Sarah slept horribly that night, thinking about Jareth. She felt sorry for him, but at the same time, she was scared. Scared that everything will change. Scared that she was the one to break his heart and make his world become dust. Scared that maybe, she did have feelings for him.
Scared that he would leave her life as quickly as he came in it.
She now believed that he wasn't lying, but it still all scared her. The Labyrinth was gone, and her friends and the other goblins are running around in chaos, undoing all of the hard work that Jareth had put up. He wasn't a monster, just a confused individual. She couldn't deny her feelings for him, they were clear as day. She had tried to avoid it for years, but he was the reason that she couldn't be satisfied with her life. With Jareth, she was truly herself, a curious and creative individual. No matter how many kind men she'd meet, none of them could measure up to Jareth's wit. None of them could make her heart beat so fast or would indulge her in her adventurous side. Jareth didn't care about the amount of money she made or saw her as a prize, he saw her for who she was, a woman to be loved and respected.
After a few hours of sleep, Sarah made up her mind about Jareth. Still in her nightgown, she tiptoed out, she knew that he was still asleep. She went to quietly make breakfast for him, some eggs, bacon, and toast. She almost never ate bacon except for special occasions. A King from the Underground was definitely a guest and a special occasion.
She gave his door a few knocks. "Come in," she heard. She walked in, and was surprised to see Jareth up and reading so early. He gave a small and sad smile. "Why Sarah, you didn't have to give me breakfast in bed like I'm some kind of King," he chuckled. Sarah liked his laugh, it was contagious and made her feel instantly happy. She sat next to him and ate some food herself.
Jareth was still unsure of what was going on. Sarah had left abruptly last night, and he didn't want to get his hopes up. It could be that she was being kind to him, and he would cherish this time with her if he was to leave soon. He took a good look at her. She was wearing a blue silk nightgown, covering most of her cleavage, short sleeves, and reached the floor. It was still modest but it did make him blush a little to see her in such intimate apparel. She looked stunning, even without make up and her hair in messy, swept to the side. He stopped himself before thinking about different parts of her body, giving her some respect.
Sarah took a look at Jareth. He was gracefully eating his breakfast, if that was even possible. Even though he was wearing her father's clothes that looked baggy on him(since he didn't have any extra clothes on him), he looked so magnificent. Still sickly, but he did look brighter and happier. Almost like he didn't want to believe it was true to have Sarah treat him so well.
"So Jareth," she started. "You've told me your story last night. It's time I fulfilled my side of the bargain." Jareth nodded, anxious to hear what she had to say. He was sure that after she told her story that he would be gone, never to see her again. He had lost her once, and wasn't sure if he could bear losing her again.
"When I was young, I was creative and imaginative, as you well know. Sometimes, and I'll admit, too much. My mother had left me and my dad since I was young so I did feel some sense of abandonment. Karen came in the picture, and while she's not a horrible person, she did stifle a lot of my creativity. She's always very neat and wanted things done her way. When Toby came, I was often ignored and my parents would go to parties, leaving him with me all the time. That's when I called you to take him, out of frustration that I was practically raising him. You gave me a sense of excitement, and it thrilled me. It was scary, but I wanted more. I was too focused on Toby, however, to understand what you were offering.
"So, after you left, I was lonely and couldn't call on my friends anymore. I didn't realize that you had lost your magic of course, and I resigned myself to a mediocre life. I didn't want to think about how I rejected your offer, since I believed that Toby would've been a goblin if I chose differently than what I did.
"But Jareth, it broke me too. Nothing was the same and I didn't belong anywhere. I gave up being a writer, an artist, or doing theater. I worked hard to be where I am today, as a successful accountant, but my life is unfulfilling. When I realized that magic was gone from my life, I didn't want to be reminded of it at all. I didn't want to be creative for fear that I'd go mad. I grew up, but not in a good way. I lost my way and now my heart can't take it. There's a hole in it, and I want it gone." The last word came out as a whisper. Jareth wasn't the only one that wasn't used to sharing his feelings so much.
This time, the silence wasn't too difficult to bear. In fact, it was a comfortable silence. Jareth dared to reach for her hand, and to his surprise, she held it back. What surprised him even more was that she didn't let go.
Seeing that Sarah wasn't about to talk anytime soon from her nerves, he patted a spot next to him on the bed, indicating that she sit next to him. She obliged, and he decided to take another chance. "Sarah, may I read something to you?" Unsure, Sarah nodded. He picked up the book he was reading. Ah, Jane Eyre, one of her very favorites. Unfortunately, she hadn't read it since, well, since before the Labyrinth really.
"This book caught my eye. I found it in your 'favorites' section and I read it all night long. When was the last time you read it, Sarah?" He didn't expect the hollow and fake laugh to escape from her lips. Shaking her head, she replied "a long time ago. Before the Labyrinth." She pulled back a strand of her hair behind her ear, trying to find things for her fingers to do.
Still holding hands, Jareth smoothly opened the book to a specific page before speaking again. "This is a marvelous book. I can see why it's one of your favorites. In many ways, I am Rochester and you are Jane." Sarah nodded, encouraging him on. "Rochester isn't quite sure how to act or express himself, and in many ways, dangerous for Jane. It's been so long since he's learn to really care for someone and be gentle. He has a deep secret about his past. An older man, he underestimates Jane but falls for her just the same. She's ordinary, but special to him all the same. Trying to show off and underestimating Jane was a mistake.
"Jane is witty, and responds back to him as an equal, even though she's young. Her life is full of hardship, and like you said about yourself, she's trying to find ways to fulfill it. Like you, she has also learned to harden her heart, and it is not easy for Rochester to win her but simple at the same time. She doesn't want money or a pretty garden, she wants him and real promises." At the last sentence, Jareth's voice shook a bit. He HOPED that's what Sarah was, wanting him and real promises.
He cleared his throat and continued. "I particularly liked this quote: 'I do not think, sir, you have any right to command me, merely because you are older than I, or because you have seen more of the world than I have; your claim to superiority depends on the use you have made of your time and experience.' I suppose that's what you meant by rejecting my offer, that though you were younger and less experienced in the world, I am not your superior and cannot control you." He flipped to another page. "Ah, this quote. 'He is not to them what he is to me,' I thought: 'he is not of their kind. I believe he is of mine;—I am sure he is—I feel akin to him—I understand the language of his countenance and movement.' This is how I feel about you, Sarah. Especially our conversations from last night and this morning, that we are more similar that we had thought. Soul mates, in a sense that we are meant to be in each other's lives."
Sarah knew that he was declaring his love for her again. Her voice seemed to be stuck in her throat. She was NEVER this way around any other man. No one had made her nervous or excited as Jareth. She gave him a small smile and squeezed his hand, encouraging him to keep going.
Jareth's voice became quieter, and had a trace of vulnerability in it. "One last quote. 'I sometimes have a queer feeling with regard to you—especially when you are near me, as now: it is as if I had a string somewhere under my left ribs, tightly and inextricably knotted to a similar string situated in the corresponding quarter of your little frame.' I think this describes how I feel better than anything I could come up with." His courage had run out, and he was worried that maybe, he had said too much and would scare her away. He braced himself for the worst.
As for Sarah, this was exactly what she had hoped for and further cemented in her mind the decision that she was about to make. She leaned forward and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Jareth looked up, surprised. He had never in a million years truly expected that she would actually kiss him. A large smile graced his face, and some color returned to his face.
Sarah took the book from him and turned to a page herself. " 'I have for the first time found what I can truly love—I have found you. You are my sympathy—my better self—my good angel. I am bound to you with a strong attachment. I think you good, gifted, lovely: a fervent, a solemn passion is conceived in my heart; it leans to you, draws you to my centre and spring of life, wraps my existence about you, and, kindling in pure, powerful flame, fuses you and me in one.'" Jareth's heart kept at the words she read. Did she mean it? "Jareth, I have been denying it all these years, but I've come to not only admit it, but to embrace the fact that I love you and I'm willing to make this work no matter what happens."
Jareth had tears for only two things in his life so far, his late sister and Sarah. Today, only happy tears escaped his eyes. Oh, how beautiful Sarah's green eyes looked when they sparkled with love, and for him!
He took their clasped hands and placed her palm on his heart. Curling a hair behind her ear, he placed both hands on her face stroking her cheeks. "Is this alright," he whispered. Sarah nodded. "This is perfect," she whispered back. They closed their eyes and leaned forward.
It was by far the best kiss either had experienced, full of love and a sense of fulfillment. It was as if their lips were made for this. Jareth pulled his lady closer, a hand on her hip and another caressing her neck. As for Sarah, the hand that he had placed on his heart was still there and the other one tangled in his cropped hair.
When the kiss broke, the former Goblin King and his Champion rested their foreheads against each other, arms wrapped in a tight embrace. Jareth leaned down and gave Sarah a small kiss on her neck, making her blush. "Jareth, I want to be with you. Always." She rubbed her nose against his.
Jareth smiled again and went on one knee, eliciting a gasp from Sarah. He motioned towards the book. "'I ask you to pass through life at my side—to be my second self, and best earthly companion.' Though, I'd like to change that to 'best Queen.' Be my queen, Sarah? Helps me restore the Labyrinth and assist me in my duties. Will you rule by my side as my equal and be my companion?" His mismatched eyes looked up hopefully.
Sarah leaned down and kissed him. "Jareth, I think in my heart of hearts, I've been wanting that for years. Yes, I am yours. Jareth, you have power over me now and always will."
Immediately, Jareth went from sickly to strong as he was before. Turning his hand, a crystal formed. His magic was back, and he gave his new fiancée a ring on her left finger and another deep kiss.
She did not know what would happen about her job or family. She didn't know how to be queen or how to become immortal. But what she did know was that it will be alright. Her fire was back, and she was whole again.
Jareth kissed her profusely, tracing his lips and hands all over her body, ravishing her. Sarah moaned, and he carried her to the bed. "Before we go, how about we have some fun?" His eyes showed hunger and playfulness. Sarah didn't reply with words, instead, she kissed his neck and got on top of his lean body.
Thanks guys for reading! I'm thinking of writing maybe a one shot of a bedroom scene, if you know what I mean. Anyways, let me know if you liked the story or not. Thanks again!