She didn't want to die. She had so much left to do, so much to tell him. She had to tell him.
But he wasn't here. He hadn't been here in ten years, since that fateful night when she had wished her baby brother away to the Goblin King.
He wouldn't come. Not now. Not after all she done, all she had said that last time.
She was going to die, sick and alone, in her bed in the human world. And he wasn't going to know it ever happened.
Her family had long gone, abandoning her in the old house to fend for herself. Her stepmother believed she was crazy, telling Toby stories of a Goblin King and his adventures in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. Karen couldn't allow her son's head to be filled with such foolishness. So Sarah the threat was left at home while the family fled for safety. She hadn't seen them since a few weeks after the event.
The doctors had told her that it was a very rare form of pneumonia, an incurable strain they had never seen before. They didn't even bother to give her a prescription.
She had Hoggle and Ludo and Sir Didymus to take care of her, for that she was unspeakably grateful. But now she could barely speak, how could she tell her dear friends how much she loved them?
Her eyes started to tear as she gazed out her window at the freezing rain pouring outside. Hoggle's grimy head popped into her line of vision. His eyes were full of worry. He stroked a dirty hand over her forehead, hoping to give his dearest friend some comfort.
"Sarah? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" he asked frightfully.
She smiled weakly at her friend. "No, thank you, Hoggle, I'll be fine," she murmured hoarsely. Why worry him? She knew that today was her last day.
Suddenly, it was too much. She couldn't hold it in anymore. The tears streamed down her cheeks and she bit back a sob. She buried her face in her pillow and cried harder than she had since her family left. She felt a weight on her back and vaguely realized that Sir Didymus was sitting on her back, trying to lend his support. She felt Ludo's huge hand petting her hair. She felt loved. And she felt her life slipping away from her.
She rolled onto her back; a cold sweat pricked her brow. This was it, her last hurrah. She turned her head to Hoggle.
"…Hoggle…," she whispered. She was so tired.
Her friend sprang into action. "What is it, Sarah? What do you need?" he inquired, his forehead creased in a frown.
With a weak gesture of her hand, she beckoned him forward to whisper faintly into his ear. His eyes widened when he looked back at her.
"Are you sure?" he muttered.
She nodded tiredly.
He scowled again and walked out into the hall. Muffled mutterings followed and a short, bright light shone under the door. It was done.
He was here.
She heard his annoyed voice rise at poor Hoggle.
"What is the meaning of this, Hogwump?! What am I doing here? What's going on? If you don't tell me now, I will dump you into the Bog of Eternal Stench!"
She heard Hoggle answer him quietly. Then silence. Then the door banged open. And there, in all his glory, stood Jareth, the Goblin King. He was even more handsome and frightening than she remembered. His mismatched eyes fell on her bed-ridden form and his face showed his heart breaking. He walked silently to her side and looked down at her.
"Sarah…," he murmured helplessly.
She smiled.
"Hello, Jareth," she whispered softly.
His jaw clenched when she said his name. He sat carefully on the bed next her. She regarded him with tired eyes.
"So how have you been?" she asked quietly.
He barked a laugh. "Only you would ask that question, Sarah, especially when you're…when you're…." He couldn't finish his sentence.
She smiled gently again and took his large, warm hand in her small, cold one. "I'll be alright, Jareth. I'll be okay soon."
He slowly lifted her frail hand and pressed it against his cheek. She noticed her friends leaving the room for their privacy. He gently kissed her palm and closed his eyes.
"I'm so sorry," he murmured, "I was too late. I could've healed you…"
She watched him with a pained look. "No, no, Jareth. It was my fault. I should have called for you so much sooner –"
She broke off abruptly as she was wracked by a fit of uncontrollable coughing. She curled into a ball on her side as she was shaken by cough after cough. Jareth rubbed her back in an attempt to soothe her.
"Oh, Sarah," he sighed. "Oh my poor, sweet Sarah. How long have you been like this?"
"About a month or two," she gasped.
Her fit ended and she rolled onto her back, exhausted. Jareth smoothed her hair away from her clammy forehead in an unexpectedly caring and kind gesture.
"Jareth…," she whispered raggedly, her chest falling up and down heavily.
He leaned closer to catch her words. "Yes?"
"Will you…do me a…favor?"
"Yes, anything!"
She gestured weakly to her bedside table. "The…red book…," she murmured. "Will you…read the end…to me…please?"
He picked up the old book, its spine slippery with the tape used to hold it together. he opened the book to the last few pages and read it aloud.
"'Give me the child. For I have fought my way to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. For my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great. You have no power over me…'"
She smiled as he read. With some difficulty, she lifted her pale, thin hand and laid it on his arm. He paused and looked down at her.
"Jareth…I…love you…," she whispered faintly.
A tiny smile graced his face. "I know," he answered.
She sighed. "Thank you…"
Jareth smiled again and he continued to read aloud until the end of the book.
"…and they lived happily forever in the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. The end." He shut the book and returned it to her bedside table.
He peered down at the sleeping girl beside him. His face softened and he leaned down to press his lips to hers.
"Come now, love, it's time to wake up," he murmured, stroking her hair lovingly.
She slept on.
"Sarah, wake up."
Nothing.
He frowned and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her a bit.
"Sarah, wake up, love. It's me, Jareth."
Nothing.
He released her and stood by her bed, legs apart and fists planted firmly on his hips.
"Sarah Williams, by order of Jareth the High Goblin King and Master of the Labyrinth, I command you to wake up!" he said loudly.
She didn't move.
His stance faltered and he sat next to her again. He took her into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder.
"Sarah?" he murmured, his voice tiny and scared. "Please, wake up. I promise I'll never steal another baby again…please…please wake up."
Her eyes didn't open. His face fell and he scrambled for her wrist. He pressed his thumb to the vein and prayed that he would find a pulse.
He didn't find one.
She was gone.
Jareth clutched the body of the only woman he had ever loved like a life preserver. He shook with silent sobs as tears coursed down his face. He cried for her, for the life she lost, for the time she spent in this tiny room, for the family that abandoned her, for the adventures she would never have, for the family she left behind.
Hoggle, Ludo, and Sir Didymus entered the room to find their king crying over the body of their dearest friend. Sir Didymus removed his feathered hat and bowed his head in mourning. Hoggle covered his face with his dirty handkerchief and blew his nose loudly. Fat tears rolled down Ludo's furry face as he moaned for his Sarah.
And Jareth…Jareth was beside himself. For the first time in his long life, he had no idea about what to do. So he did the only thing he could do.
He took Sarah back to the Castle Beyond the Goblin City. He took her like he took her brother. But this time, she wasn't coming back. This time, she would stay forever.
And together, they would out-live even the stars.