Sarah awoke with a start. The moment her eyes flew open she was pounding her fists in the air as if trying to hit something. She sat straight up, screaming something about a cruel monster stealing her baby brother. After a few moments of this she felt a small hand on her shoulder. Her arm whipped backwards and came in contact with something living. The small creature ended up flying in to the headboard of the bed she was sitting in. After a few choice words were spoken by this creature, Sarah stopped moving. "Hoggle?" she asked, recognizing the voice instantly. She twisted around to see a small dwarf sitting against the headboard rubbing his nose. "Hoggle! Oh I'm sorry!" she exclaimed, getting out of the bed and biting her finger nails as she surveyed the damage.
"I'm okay I'm okay," Hoggle said quickly. He didn't seem angry or annoyed, and this concerned Sarah. She knew a good blow to the face would normally send him of in to a tangent, but for some reason he looked as if something horrible had happened. And as a flood of memories hit Sarah in the face like a fist, she understood why.
After a quick look around the room Sarah felt her heart sink. Although the contents and decor were quite beautiful, she was not back in her room at home. This room was much larger. The stone that it was built from was a light turquoise. The wooden bureau, bed frame, and wardrobe, were all painted black and adorned with various colored gems and thin gold swirls. As her eyes came back to the bed she saw that the linen was all the purest white she had ever seen. It all looked extremely comfortable. Sarah wanted nothing more than to climb back between the covers and drift off to sleep again. She would have too, if it hadn't been for the next thing she noticed. Hovering about five feet above the center of the bed, was a crystal. Rage overcame her and she hit the crystal with her fist as hard as she could. It flew across the room and shattered against the wall. Hoggle flinched. "You really shouldn't have done that," he said quietly.
"Why? Why the hell not? Should I let that coward of a King watch me? I may have been a few seconds too late to get out of this horrible place, but he is not going to keep an eye on me that easily!" she growled, her eyes narrowing at the broken shards on the floor.
"Oh I won't hmm?" said a male voice from behind her. Sarah spun on her heel and glared at the figure that was leaning casually against the wall. "I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't break those crystals, they aren't as easy to make as it may seem," Jareth said quietly. His tone wasn't sarcastic or smug at all, and this caught Sarah off guard. Her face softened slightly, although she didn't intend it to.
"I'm sorry," she said before she could stop herself.
"Hoggle would leave the two of us alone for a moment? I need to have a word with Sarah. No harm will come to her I promise," Jareth said, his tone almost soothing as he motioned towards the door. Hoggle nodded silently and hopped off the bed and went for the door. He took one last look behind him at the two before disappearing out of the room. Sarah frowned as she watched her friend go.
"Sarah," Jareth began cautiously. "Sarah you aren't the first girl to come to my Labyrinth. You aren't the first girl to fail at it either. Every human I have brought here has failed it thus far." His voice, although stern, held a drop of compassion. "The difference between you and every other person that has tried to solve my labyrinth is that when they did fail, they lost much more than a puzzle. They lost their lives." Sarah's eyes widened.
"So you're going to kill me then? Get on with it if that's the way. I don't really enjoy being here," she said coldly, her fists clenching in anger. Jareth sighed, and looked hurt.
"Sarah they didn't die because anyone killed them. They died because for whatever reason, the Fates did not see fit for them to live. Apparently being unable to solve a silly maze is reason for execution." Sarah's fists unclenched and her expression softened slightly. Jareth sighed and continued. "But for reasons I would like to come to understand, they let you live. You have a purpose that you have yet to serve Sarah, and I am determined to figure out what that purpose is. That is why I did not send you back with your brother. I feared the Fates would kill you if I had." Sarah turned away and crossed her arms against her chest.
"What do you care if I die or not?" she asked in a harsh, accusing tone. Within an instant Jareth was behind her, his hands slithering around her waist, whispering in her ear.
"Do not mistake me for a heartless ruler. I too am capable of compassion, kindness, and even love. Whatever the reason for the Fates keeping you alive, it has directly to do with me. And I do not enjoy not knowing my own destiny. You will remain here and things will play out as they are meant to." Sarah shuddered at the feeling of his breath on her neck and his hands on her waist. But she quickly regained her composure and spun around. She was about to give him a good slap in the face, but he had disappeared. Afraid that he was watching her through another crystal that might have been hidden somewhere in the room, she did not move. She just stood there, blinking at the empty spot where he had been standing, giving her best effort to not let the tears that were building up burst forward
