Identity Crisis

Chapter 10

"You want…to stay here. And have no luggage." The woman narrowed her eyes at Sarah. "Are you even married?" she asked, leaning forward.

Sarah took an unconscious step back from the extremely creepy lady. She was sounding more like a suspicious mother than a hotel receptionist.

Jareth was, of course, having nothing to do with the whole affair and was candidly inspecting a plant.

Sarah sighed aggrievedly "Yes, we want to stay here. Our luggage is in the car. We're not married. Now," she said with great patience "Can we have a room?"

The large woman looked completely shocked, as if somebody had just told her that she had just lost all of her earthly belongings in a very concentrated earthquake, or something like that.

"What?" she asked, scandalised "One room? And unmarried? Doris, did you ever hear such a thing?"

A diminutive woman next to her, with large glasses that magnified her eyes until she resembled some sort of nervous bug, shook her head devoutly. "No, Mabel."

The former woman returned her full, disapproving, gaze on Sarah. Sarah threw her hands up in despair "A twin room!" she cried.

"A twin room, she says." Mabel muttered, Doris sighed sadly.

Sarah stared and spinning round turned to her companion "Jareth!" she said pleadingly.

He looked up, as if he were an innocent bystander, completely unrelated the current situation. Which, considering the amount of effort he had exerted, he was. But it has to be taken into account, Kings do delegate menial tasks.

Well, Jareth thought it was a decent excuse anyway.

However the deadly look Sarah was giving him convinced him that maybe it was his manly duty to step in, or something similarly dignity saving.

He stepped forward towards the desk under the identical stares of Mabel and Doris with a charming smile.

Sarah was watching with an expression that could have been likened to the fatalistic face made by someone watching a victim go to execution.

"Ladies," he began, still smiling a killer smile. Doris began to soften almost immediately.

Like butter on a hot summers day.

"Can we have a room, or if indeed you disapprove, two please?" he asked smoothly.

Mabel tried, she really did, but in the end it was just no use.

"No, no! One is fine! What kind?"

They were putty in his hands.

Sarah looked vaguely aghast as Jareth sauntered past her and jingled the keys. "Coming?" he asked smugly.

Sarah followed muttering darkly about snooty Goblin Kings and how unfair life was.

And yes, she was aware of the irony of that.

She shook herself mentally and caught up with Jareth who was strolling casually in the direction of the stairs. They went up to the second floor.

"So did you get the twin? Sorry I couldn't get two singles, I'm not exactly a millionaire. Although technically this is your fault so you should be paying…" Sarah was musing on this point when Jareth stopped abruptly "This is it, I think."

He smiled at her again. Sarah had known him long enough to know that, however breathtaking, that smile meant trouble.

Trouble.

"My Lady?" Sir Didymus's voice echoed magnificently in the empty throne room. Which was noticeably…empty.

The crew of friends looked at each other in confusion. "Well, I wasn't expectin' that." Said Hoggle thoughtfully.

"Sawah?" questioned Ludo.

Sir Didymus trotted in the centre on Ambrosius "Where art the goblins?"

A slightly harassed looking goblin wandered in from the other entrance, rubbing his eyes. He noticed them and looked startled "Um…hello?"

"We are seeking the Lady Sarah." Spoke Didymus grandly.

Beb sniffed "Ah, she's gone with the King we think."

Hoggle looked vaguely bemused. "I thought she was back 'ere. And where's the King? What's goin' on?" he asked.

"The King hasn't been himself recently…then he brought the mortal back for a bit then they both disappeared. Everyone's been in turmoil since. The chicken's have been so upset they've been pooing in one place!" said Beb, in a stressed tone.

"Oh good god." Whispered Hoggle.

"Stwange." Agreed Ludo.

Sir Didymus put down the melon he had been examining "Why is there such a large amount of fruit, my good goblin?"

Beb sighed and sat down "The King's magic went haywire."

Hoggle mused "They probably gone to the Aboveground then."

There was clicking sound as Wendle entered the throneroom, he smiled vaguely at them.

Beb suddenly looked very nervous "Don't mention you-know-who." He hissed quietly, staring at Wendle as if he was a bomb of some kind.

Hoggle blinked "What? You mean the King-?"

Wendle lost his smile, and started to sniff disconsolately as a prelude to the big explosion. "Oh God…" whispered Beb.

He ran over to the other goblin "Calm down, Wendle! No, no don't start!"

Taking a quick glance at each other, the valiant three decided unanimously to retreat.

Valiantly, of course.

They exited the castle just as a loud bawl almost shook the foundations.

The three sat down on the steps by the Da'al Urai Fountain, translated literally as The Fountain of Dwarves Relieving their Bladders.

"What if Sarah's in trouble? We should help her, she's still our friend, right?" said Hoggle helplessly.

"I agree, I think we should help." Said Ludo reasonably. After a slight pause, he noticed the shocked stares of his friends, "Sawah friend?" he supplied meekly.

Hoggle and Sir Didymus shook their heads and silently agreed not to ask.

"Yea verily," began Sir Didymus "If the Lady is in danger, it is our duty to save her."

And so, the valiant three set off to the Aboveground.

"Jareth…" said Sarah warningly into his smiling face. He unlocked the room deftly and quickly pulled her inside.

Sarah stared around her "This is double!" she cried furiously "Did you-?" she began, but was cut off as Jareth grasped her wrist and pulled her into an embrace.

He was still smiling, with an odd expression in his darkened eyes.

"Jareth, I…" Sarah said breathlessly, still trying to hold onto her anger, looking up into his face.

"Shut up," he said in an amused tone "Its called a kiss."

She gasped, and unsurprisingly, shut up.

He bent down and Sarah shut her eyes…

"My Lady!"

"Sawah!"

"Sarah, we're here to save you!"

Mwahahaha! I just KEEP torturing the poor bastards...

Thanks for the reviews! I REACHED 100! I recieved many concerned looks when I danced around singing 'Yay a hundred!' like a hyper Wendle.

Thanks to Safrawr, Juniper87, Heist, Solea, Mcfly85 and Draco's Daughter for the reviews last chapter! I decided that thanking people wasn't the same as responses, so, thanks!

Review, or I'll send Doris and Mabel after you...

Sheep the adventurer, a pretend pascifist.