Chapter 3

A kind of pale jewel

..

Sarah

…

Maybe, Sarah thought, Jareth brings me nothing but trouble.

She knew that even if her whole life was filled with trouble, that if it included even a shred of Jareth she'd be blissfully happy.

Shaking her thoughts free from her head, that wouldn't help her at a time like this.

She took in her surroundings once more. Dismal was a good word. The room was large and dark. But most of all it was bitterly cold. She assumed her kidnapper, if that was the best word to describe him, or rather the man she thought to be max wanted this place to be elegant.

Two very large elaborate thrones stood in gothic glory at the end of the room.

The floor was a slick black so dark that it look like a pool of abyss that you could fall right through.

The walls were an ugly stone that seemed wet and in Sarah's imaginative mind looked as if the room itself was crying.

There she was, standing as close to a window as her shackle would allow. She shuddered as the ice cold metal clasp touched her bare ankle.

She was still dressed in her Queen Titania costume. Her character would certainly disapprove of this tragic place.

Her goosebumps had goosebumps. The chain she was tethered by ran from the throne Max had said would be hers all the way to just steps away from the window.

Sarah could make out an inky sky and gnarled trees. The hideous gas lamps in the throne room burned a sick green flame held up by some sort of creature carved into stone.

It Jareth was considered the Goblin King you think his palace would be this dismal, and while the Escher room was confusing it still wasn't sinister. In fact she had a sneaking suspicion that Jareth's castle was beautiful, albeit mysterious.

As if to punctuate her thoughts, the inky sky light up with a flash of lightening far in the distance.

She walked back to the throne and sat on the floor in front of it.

She refused to sit in it. She was not going to be his queen.

Closing her eyes she recalled the strange events that happened to her ever since popping into the dreadful room.

Max had squeezed her shoulders too tightly as they traveled from her world to what Sarah hoped was the underground. He was mad that she was screaming.

The room that she was now alone in was filled with creatures far too monstrous to be called goblins. They were huge and frightening.

Sarah didn't even know what to label them as other than monsters.

Her spun her around as if in a dance. "Lovely Sarah, I've brought you to my palace. What do you think?"

She screamed again as she realized the monsters were closing in on them.

"Sarah, don't be frightened on my constituents. They want to meet their future Queen"

"I will never be your Queen. Who are you, really?" She stepped as far away from him as possible.

"I am Maximus, Prince of the Kreature Kingdom. With you as my bride I shall not only be king, but a very powerful king at that."

"Why me?" Sarah felt a cold seeping through her entire body.

"Ahh I choose not to play my entire hand so early in the game. Our wedding will be tomorrow night, but first I have to get you to calm down"

"Calm down? You stole me away to this creepy place and you want me to calm down?" She edged toward him, eyes blazing.

"Sarah this will be your throne" He stepped back and point to the one on the left of the most gruesome of the two.

"Do you like your new kingdom?" He gestured to the monsters who had taken to growling and grunting. "They love you already"

She glanced around at their large teeth, ratted evergreen fur and beady dark eyes. "They are horrifying, what are they?"

Max made a clucking noise. "I'm saddened but maybe I should have you warm up to me first. He snapped his fingers "Leave us"

She breathed a little easier without their presence so tight around her, as they shuffled out.

Max suddenly was right in front of her face. He had moved in an unnatural way as if he floated. He lifted up his tan hand to stroke her face.

She grabbed his wrist violently. "You will not touch me again."

He wrenched his hand free. Then he laughed darkly. "I will touch you, often and you will like it, Queen" He bowed dramatically.

Sarah turned and started to run. In an instant he was in front of her. "I have a certain scope of power Sarah, which will grant me the luxury of not losing you."

"I wish the Goblin King would come take me away from this right now!" She spun in a circle madly. "Jareth PLEASE!"

Max laughed. "Your boyfriend won't come to you anymore. He HATES you. He took away your power to wish. He would only do that if he had no feelings for you at all."

"You're wrong! Jareth didn't take away wishing. And if you are right, and Jareth hates me then he has SOME feelings for me. There is a fine line between love and hate after all."

"Oh Sarah, you and your romantic stupidity it will get you nowhere with me."

He made a gesture and Sarah's whole body was pulled in his direction.

She fought wildly. "You are going to pay for this"

He brought her to a stop in front of the throne. "This is where you will stay while I go make the arrangements for our wedded bliss."

She suddenly filled with enough strength to fight his power. She raised a hand and slapped him.

His eyes turned from brown to black. "You will not disrespect your future king." He squeezed his fingers tight and her knees buckled.

She crashed onto the slick black floor. "You have no power over me" She screamed, hoping it would prove effective a second time.

Max clutched his stomach and fell to his knees. He seemed to be in agony all of thirty seconds before he straightened, though it seemed an effort for him.

"Ah, it won't work on me as easily. You see my heart is nowhere near invested in you. Our marriage will be for power and control. Your beloved Jareth is a very weak man; he let you have his heart to crush."

He clasped his hands together and a black heavy chain appeared. He kicked at Sarah's ankle and with a sickening snap the manacle closed around her.

…

Jareth

…

Something was wrong. Jareth flicked his riding crop over in his hands. He had conjured five different crystals to scry for Sarah and couldn't find her anywhere.

At first his heart had lifted at the possibility that she had come to the underground to be with him. But he would know if she was her. Wouldn't he?

Jareth threw down the most recent crystal. What was he doing? He was not a love sick loser. He was a goblin king! He held his emotions in check. Why was he being so pathetic?

He knew why. Sarah was his one true love. "Freaking prophecy!" He screamed and stepped on a crystal which shattered into glitter beneath his black boot.

Still lovesick or not, something was wrong with Sarah.

He would be a terrible person if he let his champion fall into something sinister.

Right? He shook his head making his sheared blond locks dance around his face.

He sat back down in his den full of magical artifacts to figure out just what places or people could be obstructing his view.

…

Sarah

…

Sarah felt so different in the underground. Even scared out of her wits and completely pissed of at the audacity of that prince of stupidity max, Sarah felt energized.

Who did Max think he was acting like she was some stupid weak female that would go weak in the knees with submission? She thought.

Seething with anger, and some newfound power, Sarah stood.

"I will get out of this." Sarah spoke to the empty room. "Even if I have to do it alone." She searched for anything that would help her.

Something deep inside told her exactly what she needed to say. Words were magic in this place after all.

Her eyes closed and her hair whipped back. "I shall not be contained. I am free of my shackles."

With what seemed to be a too easy escape, the metal clanged to the floor. "You're kidding me?" Sarah squealed. Maybe she had her own wishing power.

In a burst of inspiration Sarah closed her eyes again "I will open my eyes inside the Goblin King's castle"

…

Max

…

Sighing Max took out his sword and plunged it deep into the monster that lay before him. With a pop the monster was gone leaving only a purple smudge where it had lay.

He needed to take his anger towards Sarah's uncooperative nature out on something. The senseless creature had the audacity to question his choices?

Walking back to his large black crystal ball he stared in it.

Why wouldn't it tell him the right choices to make?

Crystals were supposed to do whatever the conjurer wished. He growled.

"Having trouble with a magical dysfunction old chum?" A deep voice rang out from behind him.

Max whirled around standing nose to nose with Jareth. Max jumped back knocking the crystal off its stand. Jareth lifted a finger sending it sailing through the air.

"Though, you probably always have these troubles since you are so rudely inadequate in magic."

"Wha-What are you doing here?"

"I think you know exactly who I'm here for. Where is Sarah?" He grabbed the crystal out of the air and threw it at Max's head.

"I don't have her; she is probably dancing around in some costume aboveground." Max said with a whimper in his voice.

"Liar. If there is anything I detest more than being stolen from, it's liars. You will pay dearly" Jareth conjured flames in a glowing ball.

"Really Jareth? You're going to burn me out over her, when she doesn't even love you at all?"

"Who are you to know what she feels? You boarish, insignificant, arsehole."

"She told me all about how she loathes you and can't wait to be my wife. Together we will rule as king and queen and overthrow you and your stupid labyrinth will be under our control. She was thinking you'd make a perfect court entertainer, caged of course." Max had regained his composure by spinning lies and was now close to Jareth. "Maybe we'll turn you into a goblin. After all she's capable of quite a lot with her powers"

Jareth closed his eyes for a brief second. A cold panic had walloped him in the stomach.

"Stop" Jareth reached out and grabbed Max by the throat. "I could care less what she said, but you know that she is my property, my kingdom's titleholder for beating my labyrinth. You cannot touch her, regardless of what she said to the contrary. "

Max was now held a good six inches off the ground, thanks to Jareth's strength and height advantage.

Jareth shook him then threw him to the ground; he needed him alive to find Sarah.

Max went sliding right over to where his sword was perched. Gleeful Max grabbed the sword and swung it overhead.

Jareth merely looked at him with mild curiosity. He could turn that sword into anything he wished before it ever touched him.

Max turned and rammed the sword right through a strange statue. Suddenly the room filled with smoke and Jareth was disoriented for a moment and fell back towards the wall of the small room.

When the smoke cleared, Jareth was not in control of the situation any longer.