Sarah's eyelids parted of their own volition, pupils constricting gently against the faint light dancing across the grey masonry ceiling above her. She blinked, rolling her eyes in their sockets and scanning the unfamiliar space. Her arms and legs were bound, delicately swaddled together within a thick wool blanket and topped with a fur coverlet that tickled her neck. Sweat was pooled in the small of her back and the various creases of her naked skin. She turned her head on the soft feather pillow, taking notice of a roaring fire undulating within a hovering oval hearth in the middle of the large stone room. It floated with blatant disregard for the laws of gravity, swaying ever so gently on its invisible suspension. The flames licked one another in a ticklish rhythm of incandescent pink and purple hues, rising from a stark black core that glimmered and writhed like glittering ooze. Rather than wood as its energy source, the strange heat grew upward from a pool of rippling water held at the base of the floating brass oval. Sweat from Sarah's forehead trickled down the side of her face and she grimaced, struggling within her confines to break loose. One slender arm slid free, followed easily by the other, and she sat up on the bed to further consider her surroundings. It was clearly a bedchamber, fitted decently with beautiful works of hand carved wooden art which served as elements for storing articles of clothing and other personal effects. The bed was an enormous four posted island of fine goose down and cotton sheets. It smelled strangely familiar yet completely new, like something out of a dream, or a memory of a memory.
She turned her head to view the ornate tapestry which overhung a table littered in golden bowels of foreign fruit. It was then that she noticed Jareth seated in the furthest corner. He ignored her, lounging sideways on his extravagant chair, one long leg hanging over the arm rest, the other bare foot on the hard floor, twisting and examining a small glass vial indifferently between his fingertips. The backing of the furniture extended far above his head, dark wood hand carved to interweave and flourish in captivating design. Its center was comfortably padded and upholstered with crushed purple velvet that looked pleasing to the skin. He was completely bare except for the pair of black snug-fitting tights he wore, accentuating certain contours she remembered from long ago, intimidating then and tantalizing now. Other than that intimate detail, he looked nothing the way she remembered him. Having only seen the fleeting glimmer of his shadow for ten years she had nearly forgotten his striking features all together, but he had most certainly changed.
His wild platinum hair had grown long and was tamed down into a thick ponytail which flowed silkily over his muscular shoulder, ending at the level of his nipple. The underside was shaved down very short around the edges and back, and brief sideburns kissed the skin just anterior to each ear. His glamorous eye makeup had been exchanged for a simple yet striking matte black strip covering the eyes and bridge of the nose, extending just to the hairline on either side like a Cherokee's painted war mask. The harsh contrast further deepened the intensity of his mismatched eyes as they scanned the object of interest in his possession. He looked ready for war.
"What is that?" She asked, vying more for his attention than actual curiosity. The notion surprised her. For so many years she had fought to keep his unrelenting presence a mere shadow of her psyche, and now here she she sat, eagerly seeking dialogue from his solid form. His arm flicked quickly, the way one would toss a Frisbee, and the object flew suddenly across the room to ping her square between her exposed breasts. "Ouch!" she yelped, rubbing her assaulted skin. "What the hell?"
"Do you have any conception how tremendous a burden carrying something like that around with you for six years can be?" His words came sharp and callous. He stared at the wall of his corner seat, refusing her his focus as if he somehow knew it was what she wanted.
Her dark brows furrowed and she fished the object from the fur blanket still wrapped around her legs to examine its label: Naloxone. The lines on her face softened and she returned her gaze to him, "You're angry with me."
"I'm exhausted" he retorted quickly.
"Yes, yes, quite cross", she mumbled under her breath, mocking the tone of his accent. She heard him give a disapproving snort, but otherwise remained silent. Pushing the covers further down, she kicked and rolled until her sweaty skin was free of its excessive heat. Open nudity in his presence was quite comfortable for her. She had been exposed to him mind, soul, and body for a decade and their semi-flirtatious metaphysical interactions over the years had effectively drowned out any embarrassment or modesty she might possibly feel. The air was a welcomed relief to her flushed skin and she lay back in the bed, closing her eyes while the beads of moisture began to evaporate and cool her down. "Why did you save me?" She could feel his eyes on her without opening hers. Somehow their non-tactile connection ran that deep.
"You asked me to", he responded in a rather defeated tone.
Crunching up, she placed her elbows into the bed to support her upper half, catching his blazing stare, "You asked me to ask you to."
His eyes were piercing, "You'd rather I left you for dead?"
"I didn't say that."
"Then say what you mean and mean what you say, for what is said is said."
"Don't get all Mad Hatter on me, Jareth, you've been carrying Naloxone!"
"To keep you from becoming a statistic!"
"Because you somehow knew I would just fuck up someday?"
Their voices grew louder with each retort, gazes challenging, and body language becoming stiff and unyielding. Sarah stood from the bed and marched on bare feet midway to where he sat. "You spend ten years pushing me to the brink and then want to pull me back from the edge just as I begin fall so you can be my hero? Well, fuck you!"
He stood as well, needing only two long-legged strides to tower over her, mere inches from her face. "Don't try to punish me for your poor choices, Sarah, I've paid for them already."
She scoffed up at him, "What the fuck does that mean?"
"Still a selfish brat, I see."
"Still an insufferable ass!"
"I thought you'd changed after the Labyrinth. I offered you the world in your palm and you refused me!"
"I was a frightened child! I just wanted you to go away and leave me alone!" She regretted those words immediately. Time had changed her. It had changed them, their dynamic. At some point, the desperate young girl who would drown her fear of his looming shadow with ant-psychotic drugs had grown into a woman who found some secret joy in interacting with it. He was subtle comfort to her voiding humanity and loneliness, and now here he stood in full form after so many years. Seething.
He paused, squinting down at her from the band of black surrounding his incompatible eyes. They were stunning. "You want me to leave you alone, hm?" His large feet retreated backwards and he regarded her with an exaggerated bow, "As you wish, milady." Turning on his heel he made to angrily vacate the room.
Sarah's heart was in her throat, cold panic flushed her veins, and she took an involuntary step forward as her trembling voice shouted at the back of his head, "NO, I DON'T!" To her relief, he stopped, his fists clenched at his sides and elbows locked straight. The contours of his triceps bulged beneath the skin and she noted the perfectly tapered V shape of his lats meeting his waist. She swallowed, whispering to him as hot tears streamed from her pleading eyes, "Don't leave. I'm glad you were there. To save me. I don't want to die. I don't want to be alone. I guess…I guess I didn't realize I was worth saving, is all."
She heard him sigh, his head lowering, "You are forever worthy, milady." His fists unclenched and he turned to one side to look back at her, "But it's precisely that kind of abject self-loathing that got you where you are."
"I'm not trying to play the victim." Her voice was barely a whisper.
"Then stop behaving like one." He said flatly. Sarah felt her shoulders sink as he sauntered slowly back over to her, lowering his face to hers, "It's all dreadfully unfair, is it?"
She gave him a solemn grin and a shrug, "I feel my basis for comparison may have changed."
He nodded. One of his large hands reached to her shoulder, thumb stroking the bare flesh as he planted an affectionate kiss onto her forehead. All of it felt like flames, spreading intense heat like wildfire through her limbs. She closed her eyes, disappointed to sense his warmth leaving to walk around her.
"I don't pity you, I won't. I haven't the patience for it", he said, gathering articles of clothing from the large chest of drawers opposite the bed. "And I won't keep you against your will. If you decide to stay, and the decision must be yours, then I can help you." He lifted a pair of grey tights and a plain white tunic, appearing to appraise them as suitable before laying them across his forearm to dig for more. "But make no mistake, Sarah Williams, I'm just as easily capable of leaving you to drown in your own self-destruction if that's what you truly wish." Another shirt was carefully chosen and he closed the drawers, holding out one of the outfits to her, "This should do for now."
She took the clothing, heavy eyes studying him, "An ultimatum, then?"
"A truce", he answered pulling the black early renaissance style shirt over his head. The strings crisscrossing the chest hung loosely, exposing the mid-upper contour of his pecs and collarbone. "I'll play the villain no longer."
Guilt stuck heavy in her chest. Swallowing, she pushed it down into her gut and mulled the proposition over as she dressed in his tights and tunic. They were baggy on her, but as he said, they would do. "And if I stay", she started, his attention fully focused on her, "what does it mean?"
He blinked, "It means you don't die alone in a gutter with a needle in your arm."
"You know what I mean, Jareth," she responded with exasperation. "What does it mean? For us? You asked me to fear, love, and obey you once."
His smirk was surprisingly reassuring, "You're the most fearless being I've ever known, Sarah. I'll not hold my breath for the rest of it." He really had changed, as had she. They were like childhood playground mates meeting again for the first time as adults, having maintained their long-distance relationship via pen and paper. "Come", he said softly, taking her hand in his, "I've something you need to see."
Her fingers squeezed him as he led her from the bedchamber and down the candlelit corridor. Shadows danced on the walls, bringing the numerous paintings to life as the contrast of light and dark animated their scenes. Most were oil and canvas recreations of the Labyrinth just outside. Even now, she could easily recognize the various regions she had braved as a girl, aided by the friends she had made along the way. Hoggle, Ludo, Sir Didymus and his trusty steed, Ambrosius, they had all remained in her life until she was admitted to Saint Martin's. After that, no manner of pleading or needing would manifest her friends. Perhaps they were ashamed as her parents were. They had spent the better part of two years convincing the neighbors that she was away on a writing scholarship to some fancy fine arts school in New York. If only they knew how desperately she wished that were true. She smirked as she and Jareth traveled past the other paintings of his younger, more glamorous self. A snicker tickled her nose and he looked at her with a sideways grin.
"What's so funny?"
"That hair", she pointed to one of the awkwardly posed portraits.
"I can cut it again if you miss it."
"Nah, I'm digging the Rockstar Warrior look, it suits you."
His smile faded and he looked ahead again, increasing the speed of his cadence. Suddenly she wondered if she had said something to offend him. The halls were bitterly silent all but for the faint echoes of their padding feet and ruffling clothing as they walked. He guided her through an arched doorway which opened into the anti-gravity stair room Sarah felt resembled something from the M.C. Echer piece which once hung over her bed. It was the very room Jareth had once professed his affections and asked hers in return, brutally unrequited. Guilt again plagued her as he pulled her up a flight of stairs to nothing and nearly over the edge. She gasped, digging her heels in and yanking back on him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"I'm not a magical fairy goblin, Jareth. I can't just go walking on walls and ceilings!" she answered with wild eyes.
With impressive strength he yanked her arm, twisting her around so her back was planted firmly against his chest. His arms locked around her and he dipped his mouth to her ear, "Trust me." The hot breath beat against her, cascading her skin with goosebumps. Puppeting her over the edge of the drop-off, she released a frightened yelp as the rush of air passed through them and they spilled over, continuing their footsteps along the flat underside of the staircase without missing a beat. She had expected to feel suspended upside down, but from this angle, the world now felt strangely right-side-up again. His arms remained firm around her, moving with the rapid expanding and relaxing of her chest as she panted. "I'll teach you that little trick someday", he spoke again against her raw flesh. She swallowed and he released her, sidestepping around her to lead the way forward once more. "Come, come." The throne room was completely vacant, much like the rest of the castle they had so far explored. A small pit rested at its center, and as they passed it, Sarah swore she could make out the faint echoing cry of a baby.
"Where is everyone?" She asked, jogging to catch up with him.
They rounded the corner, heading toward the grand foyer and wooden double doors at the entrance of the castle. "I won't lie to you, Sarah. My intensions are far from selfless." He paused, turning back to her with a stern expression. "In exchange for my aid, I will expect something in return. And as we have already discussed your love and obedience to be out of the question, there is something more I mean to ask of you."
Her heart sank as she watched him turn and continue his path toward the doors. She had thought him a changed man, but it seemed he was not different than any of the others she had traded favors with over the years. After all, one can engage in intercourse without the necessity of affection. She sighed, feeling her disappointment fuel her disgust. When they reached the great doors, his hands paused before prying them apart and stepping through. Sarah felt the rush of cold air whirl up beneath her tunic, billowing out through her collar to whip at her long hair. A gasp stole her words as her hand came to her mouth, covering the wide agape shock she was overcome by. The goblin village beyond the fortress gates was a desolate wasteland of crumbling brick and stone. Not a single building stood. The roads were cracked and up heaved, overtaken by intertwining ropes of vine and weed. The sky was a deep grey, boiling with black clouds which argued angrily with unrelenting flickers of white and yellow light, a silent thunderstorm amongst a vortex of shrouding darkness.
"What happened here?" She finally managed.
Jareth was standing halfway down the steps to the village, poised with a dirty bare foot atop a loose stone like a captain out a sea. The wind wound about his long hair, cracking it like a whip across his shoulders as he stared out at the vast ruin of his kingdom. "War." His answer came nearly inaudible, as if he were in a daze.
She joined him on the steps, scanning the scene in disbelief, "War? With whom?"
He turned, his eyes intense and pleading, "I need your help, Sarah. This is the favor I ask in return; help me win this war."
Her eyes blinked rapidly as if her brain were using them to process what was being asked of her. "Jareth, I want to help you but…"she looked about her at the wasteland, "I don't know what you expect of a junky stripper whore with daddy issues-"
"-Stop that!" His reprimanding tone caused her to jump lightly. "Stop abusing yourself. I won't stand for it any longer."She raised her eyebrows at him, at a clear loss for words. The wind picked up, nearly knocking her off the step as a loud clap of thunder broke the sky and growled down at them. Jareth's hand rose toward her in the gesture of a shake, "Stay with me, let me help you, and we can restore my kingdom."
She swallowed nervously, eyeing his hand like she was about to make a pact with the devil, "And when we're done here, what then? I can go?"
His stern stature faltered slightly. She could tell that wasn't what he had wanted to hear, but he recovered and held the hand out more firmly, "As you wish."
Eyeing the contractual symbol for another few seconds, she slowly lifted her hand and placed it into his. He squeezed, a faint glow permeating from the cracks where their skin met. It burned brighter for a moment, then extinguished, leaving her hand feeling warm as he released her. They stared at each other for what felt like an eternity before he stepped down toward her, standing just over, inches from her face. She thought for a moment he might kiss her, but instead he took another step down toward the village, leading the way on another venture. She felt herself release the breath she didn't know she hand been holding and followed behind him.
The path was not an easy one to travel. Both of them came quite near rolling their ankles as they treaded over and around the many obstacles of remaining homes and buildings. He offered his hand as a chivalric gesture when she began stumbling. She took it, allowing him to aid her over crumbled brick and stone. The roaring and amalgamation of murky clouds above seemed to dramatize her own inner turmoil. The sickening withdrawal was coming, edging at her nerves and reminding her how desperate her need was. If she could just have a cigarette or a swig of whiskey it may keep the beast at bay for another few hours, but the likelihood of that was slim to nil. Then it occurred to her that she could really use a cigarette for the sake of having a cigarette. Lost in thought and growing nausea, she misstepped and tripped over an anchored trailing plant, slamming her shin against a nearby rock.
"FUCK!" she shouted, sitting back onto a boulder to rub and worry over the pain in her tibia. Lightening ripped through the sky, its voice crashing overhead within a millisecond.
Jareth looked to the sky with a rather challenging glare, "We have to keep moving."
She was gritting her teeth at the pain, "Where are we going?"
His hands reached for hers, pulling her back up to standing where she hobbled and neglected putting weight onto the aching limb. "Stop being such a baby", he said, "Let's go."
Grumbling, she begrudgingly followed as they made their way to the gates south of the village. She already knew what waited on the other side, but prepared herself for the worst as he pried open the rusty doors. To her great surprise the Labyrinth remained relatively intact, or at least what she could tell of it. Chunks of wall had been charred and destroyed, and most of it was now overgrown with wild creeping vine, but it mostly stood undisturbed compared to the village. At least it was easier to walk again. They approached the great wall which housed what would technically be its exit. She remembered it like it was yesterday. Taking her hand again, he pulled her inside. They traveled along, turning corners here and there, sometimes having to backtrack and recommence when they were impeded by a dead end.
"Don't you know the way through your own Labyrinth?" she teased him.
"All things change, precious."
Looking over her shoulder, she could see that the arched breach they had just come through was now a towering wall. Nothing was familiar anymore. A cramp in her belly slowed her pace, and she covered her hand over her abdomen as another glint of lightening preceded a deafening crash of thunder. Jareth's actions became more urgent as he continued to tow her along.
"Jareth", she begged, "I need to rest I…I'm withdrawing."
His focus remained ahead, pace unchanging, "I know."
Rain suddenly poured like some invisible force had sliced a wound in the sky. They were both drenched within seconds and the heavy beating of cold water made it difficult to see further than ten feet in any direction. Sarah was panting, aching, and feeling the sickness rise in her gut. It seemed to be coming on so much more quickly and intense than ever before. She needed a cigarette, a stiff drink, a hard fix. She needed it all. And now. Joining the heavy rain, marbles of frozen water assaulted them from the sky. They stung their flesh and covered the ground, bouncing and exploding to bits over the stone and moss floor.
Jareth halted abruptly turning to her to grab her by the shoulders. "You have to take a deep breath and calm yourself!" he shouted over the thundering storm. For all the thick dark makeup he wore, she found it strange that it not so much as smudged around his eyes as they were bombarded with pouring rain.
She blinked at him, water flowing over her eyelashes and off her chin, "But I didn't say anything!" Lightning flashed, striking the wall nearest them, sending brick and dirt spraying as they lurched to move out of its path. She was just recovering from the shock when her eyes caught the glimpse of something enormous lumbered across the path ahead, disappearing behind another jagged wall. Only its silhouette was visible in the vail of ice and rain, but it had without question been something live and moving. "What the hell was that?" Without responding, her guide grabbed her about the waist and quickly redirected her down another long winding hall. It twisted round itself in what felt like a complete circle before dumping them into an open courtyard. The fountain at its center bubbled and spilled over with the down pouring rainwater. Sarah thought she caught the glimpse of something small and child-like scurry across the back corner wall, vanishing through the archway on the other side. "There!" she pointed, "There's something in here! Did you see it?" Her body turned, looking back for Jareth but finding only solid brick. She spun about again, completing 360 degrees with no sight of him, no sight of an exit. They had all been sealed, all thick lofty wall now. "Jareth!" she called out for him, barely audible over the terrible storm. "JARETH!"
['Blood' by In This Moment]
Sickness struck her like a knee in the gut and she folded over, heaving and gagging. There was nothing in her stomach to expel, which seemed far worse than vomiting as her muscles contracted and spasmed in repeated effort to rid her body of the toxins she so desperately craved. Pain seared through her bones, freezing her muscles, clawing at her skin. Her body trembled violently and she lost the strength to stand. Crawling down onto all fours, she sobbed, screaming out his name, cursing him, pleading for him. Lightning struck the branchless tree trunk across the courtyard and it erupted into brilliant flames of pink and purple. The wood sparked like the crackling of a dying firecracker and the whole thing went toppling to the ground. Sarah screamed and covered her head as it shattered like glass, its shards dispersing into shadowy winged creatures like bats that swarmed and schooled around her before taking to the blackened skies. The fountain had been destroyed by the fall and its overflowing liquid blead out into the courtyard, filling it up to her waist where she sat shuttering in agony on the hail covered ground. Finding the strength to stand, she braced her revolting body against the nearest wall and cried in her pain and terror as the water continued filling the four walls like a deep bath. She screamed out again for Jareth, answered only by the deafening crack and roll of thunder. The water was up to her shoulders when she began to swim, kicking and splashing to the fall wall where a thick family of vines grew, perfect for grasping and climbing. She reached the ropy structures, exhausted and dreadfully ill, trying to will herself to hoist up out of the black pool. Another bout of dry heaving was tickling at her throat and she turned back to the water just in time to catch the snaking of a large dorsal fin gliding through the deepening water that was now level with her chin. It changed course, headed directly for her. She screamed and turned to scramble up the vine, reaching the top just as the jagged teeth of the large shark emerged from the lapping waters and sawed painfully along the flesh of her bare heel, peeling it open.
Pain radiated up the back of her leg, nearly forcing her to open her grip on the vine, but she managed to push it down and climb her way over to the top of the wall. Wind whipped through her wet matted hair as she army crawled onto the small precipice overlooking an infinite free fall into glittering space below. The water filling the courtyard had boiled into a black tar that hissed and writhed, stringy tentacles coming to life to snap at her limbs and drag her back in as it grew higher and higher. She sat up onto the ledge, scooting backward to evade the leech-like arms that reached for her. There was nowhere to go. "JARETH!" she screamed again. A tug of guilt pulled at her chest, but it wasn't her guilt. It was his. He was near. She could feel him. The rising tar pit was licking at her feet now, gripping the sides of the ledge to crawl up after her. She stood, eyes frantically scanning the environment for a way out. Another wave of hot sickness vibrated through her limbs and she crumpled, moaning in agony. Her foot slipped on its own pool of blood, her strength faltered, and she fell. The ground came up to meet her, solid and fast. She landed on her back, coughing as the air was knocked from her. Green blades of grass tickled her hands and feet, the rain met an abrupt end, and the last thing she recalled was the faint glimmer of sunlight peeking through the dissipating clouds.