AN: Well, i've caught the Labyrinth bug, and the horrid little beast known as Pumpkin (my muse, I suppose) has been throwing a tantrum until I decided to write this one out. The idea for this one was originally a multi-chaptered thing. But, I have the attention span of a gnat and so it shall be this one chapter. Huzzah and long live the Goblin King.
Seriously though guys, this is probably the longest thing I've ever written that's managed to keep my constant attention.
Just because the Goblin King held no power over Sarah did not mean that she held no power over him. He often found himself bowing to her every whim. You think the girl would learn to not wish aloud after the Labyrinth, but it seemed as if she couldn't help herself. And so, the king would do whatever she wished. She did not fear him, she did not love him, she did not do as he said. And yet, Jareth found himself a slave.
The worse part was, he could not bring himself to care.
Sarah knew that Jareth still hung around her, watching her, protecting her, granting her wishes; whatever they may be. He was the dark fairy godmother at her back. Sarah never called him, never spoke to him directly. She preferred to keep him as the dark little secret. She only would ever catch glimpses of him. A smug smile in the distance, a flash of platinum spikes in a crowd, a flurry of white feathers outside her bedroom window. Sarah knew that he was always waiting for her next wish, waiting for her to call to him. She had gained a slave she didn't want.
But she'd use him anyways.
Jareth felt his rage swell up a little more every time he saw her with one of them. One of these mortal boys. She'd let them court her, touch her, taste her. They would have her in ways that he never had, and she mocked him with the knowledge. She would find him as he watched her and look pointedly as she teased these boys. But he knew that they would never last for her, as they would always disappoint her, leave her unsatisfied. When they left, she'd finish. She always came gasping his name, even if it wasn't by his hand.
And so he would continue to watch.
For her part, Sarah couldn't get enough of teasing him. Part of her was too scared as to what would actually happen should she let the Goblin King close enough for a close encounter. Part of her desperately wanted to know what it would be like. And so, she would tease. She would purposely find the tall blonde ones. The ones with light eyes and a cocky smile. She would seduce them, fuck them, and leave them. But, it was all a show for Jareth. Sometimes she would drag it out for weeks, and others it would be over in the span of a night. It all depended on how much she felt like torturing him at that particular time. None of these boys, for that was all they were, could bring her the end. None of them gave her that particular thrill she needed to get there by touching her. That thrill was only delivered when she could look him in the face as she brought herself off with his name on her lips. Her dirty secret, her own personal voyeur. So she stared into the dark, mesmerized by those mismatched eyes and let her hands wander, quickly finding her trigger and came; gasping his name into the night. She always enjoyed seeing the burning in his eyes, before he disappeared back into the Labyrinth always unfulfilled.
The fifteen year old in her would have never guessed that she would have been capable of this.
The twenty one year old she was now couldn't imagine living without this.
Jareth knew the moment that their relationship was going to change. The change in his eyes, was not for the better. The man was charming, intelligent, employed, and utterly head over heals for Sarah. They met in the used bookshop that Sarah worked in, and funnily enough bonded over a copy of the Labyrinth. He knew when she was thinking of this other male because she would just get this simply happy smile on her when she was thinking of him; let alone the way she would light up the room when he came in. They laughed and talked. He noticed she had stopped looking for him, stopped wishing for things, stopped thinking of him. It took almost 2 months for the man to ask her out, and about 15 seconds for her to say yes.
No one was safe from his rage that day.
Sarah was sure she found the one when she realized that she didn't compare him to Jareth. He may have been tall and blonde, but that was where the similarities ended. This man was a complete and utter gentlemen. He was funny, intelligent, and had a wild imagination. She found herself thinking more of him and dwelling less on the past. They agreed on most things, but when they disagreed their debates were legendary. He made her feel like a normal young woman. When he finally asked her out, she thought not of her past, but of the future he seemed to hold in his eyes.
She didn't hesitate to say yes.
Jareth despite everything, continued to watch Sarah, to guard her, to make sure she was okay. She seemed to never think of the Underground, of the Goblins, of him. She seemed happy and fitting in for once. But Jareth waited. Although the chance grew slimmer every day, he still hoped that she would return to him. That she would learn that she could have all her dreams should she only stay with him, be with him, rule with him. The final bit of hope left in the Goblin King's ever breaking heart, was snuffed out when she said yes to him. It took hundreds of years to build the castle beyond the Goblin City. It took only an hour to destroy the very same castle. It took countless years in the underground to rebuild it.
The metaphor was not lost on him.
It took him 2 months, 3 days for him to ask her out. She had been dating Eric for 2 years, 11 months before he finally proposed. It took them two full years to plan the wedding of their dreams. And now finally at the age of 26 she was getting married. The dress was so similar to her dream from the Labyrinth, but not quite it. Puffy sleeves resting slightly off her shoulder, a tight bodice with a princess skirt. She hadn't been sure about getting something like that dress, but nothing else ever felt right. She always imagined something like this as her wedding dress. She was nervous, but excited. She would be spending the rest of her life with an amazing man and hopefully building a family together. Looking in the mirror as she finished the touches on her makeup she gasped as she saw Jareth in the mirror. His hair decorated with blue and clad in the same outfit she always saw him in, in her dreams.
"This one looks better precious" His voice low and hypnotizing as she watched her dress transform into the one from the dream. Before she could say anything, he disappeared and her dress stayed as the one from her dreams. Sarah put a determined face on, and when she was called she walked down the isle to her future. She could feel Jareth in the crowd behind her, watching her as she walked towards her future.
For the first time in 5 years, she looked back.
Jareth watched as she got ready for one of the biggest days of her life. The dress looked like a copy of the one from her dreams. She looked like a vision in white. Her hair in an up-do, make-up subtle, her skin glowing from the excitement of her big day. He appeared behind her and watched the shock play upon her face. He smiled slightly, granting her one more wish for her big day. Telling her it looked better on her this way, he vanished from her sights. He still watched, waiting for her to finally be ready before finding a place to watch the ceremony from. When she looked back while walking down the isle, her eyes finding his like an old practiced dance. He felt his heart leapt.
For the first time in a long time, Jareth allowed himself to feel hope.
After eating the wonderful dinner prepared by a glorious 5-star chef and having danced for a while Sarah finally had the chance to sit. Despite Jareth having been there, it was the day of her dreams. She closed her eyes for only a minute, just to re-open them to nobody being in the ballroom anymore. Standing up quickly in confusion, she whirled around to see Jareth standing there in the dashing Blue outfit, looking ever her perfect match.
"What did you do?" She demanded, heart racing at the thought of being alone with him. Jareth smiled before extending his hand to her. She tentatively placed her hand in his, seemingly unable to refuse the gesture. She had always be unreasonably drawn towards this man.
"It's only a day-dream precious, you'll be back before you know it" He said, gliding across the floor with her in his arms. He was singing to her the song of her dreams, dancing with her like in the dream. However unlike the dream, they were completely alone. Nothing to distract her from saying yes to whatever this man was going to offer her. This terrified her more than anything. This thought alone made her jerk back from him and stand her ground.
"Enough Jareth, tell me what you want" She demanded from him. She crossed her arms over her chest in what she hoped was a stern manner. The reality of the situation was that she was trying oh-so-hard not to reach out and grab him, pull him to her and do the things she only dreamed of.
"I've come to give you a gift precious. It is customary to give gifts at weddings, no?" He said producing a crystal from seemingly no where. Flipping it back and forth on his finger tips, before finally holding it still on the tips.
"It is your last free wish from me pet" Jareth said staring into her eyes. "You can wish for anything, at anytime. But anything after it requires a price." The look in his eyes was deadly serious. He was giving her one last part of him, before he finally cut ties with her. Part of her went dead cold at the realization. He would no longer be hers, forever waiting for her to finally say yes to what he asked of her all those years ago. She took the crystal into her numb hands, the blood rushing through her head as she realized she really was going to loose him. Before she could comment, he was gone and everyone else had been returned. She was left standing there, crystal cupped in her hands.
Surrounded by all these people, she never felt more alone.
Although he had felt the flames of hope, he knew he needed to cut his ties more than anything. One last chance for her to set things right, one last wish from her slave. Part of him wanted to cling to her, whirl her around in his arms and take it back. Tell her that'd he always be her slave, no matter the cost to him or his kingdom. But he couldn't, nor would he. It was high time he started acting his part as king again, and stop worrying over a slip of a girl. He would make sure that she no longer held any power over him.
Although even he knew that it was a lie.
It took Sarah turning 29 for her to remember the crystal she had stashed away in a box of her costume things tucked away in the attic. Until recently her marriage with Eric had been amazing, they had a house with a yard, she opened her own book shop while he was working his way to becoming a respectable lawyer. The only problem was children. They found themselves unable to conceive, and slowly but surely it was ruining their marriage. Eric wanted kids more than anything, and Sarah wanting to make her husband happy, wanted what he wanted.
The doctors couldn't figure it out for the life of them.
They were apparently both capable, but it just wasn't happening. It was after one stressful day, another meaningless fight about absolutely nothing had taken place. She found herself in the attic cleaning (as she tended to do while angry). Going through her old costume trunk she found delicately wrapped in her white vest with gold vines, a seemingly delicate crystal ball. She felt the air get sucked out of her chest. The weight of the object in her hand was nothing compared to the weight of what she knew she was going to do.
She would use her one last free wish.
Jareth felt the call like a punch in the chest. Lounging across his throne watching over his goblins, he had never expected to hear the call. Sarah's sweet voice floating through his head, calling him to her. His heart was racing, his head pounding, and palms sweating. This would be the first time in years he would go to her. Would see her. He felt like he couldn't breathe.
He had no choice but to obey.
Sarah knew he was there. His presence had always overwhelmed her. She turned her head to see him standing behind her. His face was stony, but Sarah knew he was shocked, overwhelmed, and a little hopeful. With a deep breath, she slowly stood and looked into his eyes. She would ask him one thing that would change nothing and everything between them. Inhale, exhale, she looked at him. Her mouth opened and she said.
"I wish for you to make me with your Child."
Jareth found himself dumbstruck as he tried to comprehend what she was saying. For some unfathomable reason she wanted him, King of the Goblins, almost lover, dark protector to impregnate her. Questions raced into his head and disappeared just as fast as he was finally grasping what she asked. For reasons unknown to him, she wanted him to be the one who gives her children. He realized that something must be seriously wrong between her and her husband if she turned to him to fix it for her. Looking at her determined face, he knew there was no way to
convince her of how bad an idea this was. How ruined they would be for other people after this. But he did the only thing he could.
"As my lady wishes, so shall it be."
Sarah knew from the moment he touched her, she was ruined for anyone else. The connection and emotion between them surpassed anything she had ever felt with her husband. The sex with her husband was always sweet and loving. With Jareth everything was fiery passion that was years in the making. When they had finished and we're pulling clothes on Sarah turned to him and said.
"Nothing has changed between us Jareth" Seeing his eyes tighten and face go stony she almost flinched. She knew that it was a lie just as well as he did.
Everything had changed.
Over the next few months Jareth found himself watching her more and more in his crystals, watching as her belly expands, and oh how she glows. Pregnancy looks good on her, and he only wishes he could be a bigger part of it. He finds himself falling deeper and deeper each day as she carries his child. He watches her husband and glowers at how he isn't worth it. The worthless pig has been cheating on her for months now. But his thoughts always return to Sarah and his heart leaps as he watches a small footprint appear in her belly.
He feels something wet in the corner of his eye, but chooses to ignore it.
Sarah had never felt this much pain in her life. She was screaming as she pushed wishing that someone was here to hold her hand through out this ordeal. Her husband had been on a business trip to L.A and was on his way back, but Sarah knew he wouldn't make it in time. She felt the sweat roll down her face as she continued pushing. She just wished that someone was here with her in her time of need. As another contraction hit her she tried to breathe, but it came out as a mangled scream until she felt a calming hand on her forehead, pushing back the hair. She looked up to see Jareth standing over stroking her head. The doctors mistook him for her husband, allowing him to stay in the room while she gave birth.
"It'll be okay" The soothing voice helped more than any drugs in the world.
And it was okay.
The second time Jareth ever cried was when he heard the tiny wailing of his daughter being brought into the world. Never had he been more proud than when he held this wriggling pink baby in his arms. His beautiful daughter was placed into his arms and it felt like everything would be alright. Looking down at Sarah, he passed her their daughter and saw as tears sprung to her eyes.
"Her name is Fae" Sarah said softly, holding their daughter and cherishing her.
Jareth never felt love quite as clearly until this moment.
Sarah never knew how gentle someone could be until she saw Jareth sing Fae to sleep. Eric never looked quite as right with the baby, and always seemed awkward when holding her.
She had awoken to a soft crying noise come from Fae's nursery only to hear the sweetest song being sung to her. She stood there and watched mesmerized as Jareth rocked her back and forth, soothing back tufts of blonde hair as he sung quietly to her. The baby fell almost instantly back to sleep in Jareth's arms. Part of Sarah desperately wanted to come home to this every evening. A home with Jareth and their daughter sounded like heaven.
It was the first time ever that she contemplated leaving Eric; it was also the last.
"You're a natural" Came a soft voice from the door, he turned to see Sarah standing at the door with a most tender look on her face. He never stopped his swaying motion, enjoying the feeling of the small girl who had fast become the centre of his world.
"It comes with the territory Precious" His voice low and soothing as he moved towards the rocking chair by the window, slowly rocking back and forth in the chair, humming along to a song in his head. His heart skips a beat when he sees the infant open her sleep eyes for a minute to reveal the match to his very own.
"Just don't let Eric see you"
And suddenly he had permission to be back in her world.
Fae has only just turned 3 when Eric leaves Sarah. After 6 years of marriage he takes off with his secretary on his daughters birthday. After 3 months he had finally gotten around to sending her the divorce papers. Sarah can only feel tired as worn down as she reads what is the end of her marriage. Fae lays asleep in her tiny bed while Sarah's hands are threaded through her hair and a bottle of wine sits half drunk upon the table. Sarah feels a hand soothingly rub her back. She looks up to see Jareth standing above her, eyes filled with concern. She feels her face crumple and the tears come falling down as she lets a sob out. Strong arms surround her and drag her into bed, holding her tightly against his chest. She cries and cries until she cannot any longer. He sings softly to her and she feels herself become drowsy.
It's the first time she's had such a peaceful sleep in months.
When Fae turns five, Jareth feels fear for the first time in years. He hears Sarah calling to him desperately and as much as part of him wishes to ignore, he is still her slave, just as he has always been. And so he goes to her almost immediately. The sight that greets him is unpleasant. Sarah is sitting on the ground rocking back and forth, the pain and panic in her eyes evident. He walks only a step closer when her eyes snap to him.
"Find her" Were the desperate words that came out of her mouth. His blood ran cold and he did the only thing that he could.
He obeyed.
Sarah never really realized how dangerous the mortal realm could be until today. Now at the age of 19 Toby frequently took to babysitting his niece. Sarah didn't mind, after all her brother was great with Fae, and loved her to bits. Sarah had no reason to suspect today would go any differently, until she received a panicked phone call from Toby. He had turned around only for a minute and then she was gone. It was revealed on the store security tapes that a man had picked up Fae and walked out of the store. Sarah had never realized just how fucked up people could be. So she did the only thing she could. She called Jareth and sent him after her.
The only thing left was to wait.
It took Jareth only minutes to find her location in one of his crystals, and come to the rescue.
It would take the man hundreds of years in a oubliette being tortured in unimaginable ways before he was finally allowed to die.
It took only 10 seconds of seeing her baby safe and sound for Sarah to gather her in her arms and finally allow herself to cry with relief.
It took 9 months for her son Alec to be born, although neither Jareth nor Sarah quite understood what had led to it.
Sarah feels so very alone for the first time in years. Fae is 7 and Alec is 2 when she sees Jareth for what seems to be the last time. The children are in bed and she is going over taxes for the book store that she now owned. She waits for her nightly visitor as she always does. As he appears in her living room promptly at 10 as he always does, but tonight he looks ragged and worn down. She walks calmly over to him, placing a kiss on his cheek realizing he looks more serious than he has in years. She feels that it can only be bad news.
She never realized how right she was.
Jareth feels his heart break as she rejects him for a second time. The underground is growing to become an increasingly darker place and it's becoming to dangerous to travel here, to see his family. He can't take the chance of someone following, someone taking advantage of the fact that he cannot always be there to protect them. So he tells her of the troubles, his concerns, the fact that he cannot return, not if it meant endangering them. And so he asks her once more to come with him, to be his queen. He waits on bated breath, already knowing the answer, but hoping for her to surprise him once more. She doesn't. And so once more, and perhaps for a final time he leaves her.
Turning his back on her was the hardest thing he had to do.
Fae is 12 when she wishes 7 year Old Alec away. For her part, Sarah doesn't find out until she gets home from work that day to see Jareth sitting on the couch with Alec and Fae curled into his sides, both sound asleep, small hands curled into his shirt. Sarah feels panic. Why was he here? Why now? He calmly shifts the children to the side, unwinding their hands, gently brushing the hair out of each of their eyes. He passes across the living room and comes to stop in front of Sarah, his eyes soft as they look at her in the first time in 5 years. His hand cups the side of her face for just a moment before pulling away. She shudders at the touch, and isn't even surprised at how much he still effects her. She had a feeling he always would.
"She beat your time by 3 hours" He says calmly, his eyes going blank. Sarah isn't even given a chance to process his words before he is gone. Staring at her children Sarah's eyes soften. She wonders for the thousandth time if she made the right decision for that second time.
She's afraid of the answer.
Jareth is surprised at the latest wish. His tricky little daughter Fae has asked him to spirit away her little brother Alec. Having no choice, he takes Alec his castle and gives Fae the option of her dreams, or the challenge of getting her brother. She smiles and accepts the challenge. She has a way with the Labyrinth that even he doesn't. She speaks to it, commands it, and it bends to her will, as if it recognizes her lineage. No matter the challenges that come her way, she accepts them with grace and skill, not a single complaint in sight. He's mesmerized when she finally makes it to the tower and says.
"We just wanted to see our dad." Her mismatched eyes glistening with tears.
His heart breaks for what seems like the thousandth time.
When Fae turns 16, Sarah realizes she's going to have a problem. Fae unlike Sarah at that age, has dates. Lots of dates. The girl attracts anyone and everyone to her, what can be an unfortunate side effect of the Fae genetics. It can turn into quite the scene when Sarah takes her two children out with her. Boys of all ages staring at her daughter, ever enchanted by her. Little girls swooning over 11 year old Alec, who is sure to be a heartbreaker. However Fae was most definitely her fathers daughter. Mischievous, beautiful, the voice of an angel and utterly dangerous when she chooses to be. She's also the ever growing thorn in her mother's side. She has boys following her everywhere and she rules over them as if she were queen. Sarah tentatively allows her daughter to date, warning her to be careful of who she decides to play with. Her fears are realized when Fae comes home a date with the strap of her dress torn and her arm bruised. Sarah is about to ask what happens when Fae speaks.
"It's been taken care of." Her eyes cruel, she wanders back into her room shutting the door.
She really was her fathers daughter.
Jareth remembers the second time he hears his daugher make a wish. It's not a wish to take her brother away, but a wish of pain. He materializes behind her back and realizes the situation she's in. The anger is instant and hot as he sees the bruises and torn dress. The male in on the ground cowering in front of her, clearly not aware of what she truly was capable. He already had bruises and cuts on him. Nails scraping across his face, fists and feet marking his body. Not turning to him, she repeats her wish once more. The cruelty of the wish is truly that of an underground creature, and he grants it without further thought.
"As my lady commands, so shall it be"
Sarah is 48 when she receives the life altering news. Those headaches she's been getting for the past couple months aren't as harmless as she wished they were. She's numb as she hears flashes of words coming out of the doctors.
Inoperable.
Large Mass.
Months left.
Her thoughts are desperate. She turns to the man she could always count on, if he could do all of those things for he, why can't he make this go away.
And so she calls.
Jareth hates himself and everything within him when he cannot grant her wish. There is nothing he can do, no miracle cure to save his children and himself from the pain of what will be loosing Sarah. She cries, she rages and screams, and she is beaten down by the realization that she really has lost this time. The only thing Jareth can do is hold her as she cries, be the target of her rage, and help her back up when she has gotten to the lowest point. He holds her strong as she tells Fae and Alec what's happening. He has never seen such grief upon his children's faces as they insist that there must be a way.
He's sure that his own face matches theirs in this moment.
The pain gets a little worse every day. Sarah finds herself unable to run her bookstore anymore and is forced to close it until she can figure out what to do with it. For the most part she is unable to get out of bed and do practically anything. Fae and Alec are good with making sure she eats something and bathes. But for the most part it's her alone in her room. The only time she finds that she's not in pain is when Jareth comes and sings to her. He sits beside her, lets her cuddle into his side, and just sings to her. He may not be able to heal her, but he can at least take the pain away for a short time. Take her away for a short time.
And she loves to live in that fantasy.
He knows it, and so do Fae and Alec. It's the end for her, he can smell the sickness growing larger every day. The pain increases so much more every day, so much it causes hallucinations. These hallucinations are so frequent, that it's become rare to catch her lucid. And so, he tells them his plan, and they agree. The kinder option at this moment. They say their goodbyes while she's still in her mind. After Fae walks out of the room, her arm placed protectively around Alec, she nods to him. He takes a deep breath before walking into the room, and the sight before him hurts more than anything. His brave, stubborn, beautiful Sarah was a skeleton upon the bed. Painfully skinny, sickly pale, so clearly in pain. She raises a hand to him, beckoning him to her.
And always he has no choice but to obey.
She hasn't experienced this amount of clarity for the longest time. The pain hasn't subsided, but she's fought her way through it for this moment. Just as they all knew, so did she. It was the end, the final curtain call. She comforted her kids and now waited for her Goblin King to come forward and say his final words. He's in the doorway, and the pain is evident in his eyes. She beckons him and he glides to her. He's as beautiful as the day she met him, untouched by aged. He sits beside her on the bed, and sings to her quietly as his arms wrap around her. And she revels in it. His touch once excited her, now it soothes her. He stops singing for a moment before sitting up, letting her rest back on her pillows. Staring at him, she sees him call a crystal to his finger tips. She smiles slightly before asking.
"What is it?" Her voice tired and strained. His eyes soften as starts to flip it back and forth on his fingertips.
"A crystal, nothing more. But when you turn it like this. It shows you your dreams." The crystal coming to rest on the top of his finger tips. She understood what he was offering her and felt tears come to her eyes. The fell down her face and she stared at him, waiting for him to continue.
"Do you want it?" He offers it to her, holding it out to her. She reaches hesitantly, and before she touches it she looks at him in the eyes. He's giving her all of her dreams, so she needed to give him this.
"I love you" The look on his face tells her everything. He reaches for her face, the soft leather of his gloves soothing. She nuzzles into his palm, kissing it. He nods and she touches the crystal.
She's far away in a land of dreams and what-ifs. A Goblin Queen beside her King, children all around. And they are happy, oh so happy.
It's a fairytale ending.
Her grave is at the edge of the graveyard, trees surrounding it. The Headstone reads Sarah Williams 1971 - 2021 She lived in a world of Magic. The groundskeeper swears it's the weirdest thing. Ambrosia flowers grow over her grave from spring to the first snow fall, unattended they thrive beyond all other flowers planted within the graveyard. He swears that sometimes he sees a tall blond man, strangely dressed singing to the grave, but when he looks back he's always gone.
Just like magic.
Reviews are love!