Playing For Keeps
Disclaimer: I do not own the Labyrinth or the Goblin King. Although, I do wish he would come and take me away right now! Darn, still here. Oh, well. It was worth a try.
Chapter 1: The Unspoken Wish
Every night the same thing since she's returned from the castle beyond the Goblin City mused the barn owl as it perched just out of sight of the young woman he watched through the window of the boy's room. Of course, it could be said that the routine was the same for him as he stood vigil over them both, his champion and his heir.
Closing the story book, Sarah sat beside her brother's bed watching the innocent child sleep peacefully no doubt dreaming of brave knights and damsels in distress. This silent vigil had become her daily routine since she had returned from an adventure she would never forget in a land so very far away. It had seemed like only yesterday she had been returned home with her brother after saying the words that had saved him from the clutches of the Goblin King when, in fact, it had been a little over 5 years.
So much had happened since then. She'd watched her brother grow into quite the precocious little 6-year-old, always getting himself into trouble. In some ways, he reminded her so much of the Goblin King. She knew it must only be coincidence that Toby resembled him so much. He had similar features in his face and the same type of fair-colored wild hair that seemed to never want to be tamed flying in all directions. Sarah always cut it short so it was easier to manage. He even had a way about giving her that same mischievous look she'd seen on his face many times in the labyrinth. Sometimes it made her laugh to see that expression on a child's face and other times it troubled her though she didn't quite know why. It wasn't like the Goblin King could take him away from her ever again. She would never let that happen.
She simply couldn't imagine her life without him. He was the only constant for her. The one person she cared about more than anything and the reason she had decided to stay at home to attend the local college. She wanted to leave that house so badly but she couldn't leave him in the care of his neglectful parents. They were never home. They would no doubt leave him alone to fend for himself if she wasn't there. If she didn't feed him, she was afraid the poor child would starve. She did the shopping and the cooking and the cleaning and anything else that needed done around the house. She was more of a mother to that boy than his mother would ever be which compounded her guilt to the fact that she had almost lost him 5 years ago and she had no one to blame but herself. She swore that she would never let any mystical, magical thing come near him again. Little did she know, the Labyrinth, and its king, had other ideas.
Confident that her brother was sound asleep, Sarah returned to her own room to finish the paper she was writing for her History class. Such a tedious boring thing, it was. She wished she could just drift off to sleep so she could return, in dreams, to the place she longed to be but this homework wasn't going to do itself. It was due on Monday and she'd been procrastinating for weeks.
She'd been writing for what seemed like hours although it had been more like 20 minutes when she gave up and decided to take a break. She poured herself a glass of water from the kitchen and sat down on her bed to relax her eyes for a minute knowing full well she probably wasn't going to finish it tonight. As she sat there, her mind started drifting back to her time in the Labyrinth and all that the Goblin King had offered her. His words echoed through her mind. Love me, fear me, do as I say and I will be your slave.
If it weren't for Toby, she might've considered his offer but the cost was too high. Not that it mattered now. It's not like she could go back and change things either way. What's said is said and what's done is done. She had to move on with her life. It was time to put childish things away. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what her life could've been like if she hadn't refused him, if she had just stayed.
"I wish…."
She clapped a hand to her mouth quickly as she realized what she had almost said. She knew better than to voice her wishes aloud. What she didn't know, was that he was always listening and what's said is said. Those two words were enough.
The tapping noise at the window made Sarah jump. The owl that stared back at her through the glass had her on her feet and running to her brother's room as fast as she could go.
"Toby, we have to run," she said, snatching him up from his sound sleep. Toby stared at his sister wide-eyed at the fear in her eyes.
"What's going on," he asked, looking around the room for the danger as his window flew open and an owl flew in changing into a man right before his very eyes.
"Easy precious," came the voice she hadn't heard in 5 years, "I'm not here to steal your child from you."
There, in the very place where it all began, stood the Goblin King in all his resplendent glory. Sarah held Toby tight, standing frozen in the spot she stood.
"Who is he," asked the boy rather inquisitively as he stared in wide-eyed wonderment at the imposing figure in his window, "I feel like I know him from somewhere."
"Oh, Toby" choked out Sarah, tears welling up in her eyes.
"I am the Goblin King but you may call me Jareth, young Toby," he said in a rather amused tone, bowing regally at him.
"I wonder if I might have a moment alone with your sister. There is much we need to discuss," he inquired, speaking to him as though he were the man of the house.
Toby nodded in earnest feeling proud that an adult would address him in such a way. It didn't occur to him to be afraid of the man as his sister seemed to be. He seemed familiar, like an old friend he hadn't seen in a very long time.
Sarah held Toby close not wanting to let him go. Despite his words, she trusted Jareth about as far as she could throw him. She knew first-hand that he lied and cheated and manipulated to get what he wanted and she was not letting Toby go. She would defend him to her last breath if she had to.
"Sarah, I promise you," he said, as he looked into her tear-filled eyes, "I mean neither of you any harm. Please, just hear what I have to say."
Resigned to the fact that there really was nowhere she could run from the Goblin King she nodded and laid Toby back in his bed, tucking him in and kissing him on the forehead as Jareth headed through the room into the hall.
"I'm sorry for scaring you, Toby. It'll be okay. We'll talk about it in the morning. Please, go back to sleep," she said as she ran her hand through his hair before walking to the door and closing it behind her.
As she left her brother's room, her heart pounding in her chest, body shaking like a leaf, she held her head high, proud and defiant, yet resigned to her fate as though she were marching to her execution with every step she took.
"Come, precious. Let us sit down and have a chat, shall we?"
He led her to the couch downstairs and took a seat gesturing for her to do the same. The room was silent for a moment as the former adversaries stared each other down as if sizing each other up for the battle ahead.
"Why are you here? You have no power over me and you can't have my brother. I solved your Labyrinth. You have no right to be here," she blurted out breaking the silence.
"Ah, but that's where you're wrong, precious. I have every right to be here and to claim what's mine," he declared.
"I let you win. You lost many times over yet I allowed you to leave with the child who rightfully belongs to me, to return to your world and I waited… waited until the time was right, waited to hear you call for me, waited… until you were ready to come home,"
His eyes narrowed as he said, "Well, I'm tired of waiting."
Sarah's breath caught in her throat, fear striking her at his words.
"I… lost? How? When? What did I do?"
Then, she glared at him defiantly as she yelled out, "You're lying! I won fair and square. This is another one of your tricks!"
She was livid now as she rose to her feet, balling her fingers into fists and pacing the room. She wanted to throw something. There was no way she lost. Her heart started racing again as she thought of Toby sleeping soundly in his bed upstairs. She couldn't lose him, no matter what.
"I assure you, it is not," he replied, with conviction.
"Would you like to see how you lost the game," he asked as he conjured up a crystal. "Come, I'll show you," he said patting the seat beside him.
Sarah's curiosity got the better of her and she returned to the couch leaving ample space between her and the Goblin King. As she took her seat, a scene began to appear in the crystal.
There she was, her 15-year-old self, standing in the garden outside the gates of the Labyrinth with Hoggle as she bent over to pick up the fairy he had just sprayed with pesticide and the shocked words "It bit me," as she held it in her hand.
"You see," said the king, smirking as the scene disappeared.
"You lost before you even made it into the Labyrinth. I could've ended it there but I let you continue. I'd say that was quite generous of me."
"She bit me," she shrugged.
"So, what? How does that mean I lost," she asked, clearly confused about the rules of the game.
"Had that pixie not drawn blood, perhaps it would not have mattered much. However, as luck would have it, she did. For a mortal, blood contact with a creature of the Labyrinth is akin to being touched by the Labyrinth itself. It was awakened to you at that very moment and it sees you as its own. You belong to my world now just as surely as I, or any of my subjects and believe me, it wasn't easy for me to let you go when the Labyrinth desired to keep you as much as I did. I see the changes in you even now, though you have been away from the Underground for so long. The magic of the Labyrinth is strong within you and, Toby, for that matter. I know you must feel it. You must know you don't belong here, that something is missing. This world is no longer your home," he said solemnly as he peered back at the clouds forming within the crystal, another scene beginning to form.
"Shall we see the second time you lost the game," he asked grinning slyly at her as they watched the events unfold before them. Sarah's younger self appeared once more, thanking Hoggle for the peach he had given her and taking a bite out of it.
Sarah watched as the ballroom scene unfolded before her. Tears formed at the corners of her eyes as she remembered the way it felt dancing in his arms as he sang to her and the forlorn look in his eyes as she ran from him away from that dream.
Having revealed all it was meant to, the crystal popped leaving a shower of glitter in its wake.
Sarah's eyes sparked with anger.
"You tricked me into eating that peach. I didn't know it was tainted with magic."
"Tricked or not, you still ate it of your own free will. It is not the magic but the peach that matters. You ate the food of the Underground. Surely, you know from your fairy stories, in which, I am aware, you are well versed, that eating the food in fairy lands traps you there forever," he couldn't help but notice the dawning realization on her face.
"You are forever bound to the Labyrinth. The only reason you were able to leave at all is because I allowed you to."
"I don't understand. Why did you let us leave if you won?"
"I did it because you were so young. I knew you weren't ready. You were still a child. I realized I needed to let you grow in your own time and grow, you have. You're a woman now, no longer the pouty little girl who cried out how unfair it all was at every turn."
"You have no idea how difficult it has been for me to watch from afar. How long a time 5 years can seem -even to me, a being who has existed for centuries as though they were but a blink of an eye- when the one you love is there in front of you just out of reach. Each day, you hope beyond hope that by some miracle, today will be the day she finally calls your name to end your suffering but days come and pass and she never does."
His voice broke a bit as he continued, "Can't you see? Everything I did, I did for you. You wanted a villain and I gave it to you. You wanted a grand adventure, I gave it to you. You wanted your brother back, I returned him to you."
"Surely, now, enough time has passed that you can see me as more than just the monster you made me out to be," he implored her, his eyes pleading with her to see the truth.
"Perhaps, now we can talk about the reason I am here and the unspoken wish you dare not utter," he ventured.
"I have some questions first if that's alright," she said, hopefully.
"Fire away, I'm not going anywhere."
"I get now why you let us go but you said something about changes. What did you mean by that?"
"Well, you're probably not going to like the answer," he paused for a moment to consider the best way to phrase it before he continued with a deep breath.
"The moment you were bitten, your very being began to change. You became a creature of the Labyrinth. The magic began to flow through you at that very instant. The Labyrinth chose your form. Because it had recognized you as my equal, chosen you as my mate, it chose fae. Though you do not realize it, you are mostly fae now."
"I wanted to allow you the opportunity to return home, to give you a chance to grow up in the mortal world. Had I known how very unfit your parents were I might have changed my mind but that is neither here nor there so, I cast wards on you to suppress the magic within you, for the time being, at least. However, if you had stayed in my world but a moment longer, you would not have been able to return here for more than a few short visits every now and again. You are, as I've said, a creature of the Underground now. You belong there."
"The wards won't last forever and they grow weaker day by day. You will have to return home eventually and once you do, you will be fully fae. If you choose to stay here once the wards have lost their power you will surely die. There is nothing I can do to change that not that I would even if I could. You belong by my side."
"How long do I have," she cried as she processed what he had just told her the anguish plain on her face. He reached out to comfort her but she turned away.
"I'm afraid, my love, even I do not have the answer to that but, if I were to venture a guess, a year. A little more. A little less. Who can say for certain?"
Her eyes searched his for some hope of escape from the fate that had befallen her but found only his resolve. She knew he wouldn't help her escape the Labyrinth's grasp on her. He wanted her to return to the Underground.
"Though you may think of it as nothing more than a place, the Labyrinth is a living, breathing, entity that can shape its entire realm at a very whim whether it be mine or its own design. It has been formed from the dreams and wishes of thousands of sleeping mortals over thousands of years since the beginning of time. It is timeless and ageless and quite powerful, more powerful than even I. It chose me as its king and it allows me a great deal of freedom in shaping and changing its borders at will but I do not control it. It can be capricious and self-serving and, when it wants something there is no standing in its way. You see, my dear Sarah, the Labyrinth was, indeed, playing for keeps."
"I will accept my fate when the time comes because it seems I have no choice but what does my being bitten have to do with Toby? Why would that affect him? Just let him go. None of this is his fault," the tears were welling up yet again but she was determined not to let them fall.
"Be that as it may, I cannot, as you say, let him go. He is in the same boat as you, I'm afraid. He will have to return to the Underground."
"You see, your brother's form was chosen at the moment you lost the game. He belongs to the Underground as surely as you or I. I have already chosen him as my heir and he is my son. We are bound by the magic of the Labyrinth. It is as though he is my own flesh and blood. Surely, in the back of your mind, where you lock away all your thoughts and memories of your time in my Labyrinth, you must have known. I know you've seen his resemblance to me at times. I've seen it in your eyes when you look at him. It both terrifies and excites you that my son takes after me."
Sarah's eyes widened at that "Yes, Sarah, I have been watching over you both for all this time, waiting, as I've said, for you to finally see that you belong in the Underground. Tonight, when I heard you utter those words I knew it was time to make myself known to you."
Sarah's head was spinning with all the revelations before her. She'd lost the game. Her brother belonged to the Goblin King and she belonged to the Labyrinth. All this time she thought she was safe, free of that world, and now, it was back to snatch her and her little brother up again to keep. She was afraid. She didn't know what all this would mean for either of them and she was at a loss for what she could do. It was too much to handle. She leaned back on the couch and brought her knees to her chest burying her head as she began to cry. Like a tidal wave, the tears began to flow. She couldn't stop them. They just kept coming.
She froze for a moment when Jareth pulled her into his arms but she didn't pull away. She felt strangely safe and secure in his strong arms and she gripped him tightly as the tears continued to fall. He rubbed circles on her back to soothe them away shushing and cooing about how it would all be alright. She cried for what seemed like such a long time for so many things; the sense of profound loss she had felt since she left the Underground, for the love of a man she might have stayed for had it not been for her brother and, for Toby, poor sweet, innocent Toby, who was dragged into this mess because of her selfish wish and now had no choice in the matter at all. When she had finally composed herself and let go of the Goblin King, he handed her a handkerchief. She ventured a glance at him then and noticed not only the concerned look in his eye but that his shirt was saturated in her tears.
"Feel better, precious," he asked eyeing her warily as she nodded slightly.
Slowly, he reached a hand out to touch her face and stroked her cheek when she didn't pull away. She knew she should be angry. She should be afraid but despite herself, she leaned into his touch. Emerald green eyes stared into his mismatched blue ones at this intimate gesture. She couldn't deny how much she desired him. How much she craved his touch. Even now, when she'd found out just how much he and his Labyrinth had stacked the deck against her, she couldn't deny him. Taking full advantage, he pulled her into his arms once again.
"Sarah, I have loved you since the very first moment I laid eyes on you and I want nothing more than to take you home and make you my Queen. You care for Prince Toby as if he is your own son. I have already adopted him. Make my family complete and marry me."
"I know you're not happy here. I've seen it on your face countless times when you think nobody is looking. I know, in dreams you return to the Underground every night. I have seen them first-hand. There's nothing here for you in this mundane world. I have seen your life here. Your parents have all but abandoned you and you tend to that child's every need 24 hours a day. Just think what I can give you both if you come home. No more worries about whether the bills will get paid or if there will be food on the table. No more late nights spent wondering if your parents would return home at all. I've seen you stress over so many things time and again as you've struggled along in this mortal world. Just think of what I can offer you. Think of how much happier you will both be in the Underground where there are so many things to explore and adventures to be had, a whole kingdom at your disposal, the best education for Toby and for you. I can show you so many things, beautiful, wondrous things await you the likes of which you can not even imagine. Please, just say the words. Tell me you want to come home," he said the word home as though it were a caress, warm and inviting, beckoning to her to return to the place she belonged.
Sarah couldn't take it anymore, she had to get up and move around. She jumped up and began to pace around the room. She couldn't think with his proximity so near. She had to process everything he'd said to her. What she was. What she would be. What she had done to her poor sleeping brother. What would she say to him when he woke up? Would he hate her for wishing him away? Would he be as afraid as she was or embrace the new life that awaited him? Would he be angry his choice in the matter was taken away? She honestly didn't know any of the answers and she sure as hell didn't know what to do. It was obvious there was not really much she could do but she had to do something even if it was just pacing back and forth across the room thinking.
After she had all but worn a hole in the carpet with her pacing, Jareth's impatience got the better of him and he stood. "Sarah," he said as he walked towards her. "I know it's hard to process all of this but wearing a hole in the carpet will not make things any easier on you. Although, I do think I might be able to help you relieve some of the tension I know you are feeling."
Sarah backed away from him as he charged steadily towards her. She kept moving backwards until there was nowhere left to go as her back hit the wall at the far end of the room. He leaned over her, one hand bracing the wall while the other raised her chin so he could gaze into her eyes willing her to see into the very depths of his soul. She was surrounded by the spicy, intoxicating scent of him. Her heart was beating so fast she was sure it would jump right out of her chest. She could feel the warmth of him radiating right into her own skin. She brought her hands up to his shoulders with the intention of pushing him away but again, she couldn't bring herself to deny him.
He began slowly, his lips lightly brushing at the hollow of her throat. She turned her head to the side allowing him better access as he began kissing his way up her neck. When he got to the sensitive spot right behind her ear, he whispered "I love you, Sarah," before nibbling lightly on her earlobe.
At this, Sarah opened her mouth with a soft moan. This was all the invitation he needed. In a moment, his lips were on hers. Sarah couldn't help but react. It was like his passion was stoking the smoldering embers deep within her igniting a fire she had never felt before. He was starving for the taste of the one he had craved for so long, his mouth furiously devouring the soft, sweet flavor of her. His tongue was stroking her lips begging for entrance.
He gently nibbled her bottom lip and she acquiesced allowing his tongue to slide inside her mouth. Their tongues danced together both fighting for dominance, each equally as ravenous for the other. In no time, she had her arms around his neck and her hands were running through his amazingly soft, silky hair as both his hands went to her waist pulling her closer. She leaned into him craving that contact until she didn't know where she ended and he began.
He trailed his hands up and down her sides and back leaving fire in their wake everywhere he touched. She had never felt anything like this before. Sure she'd gone on a few dates and kissed a few boys before but they were just that, boys. None of them could even compare to the man she had before her now.
As his hands traveled her body brazenly discovering more and more of her, hers began to drift to his chest tracing lines up and down along his toned abs, the poet's shirt allowing easy access. Time seemed to stand still as they continued to explore each other, their wanton need growing with every touch until suddenly, a creak alerted them to the sound of the front door opening.
It seems that her father and stepmother had actually decided to grace their children with their presence for a change. Before she could even blink, the Goblin King was gone and Sarah was standing alone in the living room bracing the wall for support face flushed, eyes glazed, every inch of her he'd touched still burning as though she were branded by his very touch.
"Goodnight to you too," she grumbled under her breath.
She didn't even have time to collect herself before she was caught like a deer in the headlights by her stepmother entering the room.
A/N: Alrighty, here goes nothing. This is my first Labyrinth fic and my first attempt at writing romantic content of any sort. I've been trying to find a beta to look it over but I have yet to find one so I will post it as it is for now. Hopefully I will get some much needed critical feedback so I might learn something. Please feel free to let me have it if you think it's horrible. I really do appreciate any kind of feedback at all.
