AN: Wow, I can't believe I'm finally getting around to posting this. I started it a while ago, but I was working on "Consequences of Forgetting" at the same time, so it ended up taking awhile. Hopefully someone will enjoy this. Oh, and as per usual, I do not own Labyrinth or any related characters, etc. Enjoy!
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"Yer Majesty!" Hoggle shouted, racing through the castle halls. "King Jareth, ya'd better come quick!"
"What is it, Hedgewart?" the King drawled, appearing behind him.
"It's Hoggle, but no time! Ye'd better hurry up, Yer Majesty!" the little dwarf urged, pulling on his King's coat. "It's Sarah!"
"Yes, what of her?"
"I don't know. I wents ta visit, like usual, but when I gots there, she was lying on the floor. I can't wake 'er up," Hoggle explained, still trying to get Jareth to follow him.
"What?!?" Jareth roared. "Where is she? Take me to her at once!"
He was quickly led to Hoggle's mirror looking in on Sarah's room. Jareth quickly noticed the unconscious woman.
With a thought, he was by her side, easing her into his arms. He drew a crystal and held it over her body, looking for a cause.
"It's been ten years, Sarah, you precious thing," Jareth breathed. "I can't let anything happen to you, but I don't know what's wrong. You're in danger; I can feel it." He turned his attention to the worried dwarf next to him. "Do you have any idea what happened, Higgle?"
Hoggle ignored the King's error, too focused on his first friend's difficulty. "She was fine a little bit ago, Yer Majesty. I had told her I needed to do something so I coulds stay fer a while. I came back, an' she was like this."
"What was she doing when you left?" the irate Fae royal demanded. "Did you see anything strange?"
Hoggle shook his head. "She was just cleanin' when I left. I didn' see anythin' unusual."
"There's magic in the air, though. Whatever caused this is not of her world. Hoggle, run and fetch Toby. He's in his room," Jareth ordered. "And do be quick about it."
The dwarf ran out of the room as fast as his stubby legs could carry him, his worry for Sarah keeping him from realizing that Jareth had actually said his name. He raced down the hall to the room Toby was currently in, thankful that Sarah's parents had again asked her to watch the child while they were out.
Hoggle tentatively knocked on the door, wondering how to explain to Toby what was going on. "Come in!" the little boy called on the other side. The dwarf entered slowly.
"What's up, Sarah?" Toby asked, not yet having looked up from his book. Hoggle tilted his head to read the cover. Labyrinth. Hmm, maybe this would be easier than he thought.
"It's not Sarah," the dwarf informed him. "Someone wants to see you in your sister's room."
Toby glanced up, surprise then acceptance flitting over his face. "Oh, hello, Hoggle. There's someone in Sarah's room that wanted to see me, you said?"
Hoggle's jaw dropped. "How'd you know my name? Never minds that. No time. That rat Jareth needs to talk to you."
The boy slipped a bookmark in place and rose, following Sarah's friend down the hall. "What's going on?" he asked. "Why is the Goblin King here? No one called him."
"You'll has to ask 'im," Hoggle muttered. "Hurry ups."
The two walked into Sarah's room just as Jareth looked up. "Hello, Toby," he said. "This may all come as a bit of a shock to you."
"Not exactly." Sarah's brother raced to her side. "What's wrong with her? Why are you here? I didn't call you."
One of Jareth's eyebrows shot into his hairline. "You remember me? That does make things easier."
"Sarah's been telling me stories of the Labyrinth ever since I can remember. I don't think she realized that I remembered and that I'd spied on her while Hoggle and the others came to visit. Now explain what's wrong with my sister."
The King sighed, brushing a strand of Sarah's dark hair from her face. "I wish I knew. At this point, the only thing I can say is that some variety of magic caused it. That is, in part, why I had Higgle- "
"Hoggle." Toby corrected.
"-yes. Why I had Hoggle get you. I need to take care of Sarah, and I can't do that here. I want you to wish her to me, Toby."
"I don't trust you. You could have caused this."
"I can see your sister's descriptions of me haven't been very flattering. I may be tricky, but I don't tell direct lies. I had nothing to do with what's happened to Sarah, but I can't take care of her here."
Toby turned his head to one side, studying him. "And when she recovers? Do you promise to bring her home, Goblin King?"
Jareth studied her face. "I won't make any promises."
"The story is true, then. 'What no one knew is that the King of the Goblins had fallen in love with the girl…'"
"'And he had given her certain powers.' Yes, it is. I don't think Sarah realizes, though. On either count. Will you do it?"
The little boy frowned. "I don't want to lose my sister."
"Toby, if I don't take your sister back to the Underground and watch over her, she will die," Jareth explained. "You say you remember your time in the Labyrinth. I treated you well and did nothing to harm you, did I not? Those who get wished away are not abused."
He nodded. "Take care of her, Goblin King." Sarah's little brother took a deep breath. She had told him to never, ever, say those words, and now he was. "I wish the Goblin King would come and take Sarah away, right now!"
"Thank you," the King said, standing. "I hope to see you again one day, young Toby. With any luck, your sister will too."
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Jareth… Jareth, help me! What's going on? Sarah cried in her dreams.
Jareth, the King of the Goblins, sat up so quickly his head spun. No one had been able to get through to Sarah for six months, ever since Hoggle went to visit her and couldn't wake her up. Jareth had brought her back to his castle and had been taking care of her ever since.
With a flick of his wrist, he formed a small crystal sphere and willed it to show him Sarah's dream. Now that she had called for him, it should work. The crystal sparkled, and a hazy image formed.
Sarah appeared to be running from something, but she was wearing the white ball gown from the masquerade dream. She looked absolutely terrified. As he looked a little closer, he was shocked to see that she had a sphere that looked exactly like one of his clutched in her right hand.
Jareth frowned. Now where did you get that? He wondered.
Before he could deliberate further, Sarah started to scream- both corporeally and in her dream. He raced to her room, desperately hoping that he'd be able to wake her.
Once he got there, she was still screaming, eyes screwed shut. However, the crystal Jareth had seen in her dream had appeared in her hands physically. He moved next to her and gently tugged it from her grasp. It burst as soon as it was out of her grip.
Abruptly, Sarah stopped screaming and opened her eyes, slowly focusing on the figure next to her.
"Jareth?" she whispered unsurely. "Am I still dreaming?"
"You knew about that, did you? No, you're awake now," he murmured soothingly. "Sarah, do you remember what happened?"
"Umm… I was cleaning my room, and I saw something under my bed. I went to pick it up, and it was a… crystal…" her voice trailed off. "Your crystals! This is entirely your fault!" she shrieked.
"No, it most certainly is not!" he protested, quickly backing out of her reach. "I didn't know anything about this until Hoggle came to get me!"
"And I'm supposed to believe you?" she retorted acidly. "It wouldn't be the first time you locked me in a dream."
"Ask Hoggle! I've never once told you a lie. Do you honestly think I would leave you trapped in a dream for so long?" he demanded indignantly.
"I was wearing the dress from your masquerade; what was I supposed to think?" she snapped, then paused. "Goblin King, how long was I asleep? How long have I been here?"
Jareth sighed tiredly, massaging his temples as he recalled the many sleepless nights he'd spent at her side. "You've been here for nearly six months. I don't know how long you were asleep before Hoggle found you and asked me to help, although I would assume not very. Something was blocking you from my vision, so I had no way of knowing what was going on without coming aboveground to see you."
"Do you have any idea what could have happened?" Sarah asked tentatively. She still wasn't sure if she trusted him, but he seemed sincere enough. She would ask Hoggle when she saw him.
"Believe it or not, my dear Sarah, I'm not the only person that uses this kind of magic. Any number of sorcerers could produce an identical ball," he explained. "If I hadn't brought you here, you'd be dead now."
"I'd be… dead? Why?" The brunette questioned.
"You couldn't eat, drink, nothing. You were essentially frozen, but you continued to breathe. I don't think this started too long before Hoggle brought it to my attention. I couldn't do anything beyond keep you alive until you called me, though."
"I didn't call for you," she bristled. "I don't even like you. You're just being pompous and egotistical."
"Yet call for me you did. After that, I could see into your dream. A few moments later, you started screaming. I'm not sure why," he responded. "Do you have any sorcerers that hate you?"
"Besides you, you mean?" she growled.
"Precious thing, I could never hate you. Didn't you understand any of what I tried to tell you in the Labyrinth?"
"You know, I don't really have time for riddles. I need to go home and let my family know I'm all right," she said.
"You can't even stand up yet, let alone leave. I made your parents think that you were visiting a cousin so that no one would know what was really happening," he informed her. "Besides, if you leave my protection, whoever did that to you in the first place could try again. You aren't safe in your world anymore."
"I can stand up!" she protested as she sat up and tried to edge out of bed, deciding to ignore the rest of what he had said. She rose, but quickly sat down. "Everything's dancing…"
"I told you so," Jareth muttered. "Sarah, did you honestly expect to be able to get up and act like nothing happened after lying there for six months?"
"I thought your magic was taking care of me," Sarah retorted.
"Foolish girl, I can only do so much. I've been expending most of my energy to keep you alive. Whoever planted that crystal in your room didn't mean for you to survive, you know."
"And your dreams are any different? You sound so generous and helpful, and yet you've done the same thing."
Jareth snorted. "Hardly. People can leave my dreams if they figure it out, like you did. You also won't die while you're in one. You certainly didn't come out any worse for wear."
"No, I just lost my memory and nearly ran out of time," she snapped sarcastically. "That's loads better."
"Would you rather I put you back in that dream?" he nearly growled. "I don't expect you to like me, but you could at least be a bit grateful."
Sarah sighed and moved to lie back down. "I'm sorry, Goblin King. I'm just a bit shocked by what's going on. I don't know if I blame you, but I never expected to see the Labyrinth again. And… I'm scared…"
"Finally, a bit of sense comes out of your mouth! I don't want you to be scared this time, but it's beyond my control. Will you stay here so I can protect you?" the Fae asked, staring at her intently. "You know I can't enter your world as easily, or stay long enough to find the person that seems to want you dead."
She nodded sleepily. "I'll stay, but if you're lying I'll kill you."
Jareth turned to leave, but Sarah reached for his hand. He turned to look at her, confusion evident on his face.
"Thank you," she sighed. "You're being so nice to me, and I was so rude…"
He smiled faintly. "Go to sleep, my dear Sarah, a real one this time. No one can hurt you while I'm around."
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A few hours after leaving Sarah, Jareth paced his throne room, wondering what exactly was going on. All of the immortals and sorcerers knew that he looked over that particular mortal, so there had to be some kind of motive, be it against him or his Sarah. Had Sarah had any contact with the other immortals?
As he was thinking, Hoggle slipped into the throne room. "Yer Majesty?" he squeaked nervously.
"Hm? Oh, Hedgewart. She woke up today," he informed the dwarf.
"It's Hoggle!" the dwarf snarled before realizing what else Jareth had said. "Wait, Sarah wokes up?" Hoggle repeated, immediately looking happier. "Is she okay? Does she knows whats happened?"
Jareth shook his head, still pacing. "She seems well enough. She's sleeping now, naturally this time. No, she doesn't know what happened, although she seemed quite willing to blame me at first."
"You won't bog the little lady, will ya?" Hoggle asked worriedly.
"I… what? Bog her? My Sarah? Of course not! I don't want my bride to stink forever!" Jareth exclaimed.
"Your what?" a new voice said from the doorway.
Jareth immediately blanched. Oh, bloody hell, he thought. I didn't mean for Sarah to hear that.
"Would you care to explain that, Goblin King?" Sarah asked as Ludo helped her walk in.
"Ah, Sarah, nice to see you up and about," Jareth said, trying to change the subject.
"Nuh-uh, Jareth, you're going to answer my question. I'm your what, exactly?" she asked, smiling sweetly. Hoggle was chortling behind her until Jareth shot him a threatening look.
("Do you want to be bogged?") he threatened mentally, before turning to face Sarah. "Um, nothing. Nothing at all," Jareth replied, almost babbling.
Sarah cocked her head to one side. "Is that so? As I was coming in, I thought I heard you say your bride. Isn't that what you heard, Ludo?" she continued, turning to face her companion.
Ludo nodded his huge, shaggy head. "Ludo hear," he agreed.
Jareth groaned. He turned to face all the goblins, chickens, etc. that filled the room. "All of you, out!" he ordered. "That includes you, too," he told Hoggle and Ludo.
Sarah slid down to sit on the floor as the room rapidly emptied, since she'd been deprived of her support. For some reason, the goblins seemed slightly scared as they fled. He frowned before walking over to Sarah and picking her up easily, placing her in his throne while he perched easily on its arm.
"I was fine where I was, Your Majesty," she said. "You don't need to treat me like a china doll."
"Nonsense," Jareth responded automatically. "What kind of host would I be if I let my guest sit on the floor?"
"That hardly bothered you last time when you tried to dump me in the Bog of Eternal Stench, but you're dodging the subject again," Sarah reminded him. "You were going to explain that exchange I heard as I came in?"
"I… umm…" he stuttered slightly, trying to think of a good response. Maybe I can bluff my way out of this… he thought idly. The Fae monarch currently sounded more than a little bit like an idiot.
"No lies," she said firmly, catching the considering glint in his eyes.
He sighed. "Sarah… do you trust me?" he asked hopefully. Sarah didn't seem to hear the undercurrent of emotion.
She studied him for a moment. "I don't know," she finally replied. "I got so used to hating you and considering you a villain. You've been different, somehow, since I woke up. I don't know how to describe it."
Well, it's a start, I guess. At least she doesn't flat-out hate me. He examined her face for any clues. "I'm afraid I'm not going to say more on this topic now, then. Maybe when you do trust me, we can talk."
He rose and held out a hand. "You must be hungry, Sarah. Would you like something to eat?"
She eyed him warily. "Is it safe for me to eat things around here? My last experience with that didn't go so well."
Jareth groaned. "Will you ever let me live that down? It was only a drugged peach. I'm not going to poison you if that's what you're worried about. I spent the past six months keeping you alive."
She smiled slightly. "I know that- I think. I probably shouldn't make fun of you like that, though, it's very rude of me." She reached out and took his hand, letting him help her get up. He turned to lead her out of the room.
"Ugh, I'm so weak," she protested after stumbling for the third time. "I don't know if I can walk that far."
A smirk flickered across Jareth's face. "So we won't walk," he replied, pulling one of his crystals out of thin air. As soon as it was in his hand, he quickly picked Sarah up before she could stop him.
"Jareth!" she gasped, shock pushing his name from her lips. "Put me down this instant! I do NOT need carried!" She twisted in his arms, trying to pull free.
"Shh… calm down, precious thing," he murmured, lightly kissing her on the top of her head. "It's just easier for me to transport both of us if I don't have to worry about you slipping away."
Sarah turned, examining his face. "You really do want me to trust you, don't you?" she asked quietly.
"I do, yes," Jareth replied. "You have nothing to fear from me, Sarah. I'm not going to hurt you. Would you feel better if I let you look at this first?" he offered, gesturing with the crystal.
She glanced at it for a moment then looked away. "No, thanks. Yours or not, I don't like those."
"I understand. Just relax, then, dearest," he whispered in her ear.
She closed her eyes, and he took them both to his suite. "We're here, Sarah. You can open your eyes again."
She slid out of his arms, but overbalanced and started to fall. He laughed, easily catching her before she hit the ground. A few moments later, he had her safely seated in a large armchair.
"Will you be all right for a few moments? I'm going to get you some food," Jareth said gently.
She nodded. "I'll be fine. Hurry?" she asked, looking up at him.
He grinned. "But of course, my lady," he replied, perfectly mimicking Sir Didymus.
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Jareth left the room normally before drawing a crystal to him again. He spun it in his palm quickly until it turned into a large covered platter. Someone in an expensive restaurant aboveground was going to be very confused. He also sent a message to the seamstress to bring a few things to his rooms for Sarah to wear, in both Above and Underground fashions.
"Kingy?" one of the goblins asked from behind him.
"Yes?" he replied idly, not paying much attention.
"Will Lady stay here for always?" it asked.
One elegant brow arched slightly. "Are you trying to stick your nose into my business, and hers?" he asked silkily.
"N-no, Your Kinginess, just wonderin' if Lady would need anything' speshul!" it protested.
Jareth honestly laughed, something that had not occurred while Sarah had laid unconscious. "I'm not mad, if that's what you're worried about. I'm afraid Lady hasn't made her decision yet. My Sarah is still very scared and unsure after what happened. I don't want to push her."
The goblin nodded, relieved that his king didn't seem to have any immediate plans of bogging him or kicking him out a window for being nosy. "Got it, Kingy. I gotta do work now," it muttered, bowing before it scampered.
Jareth watched its hasty retreat, mildly amused. Do I terrify them that much? He wondered. I didn't even threaten him with anything. Now where was I?
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Sarah pulled her legs up under her, curling into a small ball against the huge chair. Jareth obviously had a fondness for chairs big enough to lounge around in. She wondered idly why he hadn't taken her back to the room she'd been in when she woke up.
"He's being awfully nice to me," she murmured. "What happened to him setting the cleaners on me or tricking me into eating that peach?"
He's different, somehow. I don't really understand. Maybe it's just because he's mildly fond of me after taking care of me for so long. The Goblin King- Jareth (I might as well use his name) could just be trying to make me trust him for his own reasons, but for some reason I don't believe that, Sarah thought to herself. What about what he was saying when Ludo and I came in? Oh, I must've misheard him; there's no way he said 'bride.' I'm just imagining things, an aftereffect of that dream crystal.
A knock sounded at the door to the room.
"Who is it?" she called, sitting up a little straighter. He wouldn't knock on his own door, would he?
"It's just me, Sarah," the Fae said as he slipped in. "I didn't want to bother you if you were sleeping again."
"After all the sleep I've had, I'd rather not. What's on the tray?" she asked curiously.
He glanced at it. "I'm not really sure. I summoned it from some restaurant in your world. I'm afraid we don't really have anything suitable for you to eat around here."
He walked across the room to her and slid the tray onto the table by her side. She lifted the cover and examined the contents.
"You brought me the dessert tray?" she choked, trying desperately to restrain her laughter.
"I did?" he responded, peering over her shoulder. "That doesn't look like a very good meal."
"It isn't meant to be, Jareth," she chided gently. "A lot of restaurants have trays full of desserts that they show their customers before they order. The main course generally comes off of a menu of some kind."
He frowned, looking perplexed. "I obviously have no idea what I'm doing," he sighed. "Is there any way for you to help?" he asked.
"Sure, if you don't mind actually sending me to a restaurant. With money," she added as an afterthought. "It wouldn't take long."
Jareth shook his head. "You're only safe here, like I said. In my own kingdom, it's a lot harder for someone to get to you. Anywhere else, there are others who can be just as competent, or even more so. Unfortunately, whoever did it knew how to make sure the spell didn't break as soon as you entered the Underground."
She stared at the floor for a few minutes. "So what do you propose?" she enquired. "Obviously, I'm in no condition to go anywhere alone, as you've already proven, but you don't know much about life in my world."
"I could get a chef…" he offered, unsure what else to say.
"Oh, I'm sure the person would enjoy that. 'Excuse me, I'm the King of the Goblins, but I have a mortal that needs to eat, so would you mind coming with me for a while?' I'm sure that would work nicely," Sarah laughed.
Jareth sniffed, mildly insulted. "I wouldn't ask. I'm a King, I can get what I want without silly things like that."
"You could just summon a bunch of stuff from a McDonalds or something," she suggested. "I'm not overly fond of it, but it'd be a lot easier."
"What would you like, Sarah?" he asked. "I mean like, not what would be easiest."
"I don't know," she sighed. "I'm having a hard time thinking clearly. Doesn't anyone here know how to cook?"
"You've obviously never seen goblins eat, my dear. They don't cook their food in any fashion considered suitable by a civilized culture. Why do you think I said that there's nothing suitable?"
"You could always go to a grocery store," she said doubtfully. "I could cook it for myself if you have a kitchen."
Jareth, who had been pacing for the past few minutes of the exchange, eyed her curiously. "Why would I have a kitchen?"
"Right," Sara muttered. "Goblins don't cook normally and you can summon whatever you need from your little crystals. How do you eat?"
He shrugged nonchalantly. "Generally, my crystals will turn into whatever I want. That's how I, umm… made that peach Hoggle gave you?"
"Would it work if I tell it what I want?" she wondered.
Jareth smiled. "It should. I've never had reason to find out though."
"Well, we can try," Sarah said bravely.
"You'll have to look at it," he warned her. "I can't direct it myself since I don't know what you want."
"I know," she murmured. "I'd have to face it at some point regardless, since I'm staying with you for a while."
Jareth pulled out a crystal and handed it to her. Sarah winced at first, half-afraid it would suck her back into her nightmares, but forced herself to stay calm. She focused on it, picturing what she wanted. The crystal flashed and disappeared as a new tray of food arrived on the table at her side.
She immediately lifted the lid to examine the contents. "Well, beside the dessert, it looks good," she said, turning to Jareth. "Apparently, I somehow managed to combine a few things. It looks rather disgusting, to be honest."
The tray of food did seem rather good. Simple for the most part, but well prepared, there was a few slices of turkey breast, some fluffy mashed potatoes, a thick slab of warm, buttered bread, and a few pieces of fruit (no peaches). A huge glass of milk completed the meal. Sarah was trying hard to ignore the dessert, but Jareth was leaning over her shoulder to examine it.
"What is it, exactly?" he asked. He'd never seen anything that looked so inedible.
"I'm not sure," she sighed. "I sort of wish I still had that tray you brought earlier so I could have something decent. I could use a sugar kick."
"What? This?" he said, pulling it from behind his back. "I didn't know what to do with it," he admitted.
Sarah laughed. "You're kind of funny, you know. You really don't seem to know much about mortals."
"Why would I?" he demanded. "The only time I really have any contact with them is when one of them wishes away a child. They won't like me regardless, so I have no reason to be nice or anything like that."
"You're being nice to me," Sarah pointed out. "Jareth, you always seem to act so cruel and uncaring, but it's like you forget how sometimes."
"That's part of the subject we're not talking about now, Sarah," he reminded gently. "Eat your food. You need to get your strength back."
After she had finished, Jareth rose and turned to go, to give her some privacy so she could sleep.
"Don't go."
He faced her again. "Did you just say what I think you did?" he asked hopefully.
Sarah nodded. "I don't really know anymore, but I feel safe with you around. Don't leave, please."
"You should be resting, precious. You've been through a lot," he said as he carried her over to the bed. He didn't really know how to respond to her plea.
"Isn't this your room?" she demanded, confused.
"Yes, why?" the Fae murmured as he set her down gently. "Do you not like it?"
"Won't you be sleeping here? I thought I was in a different room when I woke up."
"You were in a different part of my suite before, since I had to rest normally from time to time. I'll just sleep in the chair. Don't fret," he soothed. "I'm not going to leave you alone. If I'm close, it's less likely that anyone will try to hurt you."
"I shouldn't be kicking you out of your own bed," she objected. "I can take the chair."
"You really haven't changed much, have you?" Jareth asked. "Still so stubborn. I chose this, not you. You're fine where you are."
"No. You can sleep in your bed," Sarah said, rising cautiously. She started to walk away, but Jareth quickly pulled her into a tight embrace, keeping her from retreating.
"Neither of us is going to give in, are we?" the King whispered, lips lightly brushing her ear.
"Well, you most certainly can," she replied as she shivered.
"Oh, but I'm just as stubborn as you, my dear, if not more so. After all, you're a guest here and recovering from a traumatic experience. It's my duty to make sure you're as comfortable as possible," he murmured.
"Jareth, what are you planning?" she demanded. "You've obviously thought of something."
"I…" the Fae hesitated. "That's strange. Even though I know what I was about to ask, I don't seem to quite know how to say it…"
"Is the all-powerful King of the Goblins nervous?" she teased lightly. "I'll be nice and not make fun of you too much. Just go ahead and ask."
"I… umm, well. If you and I both refuse to give in, what do we do then? There's only one solution I can think of," he said, then stopped again.
"Well?" Sarah prompted. "The solution being?"
"Please don't take this the wrong way, Sarah, but the only thing I could think of is that we share the bed," Jareth admitted quickly. Sarah opened her mouth to say something, but he stopped her. "I'm not suggesting anything beyond sleeping. I'd feel better knowing you were nearby and safe, and you wouldn't have to feel bad about taking my bed. It's obviously large enough."
She turned slightly so she could see his face after taking a look at the lake-sized bed. "You're nervous," she observed. "Relax. You didn't need to convince me; I saw the logic immediately. I'm not scared. For some reason, you aren't the frightening villain anymore."
He smiled into her hair. "Go to sleep then, precious thing. I have a few things to take care of first, but I'll be back shortly."
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AN: So what does everyone think? Good? Bad? Mediocre? Please review and let me know!