Chapter X
Sarah woke up in the middle of the night to find Jareth exactly where he'd been when she fell asleep. Instead of bringing a smile to her face, as she was sure it would've done were it anyone else, Sarah was instantly suspicious. He was being too kind. Too caring.
Floats of the conversation she'd heard drifted through her head, taunting her.
"Rule by my side forever."
A bulb clicked on in her mind. It was Jareth's voice. Slowly the puzzle pieces began to form in her sleepy head.
"Makes sense … forever … don't care."
And it clicked.
She fixed a glare at the Kind sleeping by her bedside. He had a lot of explaining to do.
Jareth woke up next to the sleeping form of Sarah. She looked so still.
'I wonder if it was just a dream.'
That would have been the cruellest type of fate.
However, when Sarah's eyes flickered open, he knew it had been real.
Though instead of being happy to see him, she fixed him with the harshest glare she could in her sleepy state.
"You," she said. "Start talking."
Jareth's eyes opened wide. She knew.
"And what, dear Sarah, should I talk about?"
Sarah's mouth dropped open. He had never been so callous to her before.
Wide awake now, her glare intensified.
"You know what." She spat out.
"Oh," he sounded as if he had only just remembered, like he wasn't paying much attention in the conversation before hand. "You mean your immortality?"
Sarah was stunned into silence. She was immortal. By his words during her coma, she'd guessed something to that effect - that she'd live longer then normal humans - but nothing of that magnitude. It sounded too real, hearing him say it out loud.
"You didn't know?" Jareth shook his head in mock dismay while smoothing a finger down her cheek. "You'd sounded so sure of yourself too."
"Get off me."
Sarah jumped up and scrambled to the opposite side of the room.
The king just laughed.
"Face it Sarah, It's never going to change."
The man left but his voice stayed, taunting her. Filling her head with words, Horrible, haunting words.
"You're immortal now, Sarah."
She clamped her hands over her ears desperately trying to block out his voice.
"No." She whispered.
The voice grew louder.
"Time is never going to run out. Not for you, or me."
"No!" She shouted.
"You're mine." The voice rang around her head and caused tears to run down her cheeks.
"Forever."
Sarah sat, huddled over, crying. For the life she'd lost and the new one she'd gained. It was all the same now. She was never going home.
He didn't know what had come over him. He'd woken up from the best sleep he'd had in a while and found his beautiful Sarah awake but questioning him.
And he'd snapped. He'd realised that over the past few days he'd taken some backchat from the people who were suppose to serve him. It was time to install fear into their hearts again.
But he'd started with Sarah, which was either a brilliant idea or a really bad one, depending on your point of view. Good in the way it showed he meant business, shouting at his queen meant that the goblins would get it even worse then that. But bad because, well, because it was Sarah. His immortal queen.
"Damn." The king cursed to himself before going back to Sarah's room to make amends.
He froze when he saw the mess of covers and the huddled figure in the corner.
God, he was a terrible man.
He quickly rectified the room and put the teenager in her bed, leaving a gentle kiss on her forehead.
Taking one last look at his gorgeous girl, he left the room.
Sarah woke up the next morning surprised to find she was back in her bed. She was even more surprised to find a red rose lying on the pillow next to her.
"Well, Jareth," she spoke aloud to herself, "if you think this is going to get me to forgive you, you're wrong."
She got up, ever afraid that the chilling voice of the king would echo in her mind again, and dressed.
Jareth had only supplied her with gowns 'fit for a queen'.
Whereas once she saw them as pretty novelties, now she looked upon them with disgust. She wasn't a queen, she was a captive.
Sarah thought back to when she wore jeans. In actuality, it wasn't that long ago. It just felt like months.
In her rush to get out of the room, she completely neglected the note left on the table, next to the where the rose had been.
The note which, if she'd read it, would have chilled her to the bone.
"If you think," Sarah greeted Jareth as they sat side by side in their thrones, "that that rose will -"
"Wait a second. What rose?"
What the hell was she talking about?
"The one on my pillow this morning."
She wasn't joking. He could see it on her face. Now she wasn't sure who it was from. Fear was etched onto her features.
"Come on."
Grabbing her hand, Jareth pulled Sarah along behind him towards her room.
When he arrived he scoured the room for any signs that anyone had been in there. He stopped when he saw the rose. Anger raged through him when he saw the note.
No one was going to get close to his girl. Not one goblin.
He stormed over and grabbed it up, his features settling deeper into a frown with every word he read. When he's finished he crumpled the paper loosely in his hands trying to prevent Sarah from reading it. No such luck.
She snatched it out of his grip and read the words out loud.
" 'Don't listen to him. You're mine. Not his.' Jareth? What does this mean?"
He looked up and locked their gazes. She gasped when she saw the intensity of the panic and fear in his eyes. If he was scared, then something really bad was happening.
"I don't know Sarah. I really don't."