Okay, I give! After much encouragement and a few complaints, I am somewhat reluctantly giving the dialogue punctuation another try. But, so help me, if I get one complaint on my bad grammar I am switching back to my script style for eternity! So no grammar flames, please!
Chapter 4
Sarah followed Atta to a small room somewhere deep in the goblin castle. As she opened the door, Sarah was overjoyed to see Hoggle sitting up in a small bed. Her old friend looked much better than he had the last time she had seen him. Hoggle was now healed as far as Sarah could tell. He smiled when he saw her.
"Sarah!" Hoggle cried. "You're here. I wuz worrin' over you."
"It's good to see you, Hoggle." Sarah replied. "You sure look much better than last time I saw you."
Sarah went over and gave Hoggle a huge hug, then sat down next to his bed.
Hoggle gazed at Sarah as he spoke." Sarah, is it true? Are you back in the goblin kingdom to stay?"
"Yes, Hoggle; I think I am. I even met a nice goblin. Her name is Atta. She's the one who brought me here. How are Sir Didymus and Ludo?" Sarah replied.
"They're fine, last as I heard. I sent 'um a message that you're here. They should get it soon. Sarah, I haf'ta ask you something. What happened? One day, you stopped calling for us." her old friend had to ask.
Sarah sighed. She knew this conversation had been coming so she began at the beginning. Sarah told Hoggle all about finding her mother and seeing her through her illness until the end. Surprisingly, Hoggle had been quite sympathetic and didn't seem to hold any lingering resentment toward his friend. Still, he couldn't help being concerned for her now.
"Be careful, Sarah. I still don't trust King Jareth. I feels responsible since you're in this mess 'cause of me. Who knows what evil tricks he'll try this time!"
Sarah rubbed her head wearily."I think you're wrong about the Goblin King, Hoggle. In fact, I'm surer of it now than ever. He's actually been rather nice to me since I got here. I think we may have both misjudged him. Anyway, I'm here now; that's all that matters."
Hoggle seemed shocked by her words." How can you say that, Sarah?!! He took your baby brother!"
Sarah folded her arms and looked at her friend critically." Aren't you forgetting something, Hoggle? I'm the one who wished Toby away. I was a silly, selfish teenager who was too spoiled for her own good! It was my fault and my doing that got him into that mess in the first place. That's why it was my responsibility to get him back. All the Goblin King did was what I asked. I'm not sure if I understand everything that happened that night, but I now know I can't blame King Jareth for all of it. The more I think back on what happened, the more I realize that the King may have been telling the truth about me being the cause of it all."
Hoggle appeared confused." What are you on about, Sarah? "
Reluctantly, Sarah told Hoggle about her last encounter with the Goblin King. Up until that time, Sarah had told no one except her mother, Elizabeth. Truthfully, she still felt a bit confused and guilty considering how tempted she had been to accept King Jareth's offer. Sarah was a bit taken aback by Hoggle's reaction to her story.
"Oh no, Sarah!" he cried," What have you done!?? Why did you have to turn him down like that?!!"
"Hoggle, how can you say that?!! You know what was at stake! If I had agreed, Toby would have been turned into a goblin, for heaven sake! I couldn't accept, no matter how much I might have wanted to! I could never live with myself knowing that getting my dreams cost Toby his whole future! He was only a baby!"
Hoggle had the grace to look ashamed." I knows it, Sarah. I'm sorry. It's just that you don't know what trouble you've gotten yourself into. The Goblin King is Fey! They're a fickle bunch, they are. Fickle and Dangerous! They don't take kindly to it when someone rejects them and they don't forget. Why I've heard tales of them going to incredible lengths to get someone who turned 'em down back in their power; and woe to that poor soul once they do. That's when the Fey does all that they can to make that person suffer horribly all in the name of revenge. I'm worried for you, Sarah."
Sarah took Hoggle's hand and tried to reassure him.
"It's okay, Hoggle." she said." You don't have to worry about me. I'm not fifteen anymore nor a little girl. I can take care of myself."
Hoggle still seemed concerned. "Well, I'll still be here if'n you need me."
Sarah moved to hug Hoggle again.
In another part of the castle, the Goblin King sat in his private study more stunned than he had ever been in his entire existence. In his hand, the globe still showed Sarah talking with Hoggle. Jareth hadn't meant to eavesdrop, only to make sure Sarah was no longer so unhappy. But, once he had heard their conversation begin, he hadn't been able to resist listening. He had been fascinated by Sarah's tale of finding her long lost mother and seeing her through her terrible illness. He couldn't help but admire Sarah for her caring and courage in standing by her mother, Elizabeth, in spite of their previous estrangement.
But, when he had heard Sarah's version of their encounter three years before, it had shaken the Goblin King to the fiber of his being. He was truly shocked that both he and Sarah had so profoundly misunderstood each other the last time when Sarah had run the Labyrinth.
Sarah had been right when she speculated that she had been at least partially the cause of what happened that night. The truth was actually very different and far more profound than Sarah could have ever imagined.
The book" The Labyrinth" had been written by a rather fanciful Victorian author who wrote it as a retelling of an old fairytale he heard as a child. He hadn't been able to resist adding in the love interest and making the Goblin King a true villain. But, it had been out of print for more than a century; so it was pure luck or fate that Sarah found a copy one day in the park and began reading the passages aloud. Summoned by the power in those words, the Goblin King had gone to the park in owl form and instantly been enamored of the lovely, young girl he found there reciting them. It had been over a century since anyone had been wished away to the Labyrinth and the Goblin King had been bored. In truth, little had interested him or caught his attention in almost an eon. But, Sarah had been different. From the first moment he laid eyes on her, the Goblin King had found her captivating. For months, he had watched in his owl form as Sarah dressed up and acted out scenes from the book, becoming more enthralled each time. When Sarah had wished Toby away, it had taken the Goblin King by surprise. Frankly, he had had no interest in Toby and meant no harm to the boy. However, he was interested in Sarah and he was not about to waste the opportunity to get close to the object of his obsession and perhaps, trick her into remaining in his kingdom.
But Jareth had underestimated Sarah's pure courage and determination. Not only had she been up to the challenge of his Labyrinth, she had actually beaten him. Vainly, Jareth had resorted to every trick, glamour and diversion he could think of to get Sarah to fail so she would stay. He even tried romancing Sarah in the ballroom and duplicating her bedroom, thinking it might please her. But, he had failed and Sarah had won. Their last encounter had been the cause of their greatest misunderstanding.
From the moment Sarah had made her final jump to Toby, she had been considered the winner of the challenge of the Labyrinth. Instantly, Toby had been returned safe and sound to his bed. By all the rights, Sarah should have been returned home too. But, the Goblin King had delayed things. Exhausted and desperate, Jareth had made one last attempt to get Sarah, the one female who interested him more than any other ever had, to remain with him. But she had refused.
Jareth now knew that refusal stemmed from Sarah's mistaken belief that staying would have endangered Toby. But Jareth hadn't known that at the time; he had reacted as was typical for most Fey. His anger had burned, his pride had been stung, and he had seen Sarah's rejection as a personal affront that had filled him with fury. Soon, he had been plotting his revenge.
Jareth sighed in frustration as he realized that if anyone was to blame for their misunderstanding, it was truly him. Ruefully, he shook his head as he remembered how he had even been jealous of Hoggle. At the time, Sarah had been barely more than a child herself. She certainly couldn't have been expected to understand the desires and passions of an eons old being who barely understood his new feelings himself. Jareth also realized that he should have known there was more to her rejection than mere pride given what a caring and kind person Sarah was. Of course, the way he had approached Sarah hadn't helped. How could she be expected to accept his offer when he had demanded she "fear and obey" him? Those were hardly demands that would inspire passion, especially in one so young.
Never one to waste time on useless emotion, Jareth allowed himself only a moment of regret for their past misunderstandings. Sarah had said it best; she was here now and no longer a child. More importantly, the Goblin King had completely abandoned any plans of revenge and any lingering resentment had melted away. In fact, after overhearing her conversation with Hoggle, he intended to do everything in his power to make her want to remain with him forever. True, he could just order it, but he would far rather have Sarah stay as a willing companion than an obedient servant.
