Chapter 4.

The O.M. - The Original Menace (A.K.A. The Goblin King)


Whaaaaaat? I totally haven't been absent from this site for more than a month. I have no idea what you're talking about.

*FreakinGodzilla's Inner Conscience* Yes. Yes, you have, slacker.

You stay out of this, you sneaky weasel.

Don't tell me how to live my life.

-Sigh- Inner Consciences, whaddya gonna do? Can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. -Shrugs-


"Goblin King." Sarah greeted, now standing before him.

She defiantly crossed her arms, hoping he could not see right through her fake wall of bravery.

To see him again, for the first time in years was shocking to her system. It was as if her eyes simply could not register the fact that he was standing before her. Him, the man - no, king - she thought she would never set eyes on again after running through his labyrinth.

He had not changed much, although she did not know what she expected; he was immortal, after all. Or so that was what she had been told by her frequently visiting friends.

The Goblin King smirked down at her with a wide, knowing smirk that promised her he knew all of her well-hidden secrets. The secrets she had never dared to even utter out loud in solitude. Sarah tried not to shudder at this invading thought.

He stood regally, a long flowing cape that somehow fluttered in the windless air around his knee-high, leather boots. His tight pants - Sarah gulped - fitting perfectly with a loose poets shirt that revealed his handsome, lean chest. The Goblin King's gloved hands clenched ever so slightly; the movement reminding Sarah of the very real and dangerous situation she was in.

She looked up at his aloof visage, taking in the sharp contours of his otherworldly face.

God, he was handsome.

Suddenly, Sarah felt rather insignificant with her oversized gray sweatshirt and blue jeans. She had not felt the need to dress up today, as it was a lazy Saturday.

"Hello, precious."

Sarah raised her eyebrows at this sudden nickname.

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

He sighed, as if preparing for a long and boring speech, "It has come to my attention that you have been… snooping."

"Snooping?"

"Did you know that it is against the law to steal and search through a king's things?" Jareth said with a calmness that contradicted the warning in his words.

"I didn't steal anything." Sarah corrected quickly, frowning.

"Is that so?" He raised a sarcastic eyebrow, "I seem to recall discovering a small, dim-witted goblin placing my possessions back in their original spots, after taking them without my consent."

Sarah stayed quiet.

"Did you have anything to do with that, Sarah?"

"I wasn't searching through your things, nor was I stealing them. I was liberating my bra from your perverted hands!"

Now it was the Goblin King's turn to look ashamed, but he did not. He would not humble his pride enough to show such an emotion. Instead, a calm and collected mask schooled his features.

"I see… and just who told you that your brassiere was in my possession?" He inquired.

He got her there.

There was no way she was going to tell him about the picture she drew. Even if he already knew; she was not going to let it become a topic of the conversation.

"Listen, it doesn't matter. You can go on with your life and I won't bother you again." Sarah shook her head.

"No," Jareth said after a minute of silence, "I don't believe I will."

Sarah did not like that devious grin that stretched upon his thin lips.

"Tell me, precious… Have you been inquiring about me?"

"It's not like that - It's a long story."

"Do tell, I have all the time in the world," Jareth smirked.

"Don't you have a job? You know, like ruling a kingdom?" She raised a dark eyebrow.

His smug smirk promptly fell.

Sarah let a proud smile pull at her lips. It was a small victory, but she would relish every one she got.

"Perhaps another time then?" Jareth stepped closer to her, stretching a gloved hand so near her face that she could almost smell the leather.

He looked as if he wanted to collect her cheeks in his palms, but he refrained from doing so. Instead, just as his hand barely pressed against her face; just as she was beginning to close her eyes and savor the feeling, he pulled away with a haughty smirk.

Sarah felt relieved at the distance, though. Scolding herself for almost falling for his flirty tricks.

That is all they have ever been, flirty tricks.

"Bye, Goblin King." Sarah recovered her pride, setting up a charade of nonchalance and an indifference.

"Goodbye, precious," Jareth emphasized her new nickname.

Blood flowed straight to her cheeks, warming them in such a way that Sarah knew he could see her blushing, but before she could comment he was gone.

Vanished into thin air. The only sign that he had ever been there was the slight stirring of the room's atmosphere, and tiny particles of sparkling glitter; shining and reflecting light as they slowly drifted down.

"Ugh," Sarah cried, humiliated at herself.


The King of the Goblins sauntered proudly to his throne. His lithe body stretching so perfectly across it in a way only he could do comfortably. Once he got comfortable, an imposing smirk touched his lips.

He had found his way into Sarah's life.

Jareth had not been sure what to expect when preparing to visit Sarah for the first time in years, but he was not disappointed. In fact, quite the opposite.

She had not outright rejected his presence, though she had shown some defiance, but no opposition to him seeing her again.

The Goblin King summoned his riding crop with the flick of his wrist just for the sake of tapping it out of anxiousness. Jareth felt… well, he could not really describe it other than…

Not bored.

"Kingy," A small voice asked through the ruckus of the throne room, "Can I's leave the corner nows?"

Jareth sighed, "Yes, Gus. You've taken your punishment quite well."

"Yipee!"

Gus cheered, running from the dark recess that had a sign over it saying, 'Punishment Corner: Abandon all hope, ye who enter here,' and joined in the chaos of the rest of the goblins.

But before poor Gus could join in on the fun of 'Tug of War' with the other goblins, Jareth snapped his riding crop out, grabbing his attention with the sharp sound of the crop slicing through the air.

"And Gus…" He warned the startled goblin, " Do not defy me again."

The goblin gulped at the scolding tone, nodding with wide eyes.

Shaking his head, Jareth shooed the goblin off with pity.

Relaxing back on his throne, he tried to block out the commotion of the room. Pots and pans clanked together, pounding in his head. Goblins yelled nonsense, and Jareth could hardly make out anything but, "Yous smells like Bog," and, "Yous throw like an elf," and other petty insults.

He rubbed his temples, fighting off a soon-to-be migraine.

A chicken flew overhead, clucking as it flapped its wings, then remembering mid-flight that it could not actually fly, it let out a terrified squawk and fell to the floor with a plunk.

A loud chortle burst through the mouth of a large, chunky goblin. The laugh resembling the sound of a duck quacking. The clock hanging adjacent from Jareth's throne ticked onward, as it had for hundreds of years without complication. It must have been as old as the labyrinth itself, seeing and knowing all as the years repeated themselves.

Tick tock, tick tock, tick tock.

A never-ending reminder of the incessant days of his life.

"Quiet!" Jareth yelled.

Every being froze, obeying their king instantly. At least he still managed to maintain his respect and power over them through the years.

Silence.

"I cannot even hear myself think." He narrowed his eyes at the crowd of messy, cluttered goblins, tapping his riding crop once again with haste against his booted leg.

A goblin he identified as Wiznic leaned over and whispered not so subtly to another goblin:

"Kingy needs hearing aids?" He inquired.

"What'sa 'hearing aids'?" The dense goblin replied.

"I dunno, it's just something humans says." Wiznic shrugged.

Jareth glared, irritation and anger brewing in his eyes. The temperature of the room increasing several degrees.

"Get out! Get out now!"

He stood and pointed to the door with force, motioning for all the goblins to leave.

They grumbled with reluctance, not willing to part with their ale and toys, but at one look of the furious king, they left without argument.

"Kingy grumpy," Gus muttered to himself, as the heavy doors to the castle forced shut behind him and the horde of goblins.

They nodded and murmured in agreement.

"Whaddo we do's now?" Wiznic, a small goblin that looked somewhat intelligent with tiny spectacles placed crookedly over his eyes, asked.

The other goblins shrugged, not quite knowing what to do. They had never been kicked from the throne room before. Sure, one or two of them had been tossed out the window or teleported to the bog by the king, but the king had never made everyone leave before. The goblins hung their heads dejectedly.

Gus stepped forward, deciding now was his chance to impress the group.

"Wells, we go to Lady's house," Gus declared proudly, "She's more fun than kingy!"

Their ears perked up at this suggestion.

Lady was more fun than Kingy?


So, I know I haven't updated either of my stories in at least a month, but I promise it was just typical summer laziness. Once I get back into a nifty little routine, so will my writing habits. See ya soon and thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed this chapter. ;)