A/N-After reading the last chapter of my Labyfic, I had ideas, and time, what can I say? enjoy ch. 7, I certainly enjoyed writing it.
Ch. 7
Sarah, awoke in her bed, alone with a killer hang-over type headache. The red velvet dress had been replaced by a satin, floor-length night gown. The open window was letting in air from the warm summer night, yet she needed to be cooler. She moved to sit up and placed her feet on the hard, stone floor. That felt better. On the table was a glass of water. It was too warm by half, but it was wet, and she drank greedily. Hopefully her headache would be gone soon. Until then, she was not going to be able to get back to sleep. Sarah opened the door to her room and began to wander. Lightly she ran her fingers on the stone walls. Some of the corridors acted as wind tunnels depending on how they related to the open windows of the rooms. The halls were lit by moon-windows craftily cut into the ceilings. Very simple. This is not what she imagined for Jareth. Her thoughts wandered back to how comfortable his bed was, and she began to try and wander in that direction.
Mysteriously, she discovered, she had a connection to him somehow, a light sense of him, just being. She followed this feeling and soon found herself in front of his door. The floors and hallways were cooler in this section, and Sarah debated briefly if she should't go and find her slippers. She decided against it. There was no guarantee she could find her way back to her room now. Sarah took a deep breath, turned the handle of the door and pushed. It opened with a groan, but fortunately, Jareth appeared to be a deep sleeper.
His arms were behind his head in a lounging position, his long legs crossed in front of him, yet he was soundly asleep. It was as though he had been pondering something just before he drifted off, still in breeches and shirt atop the duvet. His face looked rather peaceful though. It was akin to watching a lion lounging in the shade; deadly, but very cozy looking. Her head was still pounding, but she couldn't resist the urge to lightly run her hand over his chest.
The bare skin was smooth and cool to her touch, slightly damp. Suddenly, as quick as a shot, a hand wrapped around her wrist. Her heart began to beat faster. Sarah was in a panic. She shot a fearful look at Jareth's face, but he was still sleeping. A reflex in his sleep then, perhaps. She tried to tug gently, but she was stuck fast. Sarah tried to look for anything to come to her aide in her time of panic. Her heart was a jackhammer. What to do? Then to her utter horror, she realized that similar to a fish she was being reeled in, only in this instance, for a kiss.
A smile played on the lips of the Goblin King. He could sense Sarah, now that she was in the Underground, for miles away. Still, he kept his eyes closed and feigned sleep. She had come to him. Not a failure after all then, perhaps he could recant his decision. He was Fae and capricious by nature. He needed to make her see her destiny. Single-handedly, he brought her in for a kiss; soft and sweet.
Sarah reveled in the unexpected kiss and placed her second hand on Jareth's chest. She never really expected to feel this way about the Goblin King. She got the feeling that she was having a change of heart. She didn't always want to argue with him. Quite the opposite in fact. She began to get goose bumps and suddenly realized how chilly it was in the king's chambers. And then just as suddenly as the kiss began, it ended, and Jareth turned to his side, facing away from her, one arm still under his head, an elbow pointing at her accusatorily. She felt she should leave but was now unsure. Half of her wanted to stay, and get warm. Her feet were starting to numb up with the cold of the stone floor. It was starting to seep into her ankles.
Jareth waited for it. He knew her decision before she even made it. He would even say he had made it for her. Ye Gods, she was a stubborn woman, but fortunately, her mind could be turned. Sarah would soon find out she was not the woman of logic she liked to think herself to be. He mentally counted down the seconds before he was no longer alone in bed.
Later, Sarah would say it was to save her feet that she decided to lay with the Goblin King in his own bed, but she knew the truth in her heart. Silently, silently, she lifted the velvet duvet, stuck first her left, then her right foot under and pulled the covers to her chin. And before she knew it, she had the Goblin King for a bedfellow, and with this thought in mind fell fast asleep.
A stranger watched from the window as the bedfellows spooned up toward dawn. The man held the girl in a protective embrace, his chin atop her head. Likewise, the girl seemed just as satisfied to be in the man's, the king's, protective embrace. The dark velvet package that was the girl absorbed the moonlight coming from the ceiling. Suddenly the man looked toward the stranger with an annoyed look, flinging his leg atop the velvet bundle, effectively locking her in place. The stranger moved on, taking this most recent knowledge gleaned, saving it for later use.