Sarah collapsed to the ground; her white nightgown sprawled around her as she clutched her raven hair. Out of all the people in Sarah's life, her father, step-mother- none of them rendered her in such terror the way that he did. From beneath the strands of her hair, she peered up into his chatoyant eyes. The strangeness of his eyes enthralled her. 'They're so much like a cat's eye.' She thought to herself. Jareth stepped towards Sarah and Diana with immense indignation.
"What have we here, a cowering child and her enchanted toy? How utterly cliché, Sarah." He breathed in deeply and shifted his gaze to Diana. "Diana, I thought I told you what would happen if I ever heard you running your preposterous, ignorant mouth." But the dresser remained noiseless, its mirrors and drawers rattling in sheer panic.
Sarah lowered her hands from her face and rose from her cowering position. Even if he was the Goblin King, now she was a woman. A child may not have been able to deal with such a man, but maybe now she was stronger, smarter. Sarah realized that there was ample opportunity to discuss her current predicament.
"Where is my brother, Toby!" She shouted to Jareth
For a moment, and only a moment, The Goblin King looked hurt at Sarah's impulsive surge of courage.
"Sarah, I have your brother. I've treated him like a son; I've actually grown weary of being weary of him."
"I want Toby back so I can go home! Please, just let me look normal again, give me my brother back and send me home!" Sarah's eyes gleamed with her newfound boldness. As a child, she cowered in front of him.
Jareth moved towards Sarah, his hand outstretched. "Why don't you go back into that beautiful room, dress in the gorgeous dresses that are inside. If you want to act like an adult, now is your chance. This world is your fantasy, all your desires encased inside a striking crystal, don't you think?"
Sarah couldn't help but feel somewhat thankful. What Jareth had said was entirely true. 'This is what I've wanted. To grow up, live in a beautiful castle, much like a princess. If this is my fantasy, there must be a prince nearby. But where could my prince be?' She looked to the Goblin King and realized, 'When a princess grows up she becomes a queen.' It was all very strange, as a girl she couldn't truly gauge the feelings that she had for Jareth. Did she appreciate the adventure, the willingness to do anything for her? Of course, Sarah was but a girl. Now, when she looked into Jareth's eyes, she felt a combination of anxiety and tenderness. She felt sympathetic for his attempts to win her attention. After all, he was giving her all she had ever wished for.
Jareth angrily walked over to the enchanted dresser and slammed his fist down. "There are very few things I've asked of you, you useless piece of scrap wood. I'll take you back to the old junk lady, and make sure I give you back in the manner in whence you came!" Jareth's crystal was now blinking wildly, as was the dresser. The beautiful polished marble faded into an ugly, rotting brown wood.
Sarah stared, unable to move. The dresser let out a miserable creaking groan, snapping her out of her stupor.
"Stop it! Leave Diana alone!" She slapped the crystal from Jareth's hand. The crystal fell from his black, gloved hands and made clinking noises as it rolled to a stop. The dresser gave a sigh of relief, as the dreadful wood finish faded back into the striking marble. Sarah's eyes burned with resentment. 'How could I ever think about him in a way other than wicked?
Jareth turned to see the crystal ball lying on the floor vanished in a glow of vibrant rings of light. In that moment he looked as if though he would destroy everything he touched. Instead, he turned to where the crystal vanished. It then reappeared, dancing on his fingertips.
Sarah stomped her foot angrily and threw her arms at her sides. "Where is my brother?" She shouted at Jareth.
Jareth's crystal, still dancing on his fingertips, began to emanate a pure white light. As the light faded, a picture within the crystal became clearer. There was a baby boy with a sweet face being cradled by an ugly old Goblin woman. Sarah's eyes glazed over with tears of relief. She pressed her hands to her face and breathed in deeply. 'Thank Goodness, Toby is safe.' She thought to herself. 'But why is he still a babe? Why am I an adult?' She mused on.
"Your brother is safe. I've made certain to cause him no harm. Technically Sarah, you've made it to my castle within the allotted amount of time. I grew impatient and brought you here myself. So here is my proposition, Sarah. You must find the gown I've set out for you within my palace. Since it is within your determination to defy me persistently, I will not just give you the clothes you must wear. Instead, you must find them in the castle. You'll have three days to find the Gown, the shoes, and a beautiful necklace. With those three items, you may enter the Grand Ball. At the ball, I expect you to be on your best behavior. You will dance like a princess and entertain me. If you fail to attend the ball, or if you fail to please me- I will send you back home." Jareth cleared his throat and continued. "I will simply send you home as you are: an adult girl-child, with no younger brother under her arm. Do you think your familiars at home will be pleased? They probably wouldn't even believe it were you, Sarah. What would you do then? You couldn't return to your old life, and you certainly wouldn't be allowed back here."
Sarah's eyes were brimming with anger. "That's not fair at all! Why on Earth am I in this stupid body? Diana said ten years had passed!" She tearfully recounted what the enchanted Diana had shared with her.
Jareth smirked. "Have you ever had a dresser drawer be aware of the time? No Sarah, this is simply another gesture of my…regard for you. This is another of your deepest wishes: to grow up. Isn't it awful when we actually get what we want? No one really knows what to do when they get their coveted dream. You've obsessed for so long, that I'm sure there's nothing else you're even capable of thinking of. So I've taken care of that too, I've given you a task, an impending future.
"I look like this because I've wanted this? This isn't what I wanted; I'm telling you what I want. I want my brother, I want to be normal, and then I want to go home!" Sarah cried, practically begging.
Jareth looked unconcerned. "My dear Sarah, no one tells anyone their deepest dreams. If they're found out you'll only deny them, of course. People aren't truthful. Everyone desperately wants to be vulnerable, but in the end, it's unbearable."
Sarah was tired of Jareth's rambling. "Have you never been close to the person you love? It's supposed to be wonderful, not unbearable!" Sarah's air of confidence faltered. "Isn't it?"
Jareth's crystal stopped spinning slowly, fading back into the air. His usual antagonism and wit was replaced with what Sarah assumed to be their first sincere moment. "It's the most painful thing in the world." Jareth responded. He continued, "I'll give you the first clue, Sarah. Here is your riddle, dear girl." As quickly as Jareth came, he vanished. In his place was a levitating scroll that read:
"I'm needed and necessary when the winter months nip at your rosy heels. You can find me hidden in the highest tower, locked away among hundreds of strongboxes with unbreakable seals. If you walk away, I must pursue. Be careful the collector, he lives there too."
"Jareth! What is this nonsense? Collector? Strongboxes? I should assume I'm looking for shoes, shouldn't I?" Sarah turned to Diana, who still had her mirrors clasped shut. Sarah couldn't help but smile a little bit. Perhaps if Jareth was getting more honest, he wasn't as much of a monster as she made him out to be. "Diana, where is the highest tower? I've got something important I should be doing right about now."