DISCLAIMER: I do not own Jareth (wish I did sometimes), Sarah, or any of the characters from Labyrinth. They belong to Jim Henson and those responsible for the making of the wonderful masterpiece that is Labyrinth. I also do not own Jack, Sally and the characters from Nightmare before Christmas. They belong to Tim Burton and those responsible for that classic film as well. This was written for fun and I make no profit from it.
Chapter 7
Sarah steadied herself and pulled away from Jareth. "No, no this can't be happening," she muttered as she started pacing.
"Calm down Sarah," Jareth said in a soothing voice.
She turned to face him. "No, I will not calm down!" she shouted, stepping towards him. "This is all your fault! You did this." She pointed at him as she stomped over to stand in front of him.
"Enough Sarah." Jareth warned.
"No, I won't let you get away with this!" She jabbed her finger into Jareth's chest.
"Sarah..."
"I don't know what you're planning, Goblin King, but you won't get away with it! I beat you once and I'll do it again!" she yelled in his face.
Sighing, Jareth pointed to the other side of the room. "You're drawing unwanted attention to us my dear."
"What's going on?" a voice said. Sarah looked to see everyone starring at her, Jareth, and the goblins.
"What's with Williams?"
"She's being weird as always."
"What are those things by her feet?"
"Are those Muppets?"
Sarah turned back to Jareth feeling completely embarrassed. He grinned and debated letting her suffer for a bit, but decided against it as her friends could be in danger. "I think it's time to end this party." He formed a crystal in his hand and tossed it at the guests staring at them. When it hit the ground, it exploded and created a cloud of glitter.
"Jareth, no!" Sarah tried to stop him, but soon the cloud disappeared and so did everyone but Sarah, Jareth, and the goblins.
"Fear not dear Sarah. They are all safely home with no recollection of ever being here," Jareth stated with a grin. "Now if you'll stop shouting at me, we'll see to saving your friends."
"I'll rescue them, if they need rescuing. How do I know you didn't arrange all this as a way to get what you want?"
Jareth pinched the bridge of his nose. "And what is my evil plan?" he asked.
"I don't know, but I'll figure it out," Sarah replied.
"Sarah," he said in a scolding tone. "Its true I can be cruel, but I would never harm you nor your friends." Sarah opened her mouth to speak, but he cut her off. "Before you even suggest it, young Toby is safe and I only did as you asked me to." Sarah closed her mouth and glared at him. Part of her wanted to believe him, while another part screamed for her to just run away. Sighing, Jareth turned his back on her and tried to control his temper. "I know you don't trust me, but tell me, do you trust your goblins?"
Sarah looked at the small goblins, who were staring up at her. "I do," she said firmly.
"Then ask them if you are unable to believe me," Jareth replied. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes.
Cam tugged on Sarah's legging. "Lady really trusts us?"
Nodding, Sarah smiled. "Yes, I do. You five have done everything I asked of you, including deceiving your King. After all we've been through, how could I not love and trust you?"
Jareth flinched at her comment. The goblins had done something he could not. They had earned his Sarah's love.
Flower looked at the King and then back at Sarah. "Lady, Kingy not hurt anyone. He only want to sees you. Kingy been very unhappy."
"So has Lady," Patch spoke up. "We just tries to help cheer up Lady and Kingy. Friends no supposed to be involved."
Dusty nodded. "Please let Kingy helps. We no want Lady or her friends hurt."
Cam hugged Sarah's leg and looked up at her. "We loves Lady and dos anything to help, but Kingy stronger than all us. He can saves friends. Lets him help Lady."
Sarah knelt down to hug the goblins. "Alright. If you five believe I can trust Jareth, then I'm willing to do so."
Jareth turned to see her embrace his tiny subjects. He couldn't help but smile. No matter how much his subjects annoyed him or did idiotic things, he had to admit they were extremely loyal to him and now to Sarah. He quickly put on a serious face and summoned a crystal. "Well now that that's settled, let's find your friends."
Sarah stood and rushed to Jareth's side and unconsciously grabbed his arm that wasn't holding the crystal as she peered into the orb. "Can you see them?"
Jareth refrained from smiling at her instant change in demeanor. "Yes, I've found them. Those three miscreants have them." With a flick of his wrist, the crystal vanished and Sarah let go of his arm. Turning towards the goblins, he stood straight with hands on his hips. "Alright you five, time to get to work. Cam go to the castle and gather the army. Tell them to head to the Holiday Forest and bring plenty of supplies."
Cam saluted the King with a huge grin on his face. He loved going on missions for the King. The other four stared at him anxiously. "What we do Kingy?" Dusty asked.
"Hurry and catch up to the kidnappers. They're heading to the forest. Don't let them through the portal if it can be helped," Jareth commanded.
All five saluted and exclaimed, "Yes Kingy!" They started to run off but Jareth stopped them.
"Wait!" When all were facing him again, he continued, "Be careful you lot. Those three may look like children but I can assure you they are not. Don't do anything to endanger Sarah's friends or yourselves." The goblins smiled and nodded to their King and stood there staring at their King and Lady adoringly. "Well, go on," Jareth said. Before another word could be said they vanished.
Jareth turned to face Sarah, but before he could speak, she asked, "What do you want me to do your Highness and don't you dare tell me to wait here." She glared at him, daring him to refuse to let her go along to rescue her friends.
He couldn't help it, he found himself laughing. "Oh you precious thing." He shook his head. "Only you could ask permission and make a demand of me in the same sentence." He gave her a gentle smile and brushed a strand of blonde hair from her face. "You'll be traveling with me. I wouldn't dream of leaving you behind. I'll keep you safe as long as you're in the Underground and return you and your friends to your homes as quickly as I can."
"You mean that? You're not going to keep me there or make us run your Labyrinth?" Sarah asked as she gazed into his eyes.
"Only if you wish to do so my dear." His look was one of sadness and Sarah instantly regretted asking him such a thing. "Now let's be off, but first we both need a change of attire. I need my battle gear and well... we only need one Goblin King. Wouldn't you agree Sarah."
She looked down at herself and chuckled. She had forgotten she was in costume. "Yeah, I should run home and change..."
"No need." Jareth had summoned another crystal. He tossed it up into the air and it exploded, causing silver glitter to fall over them both. When Sarah looked down, she was dressed just as she had been three years ago when she ran the Labyrinth. Looking at Jareth, she was surprised to see him in the same outfit as when he appeared in her parent's bedroom, minus the billowy cloak. "Your costume is folded neatly on your bed. I wasn't sure what your usual attire consisted of so I summoned something from memory. I hope those clothes are satisfactory."
Sarah nodded. "They are. Thank you." She looked him over while he looked the same as before, she found he wasn't frightening this time. In fact he looked extremely handsome and regal. "So that's your battle gear?"
Jareth nodded. "Yes. The cloak is just for show." He grinned. He knew she was remembering the first time they met. "Shall we go?" He held his hand out to her.
Nodding, Sarah took his hand. "Sure." She expected to suddenly find herself in the Underground, but instead Jareth walked her outside to the backyard. He stopped in front of an old tree and released her hand.
"Touch the tree Sarah and I recommend closing your eyes," he stated.
Sarah placed her hand slowly on the tree's massive old trunk and closed her eyes. Suddenly it felt like she was surrounded by strong whirling winds. Her body was pulled down and she felt like she was falling. She then felt strong arms wrap around her and soon her feet were firmly on the ground again. Slowly she opened her eyes and was shocked to see she was clutching on to Jareth's shirt. "Sorry." She pulled away and stepped out of his embrace.
Smirking, he straightened his shirt. "It's perfectly fine dear Sarah. Traveling by portal can be very disorienting. Are you alright?"
Nodding, she brushed her hair behind her ear. "Yeah, thank you." Looking around, Sarah realized exactly where she was. "There it is, the castle beyond the Goblin City." She took a step forward. Had it really been three years since she stood on this hill? "It really doesn't look that far."
Smirking, Jareth leaned over her shoulder and whispered. "It's further than you think."
Sarah turned her head to find him right there, but didn't jump at his sudden closeness. "Are you going to tell me I have 13 hours in which to solve the Labyrinth?" Sarah asked. They stared at each other for a moment and then they both grinned and started laughing.
"No dear one, I think you caused enough trouble in my Kingdom on your last visit. Perhaps this time I can give you a proper tour later, so you can actually see the beauty that exists here," Jareth stated.
Sarah turned away, suddenly realizing just how close his face was to hers. "That sounds nice. I honestly never thought I'd find myself back at the Labyrinth."
"Neither did I," Jareth responded. When Sarah turned to look at him, he was adjusting his gloves. "I had hoped one day you would return, though under better circumstances than these."
"Yeah," Sarah sighed and looked at her shoes.
Stepping over to her, Jareth placed a finger under her chin and made her look up at him. "We will save them, Sarah. I give you my solemn vow that I will do all in my power to return them safely to the aboveground." He gazed into her eyes, hoping she believed him. "Now come, we have no time to lose." He turned and started walking towards the Labyrinth.
Sarah hurried after him, trying to keep up with his long strides. "Where are we going?"
"To see an old friend of yours and get horses. We have to hurry to the forest. With luck we can stop them from entering the portal. If not, I may have to fight their King."
"There are other Kings?" Sarah asked.
Jareth chuckled. "I only rule a small corner of the Underground, Precious."
"So, who is their King?"
"Those three answer to the Pumpkin King," Jareth replied.
~*~.../...~*~
Near the Holiday forest, Beckie and Whit were holding onto one another as they were carried in the brown sack. "I'm scared," Beckie whispered.
Whit tightened her grip on her girlfriend. "I know Hun. I am too."
"What are those things?"
"I don't know," Whit answered.
"Where are they taking us?" Beckie questioned.
"I have no clue," Whit sighed. "Could this be some kind of practical joke?"
"If it is, it's not funny and I'll kick whoever is behind this."
Whit chuckled. "I'm sure you will."
Outside of the sack, Lock, Shock, and Barrel were laughing and joking as they carried the sack over their heads. "Mr. Oogie Boogie is going to be thrilled," Lock said.
"Yeah, maybe he'll make snake and spider stew," Barrel added.
"I don't know," Shock said. "Are you sure we got the right Lady? She's not the one the goblins were with. And what about the other one?"
"You saw the Goblin King hug her," Lock argued. "So she's the one. The other, Mr. Oogie Boogie will have fun with."
"I don't know..." Shock was still not convinced. "I hope you're right."
As they traveled through the woods, they were completely unaware of the 4 goblins trailing them. "Why don't we grabs them now?" Dusty whispered.
"Kingy says be careful, so we waits," Flower responded.
"Where's Cam with others?" Patch questioned.
"He bes here as soon as he cans," Dusty stated.
"With Kingy not at Castle others probably all drunks," Flower grumbled.
"Hopes not," Patch added.
Before long, they came upon the Holiday Forest. "Oh noes," Patch said. "We can't lets them goes through portal."
"Quick, we has to grabs them!" Dusty exclaimed. The four quickly tackled Lock, Shock, and Barrel, causing them to drop the sack.
"You no take friends!" cried Patch as he knocked Barrel to the ground.
The seven little creatures struggled against one another to gain control of the sack. While Lock, Shock, and Barrel were outnumbered, it didn't seem to put them at a disadvantage. Shock managed to pin Flower under her and shouted at her partners, "Throw the sack in the door, morons! Hurry!"
Patch tried tackling Lock, but he grabbed the goblin and threw him aside. Grabbing the sack, he drug it to the tree with a jack-o-lantern on it. As he opened the door, Grunt and Patch tackled him. Barrel quickly ran over and grabbed the sack. Shock hit Flower over the head, knocking her out. Hurrying to the door, Shock helped Barrel toss the sack through the door and then dove in with him right behind her. Lock looked and quickly realized his partners left him behind. "Uh oh."
Patch, Grunt, and Dusty surrounded Lock. "Don't lets him gets away!" Dusty exclaimed. The three goblins dove at Lock and tackled him to the ground. "Sits on him Grunt!" Dusty called out. Grunt didn't hesitate, he just flopped down on Lock.
He groaned in pain as the larger goblin sat on his stomach. "Get off! Let me go!" Lock cried.
Dusty ran over to check on Flower. Tapping her cheek, he tried to wake her. "Flower, you okay?"
Flower sat up slowly holding her head. "Kingy?"
"No, Kingy not here yet," Dusty answered.
"Kingy and Lady no be happy," Patch stated.
"Yeah, but we gots one of them, so maybe Kingy not be so mad," Dusty suggested.
"Hopes you rights abouts that," Flower said.
~*~.../...~*~
Back at the Labyrinth, Jareth and Sarah were headed for a small shack just past the main entrance to the living maze. Sarah was struggling to keep up with his pace and stay by his side. "Jareth, I was wondering..."
"What is it Sarah?" he asked, not bothering to stop.
"Why are we taking horses? Can't you just magic us there? That would be faster, wouldn't it?" Sarah questioned.
Jareth chuckled. "Yes it would, but I used quite a bit of magic to be aboveground and throw that party. I need to regain my strength in case I do have to confront the Pumpkin King, so we need to do things the old fashion way. Hopefully your goblins can hold them off until the army gets there. They should arrive just before we do." Jareth paused. "Provided they don't get lost and wind up in the oubliette again."
A shiver ran down Sarah's spine. She remembered the oubliette. If not for Hoggle's help it might have been the end of her journey. "So you don't have a straight path out of the Labyrinth?"
Jareth slowed his pace to turn and look at her. "Oh, I do, but those idiots are usually too drunk to remember to use it." Seeing her look of concern, he reached out and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. "With my little spy leading them, everything should be fine. Cam is one of the brightest goblins in my Kingdom."
"The others will listen to him without question?" Sarah asked.
Jareth nodded. "They know I give him orders to relay quite often. Only ones that won't listen to him are passed out drunk." Jareth shook his head. "That's why they aren't allowed anything other than goblin ale. I'd hate to see what they'd do with anything stronger."
Sarah chuckled. "They can't be that bad."
"No?" Jareth stopped to look at her. "They all got drunk as can be one night and nearly burnt down the whole Kingdom."
"What?" Sarah's eyes grew wide in shock. "How?"
"They made a game called flaming chicken catapult." Jareth sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, feeling annoyed just thinking about it. "Trouble was, they couldn't decide if it was the chicken or the catapult that was supposed to be on fire. So everything except the chickens and the catapults were on fire."
Sarah knew she shouldn't laugh, but she found herself doubled over laughing. Jareth crossed his arms and glared at her, feeling annoyed that she found humor in his misfortune, but before long he was also laughing. He found her laugh adorable and if you thought about it he had to admit the whole thing really was funny. When Sarah regained her composure, she stood straight and tried not to smile. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't laugh. I'm sure it was a terrible mess to deal with."
Jareth also tried to put on a serious face. "Yes, it was..." His attempt soon failed and he started smirking. "I can't fault you for laughing though. It does sound completely ridiculous doesn't it?" he grinned.
Sarah smiled and nodded her head. "Yes it does." She chuckled and they started walking again. "Do you deal with things like that very often?"
Jareth shrugged. "Only when they get really drunk or really bored."
"I never thought about how stressful managing a whole Kingdom of goblins must be." Sarah looked at Jareth who just kept walking.
"You get used to their antics. At times its even entertaining. I do wish I had someone to share it all with though," he said softly. Before Sarah could respond, Jareth stopped in front of a small shack. "Here we are. Go ahead and knock Sarah."
She didn't understand why he wanted her to knock, but she did as he asked. A moment later, a gruff voice was heard from inside. "Who is it?" The door opened before Sarah could answer.
Seeing who was at the door, Sarah smiled. "Hoggle!" She leaned down and hugged her friend.
"Sarah?" Hoggle pulled away from her. "What are you doing here? Never mind, we have to get you out of here before that rat..." Jareth cleared his throat, making Hoggle aware of his presence. "Oh, your Majesty. What a pleasant surprise."
"Higgle..."
"Hoggle!" Sarah and the dwarf responded in unison.
"Yes, well, your assistance is needed," Jareth stated, ignoring the fact they both corrected him.
"It is?" Hoggle asked, eyeing the King suspiciously.
"Yes," Jareth said in a commanding tone. "I need you to retrieve two horses from my stable and I need you to do this with the utmost haste."
Hoggle looked to Sarah. "I don't understand. Why are you here Sarah? And why are you with him?"
Sarah knelt to Hoggle's height. "Hoggle, two of my friends are in danger. Jareth is helping me to rescue them."
"He's probably the one behind it all," Hoggle protested.
"Watch your tongue, Hogwort or I'll suspend you head first in the Bog of Eternal Stench," Jareth barked.
"Jareth!" Sarah glared at him. "Do you have to threaten poor Hoggle all the time?"
"Only when he forgets his place," Jareth responded, hands on his hips.
"You could try asking nicely," Sarah stated. Jareth simply glared at her. Sarah shook her head and turned back to Hoggle.
"Sarah, are you sure you want his help?" Hoggle asked. "I mean look at all he did to you last time."
Sarah took his hand. "I don't completely trust Jareth, but I trust my goblins. They say he's not behind this and is the best one to help me rescue my friends. So I'm trusting him for now. So far he's given me no reason not to trust him."
"If you're certain Sarah," Hoggle sighed.
"I am. Jareth promised to help save Beckie and Whit, and return us all to the aboveground." She turned to Jareth. "Right your Highness?" she smiled at him.
Jareth shook his head and chuckled. He couldn't refuse her anything when she smiled. He thanked the gods she wasn't aware of that fact. Kneeling beside Sarah, he looked at Hoggle. "Sarah is correct. I gave my word to help recover her friends and return them all to their homes." He paused and his next words came out very strained. "Please, Hoggle. For Sarah's sake. I need you to retrieve the horses."
Sarah and Hoggle's mouths dropped open. Neither ever expected Jareth to ever say please. Hoggle smiled. "Alright. For Sarah." He hurried past them and headed towards the Labyrinth.
Jareth stood and called after him. "Hoggle!" When the dwarf turned to look at the King, he continued "If you see the rock caller and the little knight, tell them to come with you."
Hoggle nodded. "I will." He hurried off muttering under his breath about his odd King.
Sarah stood up and watched Jareth carefully. "Just when I think you can't surprise me, you catch me completely off guard."
Turning and smiling at her, Jareth shrugged. "Can't have you thinking I'm boring, Precious." He walked over to a tree that was near the shack. Sarah followed, curious as to what he was up to. He sat with his back leaning against the tree. Seeing her look of confusion, he grinned. "We have to wait for Hoggle to return, so we might as well rest." He patted the ground beside him. "Come join me. I promise I won't bite."
Shaking her head, Sarah sat beside the Goblin King, who was stretched out in the shade. She sat with her knees to her chest and watched Jareth, who now had his hands behind his head and his eyes closed. Looking at him like that she thought he looked very calm and peaceful. It was hard to see him as the villain she had imagined him to be years ago. "Jareth."
"Yes, Precious?" He tilted his head slightly but kept his eyes closed.
"Well,..." she hesitated.
Opening his eyes, he turned to face her. "What is it Sarah?"
"There are so many things I want to ask, but I don't know where to start," she replied as she stared at the ground.
"I see." Jareth adjusted his gloves. "Well, as we have time to kill, how about a little game."
"What sort of game?" Sarah inquired as she looked up.
"A simple one to help answer your questions and to get to know one another better," he explained. "We take turns asking questions. If it's a question we don't wish to answer, we can skip it."
"Sounds safe enough," Sarah stated.
"But," Jareth paused with an evil smirk on his face. "If we chose to skip the question, we have to obey one request the other makes. It can be immediately or held on to for later."
"So if I refuse to answer your question, you make a request and I have to obey?" Sarah asked. Jareth nodded. "What kind of requests?"
"Nothing dangerous or embarrassing. I promise. They will be simple things that won't cause you any discomfort." Jareth held out his hand. "Deal?"
She hesitated. "I can ask anything?"
"Anything."
"And if you don't answer, you essentially owe me a favor?"
Jareth nodded. "Yes. Now, do we have a deal Sarah? You have to say it." He leaned closer, waiting for her reply.
Before she could change her mind, Sarah grabbed the gloved hand of the smirking Goblin King and shook it. "Deal."
