"Give me the child."
Giggles all around. But the long-haired young woman looked serious as she gazed upon the Goblin King with a determined stare, her bravery answered only with a smirk.
"Through dangers untold, and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen…"
More giggles. The expression on Jareth's face did not change. His right hand merely stroked his prize with a gloved hand.
"…for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom as great…"
Titters. Giggles. Jareth mocked an expression of horror.
And then, the young woman pulled off the black wig she had been wearing, revealing a full head of luxurious blond hair, through which a pair of pointed ears could be seen poking out. She then smirked and wagged a long, slender finger at the Goblin King.
"…you have been a very naughty boy!" The Lady Vestrie then chided, a smirk on her face.
"I agree!" Jareth then picked up the plush toy doll he had been stroking and scowled upon it as the titters around him increased. "Away with thee, Toby, you naughty boy!"
He then tossed the plush toy to a group of tittering goblins, who now joined their King in mocking laughter as Vestrie, who was also laughing, altered her semblance of the outfit Sarah Williams had worn during her quest to rescue Toby, changing it into a beautiful gold-lined white gown. She then leaped into the arms of the Goblin King.
"Honestly…how could you ever let a mere human get the best of you?" Vestrie asked, pulling a green grape from a nearby plate of fruits and hovering it in front of Jareth's mouth.
"Beginner's luck." Jareth responded, angling his head forward to bite upon the grape as Vestrie released it.
"And have you ever wondered what happened to the so-called 'champion of the labyrinth'?" Vestrie inquired.
Jareth shook his head as he chewed upon the grape, and then swallowed it. "Old news. She won her little brat fair and square. I'd rather just leave her be."
"And pretend it never happened." Vestrie mused aloud.
Jareth then fixed his eyes on Vestrie's. "Why do you ask? Is that a twinge of jealousy in your velvety voice, dear?"
"Put yourself in my place, Jareth." Vestrie noted. "A Seelie Princess falls in love with an Unseelie Goblin King, forcing us to sneak around behind the backs of the Courts and have a little adventure or two in so doing. My father gets suspicious, we have to temporarily stay away from each other for awhile. What does the lonely Goblin King do with his time? He toys with a snippy mortal's contempt for her baby brother, and she becomes champion of your little labyrinth."
Jareth shrugged. "I thought Toby would make a good goblin."
"And yet, you were feeling so heartbroken when she left you." Vestrie continued. "Very unusual behavior for an unseelie. Have you so suddenly forgotten the meaning of the word…revenge?"
"I have no need for revenge." Jareth responded. "Last I have seen, her mortal life has become rather decrepit. She is an empty shell without me."
"Shall we have a look?" Vestrie suggested, gesturing to the curtained entrance to an adjoining chamber in Jareth's Throne Room.
Jareth sighed. "If I show you how she has been faring, you have to promise me that you'll never waste my time with this jealousy rubbish. Agreed?"
Vestrie smirked. "Only if I like what I see."
Vestrie then emerged from Jareth's lap and onto her slippered feet, pulling Jareth up from his throne, and the two tall, slim faerie humanoids moved into the adjoining room, Jareth pushing aside the crimson-colored curtain for Vestrie to pass through. They then walked through a narrowed path, the way flanked by a number of items, trinkets, and articles of magic and mischief resting idly next to one another. On the far wall was yet another curtain, this one silken in appearance, with arcane sigils upon the deep purple tapestries and a golden cord hanging down on one side.
One of Jareth's pale hands grabbed the golden cord. "Show me Sarah Williams." He calmly intoned. Jareth would then mentally indicate what stages of Sarah's life would be revealed, and he then pulled the cord, parting the curtain into two halves, the smooth wall behind it glowing a soft white before forming a mesh of blurred colors. This blurred mesh gradually achieved sharpness and full clarity, and the face of Sarah Williams could be seen upon the wall at last.
Vestrie smiled at what she saw. A lonely librarian who occasionally entertained groups of visiting schoolchildren with the readings of stories, most of them of the fairytale variety. It was apparently the only occasions when this mortal was happy, for many of the other visions were that of the lonely woman Sarah had become since becoming the champion of the labyrinth.
The Seelie noblewoman spied a glance at Jareth, and confirmed her suspicions by noticing a kind of longing in his gaze as the images continued to play…
…but then, his brows furrowed, and he stepped close to the wall.
Vestrie saw that the images of Sarah's life included her visits to the therapists she went through. She had giggled when she saw Sarah's dissatisfaction with nearly all of them, and there were spats with her father over how useless they were, which also entertained Vestrie.
It was her present therapist, however, that seemed to trouble Jareth. Stepping up close to the wall, she could see why as the images of their sessions replayed in a perpetual loop.
Neither she nor Jareth could clearly see this therapist's face.
"You haven't seen this before?" Vestrie curiously inquired.
The images of her visits with this therapist cycled through once more, and Jareth quietly observed them.
"No." He finally admitted. He then pulled the gold cord and the tapestries swallowed the image whole. He then walked right past Vestrie with hurried steps and headed for the crimson curtain, whipping them aside when he reached them, Vestrie following his loud steps curiously.
Jareth leapt back into his throne, his face clearly looking troubled, and deep in thought as Vestrie stepped up to him once more.
The Seelie noblewoman arched an eyebrow, noting Jareth's complete silence. "Are we feeling a bit…vexed?"
Jareth's eyes, looking away in thought, now turned back to Vestrie. "My business with Sarah is none of yours. You may go."
Vestrie's eyebrows now both raised in surprise. "Oh! Just like that, eh?"
Jareth now glared at the golden-haired faerie. "When I want to talk about boring Courtly intrigue, or stealing powerful artifacts from your father as we had done in the past, I will call for you."
"Jareth…what is it?" Vestrie inquired. "Talk to me."
"Leave. Me. Alone." Jareth calmly intoned. "For now."
Vestrie sighed, looking hurt. "That's the last time I bring up any of your mortal curiosities around you…" She muttered as she moved toward the throne room's exit.
Jareth's goblin charges had hidden in fear of their liege when he hurried back into the throne room in his troubled state, and they peered out curiously from behind various objects after Vestrie had left. Their twisted, ugly bodies quivered with fright as they peered upon their King.
Jareth then turned his gaze upon the plate of idle fruit offerings Vestrie had brought for her social call, which he had imagined would lead to yet another exchange of passionate lust. It was Vestrie, of course, who had brought up the matter of his loss to Sarah Williams, who had become a veritable afterthought to him in the wake of her leaving.
At least, until now.
He knew that the Tapestry of Mortal Souls would reveal the lives of any in the aboveground he knew by name. He knew their lives would play before him in full crystal clarity. Any portion of their lives could be scryed. Even portions of their futures could be revealed to him, which was how the Goblin King was able to plant the goblin thieves in Toby's room in advance of Sarah's wish for these goblins to take him away.
It was her current therapist that perplexed him, though. If this therapist were mortal, his visage would also be clear and identifiable.
But the blur on his face somehow indicated that he was not.
Jareth's eyes locked onto a single piece of fruit on the silver platter…
…and he leaned forward to grab and gaze upon the peach thoughtfully as he settled back into his throne.
"You shouldn't mess with me." He then spoke, slowly, upon the peach. "I'll ruin everything you are."