The Accidental Return

PART TEN

Sarah sat up in a field of poppies, or what she thought were poppies and looked around. She was tired of waking up in strange places, of magical folk transporting her to different places, being sore, hungry, tired… "ARG!" For God sake she just wanted to go home! Was that too much to ask? Now she had a lot to think about: Jareth hadn't brought her? And he couldn't send her back… and that bitch! That bitch tried to kill her!

"For the LOVE!" She cried out, frustrated. She jumped up and started stomping around, stomping the red flowers down, yellow pollen puffing up in the air and coating her already ripped and bloody clothes. She got a better look around, she was on a hillside, high up on a mountain side from her judgment. She couldn't see any forest up above her, she could see snow on the mountain top. She felt like she was in 'the Sound of Music.'

"Where's a friggen Von Trapp when you need 'em?" She said as she picked her way towards the bottom of the hill. She needed to find out where she was. She stopped, what about Jareth? She bit her lip, thinking. Maybe he would want to help her or maybe he wouldn't. After what she had seen in the mirror, she couldn't blame him if he never wanted to see her again. He was probably just playing with her when he saw she had returned. He knew he couldn't send her back.

"But why didn't he just leave you in the Deep Freeze then?" That little voice in her head said.

"I… don't know." Sarah said out loud. Well, it was worth a shot.

"JARETH!" She shouted and then regretted it. Pain flared on her face making her go to her knees. She closed her eyes in extreme agony until it gradually subsided. Panting, she lay on her back in the poppies.

"What the…"

The spell. That bitch had said she was casting a spell, that was probably it. To keep her from calling Jareth. Like a rat who took the wrong cheese got shocked, if she tried to call for Jareth, she would get a stabbing pain through the head. Greeeeat.

"GREAT! JUST GREAT! I'm God knows WHERE! The few people I trust are GOD knows how far away. Stupid…bitch…bastard…mullet hair…" She jumped up and down on the poppies until she fell over, panting. Well, she felt a little better. Dispersing all the anger made her head clearer. She stood up again, taking in her surroundings. She saw a wisp of smoke down the mountain side and she headed towards that. It was a house and they could tell her where she was.

Jareth sat on his throne, his legs up on one arm his back resting on the other, one hand over his eyes and his riding crop tapping on his boot heel. Sarah had disappeared, his… wife-to-be… had been locked in her room and the wedding postponed. He sighed, the dull roar of his goblins laughing, yelling, chickens clucking, metal grinding on metal and just general goblin antics. He stood, leaving the throne room and went up through the archway to the room where he had led her to many years before.

"It wasn't that long ago…" he said out loud in his soft English accent. He walked up and down and upside-down and side, just…walking and remembering. Finally he came out through an archway onto a balcony, overlooking the Labyrinth and the whole of his lands. The sun was climbing up into the sky as he leaned on the balcony. She had put a spell on Sarah, he thought, making him unable to find her. He should have just brought her back to the castle instead of having fun with her. In the first place, how had she come back? He didn't bring her and no one else in the Underground could have. He was the most magical being in the Underground. Unless…

He rolled his hands up and a crystal rolled out of nowhere, across the back of his gloved hand and come to rest on his fingertips. He turned it to see inside. In the crystal stood Sarah, facing him as she did three years ago,

"Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered, I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child that you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours, and my kingdom is as great…"

"My will is as strong as yours…" Jareth whispered, watching her soft lips as she uttered the words. He closed his eyes and threw the crystal out over the balcony as hard as he could, more in frustration then anger. He knew now what had happened and if… she… found out, she would surely try to kill Sarah. More so then she already had. He gripped the stone rail and bowed his head, the familiar pain sweeping over him. He damned Sarah for this pain, this longing. He had been content to take the children offered to him, to rule his kingdom without issue.

"No one could blame you… for walking away." He said at last. He had to find her, quickly. He turned and was back in the throne room, "LISTEN!" He cried out.

The whole room became still, his goblins freezing in mid motion to listen to him.

"I want every one of you out into the Underground, we have to find the girl." His goblins looked at each other and then him, "Well? GO! Anyone you find, tell them to search too. I want her found and brought here!"

He knew she was probably weeks away from here, but if he had his goblins out searching, he could follow them with his magic even if he couldn't use it to find her.

He grabbed two of the largest goblins, "You two, stay here and guard the queen. If she tries to escape, cut her feet off." He turned and turned into a white barn owl, flying for the nearest window.