Jareth
Jareth stormed to his throne room, which was still eerily empty, and paced. She was such a stubborn girl! If she didn't fight him so much, he wouldn't even have to consider the other option! The other option… the option he had to use on so many other girls after all the other weddings… they had loved him easily enough (they loved him for his power and for all that he provided them), but they couldn't break the curse on his land. Even all the children he kidnapped and turned into his goblin minions couldn't keep the land alive for long. Jareth sighed and perched on the windowsill overlooking his beloved, but dying Labyrinth. He wanted the cycle to end…
"Your majesty, we have guards posted all across the city like you asked," one of Jareth's many goblin underlings said.
Jareth frowned. For a peasant to sneak up on him like that… that must mean that the curse was progressing faster than he thought. "Good. Now send a small task force to retrieve the Dwarf… If he resists tell him that you are bringing him to Sarah. Understand?" Jareth then shot the goblin a cold glare to deter from any more unwanted interruptions.
"Right away your majesty!" The goblin quickly bowed and scurried away, wanting to carry out his duties lest the King turned his famously foul mood on him.
Jareth the Goblin King sat on his windowsill, knowing that Sarah had to be the one to bring life back to his dying land, because if he had to resort to the other option, he would die of a broken heart and Labyrinth would die with him.
Sarah
I awoke with a start. How long had I been asleep? There was no way of telling the time in this place. I went over to the window and leaned against the windowsill. The sun was just peeking over the labyrinth, greeting everything with a promise of a new day. I rubbed my eyes and found myself surprisingly refreshed. I immediately realized I didn't have nightmares of any sort, no dreams for that matter. It was just like how I wished I could sleep without Jareth being there. Jareth. He said he brought me here to become his wife and to produce an heir, begging me to submit to him... I had to be missing something. I looked out over the Labyrinth, and at first glance it seemed to be the same magical place it had been when I last visited, but something was off… it was too… still. There had to be something more… something wasn't right here, and I couldn't put my finger on it. Something was different about the Labyrinth, but what?
"Get your dirty claws off me!"
I whipped around to find Hoggle swatting against one of the goblin guards that held him. "Let him go!" It was a little disconcerting that the goblins immediately heeded my command, as if I was to be feared as much as the Goblin King.
"Filthy goblins don't know when to keep to themselves…" Hoggle waved a fist as the goblin guard departed.
"Oh Hoggle!" I exclaimed as I fell to my knees and hugged him.
"Now stop that! Remember last time you did that? Jareth nearly put both of us in the Bog of Eternal Stench!" Hoggle pushed me away in vain. I smiled as his short arms strained to separate us.
"I'm sorry, I'm just so excited to see you." I stood and took a slight step back, much to the relief of my friend.
"So glad that you are at least happy to see someone around here," the Goblin King sneered as he purposefully moved between us to keep me from showing anymore affection to the dwarf. How did he always manage to appear at exactly the right moment to spoil everything? "Hogbrain here-"
"Hoggle" dwarf and I both answered.
"Whatever. Hogwart here is going to be your guide if you decide to explore the labyrinth since you seem to…" Jareth gripped the crop he had in his hands tightly as he nearly bent it to its breaking point. "…enjoy his company more than mine."
"Thank you Jareth," I replied. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate all this." Given the circumstances I suppose, I added silently to myself. Having Jareth take my feelings into consideration was unusually generous… 'Everything I have done has been generous! Everything I've done I've done for you!' I refrained from shaking my head as his words echoed through my mind. He was watching me intently, as if he didn't believe that I had just thanked him.
"Very well…Now for your instructions, dwarf." The Goblin King released the end of his crop which made it snap the air. He pointed it, and very purposefully dug the tip of his crop directly into Hoggle's chest as he advanced toward the dwarf until poor Hoggle was backed up against the stone wall. "If one single hair on her gets harmed I will deal out a punishment so heinous that you will be begging me to put you in the Bog instead. Understood?"
"Ye-yes your majesty." Hoggle sputtered as he tried to keep his knees quivering from fear, and his head nodded with vigor.
"Jareth, is it really necessary to threaten my friends?" I asked as I moved between Jareth and Hoggle, swatting the crop away from Hoggle's direction. After a good night's sleep I was more willing to push Jareth's boundaries, although I still didn't feel up for a full confrontation quite yet.
Jareth stepped closer to me and twirled a finger in my hair, in a seemingly better mood after my most recent acknowledgment of his generosity. "Well, I've had to deal out harsher punishments because of a small revolt led against me by your friends as a result of what they thought was your victory over me. Luckily they were no match for me and I was generous enough to let them live because of your fondness for them."
"I'll be sure there will be no revolts this time around. I'll see you when I get back." I took Hoggle by the hand and started to drag him out the door, when Jareth appeared in front of me again.
"Wait. I have a gift for you." He twisted one of his crystal balls in his hands and threw it at me. I caught a small leather satchel. "It will give you what you need when you need it."
"Thank you again." I pushed past him and fled with Hoggle down the stairs.
"Be back in time for dinner if you don't want me to hunt you down! And be sure to throw away those rags you've got on before I see you again, or I'll take them off for you!" The Goblin King's laughter rang through the halls. I turned around to give him a bitter retort, but he had already vanished.
I just wanted a few hours outside the stone walls and to be away from my tormentor. I needed to try and think clearly so I could figure out what was off about the labyrinth… it would keep my mind off of Toby and his frightened face for the time being.
"So what'd you do this time to warrant the King bringin' you back here?" Hoggle asked. We past the city gates, where the dozing guards sleepily stood at attention as I passed.
"Mornin' Majesty…" the goblin guards yawned. I didn't know who they were talking to, and I didn't really want to question it, because I was afraid of the answer.
"MAJESTY? MAJESTY! Do you even realize what you've got yourself into this time?" Hoggle screeched as I weaved us in between the trash piles. I didn't want to stop until we reached the forest. I tightened my grip on Hoggle's wrist, not at all annoyed that our progress was slowed by his short legs. I could never be truly mad at Hoggle. We reached the bottom of the hill on which the forest rested. This is where I slowed to a walk, dragging both of us up the hill, my thighs straining as much as my heart was with my conflicting emotions. Once we reached the edge of the forest Hoggle very forcefully tried to shake himself from my grasp. I let go of him and fell to the ground, my butt landing hard on the leave and dirt floor of the forest.
"Sarah! Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?"
"Yes. No. I don't know!" I cried, my hands cradling my head. "All I know is that I promised to marry Jareth so he wouldn't take Toby."
"Oh Sarah…" Hoggle stood next to me, him now looking down on me for once. "You sacrificed everything you love to protect everything you love?"
"Yeah, I guess you could say that." His words didn't fit with his normal speech. It was like he was quoting something.
"Sarah. You've gotten yourself into quite a pickle this time. I don't think he'll do to you like he did with his other brides, which means the land is in more danger than before." Hoggle slumped into sitting cross-legged in front of me. I felt a slight pang hit my heart.
"Other brides? Labyrinth in danger?" I wasn't sure that I could handle what I was going to make Hoggle tell me. "Hoggle. Tell me what the hell is going on here."
"Sarah. Labyrinth is dying and Jareth kills his brides in order to keep it alive."
