Your eyes can be so cruel, just as I can be so cruel.
A stillness descended over the park at her words. She noticed her friends seemed frozen in place as she looked up trying to disengage herself from Jareth's steel-like grip. Hoggle was still as a statue mid-run, like he was in the midst of giving chase after she took off to murder Jareth with her bare hands.. They didn't just look frozen, they were frozen. She looked down at his lying face. She once again found herself straddling his form but it wasn't with a blush and a tingly feeling like this morning. It was with murderous intent due to his betrayal. He was silent himself, unmoving. His eyes were on hers. He too was frozen? What happened? She gasped. With that, the world came crashing back to life, a chirping bird, a squirrel that skittered by, Hoggle in action again as he ran over with small legs. Sir Didymus sat up slowly.
Shaking his head he said, "That was quite unladylike although it packed quite a punch." Ludo peered down, his eyebrows raised.
Jareth's grip was unrelenting. She looked down again in her struggle.
"Sarah," he began, face full of emotion.
"Don't Sarah me," she said finally using her strength to make him let go. She scrambled to her feet; Jareth also standing up and brushing himself off.
"Is it true," she asked.
"Sarah...I."
"Is it true," she demanded.
"Yes.., " he began. She stepped back as if his words had the ability to push her further away from him. She didn't know what do just then; she felt like she could crack in two.
"Sarah, I was going to explain everything. It is so very complicated." She turned her back on him and his explanation, not wanting to hear anymore. Jareth looked down at Hoggle who stood there wide-eyed at the scene.
"You" Jareth said venomously. "You horrible little creature. I leave you alone with her for two minutes...and this. You are utterly weak when it comes to her, I should have known better." At that moment he also spied the bag of marbles gripped in Hoggle's hand.
"Ah, I see. All it took was a few trinkets to betray me."
Sarah spun around at that moment coming to stand between Jareth and Hoggle.
"How dare you try to blame him for this. This isn't his fault. He was being my friend and telling me the truth. At least he has the decency not to lie right to my face. After, after everything that has happened between us…," she faltered then not being able to finish.
"That is exactly why I was waiting for the right moment to tell you BECAUSE of everything between us…"
Hoggle looked between them, dawning realization and anger coming over his face. He stepped from behind Sarah.
"What did you do, Jareth?"
"I have done nothing."
"You told us you were coming here to talk to her, to let her know we heard her call, that we had been looking for her for a long time, to tell her everything. You told us you didn't want to frighten her with too much at once. It seems like you have been up to something else," said Hoggle accusingly.
"Remember who you are speaking to," said Jareth in a deadly tone.
Ludo and Sir Didymus who up to that moment seemed to be trying to catch up with that was going on came to come to some sort of decision as they looked at eachother. Both men, big and small came to stand behind Sarah and Hoggle. They stared at Jareth intently. Jareth smiled bitterly.
"I see how it is. Glad to know some things never change." Sarah stood tall, her fists clenched at her sides. Jareth continued, his gaze resting on each of them.
"Aren't you a traitorous crew, not even willing to hear me out, any of you," he said leveling Sarah with a look.
"Remember after this girl turned our world upside down, I took you in, put you in my service to protect you even after all you put me through. Oh, I understand your dedication to her. With a look and a few tears, she has the ability to unman any of us. I know that very well. You also know there is a lot at stake, very much so." He turned his gaze to Sarah once more, his voice softening just a bit.
" Sarah, you are angry. I am truly sorry that you found out this way," he said glancing down at Hoggle with fire in his eyes.
"I adore you. I will make this right. I will make you understand, you'll see."
"No, Jareth, I will not see. What you have done, what we did…" She blushed scarlet with her confession especially in front of the others.
"Go away. Leave me alone. I don't ever want to see you again, I mean it." Her friends stood closer as if to give her strength.
"Ok, Sarah, if that's what you want. I will leave you, for now," he said putting emphasis on the last part.
"Let's go gentlemen," he said sarcastically. Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo did not move an inch. Jareth chuckled mirthlessly.
"It looks like you will have company." And with that, he disappeared. After Jareth had gone, they all stood there silently.
"What have I done," wailed Hoggle.
"Oh, Hoggle, you've not done anything wrong. You told me the truth which was a very brave thing to do."
"You've done a great service for M'lady," said Sir Didymus, also trying to make Hoggle feel better.
"Now what," continued Hoggle too emotional to listen to reason.
"We are stuck in Aboveground. We can't go back now."
"We'll figure something out, my good man." Sarah felt awful just then. They were unable to go home because of her. She felt the wind just then, glancing up she noticed twilight descending.
"Well, we can't stay at the park, let's go to my place to think of what we can do." She then looked at Ludo, Sir Didymus, and Hoggle. How the hell was she going to get them to her apartment? She thought she heard a chuckle on the wind. She saw how it was going to be. It made her reaffirm her resolve right there and then. He wanted to teach them a lesson, well she'd show him!
"I imagine you can't magic yourself back to my apartment," she asked hopefully.
"I am going to say with a certainty that he has stopped our ability to do so," said Sir Didymus sadly.
"Ok, let me think," said Sarah. How could she get them to her apartment without it being a spectacle? She looked at them affectionately. They were definitely a spectacle. Then a thought hit her. She didn't need Belowground magic. She had a little magic of her own. Uber. She opened the app on her phone, and began ordering their ride. She explained to them what she was doing. The men were mystified by her ramblings. By the time she had finalized the ordering of their Uber, darkness had finally descended on the City which worked in their favor.
Making quick work while they waited, she asked Sir Didymus to take off his bejeweled cape and use it to cover his sword. She definitely didn't want to have to explain the the out of context weapon to their Uber driver. She had Hoggle put on her sweatshirt, leaving the hood up to cover his distinct face. To Ludo, she slipped off her scarf, winding it around him. He didn't look that much different that many of the beardy hipster guys she saw walking the streets. She stood there hugging her arms in the chilly Fall evening air. She couldn't believe this was how her day was going. She never could have been able to imagine the turn it would take when she woke up with Jareth in her bed this morning….it felt like a million years ago. The men talked amongst themselves as she stood apart looking down at her phone tracking the Uber's arrival.
Once the Uber appeared, she bundled them all in the back of the small four door sedan like car, which took a hot minute, leaving Ludo sitting with his knees under his chin. She sat herself in the front with the Uber driver who barely seemed interested in his passengers.
"Where to," he asked distractedly, still looking at his phone while merging with City traffic. Sarah gave him the address of a coffee shop near her apartment. Thankfully, the passengers in the back seat remained quiet during their journey.
It seemed like the adventure leading them to Sarah's apartment was going to end without mishap right up to the very end. Ludo was the last to get out of the vehicle, trying to get his large frame out of the vehicle. His momentum had him shoving Sir Didymus accidently who then,in what seemed a comedy of errors, tripped Hoggle who caught himself on the side-view mirror of the driver's vehicle with such force that it swung forward then back, and trying to keep himself upright, he let go and found his face smacking up against the driver's window, the hood of the sweatshirt falling back. The Uber driver, who up until this moment hadn't been paying attention to their shenanigans, noted the face smushed up against his window and screamed and began pulling away so fast he almost took Hoggle with him. Once the three men righted themselves they looked over at Sarah who stood there with her mouth open, astonished at what she just witnessed. She needed to get them inside her apartment immediately. She made sure to tip the Uber driver very well.
Once she gave them a tour of her tiny attic apartment and settled them down at her kitchen table, she put on tea and made them sandwiches which they ate happily. In between bites, she asked all about them; all the things she had wanted to know for years and what more recently, Jareth had refused to share with her.
Sir Didymus was married with several children. They lived in a little manor not far from the City. He loved his wife, his countless kids, and Ambrocious, his beloved steed. When Jareth had pressed him into service, he retired Ambrocious to his manor for safety and to watch over his family. He missed him terribly but knew it was best.
"You can call me S.D., my lady, all my friends do." He said with a dashing smile.
Ludo was of the Rock People. They lived simply on the outskirts of Jareth's kingdom. He also missed his family but enjoyed his time with his friends. Also, being in Jareth' service allowed him to take care of his parents and siblings. It having been a long and taxing day for all of them, they agreed that rest was necessary if they were going to figure out next steps first thing in the morning. She settled S.D. into her big comfy chair and laid out her sleeping bag with an assortment of pillows and blankets for Ludo on the floor. Hearing Ludo's soft snores, she sat at the kitchen table with Hoggle.
"Hoggle," she said kindly. He looked at her sadly.
"I've made a mess of things, I did," he said becoming upset.
"None of this is your fault. It's mine. I did it in the time before and I've done it again somehow. I am just so mad at Jareth right now." Hoggle looked around him suspiciously.
"Waiting for him to appear," she asked.
"Yes, Miss. He isn't done with us. I'm baked for sure and he's going to want to explain it all to you...I don't blame him for that, Miss." She looked at Hoggle thoughtfully.
"He sets great store by you, always has, Sarah."
"Then why…"
"He did what he had to do. I shouldn't have said anything but it made me mad to see...it was clear that he hadn't...and it seemed to me…," he began to splutter. She patted his hand.
"It's ok, don't fret. Tell me about your family."
" I don't have none, Miss. I've always just been a junker. But after you came, it was different. I have Ludo and S.D. and my very own room at the palace. I have it filled with so many pretty things." Sarah could only imagine what it looked like.
"You'll be back soon, Hoggle. We'll figure this out, I promise." She settled Hoggle on the couch with a pillow and a blanket. She cleaned the kitchen quietly, and turned off the light.
Sarah made her way to her bedroom, changing into a tank top and pajama bottoms. She turned off her light and got into bed. Jareth had lied to her, hurt her. And in turn, she got angry and now her friends were not only caught in the middle, but stuck Aboveground with her. What was she going to do now? She laid there for quite awhile trying to think of what to do now. Just before she drifted off she heard a voice, his voice.
"We need to talk…"
A/N: Helena by My Chemical Romance.