Or the Last Thing I See
He had nothing left to hang on to. He had no power over her. It was becoming more and more apparent over the years just how distant it had become between her and her imagination and how Reality would visit the world of imaginations no longer. It was time for his little girl to grow up, no matter what he thought or wished or wanted. It was over.
Why was he so weak? The King of the Goblins should have been defiant in the face of this defeat, he should have stood up, vowed revenge, be stronger… but there was nothing left to be done. How can you stand in the face of defeat when nothing is real to stand on? How could he be stronger when there was simply… no time? And how, oh how, could Jareth, His Royal Highness, the King of the Goblins and Master of the Labyrinth vow such dirty, awful revenge on the only person he truly loved? No… no… it was time to go
Suddenly, a warm, buttery light filled the dim distance. Could it be?
Her hair, glowing soft and bright flew as if she danced under the water, flowing freely and swam through the open air. Arms outstretched, eyes shut closed, she floated along blindly to light on the edge of his bed.
"Jareth…" she whispered from golden lips
He could not believe it or her or what his eyes were telling him. Most of all, the thing he doubted the most, would not even think of, would deny to his dying breath was her voice speaking his own name. She never did, not once call her evil, child snatching Goblin King by name.
"S-sarah?" he stuttered and finally said, "What are you doing here?" there she knelt, just to his right and an inch's breadth out of reach and still he would question why.
"Jareth…" she hissed again, her breath, her voice, his name light as air, "Don't go"
"I- I have to, Sarah… I can not… I can not live with in you… your world… and mine will never truly be together. You knew this"
"Come with me…" she insisted blindly, "Come, be with me. You love me…"
"I do. I love you so, Sarah" he sighed, not a smooth, breathy sigh but one that might have sobbed but was held back into choppy, harsh breaths, "But I am nothing but… your imagination. I am not real, not real enough for you"
"Come with me. You are real. You will be with me. We will love. We will be happy" she told him, persisted
"I want to be a part of your world, but it just can not be. You've grown up, Sarah my love, and you no longer need me. I was just your imaginary friend and you've given in to reality. You can not love me and I can not be with you. Do you understand?"
"Jareth… come with me" she whispered from beyond closed eyes. Just as well, she refused to see him in the pitiful state her strong, firm Goblin King was in.
"I can not! Don't you see?" this was getting to the point where it became irritating and the King of the Goblins was getting hysterical
"Calm… Jareth…" she ordered softly with that ethereal voice of hers as she took her hand, her golden, glowing hand and pressed it to his chest, slipping beyond the rough white fabric of his open shirt and feeling his imaginary heart beat.
She held her hand there for a moment, fleeting, sudden moments that knew they had to leave and quickly, such flighty little seconds where happiness and peace seemed to radiate from her fingertips leaving only half moments of euphoria in its wake. The pressure of her warm, bright hand lifted. Not wanting her touch to leave, Jareth grappled for her hand, her wrist to keep where it was but almost as if she were truly a being made only of light, his gloved fingers passed through her glowing skin again and again.
"No wait! Please!" he desperately pleaded
"Jareth… feel me…" she demanded, grabbing his wrist forcefully and letting painlessness wash over him again. Her fingertips rose to his hand, and meant to brush against his gloved palm but instead passed through like she was never there. "Can not… feel me…"
"No…" he replied back softly, "I cannot."
His hand dropped from her ghostly clutch when she bent over him and pressed two of her bright, golden glowing fingers to his neck, almost as if she were taking his pulse
"Oh, Jareth…" she whispered, her voice suddenly heavy with distress, no longer whispering. Silvery, mercury tears slid over her cheekbones in thick, full streams of light.
"Sarah, don't cry!" he ordered instantly, provoked and disturbed to see her like this. No one had ever cried… cried for him. The title, "Goblin King" demanded respect and loyalty but never pity, not sadness, and never would ever call on love. But here she was, pitiful sad love that fell down to him and buried her face in his neck, in his hair and sobbing so loudly
"Sarah… please… please do not cry any more… I'm right here" the King protested, no longer reveling in the touch he longed for for so many, many long years.
Her sobbing ceased. She cried no longer. Her head lifted from his tear soaked throat and her eyes, glistening and open with warm, fresh dewdrops stared deep into his mismatched colors. Her skin no longer glowed and was only the dull milky pale he remembered.
"Jareth I… meant this" she whispered, "Those words I said back at the castle"
The shock finally reached him. Betrayal at his last moments. It hurt more than anything but somehow he felt just… numb.
"Jareth, I never meant this" Sarah insisted, "Those words I said back at the castle"
His eyes, those mismatched eyes looked at her and drove into her soul with more menace and anguish than she thought could ever be mustered
"Please" her lips pressed to his forehead softly, his skin too warm for it to ever be natural, "Stay with me. Don't go away"
"Please…" she whispered as her lips met his forehead gently, "Stay… …away…"