads would spin.
Corridor after corridor, door after door: he traveled until he at last reached the room he needed, the library and his personal study. Opening the door he gave himself a moment to let his eyes adjust. As this was where they normally liked to speak with him it was the only room kept devoid of any light save for a roaring fire that was always going, even in the summer months. There was no one there, not that he could see anyways, and he sighed.
"You called me, so show yourselves or else I'll take my leave." He told the empty room.
There was the giggling from before, and the flames from the fire seemed to leap from the hearth and settle into a leather chair. He waited a few more minutes before a pale light came from a nonexistent crack in the ceiling and settled on the couch on the opposite side.
The flames burned a few minutes longer before vanishing to reveal the golden haired girl from before, changed out of her party clothes and into a similarly colored sun dress, complete with color matching gloves of the same length as her and her companion's party dresses. And the moonbeams swirled to reveal her companion; in a midnight blue dress with star like gems embedded into the fabric of the dress which was more like a nightgown than a real dress, paired again with long gloves matching the color of her clothing. Her bluish-black hair let somewhat loose; the two front sections hanging in her face while the rest was pulled back into a high ponytail as she lay stretched languidly on the leather loveseat like it was some kind of chaise lounge. Both were bare-footed and the fabric of the dresses may as well have been liquid with the way the rolled and moved over their skin. But now that their faces were uncovered one could see the similar Fae markings upon their own eyes; the sapphire-eyed's's in midnight blue and white, with a white crescent moon in the middle of her forehead, and the ruby-eyed's in golden yellow and white.
"I thought a king was better mannered than that" Said the golden one, narrowing her eyes at him slightly.
"Mhm," the other agreed. "you should know better than to talk to us like that. And all we want to do is help." She gave a fake pout before smirking in amusement.
The Goblin king wanted nothing more than to bog those two, but there was one cardinal rule of the Underground that everyone had to follow. Respect thyne elders. And though the two girls looked no older than Sarah herself at sixteen, they were really older than him by a couple hundred years. They were special, the first children to be wished away. No one knew the names their parents had given them, only that they were the first to be wished away; and the parents never wanted them back. No one knew where they came from; but they assumed they had been Greek at some point since their features had become so purely Fae it had made their land of origin impossible to figure out. And their given names were Greek, so that's what everyone assumed.
The one in the darker clothes was named for the Greek goddess of the moon, based on her looks and the fact that she rose with the moon. Selene, but she preferred to be called Luna. The golden one called Eos, preferring the name Helia since it was more relevant to the Greek sun god Helios; was her twin sister and polar opposite, the one who rose with the sun.
Luna was very cheerful, often giggling and not at all like a being of the moon and the night sky should be; but she could also be cynical, sarcastic, coldly detached, and very sly. She was also surprisingly short tempered when it came to serious things. A story he had heard when he was a teen himself was that once, before his birth; Luna had been deeply disrespected by a noble's conduct and manners towards her. She got so mad that the entire Underground had been plunged into complete and utter darkness; no moon, no stars, not even torch or candlelight for the longest time. It was only at Helia's request that Luna simmered down enough and accepted the noble's forced, yet frightened apology, thus allowing light back to the land.
Helia, by contrast, wasn't a very warm person. She was cynical more often than not, pessimistic, and very rule-oriented. She and Luna often fought about decisions he made about wishers running his Labyrinth; the latter often defending his rule breaking and antagonizing Helia at the same time. Luna said he had every right to make sure those who didn't deserve it didn't win, but Helia argued he used different methods to get the wishers off track. He seemed to be their favorite plaything in the whole of the Underground, as they rarely left his side even when he couldn't sense them there. Then again, their magic was more primitively primal than his own: given by the sun and moon, whom no being; magic or otherwise, could feel unless they chose to reveal themselves. The two sisters argued about everything when it came to him, and though he was loathe to admit it; they were probably the best, well only friends he'd ever had.
When he had been little, they had changed to children and played with him, showed him how to use his magic and conjure crystals. When he'd reached adulthood and the time to stop aging they returned to their true forms as well. Since they were the complete opposites and a special kind of Fae, they had stopped aging as teenagers; though they could turn into women if the situation called for it. He sighed again.
"What is it you called me for?" he asked them.
"We thought you might want to know what we thought about what happened back there." Luna supplied.
"Yes, you might have just initiated your downfall." Helia added.
"What do you mean?" the Goblin King asked. It was not often he listened to others for advice, but the two were stuck as perpetual teenagers; they might be able to shed some light on why Sarah was able to break free of the trance.
"Well, to start with; you might want to start censoring who you allow into other people's fantasies." Helia began.
Luna nodded. "You really think filling the ballroom with Fae, creatures whose most prominent characteristic is sensuality, in a fifteen year old's fantasy was really such a good idea?" she asked.
"They were civilized enough." He countered.
Helia scoffed. "Clearly you are going blind in your old age." She snorted.
Luna giggled. "I must agree. That wasn't a fantasy ball for a mere child Jarey, that was a masquerade harem with a Venetian theme!" did he forget to mention that Luna was also about as blunt as they came when something needed to be said? She fell into hysterics at her own surmising of the situation and Helia allowed herself a small smile and nod of concurrence.
"Luna's right Jare, those people were only there to have a good time. True, the girl wanted to feel like a princess, an adult really. But that was too grown up. The petite thing's not even of a lady's age yet." Helia added.
Jare and Jarey. Both nicknames and shortened, slightly butchered versions of his given; Jareth. If it were anyone else, they would have been bogged for such disrespect to him, but these girls were older than him, and he was pretty old. Born just before Shakespeare's time, he had grown up hearing the playwright's knack for storytelling even if it was somewhat misguided about the fair folk. But those twins were two of the few smart enough not to get so caught up in all those mortal affairs and get themselves killed on the battlefield. Because of that, it was rare to find someone older than him shy the twins and his parents; who lived and ruled over a different plane of existence entirely. Still, they had called him that since day one, and since it was only those two who called him that he didn't mind it so much.
"And your point is?" he asked them. "The whole goal of that was to distract the girl and it worked; now she's got even less time to finish my Labyrinth."
"Jareth!" Luna admonished, jumping up from the arm of the couch and into the air where she suspended and settled and herself into the Injun style position. Now he knew he was in for it, Luna only used his given name when she was upset with him. "You forget that we were there? Even from a distance I could tell that what you were doing wasn't simply a distraction technique. If it was, you've had plenty of female runners before; why haven't you used that on any of them?"
"Besides," Helia added. "you wondered why everyone was staring? They saw what you thought you kept hidden and what the girl-child was too naïve to understand. Not only that, I'm guess she doesn't really like being the center of attention with the way she freaked out when you were about to kiss her."
"You were about to kiss her, weren't you?" Luna chimed in.
Jareth crossed his arms and looked away. He couldn't well admit they were right on all accounts; it just wasn't in his kingly nature. But he couldn't deny it either, Luna and Helia sparred so often that anyone else arguing with either of them would make the progress of repetitively bashing one's skull into one the Labyrinth's stone walls; in other words, there wasn't any progress besides the mother of all migraines for the poor sap going against it. So he settled for letting his gloved hands clench tightly into fists, digging so tightly into his palms that if he hadn't been wearing the protective leather his nails would have drawn blood from them.
"There was no sense to." He replied, artfully avoiding the question. "They weren't getting far enough to need my intervention. Most of them didn't even make it past the first wall."
"But there were some who did." Helia countered. "And they got as far as the junkyard without eating some piece of enchanted fruit."
"True," Luna conceded. "so why the interest in this one? Could it be that that line in the book is true?" she said, shooting her sister a sidelong glance as she did so.
"Is that all you came for? To add to my already extensive list of annoyances?" the Goblin King asked the two.
Luna giggled once more. "Looks like we hit a sore spot sis." She taunted. "Jarey's avoiding our questions, he must really like her!"
Helia nodded her agreement. "But what are you going to do when she wins?" she asked turning to Jareth.
"You mean if she wins." Jareth corrected. Neither of the twins replied. "You think she's going to win?" he asked in reply, cocking a brow inquisitively.
Helia shook her head. "No, we don't think she's going to win." She replied.
"We know." Luna finished, peering down at the monarch from her spot in the air. "She's got the spark. I think you should keep her." She thought aloud.
Helia glared at the oblivious Luna, "Ignore that last part. You know you couldn't keep her no matter how much you care for her."
At this statement, Luna snapped back to reality; well as much of the reality the Underground was. "Whaddya mean by that? I think if he does love her she should stay down here with him forever."
"But she doesn't love him, or if she does she doesn't realize it yet." Helia replied. "Besides, if she has figured it out, which I seriously doubt she has, she probably wouldn't know if it was true love or the star struck kind of love; you know, the one that fades after time." She turned to Jareth. "You can't keep the girl. Offer her your heart and love; yes, vow to give her her dreams; yes. But the decision has to be hers and hers alone."
"But! But!" Luna protested, even rising on her knees with each word. Then something seemed to dawn on her and she sank back down to her original position. "But I really don't have the grounds to fight this one, do I?" she asked rhetorically with a defeated sigh. Helia shook her head. "As much as I hate to admit it Jarey," Luna said finally. "Helia's right. If you tried to keep her here against her will, even with the babe safe and sound at home; she'd only grow to resent and hate you. And we know that's not what you want." She looked down at the man with a sad wisp of a smile. "No matter what happens, we know you'll make the right decision." And with that, the moonbeams came and swirled around her; she disappeared.
Helia waited a minute before speaking as well. "Whatever happens Jare, whatever you and the girl-child choose, Luna and I; we'll always be here for you." The flames from the hearth rose up once more and reached out for the girl of the sun. They licked up and around her before consuming her form completely and retreating back into the pit. Jareth was alone. He took a long sweeping glance at where the two girls had been before he summoned a crystal and looked into it. The girl was nearing the castle; and the army wasn't really doing anything to slow her down. Vanishing it once more Jareth turned and strode from the room, never noticing the two sets of gemstone eyes sadly watching him walk out the door.
They had seen everything, even what he hadn't. They had seen the slight hesitation in her eyes as she thought his final offer over, but she was unsure and he had scared and tricked her far too often during her sojourn for her to believe him. So she uttered the final words, he tossed the crystal, and she was home; the babe safe and intact. Luna and Helia watched Jareth as he watched Sarah's victory party from outside her window before flying into the moon to come home. He returned, only to promptly sit upon his throne and watch the festivities through the comforting weight of a crystal in his hand. He shattered quite a few that night in his anger and sulking.
For the next year and a half, Luna and Helia tried to help bring him back to his former self; but nothing seemed to work. The Goblin King was still as forlorn and bitter as ever, even going so far as to bog a subject that had "looked at him funny". The goblins had grotesque faces; of course they would look at him funny! Luna, who had always understood Jareth better than anyone due to the similarities in their natures, tried to do whatever she could to try and snap her companion out of it but he would have none of it. Eventually he snapped at her.
"Leave me in peace you insufferable brat!" he spat at her.
Luna stood there for a moment; mouth drawn agape in shock, small frame absolutely trembling, and sapphire eyes wide and watery with hurt and betrayal. She looked downward to the floor; her eyes became shadowed somehow, and the crescent on her forehead started glowing: the coloring turning black to match her apparent mood. There was complete and utter silence for that duration, which felt like an eternity, and when she met his eyes again; her gaze was frozen over with icy blue contempt. And in that moment, Jareth knew that story he'd heard was true, and that he'd just wrought Luna's wrath upon himself and his entire kingdom.
"You know Jareth; I have tried my hardest to help you." Luna said; her voice dropping multiple octaves until it reached a feminine low that was positively frostbitten. "I really have, I understand you better than anyone else, and you know I speak the truth. However, patience is a transient thing; and I can only bear so much of this disgusting self-pity you insist on wearing like a cloak." She sneered. "Are you not Jareth, King of the Goblins, the one most proud to be a Fae? The one most proud to be above such foolish notions such as the human concept of sentiment and emotion? And yet here you sit, as weak and pitiful as any human Above. I have offered you my assistance in dealing with this, time and time again I have offered. Time and time again you have shirked both me and your duties as king, well no more. You want me to take my leave of this place? Very well Jareth, I shall leave you in peace."
She looked at him chillingly from under her lashes; her face still pointed towards the floor. "But first; a parting gift." And with that; the nightgown dress was replaced with a star-studded robe of the same color, her dress turned into a purely and sinisterly ebony creation, complete with the same kind of gloves she'd worn to the fantasy ball but matching the color of her dress. And now her hair was completely black, indicating her true potential; her anger, malice, and cruelty. Opening her mouth; she began to speak.
"With dark and light, day and night, and those of like at constant war,
The Owl King no longer soar.
And with my magic cast this spell,
Send to you to infernal hell.
Blackest magic set you right,
Linger in eternal night.
But listen fool and listen well,
To free the kingdom once I'll tell.
Until cruel heart has found its way,
Your lot shan't rise to greet the day!"
As she finished reciting a black fog started seeping in through the windows and creeping around the castle. Jareth looked out the window to see it covering the Labyrinth and all who lived in it as well. When he looked back to Luna to have her explain she had vanished. And the Underground, the kingdom of the Goblins was plunged into perpetual, unending night.
It took another year and a half to find her, due to Helia not knowing exactly where her twin had gone and trying to counter the curse on her own, yet she had done it. Helia had finally found Luna in one of her more secluded moonlight grottoes and asked what she was thinking. Luna's hatred and cold fury had melted by this point and she wept for what she had done to her friend. Helia had told her to remove the spell, but Luna said she couldn't; that the curse she had cast had only one way to be broken. Unfortunately, the only way it could be broken had banned Jareth from her life and the curse over the kingdom made it impossible to contact her through her dreams or even go to her in Jareth's owl form.
"Luna, what were you thinking?" Helia demanded.
"I wasn't," Luna relied softly. "I just felt so bad for Jarey, and I really had wanted that girl to stay with us; become one of us. And I tried not to let the darkness in my heart take over but when he said those hurtful words I just, lost control." She finished her explanation quietly; almost whispering, so ashamed of her actions was she.
"Well, what are we going to do? The only way the curse can be broken is through that girl, but Jare can only go to her if she calls him. And with the way they left things; do you really think she's going to do that?" Helia was beside herself, this was hopeless.
Luna sat staring into her glass pool, more accurately the reflection of the moon in it. Helia knew to hold her tongue; Luna was bound to come up with something good if her intensive, intent stare was anything to go by. Suddenly, Luna sprang back on her knees and bounced flawlessly into a standing position. "I've got it!" she cried jubilantly.
"What?" Helia asked.
"Sarah may have said that Jarey had no power over her; but she never said anything about us." Luna answered. "And her belief is so strong that we'll be able to pick up her trail a million miles away. All we have to do is get them to admit their feelings and the curse is broken!"
Helia had followed the plan attentively, until she'd heard that last part. "Wait, what? You can't be serious Luna. There's no way we can do any of that!"
"Why not?" Luna asked, putting her hands on her hips and giving her sister a sardonic look.
"Because, it's against the rules of the High Court for us to interfere in the mortal world for our own personal gain! Not to mention the fact that we don't know for certain that she feels that way for Jare, and she probably isn't old enough for it to be legal or if she has a partner already..." She was rambling now and she knew it but she just couldn't seem to stop.
Luna silenced her with a raised hand. "Now, now Helia. You and I both know that the curse is my fault, and I'll gladly take the punishment for it. But bringing the girl-child back here isn't to save my own skin; I want Jarey to be happy. I can't remember the last time I've seen him happy, ever. I can't say for certain that she feels exactly that way for Jarey, but I know I saw a spark when she had to turn down his offer; she really didn't want to but felt she had to because it was the only way to save her babe. Not to mention that you and I both know that time moves differently in the mortal world and humans always age faster nowadays. Besides, I have a plan that'll definitely work; you'll see." And with that, Luna grabbed her twin's hand and the duo disappeared in a shower of glitter.
Luna had been right about the passage of time between the mortal world and the Underground. Though only three years had passed down there; six years had passed topside and Sarah Williams was now a more than perfectly legal twenty-one year old woman. Emphasis on the woman part.
Now, one may wonder how it was still the night of the storm when Sarah and Toby returned; but the Goblin King had indeed reordered time so that it was as if they'd never left. But back to the present. Still taking college courses she had opted to stay in her hometown, her childhood home paying rent to her parents, despite their objections. After the big storm that night Sarah and Karen had seamlessly buried the hatchet and were much more civilized to each other. And Toby, Sarah had been his warrior ever since; defending him from bullies and the other problems that faced a seven year old boy. And her friends from the Labyrinth? She had kept in constant contact, because as she had said the night she celebrated her victory; sometimes for no reason at all she just needed them, and they were there for her. Protected by her own brand of magic Sarah's friends were the only ones not to be under the jurisdiction of the curse.
Right now though, it was summer vacation for the college girl and she intended to make up for all the sleepless hours she'd spent studying for her finals on. After a rather rambunctious freedom party celebrated with her long time companions she had fallen into the soundest sleep she'd ever gotten in her life. It was definitely the oddest dream though. Sarah was right now dreaming she was standing in a black nothingness with her arms slightly spread and each hand clasping something. On her left; she felt the shape of a hand with the same kind of warmth she felt from the sun. And on her right; the slight but comforting chill of a summer evening. She was content to just stand there for however long her body would let her sleep, but she kept hearing voices; urging her to do something.
"Wake up Sarah," they called. "Sarah please, wake up. You need to wake up."
It went on and on until Sarah felt herself forcefully pulled from the dream and sitting stark upright in her bed. She rubbed the weariness and prepared to roll over to fall once again into oblivion, but the view she had now caught her eye. Getting out of bed Sarah rushed to the window to see the most peculiar thing in the world. For there, outside her window; was day, and night. One half of her street looked as though it did in the midmorning, with the sun shining bright. But right at her window's vantage point was an invisible line cutting right down the middle and on the right side of her street; it was still night time.
A strong breeze blew her window open,( it had been changed to a French-door style after a particularly nasty storm sent a branch of the tree in front of it careening into the glass with massive force) and forced Sarah to step back a few feet. The light sources from both times of day seemed to shine their light right in Sarah's window and Sarah thought she saw the sparkle of glitter in the air.
It was, and the glitter seemed to gather until there were two large groups of it swirling in. with a flash there stood two beings facing her. Both were girls, looking no older than sixteen. The one on the right had pale skin and soft bluish-black hair falling liquidly down her back while the front part had been pulled back showing her medium-sized widow's peak just above a white crescent moon marking on her forehead. She had large sapphires for eyes and wore a black strapless gown with a sweetheart neckline in a silky material with dozens upon dozens of tiny jewels stitched in to look like the night sky paired with long ebony gloves. The one on the left had a mass of curly golden locks, wild and untamed with the same pale skin as her companion. But this one was dressed in a knee-length spaghetti strapped dress, the skirt shorter in the front than the back, with all sorts of varying hues of orange, yellow, and red to match the ruby shade of her eyes and her gloves as well. Both looked at the young adult with a gentle smile. The scenery behind them shifted to one appropriating the time, night.
"Hello dear Champion." The one on the right greeted in a soft, soothing voice. "We're so sorry to disturb your slumber, though heaven knows you don't need it; your beauty rivals our own." Sarah blushed at the unexpected compliment, mostly because the dark girl was radiating sincerity and Sarah still wasn't used to being told she was beautiful, even if it was true. In fact; compliments were the main reason behind all her breakups in high school, shortly followed by the fact that she held no interest in any of them whatsoever. All her romantic thoughts were plagued by a wild mess of platinum blond hair and a set of cruel mismatched eyes. The dark girl continued. "You must be quite confused at the moment. Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Selene."
The one on the right saw her turn to speak up. "And I'm Eos." She added in a voice contrasting to Selene's cool whispery one. A voice that told of warmth and happiness.
Selene took over once more. "We're twins, and we represent the sun and the moon. We've come because we need your help." The moon girl looked sad as she said these last few words.
"What, what is it?" Sarah asked, nearly out of breath because of her awe.
"It's your friends I'm afraid." Selene replied. "As a representation of the moon and therefore the night sky some of the stereotypical 'evil' you mortals believe in has been sealed within my heart. And when I am deeply upset my walls are weakened enough to let it out and cause great harm. In the most recent event; I placed a curse on the Goblin Kingdom. And only you can break it."
"Why would you do such a thing?" Sarah asked, her voice coming out slightly harsher than she had intended.
Selene looked away in guilt and sadness, and Eos took it upon herself to explain. "Do not think poorly of my sister dear Sarah. Selene is the nicest person, gentle like the moon's light. But a friend of ours deeply hurt her in the midst of his own pain. And Selene, who had been doing all she was capable of to try return him to his former self, felt so betrayed that the curse was out of her mouth before she fully realized; controlled by the darkness locked within her. It was not to punish all for what they had done, but to ensure the one being punished would look for the way out. And now the Goblin kingdom lingers in a state of perpetual night; only you can break it."
"But, why me?"
"Simple," Selene answered. "You defeated the Labyrinth and its king; your will is as strong, your kingdom as great, and your loyalty as fierce. You are the only hope even the Goblin King has of returning his land to the way it was. It may not look it when yo0u compare us to Jareth but we are far older than he, and while few have bested the Labyrinth at all, you are the first to best it during his reign. That means something Sarah."
"It does?"
Selene nodded. "Jareth is but what will come to be a long line of Goblin monarchs. If I recall correctly it began with his great grandfather…."
"Was it his great grandfather?" Helia asked. "I thought it was his grandfather who established the Goblin kingdom."
"No, Sarah here makes the fourth champion. Only one has ever bested the Labyrinth during any king's reign. Well, one female, if I remember right."
"Oh, yes. In fact, I don't recall any human male ever challenging the Labyrinth, but I suppose it's because they're always taught to bottle their emotions. And, unless I miss my guess, disillusioned from a very young age aren't they?"
"Explains why only females have ever been able to call upon the Goblin King." Selene answered.
"What are you saying?" Sarah cut in.
The two sisters looked at her for a moment before softly starting to laugh.
"My apologies Champion," Selene said between fits. "I do believe my sister and I forgot you presence for just a moment there. Do forgive us."
"At any matter," Helia continued. "if you want to know what we meant then it is this. In our experience, and it's a lot since we were the first children wished away, there have only been four total champions of the Labyrinth, including yourself. All female, all around the end of their adolescence by the time they ran, and" here she paused. "All went on to marry the Goblin King who'd challenged them; bearing many heirs who later became either lesser nobles or part of the high court."
"So what? My besting the Labyrinth means that I'm destined to marry the Goblin King or something like that? I don't think so." Sarah shook her head.
"it will only be so if you wish it to be my dear." Selene said gently. "Jareth has no power over you, so even if it was fate you are still the one who can make the decision. No one else; not even us. As powerful as we are even we are subjected to the rules of the Fae."
"Really?" Sarah seemed unsure.
"Really. So, will you come with us?" the two sisters each held out a hand, waiting for Sarah to make her decision.
Meanwhile, Sarah was trying to figure out what to do. Selene had not meant to cast that curse, but her friend had hurt her so deeply, naturally it was understandable. Then she realized, the Goblin King must have been the friend; he would have been bitter after his defeat at her hands, and his naturally cruel nature would have intensified ten-fold with the sting of it. But could she really save him? If it was just her friends than she wouldn't have had any hesitation. But this wasn't just her friends, this was the Goblin King; the man who'd ruined any hope of her ever seeing a normal guy, the man who'd scared her, toyed with her, indulged, fascinated, and attracted her beyond her wildest dreams. Could she do it? Sarah looked at the two goddesses and back at her bed; her answer was clear. And Sarah felt weightless as their hands, with unseen and un-foretold strength, lifted her out of her room; out of her world and into the night.
When Sarah opened her eyes she saw a very familiar room. The crystal ballroom from her peach-dream. She looked down to find herself in the same outfit she'd worn while last in here, though the guests were all gone; and so were the goddesses. A melody started playing, and Sarah heard a whisper over her shoulder.
"Call him…"
Sarah suddenly felt pulled in by the music and couldn't remember what she was supposed to be doing. Instead, she started dancing around by herself; completely lost to her surroundings.
"Call him…" the voices urged again.
And Sarah felt a name she knew was vaguely familiar, yet she couldn't remember why at the time, pass through her lips. "Jareth."
And all of a sudden, there He was. Like her he looked the same as he had in the dream. And he was looking directly at her with wonder in his eyes from behind his mask of indifference.
"Sarah?" he said, more a question than a statement.
She blushed and nodded, still not trusting herself to say anything around him after all this time. She felt the melody pushing insistently at her; which is how she found herself walking towards him and letting herself be pulled into his arms as he began to lead the dance he had so many years ago. The melody gave way to vocals, which Selene seemed to have chosen to sing first.
"There's such a sad love,
Deep in your eyes, a kind of pale jewel,
Open and closed within your eyes,
I'll place the sky, within your eyes…
"There's such a fooled heart,
Beating so fast, in search of new dreams,
A love that will last within your heart,
I'll place the moon, within your heart…
And here Eos joined her sister,
"As the pain sweeps through,
Makes no sense for you,
Every thrill has gone,
Wasn't too much fun at all,
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo,
As the world falls down…
Falling
(As the world is) falling down
Falling in love…
And now Selene dropped out and let Eos take the lead.
"I'll paint you mornings of gold," the atmosphere turned golden
"I'll spin you Valentine evenings," the couple looked up to see Selene flying across the ceiling; her night sky dress billowing out and becoming a magical night sky of their own overhead while the air itself seemed to change to one of a sweeter, loving atmosphere one associated with St. Valentine's day
"Though we're strangers 'til now,
We're choosing a path between the stars,
I'll lay my love, between the stars…
Selene joined in once more.
"As the pain sweeps through,
Makes no sense for you,
Every thrill has gone,
Wasn't too much fun at all,
But I'll be there for you-oo-oo,
As the world falls down…
Falling
(As the world is)
Falling
Falling
Falling in love…"
As the final chords ended as did the dance, though neither partner was willing to let go. After a few uncomfortable moments, Jareth cleared his throat.
"Sarah?"
"Yes," she replied. "it's me."
"You look, different."
"Of course, it's been six years in my world. I've grown up."
"I noticed." He said taking a swift perusal of her; she was even more beautiful than before.
"I figured as much. I came back to help."
"With what?"
"Selene said she put a curse on your kingdom and that I was the only one who could break it."
"I wish you luck then, not even I've been able to fathom what the answer could be." Jareth told her.
"And Selene wouldn't give you any hints?"
"She's not allowed to, I believe. And even if she was; she was so upset with setting that infernal piece of black magic on me in the first place she hid for a year and a half of our time."
"Are she and her sister close friends of yours?"
"They've known me since my birth, but they're really much older than that."
"Really? How old?"
"No one really knows for sure, the only thing anyone has ever been able to ascertain about those two was that they were the first wished away children. Being sent to us in ancient times, they've lost the features of whatever nation they came from since they've lived in the Underground for so long. Selene and Eos aren't even their children names Precious, but no one knows those either since the parents had given them up without a fight from the very start."
"And they're teenagers forever because…."
"All Fae are different Precious, we stop aging at different 'ages' and they simply stopped aging as teenage girls. Probably because the life expectancy during their time wasn't really far past that."
"Oh. Um, Goblin King…"
"Jareth."
"What?" Sarah looked up into his eyes.
"You called me by my given name before, it should not matter to use titles right now."
"Right, well I wanted to, apologize for everything that happened."
"Why?"
"Because I beat you I made you feel bitter, that caused you to lash out at Selene and that cause her to lay this curse on you. So if you think about it, it's my fault and not fair to you or your subjects at all. And because of that I wanted to apologize."
"Sarah, it was my own fault for letting your victory affect me so. But it wouldn't have been any different had it been someone else and not you who had beaten me. Yours especially stung since I had done all you asked me to do. You wanted your brother taken, at least in the moment; so I took him. You wanted to get him back; I let you run the Labyrinth. You wanted a fairytale villain in all this; I played the part, quite well I might add. Don't you think?"
"Personally I had always thought you played it a little too well." Sarah laughed. "But you don't scare me at all now."
"Because I'm not playing the villain right now Sarah." He replied.
Sarah suddenly found herself transfixed in his gaze, looking at her with such emotion that it sent her heart racing.
"One more question," her voice sounded just a little too breathy. "Why were you so disheartened by my victory?"
"T'was not your victory which disheartened me Sarah." He said leaning closer. "Your rejection was what stung the most."
The realization sunk in, his offer had been real. And it was what Sarah had subconsciously wanted ever since. "Jareth." She gasped.
"Why those girls did this, I'll never know. But right now, I don't think I can complain." He whispered, so close to her; yet not close enough for what she wanted with all her being.
"Neither can I." Sarah agreed. And then, her lips were covered with his. Soft, innocent; it was everything a first kiss should be; and Sarah had never been more grateful that's she'd never let any of those "boyfriends" (emphasis on boy) of hers get close to her lips.
When they finally pulled apart, Sarah fluttered her eyes. "I love you Goblin King."
"Likewise, my queen." He replied. The bubble burst, and they were suddenly they were standing in the throne room of Jareth's castle. And light was pouring in from every window.
"The curse, it's broken?" the Goblin King wondered aloud.
"I told you," a familiar voice rang out with giggle. "Until cruel heart can find its way, your lot shan't rise to greet the day." And out of nowhere, Selene and Eos; Luna and Helia arrived with smiles on their faces.
Jareth seemed to understand first. "So that means, once my heart…"
"Found its way back to your true love the spell would be broken." Luna affirmed. "And now that you're together; she can stay for all eternity."
"All eternity?" Sarah asked, cocking a brow at her man.
"It's only forever Precious, not long at all." He replied mischievously.
"But, I still have college to attend." She half-heartedly protested.
"Well, after you finish you have to promise to come back." Luna chimed in.
"Seem fair?" Helia asked; smirking as the irony of that question was not lost on the new couple.
"I think so." Sarah agreed, and her king swept her into a kiss to seal the deal.
And so it came to pass, once Sarah had finished her schooling she and Jareth married and she became the Goblin Queen. As wife to the king she bore him not only a son but a set of twin daughters; whom they named Artemis and Aurora after their two aunts. And they were just like them too; different as day and night.
So... yeah. Little more dialoguey (yes that's a word, I live in America and it's a free country so I can make up words if I want) On another note please review! I literally spend hours; sometimes even days or weeks on end writing and editing and rewriting these things so you guys get the best versions possible. The least you could do after all that is take a few minutes out of your time to tell me how I did.
Apologies for sounding harsh and to those people who do review but the one thing every author wants is feedback and when I don't get any I feel as though I will never be a competent author and that puts me in an emo mood for the rest of the day :(