"What do you want with us?"
Jareth looked up from his crystal, a feral smile in place, "Ah, Hedgewart. Finally."
Hoggle clenched his fists, drawing himself up to his full height, "It's Hoggle!"
"Whatever," Jareth waved the comment off, rising from his throne.
Hoggle humphed irritably, crossing his arms over his chest. Ludo sniffled loudly, looking around with frightened eyes while Sir Didymus boldly stepped forward, "My liege, why hast thou summoned us?"
At the small fox's question, the Goblin King's expression darkened and he began to pace, his boots clicking on the stone floor. He finally jerked to a stop, a grim frown on his lips.
"I have been summoned to Central City to be judged by the High King and Queen," Jareth ignored the trio's gasps, continuing on, "They've found out. I am obligated to answer. And since I can no longer intrude in Sarah's life, I am ordering the three of you to keep her safe. Do whatever is necessary but keep her from harm. Do you understand?"
Hoggle wrung his hands, fearful, "B-But…Is Sarah in danger?"
Jareth twitched slightly, "She won't be if you do your job right. Higgle and Lido, you will watch over Sarah…Squirrel-beast whose name escapes me, you will take charge and stand in my place until I return."
Sir Didymus stood at attention, bowing low before the King, "Sir Didymus at your service, my Lord!"
Hoggle pushed him out of the way, clearing his throat, "An' when will ye return?"
The Goblin King's eyes darkened ominously, "Hopefully soon…But on the off chance that I don't return…"
He conjured up a small crystal, the round orb glittering mysteriously, "Take this."
Hoggle took a step back, shaking his head furiously, "I ain't taking nothin' from you!"
"Oh, come, come Hogwart, its harmless! The crystal will only activate if…if something happens to befall me. It contains explicit instructions on what to do. Is that clear?"
"Crystal clear, you're Highness," Sir Didymus saluted, taking the transparent sphere from the ruler's hands when it became apparent that Hoggle had no intention of going near it. Hoggle snorted though he looked worried, his thick eyebrows furrowed. Jareth glanced around the for once empty throne room, his eyes distant…as if he would never return.
Ludo took a heavy step forward, "Ludo take cawe of Sawah."
Jareth blinked then nodded, "Make sure that you do."
With that said, the King vanished in a cloud of glitter, leaving the trio alone in the throne room, anxious worry growing in their hearts.
xxxxxxxxxx
"Tell me again…Just what exactly are you guys doing here?"
Sarah sternly looked at her two friends over her textbook, one eyebrow raised. She had been studying in her room when Hoggle and Ludo climbed up through her mirror, looking shaken. Their eyes constantly darted about, as if they were expecting something…something dangerous. Even the easy-going Ludo seemed tense which raised Sarah's suspicions and frazzled her nerves. She instantly suspected something had happened in the underground but the two kept assuring her nothing was wrong and that this was just a simple courtesy call.
"How rude, Sarah," Hoggle grunted though Sarah noticed him fingering his ring of jewels nervously, "We just being considerate friends, ain't we Ludo?"
Ludo nodded his shaggy head, "Visit Sawah!"
Before she could question them further, an oppressive atmosphere invaded the room. Hoggle and Ludo shared a frightened look before both moved to stand in front of Sarah. Sarah stood frozen, goosebumps rising on her arms. She'd only felt a pressure like this once before…Magical and overpowering, the Goblin King had exhibited a similar change in the environment. The overbearing pressure intensified then diminished a second later and a flash of light made Sarah turn away.
She gulped and turned back, half expecting to see a smirking Goblin King. What she found instead was a woman with long caramel-colored hair and penetrating dark green eyes. She exuded an air of royalty, her chin held high but her smile kind.
Hoggle seemed taken aback and Ludo was eyeing the woman's hair with interest. Hoggle clumsily knelt, pulling on Ludo's hair until he was in an awkward kneel. He gave Sarah a panicked glance and Sarah hurried to kneel as well.
"Your Highness," Hoggle stuttered out, "Wha' brings you here?"
Sarah couldn't take her eyes off the woman, feeling like she'd met her before. There was something about the woman that was familiar to her. The woman laughed softly but there was a worried light in her eyes that made the sound seem a bit forced.
"I'm here," she began, her eyes locking on to Sarah's, "To ask for this young lady's help in saving my son."
Sarah blinked, lost, "Your son?"
The woman nodded, moving closer till she stood an arm's length away, "Jareth. Or you might know him better as the Goblin King. I am his mother, High Queen Nadyria."
Sarah's legs suddenly felt weak and all the blood seemed to rush to her head, "The Goblin King is in danger?"
Hoggle stood abruptly, alarmed, "What do ye mean by that, yer Highness? Is Jareth really in trouble?"
The Queen sighed, a broken sound that made Sarah wince, "You know as well as I that Jareth has broken his oath, dwarf. I'm afraid the odds aren't in his favor. Jareth has many enemies in court and few allies."
"Excuse me," Sarah interrupted, "But what are you talking about? What oath has he broken? And how could I possibly help?"
Nadyria didn't answer at first, a calculating look in her green gaze, "…Will you let me explain the situation to you?"
Sarah hesitated, looking at the Queen's offered hand. This really had nothing to do with her…yet…She couldn't just let this happen. If the Goblin King was indeed in trouble, she wanted to help him…even if he was her old arch nemesis.
Sensing her hesitation, the Queen smiled, "I promise no harm will befall you."
Hearing that, she made her decision. She reached out and took the Queen's hand at the same moment that Hoggle cried out. He stumbled forward, grabbing Sarah's jeans, "Sarah, you can't! Yer Highness, I apologize but the King ordered us to keep our eye on 'er. We was to protect 'er at all costs."
"Do not worry, loyal dwarf. I will watch over Sarah. I will not let anything happen to her," she patted Hoggle's head and he slowly let go, still looking wary, "You ready, my dear?"
Sarah nodded, throwing a reassuring smile over her shoulder at Hoggle and a sniffling Ludo. A light tug in her stomach was the only sign that anything had changed yet when Sarah looked around they were no longer in her bedroom. They stood in a dark and damp hallway, the only light coming from some torches nearby.
"Follow me," Nadyria whispered before gathering up her flowing skirts and setting off down the hall. Sarah followed without hesitation, keeping close. She could hear rats scampering around in the dark and the occasional patter of water droplets. As they moved forward, Sarah discovered she could hear something else. The low murmur of many voices.
They finally stopped in front of an old and rotting door and the Queen opened it then ushered her in. The room was small and sparse, dust and cobwebs littering the ceiling and floor. Nadyria entered and closed the door behind her, motioning for Sarah to open the single window in the room. Sarah did as she commanded and blinked rapidly as bright light flooded the room. Once her eyes became accustomed to the light, she peeked through the window into the room beyond.
The room she was looking into was cavernous with a very high ceiling and a polished marble floor. Raised thrones, all occupied, covered the two walls, making it look sort of like a football stadium.
At the end, two intricately-styled thrones stood on a raised dais, one occupied and the other vacant. The man who sat on the throne had broad shoulders and cropped white-blond hair. His expression was stern but his icy blue eyes seemed clouded. Standing alone in the midst of the hall was a person who Sarah instantly recognized. The Goblin King stood with his back to them but Sarah knew at once that it was him. He wore formal clothes, the dark blue fabric molded perfectly to his skin. He held himself erect but his overall posture seemed relaxed, almost languid.
"Quit evading the questions, Jareth," one of the men from the masses called out, "We know everything!"
"Is that so? Then I find it pointless to respond if you already know what all my answers shall be," Jareth responded acidly, his voice a soft hiss but still in that same melodical tone that Sarah remembered.
The man who'd spoken grew red and sputtered indignantly. Several of his fellow companions glared down at the blonde, muttering angrily. Sarah glanced at the Queen, confused but Nadyria just motioned toward the window again.
The man at the end ran a hand down his face then beat the floor with the large golden staff he held in his hands, "Enough of this! Let us start the trial once and for all! Jareth, King of the Goblin Kingdom and heir to the High throne, will you swear to answer all the questions proposed to you honestly and truthfully?"
Sarah saw Jareth tense then his shoulders sagged, almost as a sign of defeat. His answer was a mere whisper but it echoed through the quiet chamber, "Yes."
The older man closed his eyes, his shoulders slumping as if a great weight had been set upon them, "Then let the trial begin."
A small dwarf scampered forward until he stood in front of the subdued Goblin King. He cleared his throat before speaking, "Jareth, heir to the High throne and King of the Goblins, you have been summoned to this trial, accused of breaking the sacred oath that you made with the ruling High King and Queen. What do you plead?"
Once again, the one-word answer was a whisper but it was heard by all, "Guilty."
Low murmuring broke out at his answer, angry and accusing. Sarah gripped the window railing, her knuckles turning white. She wasn't sure what was going on but it looked like the Queen had been right when she'd said Jareth might be in trouble.
"So you acknowledge that the human girl, Sarah Williams, beat your Labyrinth?"
"And she did so splendidly," there was a note of pride in his voice and several of the female Fae looked away angrily. Sarah had frozen when she'd heard mention of her name. This trial obviously had to do with her…and with her victory in the Labyrinth five years ago. She shifted uncomfortably, leaning forward in order to hear better.
"Do you also admit that you refused to take her as your Queen and wife, therefore ignoring the contract made?"
Sarah had to put her hand over her mouth to stifle her gasp. Jareth seemed to slump, his shoulders sagging, "Correct. I did not take the Champion of the Labyrinth as my Queen."
Murmurs once again started before the High King silenced them all with a cold stare, "Jareth, the contract was drafted by you. You drew up this treaty. You promised that whoever could make it across your Labyrinth would become your spouse. Your refusal to do so means that you will be punished. Do you understand that?"
There was a moment of silence then Jareth stepped forward, his posture determined and royal, "I understand. But I will not force the Champion to accept. I gave her the choice and she chose. I was fully aware of the consequences when I invited her into my Labyrinth. And I understand that my direct disregard to the contract is punishable by death. I will accept the punishment."
This time, Sarah couldn't stifle her gasp of horror. The sound, although soft and quiet, made Jareth tense. He turned halfway, looking around. Sarah froze, transfixed by the sight of him. His sharp face brought back so many fond memories, both of real events and dreams she'd had.
She'd be lying if she denied that she hadn't thought of their dance, when he'd held her gently in his arms while singing softly of stars, hearts and love. She'd dated several guys over these five years but none had made her feel like Jareth had in those few minutes in the ballroom. That had irritated her because she knew it'd just been a trick to get her to waste time. But then an image of his heartbroken face as she'd fled would always flash through her mind and she would wonder what that had meant before deciding that there were more important things to dwell on than what if's.
If there was one thing she was sure of is that he attracted her. And sometimes she'd even admit that her feelings ran a bit deeper than just a simple crush. Her feelings for the magical being were a mystery to her, one that she had been afraid to explore further. But she found herself doing so now, her mind spinning in dizzying circles.
Nadyria set a warm hand on her shoulder, her smile sad, "Do you understand now, Sarah? My son, in order to escape an arranged marriage, made a deal with his father and I. He promised that he would marry the one who successfully made it through his Labyrinth because the one who did would be able to understand him as they had understood the maze. Many women tried but none succeeded…Except for you. You fought your way through it valiantly, to rescue your baby brother, who Jareth was planning on making his heir to the Goblin Kingdom once he'd ascended the High throne. You were led there because Jareth wanted you to run it. He wanted you to win…Yet at the same time, he didn't. Because he knew that it was risky, that you might not accept since you are a human and knew nothing of the treaty and our laws. And so he did everything to stop you but he secretly cheered for you at the same time. Dear Sarah, my son loves you. He's loved you ever since he glimpsed you playing in the park as a small child. That's why he's willing to die for you…He'd rather die than force you into marriage. To him, your happiness is more important than his own life."
Sarah started as tears fell down her cheek, warm and wet. She wiped them away but more fell with each passing second, flowing faster and faster. Emotions raged within her, making her head spin and her heart pound. She wasn't sure what to do; everything she'd believed to be true was not. She knew that time was limited and that she needed to make a decision NOW. Jareth's life depended on it.
