Chapter Seven The Binding, Part 2
Sarah was sick of falling. When Gerald offered to let her travel window to window, she hadn't thought past the relief of finding a way back to save Jareth. However, what Sarah neglected to consider was that the windows of Odin's Hall were set high into the walls. Imagine her surprise as she passed through the veil and immediately fell the remaining distance to the stone floor.
The men jumped at her unexpected entrance, turning to stare at her as she lay upon the floor and gathered her wits. After a moment, she groaned and sat up gingerly. Her body was not made for such constant abuse. She swore to herself that if she managed to get through this stupid ordeal, she'd spend the next two weeks snuggled safely within her apartment.
Odin and the Goblin King stared at her, each with a unique measure of bewilderment in their gaze. She could guess at their thoughts. Odin was likely surprised to see her there at all. She had a feeling he intended on doing Jareth bodily harm, no doubt thinking he could collect Sarah as his convenience after he had finished with the Goblin King. Her eyes wandered to Jareth, taking in his disheveled state. Even bound and dressed in rags, the Goblin King was regal and elegant. He stood proudly before Odin, his spine straight and unforgiving. A burst of pride flared within her. There's the Goblin King I know and love, she thought wryly.
"Do you have it?" Odin asked at last, a fierce expression contorting his face.
Wordlessly, Sarah dug into her pocket and held out her hand. The ring rested against her palm, shimmering in the torch light.
Jareth's eyes flashed at the sight. He struggled within his bonds, his fists clenching with anger. "How could you?" he hissed.
Sarah shot him a smile, but it felt broken. "I had no choice," she said. Her smile turned wry, recalling his earlier words. "Even Kings deserve to be saved."
"Silence!" Odin bellowed, growing impatient with their talk. "Give the ring to me, mortal."
"No!" Jareth barked, turning his attention back to his adversary. His tone had slipped into full Goblin King regalia. It was commanding and it brooked no disobedience. Goblins all across the Otherworlds jumped at that tone. "I will not allow you to have the ring. You will only destroy it!"
"As is my right," Odin retorted. "I am still her lord and father, her welfare is my responsibility."
"It is not your right," Jareth thundered, taking two steps closer to the throne, his expression dark. "In the eyes of the law, she is a woman capable of choosing for herself!"
Odin's face was flush with anger and Sarah imagined she saw fire flash upon his brow and was reminded of Hephaestus. "She is still a child! She did not understand the choice presented to her!"
"A child?" Jareth sneered. If Odin's anger was hot, than Jareth's was ice cold. "As she is old enough to bear children; she is a child no longer."
As Jareth's anger rose, the ring in her hand pulsed like a raging heartbeat and Sarah closed her fingers over it protectively, bringing it to her breast. As she did so, she was suddenly overwhelmed by the tantalizing scent of dreams and wishes that filled the air around her like an intoxicating perfume. It reminded Sarah of lazy summer days spent at the lake and snow angels at Christmas. She brought her hand to her nose, tentatively, sniffing the ring. It was the ring that was producing that heavenly scent. It seemed wrong that metal could smell so fragrantly. She had only ever smelled something similar once, during her final confrontation with the Goblin King.
A warning bell went off in her head.
She looked up sharply at him and noticed for the first time that she could see the magic surrounding him. It radiated off of his body in waves and distorted the air around him, like heat rising off of summer pavement. The air around Odin, in comparison, was dull like hammered copper.
Odin was now up from his throne and advancing on the Goblin King. If the latter was intimidated, he certainly didn't show it. If anything, the shimmering air around him actually swelled, swirling around him like an invisible cloak.
"Bear children?" Odin was furious. "You would dare force yourself on my daughter?"
Jareth laughed and it was cold and mocking. "There will be no need to force myself on anyone. She will come to my bed voluntarily."
Odin backhanded Jareth with such force, the ring jumped in her hand. The pieces of the puzzle slid into place and Sarah stared at it in disbelief. He wouldn't have. He couldn't have.
"You didn't!" she cried, interrupting their argument. Both men swiveled to look at her, surprise temporarily overcoming their anger. She shoved the ring into her pocket and marched forward, putting herself bodily between the two men. "Jareth, how could you do something so stupid?" she demanded, searching his face for the truth.
"Do what, madam?" he asked coldly.
"You bound yourself to the ring!" she practically screeched. "Of all the stupid, idiotic things to do-"
"He bound himself to the ring?" Odin asked from behind her.
"Yes," she said, rounding on him. "If you destroy it, you'll be destroying him too!" Odin blinked and stared at Jareth with an emotion that was part satisfaction and part bewilderment.
She turned back to Jareth, her eyes pleading. "Please," she said quietly, fear lingering in her voice, "tell me you didn't."
He stared at her, resignation creeping into his eyes. It was all the confirmation she needed. He did.
"We have wasted enough time," Odin said, clutching her shoulder with one enormous hand and spinning her to face him. "Give the ring to me."
"No!" she said, reeling away. "I won't let you do that to him!" Sarah clutched the ring to her chest. She looked back and forth between the men, slowly coming to the realization that she only had one viable option. Talk about a twist of fate, she thought ruefully. Sarah took a deep breath and grasped the ring with determination.
"Sarah!" Jareth shouted, reaching for her, desperation etched into every inch of his body. "What are you doing?"
She evaded his hands. Oh, the irony. "Saving you," she said simply, sliding the ring over her own finger.
Sarah was unprepared for what happened next. Energy burst forth from the ring as it made contact with her finger, exploding like a blinding white supernova. The spell's force knocked Sarah to her knees as supernatural winds pulled swept through the hall, pulling at her long hair and extinguishing the torches that lined the walls. As the hall sank into darkness, the power reversed itself, rushing back to Sarah, causing her to gasp at the suddenness. It consumed her, filling her eyes, ears, and mouth until she felt like she was drowning. It poured itself down her throat and bleed into her skin. It became her. Then, just as suddenly as it attacked, the sensation was gone.
The wind died and one by one, the torches slowly sputtered back to life, illuminating the chamber and its occupants. Jareth and Odin had been knocked off their feet as well and Odin's expression was one of fear. "What has happened?" he asked.
"Sarah-" Jareth said, his voice paper-thin in the silent chamber. "What did you do?"
Sarah did not want to look at him. She was afraid of what she would see. Instead, she stood shakily to her feet, brushing her wind ravaged hair back from her eyes. A glint of gold on her hand reflected the torchlight from her movement and she paused, holding her hand out before her. On her left ring finger, the ring had magically resized itself to her finger. She has no doubt that if she were to try, it would not budge from the digit.
Disbelief washed through her, and it took her a minute to figure out the emotion wasn't her own. Her gaze snapped up and immediately sought out Jareth.
His eyes were on her outstretched hand. She felt, rather than saw, as his disbelief was replaced with a searing sense of betrayal and hurt. His feelings were so powerful, Sarah literally staggered beneath them. Soul-bonded, her mind whispered.
The sound of breaking mirrors filled the hall and, for a moment, Sarah thought she could hear snippets of a lullaby dancing in the background. The girl appeared in the room in a shower of shimmering glitter, looking scared and beautiful in a green dress that was too mature for her. Sarah sympathized.
Odin let out a whoop of joy and scooped the girl up into his thick arms. "Papa!" the girl cried, burying her head into his shoulder.
"Hush child," the big man murmured into her hair. "You're safe now, I've got you."
"I'm sorry," she sobbed. "I didn't mean to wish Gregor away!"
"It's alright," he crooned, setting her down on her own feet. "All is right again."
"I want Mama," the girl said plaintively.
Sarah watched the reunion with a bleeding heart. She remembered all too well how frightened she had been in the ballroom, surrounded by cruel nightmares. She remembered feeling captivated by the Goblin King, fascinated by the words slipping past his lips and by the feel of his hand at her back as the ballroom swirled around them. She closed her eyes, pained by the memories. She had been too young, just like this girl. She hadn't understood what was being offered.
Would it have made a difference? The voice in her head was unexpected and harsh. She turned to look at Jareth and was startled to discover that he was watching here with a bright intensity that almost scared her. Was that his voice in her head? Was this what it meant to be soul-bonded?
No, she wanted to answer, but the words were caught within her like a fly on a delicate spider's web. She was overwhelmed by memories of swirling pink gauze against blue velvet and a lullaby sung in her ear. Yes, she finally conceded, closing her eyes.
There was no reply. If the voice had truly belonged to Jareth, he did not answer.
Sarah opened her eyes, but Jareth was no longer watching her. His expression was unreadable as he watched as Odin and the girl leave.
But Odin couldn't leave yet. He had unfinished business with Sarah.
"Odin," she said, jogging briefly to catch up with the pair. "You and I had a deal," she said.
The large red-headed man stopped and looked at her. He gently shooed his daughter through the large wooden doors before turning back to Sarah with a stern expression. "You broke our deal, mortal. You did not return the ring to me."
"I did one better," she said stubbornly. "I returned the girl and the Goblin King will never try to bind her again." She waved her hand, drawing attention the ring on her finger. "Does this mean nothing to you? I have sacrificed myself for one of your own."
Odin regarded her for a long moment. Finally he nodded. "Your sacrifice was great, mortal, and for that you have my thanks. Go now, there is no debt between us, consider your freedom as my payment." As Odin turned to leave he waived one hand, almost carelessly, and Jareth's manacles disappeared.
Sarah could feel the lift of the geis like it had lain upon her own skin. And beyond that, she could just feel the fathomless power of the Labyrinth. It still existed. This was a relief to Sarah and she leaned tiredly against the wall, letting it absorb her weight. She watched the Goblin King stand to his feet, the stone mask back in place. She heart grew heavy at the sight. Would he ever forgive her?
Magic leapt to his bidding like an eager servant and Jareth was himself in an instant. Clean, properly clothed, unharmed, and very very angry. He crossed the now empty room to Sarah, his boots loud against the stones, and grasped her sweatshirt with one gloved hand, dragging her close enough to him that she could feel his breath ghost along the skin of her cheekbones.
"Why did you do this, Sarah?" he asked, anger palpable in the air around him- around them. She could feel the brush of it on his skin like it was her own.
"It doesn't matter," she said. "What's done is done." She thrust her chin out stubbornly. "Besides," she said with a mocking grin that failed to do anything but reveal her exhaustion. "You'll never be alone again."
His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Indeed."
THE END
Afterword
Firstly, I would like to thank everyone who took the time to read this story. To those of you who took a few extra minutes to write a review, you're extra special.
Secondly, there will not be a sequel. For me, the storyline ends there. However, that does not mean there will never be a sequel- it just won't be written by me. I will fully support any writer who wishes to write the next part.
Thirdly, to all of you who have this story on your Story-Alerts I recommend you remove said alert. This story was written as an excise for thinking on my feet. I wrote fast and loose, placing more importance on gut instinct than skill. I feel the text reflects that and when I read over it I can see many areas were the action moves too quickly or ideas are not completely flushed out. Over the next several months, I plan to edit and improve the story. I would not want to raise anyone's hopes needlessly via Story-Alert as I make the needed updates.
