Sarah was exhausted. Her body was numb, her hands nearly trembling, her chest cavity ached something awful.
How long will he make me roam this labyrinth? She sighed in the very depths of her soul.
She really didn't know how much longer she'd hold up. She was actually surprised she hadn't collapsed already. It felt like weeks, though she knew she must have gotten lost only a few days ago.
How did I get here in the first place? She wondered, her mind half-dazed from the effort.
A wish, a simple, seemingly innocent wish. And there he'd stood before her. Only she'd not managed to say what she'd really hoped to say and instead had ended up here…wandering the labyrinth like a ridiculous fool. His labyrinth. True enough, it recognized her as its champion, so did little to stop her from moving about in it…but logistics were no longer the issue. She wasn't looking for a baby or a castle or really anything. She just wanted him. The Goblin King.
Oh and how she'd faltered when he'd met her gaze with those cool, inscrutable eyes…
She wished, yearned, desired with all her wildly overextended being that he would appear out of thin air, waltz over to her, take her chin in his hand and massage her very spirit with his elfin lips until she melted into him completely.
That is what she wanted.
Unequivocal, really.
Except…her tongue cruelly held her prisoner. His wry smile also kept her in check. Not to mention his love of games! Oh, she was sure nothing would make him happier than for her to call out for him, fall at his feet and admit defeat. And God knows, perhaps even then he would merely cluck his tongue at her, laugh like a purring jungle cat and evaporate only to leave her burning in livid desire and dissolving in inescapable shame.
Or maybe he would welcome her into his awaiting arms…oh even the thought of it made her lose herself so that she had to halt to arrest the ragged crescendos in her breath.
If he thinks it is best to drive me wild with suspense, mad with unquenched desire, I really don't know how much longer I can take it. Sarah mused with a sardonic pessimism.
If he wanted it to hurt, it does. If wanted me to love, I think I must. If he wanted me to lust, I cannot think of anything else.
The Fae monarch had worked his spell so securely on Sarah that she began to despair of her fate. Of course, she knew, ultimately, that the labyrinth was not holding her prisoner. It was in fact her own heart that kept her chained in this gruesome farce.
Oh he'll grant my wishes, shake me to the core, and then leave me here to waste away with silent longing…
Indeed, Sarah loved Jareth more than she could say. Wanted him more than she'd ever believed possible. Yet, her heart ached. Ached so deep she wondered sometimes if it would shatter.
Sometimes she was angry at him for not seeing how much she needed him. Sometimes she was angry at herself for not knowing how to show him how much she needed him.
"Oh someone save me, someone take me away from this awful place!" The memory of that childish utterance returned to her amidst fevered thoughts.
Oh, Jareth. Save me. Take me out of this inferno of doubt and desire. I'm drowning now in the strange paradise you've made for me. My soul has become kindling for flames that reach higher than this poor little creature ever dreamed. My sorely burning body is now haunted by the unbearable absence of your touch. My mind is spiraling in on itself, distraught in utter confusion and buoyed ever on hopes of at last finding peace in your embrace. If I knew of any desire greater than this it would surely kill me. But I don't want to die here, I want to live…live in the shelter of your love.
Sarah exhaled and continued blindly trudging through corridor and topiary.