Unhappy Ending
Not all fairy tales end in happily ever after. J/S, oneshot
"The Goblin King's dyin'." The words struck an icy barb of fear into Sarah's heart before they'd even finish leaving the dwarf's mouth.
"What?" she gasped, green eyes wide and horrorstruck. "I thought he was immortal!"
"He was, fair maiden," said Didymus gravely. "Until a curse was lain upon him. Apparently it robbed him of all his powers… including that of his eternal life."
"King gone soon," rumbled Ludo.
Hoggle nodded. "The whole Labyrinth's sayin' he might not last the night."
Tears sprang to Sarah's eyes. A curse that robbed Jareth of his powers…. "You have no power over me…." How was she to know that they would ensure that he had no power at all?
"Would'st thou prefer to be alone, my lady?" inquired the little fox knight, beady eyes full of concern. Sarah nodded wordlessly.
"Call," implored Ludo as the images faded from the mirror.
"Oh, it's not fair!" Sarah buried her head in her arms, sobbing into her vanity. Jareth… dying… and she had only just realized how she felt.
"Show me Jareth," she whispered to her mirror, terrified of what she might see though she knew she had to see him one last time.
The King of the Goblins lay amongst sheets of glittering blue, his long hair splayed across the silken pillows… however, this was a very different king than the strong, proud, arrogant one Sarah had met ten years ago. His slender form had turned skeletal, pale, waxy skin clinging tightly to his bones. His golden mane now hung limp and lifeless around his sunken face, and the glitter had gone from his complexion.
"Jareth," she whispered, heart breaking to see him in such a sorry state… and all because of her…. His mismatched eyes snapped open, hollowed and dull, devoid of the sparkle from ten years ago.
"Sarah," he breathed, his voice a feeble croak. "You finally called…." Words caught in Sarah's throat, and she merely nodded. "I suppose Hoghead told you all about what's befallen me?"
"Hoggle," corrected Sarah through the tears now streaming down her cheeks. "And yes… he did. Jareth, I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to—"
"Hush, precious," murmured Jareth. "You did nothing…. It was I who pushed you away, my own stupidity that drove you to think I was evil. You only wanted to save your brother from becoming a goblin… though you couldn't have known I was only going to turn him into a Fae…."
Sarah's heart broke again. So he was dying for a lie? For her own inability to realize that "one of us" hadn't been a goblin at all? "I said the words," she said miserably. "I took your powers away!"
"And I deserved it," replied Jareth, the hard edge she recognized returning to his voice despite its weakness. "For misreading your dreams and assuming you would rather be a heroine than have your true love find you, I deserve every moment's pain."
"It was true," realized Sarah suddenly, clapping a hand to her mouth. "'The King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl….' Oh, my God, that's why you did the masquerade…. That's why you took Toby in the first place…." Her heart began an erratic tattoo against her ribs.
"Everything I've done, I've done for you," replied Jareth, dipping his head slightly in a nod. "But it was never enough…. You chose a life in the Aboveground to my love. I cannot pretend it pleases me, but knowing that you are happy—"
"I'm not!" wailed Sarah miserably. "Jareth, this isn't the life I choose! I want to be your queen, and live by your side forever in the Labyrinth— isn't there any way I can save you?"
Jareth leaned his head back, relishing the words. "Ah, my precious thing… there was a time when those words would have been my salvation. Had you spoken them even a year ago, I would have been by your side in an instant, ready to take you to my castle as you asked. But I fear it is too late. The curse your words placed on me has advanced too far… I no longer have the power to bring you back, and that is all that could bring me back from death's door."
It crushed her to see him embracing death and to know that she was a year too late in realizing what he had been offering to save his life. "What will happen to your kingdom? The goblins?"
Jareth chuckled weakly, but instead of the rich, dark laugh she knew, it was more of a wheeze. "That caring heart was my undoing, darling… you should beware of showing it too freely. My sister has consented to caring for my kingdom for the time being… quite unhappily, but she recognizes that the Labyrinth needs a ruler." He paused, a shuddering gasp passing his lips. "My time grows short," he whispered. "Sarah… I want you to forget all of this. The chance to be my queen has passed… but I want you… to be happy…. Find a human boy who pleases you… take care of your brother. Consider that my… final request…."
Sarah couldn't bring herself to nod. "I love you, Jareth…" she sobbed.
"And I, you," replied Jareth, nearly inaudibly as his mismatched eyes fell closed. "I will always love you…." His image faded from her mirror, and she threw herself on her bed, crying herself to a sleep filled with crystal balls and white barn owls.
Morning arrived far too soon, bringing with it pouring rain, as though the sky itself was weeping with her. A gentle breeze fluttered through the window, ruffling Sarah's white curtains and seeming to pause on her lips like the most gentle of kisses. She heard it whisper her name, with the slightest bit of extra emphasis on the first syllable.
"Say-rah…."
That's how she knew that Jareth, King of the Goblins and Lord of the Labyrinth, was gone forever.