A King's Curse

A/N: Okay, I officially love my re-arranging goodness, this part is so totally prefect here, and the now later parts being later is just so absolutely brilliant it boggles my mind. This is why you should plan out your story better before you write it! Oh well that's life, and logically since I already know the whole story, and I'm delighted by the changes then logically you should be delighted too, and REVIEW! Oh you must review!

This is the second chapter of all new content, and just the fact that I need new content to get anywhere from it I'm going to have to just forgo saving all your reviews. TT However I'm saving them all in a word file for if I need extra support. However I strongly believe that the new storyline arrangement is better. I'm loathe to think that this chapter once was.

Chapter Four - Archaic Gestures

Jareth stood among the students body at the Halloween party. It was a big school, no one really noticed a stranger, or it might have just been the magic. He had created an illusion to appear at a younger age, at least a thousand years younger for him.

Magic is notorious for vague memories. The majority of the student body would forget his face afterwards. However it was important that he didn't seem out of place within the present moment.

Despite his magic, anyone looking would still find him out of place, his regal clothing, regardless of being fitting for the season showed his proud and stately manner. Logically he should have chosen something different, something that wouldn't have betrayed his noble blood, but he wanted to come forward with as much of himself as he possibly could.

Sarah drifted through the Goblin King's mind as he sipped what the humans called, 'soda'. He was anxious, as he always was when it came to the girl, he'd left the reveal of Sarah's dress as a surprise for himself, and he already regretted it. He glanced towards the gymnasium doors, and turned away again with as a soft sigh.

It wasn't his sort of party. It was neither the rowdy and deliberately obnoxious goblin shindig nor a royal gala of the more civilized company within the labyrinth.

Civilized company, it was a rare word when speaking about the labyrinth. Most of his subjects were, before they changed, human children. Although the change gave the new goblins a completely new mindset and memories, most were, like the brains of their true forms, under-developed mentally. They had all eternity to learn, with the mind of a child.

That was what made the change is animals so ideal, a child wished away a pet, but their minds were, more often than not, already at full capacity for their species, and so they gained intelligence rather than simply the ability to speak like most goblins. The exception to this was of course the goblins made from adults, those who surrendered themselves to the labyrinth willingly typically.

Taking in adults as victims itself was a tricky business, usually if they could not regain their dreams within the labyrinth itself they would die if they were turned into goblins, and usually if they regained their lustre for life they could fulfil the conditions for their release from the prison. Thusly intelligent conversation was rather lacking within the labyrinth, especially considering that the more intelligent goblins made their dwellings outside his maze rather than the city within.

Jareth looked towards the door again. Sarah had yet to arrive, and Jareth was now nervous as to whether her parents had allowed her to come at all. He was about to turn away when he saw a hint of blue.

The elegant dress inched nervously around the corner, carrying a young lady with it.

Sarah was stunning. The blue dress fit like a glove, a square neckline with puffy short sleeves. It fit the form of her chest perfectly before almost flowing the floor it brushed ever so slightly. Her hair was pulled away from her face, but fell in gentle waves down her back until the wings sprung behind her.

Jareth's mouth hung slightly agape, until he noticed her lost eyes. She was as out of place at this party as he was and he felt himself drifting towards her. Then a pair of over-sized cat paws pushed Sarah out into the crowds. Nicole was, aside from being scantily dressed for the day and age, thrusting Sarah into a veritable horde, from which there was no return.

Jareth looked out into the crowds with a sad moan. It was much easier to navigate a party where half the partygoers were only as tall as your boot. He slumped against a wall, the chances of him finding Sarah in this mess would be difficult, even then he'd have to pretend he hadn't met her before and that could be awkward if simply trying to approach her.

That's why it was such a disturbingly pleasant surprise when Sarah pushed her way out of the crowd just about three feet in front of him. "Can't stand the crowds either?" he asked, just to start conversation. Sarah looked at him, her hands folding over themselves awkwardly before she nodded.

Jareth was looking at her, talking to her, and she was responding back, his heart leapt into his throat which accounted for a long moment of silence. "So... who are you?"

"Oh... um... Sarah Williams."

"No, I meant your costume," Jareth said with a chuckle, he already knew her name.

"Um... I never quite decided, I think I'm just a fairy."

"Such a fancy gown, surely you must be a princess," Jareth beamed, he was enjoying himself way too much, she was nearly beet red.

"I guess I could be," Sarah replied, "Who are you dressed as?"

Jareth took his dramatic licence to the extreme, he bowed deeply. "I am Jareth, the Goblin King." His head came up just soon enough to see Sarah's eyes sparkle with delight.

"I love that book; I didn't know anyone else read it!" Her delight was obvious and of course it only heightened Jareth's own enjoyment.

"It's not a very well known book, I wouldn't be surprised if we were the only two here who have."

There was silence, her adolescent awkwardness shone through. Jareth however didn't want to wait for her. She was unbelievably cute so flustered. His voice summoned up a softness that even surprised Jareth, "Would a fairy princess mind if a goblin king escorted her to a less occupied part of the dance floor?"

Sarah blushed, and began staring at the floor and thusly Jareth's boots. This made him saddened; he didn't want Sarah staring at his boots. He'd stared at his boots and so he knew they were not fascinating in the least. So how could he get her attention away from the floor? She was new to balls and parties and he had to show her the ropes and how not to stare at people's uninteresting shoes.

Jareth knew of only one proper gentlemanly way to get a lady's attention. It was a practically archaic gesture, but this was Sarah and she of all people would be able to appreciate it.

His hand caught hers, and he brought it to his lips for a brief but tender kiss.

Now that had gotten her attention away from the floor, she was now too startled to even think about looking down. "Shall we?" he asked still holding her hand.

It wasn't much, but in her bewilderment her hand gently squeezed his back. They drifted along the wall to find a suitable place to dance. Somehow her hand around his had gotten his stomach turned in knots.

It was only practice that got Jareth through these moments. He'd had a good dance teacher. Knowing how to gently apply pressure that moved a woman into a dancing 

position without her noticing was the most useful trick in the book. Indeed the simplicity of it was art, he knew exactly how to hold her in order to make her legs move in time with his own and it served him well.

Sarah was staring into his eyes, dancing without a single thought on her part, and doing it beautifully. Her head moved with a curios glance to one side, she noticed his eyes, really noticed them.

Jareth always felt awkward about his eyes, his pupils were different sizes and it made them seem different colors. However his eyes were far less a problem, he froze up and failed to support her properly, and thusly she tripped. He was now holding her, entirely, he caught her as she fell, and they were now virtually pressed up against each other. He felt his own face grow hot as Sarah was having trouble getting to her feet. "Are you okay?" he asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she pushed her weight off of Jareth and stumbled slightly. She lifted her dress to look at the shoes, one of which was now completely broken. "Oh no," she groaned. "Cinderella lost her shoe, I break mine."

"Something wrong?" Jareth asked. Although he'd been paying complete attention to her predicament, he wanted her to feel confident in telling him.

"My step mother is going to kill me," she said mournfully. Jareth helped guide her to the edge of the gymnasium and the wall. "I wasn't even supposed to be borrowing these shoes in the first place, but they were the only ones that matched the dress." Her shoe slipped off of her foot easily, Jareth prodded the clearly irreparable sole. "I wish I didn't break them," Sarah said while her eyes were growing misty.

"If that is what you wish," Jareth said beaming and held up the now complete shoe. "It just separated from its pins, it'll hold for now, you should probably get some adhesives on it once you get home though."

Sarah wrapped her arms around Jareth in a hug. "You are amazing!" she put the shoe back on carefully and looked back towards Jareth, the awkwardness returning. "So- um..." Sarah asked sheepishly.

Jareth merely held out his hand, and then gently led her back towards the middle of the room. Jareth changed the music with his magic.

It's only forever
Not long at all
Lost and lonely

No one can blame you
For walking away
Too much rejection
No love injection
Life can be easy
It's not always swell
Don't tell me truth hurts, little girl
'Cause it hurts like hell

But down in the underground
You'll find someone true
...

"Sarah," Nicole came over. Jareth felt his whole body sink as Sarah pulled away. "You busy bagging a hottie; I knew you had it in you."

"No, I was just uh..." Sarah looked back at Jareth a moment. "It's not like that."

The words stung. He couldn't understand why he was so emotional. Sarah, already he wanted to retreat to the safety of his tower.

"Well then if it's not like that, you won't mind my cutting in," Nicole shot a glance at Jareth. Suffice it to say, he was not interested, Nicole was an unimaginative flirt. He wanted Sarah, no one else.

Sarah looked back and forth between the two. "I... I... guess I..." Sarah hesitated. "Shouldn't we be heading home soon?" she asked Nicole. "I don't want to wait around 'til midnight and have my dress disappear."

"You wouldn't mind her dress disappearing would you killer?" Nicole winked at Jareth.

Jareth looked at Nicole horrified, how Sarah could stand to associate with someone like this was beyond him.

Sarah stared at him a moment, then took off her shoe, and held it towards him. "How's a prince supposed to find Cinderella without one of her shoes?" she said forwardly then bit her lip and started staring at the floor, and consequently Jareth's boots.

"What about you step mother?" His hand came forward, his hand wrapped around hers instead of the shoe until she pulled her hand away leaving the shoe behind.

"I'm used to getting yelled at," she continued to stare bashfully at Jareth's boots.

"Well a Goblin King doesn't need shoes to find his princess," he said smoothly. He bent down, placing the shoe back onto Sarah's foot. Since Sarah would not look up at him, he would look up at her. And he was frozen again for what seemed like a long time, and also what seemed like not long enough, "All he needs is for her to wish hard enough."

"Sarah's got a boyfriend," Nicole chimed.

"Nicole!" Sarah turned towards her friend and began chasing her away, her face red.

Jareth watched Sarah chasing Nicole away. She would forget, his magic would make sure of that, she wouldn't remember the song or the shoe; she'd probably forget she'd ever met him here.

He could never grant his own wishes, he couldn't dance with Sarah forever, so that the magic wouldn't wipe away that look in her pale jewel like eyes.

"I wish that you wouldn't forget this night," Jareth said sombrely.