Sarah slowly woke up. The first thing she noticed was that she was in a really, really comfortable nightgown. It felt quite soft and silky.
The second thing she noticed was how comfortable the bed was. This isn't my bed, she thought. The room was beautiful with earth hues and the sunlight shone inside to illuminate the room.
Wait a minute.
She sat up too quickly and then promptly fell back, her body as limp as a noodle.
"Sarah!"
She recognized that gruff voice. "Hoggle?"
He was right beside her. "Oh Sarah! You're awake!" He looked relieved. "How ya feelin?"
Sarah put a hand to her head and smiled at her friend. "It's good to see you, Hoggle. I feel really weak, but okay."
She tried to recall why she was even there. Then her eyes widened as she remembered the shadow, Toby, the sword... And Jareth holding her close.
"Oh my god." She clasped her hand over her mouth. "Did I kill him?" Tears sprang to her eyes. She was a ball of energy and had no control of herself during that time.
"Him who?" Hoggle asked.
"Jareth." She said in a panicked voice. "Oh my god, what am I doing here? Where's Toby?!"
She tried to get up but started to fall again.
"You're too weak." Hoggle sighed. "And Jareth is okay. Didymus! Ludo!"
In walked a jittery fox and a gentle monster. Sir Didymus made a sweeping bow. "Oh, my lady!"
"Sir Didymus, Ludo." Sarah held her hands out to both of them.
"Sarah friend." Ludo pulled her into a hug.
"I missed all of you, I'm so sorry I couldn't call you." She said apologetically. "I hope you're well."
"Better than you are." Hoggle said with a smile. "Didymus, go tell the rat she's awake."
"On it my brother!" And the little knight trotted off.
"Oh Jareth, is he okay?" Sarah asked Hoggle again, not hearing his answer the first time.
"He's fine." Hoggle said. "I'm not sure all that happened but I'm sure he'll tell you. All I knew was that Lady Julia came to get all three of us and told us it was His Majesty's orders to watch over you after the court physician looked you over."
"Julia? Who's that?" Sarah asked.
"Me."
A beautiful woman was at the door. She had very fine blonde hair and striking, kind brown eyes. She eyed Sarah curiously and sat down next to her. She stuck her hand out at Sarah. "Jareth informed me that this is a common way humans greet each other, yes?"
Sarah smiled a little nervously but nevertheless shook the woman's hand. This lady was stunning. For a brief moment, she wondered if she was close to the king for she used his name freely.
"You're correct. It's nice to meet you." Sarah said. Aside from Jareth, Julia was the first fae Sarah had ever met. She was gorgeous and instantly, Sarah wondered how she herself captured Jareth's attention and if his attention would stay if there were women like this all around him. She shook her head to clear herself of those thoughts. "What time is it? Is my brother Toby here too? Is Jareth alright?"
Julia put her hands over Sarah's to comfort her. "It's about 8am, no, and yes. Or at least he's alright as much as he can be. He should be here soon-"
"SARAH!"
All four jumped at the booming voice. Jareth strode into the room, his eyes only for Sarah. "Oh thank god you're awake and alright." He breathed reverently.
Sarah felt her heart soar at his words. He looked at her adoringly and it was clear that he had been worried out of his mind for her. His eyes were shining for her, and her alone.
"Jareth!" Sarah tried to stand up but Ludo held her to the bed.
"Sawah weak." Ludo said.
"Yeah, don't get too excited. It's not like he's that important anyway." Hoggle said in a bitter voice but his eyes betrayed his amusement at the enthusiasm his king and his friend had for each other.
"Shut up, Hogwart." Jareth folded his arms.
"Hoggle!" The dwarf yelled at him.
"She's not the only weak one." Julia frowned at Jareth. She walked over to the king and placed both her hands on his face. "Your eyes are bloodshot and you feel unnaturally warm, Jareth dear."
Sarah felt her heart sink. Who was Julia? Why was she touching and talking to Jareth like that?
Jareth let out a displeased grunt and shoved her away. "I'm fine."
"You're being idiotic!" Julia tilted his head back and pulled an eyelid up. "When's the last time you slept? I heard you had a wished away then went on some mission. It's been, what, more than 30 hours that you've been awake?"
"You worry too much." Jareth folded his arms and gently shoved Julia away. "I have important things to do. More important than having you dote on me like a child."
"I just love you, you know that?" Julia said in a pained voice.
Sarah felt her heart crack and she gripped the sheets so hard she thought she was going to rip it apart. Why would she assume that Jareth would want her when he had so many beautiful women to choose from? Hell, he probably had a lot of lovers from how handsome he was.
Jareth's face softened at Julia. He held her face and kissed her forehead. "I love you too. You just drive me crazy."
"It's my job." Julia shrugged but there was a twinkle in her eye when he kissed her forehead.
Jareth walked over to Sarah. "Precious, how do you feel?"
Sarah refused to meet his eyes, feeling a bit betrayed. "I'm fine, I guess. Really weak. And worried about Toby, I can't get that image of him out of my head." She hugged her legs.
"That was no small feat you did back there." He brushed a hair from her face with a gloved hand but Sarah still refused to look at him.
Sarah glanced at Julia. To her surprise, the fae woman didn't look jealous at Sarah at all. She had on a worried but curious face at meeting her.
Jareth had no idea why Sarah was acting so cold towards him all of a sudden. That is, until he saw that she was looking at Julia.
Oh.
He smiled inwardly. He hadn't mean to make her feel jealous but now he was totally sure that she felt something for him too now that they were calmed down instead of in an intense situation. Back there, he wasn't 100% sure if she felt the same way or if she just wanted to cling to him because she had no one else.
He cleared his throat. "So, I see that you've met my sister."
Sarah met his eyes again. "Sister?"
"Oh, I'm sorry for not properly introducing myself. I thought Hoggle had told you." Julia looked at him. "Yes, the nuisance that's sitting next to you is my big brother."
"I'm still king." Jareth glared at her. "Hold your tongue."
"I'll do whatever I want with my tongue." Julia put her hands on her hips and stuck her tongue out at him.
"You're immature." Jareth rolled his eyes.
"Your hair is stupid." Julia taunted.
"Hey, leave the hair out of this." Jareth pouted.
Sarah giggled. She felt so foolish for thinking Jareth had betrayed her, and loved seeing him be put in his place by Julia. Sibling banter was something she didn't have with Toby because of the large age difference. Maybe when they're older they would.
At the thought of Toby, she started to tear up again.
Julia unfolded her arms and looked at Sarah. "Sarah?"
Jareth turned to see Sarah's eyes filled with unshed tears.
"Jareth, what's going on now? What happened? We need to get Toby." She hated looking so weak but she was tired. Physically, emotionally, and mentally. "And they probably know that I'm out of the jail cell right now, though that's the least of my worries."
Jareth hushed her and put his hands to cup her cheeks. "I made a promise to get him out safe. I've been working on a plan while you rested. You needed it." He brushed her bottom lip with his thumb.
He turned away from her but kept his hands on her face. "All of you, dismissed."
"But," Hoggle started.
"But what, Hogbrain?" Jareth raised an eyebrow as if threatening for Hoggle to question him.
"She hasn't eaten yet." Hoggle said. It was clear that he wanted to see Sarah some more as he and their other friends hadn't had a chance.
Jareth waved dismissively. "I will take care of her, I promise."
Hoggle, Sir Didymus, and Ludo shallowly shuffled out. "See ya, Sarah."
"See you." Sarah blew a kiss to them.
Hoggle had a victorious grin whereas Jareth was still frowning.
"You three!" The king called after them.
They all stopped. "Yes Sire?" Sir Didymus said bravely.
"You can visit Lady Sarah at a different time. Right now we have an emergency on our hands, understood?"
All of them looked at him with surprise. Usually he was not this considerate of their feelings. Jareth was one to do what needed to get done. They all nodded and shuffled out.
"You too." Jareth said to Julia. "Thank you for your help but I must discuss certain things with Sarah."
Julia saw that he went into his "king mode." She gave a small bow. "You know where to find me, Sire."
And she walked out the door too.
Sarah looked at the door curiously. "She's your sister, why did she call you Sire? And why is she Lady Julia and not Princess Julia?"
"I am her brother but I'm also king." Jareth said. "I normally have her call me as her brother but in certain situations, it is good to use titles to remind us of our roles. For now, I must be king and sovereign, not her annoying big brother." He said with a smile. "As for being a lady, she's my half sister. She's fairly young and is my mother's daughter from her second marriage after my father passed away and has no royal blood. She trained to become a physician and is learning from mine as he works to take care of multiple species. She started living in the castle about two years ago."
Sarah nodded. She realized that Jareth was still holding her face. She took his hands and held them in hers.
"So what's the plan for Toby now that it's daytime?" She asked him.
Jareth sighed. "You somehow used magic so strongly that it broke through the realm and destroyed the house. We landed in a pile of rubble. It was luckily around 4am so I barely had enough magic to transport us back to my castle. From there, we were both checked by my physician. Humans sometimes have magic but yours is unnaturally strong. We have yet to understand why but I'd like to give you a, what's the human term, oh crash course. Yes I'd like to give you a crash course on magic."
"If the house is destroyed, what will happen to finding Toby? It was our only option wasn't it?" Sarah may have asked this calmly, but Jareth could feel her pulse racing on her wrist.
"There is another way to go to that realm." He said, with almost difficulty. "There's a large portal here, Underground. Since this involves more than just Toby being taken, I'm going to hold an emergency council meeting today."
"Because it's going to hurt all of us." Sarah covered her mouth with her fist. "Oh god."
Jareth told her about his thoughts from the night before, how they wanted Sarah to step down from the throne. That way, they could eliminate Sarah easily. Somehow, the magic they both had was protecting them both.
"A queen?" She tried to calm her breathing. "What does that mean?"
"It means you can either give up the throne and I can rule as normal, be my co ruler, or I can step down and you can be queen." He saw a look on her face and gave her an answer to her unanswered question. "In case you're wondering, we don't have to be married to each other to be co rulers nor is there a time limit on this. That's something maybe we can look into later."
"Did you know any of this would happen?" She asked him harshly. "Did you know that Toby could be put in danger by you naming him as your heir or that they would target me too?"
"You really need to stop assuming that I'm out here to hurt you." He sighed sadly. The only reason he wasn't lashing back at her was because she had been through many, many things in the past few days. Their feelings for each other adding to the confusion.
Sarah looked down in shame. "I'm sorry, you're right. I guess I just, no matter how I feel about you, I have this fear still. And I don't know you. I don't really understand you." She gripped his hands even tighter. She scooted a little closer and looked into his face. "But I am willing to try."
Jareth knew that this was a second chance for him. Their hurdles were far from over, but anything worth it usually involved hurdles. "Me too. I'm sorry that I sowed seeds of doubt in you when you were last here in how I had acted. I meant every word I said back there, you know."
"Me too." Sarah placed her hands on his shoulders.
They didn't make a move to kiss, just stared at each other. In that moment of silence, looking into each other's eyes did more than words could, for eyes were the windows to the soul. Jareth still didn't understand how Sarah came to care so much about him so fast and Sarah still didn't understand how he had felt for her when she was in between a child and a woman.
But that would be dealt with later.
A knock on the door brought them out of their thoughts. Jareth turned to the door. "Yes?"
"Jareth, the emergency council is about to start." Julia said. "Everyone is there except for you."
"Thank you for informing me." He told his sister. "Could you give me and Sarah a couple more minutes? Oh, and please inform them that Sarah will be joining us and to give her the utmost respect."
"As my king commands." Julia said with a hint of teasing him before trotting off.
Jareth rolled his eyes. "She likes to make fun of me."
Sarah giggled and poked the side of his mouth. "It's really amusing. You get mad so easily."
"I do not." He huffed.
"How about upping the stakes?" Sarah mocked him. "And all because a teenage girl responded to your bait."
Jareth's lips twitched into a smile. This girl, no, woman, she would always keep him on his toes.
He gestured to the closet. "There's some clothing for you. I will wait outside and escort you down to the council room when you're done. After that, maybe you can have some breakfast. My physician said that food may not sit well with you for a while."
When he went outside, Sarah took a brief moment to admire the lovely room. There was a balcony that lead outside, a large bathroom, and a bright vanity. Jareth didn't just plop her in any room but a place of luxury.
She took off her nightgown and saw a faint scar from Jareth's pendant still on her chest from when it seared into her. She winced at the thought of it. She did keep the pendant on her though. It was a part of Jareth and something that she liked to have on her. Remembering that she would be meeting with the council though, she tucked it inside the dress that he had given her for she didn't want any questions asked.
It was a purple dress cinched in the middle with a golden corset. The skirt and sleeves were had a see-through blue material that flared out from her hips. The collar was high and she was grateful for it so she could hide his pendant.
She opened the door. "I'm ready."
Jareth tried so hard to not gawk at her. The way the fabric was clinging to her waist and flared out at her hips... the queenlike appearance that she had drew him in. He offered his hand to her and kissed her knuckles. "My lady, you are gorgeous."
Sarah blushed. "Thank you. You're not so bad yourself." She winked at him.
She took Jareth's hand and they arrived in the council room.
Everyone stood tall when the king went to take his place at the front. Jareth signaled for Sarah to take her place directly at his right, a place for an honored guest.
Sarah felt a little nervous with all kinds of creatures around her, but luckily, none of them seemed adverse to her. Just curious. She looked across from her and saw that Julia's spot was directly in Jareth's left. The King's sister gave her a gentle smile and Sarah found herself smiling back.
Jareth held out his left hand. A scepter materialized in it. He tapped it on the floor 3 times and sat down. Once he sat, everyone else did too.
He made a crystal and set it down on the table. "To record our voices." He told Sarah. He looked at the council. "November 1st, year 113th of the reign of King Jareth. Today we have an emergency council meeting for we have a foe that could destroy the Underground and Aboveground."
Everyone looked at each other in shock. They glanced at Sarah curiously for she was the only person they did not know.
Jareth continued. "On October 30, a few days ago, there was a disturbance in a house that was deemed as haunted and abandoned by humans. In the North American continent, Toby Williams was abducted by creatures of the Overground and his sister, Sarah Williams, was propelled backwards by a force unknown to her." He gave a nod in Sarah's direction. "This is Sarah. She is also the only person who has ever bested me in my labyrinth during my time as king."
Everyone sat up a little higher in their seats to get a better look at her. Sarah felt the urge to shrink into her seat but she sat up straight. She did not give off the impression of arrogance but rather of confidence and modesty.
"She was seen with scratch marks on her body. I personally extracted them and had physician Aaron look over them. Physician?" He turned to the man who sat by Julia.
Physician Aaron was a short elf. Sarah noticed that all the other elves were tall and wondered if maybe he was half elf and half dwarf like Hoggle was. He cleared his throat and gave a nod to the king. "I was not able to directly examine Lady Sarah myself that first night. Studying the green liquid, it would slowly infect her and kill her."
"We have reason to believe that Toby, the Champion's brother, has been infected by the same substance." Jareth said. "My hands were blistered from touching them."
"We assume that it is more harmful to magical creatures than it is for Lady Sarah." Julia interjected. "As Toby seems to be doing better off than Lady Sarah, we have a hypothesis that maybe it also has to do with age. And the strange ghost girl that his Majesty has encountered probably has protected the boy too."
"What creature has done this?" A water sprite asked.
"In the Aboveground, they are known as the chupacabra." Jareth said. "They look almost lizard and doglike."
"Don't they usually feed on livestock?" A fairy asked.
"Yes, but they absolutely can hurt people." Julia said. "As to why, that is what we are discussing."
Jareth caught them all up on all he knew. He told them of how at first, it was a mission to bring Toby back. But now, it was clear that it was a bigger problem than just Toby's safety.
"What of Lady Sarah's Magic? What is the source of that?" The head of the guard asked. "No champion has been granted magical powers before. Not even the Queen Mother."
"That's something that is still a mystery." Physician Aaron said. "She is as powerful as a fae but with power that she doesn't really know how to use. She has all the signs of a changeling."
"Someone transitioning from a mortal to immortal." Jareth clarified for Sarah. "And what does this mean for her?"
"It means she will age as a normal human unless she lives Underground. I'm willing to bet that since you named young Toby your heir, he also may be a changeling."
"We need to sever his contact with the Underground." One of them said. "Then they would stop bothering us."
"That won't do." Jareth said. "They're blood thirsty creatures. If they don't have the boy, they will come for someone else."
"How about we kill the leader?" Sarah spoke for the first time. "If we can find out who it is, maybe we can stop this."
Jareth hummed in thought. Then he turned to a forest nymph. "You're an expert on Overground creatures. What do you know about them?"
"Honestly, no one quite understands all the creatures that well." The nymph replied. "It's difficult to study them when a lot of them are the undead. I can say that most spirits, for lack of a better term, do not cause harm. The ones that do are mostly out for themselves not working in a large group. Then again, nothing about this screams normality for them either and it is a theory worth looking into."
"The shadow thing." Sarah turned to Jareth. "It kept saying 'us.' Maybe it's like a beehive where all the workers have the same mind and are controlled by a queen. Take out the queen and the workers are still there but cannot coordinate some kind of attack."
"It's only a theory but the best one we have to go by." Jareth's eyes sparkled a little at her. She was thinking everything thoroughly even if she wasn't saying much. "Any suggestions from anyone on how to find the queen?"
"We could send a few people down to another portal to the realm of the Overground, perhaps?" Julia suggested. "To explore it a little to understand what's happening."
"We'd have to wait until twilight for that." The water sprite said.
"Meanwhile we should all be prepared." Jareth said. "Have every monarch Underground be notified."
"Is that really necessary, Your Majesty?" Julia asked. "The only portals to the Overground are in the Goblin Kingdom and in the Aboveground."
"It doesn't hurt to keep them guarded." Sarah agreed with Jareth. "We have no idea how quickly or how far they will go. What will we do about the Aboveground?"
"They like to feed off of people there, like their fears but are not usually after humans specifically as they are without magic." The guard said. "Besides, humans can open the portals from anywhere."
"Like what? You don't mean tarot cards or ouija boards do you?" Sarah asked incredulously. She never dabbled with those things but was always a skeptic.
"Exactly those things." Jareth confirmed. "The objects themselves do nothing but the faith and magic involved can open the gates. It doesn't work every time, it depends on the human of course for every being has a certain level of magic in them. Some more than others." He turned to his general. "I do want the Aboveground monitored for a large surge of energy. Find whatever magicians you can and place at minimum of one to preside over every human continent." He placed 7 chess pieces on the world map.
"Yes sire." The general bowed his head.
"I want the entire kingdom under lockdown. If some human happens to wish a child away, I need someone to take my place and to guard the labyrinth so nothing happens to them."
Everyone wrote their notes down of the king's orders. Usually Jareth would be more lighthearted and in a teasing mood, often being sarcastic. The fact that he was dead serious scared all of them.
"Any other immediate concerns?" Jareth asked the council. "If not, we will take a break and will convene in one hour to discuss our plan of attack now that we have already discussed defensive tactics."
No one said anything. Jareth gave a single nod. He faced the recording crystal. "Meeting is dismissed and we will meet exactly one hour from now." He tapped his scepter on the floor three times.
He stood up and everyone followed suit. Sarah approached Jareth. "Hey, I have a question to ask you but can we talk alone?"
Jareth raised an eyebrow but nodded. "Sure, let's go to my office."
"I can meet you there later, I want to thank Julia and Aaron for taking care of me." She looked towards his sister and his physician.
Jareth couldn't help the smile that was filling his face. Sarah was so, so sweet. Always so thoughtful of others even in a situation such as this. It was a far cry from when she said everything was unfair.
"Of course." He said. "Julia can lead you to my office when you're done. I'll meet you there." He turned on his heel with a swipe of his cape and left.
"He has such a flare for entrances and exits, doesn't he?" Julia appeared next to Sarah. "Always a show off, that one."
Aaron was also next to them. "His Majesty has been like that since he was a child. It's gone to the point where it's almost endearing."
Sarah laughed and faced them. "Physician Aaron and Lady Julia, thank you ever so much for taking care of me when I was hurt. It means a lot to me."
Aaron blushed. "Well, you are a special one aren't you child? Except for my paycheck and the occasional thanks from the king, I don't usually get appreciative words."
"I told you she was different." Julia said. "And Sarah, you're very welcome."
"Even if it is your job, it's still important for me to thank people for being kind to me. Something I had learned last time I was here when I didn't realize what all Jar- His Majesty did for me." She stopped herself from using his name freely.
Julia had a twinkle in her eye. "He's grown up too. I think you changed him."
"Me?" Sarah asked. "Oh by the way, I'm supposed to meet Jareth in his office. Can you take me there?"
"Sure thing." Julia linked her arms with Sarah. "Aaron, do you need me right now?"
"Not immediately but soon so we can stock up on supplies for the lockdown." He said.
"Perfect, will meet you in the South Wing. Come Sarah, let us walk together."
After leaving Aaron and away from all the other people, Julia began to talk. "Jareth is fond of you, I can see. Actually, anyone can see from the way he looks at you."
Sarah blushed. "You think so?"
"Oh I know so." Julia smiled. "You probably reminded him a lot of himself when you were last here from the sound of it. He's told me a little, said you seemed a tad spoiled and said things without thinking which definitely describes him. Your tempers matched each other but you also learned to look around you, to understand what was happening. You have a good heart and a sharp mind. To not take things for granted. I'm sure he did too, though I can also see that you both are quite unsure of each other and still have petty arguments."
Sarah couldn't help it. She let out a laugh. Not because it was funny but because of how accurate it was. "You read into us quite well I suppose."
"It's a gift I have." She laughed. "Unlike most fae, I am mush more in tune with not only my own emotions but the emotions of others. You're his equal and anything you lack he makes up for and vice versa. Similar to him but also the opposite. You both temper each other when needed."
"But I was a child." Sarah said quietly. "Why did he fall for me then?"
Julia was quiet for a moment. "Well, Sarah, I can only guess for Jareth as he likes to be isolated, but he's not one to hurt you or to be rash in marriage. He would have waited for you to grow up before courting you. He would have gotten to know you first. I think that you captured his attention and instead of thinking, he threw all logic out the window and was too arrogant, assuming instantly that he'd win. And I don't think you realize, but when you were using your magic back there, he held you not to ground you but so that he could share the impact of the energy. He hurt himself in the process when he could've let you died. He risked his own life, Sarah."
They reached Jareth's office.
"All I can say is, he cares about you. But he is stubborn and is still scared to show anything. He needs to learn patience and I ask you to be equally patient with him too. He didn't fall for you because you were a child, you just intrigued him. I don't think he really understood what he was feeling."
"I would really prefer for you to leave certain conversations to be held between the appropriate people."
Both girls jumped at Jareth's voice. The king had his arms folded and was glaring at Julia. "You overstepped your boundaries and are involved in matters that do not involved you, Julia."
Julia lowered her head. "Yes, Jareth. I'm sorry."
Sarah looked back and forth between the siblings. "Jareth, she didn't mean-"
Jareth held his hand out to silence her. "I know. But she needs to learn that certain conversations are not hers to be involved in unless invited."
Sarah supposed he was right. This wasn't any of Julia's business and matters of the heart was something that she should be discussing with Jareth directly.
Which was what she was there to do.
She turned to Julia. "Thanks for escorting me."
Julia gave a nod. "Of course. I'm sorry for overstepping, I'm such a gossiper. Unless it's with patients, I'm always careful to keep their records confidential."
"You're just too familiar with me sometimes." Jareth sighed. Sarah could see that he clearly loved his sister with how soft his eyes were. "Stay safe, little sister. We don't know when the Overgrounders will come."
Julia was the only one in his family who showed this much emotion, and even then it was fairly recent. Her father was a loving father. He died from a sickness that took years to finally take him. Because of that, she spent more of her time not taking time for granted. She told everyone she loved them. Jareth was grateful for that since most of his kind weren't so open. Not even their mother.
Jareth closed the door behind them and motioned for Sarah to sit down on a comfortable seat. "Tea and muffins?"
"I'd love some." Sarah accepted his offer.
Jareth poured some tea and set it in front of her. He sat beside her, enjoying the silence for a moment before speaking. "So what did you want to talk to me about?"
Sarah shifted a bit uncomfortably. For these past few days, she had strong, strong feelings for Jareth. She couldn't deny the attraction or the pure affection she had for him. She would've put this conversation off but it also affected them with the whole Toby situation. Not to mention her powers.
"It's kind of about what Julia was talking about. And my powers." She said quietly. Matters of the heart was something not too familiar for her. She had never felt anything so strong for someone before and definitely not in such a short amount of time.
Jareth kept his face masked of his feelings. He sipped on his tea. "What do those things have to do with each other?"
Sarah twiddled her thumbs nervously. She kept reminding herself that Jareth was her equal and she was his. She had nothing to be afraid of. For some reason, this was scarier than when she was fighting that shadow. "Do you have the book? The labyrinth book that we found?"
Jareth gave her a strange look but conjured it and handed it to her. He waited patiently as she flipped through the pages.
"That's odd." She murmured.
"What is?" His curiosity peaked and leaned over her.
Sarah avoided his gaze as much as she could. "In the book I had, there was a line there that's missing here. In fact, there's a few changes from this version."
"Usually, there isn't a change within stories for it talks about my parents meeting especially as of late. But sometimes there are changes and no one knows why. To fit the reader and their situation I suppose." His gaze grew more and more intense.
Sarah almost whispered. "I'm so confused."
"Confused about what?" Jareth asked patiently.
"In the book I had," Sarah's voice was so soft that Jareth probably wouldn't have heard it if it weren't for his acute hearing. "It said 'but what no one knew was that the king of goblins had fallen in love with the girl. And had given her certain powers.' In my version, he also danced with her. But this copy is void of that and void of our last meeting."
Jareth closed his eyes and leaned back. "Yes."
Sarah's head slowly moved to looked up at him. "Jareth?"
"The book is something no one truly understands." He said again. "There are many copies around to spread the story of my kingdom around so we can take children, to warn humans and to save the abused. The different changes are something that is a mystery and probably always will be."
Sarah could sense that he was avoided the question. "But Jareth, is it true?"
He met her eyes. In them were a tornado of feelings. They reminded her so much of the time in the Escher room. Pleading, almost angry, broken, lost hope.
He gripped his teacup. "I don't know if love first sight is a thing. I didn't know that the book had written that, or why. A prophecy perhaps?" He laughed darkly. "But I cannot deny that I feel more strongly for you than I had anyone else. Giving you powers? If I did then it was by accident."
He put his teacup down. "But please don't worry about that. You are under no obligation to think anything of me. I'm irrelevant, Sarah. All we want is to get out of this mess."
"Jareth please."
She walked over to him and knelt down. Jareth was surprised by this. She took his hands and kissed them. "Don't tell me that you're irrelevant to me. You never are."
"But what about the past 7 years?" He asked with sorrow.
"I was afraid." She pulled the chair close to him so they could sit next to each other. "Not that you'd necessarily hurt me though that was a small part. I was afraid that I would mean nothing to you. That with all the beautiful women here, I was nothing. That you gave the same offer to every girl that comes by. I'm just some recent college grad who's working, no one special. You offer me my dreams. All I can offer you now is a possibility of my heart, something I've never given anyone. I've had boyfriends and flings but none of them have been able to claim my heart."
She looked away from him. She honestly still wondered, was she really that special?
Jareth was floored. She thought that HE had women all over him? Well, she wasn't wrong if she was referring to before he became king. But now, he didn't allow that for he was too immersed in his work. And besides, if he was going to have someone, she was going to be special and a chance to last forever. He did have women vying for his attention, but very few wanted him permanently if any. His job and title was not an easy thing to deal with.
But Sarah. She was the only one who would rise up to the occasion. And she was the only one willing to show him that she would give her heart to him given some time.
He cupped her face in his hands. "My Precious Sarah. I admit that I've had... experiences. But all of them were no match to you. I do not let just any woman into my life. My offer to you, our interactions is a rare thing for me. You are very special to me. I was intrigued as Julia said, and was too arrogant back then. I asked you to fear me, fear losing me. I asked you to do as I say when I want to protect you not because I want to be in charge of you. I ask you to love me, yes, but now I ask for a chance. It's all I want from you."
Sarah's bottom lip trembled. She smiled a real, beautiful smile for him. And Jareth, oh, he looked so pure. So good. Like a piece that had been missing from her.
"Just give me time, Jareth. Give us time to get to know each other. Give me time to live my life Above. To make plans for a future. We are moving really fast." She chuckled a little.
Jareth's smile never faltered. "Time is something I can grant you. I will give you forever, Precious."
"Forever isn't very long at all." She breathed.
"No, not even close." He agreed.
No one was sure who made the move first. Before they knew it, eyes were closed and lips were touching. Sarah's hands were slowly moving up on Jareth's bare chest then to his shoulders. She intertwined her fingers behind his neck and pushed her body close to his.
Jareth's hands held her face as if it was the whole world. He touched the chain of the pendant on her, feeling good at the fact that she was still wearing something that was a part of him. His hands moved down to hold her waist and he pushed himself closer as much as he pulled her close to him.
Their lips fit perfectly as if they were made for each other. Neither were untouched and had feelings for other people before. But this, even knowing each other for such a short time, so much has happened and so much was promised. It was a chaste kiss, one full of hope.
Jareth slowly pulled away first but he was the last to open his eyes, still savoring the feeling of her lips. It was unlike anything he had ever experienced. The same could be said for Sarah. The image of his lips still puckered and eyes closed in a dream like state would always remain with her.
They rested their foreheads together and rubbed noses. Jareth hugged her close. "Oh, my Sarah."
"My Jareth." She said back. She moved her hand on his chest a bit and frowned at a large, purple mark. "Was that from me?"
Jareth cursed at himself. Apparently he had let his guard down and uncovered the glamor that he had put on. He hushed her and held her close, her head resting on his chest. "Yes. But Precious, please don't worry."
She tried to not tear up, but failed. Sarah nuzzled against him and placed a kiss on the spot where he had been burned. "You shielded me and saved my life. You could've died too."
"If I didn't absorb some of that energy, I would've died anyway." He kissed her hair. "If you died, I would've died along with you."
He stiffened as he realized what he said. He didn't want to scare her away from the intensity of his feelings for her.
Sarah, on the other hand, just held tighter to him. "Julia's right, you're stupid." She tilted her head to look at him, a sad smile on her face. "But then again, I would've done the same to keep you safe."
Jareth had always known what a special person Sarah was. Ever since he saw her playacting in the park. But at that very moment, he confirmed that she was above and beyond anything he had ever imagined.
He leaned to kiss her again when someone was frantically knocking on his door.
"Your Majesty! Sire!"
Both of them pulled away from each other and Jareth went to yank the door open. A young man was looking at him with trembling fear.
"Charles, what's happened?" Jareth demanded him.
"Sire, I'm here to inform you that there are reports of humans and animals are dropping like flies mysteriously, then one of our Knights, Sir Ronan, is severely wounded."
He shakily showed Jareth something. "This was found on his body."
Jareth snatched it from him.
"Oh my god." Sarah whispered. "It's written in blood!"
The day of reckoning has come. Surrender the throne.
Yay the kiss we've all been waiting for! I was tempted to make them get interrupted again but I figured I should let them have one full kiss before more chaos ensues. How did you guys like Julia? Personally I like the idea of Jareth have a sister who becomes best friends with Sarah (unlike Ingrid in my other story, Strangers Till Now). Never insult the hair!
Bexi Lexi: Also I totally love having Sarah be Jareth's equal as well. Maybe not in every way, but anything one person lacks, the other makes up for it. You should check out my other stories since that's where Sarah is really Jareth's equal. To me, he wouldn't have her any other way. He seems to like to be in control but I think deep inside he wants her to be his equal, to challenge him. As for her powers, we will see what happens with that. Obviously she didn't get a chance to really train or anything. I'm projecting a few more chapters left maybe. The details of how to defeat the demons are kinda fuzzy at the moment lol and I'm not the greatest at battle scenes so hopefully it'll end up okay!