Sarah stood anxiously awaiting the dance to begin. The grassy field was full of smiling people who stood in one of two circles. The outer circle was the larger one, full of spectators who joyously cheered and called out for those in the inner circle. The inner circle was comprised of the dancers. Each held a long twenty-foot strand of ribbon in their hands, prepared to start the dance at the call of the Master of Ceremonies. Sarah herself, stood in the inner circle, dressed in one of her mother's old costumes and a flower circlet in her dark hair let loose to blow in the slight breeze.
She smiled widely and her hands gripped the green ribbon in her hands tighter. The other nineteen dancers swayed, ready for the dance to begin. The Master of Ceremonies, a tall man dressed in traditional Irish garb, walked to the center near the maypole. He held up his hands and the crowd fell silent. "Welcome to the thirteenth annual May Day festival!" he greeted the crowds who clamored their approval. "Okay! Now, I can see you're all ready to get things started! So, without any further ado, let the dance begin!" He clapped his hands once above his head and the small group of musicians holding bodhráns, Irish flutes, and a fiddle, began to play and the dancers began to weave in and out. Sarah skipped to the beat of the music as it started out in a slow rhythmic beat.
The outer circle of spectators clapped along in time with the music and cheered for the dancers. Young children ran in between the adults, chasing each other in a game of tag. Sarah saw her younger brother Toby dart through the crowd after a girl his own age with flying red hair. She grinned and continued to weave in and out, glancing over at the maypole every now and then to see the progress of the ribbons. The weave of the bright greens, yellows, reds, blues, and whites made quite a spectacle. Sarah stepped up the pace slightly as the music grew faster and the ribbons grew shorter. Laughing, she ducked under a white ribbon then held her own green ribbon high for a blue one to go under.
A fresh spring breeze blew through the park and lifted the young woman's hair as she danced in and out of the other weavers. The music was now so fast she was jumping to and fro, weaving in and out in a frenzy of ribbons and bodies. Her ribbon grew shorter and shorter until it was too short to weave and she was pressed against another woman with a blue dress and red flowers in her hair and a man dressed in gray and red as they circled about the maypole until there was no more ribbon to wrap. The musicians finished with a loud crash and the crowd clapped and cheered as the Master of Ceremonies made his way back in to the center of the crowd. He held another short ribbon that he used to tie around the bottom of the maypole to keep all the others in place. Once everything had been secured, the dancers stepped back and turned to the crowd who was still cheering. Sarah took a bow with the rest of the dancers then made her way to her father, who stood waiting on the edge of the crowd.
"Sarah, you were wonderful!" her father congratulated her as she reached him.
"Thanks dad," she smiled.
"Come on, we've got a picnic set up over by the obelisk," her father said wrapping an arm around her shoulders and leading her towards the tall stone obelisk that had once been part of her fantasies when she used to play pretend in this very same park.
"Sarah! That was beautiful!" Karen, her stepmother, complimented as the father and daughter pair approached.
"Thanks, Karen."
"Toby! Lunch!" she called to the four year old who was chasing ducks only a few feet away.
The toddler ran back to his mother and plopped down on the blanket that had spread out on the grass. The lunch was a simple one, deli sandwiches, chips, soda, and apples, but just being out in the sunshine and enjoying the buoyant atmosphere was a treat in and of itself. After lunch, Sarah went to greet some of her friends who had danced with her around the maypole. She chatted amicably for a while, moving about the park as she did so until her father called for her. He and Karen were packing up the picnic and he asked her to find Toby who had run off to resume the game of tag.
Sarah jogged away in search of the exuberant toddler, but couldn't find hide nor hair of the little blonde child. Finally she stopped to ask some of the parents of Toby's friends, but they said they hadn't seen him either. Worry filled Sarah and she looked around frantically now, calling Toby's name and asking others if they'd seen him. It was the Master of Ceremonies who gave her the clue. He said that he'd seen the boy run towards the woods that border the pond. Sarah ran towards the tall dark trees, looking for any sign of Toby's wild blond head.
She moved into the trees, trying to not rip her skirt on the bushes that reached out to catch it. "TOBY!" she called out, but received no response.
She moved faster through the underbrush, not caring anymore if her skirt ripped. A shrill giggle filled the air and she paused to ascertain where it had come from. Deciding it came from farther into the woods and to the left, she moved towards it. "Toby?" she called again as she came to a clearing.
The sight that met her took her breath away and her eyes widened. Her throat constricted and her feet were rooted to the spot. In the small clearing, crouching next to her stepbrother was a man with a wealth of pale winter blond hair wearing tight gray breeches, knee high boots, a loose cream poet's shirt, and a pale green vest. His gloved hands were busy tossing a crystal sphere back and forth so fluidly it defied gravity. Toby watched the crystal move over his hands, completely entranced. Sarah wanted to push the man away from her brother and run the toddler to safety, but her feet were still stuck as she stared at the man too. He suddenly stopped, the crystal balanced on the tips of his fingers before the enchanted toddler's eyes. Toby laughed and clapped his hands. The man grinned at the small boy before turning his mismatched gaze on the young woman who'd just entered the clearing. "Hello, Sarah," he simpered.
"G – Goblin King…" she muttered, finding her voice.
"Ah, I'm glad to see you remember," he commented, rising from his crouched position.
"Get away from him," she said in a deadly whisper.
"Oh, don't fear for the boy, Sarah. It's not him I'm here for," he replied taking a step towards her.
She held her ground, judging whether it would be possible to dart past him to get to Toby. "What do you mean?" she asked trying to buy time.
"It's been three years, Sarah. I've waited, but you did not call. Not once in three years, did you even so much as think my name. I'm hurt, truly I am," he said placing a delicate gloved hand over his heart.
"I'm sorry that I tried to forget about the man who kidnapped my brother," she growled.
"Ohho… no, I do believe you asked that I take him away," he continued to move toward her.
"I didn't mean it and you knew it!"
"Ah, but that does not change what was said. Now, I'm not here to argue with you."
"Well then what the hell are you here for?"
"To make amends… when we last parted, it was not on the best of terms and I would like to make amends with you."
This stopped Sarah's brain in its tracks. "Why?" she asked dumbly.
"Because I grew quite fond of you when you ran my labyrinth, and I would like to have a friendship with you."
He now stood directly before her and she had to crane her neck to look up into his sharp-planed face. Breaking eye contact, she glanced around him in search of Toby only to find the clearing was empty apart from them. Panic filled her again and she turned her head back to the monarch before her. "Where's Toby?" she asked.
"I sent him back to his parents."
"How can I trust you?"
He waved a hand nonchalantly and a crystal appeared in it. "Look," he commanded and she felt compelled to gaze into the ball.
Inside, she could see the wild blond hair of her brother as he ran into his mother's arms. She picked him up in a hug and turned to her father, saying something that Sarah could not hear. Suddenly, the crystal disappeared and she looked up into the Goblin King's mismatched eyes. She didn't know what to feel. He was being rather nice compared to last time, but could she trust that this wasn't just some ploy? "I saw you dance," he commented. "You were quite beautiful… you still are in fact." He grinned, flashing pointed teeth at her.
"Thank you," she replied automatically.
"Would you dance with me now, Sarah? Here in this fairy ring?" he asked gesturing with one gloved hand.
Sarah glanced around to find that they were indeed in a fairy ring. Small toadstools, which she hadn't noticed before, grew in an almost perfect circle around the edge of the clearing. She looked back at the offered hand, palm upturned, waiting for hers to join it. Her eyes traveled up to seek his. They sparkled in merriment, and she could find no hint of deceit in them. Hesitantly, she took the proffered hand and he drew her close to him, placing his other hand on her waist. She placed her other hand on his shoulder and he suddenly swept her around, leading her in an upbeat dance to which it seemed he knew quite well. As he twirled her around the clearing, she thought she could hear music. A fast rhythmic song that begged one to move, and soon she found herself lost in the quick turns and rapid footwork. Her eyes stayed glued to the Goblin King's pale blue irises the entire time and she could see the joy that her acceptance gave him. He pulled her closer still as he bounded around the perimeter of the fairy ring. She grinned as they moved faster and faster until she was dizzy. Clinging to him, she felt him slow to a stop near the middle of the ring. Laughing, she collapsed toward him as her legs gave out. He caught her, but her sudden weight made him follow her to the ground and they both lay in the grass, smiling and laughing.
Once she'd caught her breath, she turned to look at the magical being next to her. "Thank you," she said.
"No, it should be I thanking you," he murmured running a forefinger along the side of her face.
She turned her eyes away as she blushed. She sat up, crossing her legs under her. The Goblin King followed suit, still sitting quite close and still staring at her. She looked back at him only to find herself mesmerized by the look on his face. His mismatched eyes were soft and kind. His face was uplifted, as though nothing could bring him down from this euphoric high. It was overall a look of contentment, happiness, relief…
"I should go," Sarah said quietly.
"Wait," he requested, grabbing hold of her wrist. She paused, still holding his gaze. "May I kiss you?"
Her eyes widened, but she nodded minutely. He bent towards her, pausing a few inches from her lips as he whispered, "Thank you for giving me a second chance, Sarah."
Then he pressed his thin lips against hers chastely, pulling away after a half a minute. He made to rise and held out a hand to pull Sarah with him. She rose as well with his help and brushed off her skirts. "If it is acceptable to you, I'll visit again."
"Yes, I'd like that," she replied, her hand still in his.
He squeezed her hand and brushed the fingers of his other hand along the side of her face again. "Until we next meet, dear Sarah," he said before vanishing in a small whirl of glitter.
Sarah stood still in the clearing for a long time after that until she realized that her parents would probably be looking for her. She hurried back to the park to find that not as much time had passed as she thought and that her family had just finished packing the car. "There you are, Sarah," her father called out upon seeing her. "Come on then, it looks like it might rain soon."
She glanced up at the thick grey clouds that had moved in to block the sun before jogging over to the small family car and climbing in the back seat. As soon as she was sitting, her mind wandered back to the clearing and her lips tingled at the memory of the light kiss the Goblin King… Jareth had given her. Jareth… she hadn't even thought the name for three years, but now it was at the forefront, along with his promise to see her again soon. She smiled and leaned back in the seat as her father pulled out into traffic towards their home.
o O o O o O o
A/N: Just a little May Day/Beltane present to you all! I hope you enjoyed. Please review, if you feel so inclined. I know I appreciate seeing new reviews on my stories. Thank you!
Labyrinth (c) Jim Henson & Co.
P.S. Check out the song King of the Fairies by aranzoltan on youtube. It's what I imagined Sarah and Jareth dancing to.