Little China Girl: Ah so glad you were able to feel what she felt! That was the goal! And it makes me so happy that you like my writing. I also feel sad for Jareth, ugh poor guy.
FireShifter: I know right? If only he knew to not take it personally, she cares about him so much. And you will see about Hoggle! :) Thank you so much for encouraging my writing, more people are favoriting this story so I'm excited!
QueenBookDragon: Yes that's what I felt about Toby too! I love adding in Toby but this story doesn't really work. And the gift will come in handy some more as the story unfolds, not just in the labyrinth! Man can't Jareth give me a gift to have good memory? Jeez I need it for school! I also feel bad for them, poor things. The fairies were really sweet of course but yes he's much more practical because he isn't so whimsical or sentimental. That is, until he met Sarah and decided to write As the World Falls Down lol.
Sarah held her hand out and felt the crystal pop in her hand. She felt victorious but she wanted to cry. She found herself right outside the labyrinth again, Jareth as an owl and flying away.
"Oh Jareth." She said softly.
She didn't know what to do now. She trudged along, feeling empty inside. She wished she could tell him. She really wished that she could. But she loved him.
Wait, love?
She laughed bitterly. How ironic was this? To prove that she loved him, she had to chase him away. She knew he was angry with her, his pride was hurt. But she had to. Because his life was more important to her than any protection that he could give her.
She refused to let anyone else sacrifice themselves for her after seeing what her servants did for her.
But now she needed a place to stay and come up with a game plan.
She heard some talking, then she saw her three friends.
"Hoggle! Sir Didymus! Ludo!"
She hugged all of them and spoke with them. "Oh, it is good to see you!"
She refused to tell them what all really went down but they accepted it. Hoggle offered for her to live with him as she told him that she had no home.
"I live with me's six brothers though. So yous has to live with us messy seven dwarves!" He laughed.
"That's alright, I can cook and clean. Will that be alright with you?" She said to him, so very grateful for his offer.
"We are awful at that!" He said. "I would love to have some food but I's gots to discuss with me brothers first."
Sarah smiled warmly at the dwarves who all looked very suspicious of her. That is, until Hoggle told them that she stood up to the king. She asked her friends to not tell anyone about her winning, and when they asked why she just told them "just please, in case whoever is looking for me finds me."
So they left it at that. They still weren't sure but they were also not ones to turn someone down.
"Fine, we allow you to stay for a while. See if yous prove yourself useful or not." Grumpy said.
Sarah found it hilarious that they all had such strange names. Of course they all had real names like Leroy or whatever, but they all went by their nicknames that fit them. There was Hoggle who also went by Doc (as he was the one who knew most about healing), Grumpy, Sleepy, Happy, Bashful, Sneezy, and Dopey.
Sarah had kissed Hoggle good night, much to the annoyance of himself as Jareth and sent them to the bog last time she did it but nothing happened. All his brothers lined up for the prospect of being kissed by the pretty lady, and Sarah agreed to let them. Dopey came for seconds and everyone laughed at that.
"We are hardy, you cans sleep in ours beds for now." Happy told her.
"Oh I can't impose, I can sleep in the couch." Sarah said. She was so touched by their kindness for her.
"Couch is too short for you." Sneezy sniffed. "We have sleeping bags. Don't you worry, then we will set up a room for you to have privacy tomorrow. It's late."
And so, Sarah fell in a fitful sleep, feeling safe but still thinking of Jareth.
She was standing in a beautiful white field. It was large and extended forever. Little butterflies flew around her head and her feet crunched the grass underneath. Somehow, she knew that this was a dream.
"Rose?"
She turned around and saw him. Her king. The man she had loved and defeated.
He didn't look angry, much to her relief. He looked handsome and dressed simply in a white shirt and grey pants with black boots. His eyes were like little stars, glimmering with hope.
And such a sad, sad love.
He held his hand out. "A dance?"
She didn't hesitate.
She took his hand and spun with him, never saying a word, no music to greet them. No distractions. No timeline. No peach. Just a dance. She wanted to dance with him, she knew. For she loved him. And if she could only see him safely in dreams, she'd take as much as she could. He was dressed simply, in grey breeches and a flowing white shirt. Herself in a baby blue dress, as calm as the sky in contrast to his brooding, dark manner.
Jareth didn't mean to dream but here he was. And somehow, he knew that this was truly Sarah.
In a dance that lead them to the clouds, Jareth caught her and held her close. He didn't want to disturb their delicate balance. "Are you well?"
Sarah was surprised by that question. She hadn't even defeated him a whole day. She really had expected him to be angry at her, but he looked so broken. She let go of his hands but didn't move away from him. She met his blue eyes. She saw the dilated eye and felt a pang of pain, that he had protected her ever since she was a baby. "I am."
"You know I would do anything for you, right?" He said softly. "To keep you safe?" He reached gently and held her arms, rubbing them gently. As if afraid she would bolt from him.
Sarah nodded. She knew this to be true. But it was the very reason that she couldn't tell him anything, or else he would get caught up in a mess that wasn't his to clean. She had to keep repeating that to herself or else she'd lose her resolve. "I know."
Jareth sighed and put a hand on her cheek. "I want to help you. What happened? Why did you end up in my labyrinth? Where are you now?"
Sarah reached up, grabbing his hand and holding it tightly. She hoped he would understand that she really loved him, that she understood. But any more, and she couldn't protect him. "I can't say."
Jareth woke up, drenched in sweat.
He didn't know what to freaking do. He loved that girl so much. Her eyes looked regretful but she looked well enough in the dream. He felt fire anew in his blood.
"I have to figure this out." He hissed. He had to find the princess, figure out what Diane was doing. He had no proof but he was sure that Diane had something up with the way Sarah said that she had been scaring the castle workers!
He called for the fairies to come back.
Flora, being the head of the group, was the one to ask Jareth. "What's this I hear about someone beating the labyrinth? Surely that isn't possible."
To say the news shocked them didn't even cover it. No one won the labyrinth, ever.
"I don't want to talk about it." He growled.
"Jareth, I know you have pride but there's no reason to be angry." Merryweather chastised him. She pointed to his chair. "Please sit."
Jareth huffed. It wasn't just that, it was how he lost Sarah. And how he had once again been rejected in her dreams.
"I am not here to talk about some runner." He said harshly. "I am here to talk about Queen Diane. I've told you that a servant of hers told me that she was being more cruel since Stefan's death and that she had some suspicions."
"She wouldn't be in league with Maleficent, would she?" Fauna asked in fear.
"I didn't detect any magic there when I went. I didn't seek it out though, I just didn't feel anyone's magic which would make sense in a human kingdom." Jareth said. "She would have to be quite powerful to hide such a thing."
"We didn't detect anything either." Fauna said.
"Maleficent is quite old." Flora said, folding her arms in thought and lifting an eyebrow. "She could be in contact with whatever ancient magic that is a part of her."
"From before the Big Split even." Merryweather added.
Jareth nearly fell back from his chair, an epiphany on his mind.
"Jareth! Be careful dear." Fauna helped him up. She eyed him carefully at his facial expression. "What is it? You have a strange look on your face."
"That's because Fauna, I am an idiot and didn't search that far back." Jareth mumbled. "I didn't think anything of consequence could get her to be that strong."
He drew a few things on the board, pointing here and there, mumbling like crazy and eyes wide. "For 18 years I had put all of this off. I didn't think that she would come after anyone like this."
He drew a few lines here and there. "I regret that now, and I was finding out her Achilles heel. Maybe it isn't something here, but Above. If she was alive before the Big Split between the Above and Underground, maybe one of her parents may have been a mortal human."
He turned around. "Is she all the way fairy?"
"No one is certain what species she is." Flora said
"What if she isn't all the way fairy? What if…"
He drew a picture of a dagger on the board. "She was able to use magic even in the presence of iron?"
Flora covered her mouth. "Oh my goodness."
Why hadn't they thought of this before? Oh right, because Jareth was a busy king and they were trying to get by raising a little princess without the use of magic.
"But there wouldn't be that much iron in the castle, would there? Stefan knows that it would impede our magic." Merryweather made a dubious face, not quite sure about Jareth's theory.
"Not enough to block magic, but enough to make it difficult for you to detect it from others. Tell me, ladies. When you used your magic again, how was it in Stefan's castle?"
Fauna paused, a finger on her cheek in thoughtfulness. "I remember thinking I felt weak but I hadn't used magic in 16 years and assumed I was out of practice."
"Precisely." Jareth summoned a quill and wrote this all down. "If she has magic to control Diane then it's the perfect cover up. The reason I would not have noticed was because I could use my magic and I had no reason to try to detect anyone's magic while I was there. I didn't actively try to detect anyone's magic at all, as Hester is a human kingdom. I didn't think to search in the castle, just for any intruders."
"So you need to go back!" Flora paced back and forth. "You need to go back and use the iron detector."
"Damn, I wish I had thought of this earlier." Jareth said. "I'm an idiot."
"You have a kingdom to run." Flora patted his hand gently. "Don't be so hard on yourself."
"Did you not have advisors to help?" Merryweather asked bluntly.
"Merryweather!" Fauna said. "We are trying to make Jareth feel better and not worse."
"I have tried, but everyone found dead ends. It was only by talking to you that I feel I could move somewhere. The problem though, was that you were gone for years." He sighed. "But it doesn't matter now. What matters is that you are here and that we need to go and save your princess."
Of course he wanted to save the princess. But now he had something much more at stake, much more personal.
Sarah.
Sarah tried to not think about Jareth. She got up and started to make breakfast. She had sent the dwarves out to get some groceries the day before and they had grumbled but Sarah promised that she would make something delicious.
She whipped up some pancakes and omelets. She wiped her forehead, feeling tired from making food for eight people. But good, hard work and busy hands helped to soothe her aching heart.
"Well, good morning sunshine!" Happy came to her. "You are up bright and early!"
Sarah smiled, feeling a lot better with Happy's tone of appreciation. "I grew up waking early and making good food. Breakfast is an important meal and will keep you awake." She set the food by Happy.
One by one, the rest of the gang came in. Hoggle looked pleased that Sarah made such good food.
"Uh uh!" Sarah folded her arms. "Wash your hands!"
"You can't tell us what to do!" Grumpy glared at her. "I will make you leave!"
They argued about this, and the other dwarves came in to protest or to side with Sarah as well. Sarah said that she would not let them eat her food if they didn't wash up. "It will keep you clean and you will be healthier!"
No wonder they had rotten teeth too.
"FINE!" Grumpy relented. "But just this once and I will kick you out."
Sarah rolled her eyes.
He washed his hands and took a bite. His face softened.
"This is amazing!" Sleepy yawned.
"I wants to eat your food always!" Bashful blushed.
Dopey nodded.
Grumpy sighed. "I guess yous can stay."
"Thank you." Sarah said with satisfaction. "I don't want to just tell you what to do, but staying clean is important."
They left to do their respective jobs. Sarah waved goodbye and got to cleaning. She swept the floor, dusted the shelves, washed the dishes and the bedsheets, all while trying to not hit her head on the ceiling where it got low. It was a cozy cottage, there was even a second floor to the bedrooms. Sarah quite enjoyed the space even if it was a bit small at times.
A couple weeks passed by like this. Sarah would go to the market and get food and clean the house. She even tended the wild potatoes and carrots in their backyard so they could have more food. They all were so fond of her, even Grumpy. They would tell stories and Sarah got to know the Goblin Kingdom quite well. Ludo and Sir Didymus would visit her and they would have a grand time, all ten of them.
Hoggle always said the same thing when he left in the morning. "Be careful and don't talk to strangers!" He was always paranoid about Jareth finding them.
Sarah rolled her eyes. "Yes Hoggle."
They all tried to ask her what happened, who she really was to get the king's attention but Sarah said that was private. They kept it at that.
Sarah was enjoying her life with them actually. They came to regard her as a friend or sister. They even built a greenhouse and Sarah had a green thumb they found, and was able to sell fruits and vegetables in the market, giving them even more income. If she didn't think of Jareth so often or of her aunties and her kingdom, she would be content to stay there forever.
She still had no idea what to do. She knew that she had to find her loyal supporters but how to do that?
That night, she had another dream with Jareth.
He was sitting at the edge of a fountain with a unicorn statue in the middle, surrounded by large walls of ivy. He had a harp and was playing it beautifully, watching her reaction.
Sarah walked closer to him, entranced by his playing and sat next to him.
He opened his mouth to sing an old tune, a tune so old that both the Above and Underground were familiar with it. Strumming his fingers gracefully on the harp, he sang Scarborough Fair.
Are you going to Scarborough Fair?
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Remember me to one who lives there,
For she was once a true love of mine.
Tell her to make me a cambric shirt,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Without any seam or needlework,
Then she shall be a true love of mine.
Tell her to wash it in yonder well,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Where never sprung water or rain ever fell,
And she shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell her to dry it on yonder thorn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Which never bore blossom since Adam was born,
Then she shall be a true lover of mine.
The song was about duet how a man asked to send a message to his former love, to do impossible tasks like make a shirt without seem or needles, wash it in a well without water, and to dry it on a thorn that never grew. If she able to do the impossible task, he would win her back.
Jareth looked at Sarah with a challenge. The princess looked back at him, and sang the female response that she will do all he asks if he also does impossible tasks for her.
Now he has asked me questions three,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
I hope he'll answer as many for me,
Before he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to buy me an acre of land,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
Between the salt water and the sea sand,
Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to plough it with a ram's horn,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
And sow it all over with one peppercorn,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to sheer't with a sickle of leather,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme;
And bind it up with a peacock's feather,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
Tell him to thrash it on yonder wall,
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme,
And never let one corn of it fall,
Then he shall be a true lover of mine.
When he has done and finished his work.
Parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme:
Oh, tell him to come and he'll have his shirt,
And he shall be a true lover of mine.
Jareth strummed the last few notes and set his harp down. The song was very much a good analogy between the two of them.
His eyes seemed to pierce through her soul. Sarah felt an ache at seeing his pain in his eyes. He turned his body towards her and held his hands out as a peace offering.
"What will it take for me to win your heart?" Jareth asked her softly. "If you want the 'acre of land between the salt water and the sea sand' and to 'plough it with a ram's horn and sow it all over with one peppercorn' and all the other impossible tasks, I will do it, Sweet Rose. For you."
He looked so forlorn, so desperate.
"I thought you didn't believe in love?" She said in a quietly teasing voice, hoping to avoid his question and have him back down. She wanted him but she could not afford to let him get hurt. Sometimes, one must sacrifice for the ones you love. Just like her fairy aunts did for her.
"I didn't think it was possible to feel love, until I met you."
He couldn't do it anymore, to be hard and unfeeling. She made him break every single rule he had for himself and forced him to present his feelings for her. He wanted to blame her but in his heart he knew he couldn't. He wanted to do this, he wanted to be vulnerable. He wanted to paint her mornings of gold and spin Valentine evenings until she was breathless.
There were a few moments of silence. Then, she finally spoke.
"You turned your world upside down for me, exhausted from my expectations." She said, swallowing. "Why did you do all of that? Why for someone you deem a lowly servant."
"I said that out of anger." He pleaded, taking her hands in his. "Please, Rose. I am imperfect but I don't know what to do. I keep trying to push this feeling for you out. I keep telling myself that I cannot get wrapped up in this. But the truth is, you are wise. You command loyalty from even my subjects. You are kind and you broke me out of my shell."
He tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. "You are like a fire, consuming me and I had tried to not get burned but I no longer care. Even from seeing you only a few times and exchanging a bit of letters, how could I not fall deeply, madly in love with you?"
Sarah closed her eyes but made no move to go away from him. "Jareth…"
"If it isn't love then what is it that I feel?" He held her face in both his hands now. "My sweet, sweet Rose. Please don't tell me that you feel nothing."
"I won't say that because it isn't true." She said softly, putting her hands on his.
There, she was admitting the she felt SOMETHING for him. Oh how could she not?
"Then won't you tell me what it is that you do feel? That maybe, you love me too?" He whispered.
Sarah cried, tears falling. "Don't make me do this, Jareth." She turned from him and stood up.
"Wait! Sarah!" He put a hand on her shoulder. "I didn't mean to scare you! We can take this slow. Please. Won't you tell me where you are? All I want is to help you." He felt his heart breaking with every breath.
Sarah trembled, refusing to look back, not wanting to face her broken king that she had tortured from her own cruelty. "I know you would."
And then they woke up.
Sarah felt numb, but confident. She knew that she made the right decision, making him go away. She loved him and it was a sacrifice she had to make.
Hearing him profess his love for her frightened her. He was so powerful, so mighty, and even he bowed down to love after not thinking it was real for centuries. Sarah felt her heart clench.
"Stay strong, Rose. Stay strong." She told herself. "Stay strong. For you. For the aunties. For Hester. And for Jareth."
Two weeks.
Two weeks Maleficent had waited to ask the mirror her question. Surely, two weeks was enough for the stupid girl to die in the woods alone?
She faced her mirror once again. "Mirror mirror on the wall. Who is the fairest one of all?"
"Famed is thy beauty, Majesty. But hold, a lovely maid I see. Rags cannot hide her gentle grace. Alas, she is more fair than thee. Sarah the Princess is the fairest one of all."
Maleficent screamed and dashed one of her books to the ground. "Show me the girl!"
The mirror shifted to show Sarah in a cottage with seven dwarves. Enraged, Maleficent realized that this slip of a woman was residing in the goblin kingdom.
"NO! I must go and amend this!" She seethed. "For is the king should find her, he will come after me."
Wiping a hand over her face, she once again assumed her disguise as Diane. Talking to a servant to let them know that she would take a leave of absence for a bit, she disguised herself as an old hag. Getting some key ingredients, she dropped in a beautiful but simple lace.
"Yes." She hissed. "This will do! Goodbye, stepdaughter of mine!"