The Wish
Chapter 4
See These Eyes So Green, I Can Stare For A Thousand Years
Sarah opened her eyes and thought for a moment her wish had been granted. She was in her own bed surrounded by old familiar things, and then out of the corner of her eye, she spied the wedding dress. The illusion was shattered along with her hopes. She had lain awake for hours, trying to think of a way out of her predicament. Finally, she'd drifted off to sleep and into fitful twisted dreams of the Goblin King. He stirred up such contradictory feelings within her; she didn't know if she wanted to kiss or slap him. Given her situation, it was more the latter. But despite everything, the former was still frustratingly appealing.
The fabric of her dress had creased terribly during the night and Sarah felt in need of freshening up. She went over to the wardrobe in search of a suitable change of clothes, besides the bridal gown that hung on the door. To her dismay, she found that it was empty, apart from an outfit identical to the one she'd worn six years earlier. Sarah pulled out the hanger and held the clothes up against her body to try and gauge if they would still fit. A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth as she noted with satisfaction, that apart from her much larger bosom, she was no bigger around the hips.
The sound of echoing footsteps outside her door caught her attention and she went over to press her ear to the wood. Sarah listened as the noise faded into the distance. Tentatively twisting the handle, she was surprised to find it unlocked. The corridor appeared to be empty, but the sound of muffled voices from somewhere close by carried down it. She cautiously peered around and decided to investigate. Sarah wasn't sure whereabouts in the castle she was. A glance through the nearest window indicated she was high up, and probably in one of the towers. She crept along the passageway until she reached a spiral staircase which she then slowly began to descend.
"It's not too late; you can still change your mind." The desperate voice of a woman pleaded.
It was faint, but Sarah could just about make out their conversation. She reached the bottom of the stairs and risked a peek around the corner. There was an open door a short way down the hall and she assumed that's where the voices were coming from.
"Go back to where you belong, Lilithea." Jareth sounded irritated.
"I told you at the time, something went wrong when I summoned that prophecy. You weren't supposed to see her," the woman said.
"Of course I wasn't, you meant to trick me into believing you were my only true love. But I was there, remember? I asked the question, and the crystal gave its answer," the Goblin King replied.
"It gave you an answer, it doesn't mean it was the answer," the woman warned.
There was a long pause.
"Even if she is the one, it said nothing of her heart; she could intend to destroy you for all you know. Jareth, I beg you, reconsider before it's too late. You have been living here alone in exile for over a thousand years. I could help you if only you would let me. We could appeal to your brother together, and I'm sure my sister would help us. I'll wager you haven't even informed the high king of your marriage plans, have you?" The woman questioned.
"It's none of his business," Jareth asserted. "He forbade me from ever leaving this place; he did not forbid me from taking a wife."
Sarah strained to catch every word as the woman's voice grew softer.
"He also knows that I'm the only one of our kind who cares enough for you to come and see you in this awful filthy hovel. I'm sure he would look favourably on a union between us, as he likely expects it anyway. You know how I love you, how I've always loved you, and I would do anything to make you happy. Don't bind yourself to a mortal who probably despises you and will bring you nothing but continued misery." The woman was obviously desperate but her voice remained calm and controlled.
"I will have no other," Jareth declared. "Why don't you stay for our wedding, and meet this monster you think I'm marrying. She may hate me now, but in time I have every confidence I can win her love," he said.
Sarah seethed at his conviction and silently vowed she would never succumb to his charms. The stranger was intriguing and she hoped to catch a glimpse of her. It appeared this woman was enamoured of the Goblin King, and she wondered why he didn't want her. Was she unattractive? Sarah imagined Jareth was shallow in that respect; not caring about a person's inner beauty.
"I will stay, for my own peace of mind, and because you obviously aren't able to be objective about this mortal creature. You've been so entranced by the idea of her you can't see anything else," Lilithea cautioned.
"I have my wedding to prepare for, so if you would be so kind as to wait downstairs, I'm sure the goblins can keep you entertained," Jareth's voice was full of amusement as he dismissed his guest.
Sarah lingered behind the wall at the bottom of the staircase until Lilithea emerged from the room. She only caught a brief glimpse of her face, but was shocked at how similar she looked to Jareth. They could have been siblings or at least related in some way. For all Sarah knew, they could well be. The fae might not regard incest as repugnant as humans did. Lilithea was pale skinned with bright blue eyes and platinum blonde hair which framed her angular features. She was strikingly attractive in an ethereal otherworldly kind of way. Maybe this woman might help her, if she didn't want to throttle her on sight for stealing her precious Goblin King away. Sarah pondered over her limited options. She heard Jareth close the door and decided to take a chance, creeping down the corridor in pursuit of the other woman. There was a swish of pale blue satin ahead of her as she rounded the stairs and neared her target.
"Wait, please," she softly called out.
Lilithea stopped and slowly turned to face her. The woman's gaze was intense and critical and Sarah felt suddenly self-conscious. She smoothed her hair down where it was ruffled from sleep and attempted to straighten her dress.
"Well, what do we have here?" The pale-skinned creature began to slowly circle her.
"My name is Sarah Williams, but you already know who I am, or at least you think you do." she intended to hold her own against this supposed rival.
Lilithea was surprised by the girl's tenacity and a small smile crept over her lips. "What can I do for you, Miss Williams?" She inquired.
"Maybe I can do something for you. I know you love Jareth, I heard the two of you talking, and you're welcome to him. I just need your help to get out of here and back to my world." Sarah gave the fae a hopeful smile.
The silence stretched out between them until Lilithea burst into shrill laughter.
"What an amusing creature you are," she said. Her expression turned deadly serious. "Jareth will have none of me, it is you he wants, and it cuts me to the quick to know that what he's offering is wasted on you, you ungrateful wretch. You don't love him and you will make him suffer, when he's already suffered enough." She kept her controlled tone but there was venom and bitterness in her words.
"Then help me," Sarah begged. "Send me back to where I came from and you can both forget all about me."
Her only hope was fading fast, and she couldn't understand why this woman wouldn't jump at the chance to get rid of her.
Lilithea looked contemplative for a moment and her mouth opened as if to speak, until something changed her mind.
"Ah, there you are my precious thing." Jareth's voice startled Sarah and she spun around in horror. "Happy as I am that you've been making friends, I really must insist you return to your room and prepare for our wedding," he said and grabbed her by the hand.
Her eyes continued to plead with Lilithea's until the other woman turned away.
"I don't think I will stay after all," she said.
Jareth didn't seem to care one way or another as he pulled a reluctant Sarah towards the stairs.
"My best wishes to the bride and groom," Lilithea called after them, her voice full of insincerity.
She closed her eyes and let out a whimper of despair before fading from sight.
"I know what you were up to," Jareth hissed.
Sarah dragged her heels on the rough stone floor trying to slow their progress back to her room.
"You wished yourself away to me and no one can undo it, least of all Lilithea," he warned.
They reached the door to her room and he flung it open as he forcefully led her inside.
Jareth was deceptively strong for one with such a lean build and she rubbed her wrist when he released her.
"I have no desire to hurt you," he appeared to be contrite over his strong-arming, but his expression was severe. "I told you, the choice is yours; generosity or cruelty, which is it to be?"
Sarah felt her temper flaring and she had no more appetite for his games.
"How about honesty?" She asked, her green eyes blazing.
Jareth sashayed over to the vanity unit and took a seat.
"Who is Lilithea?" Sarah queried. "I heard the two of you talking, and she obviously cares a lot about you."
"What's the matter, my love, are you jealous? You needn't be, you know," he said as he toyed with the ruffles on his open necked cream poet's shirt.
She threw him a look of contempt.
"Did you just expect me to go ahead and marry you when you're practically a stranger to me?" She stood defiant before him with her hands on her hips.
Jareth felt every fibre of his being flare to life as he gazed into her vibrant green eyes. It was as if he was waking from a deep sleep where all his dreams had been in black and white. Sarah painted everything with rainbow colours and brought sunlight to his shadowy existence.
"What would you like to know about me?" He inquired.
"Everything," she replied.
He grinned.
"That may take some time; I am almost four thousand years old after all."
Sarah gasped. "See, there's something I didn't know. I mean, I knew you were older than me, but… Whoa Nelly!"
Jareth roared with laughter.
"What about your family? I heard Lilithea mention you have a brother, will he be coming to the wedding?" She asked.
His expression immediately darkened. He would tell her everything in time, but not now.
"No, he will not." Jareth jumped up and went to the door. "Now, we have a wedding to prepare for, and I will have one of the servants bring you some breakfast."
"Just answer me one thing before you go, and I want the truth, because if you lie to me I swear I'll find some way to make you pay for it," Sarah warned.
Jareth nodded.
"Swear it," she insisted, remembering what he said about only words counting.
"Alright, I swear, now ask your question," he demanded.
"Why did the high king, whoever he might be, why did he forbid you from ever leaving this place? What did you do?"
Sarah didn't want to be shackled to a monster. In fact, she didn't want to marry him at all. But if there was to be no way out of it, she had to know there was nothing worse to add to her already low opinion of him. What sort of crime was punishable by being made Goblin King anyway?
"The answer is, I did nothing," Jareth enigmatically replied.
She started to protest.
"Enough," he silenced her with the sharpness of his tone. "Our wedding will be at noon sharp, and I will see you then."
Sarah leapt up to chase after him, but found instead of opening onto the outside corridor, the door now led to an en suite bathroom. Letting out a puff of frustration, she growled in anger as the bridal gown caught her eye. Striding purposefully over to it with the intention of ripping it to shreds, she paused to take a good look first. On closer inspection, it was a slinkier version of the dress she'd worn during the peach dream masquerade ball. Jareth was trying to reconstruct a fantasy that never really existed in the first place and Sarah wanted no part of it. She looked down at her own dress, which had been chosen by her mother, and was more to Linda's taste than hers. There was only one other choice of outfit, and at least it was something she'd wanted to wear once upon a time. Sarah opened the wardrobe door and hoped her earlier confidence, that she could squeeze her twenty-one-year-old self into clothes she'd worn at fifteen was not misplaced. Thanking all that was holy for a roomy blouse and stretch jeans, she went over to the window. Sarah could see she was a long way up and it was a long way down to the ground, but there was no other option.
What am I going to do once I get out? She pondered. Run, said the voice in her head. It was the only thing she could do.
I picture Lilithea as Tilda Swinton, probably as she was when she played the White Witch in The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. Of course, dear readers, you are entitled to picture her however you want.
The title is taken from Cat People (Putting Out Fire) which David Bowie did with Giorgio Moroder, for the soundtrack of the movie. I think his voice sounds so sexy in this song, and I was listening to it a lot as I was writing this chapter.
Thank you all for taking the time to read this fanfic and please do leave a review. - Mrs P.
