"Why is your castle so empty?" Sarah asked abruptly, propping her chin up on Jareth's knee and placing her chin on top of her closed fist. She was sitting on Jareth's lap (well, his middle really) on his throne in the elaborate, elegant throne room. He was busy tracing patterns with his finger against her lower back and failed to hear her at first.
"What, dear?" He asked patiently, taking his eyes off the small of her back and instead looking to her face.
"Why is your castle so empty?" She repeated impatiently. "I mean, our castle," She corrected quickly, throwing Jareth a quick smile.
"Hmm," He thought about her question for a moment and looked around the room as if he had never seen it before. "It's not usually empty. In fact, it's often quite crowded with subjects."
"Subjects live here?" Sarah asked in disbelief. She couldn't imagine sharing her home with complete strangers all the time.
He shrugged. "They come and go. It's not like they have their own rooms or anything," He snorted, shaking his head at the thought.
"That's mean," She frowned, slapping him lightly on the chest with her free hand. "Just because they aren't royalty doesn't mean they aren't people!"
Jareth arched an elegant eyebrow. "But they aren't people," He said, almost like a question.
Her frown deepened. "What? What are you talking about?"
"Ask me what I'm the King of, Sarah," He said slowly, almost hesitantly.
She blinked once, but quickly complied. "What are you the King of?"
"The Labyrinth, for one. Most of the lands surrounding the Labyrinth, as well. Also the many... interesting creatures that inhabit such areas. But, first and foremost," He paused. "I am the King of Goblins."
She took her head off of her propped up hand and adjusted her position so she could look at him head-on. "Goblins?" She asked, for clarification.
"Goblins," He confirmed.
She thought about that for a moment. "That's cool," She said finally, shrugging. "As long as they don't, you know, bite my toes off or anything."
Jareth gave her a strange look, but chuckled a second later. "Of course not. Biting the toes off of the future queen is completely out of the question."
"Good," Sarah nodded, content. "I like your castle, by the way. Even though it's abnormally empty right now."
"It's probably some goblin holiday I've forgotten about," He said, looking rather uninterested, and resumed his doodling on Sarah. "They only have about three bloody hundred of them."
She giggled, and he smirked. She looked around the room again, examining every inch. "Can we go exploring?"
He sighed. "Must we?"
"Please?" She stuck out her bottom lip pleadingly, trying to hop off of him. His hands reached out for her hips before she could move too much and pulled her right back onto him. "Please, Jareth?"'
His breathing hitched, and she smiled. I won, she thought smugly.
She said my name, Jareth thought, feeling completely overwhelmed all of a sudden. She said my name. My name. She said it. To me.
"Alright," He said finally, exhaling deeply. "Lead the way, you silly thing."
She grinned, quickly pecking him on the cheek before hopping down off of him. "I want to find the kitchen," She declared. She was rather hungry.
"With or without help?" Jareth asked patiently, standing and rolling his shoulders back once.
"Without, for the moment. Thanks, though," She looked around briefly and then set her jaw bravely and started marching out of the main entrance. Jareth leisurely walked behind her, enjoying the view.
She was just about to walk out of the main door when another, smaller door caught her entrance. Her curiosity got the best of her, and she swiftly went over to it. "What's in here?" She asked, opening the door.
"Sarah!" Jareth called out, reaching out a hand to stop her, but it was too late. She was already stepping inside, running up the stairs that had presented themselves to her. He muttered a curse and took off after her.
The stairs were strangely familiar to her. They just seemed to go on forever, up and up and up...She was losing energy, but she persisted. She could hear Jareth calling after her, coming after her, but she didn't care. She wanted to know where the stairs led to.
She finally plateaued, finding a long, flat floor.
Then she saw them.
Hundreds of stairs, backwards, forwards, sideways, diagonal-ways, short, long, every which way and shape you could think of.
They were everywhere.
She gasped, sinking to her knees. She... knew this place... She was... trying to remember... She was trying to remember, but it felt like she was hitting her own head against a brick wall.
I know this place! I know it! Why can't I remember?
"Sarah!"
It was Jareth, of course, coming to save her. Save her from what? Herself? Was this place dangerous, and she was forcing herself not to remember?
He came over and wrapped his arm around her, placing his free head against her forehead, his fingers brushing her temple. "Are you alright?" He asked in concern. She nodded once, staring at the ground. He wasn't convinced.
"Sarah?" He said softly, reaching over to take her chin gently in his hand and lift her face up to look at him instead. "Sarah, are you alright?" He repeated, searching her eyes with his own.
She suddenly smiled at him brightly, but her forehead furrowed and her eyes squinted, as if she were looking straight up into the sun. "Jareth," Her voice both pleasant and dangerous at the same time.
Jareth inhaled unsteadily, a sense of foreboding washing over him, as he waited for her to continue.
His heart stopped.
"Where's Toby?"
I've actually had this chapter for a long, long time . . . but it never got around to being betaed or changed. This isn't how I write anymore, so I think I might need to revamp it. I haven't given up on this story - it's just that I think I need to get my plotline back together.
Falling is technically on hiatus . . . mostly because it just isn't at the top of my to-update list. It doesn't mean I'm done with it though!
Please do let me know what you think - I need some direction on where my readers would like me to go with this story! :)
You all are fantastic, and I love you tons!