Chapter 2
Jareth was no where to be seen when Sarah looked around and Allison was on the floor. "Where are we?" questioned Allison, using Sarah's arm to climb to her feet.
Sarah yanked her arm away, "Do you still think I'm making any of this up?" When Allison shook her head, Sarah looked around for any sign of Jareth. "I wonder where he went." Sarah started to move down the corridor leaving Allison where she stood, still staring at her surroundings.
Allison came to reality, jogged to catch up with Sarah, and clutched her arm, "Don't leave me here alone." Sarah sighed and they continued down the corridor together. On their journey, Sarah gave Allison a more detailed account of her adventure. Allison interjected toward the end, "So what do you think of the "Goblin King" now?"
Sarah stopped for a moment and pondered, "I really don't know how to feel but I had to get away."
"And you just had to take me with you? Thanks a lot." Allison replied in a cruel tone.
Jareth had been waiting for and wanting this day to happen for so long but he never expected it to ever happen, so he was a little lost as to what to do next. He left the girls in the entrance hall and disappeared. He knew Sarah would find her way around. Compared to the Labyrinth, the castle wasn't a maze at all. Just then he heard a knock on the door, "Enter." In walked Sarah looking awfully pleased with herself and he jumped from his seat to greet them, "I'm sorry I left you so suddenly, I had some business to take care of. You found me okay by yourself, I see."
Jareth was almost stuttering and Sarah had never seen him act like that before. "Yeah, I was drawn here by something, but I don't know what though." Sarah remarked.
'It's your heart.' Jareth thought and wished he could say it out loud. "So, Allison, is it?" Jareth switched the topic.
"Yeah, that's me. How do I get out of here?" Allison responded.
Jareth heard her but chose not to acknowledge the fact, "Shall I show you to your quarters then?" Jareth offered his arms to the ladies. Sarah took one, almost reluctantly though, and Allison grabbed the other, for fear of being left alone. After he showed them their rooms, which Sarah's happened to be right across the hall from Jareth's and Allison's was the next door down, he escorted them to breakfast. It was a little early for breakfast, but they were all hungry. "Sarah, in your honor, we have fresh peaches among other things." Jareth said.
Sarah hid her face and chuckled, and took a big bite of a very juicy one that caused the juice to run down her chin. Jareth automatically wiped it off with a napkin but pulled his hand away when Sarah looked shocked. As they were eating, Allison took advantage of the silence to ask again how to get out of there.
"My dear you can't. There is no way out of the Labyrinth." Jareth answered after a pause.
Allison freaked, "But I want to go home!"
"This is your home now." Jareth replied.
"That's not funny. Let her go." Sarah demanded.
Jareth looked at a disgruntled Sarah and the shaken Allison and began, "In no way am I being funny. There are certain rules I have to abide by. If I…"
"I know the rules," Sarah interrupted, "I know I have to stay, but can't you let her leave? Isn't there something you can do?"
Jareth shook his head, "No, Sarah. There isn't anything I can do. The only was to leave here, is to beat my labyrinth and since you beat it, I've improved it, making it quite impossible, even for you, to beat."
Allison had heard enough, "Sarah, this is all your fault! I had a job and a life in the "real world" if that's what you want to call it. And now I can't have that because of you!" She stormed across the room and out the door, slamming it behind her.
Sarah started after her, but was stopped by Jareth's hand on her arm, "I'll talk to her. Please wait here." Jareth requested and followed after Allison.
Sarah didn't have the heart to argue at the moment, so she sat down and finished her wine. She hoped she hadn't messed up everything with her only friend.
Meanwhile, Jareth caught up with and walked with Allison to the gardens outside. "Allison, I'm so sorry everything happened this way, but you did call me."
"Yeah, but I didn't think anything would happen." Allison whispered, trying to fight the tears that were pushing through her eyelids.
Jareth put a comforting hand on her shoulder, "I know, but five years ago, when Sarah asked me to take her brother away, she didn't think anything would happen either. These are the rules that are most specific. I don't know what I can do."
Allison was now sobbing. If she had just believed Sarah, her best friend, when she told her the story, she wouldn't be there.
"You will be a fae as long as you live. And if you want, I can bring somebody else here so you won't be so lonely. Of course they'd have to wish themselves away also, but I can be quite persuasive." Jareth added, slyly.
Allison quieted a little, "What's fae?"
"That means you're as close to immortal as it gets without being truly immortal. Certain spells and diseases can kill us, but they are few and far between." Jareth explained.
"Am I a fae now?" Allison asked, actually paying attention to Jareth now.
Jareth nodded, "As long as you are here, you are a fae."
"Well, I guess I'm pretty much stuck here. So if I think of someone for you to, what, retrieve, I'll let you know." Allison stated after a few moments of silence.
Jareth rubbed her shoulder again, "I know this will be a change for you and I can't guarantee whomever you choose will want to come, but I think you'll like it here. So is Sarah forgiven? I know she feels bad."
"Of course. She's my best friend. I couldn't stay mad at her forever, even if I tried." Allison started toward the castle with Jareth following, thankful that she wasn't mad at Sarah.
Sarah was a little apprehensive about what would happen between her and Allison. She didn't want Allison to leave but she had been tricked into going there, so if it took forever, Sarah would help her beat the Labyrinth if she wished to leave. When she heard them enter and saw a smile on Allison's face, she knew she wasn't mad.
Jareth excused himself to his study for a short while, giving the girls an opportunity to talk about who Allison should ask for. It was a pretty simple decision. Allison's only friend aside from Sarah was a man named Jacob. He and Allison had met a while back and seemed to get along really well. She knew he didn't have anything to lose. He didn't have any family and no close friends. Plus he worked in a factory. She was all he had.
Allison found Jareth and told him who she would like for company. She was pretty tired so she excused herself for a nap. Jareth also excused himself and told Sarah he was going to see Jacob. With a pop, he disappeared.
Sarah was too excited by everything that happened to be tired, so she decided to go for a walk in the gardens. They were very beautiful. Sarah found a small fountain and decided to sit on the edge and think for a while. "Did I do the right thing? I mean I have a feeling every time I'm around him, but I don't know if it's a good feeling or not. Well at least I know I'm not crazy if I'm really here, right?" Sarah was speaking to no one but herself, but she seemed to feel better.
She got up and decided to walk out into the Labyrinth. After what seemed like forever, she saw a place she thought she recognized, but she didn't know why. All of a sudden Sarah plummeted through a hole in the ground and landed in an oubliette. This one, however, had no secret door. She tried yelling but the sound just seemed to echo. All she could do was sit there and wonder if anyone would ever find her. After a little while she leaned back against the wall and fell asleep.
Jareth had returned some time before with Jacob and took him to the room next to his so he could rest. At first he had thought it was a joke, but when he realized it wasn't, he was more than happy to leave.
Not long after Jareth returned to his study, the door burst open, "Don't you kn…" Jareth began, but was interrupted by Allison, was out of breath from running, "She's not back yet and she left when you did."
Jareth was so shocked by the intrusion that he couldn't think so he asked who she was talking about. "Sarah!" Allison choked out, still panting.
That's all it took for Jareth to be out of his seat, "Take her to me," he commanded the crystal he'd conjured and in an instant he was by her side. She was shivering and her face was so cold Jareth almost cried right there, "I'll get you out of here." He picked up Sarah and vanished, reappearing the next second in her bedroom. He pulled back the covers with his foot and laid her between the soft, warm blankets.
He tucked her in, placed a delicate kiss on her forehead, and turned to leave, only to be stopped by Sarah's quiet voice, "Please don't leave. I've been alone long enough."
Jareth pulled a chair over to the bedside, sat, and took her hand, "I won't. I'll be right here." After a while they were both asleep, hands still clasped.
When Jareth awoke with Sarah snoring lightly next to him, his stomach rumbled and he realized it had been almost a whole day since either of them had eaten. He woke her with a light pat on the arm. He still hadn't told her how he felt about her, but he wanted to so badly. He was going to wait for the perfect moment. "Morning. How'd you sleep?" Jareth asked, brushing a piece of hair out of her face.
"I slept fine. I am really hungry though," she replied, sitting up and trying to flatten the rest of her bed-head.
Jareth smiled, "I'm having breakfast made as we speak. Why don't you dress and bring Allison down to breakfast with you. I'll pick up Jacob on the way."
Sarah nodded, "Jacob came. That's good news. Do I have any jeans to where? I really just want to be comfortable."
"Everything you need is in the armoire. I'll see you in about 15 minutes then?" Jareth bowed as he exited the room, leaving Sarah to dress in private.
She walked to the armoire and opened its doors. There were many dresses hanging up along with skirts and shawls. They were all so beautiful, but Sarah wasn't really a dress person. Not without jeans underneath anyway, her birthday dress excluded. She closed the doors and opened a drawer. There were her trusty jeans. Actually, there was all her clothing from her home. She pulled out a fresh set of cloths and went to her private bathroom to change and run a brush through her hair. After she dressed, she made her way across the hall to Allison's room.
Allison was already dressed when she answered the door, "Sarah, you were right. This place is amazing." Sarah just smiled and led the way to the dining room. She loved hearing she was right.
They both talked until they reached the dining room and opened the door. Jacob and Jareth both sat there with a younger looking woman. The woman looked up at the two had just entered, "Oh are you a few of Jareth's guest's? Well if you're still here on Saturday, you must accompany us to my ball." She turned back to Jareth, "Well I must be off. I've got a lot to do yet." She gave Jareth a quick wink and vanished in a shower of rose petals.
Sarah was crushed. She didn't think Jareth would be dating anyone. 'How could I be so stupid? Of course he's with someone. Did you think he was going to wait for you?' Sarah reprimanded herself silently. The hurt must have shown in her face because Jareth's eyes softened and he pulled out the chair next to him so Sarah could sit. Jacob did the same for Allison. He didn't look like he minded being there at all.
"Sarah, may I explain?" Jareth requested. Sarah nodded and he continued, "That was Talya. Her father ruled a bit of the underground far beyond the Labyrinth. She has been after me for years. Her father forbids her from marrying a mortal so she wants me."
Sarah was still upset, but she managed to speak without too much difficulty, "Well I hope you have a good time. I really don't want to go if that's okay with you."
Jareth smiled, "Well I'm going to have a good time here then, because I'm not going without my date." Jareth squeezed Sarah's hand and her stomached filled with butterflies.
"You mean me?" Sarah stammered.
"Sarah, will you go to the ball with me?" Jareth asked with another little squeeze.
Sarah's smile was so broad it almost touched her ears, "Of course. I'd love to go with you. I'm honored."
"Honored? Why be honored when he's liked you for years?" inquired a bodiless voice.
Jareth stared at a seat at the end near Jacob, "Julie must you really spoil everything?"
A woman then appeared in the chair where Jareth had been staring, "Well I wasn't just going to appear. Can you imagine how frightened they'd all be?"
"Sarah, Allison, Jacob, this is my sister Julie." Jareth introduced.
They all said hello and Julie turned back to Sarah, "Sarah, dear, I was wondering if I'd ever see you again. I didn't think Jareth world be the same once you left. So, what are everybody's plans today?" Julie didn't give Sarah any time to say anything, which was fine because she didn't know what to say.
Jareth rolled his eyes, "Well I was thinking of taking Sarah out riding. If that's okay with you."
Sarah nodded, "I didn't have any plans today so that sounds fine."
"We were just going to stay inside today and talk." Allison offered.
Julie smiled, "Well that all sounds lovely."
After they ate their breakfast, Jareth and Sarah left the other three to finish and made their way outside. "I have a confession to make. I can't ride."
"Okay, we can double up." Jareth replied with a smile. He knew she was lying because he had watched her ride with great ease on her 19th birthday, but he figured it wouldn't hurt to be close to her. He mounted a black stallion and then pulled her up in front of him. They rode along for a while discussing everything about the Underground that Sarah didn't know and decided to take a break for some lunch.
Sarah found that they were in such a good mood, she couldn't help but ask something a little uncomfortable, "Do you remember last time I was here and you gave me that peach? Was it really you dancing with me or was it just my imagination?"
The smile that Jareth had on his face since the moment Sarah arrived, vanished, "How I wish it wasn't your imagination. I often wonder why I was so cruel to you and I never come up with an answer. It was meant to be love, but I guess I never had the heart to give it or receive it."
Sarah put her hand on his cheek and whispered, "You've always had my heart." They leaned in toward each other and as soon as their lips met, it was like magic. The only thing they knew was each other. There was such passion between them and everything else seemed to stop. Sarah didn't even notice that they were no longer outside, but in Jareth's bedroom, until he placed her on the soft bed. He took his shirt off and began kissing her again. Sarah, coming to her senses, finally stopped him. "Jareth, I don't know about this."
"Sarah, I love you. I've never done this before. I've wanted you to be my first since I met you. I've waited all this time for you, but if you don't want to now, I can wait longer. I'd wait forever for you." Jareth replied, kissing her forehead.
Sarah was moved, although she needed reassurance, "No lies?"
"Absolutely. I would never lie to you. You are the only one I want. You mean the world to me." Jareth replied with the kind of sincerity in his voice that Sarah knew he wasn't lying and she pulled him into a passionate kiss.
She was ready for this. She always had been. Anyone that loved her that much, she knew she wanted to make part of her life forever. He helped her with her shirt and pants then his pants joined hers on the floor. The sight of his body made her gasp and made Jareth finish pulling her under-clothes off almost recklessly. Luckily, Sarah was turned on even more by this. Jareth pulled her closer to him and kissed her fiercely. Before they went too far he pulled back, looked her straight in the face and asked, "Do you want this? Because once we start I don't know if I'll be able to stop."
Sarah breathed deeply, "Please get over here and don't make me wait any longer. Please…"
Her plea was smothered by another passionate kiss and Jareth clicked off the light.
The next morning Sarah woke up not knowing where she was. She wasn't in her room. Then everything came back to her like a wave of euphoria. The horseback ride, the picnic, and the moments with her and Jareth all came back to her. She tried to sit up and the cramps in her abdomen confirmed the fact that it wasn't a dream. She was, however, alone. She carefully got out of bed and made her way to his armoire to see if there was a robe or something she could slip into. Thankfully, she didn't have to go searching because there was one laid out for her. She slipped it on and tried to sneak across the hall without being detected. She was halfway through her doorway when she heard someone clear their throat behind her. She groaned and turned to find the hall empty, "Julie?"
"Go in, I'll follow," whispered the disembodied voice. Sarah did as she was asked and closed the door after Julie had appeared sitting on the foot of her bed. "Well, what do we have here?"
Sarah looked at the floor, "It's not what it looks like."
"I'm supposed to believe that? Even if I believed nothing happened just by the way you're dressed and sneaking out of my brother's room in the very early morning, you are walking like you have something stuck up your bottom." Julie laughed at the look of horror on Sarah's face. "Look, Sarah, it's no big deal. You two are in love. It's a natural thing."
Sarah nodded, "I know that, but you spotted it so easily. Do you have anything that might work for my cramps and stuff?"
"What kind of girl would I be if I didn't have something like that?" Julie asked, walking into the bathroom and coming back with a bottle of purple liquid. "You're not the first girl in the castle that's needed this stuff."
Sarah's heart sank and she felt like she was going to be sick, "Jareth told me it was his first time…"
Julie saw the look on Sarah's face and knew what she was thinking, "Oh, Dear, you've got it all wrong. You were definitely my brother's first. I was the one who liked to get around, if you know what I mean. He wasn't lying. He wouldn't lie to you. After he drove you away once, I don't think he'd survive if he did it again. Here, drink this. It helps." Julie pushed the bottle into Sarah's hands. Sarah gave her a weak smile, but a smile none-the-less and downed the bitter tasting liquid. Almost instantly, she was feeling normal again.
"Thanks. You know, for a minute there, I think my heart stopped." Sarah chuckled and placed a hand against her chest.
Julie smiled and put an arm around Sarah, "Don't worry. My brother only has eyes for you. I'm glad you're here too. No offense, but I was so sick of hearing about you at least twice a day for five years."
"Yeah, sorry about that. But you said you got around a lot, but I haven't seen a man in this place since I arrived." Sarah wondered aloud, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that. I was just thinking it and…"
"Don't worry about it," Julie eased Sarah's worries, "When I was younger, my parents didn't care what I did because Jareth was the one taking over the kingdom, not me. I was free to do as I pleased. Then you happened. Jareth didn't know which shoe went on which after you left. My parents knew that he was in no shape to run anything. They asked me to step up. Over the years, Jareth recovered enough so that just before my father died, he gave him the throne. I still, despite my father's confidence in his only son, remained here to help run the Underground. Now that you're back, I may just need to go out and have some fun again."
Both women chuckled and Julie departed so Sarah could shower and dress before breakfast. As Sarah was brushing her hair, she noticed her eyes were different colors. She hadn't noticed them until now.
There was a quiet knock on the door before it opened. Jareth walked in holding a small box. "Good morning beautiful. How was your night? Mine was wonderful with you by my side." He greeted her with a quick kiss. "I have something for you."
"What is it?" Sarah asked cautiously.
Jareth opened the box. Inside was a small necklace like his own. "Sarah," Jareth began, "if you accept this, you are also accepting me and my kingdom. I want to be with you forever and longer if you'll let me."
Sarah smiled, but looked up at Jareth with a tear in her eye, "Jareth, last night was great. Phenomenal even. But maybe it's too soon for this. I mean, we really don't know each other."
"Okay," Jareth closed the box and put it in his pocket, "I understand."
Sarah hugged Jareth and added, "But I'd really like to work on getting to know you better. Are you with me?"
"Anywhere you go I'm with you." Jareth replied, giving her another quick kiss.
Sarah suggested a walk after breakfast and Jareth readily agreed. They walked down to breakfast together and Jareth left her at the door, saying that he needed to go to his study for a moment and he'd be right there.
As Sarah entered the whole hall went silent. "What? Is there a ghost behind me?" Sarah laughed and turned in a circle. She seated herself and began to fill her plate, but still seemed to be the center of attention, "What?"
"Well…" Allison began.
Julie finished the sentence, "What did you say? Where's the necklace?"
Sarah looked stunned they all knew, but answered anyway, "I told him maybe we should wait until we get to know each other a little better. I want to be sure that this is really what I want."
Everyone stared at Sarah with their mouths hanging open. "I can't believe you told him no," stated Allison.
"I didn't tell him no. I said we should wait. This is what I want. I've wanted him forever. I just don't want to rush this." Sarah replied forcefully and left everyone at the table, still staring at her. She made her way to Jareth's study to see if he was ready to go and heard crashing and yelling from inside. Sarah opened the door just a crack to see what was going on. Jareth was throwing things and screaming at himself, "You idiot! You shouldn't have asked her! You knew she wouldn't say yes! She just wanted you in bed but nothing else!" Jareth finally stopped throwing things and sank to the floor, crying.
Sarah opened the door quietly and approached him, "Jareth…"
Jareth jumped and wiped his eyes, "I was just…" He climbed to his feet, "I…"
"I know what you were doing. What made you think, for one second, that I didn't want to be with you?" Sarah questioned, wiping a smudge off his face.
Jareth's eyes met hers, "You said we should wait. I thought that meant…"
"Well, you thought wrong. I said we should wait. I didn't say for how long. It may be a month it may be an hour. I know, though, that I want to be with you, now and always." Sarah snaked her hand into Jareth's pocket and extracted the box, "Do you want to try that proposal again?"
Jareth smiled, "Seriously?"
Sarah nodded and this time she said that she would accept him and his kingdom, "I…I…love you."
Jareth clasped the necklace around her neck and kissed her with even more love than he showed her the previous night, "I love you too, so much."
They were so wrapped up in each other that neither of them noticed the audience that now filled the doorway. "Congratulations. It's about time. So when is the wedding?" Julie asked and they all applauded the now very red-faced couple.
